Little runts. I hate them all. Why did they have to make trouble now? Just when things were going well? Just when I had a job? Just when I could almost forget that I'm not one of those precious little Tarella snobs, destined for fame and fortune?
They just had to bring back the memories.
I remember tee-hee, tee-hee, th-th-th, THE big one, the one who could just pull out that demonic voice right out at that merchandise section at Woolworths. The memory just jumped straight into my mind, and I can still see the blood, dripping right off the bubblers. It looks like what I did didn't hurt her, though. Those perfect white teeth and little red tongue could still say "What's that word, Vonny Cooney? Come on, Vonny Cooney! You're a lazy girrrl!" in that voice. I want to forget it, forget it all. I wish I could just go far away and leave Mum behind and not worry about the kids. I wish I could just leave everyone behind. Let everyone scream and shout "I hate Vonny Cooney!" or whatever they want.
After all, I suppose everyone hates Vonny Cooney. So do I.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Romeo and Juliet: A play about love
I believe strongly that Romeo and Juliet is a play centered on love and the lengths that people are willing to go to for it. Almost all of the main events are focussed on the two lovers' actions that are made in the name of love.
This is demonstrated most strongly in the death scene of Romeo and Juliet, when the two of them kill themselves because they believe the other is dead (even though one was mistaken), and would rather join the other in death instead of living without them. Although it was extremely impulsive and a little silly of the two to suicide immediately upon seeing the other's body, it has always been known that they did it for love.
In addition, many other important events were the cause of love between Romeo and Juliet. Their marriage (obviously because the two loved each other) rendered Romeo unable to fight Tybalt, leading to Mercutio fighting in his play and being killed, which then led to the death of Tybalt. Of course, this resulted in Romeo being banished, which was the sole cause of Juliet's desperate measures against getting married with Paris, which was drinking the Friar's potion.
In short, Romeo and Juliet is a play about love and what people will do when they are in love.
Sonnet: Goodbye
A word, some sounds, in many minds still dwell
That reaches every watchful angel's ear
Not weeping nor morning can sadness quell
Nor any anger that saints would fear.
This word, for all must one day be spoken
Even our love will soon unwillingly yield.
For I must leave, I don't want to see you broken
Lying on altar named Love, by a knife I wield.
So if you are to stay your true fair self
And stay simply shielded from love's sharp sting
A task there is, must be done by myself.
I must leave you only with these small things.
This blessed word of such sweet pained sorrow
Erased only by promise of morrow.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Romeo and Juliet: Fate or human error?
I believe that in the play "Romeo and Juliet", the ending is really influenced by coincidence and human error that is passed off as "fate".
When Romeo meets Juliet at Capulet's feast, fate is thought of as being the reason they meet. However, the true reason was because the hopelessly lustful Romeo gatecrashed the gathering to see Rosaline and compare her to other women. Because he was so in love with her, he had to see her another time, thus creating the plot device for the two future lovers to meet. It is perfectly natural for both Juliet and Rosaline to be at the feast, because they are Capulet's daughter and niece.
In addition, the little accidents that befell Romeo and Juliet are simply coincidences. For example, when Friar Lawrence's message is unable to reach Romeo, it is because the messenger was delayed by a mistaken (but common) encounter with health officials, not because the lightning of fate struck him.
However, the real human errors were Romeo's impulsive choices. From killing Tybalt to buying the poison that he would later drink to kill himself, Romeo made all the wrong choices because he acted instead of waiting for a little while. Even though Mercutio and his death acted as the catalyst to Romeo's banishment, it was mainly Romeo's fault for impulsively killing Tybalt as revenge for Mercutio's death.
The other huge mistake that Romeo made was to immediately declare that he would "lie with" Juliet, and to kill himself with poison by Juliet's side. If Romeo had waited and mourned properly, instead of instantly committing suicide, he might have lived to see Juliet alive again. Of course, his impetuous character would not let him do this.
There were many other human errors, such as Tybalt's violence, Mercutio's troublemaking and Sampson and Gregory's starting fights with the Montagues. For these reasons, I believe that the ending of "Romeo and Juliet" is not the result of fate, but of the numerous mistakes that the characters make.
The other huge mistake that Romeo made was to immediately declare that he would "lie with" Juliet, and to kill himself with poison by Juliet's side. If Romeo had waited and mourned properly, instead of instantly committing suicide, he might have lived to see Juliet alive again. Of course, his impetuous character would not let him do this.
There were many other human errors, such as Tybalt's violence, Mercutio's troublemaking and Sampson and Gregory's starting fights with the Montagues. For these reasons, I believe that the ending of "Romeo and Juliet" is not the result of fate, but of the numerous mistakes that the characters make.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
William Shakespeare
Born in April 1564, William Shakespeare was the eldest surviving son of Mary and John Shakespeare's eight children. Although he was born in Stratford, he lived in London for most of his life. He married Anne Hathaway in November 1582 and had three children. During Shakespeare's life, Queen Elizabeth and King James I were the monarchs reigning.
