Descriptive Writing Piece

March 2, 2016 / / 1 Comment

Today is a bright sunny morning and i’m on the bus on my way to school. My head feels like it is full of fog as I am extremely tired; the bus journey is so long and I wonder how I am still awake. It is 6:35 in the morning and it’s too early.

Everywhere I turn, I see trees, houses, cars and a lot of different people. Some look frustrated to be woken at this time of day as their shift requires it. There is this one girl who I see every morning at this exact time and her face looks as fresh as a peach which is peculiar as it is 6:35 in the morning. We wave as I am on the bus and she is waiting patiently for her bus on the opposite side of the road. We’ve been waving at each other every day for the past five years since primary school, we’ve watched each other mature and grow up, even though we’ve never had a serious conversation. I plug in my headphones and drift away – my two brothers always sit beside me but with a strange gap like we have grew distant. The music I listen to always has that same beat to constantly hook me in, and it only takes a few seconds for it to take me where it feels as if I’m in another dimension.

I look out of the window and I see a lot of monumental buildings: Big Ben looking preposterous like a god to all clocks, Westminster Abbey like a gothic fantasy, and the London Eye, being a giant Ferris wheel plonked in the centre of the city. After that it’s the bridge with all its boats big and small: tug boats, tourist boats, sometimes even police boats, but this one boat which always catches my eye is this amphibious boat that’s yellow and looks like a giant duck. Sometimes the tide even scares me as it reaches different heights everyday, getting so high that it looks as if it may overflow the Embankment and flood the whole of London washing us all away. I am now out of the bus, jettisoned into the streets I have been watching, slowly weaving my way through the people and crowds to school…

It’s home time now. All of a sudden the school is as quiet as a museum. I hear my own foot steps echo through the long hallways and can see a reflection of myself on the shiny floors. I hear a key clatter as the cleaner unlocks a classroom door. I want to rush home now as it is getting late; I burst out onto the streets of London and it feels like deja vu. Everyone is making their way home and suddenly it has gone dark. The streets are lit up by the headlights of the traffic, a bus hurtles towards the stop and I am forced to run as it is my chance to get home early. I am on it now and I once again plug in my headphones and go to that place I love the most. Approaching the bridge, the river is alive with dancing colours, lights from all the buildings around it reflecting on its surface like a water coloured painting.

I am back home now, and the cycle starts again…

Macbeth Controlled Assessment

February 11, 2016 / / 0 Comments

How does Shakespeare and the selected poets use language to show how characters are going through an extreme circumstance?

Throughout this controlled assessment, I will be showing how Shakespeare and the selected poets use different language to show the extreme circumstance of Macbeth and the protagonists in the poem.

One extreme circumstance which can be seen in Shakespeare’s play can be seen when Macbeth kills King Duncan. This can be seen when Macbeth says ‘Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood clean from my hands?’. Shakespeare uses hyperbole to suggest that Macbeth will always feel guilty for killing Duncan. The image created is that not even the wide ‘Neptune’ ocean wont be able to wash off Macbeth’s dirty deed. Also, this suggests that Macbeth may be a religious man and he may think that he has created a sin.

Similarly, the protagonist in A Hero also suffers from a feeling of guilt, yet for a different reason. This can be seen when the character says ‘three times I had the lust to kill’. Guilt is the extreme circumstance which is shown throughout the two novels, however the guilt shown is portrayed in different ways. As Macbeth feels guilty after ‘Killing Duncan’ but the character from A Hero is feeling guilty after committing no actual crime. The image created from this poem is that the character is scared as he believes that he will continue to kill.

The second extreme circumstance from Shakespeare’s Macbeth is shown on his second soliloquy, when Macbeth finds out that Lady Macbeth is dead. This can be seen when Macbeth says ‘Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow’. Shakespeare uses the technique of repetition to show that the word ‘tomorrow’ has no meaning after the loss of his wife. The repetition of the word ‘tomorrow’ shows that Macbeth is bored of the life that he lives, and that to him the world has became a pointless place. This also shows how Macbeth is confused about what tomorrow will hold.

