Albert's English Journal

Compare the methods poets use to present their points of view in ‘next to of course god america i’ (page 48) and in one other poem from Conflict.

plan – next to of course god America I is about patriotism in the United States, about war the Americans go through. They do it in almost a mocking way with phrases like  “heroic happy dead” and changing lyrics to the American national anthem, changing the lyrics to  patriotism in America.

Flag is also about patriotism in America but not war related like next to of course god America I.  In this they tell us that the flag represents the Americans proud of ear country. Doing everything they can for it no matter what.

Comparing them both they are similar and different to each other. Both are about American patriotism, one is on war the other is on pride. Both are mocking with for examples; “heroic happy dead” in next to of course god America I, it adds a sickening statement but also some dark humour too. As for flag  you will see the phrase “it’s just a piece of cloth” many times. Showing that Americans are almost looking at a piece of cloth like it’s their life.

Select an incident which you think is particularly tense and exciting in touching the void. How does Simpson create tension and excitement in this incident?

The incident I chose in the  book was when Simon cut the rope while joe was hanging.  What makes it so tense and exciting is the language devices used.

The first quote I found exciting was “heck! I couldn’t be dead and feel that!”  Him not being aware he’s dead if he’s dead is telling us that he’s in shock. Probably in shock that he’s not dead yet after falling from Simon cutting the rope.  The fact he’s still alive it probably gives him the instant thought of “I wouldn’t know if I’m dead”  this would create excitement because even the readers themselves would be in shock that joe survived a  100 meter fall.

the next quote I found exciting had a curse word which  can create excitement or tension depending on the context. “Alive! We’ll fuck me!”  Just like the last quote he’s surprised like us that he survived a fatal fall like that. Surprised enough he uses the classic British catchphrase “well fuck me” he could also be relieved too because when I use that  cat phrase myself I always say it in a relieved tone.  Of course using curse words is exciting because it’s always controversy.

the next quote involves a worry in joes mind. “I couldn’t conceive of him dead, not now, not after I survived.”  Joe is now hoping that Simon is still alive, especially after joe just survived a 100 meter fall with a leg already broken. Now he needs help to get out of there! This would be intense because having  Simon dead just after joe went through all of that still alive is just one big inconvenience.

the next quote I picked out shows some actual language device, personification. “I swore bitterly, and  the echoes from  the darkness made it a futile gesture.”  The phrase of the darkness made it a futile gesture is quite eerie. The darkness itself almost becoming human trying to tell joe that there’s no point in trying to call for Simon.  Of course this creates tension because joe is now trapped in something that he can’t escape with one leg blocking all his cries for help.

Now for the final quote. This one is intense for us but exciting for joe as it’s creepy. “Crying and laughing at high pitch as something I curled within me, something tight and twisted in my guts that laughed itself apart and left me.” This is pretty weird because no body would laugh in a situation where  you’re almost dead.  But laughing something out of your guts is something to question. It really does create tension now because to the readers joe could be going insane right now.

Relationship between climbers – “he asked me if I was okay” this shows that Simon cares in a little way . ” I already owe Simon” joe saying he owes Simon for having him involved every way with all the publicity.

landscape – “I felt as if I was about to be attacked from behind at any moment.” This is where joe is visiting the mountain for the filming and is feeling fear. Fear as if the mountain will attack him. “This was the place where I had known I was going to die. Those ridge lines should have been the last thing I would ever see” Simon in a panic at the mountains  making him think he should of came back.

Technical climbing terms – “Okay joe, begin to crawl towards the rocky narrows please. In your own time.” This is interesting because the man on the radio is almost forcing joe to rein act the horror of crawling again. Quite haunting. “Pretending to crawl and fall and horas I had done seventeen years earlier. Why couldn’t they have just used an actor out here? I kept asking myself.” This is where joe had to act out what happened and at this point it must be torture for him going through what mentally screwed him up.

Moral justification of the choice to cut the rope –  “the rope cutting had clearly touched a nerve”  touching the nerve clearly shows the controversy of the situation, people agree and disagree with the choice that Simon made. But joe claims he wrote it as honestly as he could so people won’t bash Simon for making that decision to almost kill joe to save himself.

