SATIRE #1 Notes

  1. Pick a social convention/ life event:
  • Turning 30 years old
  • subject: a step by step process of growing old
  1. Exaggerate
  • “your best years are behind you”
  • ” I have not died today, but maybe tomorrow” – saying how death is catching up on ones self, but has not been caught yet.
  • Thinks that their life is now over, the best part of their youth is gone
    3. Understate:
  • “never ask a lady her age.” – describing oneself as extremely old, while in reality still being quite youthful
  • Are expected to be an adult now, face certain social requirements that means they “must” become more formal
  • lessons they have learned to now pass on

 

 

2.4 speech submission

“Voting is the foundation stone for political action.” This is a quote by Martin Luther King, after his involvement in the 1965 Selma protests. Martin Luther king was a major influential figurehead in the civil rights movement in America. Helping to gain equality for African Americans through their fundamental human rights; such as the right to vote. Voting is one the most basic forms of giving an opinion, and is a fundamental human right for all, according to most countries. Voting is an important and necessary tool for a fair society to function, and is an act carried out by all those that believe in a fair system and society. There are many aspects to voting and its history that carry relevance into our present and future with voting, some of which are common democratic voting systems, their workings and stages. The benefits of voting for people of all class level and the overall betterment of our current systems. And lastly the ways in which voting helps those who face disadvantages from unfair systems of oppression in our modern societies. Learning about some of these key aspects stated above, can give a reader a further informed opinion in voting for themselves and a greater insight into the ways in which their vote will affect them.

The word democracy comes from the greek words “dêmos” which means people or neighbourhood and “krátos” meaning force or power; meaning that the word democracy literally translates to “people power.” The earliest recorded forms of democratic voting dates back to 6th century BC, when it was introduced in Greece, as part of the Athenian democracy. The Athenian democracy was set up in the city of Athens, and the province of Attica. The area of Attica is recorded as one of the first democratic regions in history. Citizens of the province elected leaders and passed bills via the act of voting. However, their initial vote system, much like our modern version still is, was severely biased and flawed. Attica voters had to be a adult males who were also neither a slave or an “alien, ” this meaning someone born from outside the city of Athens/ province of Attica. This bias obviously greatly affected what laws were passed and leaders put into power at the time, creating a new life for most in Attica from the ideas of only a few. Even with this bias voting, the creation and implementation of even basic voting system to govern large populations was the very start of a more democratic way of governing in our history.

In a 21st century democracy the ideas of basic governing remain the same, but the flaws of bias and corruption still clearly evident; due to each democratic nation modifying the system in order to suit their culture and populous. Most commonwealth countries, such as New Zealand and Australia, hold a fair election. The people vote in members of their communities into parliament to represent different regions of the country, and also a main prime minister who acts as a leader in place the head of state; that currently being the Queen of England in New Zealand and in commonwealth countries. Every New Zealand citizen is automatically enrolled to vote once they reach the age of eighteen, voting however is non-compulsory. In a non-commonwealth country such as Germany, a parliamentary system is also used to govern. According to Germany’s constitution “Act. 38 of German Basic Law, elections are to be universal, direct, free, equal, and secret.” One can vote or be elected once they have reached the age of eighteen in Germany, and much like in the commonwealth, Germany has a two vote system. One vote for a regional representative and one for a head of state; in Germany that is called the Chancellor. The parliamentary system is the most commonly used in democratic nations, as it allows for the most representation of people by their governments. This is due to the addition of regional representatives spanning the country. Regional members are voted in from each district, and so are more able to accurately translate the needs and the wants of that particular region to their representative party, or government. The most important part of voting is representation, giving the people more power over their governments; running them rather than being run by them.

A common misconception around voting is that there is no point in taking action, as a little addition will do nothing to effect real change. To quote the movie Cloud Atlas, “ you are simply one drop in a vast ocean”…”yes, but what is an ocean but a multitude of small drops.” This quote is metaphor for how much impact a collected force of people power can achieve to effect change. One vote counts as much as any other, and every vote will be counted, a single vote can make change happen; meaning that to vote has more power over an outcome than most realise. There is a problem that most voting systems are facing today; the lack of youth voters. It is now the job of the next generation to vote for the future they want to live in. Statistics show that 18-29year olds have the lowest voter turnout percentage and that only 64% of youth voted or are even registered to vote in England. Here in New Zealand all 18-29 year olds are automatically enrolled to vote, while only an average of 62.42% actually make it to the polling stations. These statistics do show that just over half of NewZealand youth are going out and voting, however, this is not enough. The 62.42% of youth voters are currently making the decisions for the rest of this generation, because they are the ones being heard on decisions through their votes. These statistics show that a trend of young people not voting is allowing leaders into parliament and bills to stand by the choice of those who have come before us. By voting and becoming some what more actively involved in what’s happening in the political environments of our respective countries, we can learn about what is happening in our parliaments, and make the change that we wish to see in the world through small direct political actions.

Voting should be fair, and open to all, this has not been the case when looking back into history. For example women had to fight for the right to vote, in a movement called the women’s suffragette. Women eventually gained the right to vote in many countries by  late 1920; although women still had to fight to be allowed into parliament and many other aspects of creating an equality based democratic governing even today. Another example of systemic systems of oppression that prevented voting rights for people is in the minorities. People of colour/ minorities of orientation and class level, had to fight for their right firstly to be seen as people, then to qualify for the right to vote in America; a country that prides itself on being the “land of the free.” America was and is one of the wealthiest and most influential democratic nations today and back in the 1900’s when this fight for voting rights first began. Unlike with most nations however, America is a country renowned for corruption in government and for its extortion and under representation of people of colour. Fights against this type of oppression in the voting system were seen in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s onwards, where human rights as well as voting rights were being protested for by the black and Latina communities of America. In the past as stated before governments were decided upon by the highest classes of society, not by all those whom it affects, this has lead to corruption and anger towards the relatively unchanged system still in place today. Now the youth have the responsibility to continue to make our current democratic systems fair and just. They must vote not only for themselves but because they have that right due to the efforts and actions of the people who have come before, and fought for their privilege to vote on issues that really matter. It’s a responsibility that is easy to take on, and means more to those who can’t vote, than those who can realise. Voting can be used as a form of protest, it is a privilege to have the right to vote when it should be a universal right. It is now a responsibility of the youth of today to fight for those who have no voice, giving their vote to help others, to bring about change for those who are being oppressed still by the system, and through this direct action they can be the leaders to a more fair future.

The average democratic voting system should not discriminate, If the person is rich or poor, old or young, whatever their sexual orientation, skin colour, gender or social class level: Each person has the right to a fair vote for a leader they believe best represents their needs and beliefs. Each vote should be private and that is what gives it power. Individuals have the choice to elect a person based on what they chose; with no outside influence once that vote is cast. The people, are the givers of power in our free societies, they control the power and the future of their respective nations, due to a fair democratic system. The people decided who will hold office, the laws that get passed, they control more over their governing than is usually thought to be possible. The voters of our countries have more power than can be conceived over more than could ever be deemed possible. Using that power to help, to encourage and to lead; this is what voting brings about. The average vote from an average person may be enough to sway a decision and change the world for the better, this is why there is a necessity to go out and vote.

Being there piece:

The room is calm, quaint and quiet. All lays still. Dust will settle before you rise again, everything seemingly so peaceful after such a storm. Night will move to day, winds will start to blow, the earth will move, and still you lay. Floors start to groan, and the curtains flutter with a faint breeze. The only view point is to stare forever upwards, you study the blank roof. Treating every scratch, every dirt smudge as though it was the Sistine Chapel; as though it had every depth and colour to explore, every wonder imaginable right before your tired eyes. You ignore the agony of knowing that a blank wall is all there really is to see. A feeling of warmth like sunlight on a summer morning, hot but gentle, as though the sun is not yet at full peak; spreads upwards from your toes.