In comparison to this soliloquy, the poem ‘Mad Girl’s Love Song’ written by Sylvia Plath also creates an idea that the life that this protagonist lives in has become pointless. This can be seen when the character says ‘I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead’. The repetition of the refrain suggests that the protagonist’s life is becoming more and more tedious each day. Also, another trait which the two novels have is the fact that the characters lovers are not around any more, and this only adds more frustration to the characters mind questioning, why they are still having to live this harsh life. In Sylvia Plath’s actual life her father and her husband Ted Hugh have both left and the poem is used to reflect on her pain.

My final extreme circumstance from Shakespeare’s Macbeth is from the dagger soliloquy when Macbeth has to see through his plot to kill Duncan. Shakespeare uses symbolism to explain Macbeth’s extreme emotion. This can be seen when Macbeth’s says ‘Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still’. This quote is used in the play when Macbeth imagines seeing a ‘dagger’, and that he is becoming frustrated because he can’t ‘Clutch’ it. Death is symbolized through the dagger as Macbeth comes face to face with his destiny.

My final comparison to Shakespeare’s Macbeth can be seen in Emily Dickinson’s ‘I Felt A Funeral In My Brain’. Whereas Shakespeare’s image of death is more active and aggressive, Dickinson’s image is more natural and passive. This is a comparison which also makes a contrast, as both authors base their work around the idea of ‘death’. Macbeth kills King Duncan whilst Dickinson’s character’s death is through mental depression. This can be illustrated when the poem says ‘I felt a funeral, in my brain, and Mourners to and fro’. This quote helps present the idea of the character suffering from depression as an image of your own funeral isn’t very pleasant and Emily Dickinson uses repetition to suggest that the character will always suffer from depression. This can be seen when the refrain ‘I felt a funeral in my brain’ is constantly repeated.

In conclusion, at some stage all characters in Macbeth, I felt a funeral in my brain, Mad girls love song, A hero lose sight of their true selves and are forced to confront death. This makes the characters feel confused and scared, forcing them to give up.

katie Hopkins

February 5, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Dear Miss Hopkins,

I am writing to you to show the stresses in which your article has caused. One day I was in my English lesson and I came across your article based on the rescue boats and how you said that you would use ‘gunships to stop migrants’.

Firstly, I disagree with what you have said. I do not know anyone who could stand by whilst a body floats past them and not take action. Surely, no real human being could be so cold hearted. And yet you are encouraging all your readers to do just this.
I also find the language you use can be quite offensive as you are comparing human beings no different to yourself, to two different diseases (plague and norovirus) and also to wild animals (feral). Not only that, but you stereotype the Italians who are part of the European union as ‘singing opera, drinking espresso and looking chic in chuffing everything’. Do you really think that it is okay to be writing racist pieces that are going to be read and influenced on millions of readers worldwide?, when everything you say has such little basis in real life.

Here are contributions to the UK which the ‘million of migrants’ have caused:
1. According to a study, new arrivals have made a net contribution of £25bn to public finances.
2. Immigrants from Poland and the other nine countries that joined the EU in 2004 have contributed almost £5 billion more to the UK’s economy than they used in benefits and public services.
3. Between 1995 and 2011 the migrants made a positive contribution of more than £4 billion ($6.4 billion) to Britain, compared with an overall negative contribution of £591 billion for native Britons.
4. Immigrants are less likely than Uk born people to claim benefits or to live in social housing.
5. They have paid more in taxes than they received.
6. Immigrants have produced the equivalent of £6.8bn in education expenses.

It’s not just money that migrants bring to our country, it’s innovation and cultural diversity. The multicultural character of London has made it a major world city, making it into a vibrant magnet. Immigrants have contributed so much this includes; ‘The mini’ designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, we also have Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer to thank for the famous ‘M&S’.

In conclusion, I strongly feel that your article is wrong and this is due to the fact that your piece is not just racist but also biased. You have no idea why humans would risk their lives to come to the UK; maybe they have wars happening in their country and they want to get away from them; maybe they have families and the economical situation won’t allow them to support that family; maybe they have no choice.
The truth is, there are so many complex reasons why they come over. I think your article reveals that you know nothing about these reasons and perhaps you are choosing not to know anything because the truth is too overwhelming and challenging for you to handle.

Thank you very much.