In 1594, Shakespeare joined Lord Chamberlain's Men, a theatre company. He spent 5 years working for this group, and saved enough to buy a share in The Globe, a theatre. Later, the group was ordered to change the name to King's Men.
As well as writing at least 37 plays, Shakespeare also wrote poems. These were written in Old English. Some of the genres of his plays were histories (Richard II), comedies (A Midsummer Night's Dream), tragedies (Romeo and Juliet) and tragicomedies (Hamlet). In a Shakespearean comedy, the main characters tend to live on and succeed, whereas in a tragedy, the main character dies at the end.
Often, words were shortened in his writing. For example, "it is" became "'tis", "never" became "ne'er" and "give" became "gi'". However, these contractions were not always used. Also, many of the words used have very different meanings nowadays and were swear words when used back then, like "false catepillar".
Many of the lines spoken in Shakespeare's plays became extremely famous. Some commonly known ones are "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" and "O happy dagger!" (from Romeo and Juliet), and "Et tu, Brute?" (from Julius Caesar).
Shakespeare died in April 1616, having written at least 37 plays and many other things.
In 1594, Shakespeare joined Lord Chamberlain's Men, a theatre company. He spent 5 years working for this group, and saved enough to buy a share in The Globe, a theatre. Later, the group was ordered to change the name to King's Men.
As well as writing at least 37 plays, Shakespeare also wrote poems. These were written in Old English. Some of the genres of his plays were histories (Richard II), comedies (A Midsummer Night's Dream), tragedies (Romeo and Juliet) and tragicomedies (Hamlet). In a Shakespearean comedy, the main characters tend to live on and succeed, whereas in a tragedy, the main character dies at the end.
Often, words were shortened in his writing. For example, "it is" became "'tis", "never" became "ne'er" and "give" became "gi'". However, these contractions were not always used. Also, many of the words used have very different meanings nowadays and were swear words when used back then, like "false catepillar".
Many of the lines spoken in Shakespeare's plays became extremely famous. Some commonly known ones are "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" and "O happy dagger!" (from Romeo and Juliet), and "Et tu, Brute?" (from Julius Caesar).
Shakespeare died in April 1616, having written at least 37 plays and many other things.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - Q10
'"That's the name of this house," explained Gretel. "Out-With."'
Out-With. Out with. Out with the people who had previously lived in the house? Or out with many more?
Making this word a pun temporarily disguises it as a silly mispronunciation, but in reality, it represents more. John Boyne uses this word to convey that it was out with the previous bad people (representing the Jewish people), and in with the good people (representing the Germans). In a way, this suggests that this happens everywhere, all the time, when people decide that it should be out with the people they dislike and in with themselves.
The "Fury" cannot be mistaken as anyone else, for of course it is Adolf Hitler, the Führer. Hitler's deep hatred against Jewish people is aptly represented as "fury".
Both words symbolise more than a nine-year-old boy's mistakes. They symbolise the terror that the two words represented, while veiled by innocent words. In addition, communicating these significant elements with normal words that weren't at all directly related to their real counterparts, Boyne keeps away from too much reality, and sticks to the fact that it was just a story. By using these words, he also implies that the camp of Auschwitz and the Führer were two things that had remained unknown to the world, until they were exposed for the horror that they stood for to its enemies.
Out-With. Out with. Out with the people who had previously lived in the house? Or out with many more?
Making this word a pun temporarily disguises it as a silly mispronunciation, but in reality, it represents more. John Boyne uses this word to convey that it was out with the previous bad people (representing the Jewish people), and in with the good people (representing the Germans). In a way, this suggests that this happens everywhere, all the time, when people decide that it should be out with the people they dislike and in with themselves.
The "Fury" cannot be mistaken as anyone else, for of course it is Adolf Hitler, the Führer. Hitler's deep hatred against Jewish people is aptly represented as "fury".
Both words symbolise more than a nine-year-old boy's mistakes. They symbolise the terror that the two words represented, while veiled by innocent words. In addition, communicating these significant elements with normal words that weren't at all directly related to their real counterparts, Boyne keeps away from too much reality, and sticks to the fact that it was just a story. By using these words, he also implies that the camp of Auschwitz and the Führer were two things that had remained unknown to the world, until they were exposed for the horror that they stood for to its enemies.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - Q9
After Bruno's tragic and mysterious death, Father realised what had happened, and "found that his legs seemed to stop working right". Perhaps at that moment of realisation, Father then asked himself a question. A question that had only one person to blame.
"Why didn't I tell him?"
Why didn't Father tell Bruno? He probably thought that he was shielding him from unnecessary knowledge and unnecessary burden. However, if that had been the case, then it had backfired on him, for ignorance only fuelled the curiosity of Bruno, and led to the end of his story.
It may only be a story, and that could be why we will probably never know.
"Why didn't I tell him?"
Why didn't Father tell Bruno? He probably thought that he was shielding him from unnecessary knowledge and unnecessary burden. However, if that had been the case, then it had backfired on him, for ignorance only fuelled the curiosity of Bruno, and led to the end of his story.
It may only be a story, and that could be why we will probably never know.
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