Memories are a way to return, to outside, to summer, to sun, and light, and life, and growth, and all that makes the world feel so brilliantly and so absolutely golden. You use this to escape from your current place, surrounded by thoughts and the movement of time seemingly unchanged, the monotonous days, lost again in a haze. Some movement is allowed, a lolling of the head, a twitch of your toe, raising a finger, somewhat near perfect vision to gaze longingly about the room. This subtlety of movement is more freedom than most will experience in a lifetime; with every movement restricted, this little allowance, comes as a little bit of bliss.

That warmth from before seems to have spread, lapping now at your outstretched hand. Your fingertips feel these waves dance playfully, reluctant to to come any closer. More awake, a smell becomes more obvious, a smell that could only mean morning. The faint scent of black coffee, the stark chemical stench of cleaning fluid, and quiet literally squeaky clean floors; indicated by the sound of footsteps followed by a squeak of ripping rubber soles from vinyl floors. With morning, comes change, although little of it. Voices murmur discretely, shadows fall in and out of your peripheral. They usually don’t say much, if anything at all; and they never stay long. Perhaps these visitors feel sad for you, maybe they pity you, probably they don’t care for you at all. For who would care after so much time has past, you are now only a body to them, immovable, unable to communicate or to show any sign of recognition or love. Who could care for something that appears to be inanimate, a puppet with no strings, something so broken, with no ability to establish meaningful connection. 

Open your eyes, you say into the silence, a thought shouted out to the void; look out, look up, try at all to show you can, try at all to show the want to get up from this torturous bed. When you were younger, a bed only housed a sleeping body, tuckered out from daily expeditions, only needed for short recuperation before another adventure began with a rising sun. Now that fresh air, the grass between your toes, the feeling of running as fast as possible, shade from trees on warm grounds, hot earth, and course sand, is all a far away wish. All the feelings and experiences seem captured in a little bottle, you’ll wander here between rough sleep and numbing consciousness. Resigned to fate, you lay in patience for any development. Maybe the next person will change everything, maybe in this next second you will rise from your spot and dance out of this hospital, down the street right to the sea. There you will stand, with toes curled into the sand, waves pushing against your shins, eyes stinging from salt, nose filled with brine, body and soul abundant with youth. There you will wander forevermore in dreams, deciding that reality is no longer worth the painful wait. Fall sleepily into dreams, living in the bliss you have bottled, leaving behind that which was not worth experiencing anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

2.9#6 Documentary

Documentary: What on earth is wellness

Produced: British Vogue

Commentator/Main figure: Camille Rowe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZkaE8nq54w&t=1206s

This documentary, a personal favourite of mine due to the topic and science involved, follows the journey of French/American Model Camille Rowe, by British Vogue, around LA searching for the meaning of “wellness.” She visits the office of meditation app Headspace, talks to neurosurgeons, crystals healers, nutritionist and therapists as well as going to a communal hiking group, a therapeutic dance groups and gets an MRI scan (Magnetic Resource Imaging) of her brain. British Vogue has made this entire project to get to the bottom of what real wellness of the mind, body and spirit is, and what we can do in order to not fall into the trap of the wellness industry; while providing real solutions in order to live a more holistically happy life. Some of the topics discussed in the documentary are, how the idea “wellness” has become capitalised by different industries, how the idea of wellness should have a more holistic approach, and the benefits of mediation on the mind and body.

The documentary starts off with a short monologue by Camille as she talks about her frustration with the “wellness” industry, and all the misleading information surrounding these. Camille talks about how she is fully aware of her own buying into the nonsense of these companies, getting anything that her friends recommend, simply in the name of health. As a personal journey she wishes to have a larger and better understanding of what wellness is an how to achieve it, without the commercialisation that LA is filled with. One of the first people she meets with is Dr. John. W. Travis who has studied the idea of wellness for more than forty years. “I’ve been fighting a thirty year battle in order to promote this positive idea of wellness out into the world…Now if you search up wellness, you get a dog food brand,” this quote from Dr. Travis shows us how he has seen the adjustment from the early 1970’s to now in the idea of wellness, and how it has become a sellable product rather than an idea of betterment. The two discuss the wider world problems that most people are facing when it comes to being healthier. The fact that we are one: inundated with information and two: that this information is given to you as a capsule or a tea, an advertisement sold to you by your favourite celebrity, and three: that we are still not there yet, even with modern advancements, toward the idea of overall wellness that was set out in the late fifties. From this interview I learnt about how the idea of wellness was first talked about in the late fifties but was first made its into “wellness clinics” in the late 70’s. In Dr. Travis’s  words, “we began to see health as not simply the absence of sickness,” he and Camille talk about how there a four pillars of health. Social, meaning your connection with friends and family and your ability to have good social interactions that benefit you mentally. The mental emotional, meaning maintaining a reasonably stable emotional state in which you are able to process your emotions in a safe and healthy way’ allowing yourself to be sad and angry and happy and to grieve when need be, but to be able to acknowledge this and move forward with your life. The physical, this is the one that most of the wellness industry works off; and this is where you fuel your body with food that is wholesome and will give you the right chemicals in order to function and having a regular exercise program to keep muscles healthy and happy. The last pillar is spiritual. This can be religious or not, it simply means to have a faith in something whether it be a god, a spirit, crystals or science. The idea of these pillars is to have a balanced connection with yourself and those you surround yourself with. The documentary aims to educate those who view it on the information regarding these pillars of connection, opening up their audience to the choices for mental, emotional, physical, social and spiritual health. “I summarise all my work in six words..The currency of wellness is connection.” – Dr. Travis. I found that I strongly agreed with the idea of pillars of connection and the breaking down of the idea of wellness to incorporate more idea than simply the physical aspect, this opinion came easily as the information presented in the documentary is able to teach viewers, myself included, about topics such as holistic health in a interesting way. 

Along her journey Camille also stops into the office of the app “Headspace.” This is a meditation app the was created by Andy Puddicombe, an Englishman who went to tibet in his late twenties in order to become a monk. Coming back he wanted to bring the benefits of meditation to people’s everyday lives in a convenient manner; so that the benefits were widely available and easy to incorporate into daily routines. Andy, and now his team, have developed the globally used app with mediation run-throughs and goals, so that learning to meditate is easier. Andy and Camille talk about the difference between meditation and being mindful, before we then go and see this research backed up by neuroscience. “Mindfulness is being present, being in the moment..practising this and becoming more aware, this is what meditation is,” This is a quote from Andy is his own simplified description of the important differences he sees between mediation and mindfulness. A practise such as mediation, is to help people become more aware and more present in their waking moments, rather than being distracted, their minds somewhere else. Camille uses her own experience with mediation and her personal struggle to stick with the practise in order to have Andy share some more knowledge in the subject. When told this is a very common problem, I as the audience can share in this experience with Camille of how I may have struggled with meditation or how generally many do not fully understand the concept, making the information then given more useful and even more intriguing. The solution he provides is called coupling. This where you place two ideas together or two activities in order to remember to carry out meditation. For example meditation and drinking your morning tea, or having your shower. This means that the practise is non time specific, but you will likely still have your cup of tea or have your shower, meaning that you will still carry out your meditation that day. This information is beneficial and, as the app is meant to be, easy to implement; it’s information that is useful to the audience, whether they are entirely new to the concept of meditation or learning more. After her talk with Andy Puddicombe, Camille turn to the UCLA campus in order to look into the science behind a physically healthy mental state and the physical benefits of meditation. “Those kinds of mindfulness practices have been associated with increased well being. It actually changes the expression of DNA in our cells, and can actually alter your responses to stress, and can ‘quiet down’ the signals that make you feel bad.” That is a quote from Dr. Robert Bilder (Professor in chief of medical psychology – neuropsychology), talking about the physical changes that mediation can bring. He introduces a scientific approach to the concept of mindfulness and the benefits that they see in people, both in their physical and mental state. I found that this documentary went on to present findings in more ways than one, it chooses different ways in which to appeal to its audience, backing up the science with a more personal connection and vice versa; this method leaves little skepticism and maybe leaving people more readily able to accept the information presented to them.

