Coursework Assignment: Creative Writing
Fallen Reflection And there he was, a boy of five in the middle of the forest clearing. He ran daintily, in his grass-stained rags, barefoot and without a care. He was careful not to trample over any of the flowers, and smiled to himself as he passed and saw his reflection in the small, clear pool of water. In his dirtied hands, he held a twig which he threw up into the air every ten steps or so, his auburn hair ruffled by the silent breeze. He stopped abruptly next to the pool of water, and his smile slowly slipped away as the water clouded and ripples formed, although nothing had touched the surface. He kneeled down next to the pool of water, and his face became emotionless, as if he no longer knew what he was doing as he stared into the pool's depths. He saw her, and his hand swept through the air and closed on a flower. Its petals were delicate, white and radiant with light. It had not yet blossomed to full magnitude but was graceful and beautiful beyond comprehension. He pulled on the stem gently, easing it in one smooth action out of the dirt and into the air, breathing in its scent. * * * * * The young girl screamed. Screams that filled the silent night air, screams of anguish and relief. And then, she was no more. She lies inside a coffin made of wood, atop a hill. Her gravestone bears no words. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she holds a book, beneath
Write about some of the ways Fitzgerald tells the story in Chapter 1
Fitzgerald uses a first-person retrospective narrator in Nick to allow the employment of a partially-involved story combined with his reflective perceptions on situations. Fitzgerald builds Nick's perceptions as fickle, having him claim 'I'm inclined to reserve all judgements' yet quickly contradicts this trait as he tells 'the intimate revelations of young men' are 'marred by obvious suppressions'. By Fitzgerald doing this, the audience are given an immediate opinion on Nick, realising he is likely to be inconsistent and an unreliable narrator. Fitzgerald highlights this by his ambivalence towards Gatsby, having him claim 'there was something gorgeous about him' yet describing his 'unaffected scorn' towards him. Fitzgerald also makes it clear Nick is a self-conscious story teller, telling himself 'after boasting this way of my tolerance' to allow the basis of Nick's reliability to be questioned throughout the novel. Fitzgerald has Nick go over what he is written to make it seem obvious that he is selecting events and words, such as claiming Gatsby 'had vanished' to make the chapter seem more dramatic. As the reader currently knows little about Gatsby's character, Nick's unexpected description of his disappearance at the end makes Gatsby seem more gripping, building the reader's anticipation of his entrance. Therefore, any of the events throughout the chapter are to be
Animal Farm is not just about a story about animals it is about human nature and behaviour. Discuss.
Animal Farm Animal Farm is not just about a story about animals it is about human nature and behaviour. "Animal Farm" by George Orwell is a novel based on the lives of a society of animals living on the Manor Farm. Although the title of the book suggests the book is merely about animals, the story is a much more in depth analysis of the workings of society in Communist Russia. The animals are used as puppets to illustrate how the communist class system operated, and how Russian citizens responded to this, and how propaganda was used by early Russian leaders such as Stalin, and the effect this type of leadership had on the behaviour of the people of Russia. One thing which relates to the topic is how the pigs are favoured on Animal Farm. The main source for this was because their leader Napolean was a pig, the pigs were subject to favouritism by Napolean, and were given privileges that other animals were not given, such as sleeping in beds, wearing clothes and drinking beer. The pigs were also the only animals involved in making the vital decisions on Animal Farm. The fact emulates in a way how our Government tends to operate. The Government Party members are paid an exuberant amount of money, with this money the members of the Government can purchase costly cars and houses, if they wish to do so. They make all the important decisions about the country where as the
A Person has the Choice to end their Life when they Wish - Discuss
'A person has the right to end their life when they wish' - Discuss By Luke Warner Throughout history, the act of committing suicide has been punished in almost every country in the world; however in modern society it is becoming more and more acceptable. According to the online dictionary, suicide is "Intentionally taking one's own life"1. While this definition is in almost all situations correct, many disagree with the ethics of suicide, and therefore it is a controversial topic. However an equally hot subject is the fact that in Britain, Suicide is legal under legislation, while euthanasia or assisting somebody else's suicide is not, and as a result fierce debating has raged on over these questionable laws 2. The following paragraphs will discuss various cases to do with suicide and euthanasia, present the arguments for and against suicide, and attempt to decide whether it is one's right to end their life whenever they want. As in the majority of nations, Euthanasia is illegal, and in this country punishable by 14 years imprisonment. Unlike suicide, Euthanasia is the act putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful disease, or condition3. However slightly bizarrely, suicide is not a criminal offence under the Suicide Act 1961. And even more unusually, it is
Characters in the play Translations.