Creative writing
Cadbury always uses those funny adverts to brainwash people into buying their product using comedy. This one is where a grown man is put on hold during a phone call. He’s very bored so he takes a bite from a Cadbury chocolate bar and turns up the volume of a song he’s listening to. He then starts lip syncing to the song, this is where the comedy comes in. A grown man lip syncing “Yes sir, I can boogie” whilst staring into the camera with an intense look on his face. He also moves his body around in a dancing motion. Usually I find adverts like this stupid and over the top but I hate to admit it the advert was hilarious!
I would usually find adverts like this stupid because it’s just a chocolate bar. Why would the advert need to be over the top just for a chocolate bar? You could even have a more successful advert by having Hulk Hogan take a bite from the Cadbury chocolate bar and add one of his famous quotes. That would put all the wrestling marks in the mood for a Cadbury chocolate bar, with normal people too because Hogan seems like a serious guy.
The funny part about this advert is that you have a grown man lip syncing a song anybodys mother would listen to, maybe grandmothers too since that song was released in the 70s. Even the way he’s dancing to it he looks like he enjoys the song, nothing wrong with that we just find it funny… And how does he lip sync to the song perfectly? Scripts of course but in the advert it shows he knows the song off by heart. Meaning he listens to it a lot which makes it funnier.
The comedy in the advert would go on for a while until he hears a voice from the phone. Which of course he would have to stop his fun and get back to business. I like how after that sketch Cadbury makes sure people would know their product by showing their logo and the chocolate bar itself.
You can tell by the way Cadbury made sure television viewers knows what to buy, they’re a spot on typical company. A company so everyone would know their product and take as much money from people for some chocolates in return.
Overall I do love the advert, it’s funny, clever and a good way to let people know about their product. This advert could even be played at the super-bowl because it’s that good, yet I won’t buy their chocolate bars since I don’t need them. Although I may of considered it at least, if the man lip synced that song in the middle of the office while doing a funny dance on someones desk disturbing them and humiliating himself. But still I wouldn’t buy a product from them, the advert was good but not good enough to take my money.