One of the main themes that I saw was returned to throughout this documentary is the fact that the concept of “wellness” has become capitalized and industrialised for public consumption. “ There are positives and negatives. You’ve got to generate income, and I don’t blame people for that…However now that the word is popular you get everything.” This comes from Dr. Travis again, talking about the rise in the commercialisation of the word and idea of wellness. He mentions dog food brands and wellness shops on every street corner of LA, and that’s because this word has been coined for use for anything, even things that are not healthy or serve no purpose. Products that fall under this guise, and simply contribute to the information overload that has fueled the industry, are products like bespoque diets and crash course exercise programs, as well as supplements and cleanses. Sure, not one way of lifestyle will help every single person, however adding the name wellness to a juice or a burger does not necessarily make that product any better for you, and this is what is currently on the market for the everyday person. Camille goes to crystal healers in order to have her aura cleansed. This practise seems silly to most and has proven to do nothing to  affect physical health, meaning that for most people it will fall under the commercialism guise. For some people however, the placebo from this kind of practise does provide mental rest and betterment, and is  a practice that even Neuroscientist Dr. Robert Bilder says may be helpful to those who fully embrace the concept and believe that this crystals will give them the ‘energies’ that they are sold to them as. This is an example of commercialism that is either harmless or positive in almost every respect, providing a happier lifestyle to those it does impact. Supplements are another and more sinister part of the commercialism of wellness. Diet supplements saying it will give you immunity boats and adrenal rest and turmeric pills for ‘wellness’, line the cabinets of our host Camille’s kitchen cupboards. The Documentary brings in Dr. Molly Maloof (personalised health practitioner) to talk about these supplements and how they are definitely false advertising and are a bad side of the industrialised wellness community. Most of the supposed benefits of most basic supplement and vitamin pills can be provided for through diet. Having more leafy greens, higher fibre fruits, more whole grains, can provide all the chemicals and supposed things needed into our diets in order to be physically healthy. Obviously prescription medication is sometimes necessary, what Dr. Molly Maloof is referring to is the self medicating and the promoting of products that are not needed in the average diet of most people. This themes of the documentary is referenced and talked to by both degree holding health professionals, as well as chefs, crystal healers and gym owners. It’s the main cause for this documentary and collaborations and collecting of information that make it; the fact that commercialised wellness has been distorted to show a view that we need increased methods and various products in order to be happy inwardly and outwardly. Research is being done into certain aspects of wellness, such as meditation, but increased industrialising in false information in for our physical betterment is hindering the bringing forward of real findings. From a wider world perspective, this information is readily available to anyone who wishes to have it, and is able to provide actual solutions to those who watch it. This documentary has been created to bring all of it to a  more accessible platform, to an interested audience, the professional filming and tying in of a well known model draw in a captivated crowd for long enough to leave them with more information on a topic that does affect everyone.

We the viewers of this content are able to find what we need in order to bring positive change into our lives through the information learned in this documentary. This “What on earth is wellness” documentary created by British Vogue and hosted by Camille Rowe, I believe is an innovative modern collection of knowledge, created for youth and all those interested in free information on something we should all know more about. We learn about more topics than the ones I have discussed and are given more than just the opinions of doctors, some that even contradict each other, leaving me once again to have to form an opinion that will be my own, but still a better informed one than before. Ultimately I think that this documentary is a film that is beneficial for the youth of today to learn from, and about practises they may not have heard of before and to have their misconceptions around others squashed. “ Wellness represents loving yourself, being kind to yourself, in a balanced way.”

2.9#5 Book

Book: The Dovekeepers

Author: by Alice Hoffman.

The novel “The Dove keepers,” written by Alice Hoffman is a fictional story based on the historical events of a siege, by the Roman armies, on a mountain in the Judean Desert, Masada in 70 C.E. From this attack two women and five children survived out of the nine hundred Jews that lived in the fortress. The story follows four women Yael, Revka, Aziza and Shirah. We learn from each of these women, their tragedies and triumphs show the readers certain themes that can be seen reflected in real life, or as something that can be taken away to then reflect on. To me some of the more important themes portrayed in the text were, the forcing of maturation of young children in the face of trauma, the place of a woman and her limitations in an oppressive society, and how rebellion of faith lead the women to survive under their circumstances.

Yael, our first story,  is the daughter of an assassin. She killed her mother during childbirth, an act her father resents her for. Her family is forced to travel into the desert due to her home town being overrun by Roman troops. In the desert Yael losses herself, “My girlhood disappeared in the desert. The person I had once been vanished.”  This line shows how she has been forced to mature too soon and how all that she has her belongings, family and her own conflicted soul has been stripped away by the wind, sun and horrific situation. Yael’s journey from timid girl to strong women I thought taught the reader how horrible things can affect us, and how we can grow stronger from them; another example of this is Ellie from “Tomorrow when the war began” who starts off as a regular teenager before she is forced to mature quickly and adapt to her new and life threatening situation. Ellie due to a war appearing on her doorstep, so to speak, she has to take on responsibilities and face grim realities of death and hardships that most would never dream for a child to experience. Much like Yael, Ellie grows, a woman forged from her trauma, stronger but most likely very broken inside. Both cases in the text show the readers the effects that trauma and war can have on children/young adults, people who until this experience have been treated with care and consideration to how they will process each obstacle that comes before them. As we can see in our characters experience, she  is broken completely. Then she dusts herself off and carries on, due to will and grit that she has had to take on; losing her last remnants of adolescents with it. These images are reflected in our own media. In war torn countries, young women and children are often left behind by the men to fight or are the survivors of the ordeals they have faced. Although these adolescents make it out alive, they leave behind memories of a better time with whole families and easy times behind. The way these children deal with this pain can be read through the character of Yael, showing her audience the lasting effects that linger well into adulthood.

The story of Aziza is written to show more of her inner struggle between what she has been brought up as, and now who she is expected to be. Aziza was brought up as a first born son when her mother could not bear one, but when her new younger brother takes her place she is forced back into the ways of the women of her tribe. She is a proud soldier, competent in combat and horse riding due to training in her youth. Aziza’s story, symbolises the struggle women have had throughout history trying to gain equality with men within their societies. This quote here, “Weapons are kept from women, but such a naming suggests that perhaps men fear our talents in war as well as our desire for peace,” showing how Aziza herself knows her competence for the task she is banned to perform. This is an example of how competent women in the workplace of our modern day societies are passed over for jobs, which are then given to men purely due to old ideas; also how jobs allocated to women are deemed as less heroic or enduring, whether it’s charging into battle or as a nurse opposed to being a doctor. Aziza, much like the character Mulan from the disney movie of the same name, transforms herself into a man in order to be put onto the battlefield where she is most useful and knows her skills are necessary; her being there saves the lives of many of her fellow soldiers. Aziza much like many women still are today, is trapped in an identity that was given to her based off religious upbringing and the condemning of women as leaders in societies. I as the reader ultimately learnt through Aziza how sometimes breaking faith and rule is necessary in order to take a place in a society that won’t accept me for a profession until proven otherwise. “Perhaps that meant a woman who was well trained in arms would be the superior warrior, her attention never wavering from her task.”