While Friel's small group of characters in the play Translations, hold stereotypical qualities and are all citizens of the rural Irish-speaking village of Baile Beag being affected culturally and personally by the Ordance Survey. Each character is carefully delineated with his or her own particular traits as well as being different representatives of particular views and beliefs. At first Sarah who is mute is seen as the stereotypical silent woman. Her loss of tongue and hence loss of identity is symbolic of the powerless, submissive female. "Which should I take Sarah" highlights the patronising, denigrating, and belittling attitudes towards females. Sarah is very much plays the role of society's expected female, "maybe you'd set out the stools," females are merely servants and slaves. However as the play precedes the audiences sees Sarah's developing individuality through her gestures, dress and actions. The name Sarah, maybe deliberately chose by Friel, refers to the Hebrew Sarah - mother of the nation, in this play's case the nation being Ireland. She is not just a mute village folk but also a representation of Ireland as a silenced voice, as it is a nation that does not speak the language of the colonisers. 'You were lovely last night, Sarah is that the dress you got from Boston, Green suits you." This further highlights Sarah's symbolism of Ireland seeing as green is
Themes Surrounding The Title Of "Of Mice And Men"
Of Mice And Men Title: In this presentation I will talk about the title "Of Mice And Men", and the significance of various themes incorporated into the story in relation to how they associate to the title, such as the subject of Lennie's treatment of the mouse in the beginning, and how the animalistic deaths that transpire throughout the novel could be seen as an admonition to later events, in which Lennie is killed by George and conclude by answering if the title is effective in indicating the themes that are prominent in the novel. The title of the novel "Of Mice and Men" is an intertextual reference as it is a quotation from a poem written by Robert Burns, in which he speaks of a homeless mouse which is in fear following the destruction of its house. A quotation from the poem, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley" means that everything, no matter how well deliberated or considered, is questionable to failure. Steinbeck took the title of the novel from this quote, as the two pieces of text are easily comparable in their matters, as in the novel, Lennie and George's plan to find a little place, how they wanted their dream, and yet it never materialized. On Page 7, George makes the discovery that Lennie is carrying a dead mouse in his pocket. Lennie wanted to keep the mouse because he loves to pet small, soft things. Sadly, such is his brute strength,
How does John Steinbeck use animals to structure the novel 'Of Mice and Men'?
How does John Steinbeck use animals to structure the novel 'Of Mice and Men'? Animals are used throughout John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" to structure the novel in a way that constantly foreshadows towards the climax at the end of the story. The way in which Lennie kills a mouse before they have reached the ranch, gives the reader an idea of his brute strength, and Steinbeck reinforces this with the fact that Lennie kills a small puppy as well. The American dream in the novel is for Lennie and George to own their own farm, and Lennie only wants this so he can have 'plenty rabbits'. The first mouse encountered in the story is a dead one. Lennie has kept it in his pocket 'to pet', and soon kills it as he does not know his own strength. Steinbeck is already using animals to foreshadow the rest of the novel, as Lennie is comfortable with death but he is so kinaesthetic that he continues to pet the dead mouse. Mice are obviously a source of comfort for Lennie, and he holds connotations of mice with Aunt Clara. The book is based around the fact that George and Lennie are only temporarily working at the ranch until they have enough money to own some land where they could work 'maybe six, seven hours a day' and 'live off the fatta the land'. Steinbeck structures the novel around this simple dream and allow others to join such as Candy. Steinbeck increases the severity of the
Write a letter to a headteacher persuading him/her that all students should take part in at least one hour's physical activity every day.