Explore the ways the theme of thwarted dreams and aspiration is developed in Of Mice and Men
Steinbeck incorporated the theme of thwarted dreams into his novella Of Mice and Men he is referring to Americans living life with all these dreams in their head believing they will achieve them. Americans, most of them want to be the best version of themselves like we do and aren’t afraid to show it. But Steinbeck gives us the realism of what happens to those dreams and the fate of the Americans at the time of the Great Depression who try hard to achieve those dreams in his novel Of Mice and Men. This is a book about two grown men George and Lennie wanting to have their own land and doing everything they can to make that happen, obstacles end up in their way, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They belong in no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” This quote from George telling Lennie how guys like them work constantly got nothing to lose, just nobodies. “But not us! An’ why? Because . . . Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” George telling Lennie how guys like them are nothing, but they both got each other to live, to survive and achieve their dream of owning their own land. You realise how George doesn’t finish his words with the right pronunciation, he does this because he’s speaking faster, feeling more motivated and excited about making their dream happen one day as Lennie laughs with excitement because he too knows that the day will happen, they just can’t wait.
George and Lennie are into the ranch at this point knowing the place and a couple of workers who also joins their dream knowing their dream is almost there. They’re almost there from the money they’re saving to buy their land with Candy and Crooks who recently joined their pursuit to the dream. While Lennie was roaming he discovered Crooks’ room with him in there, like Lennie mentioning having their own ranch Crooks goes on a rant. “You’re nuts. I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an’ they quit an’ go on; every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a god damn one of ‘em ever gets it.” Crooks just gave Lennie a wakeup call making him realise he’s crazy for thinking their dream would come true, the realism is that plenty of people want to achieve their dream, But realistically it just doesn’t happen. Notice how just like George, Crooks also doesn’t end some of his words without the correct pronunciation? Because he’s ranting, going on, giving Lennie the realism, making him click that the dream won’t come true. Crooks wasn’t the only one who had doubt in George and Lennie’s dream, Curley’s wife did too. “Baloney, I seen too many you guys. If you had two bits in the worl’, why you’d be in getting’ two shots of corn with it and suckin’ the bottom of the glass. I know you guys.” Curley’s wife had so much doubt in them she brings metaphors into it. The part where she says “If you had two bits in the worl’, why you’d be in getting’ two shots of corn with it and suckin’ the bottom of the glass.” She’s trying to say if they do come to their dream they will be struggling with it, can only handle very little of it, probably would have to sell the place to make money making their dream pointless to achieve it in the first place. How is she so sure about it? She lives in a ranch where plenty of guys come and go, all with somewhat the same ambition. She “knows them guys.”
The main point is did George and Lennie along with Candy and Crooks achieve their dream? No, why? Lennie was shot by George having to put him down. “But not us! An’ why? Because . . . Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” It started with George and Lennie certain that their dream will come true because they look after each other, no one else to rely on but each other. “George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” It ended with George and Lennie in the same place they started having only each other to rely on. George shot Lennie in the back his head, dead at an instant. Ending the dream because they don’t have each other to rely on and achieve the dream together anymore.
Candy had no dream, but after his dog was put down he pretty much had nothing to lose. Hearing about George and Lennie’s dream he joins them, having the same ambition as they do. He joins because he has the money to make it happen and have a better life. “They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county. Maybe if I give you guys the money, you’ll let me hoe in the garden even after I ain’t no good at it. An’ I’ll wash dishes an’ little chicken stuff like that. But I’ll be on our own place, an’ I’ll be let to work on our own place.” After Candy’s offer George accepts it letting Candy join their party. He also joins George and Lennie because he’ll have nowhere to go after he gets fired. Yet this dream was cancelled even before Lennie’s death, Candy knew this by whispering to himself “I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys.” By what Candy said you know he’s upset and disappointed because he could of, it was going to happen but not anymore, the pursuit for the dream he joined ended.
So why did this dream come to a stop? Everything was going as planned, Candy had the money, George and Lennie had the ambition, Crooks just wanted to be elsewhere. It ended because Lennie was shot, he was shot because he killed Curley’s wife and he couldn’t get away with it. “You stop it now, you’ll mess it all up.” She jerked her head sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. “Let go,” She cried. “You let go!” Lennie was in a panic. His face was contorted. She screamed then, and Lennie’s other hand closed over her mouth and nose.” By then Lennie panicked even more as Curley’s wife struggled trying her best to scream for help, then Lennie broke her neck. Curley’s wife started to panic before there was an actual problem, Lennie was just stroking her hair and didn’t want to let go he doesn’t know any better because of his “childlike personality.” She just got creped out, yelling “Let go!” startling Lennie he grabbed hold of her making a problem, accidentally killing her. That was the point where dreams changed for the men, everyone else finding out about the death of Curley’s wife George and Candy knew they can’t go on with Lennie.
Candy wasn’t the only one who joined George and Lennie’s dream, Crooks too joined their dream even though he had doubt in it. He only joined thinking it will actually happen when he found out Candy has the money for it “If you guys would want a hand to work for nothing just his keep, why I’d come an’ land a hand. I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to.” You can see that Crooks is desperate to join this dream, he’s willing to work for free, work for nothing. He also claims he ain’t as crippled as he looks, selling himself as a decent worker. Crooks just wants to get away from where he is.
Curley’s wife also had a dream. A dream where she was going to be a movie actress but that didn’t happen. “Nother time I met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers. Went out to the riverside dance palace with him. He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it.” So she met a guy who said she was a natural which of course gives Curley’s wife ambition to go for it, he also said he’ll write back to her which gets her excited about this dream that will happen. “I never got that letter.” This is how we know that her dream didn’t happen, she never got that letter from the Hollywood man who supposedly wanted her to be in Hollywood, so she wouldn’t get a start to the dream. The language used has strong meaning to it, the word “Never” is a strong word that instantly gives us the idea that her dream never happened.
Steinbeck gave us examples of how people’s dreams never happen. Using words letting us know they don’t happen like “never, was, wont” Just basic words we use, words that the characters use in the story letting us know the dreams didn’t or won’t happen. Steinbeck had a simple use of language to give us the idea of his theme. He also made every character speak casually with small words like most of us do giving the true reality. Other than the language Steinbeck used characters with dreams as examples of his theme of thwarted dreams. Most people do go for their dreams, but often never happens. Some don’t even consider chasing their dreams because they know the reality.

The Cadbury advert where the man in the office is lip syncing the “yes sir, I can boogie” song is very funny. The man is just humiliation himself by singing a song you mum would listen to just after eating chocolate.

Have a go at assessing your last Controlled Assessment against the AQA criteria

“You’re nuts. I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of them. They come, an’ they go on; an’ every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a god damn one of ’em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody ever gets to heaven, and no body gets no land.it’s just in their head. They’re all the time talk in’ about it,but it’s jus’ in their head.” This was Crooks dream smashing rant on Lenny and Gorges dream on owning their own land. This really links up with the thawed dreams question in Crooks quote because he gives George and Lenny a reality check. George and Lenny are so sure about their dream they know they will achieve it, but Crooks telling them he’s seen many men with as much ambition as they do yet fail to get where they want. By this George and Lenny must be concerned because they almost realise they won’t make it, but still have hope left in them. Crooks ends most of his words without pronouncing the final letter which most people would do during outbursts.