Another aspect of the book that was particularly interesting to me was the relationship the main characters had to their faith. Religion, in the text, was an all consuming aspect of people’s everyday lives, and as it was the early Judean faith, women were very restricted in what they could do. Yael betrays her faith multiple times, but believes that because of her first sin at birth, her other sins do not matter to their God, whom she believes has already condemned her. Aziza also betrays her faith but only to help her people by using her skills even when they are considered a sin. Revka blames God for what has happen to her family, but cannot turn her back on him, she is hopeful yet for a miracle. Shirah has already been condemned as she is a witch, a woman who has left God and men for her own dark ways, but still she prays for her children and her loved ones, who have not come to be sinners as of yet. The characters are rebellious in their ways by disregarding traditional religious laws to protect themselves and their loved ones, but they never completely abandon their faith. The author uses symbolism throughout the novel; an example of this is the doves the women care for. The doves, in this religion, symbolise femininity and procreation, and example of the women themselves. However in the actual novel the doves are killed by Yael for her own survival, this could symbolise how her femininity has ‘died’ as she is the most untamed of all the women. Also the women defy the rules again by setting free the doves at the end of the story allowing them to fly free, instead of being caught up in the ensuing mass suicide. “We breathed in the bones of our people- their desires, their petty differences, their faith- all martyred, vanishing into the dusky murderous air,” this line shows how the others from the fortress have given themselves up to their God through a mass suicide, and shows the reader how once again the women have rebelled by surviving. The audience can see even more clearly how the women are willing to do anything to protect the people they care about no matter the consequence for themselves by man or by God.

”The Dove keepers,” by Alice Hoffman is I think is poetically written novel, set to teach lessons and inform readers on the horrific events that shape our history and maybe the things we can learn from them. We learn all of this through women who have experienced these things in a trying situation. As an audience I learnt about the cultural and historical significance of the siege of Masada, and how it came to be. The themes discussed are apparent throughout the novel, fundamentally I believe the story is a history lesson on rebellion of faith, female identity and the effects that war harbours.  

 

2.9#4 Book

Book: The Alchemist

Author: Paulo Coelho

“The Alchemist”, written by Paulo Coelho in 1988, is the story of a young boy’s search for his personal legend. The novel is set around the lessons he learns and the experiences gained,  with his quest becoming the real treasure, rather than the physical promise of gold he was expecting. Some of the many lessons he learns are that of how learning is different for everyone and that learning should be respected, that everyone he meets is equal to one another and to him, and lastly that he has a personal connection to his environment allowing him to expand his universe via these life lessons. Personally I found this book very enlightening and a text that shared a lot of values I hold for myself. 

This story is about a young man, who goes nameless, who is in search of his personal legend. He uses omens and the teaching of a king at the start of the novel, to help guide him, to what he believes is his life’s destiny; this being to find treasure of some sort out in the deserts of Egypt. Throughout his Journey he faces many challenges, running out of money and having to work for some time, becoming caught up in a tribal war, and falling in love with a woman who cannot come with him on his journey. As his quest is delayed and delayed he never loses hope, learning from those he meets and the experience he gains.“When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realise his dream,” This quote from an alchemist the boy meets, shows him and us about how everything that has happened and will happen, along his journey has and will happen for a reason. The teachings the young man learns are the what makes his legend more important, and while on his journey, he learns how to speak the language of the universe, through the knowledge he has gained to find this personal legend.

“I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the same hand, and we have the same soul.” One of the main themes of this book that I found interesting is that we, humans, plants, earth, are all one and the same. Although I do not personally believe in a ‘higher being’ that created everyone, the idea that we are all one and the same is interesting to be seen in a period piece of literature, written more than thirty years ago. This is interesting due to the fact that in modern day society (I would define this from 1900 until present day) that those ideas are still not put into practice; even though we, as a general society, see ourselves as more advanced and more civilised people. The novel is set in Egypt during a pre-technology medieval age; a country, in present day, that many consider to be ruled by an oppressive and dangerous regime. The idea of equality, in terms of people and animals and class, in a time long before our “civilised era” seems unlikely, and a philosophy that not many people would have followed. Although this side of a more caring and compassionate humanity is presented in the novel, it’s a practice that seems to be very lacking in actuality. For example countries such as the United States of America, England and New Zealand pride themselves on believing in equality and justice, and in providing these kinds of living conditions to their citizens. However, we know that racism and sexism run rampant through these “civilised”  modern countries. Things such as the wage gap, double standards and stereotypes stop us from achieving real equality in genders; and racism provides barriers that keep classism alive and well in Western countries. From our main character’s perspective he treats the people he meets with continued respect and is ultimately saved by each of them in turn, as his willingness to accept others at no consequence to himself, it leaves him open to more possibilities of friendship and of knowledge; which is the whole point of his journey. Through the boy’s actions in his way of treating people, we as a reader and as a population can see how our own actions can affect others, and how the kindness and respect for others will mean an abundance of respect and compassion shown towards us, as we will have a more empathetic understanding of each other, as we see each other on equal terms; an idea that I believe in quite passionately making this novel even more appealing a a teaching device. 

One of the more interesting themes in the novel I found, were that in the “The Alchemist” there was the same respect for people learning in different methods/ by different means, as others. Throughout the story, we see the young man mainly through his own mind, but occasionally we see him from different character’s perspective. This gives us as the audience an omniscient experience where we learn with him and see how other types of learning affects him and those around him. One such scene, is where the boy and an English scientist have a chance meeting; they then travel through the Sahara desert together. The boy watches the road and nature around him learning through listening and looking, through his connection and through having this physical experience, learns from what is right in front of him. He is able to distinguish happenings around him;  things such as time, season and information on the plant and animal life in the desert via observation. In contrast the English scientist prefers to read his books all day to learn the same thing from the desert, he does not observe and does not experience while still gaining the knowledge required to survive the desert. When the two swap methods, the scientist to now observe and the boy to read, we see how these different methods of learning effect each character: “It’s one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it’s another to think that yours is the only path.The English scientist comes to the conclusion that he can learn nothing from simply observing the desert. The boy also finds the books more confusing and too complex than the simplicity of reading the land. As the audience we learn with these two character how they both are intellectual in their own right, each has the information needed and can express opinion and have a discussion around the knowledge they have gathered; the means of how they got to this point are irrelevant when the discussion can still be had, and still be understood by both parties. In his book, the author Paulo Coelho focuses on the message he believes to be important. That there are different ways to learn the same thing, some methods work for some individuals and that method may not be the best for others. We often see in modern environments that some methods of learning and gathering knowledge is considered to be higher, or is more deserving of respect that another. Others dictate what way of learning they believe to be best, rather than what is best fit for the students. Something that I agree can be learned from the characters in the novel, by our modern learning environments, is that how the learning occurs does not matter; how that learning can be communicated and used is what is most important.

In the novel, “The Alchemist,” written by Paulo Coehlo we discover some of its main lessons. Some of which are, that we are all one and the same and that we each should live with this in mind, another is that people learn in different ways and that the knowledge is more important than the ways of getting it. And that we all have a deep rooted connection to our planet and to our respective environments. These are points that are important to the development of our modern societies. Not appreciated in it’s early editions, Paulo Coelho’s story has lasted for over 40 years and has been translated into 67 languages, making it a long lasting cultural classic.  I believe that It shows these progressive ideas in a way that is simple and reminds us, when we have our judgments clouded by the pressure of modern life, of all that should be considered some of the  more important things. Aspects such as learning and equality that will allow us to actually move forward in a more positive means.