Dear Headteacher, Can you imagine a school where happiness is due to a beneficial exercise regime? Do you agree that exercise is the key to success? I strongly urge you on behalf of all pupils concerning the school- change is needed. I implore you to transform the timetable so that one hour's fitness is included into everyday life; whether it be a contact sport such a rugby or perhaps an hour of badminton, i cannot stress enough how important it is that physical activity is incorporated within the school's timetable. Sapped of energy, drained and tired, many pupils feel dreadful after 3rd period because their brain has been working so hard. Stress is a challenging factor which youths have to face mainly due to education, therefore to overcome this problem it is imperative that we have one hour's physical challenge to de-stress. Vital and imperative, this hour is beneficial as we recieve a much needed and well earned rest and it also aids us to concentrate in the classroom for longer periods of time. I know this because my friend's school in London used this improved timetable and that year the school had their best ever examination results. Brilliant, no? Furthermore, i have no doubt you should heed my advice considering that 60% of the whole natio is deemed obese, therefore it is likely around 720 people attending at the school out of th 1200 statistically should be obese
Trust in Animal Farm. From the extract, Orwell uses Squealer to present the great character of Napoleon,
Afterwards Squealer was sent round the farm to explain the new arrangement to the others. 'Comrades,' he said, 'I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure! On the contrary, it is a deep and heavy responsibility. No one believes more firmly than Comrade Napoleon that all animals are equal. He would be only too happy to let you make your decisions for yourselves. But sometimes you might make the wrong decisions, comrades, and then where should we be? Suppose you had decided to follow Snowball, with his moonshine of windmills - Snowball, who, as we now know, was no better than a criminal? 'He fought bravely at the Battle of the Cowshed,' said somebody. 'Bravery is not enough,' said Squealer. 'Loyalty and obedience are more important. And as to the Battle of the Cowshed, I believe the time will come when we shall find that Snowball's part in it was much exaggerated. Discipline, comrades, iron discipline! That is the watchword for today. One false step, and our enemies would be upon us. Surely, comrades, you do not want Jones back? Once again this argument wan unanswerable. Certainly the animals did not want Jones back; if the holding of debates on Sunday mornings was liable to bring him back, then the debates
Short Story: Suspicious bed. I would always be the root of a practical joke. But I was prepared this time. I had my eyes open and alert.
I was nervous as I approached the hotel's restaurant. I had just arrived at one of those old rustic cabin type hotels in the countryside. My friends and I were spending the weekend at Mt. Hood, Oregon, to get away from the busy city life of Portland. It would be a nice retreat, and a great time to relax and enjoy the outdoors. And I was nervous as I entered the old restaurant. I could smell the sweet scent of maple syrup lingering in the air. And the warmth of the crackling fire was almost comforting. I was still nervous. My friends, all loved playing practical jokes on me. It was as if they did it for a living! Every time we would get together for any occasion, I would always be the root of a practical joke. But I was prepared this time. I had my eyes open and alert. Throughout the entire evening, their mirth was excessive, far too great. Synthetic smiles were slapped on everyone's faces. Every cheerful action they did screamed, "FAKE!" I smelled a practical joke in the air. But what was it? I was watchful, restless. I did not let a single word escape my ears. Nor did I let a single movement escape my vision. Everyone seemed to me, an object of suspicion. I didn't even trust the waiters and waitresses. I ate my dinner cautiously as well, examining every piece of salmon steak before taking a bite. I could sense the joke getting nearer, and nearer. I was extremely alert.