Writing To Respond – Birbalsingh

February 3, 2016 / / 0 Comments

Dear Ms Birbalsingh,

The subject you write about – discrimination and racism – brings out many different emotions and I respect you for being so passionate about it. However, I am writing to you because I so strongly disagree with what your article says about Mark Duggan.

Firstly, your agenda is twisted: ‘What colour is Mark Duggan?’ It shouldn’t matter what colour this man is; everyone should be treated equally. Sure, he has a different skin colour and yes, he may have done some bad things, but does that give anyone the right to take a life of another? For you to say that the Tottenham riots started because of race is wrong; I strongly believe that they began because of a complex combination of factors due to frustration about an injustice of equality. One example of this is the fact that at least 338 black males and females since 1998 have been murdered whilst in police custody and there has not been a single conviction of any officer for any of those deaths. This shows that the black community is not currently safe, even with the police officers who have sworn to protect them. You have said that the police are not a problem and that their behaviour shouldn’t excuse black males’ and females’ actions. And yet the black community can’t even stay in a cell, behind steel bars, without having to worry about their lives being taken from them.

Institutional racism has been cataloged in the police force for decades now, dating back to the murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 whilst waiting for a bus. This attack was racially motivated but incredibly it took 20 years before the murderers were convicted. Macpherson’s public inquiry in 1998 found that the police force were corrupt and racist. As recently as 2015 – 22 years after the Stephen Lawrence murder – Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, who is Britain’s most senior police officer, admitted that racism is still endemic within the police force: “If other people think we are institutionally racist, then we are. It’s no good me saying we’re not and saying you must believe me. [That would be] a nonsense, if they believe that.” The fact is that years of ingrained racist treatment from the police means that the community have become mistrustful of them and when a death within the community occurs this only adds more distrust and paranoia to the minds of both the black and white community. Aside from racism, there is also the massive problem of poverty and social inequality faced by the people living in these parts of London: research shows that in 2013 every 1 in 3 children living in Tottenham faced the problem of poverty. Yet commentators such as yourself give simplistic reasons why events like riots take place across London.

Every human being should have freedom of speech and the opportunity to make their point clear. However, I strongly feel that you’re being biased about this subject – you are basing your article on the assumption that all black males and females are aggressive and violent, when history shows that the real situation underlying violent protests such as these riots is much more complex. I know many black people who wouldn’t even hurt a fly and I feel that it is totally unfair of you to compare all the decent males and females to all the negative ones; at the end of the day we are all human beings and we are brought up to live with people even if they have flaws. Every human being has the potential to be aggressive, violent and nasty, and I bet that you have had your moments too…. Black people have had to face violence and pain for many, many years and time has proven many people wrong in their treatment of them. The black community only seem to be violent and aggressive when we are violent to them; if we didn’t provoke this type of behaviour then there would be more chance of everybody getting along.

In conclusion, I feel your piece is only looking at the London riots in a way which is actually presented to you. The media has come along way in its technology and one advantage they have managed to create is the ability to hide or twist situations in a way which suits them. The police have suffered a lot of allegations in the past, accusing them of hiding the truth from the people and I can strongly say that I believe these rumours. Personally, I would say that you may need to look at things from the side of the ‘blacks’, before you start pointing the finger.

Thank you.
Sincerely, Thomas Melville.

This is Your Online Domain

May 26, 2014 / / 0 Comments

Hello and welcome to your personal online journal.

Edutronic has been created to enhance and enrich your learning at the London Nautical School. Its purpose is to provide you with an audience for your work (or work-in-progress) and you have the choice (by altering the ‘visibility’ of your posts) of whether your work on here is visible to the world, or only to your teacher.

Anything you post here in the public domain represents you and thus it’s important that you take care with that decision, but don’t be afraid to publish your work – as the feedback you may get from people at home, your peers and people from around the internet is only likely to enhance it.

Remember you can always access your class blog and all manner of resources through the Edutronic main website – and by all means check out the sites of your peers to see what they’re getting up to as well.

If you have any questions for your teacher, an excellent way to get an answer is to create a new private post on this journal. Your teachers are am notified of any new posts and will reply swiftly to any queries.

Make the most of, and enjoy this new freedom in your English learning!

May 25, 2014

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ― Ernest Hemingway