 

2.9#3 Film

Movie: Gone girl(2014) – Cool Girls monologue

Director: David Fincher

He loved a girl who doesn’t exist. A girl I was pretending to be. The Cool Girl.” The movie, “Gone Girl,” directed by David Fincher tells the tale of a brilliantly insane housewife; who fakes her death and frames her partner. Throughout the film we learn of her motivations for this act, and follow her partner’s, Nick Dunne played by Ben Affleck, bid for innocence, by trying to prove that his wife is alive. Although I found all of this text is striking, an aspect that I found holds a lot of significance is a two minute and twenty second monologue by our spurned housewife, Amy Dunne. Amy Dunne, played by Rosamund Pike, delivers this monologue after her “death” telling her audience about the cool girl persona. There are three parts to this monologue, first Amy tells us what the cool girl is. Secondly she talks about the unfairness of girls changing themselves to become the “Cool Girl” for men, but men never changing for women. Lastly she describes her bitterness when her own husband rejects her when she drops her own long held cool girl persona.

The Cool Girl, in Amy’s words, is the girl that every guys wants and is, ‘not like other girls,’ she is down to watch football and drink beer, she is ‘one of the boys’ while still holding onto the archaic housewife qualities of being beautiful and dotting on her partner. In this scene Amy cuts her long blonde hair short, and dyes it brunette; she sheds her size 2 jeans and spanx and finds a sundress that in the scripts words, “her extra flesh filling it easily.” This transformation of her looks not only seems to act as her disguise while on the run but also accompanies the monologue. This process shows Amy tossing aside her old Cool Girl persona. Typically the “Cool Girl” that springs to my and most likely others’ minds has long blonde hair, a tan and is casual, but classy. Amy cuts her long hair and dyes it brunette discarding this stereotype and she slips into something more comfortable to her body type. “Cool girl likes what he likes and puts him  first and does it all with a  f***ing smile,”  Amy says this last quote while buying junk food and then drinking Coke while driving. She is no longer Cool Girl outwardly, she is shedding the body image that is created around it by eating foods she had never allowed herself before. During the monologue I found it clearly apparent of Amy’s disgust at the idea of Cool Girl, and her own disgust at herself for becoming what she most despises. We see a lot of women like Amy and the ones she frowns upon in real life. In our world, especially in schools, I see women and girls changing themselves and developing new personalities, often as a reflection of their current partner. This can be seen in another text, a Norwegian show called” Skam.” In the first season of this show the main girl character struggles with her self identity and by the end of the season realises that she has no self worth outside of other people’s opinions’ of her, especially her boyfriend’s, seen here in this quote: “I became insecure and desperate, your opinion meant more to me than my own, and that’s not how it should be.”  In Skam the opinion of another is seen as more important, and the main character then decides to find her own opinion of herself before becoming involved with other people. Amy did this herself with Nick, her partner, and we see many girls in media and in life repeating the mistake of changing themselves to be liked; they become the Cool Girl of their man’s dreams, instead of finding themselves. This is an idea that Amy appears in the scene to hate women for, rather than inspiring them to become themselves. Although I strongly agreed with Amy’s monologue and its key ideas, her own reaction to these women and to herself for falling into the ‘Cool Girl’ trap is not a helpful message. Instead I saw it as a way to make women retreat further into the stereotype for fear of being judged by other women like how Amy does to the women she passes while driving. 

The second aspect of Amy’s monologue, talks about a huge double standard that most women face; the fact that it is normally up to the women to change and the men to praise. This idea is not new, we can see as far back as the 1800s when finishing schools started up to teach women the ways in which they must behave in order to attract a husband. In the text this double standard is not taken so formally, but rather in more subtle means seen in Amy’s quote here, I waited years for the pendulum to swing the other way, for men to read Jane Austen and make out with  each other while we leer. And then we’d say, yeah, he’s a cool guy.” Amy leans to the more teenage girl ways where this double standard is obvious, before she and most women settle for the idea that the men aren’t going to act like women do, or get judged in the same way. There is often the double standard that for two girls to make out men will leer and encourage it, while being disgusted at the idea of two men committing the same act. Amy briefly mentions reading Jane Austen, hinting from her face that this female written, female lead book would not peak the interest of many boys. Her last remark of the quote, “ And then we’d say, yeah, he’s a cool guy.” takes us back to her point, Amy is done with the Cool Girl idea, she is done with the men in her life not facing the same stigma, and she is done with how early this idea is placed upon girls at a unreasonably young age. Lastly we see from her extreme actions that she is willing to throw away all that was once attached to the Cool Girl that Amy was in order to be reborn as her own person.

I believe that the most powerful part of this whole monologue scene is the last quarter or so. This is because it is the raw emotion of Amy describing her pain at being rejected by the one she loved. Amy reveals to the audience the problems they had in their marriage, the loss of both their jobs, Amy’s parents financial problems and then, them having to move into the countryside, and finally Nick’s affair: “Then he dragged me, penniless, to the navel of the country and found himself a newer, younger, easier Cool Girl.” Amy is very clearly bitter about how she has been treated in her marriage, and at herself for allowing herself to come down so low from her own standards for Nick. The final straw of the two’s broken marriage is when Amy sees that when she decided to drop her persona even a little, Nick does not love what he sees, and goes out finding a, “younger, bouncier Cool Girl,” in Amy’s words. This is a representation of how most affairs begin in marriages. One partner becomes bored or falls out of love with their significant other; in most cases it is due to their S.O becoming someone that cannot  love anymore due to appearance or internal values. When Nick finally sees who Amy is he doesn’t love her anymore. She’s not the “Cool Girl” he told his friends about and that loves everything he does and doesn’t challenge him too much. So he starts an affair with a different woman, someone more attractive, younger and as the text portrays not as intellectual as his Wife. This is what sparks Amy’s revenge, and what can destroy a lot of relationships in our real lives. Amy finishes her monologue by saying how she thinks of their marriage as a game, one that she is losing: “You think I would let him destroy me and end up happier than ever? No. Never. He doesn’t get to f***ing win.” A lesson viewers can take away from this aspect of the monologue is at least that a marriage based off false identities, and where the love for one partner greatly outweighs the other is not particularly healthy or the love will not be long lasting. I took away from this scene that the reasons stated above can be the reasons for a lot of the failed marriages and terrible relationships that I see in media and in daily life. 

This text, “Gone Girl,” is extremely evocative through its entirety, but the “Cool Girl” monologue is the most one of the most renowned scenes in the movie and also in the book. This is due to the ideas expressed by Amy and what the audience learns not only about Amy’s opinions, but also as a reflection of pushed societal behaviour.  We as the audience see Amy visually break free, and renounce her Cool Girl title as she carries out extremely non-feminine acts. But from her speech I think we learn the most. She reflects on how our society allows for the pressure on women to change in order to suit men’s fantasies, rather than becoming someone we approve of ourselves. In conclusion this monologue is famous for a reason, It shows women, the taboo subjects and daily rituals of changing themselves for others and the darker connotations that can accompany it. I also think it begins a conversation about how our external should reflect the internal, teaching us how sometimes valuing the opinions of others, above our own can lead to extreme actions.

 

2.9#2 Book

Book: Lolita   

Author: Vladimir Nabokov

The story of Lolita is a famous one. It is the romanticised tale of a pedaphile, although many seem to ignore this little fact. Readers have fallen in love with the characters and with the often swaying writing ability of our author, Russian American novelist, Vladimir Nabokov. Written in 1955 the book is known for its controversy, however, it has still achieved undeniable success being adapted into a film twice: as well as numerous numerous stage productions. I would like to review the implorable actions of our main character, Humbert. Humbert, and the writing of the character Lolita. Also how communities in the text allow for the sexualisation, and objectification of young girls and women as a whole in the text and in our own world. Personally I find this text hard to read due to the underlying context I will further discuss, and because of the way in which the writing allows for the excuse of the actions of Humbert. 

Our storyline follows as such, our protagonist Humbert.Humbert describes his life before his incarceration, firstly his failed marriage to a Russian woman in France, to a run in with an underage prostitute. This event leads him on to see that his “urges” towards young girls for sexual pleasure are what he really wishes for. After having two mental breakdowns, putting him in an asylum ( These episodes are skipped over quickly in the text). Humbert then moves to America to live with a family as a boarder. He arrives to find that the family he ends up staying with has a twelve year old girl, whom which he becomes infatuated with and gives the secret nickname of “Lolita.” Humbert later goes on to kidnap Lolita, following the death of her mother, and they start a sexual relationship while road tripping across the US; they are always on the run to avoid suspicion about their relationship. Our story ends with Humbert incarcerated for the murder of a man whom had tried to employ Lolita, now fourteen, in a porn film. Humbert describes how he found out Lolita has died in childbirth at the age of seventeen, and finally we learn how Humbert himself has died a couple of months later, still believing in his own innocence of taking away Lolita’s.

Our narrator, I will not say protagonist as that implies a hero aspect to this character who I believe to be disgusting, for this text is Humbert. Humbert. A man in his early thirties who has had two mental breakdowns and one failed marriage, he is also a pedophile. Humbert masquerades as a gentleman, kind, smart and respectable in every sense of the word. The people he surrounds himself with, are those who can adore him while never glimpsing what’s below the shallow facade that he has built: “ But in our middle-class nosy era it would not have come off the way it used to in the brocaded palaces of the past” I thought that this quote gleaned to the reader Humbert’s real thoughts on the society he lives in. His abhorrent actions are narrated by himself in the story, giving only an sugarcoated account of his own doings. As the reader we soon learn that we must take every memory of his with a pinch of salt; because with Humbert things are never as then seem, often far darker than what they are written as. Vladimir Nabokov, has said in interviews that he doesn’t agree with the actions of his own character, and that he wrote Humbert as a challenge, a person so far removed from himself that he could allow his imagination to roam. Humbert charms those he meets and tries to also charm his reader. This has worked for many fans of the novel who have defended his actions, claiming Humbert to be the victim of this story instead of the predator that even Nabokov has stated Humbert is. From Humbert we learn how even the most charming of people can have a darker side, and to be weary of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

While reading the text I found that the writing of the character Lolita is done in such a way, that shows how our narrator, Humbert, has stripped away Lolita as a person. Lolita’s real name is Dolores Haze, she is a girl of twelve years when she meets Humbert, and like many young girls develops a small crush. This is all normal behaviour of a troublesome twelve year old, but this innocent development is not how Dolores is portrayed in the text. To Humbert, and as presented to us the readers, she is Lolita; the “nymphet” of Humbert’s dreams, and to him, shows her eagerness to become involved. The reality of the situation is skewed by Humbert, so that Lolita is seen as more of a woman than she is, more ready for a relationship with a man, more ready to be Humberts, and that all that is stopping her is the society she lives in. To me, the obvious reality is that she is a vulnerable child, susceptible to outside influence, as such from Humbert:“nothing could make my Lolita forget the foul lust I had inflicted upon her.” Vladimir Nabokov seems to have written this way on purpose, Dolores loses her identity when she renamed Lolita, she becomes everything that Humbert imagines, giving the reader no other guide as to the actual events or actions of Dolores other than how Humbert perceives them to be. Elizabeth Janeway from the The New York Times Book Review describes this behaviour with this quote: “Humbert is every man who is driven by desire, wanting his Lolita so badly that it never occurs to him to consider her as a human being, or as anything but a dream-figment made flesh.” As that is what Lolita becomes, a dream made flesh. She is not a real person, she is a figment of Humbert’s pleasure driven imagination, he even admits that Lolita was a creation of his own making in this quote here: In point of fact, there might have been no Lolita at all had I not loved, one summer, an initial girl-child. Dolores is the reality, one that Humbert changes for his own desires.  Dolores is essentially written out of the story. She only exists in the text when other characters are also in the scene with her, she is never Dolores when alone or with Humbert, she is Lolita then. Dolores’ humanity is stolen from her, as is her innocence, at the hands of Humbert. Ultimately I learnt from Dolores situation the importance of hearing two sides of every story. For without the whole picture, actions can be called into question and some key motivations and evidence can be blanked over completely.

One of the main themes of this text is the sexualisation of a young girl. This type of theme is apparent in a large amount of  modern and classic texts, ranging from movies and songs to comics and books. In “ Lolita” this girl is Dolores. She is sexualised by Humbert, and his actions towards her are ignored by the society of Ramsdale, Dolores’ own mother, and the others of the communities that the two travel to while on the run. Our own real life society has allowed for Dolores sexualisation, by defending Humbert and also by coining the novel’s name “Lolita” to refer to child like women, dolls, and also to young girls who are interpreted by adults to be more explicit than others their own age. An example of this can be seen in the “Lolita” fashion trend. This is where, woman primarily, dress in doll-like or childlike clothing to appear cute. These costumes are however, often sexualised in some form with very short skirts, extremely low necklines or skimpy stockings. This example shows how our societies, even in the 21st century, are allowing for the sexualistation of young girls or images associated with young girls, and passing it off as normal behaviour to do so. This is a form of objectification as well, where the women in these texts are not often viewed as people but as an object of beauty of pleasure for the other characters for us, the consumers, to enjoy and the expense of the image we are creating of the women and girls in the texts. Lolita is almost always written objectively, seen here in this quote, “I seldom if ever dreamed of Lolita as I remembered her — as I saw her constantly and obsessively in my conscious mind during my daymares and insomnias.” This novel shows objectification and sexualisation in a very raw form, everything is a male perspective and one driven by pleasure. Fundamentally I think this novel should have been a warning against the culture we have created around the name, maybe Nabokov even intended it to be written as one, but the point that has come across to readers is that the vulnerability of a young girl can be ignored in some cases in the pursuit of romantic interest. A troubling conclusion coming to life, through a a piece of literature that I believe has almost single handedly become the excuse for this behaviour. 

The novel of “Lolita,” written by Vladimir Nabokov, tells the romanticised tale of the loss of innocence of a young girl at the hands of a charming gentleman. As a novel I thought the writing was poetic and brilliant at persuading the reader into condoning the acts of the predator. Narrated by the predator himself the novel twists our ideas of what is and isn’t allowed in society, but the author leaves hints as to tell the reader to tread carefully; seeing if we will find the signs that the bystanders of the story miss.  I want to believe that Nabokov tries to show the readers the way in which Dolores becomes Lolita, how she is written out of her own story and how the signs of a predator are missed by so many that could have saved her; but from what has come from this novel I am not so sure as to Nabokov’s stance on his characters actions. As the readers we learn these things, as well as get an insight into how this writing style can lead some to miss the point entirely. People have gone onto praise a novel not for raising awareness but for the tale itself and the gentleman at the wheel. In conclusion, this novel shows the objectification of women and young girls from a young age, that has started to teach societies in and out of the novel that it’s okay to sexualise a girl at whatever her age, and that some will still not see her as the victim. And for me that is more than reason enough to want to forget this book entirely, for its original message I believe will never be heard by the colossal fan base this novel has created around itself. 

 

2.9#1 Interview

Interview: Women In The world Talk ( Cara Delevingne )

Cara Delevingne: The new “it” girl of fashion, known for her brows and her beauty. I, along with thousands, thought her the same as every other model; some skinny girl used and abused by the fashion industry, to sell us things we don’t need, and to promote an image unattainable to most. However, I found her talk in “Women In The World” both enlightening and surprising. Cara discusses her own mental health issues and her belief that society needs to treat mental illness in the same manner as a physical illness. One of the main points of Cara’s discussion was that, when some one is told repeatedly that they are not tall enough, not skinny enough, not smart enough, that this equates to them not being ‘good enough’ as a person. That we, as women and girls, need to aim higher in our views of ourselves and what we can achieve. I thought that these points were spoken about with passion and insight also coincided with my own views of how women can indeed do far more than we are shown to by media portrayals, making an interesting presentation and Cara has the makings of a new role model for all the right reasons.

Cara’s point about women and girls needing ‘to aim higher’ rings very true to me; in her own words “ just dream bigger, go for president, just keep going up, become an astronaut.” Statistics show that until ages of 11-13, girls love science and maths just as much as the boys, and have dreams to pursue careers like medicine and space travel. However, the percentage of girls following these science-based subjects continues to drop as girls grow older, with only about 30% of young girls (11-15 years) wanting careers based from stem subjects. The girls’ aspirations change from becoming a doctor to modelling, becoming a professional ‘youtuber’, chasing the Hollywood movie-star life or trying to break into the music industry. These are not not bad careers, and if you love to sing and act and design clothes, then I believe you should go for it. However, the staggering number of girls trying to look like models and developing eating disorders has risen, particularly as a result of the ‘media-consuming’ younger generations. Images presented to us, the youth, give distorted images of bodies and how we should view ourselves; leaving detrimental effects to mental and physical health when these are taken to the extremes in the form of anorexia or bulimia to achieve such goals. Cara’s comments, such as this “we witness these extreme experiences which happen to women; suppression among other things. But really that happens everyday, we’re just used to it. In the workplace, relationships,” focuses on the imbalance in work for women and men in industries, and how this affects the amount of young women heading into these types of work. This allowed me to better understand the way media shapes our perspective of how representation of women in the media really does affect the decisions of younger girls.

Cara talks about how society continues to feed girls and boys the image of the Perfect Woman; she has a job and a family, while still holding onto a youthful beauty. She is clever, well read and funny. Boys are fed the ideal that a successful man has a good career, is a good looking partner (with six-pack and muscle definition), an involved father, while being sporty and clever, who keeps his attractiveness as he ages. In Cara’s own words, “we are told that if we are beautiful, if we are skinny, if we’re successful or famous that if everybody loves us…then we will be happy.” Even in the movie industry the majority of directors, producers and screenwriters are male. As for actresses, they expect to have a nude or semi-nude scene, they don’t have many inspiring leading roles and in general, their costume design is simply created for sex appeal. An example of this can be found in ‘superhero movies’. Superheroes such as Batman and Superman have tight fitting outfits that would be practical for all the stunts and fighting they have to do; but when we look at Superwoman, who does all the same stunts, she wears a leotard with no practical breast support , a full face of makeup and doesn’t even have her long hair tied back. Honestly, what girl with long hair tries to fight crime with her hair down? These kinds of images are what we are showing children. The heroic muscular man and the pretty petite girl, doing the same job but portrayed in a very different manner. These kinds of images and the general depiction of women in the media, demonstrates the inequality of women in the workplace. I believe that something needs to change. Girls and women need role models such as Helen Clark, Aung San Suu Kyi, Marie Curie, Malala Yousafzai and Cara Delevingne. These women lead by example excelling in their fields of work as humanitarians, politicians, Writers and chemists. Inspiring girls to aim higher than the superficial level of making money based on a fake face and body.

Another point in Cara Delevingne’s talk that I found incredibly important, is that we are constantly told we are not good enough.  From 2010 to 2016, we have seen an upward trend in youth suicide and suicide attempts. New Zealand has one of the highest rates of teen suicide in the world. People turn to self-harm and suicide for many reasons, but it can linked to low self-esteem. Low self-esteem can manifest itself in many ways, but most often in emotional pain. Leading to a lot of youth to take this internal pain and turn it into external physical pain as a  coping mechanism. This issue with low self esteem can be deeply affected by society’s underlying expectations and messages that are sub-consciously promoted by family and friends, and almost subliminally by the media. As I have previously stated, the media pushes a very specific image, or mould, that very few of us fit, causing people to believe that they and the people around them, should fit into that mould also. In present day society more and more girls and young women are developing mental illnesses such as eating disorders, and more and more boys and young men are committing suicide. Cara talks about her own struggle with self -harm and depression saying, “ At that point, all I wanted was for someone to stop me… and no one did”.  This is the sad reality of a lot of cases. People want to talk, to be listened to without judgement; youth especially, need us (parents, friends, media etc.) to tell them they are good enough. Also, in Cara’s words, “mental illnesses and depression are nothing to be ashamed of,” – this is true as well. I think mental illness should have the exact same treatment as physical ailments; it’s something most people can’t control and help should be sought from a health provider. Just like physical illnesses, we need the people around us to give open support and help until we are better: whether they just empathise, are the ones who call for help, or who they are there just to listen to help you get everything off your chest. To finish off her point on mental illness, Cara says, “ it’s about finding people around you who have your best interest at heart,” . I agree wholeheartedly: Why live a life, acquaintances with everybody, but good friends with none? The message I took from Cara here was, to surround yourself with people who will love and support you through thick and thin, people who have your best interests at heart.

In conclusion, I found this talk by Cara Delevingne incredibly interesting and enlightening on more than a few topics. She surprised me with her openness and her obvious desire for a better future for the next generation of women. I especially liked Cara’s points on mental health stigmas, and inequality, as an issue that many women continue to fight for today: I was so glad to see someone with such a vastly large platform as Cara does, using it to promote a healthier view of women and using her representation where it matters. I agree that girls should not grow up ashamed of their bodies from societal expectations, and girls should be able to ‘reach for the stars’ with no restrictions from themselves or society-imposed ideals.

 

“To Kill A Mockingbird” essay 1

To Kill a Mockingbird:

  • Question: Analyse how cruel or kind behaviour was used to show one or more ideas in the written text(s). Note: “Ideas” may refer to character, theme, or setting.

The text, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, is a fictional novel set in southern America during the 1940’s. The main part of the novel is set around the trial of a black man, Tom Robinson; the text is narrated by Scout Finch the daughter of Atticus, Tom’s defence attorney. In this essay the reader will see the cruel and kind behaviour of people, and how it leads to the far more sinister events that appear during the trial for a man’s life. In this text there are themes such as cruelty, and power brought about through violent acts, whether they are done overtly or by more subtle means.

During the text, guns are mentioned only a handful of times, each with either admiration of skill, or bearing bad news. Guns, according to Atticus, do not symbolise man’s bravery but a ‘false strength.’ He allows his two children to have guns but refuses to teach them how to shoot, and also never tells them of his own incredible ability with a gun. Atticus does not want his children seeing him as more of man with a gun in hands. What Atticus seems to wish to impart is that there is more to being a man than being strong and cruel, and that it is sometimes better to be seen as “weak” and kind without the need for unnecessary violence. Atticus even reprimands Scout for pointing her gun at Miss Maudie: “don’t you ever let me catch you pointing that gun at anybody again.” This shows Atticus staunch attitude with the use of weapons. Atticus sees them as a tool, and maybe even an unnecessary one. Atticus’ dedication to this idea is exhibited when he stands guard outside Tom’s cell, defenceless ( he is unarmed); Atticus chooses to use his words, rather than turn on another using such a deadly force.

The next time a gun is a significant aspect of the text is in the shooting of Tom Robinson. Tom is shot seventeen times through his chest while trying to escape prison. His death is done with immense brutality and without an ounce of respect for the body of the man who would have been stopped with the first shot. The way guns are used and talked about in this sense is with the power they give: power brought about through guns as a tool of violence. This use of guns is seen far too often in modern news and media, more often than not as a reflection of the events of Tom’s death. Young black men, in America, are shot down without warning by white cops. Deaths such as Alton Sterling, shot twice in his car on July 5th 2016, and Michael Brown shot August 9th 2014, for the accusation that he had a gun (he did not), show how armed officers in America are taking their cruel intentions and using guns in situations where they have the power to unnecessarily take a person’s life. Just like with Tom Robinson, cruel behaviour by people in the text and in the real world show how guns are simply abused as a tool to bring about power through acts of violence on another human being. As Mahatma Gandhi once stated, “non-violence is a weapon of the strong.”

Throughout the trial we see the power play occurring through multiple characters: Atticus, Bob Ewell (the father of said rape victim Mayella Ewell) and Mr Horace Gilmer, the prosecutor in the trial. How each of the men treat this grapple for the power of the court is different, and these acts show more to reader of who they are as people. For example Bob Ewell attempts to grab for power during the trial, through violent attention-seeking acts. Bob Ewell is the most likely candidate to have actually beaten Mayella. We see him in the trial asserting his dominance over her with subtle threats seen in this quote here, “Mayella looked at her father…He sat straight up and waited for her to answer.” This proves to the characters unblinded by the facade Bob Ewell has built, presenting himself  as an outstanding citizen, that he is indeed implying a threat towards Mayella in the courtroom and may have done so in the past. The Prosecutor, Mr Gilmer, is far more sophisticated and subtle with his cruelty, so that only the innocent children of the court refuse to ignore his bias. His word choice is obviously demeaning towards Tom, mocking him by calling him ‘boy,’ treating the accused as less of a man than himself and presenting Tom as less of a man to the court. “The way that man called him ‘boy’ all the time an’ sneered at him, an’ looked around at the jury every time he answered-” This quote from an inconsolable seven year old Dil shows the impact of what Mr Gilmer does to Tom, in comparison to how he treats the Ewell’s and other white witnesses. Mr Gilmer asserts his dominance through the power that he has been given in the form of white privilege. This kind of behaviour can be seen in other texts, such as the movie ‘Hidden Figures’ where the three main black female characters are called girl and have to fight on a day to day bases to been seen for the worth they give towards the company, where they are employed. They are questioned as to whether they deserve a job that is handed to others:” If you were a white man would you wish to be an engineer?.. I wouldn’t have to wish sir, I would already be one.” This quote from one of the women illustrates my point on how people from the 1960s, were still so disadvantaged in comparison to their white counterparts. Every aspect of their lives and careers, is affected by the prejudice of those in their communities. In the 21st century western countries  we choose to believe that behavior such as Mr Ewell’s and Mr Gilmer’s  is in the past but this is not the case. Violence is probably used more in the world today as a form of power, whether it is through creating more arsenal and larger armies or through the bombing of hospitals and schools, simply to prove one’s violent capabilities. In our modern world violence has become the only way to power; this is shown in the text through the cruel behaviour of Bob Ewell and Mr Gilmer. Both men go for power differently but are essentially fighting for the same team: one where men can wear suits and call themselves a gentleman while calling for the slaughter of innocent men.

Atticus, unlike other members of the court, treats everyone with the same level of care and respect. His behaviour is never cruel, but kind, especially to those he questions. Atticus is patient, calm and collected. This can be seen in the quote, “nobody had thundered, there were no arguments between opposing counsel, there was no drama.” His power in the courtroom comes from his ability to command attention and to lay out facts in their simplest form. He allows the majority to understand his points, through precise plans and by building up the story of the Ewell’s home life. As the children say, Atticus doesn’t show off or dramatise the case: “With his infinite capacity for calming turbulent seas, he could make a rape case as dry as a sermon.” Unlike Bob Ewell he doesn’t try to get a rise from people, or make a spectacle. Atticus is there to do his job and to treat this case the same as any other, rather than give in to the town’s idea of a show down between two men bent on winning.

Against Atticus’ best efforts, the town wants a conflict, they want a spectacle. The men of the jury, and most of the people of Maycomb prove themselves to be cruel enough to send a man to his death, rather than face the evidence against one of their own. Even if Bob Ewell is trash to Maycomb, he is white trash and that in the end is what makes the difference in a trial of life and death. Nothing Atticus could do or say would sway the whole court, and those he did sway did not have the courage to speak up. An example of an individual’s kindness losing to cruel behaviour can be seen in the 2016 American elections. Donald Trump, the new American president, won the 2016 election through showboating and rash behaviour. He said terrible and stupid things, such as “I could stand in 5th avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose voters,” but he won nonetheless. His actions were appallingly cruel towards minorities, calling them criminals and rapist at his rallies. However, Donald Trump’s competition was a woman, and America was apparently not ready to have its first female president. Hillary Clinton was his competition, a woman, well spoken and one that stuck to her campaign faithfully. Like with Bob Ewell and Atticus, one man is loud and aggressive, the other calm and reserved. One is obviously lying, as their stories don’t match. They yell when faced with conflict; the other presents the supported evidence and remains patient under the pressure of unapproving eyes. Much like with the election, and with the trial in the text, these opposing characters go head to head in a competition that one tries to keep civil, while the other tries, and not in vain, to gain attention. Bob Ewell can be seen in Donald Trump, and Atticus in Hillary Clinton in this situation. As a whole we, the reader, the people of Maycomb, the citizens of America, know who is the right choice. Sadly the characters that are often chosen for leadership, or win the case, tend to be ones that are perceived as powerful and dominant. This subconscious behaviour of our own human nature puts men of violence into places of power; it allows them to win trials and to sway the vote in their direction, because when faced with a struggle, humans will fall back in line behind whomever is most powerful. This is what lead to Donald Trump’s triumph, lead to Bob Ewell’s win, lead to the death of freedom for more than just Tom Robinson. Ultimately the neglecting of kindness allows cruelty to prevail, leading onto how power in the text and in our own lives allows for its gain through violence and cruelty.

The text, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” is reflection to the readers of their own behaviour or attitude towards people, times, or actions that they have taken or could take. The character’s actions show the effects of ignorance and cowardliness in the face of conflict. It shows how the kindness of one person can sway some,  but the majority is needed to make any significant ripples in the water. We acknowledge the poor actions of the accusers, and the way in which others flock to the idea of guilty until proven innocent, even where the opposite approach is more fair and more morally right. The town of Maycomb and many people in our own lives look for the bad in everyone first. Some people, such as Atticus and children, firstly look for the good in others. They choose to believe in the good man until that idea is no longer the truth. They give those that may not deserve it the benefit of the doubt. For example Atticus takes no precautions for his children’s safety after he is attacked by Bob Ewell. Scout although never having met Boo Radley treats him as a friend. This show of kind behaviour is rare in the text, struggling against cruelty in its most subtle and extreme forms. However, kindness is present in ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ as it is present in our everyday lives: “When you choose to see the good in others, you end up finding the good in yourself.” – unknown.  Kindness is a virtue, found few and far between, but we must be like Atticus if we want fairness, to become an example of how we want our society to treat others. Cruelty of the masses wins out in the text, it doesn’t have to in life as well.