Shakespeare/WWI poems assessment by Albert Savill
In this controlled assessment I will be explaining how the extremes of emotion expressed in Titus Andronicus and WWI poetry been effectively created by the writers’ craft and performance of the drama text on stage, on screen and classroom.
Titus Andronicus is a play written by Shakespeare before his prime, it has a theme of vengeance and is bloodied with violence. The violence is over the top since death is so involved with the story it may as well be a character. In the modern day on the other hand Titus Andronicus has gained some popularity for various reasons, like: Since civilization these days are friendlier we barely do or see violence like there used to be back in the Victorian era. So people might watch the play because the violence is fascinating them. Another reason would be the story to this generation is fascinating because most of us wouldn’t hear or see a story so bizarre as Titus Andronicus. The story also has another feature that isn’t common with today’s society, the language. In the play there are more abbreviations and alliterations in pretty much any form of art that would be produce now except for poetry. WWI poems were written by Wilfred Owen and Seigfried Sassoon who both became famous for their poetry giving us the emotions that were felt/expressed in WWI.
Shakespearian plays are similar to WWI poetry. Not just the context of both but the language devises too. The metaphors, alliterations and personifications are used in the play Titus Andronicus and WWI poetry. The context is similar because its dark themed, Wilfred Owen and Seigfried for example; their poems were mainly about death and suffering in the war including various emotions, as Titus Andronicus has plenty of deaths with suffering and extreme emotions felt. WWI poems were also written by soldiers to their loved ones at home which is extreme to emotion because the poems will go home, but the soldiers may not. But these plays were performed in theaters which of course doesn’t have the extreme emotion but shows some affect with the acting by the reactions of death.
In both the story of Titus Andronicus and the WWI poetry they have similar emotions expressed. In Titus Andronicus for example; Grief from the death of his sons, vengeance he must have which probably involves anger, honor from being a war hero. Yet very little or no happiness at all. As in WWI poetry you would find a lot of grief from the deaths of soldiers, honor from the soldiers who survived the war and went back home, anger wasn’t shown in WWI poetry that much because it showed more depression, grief and suffering. Like WWI poetry Titus Andronicus has very little or no happiness. If there were happiness found in Titus Andronicus it may be the fact that they’re in peace for a few moments before another unfortunate event occurs. With WWI poetry the memory of the soldiers loved ones would be the only thing to make them happy because the end of the war wouldn’t, yeah it means they made it out but the horrifying memories will always be playing in the soldiers mind.
The extreme emotions I’ve just explained deserves to have an example shown with them. From Seigfried Sassoon poem How to die shows the emotion of honor. “The dying soldier shifts his head to watch the glory that returns; He lifts his fingers toward the skies where holy brightness breaks in flame; Radiance reflects in his eyes, and on his lips a whispered name.” Reason why the emotion in that part of the poem is honor because he dies with it, dying without moaning, reaching to the sky whispering a name probably a loved one. The soldier new it was certain death so he took it, “died like a man” most people would refer it to. A few lines from Shakespeare’s play Titus Andronicus act 5 scene 3: “Why, there they are, both baked in this pie; whereof their mother daintily hath fed, eating the flesh that she herself hath bred. Tis true, tis true, witness my knives’ sharp point.” This was Titus’ last words before he was killed by Saturninus just after killing the empress Tamora. Comparing this with Sassoon’s poem Titus died with vengeance and honor, it’s a dark kind of honor but got it by standing for his families will. Grief is also another extreme emotion shown in WWI poetry and Titus Andronicus, take Wilfred Owens “Anthem for doomed youth” for example. A poem about young soldiers dying in the war at an alarming rate it wouldn’t be surprising if another dies. But the thing is grief isn’t shown too much from the soldiers back then, “What passing-bells for these who dies as cattle?” This line shows a metaphor “for these who die as cattle.” Is telling us that soldiers in the war die but the war still goes on just like how live goes on and you don’t feel grief when a cattle dies. This is like Titus in act 3 scene 1 when he is pleading for the lives of his remaining sons. “Who, though they cannot answer my distress, yet in some sort they are better than the tribunes,” This was the point where Titus is feeling he can’t spare his sons he ends up speaking to stones because tribunes are the judges that do unfair things but if Titus loses his sons it won’t matter, no one will care life will still go on for others. Both the poem shows certain people who lost loved ones will feel grief but the rest of the world will not.
Both in the poem from Anthem of doomed youth and a quote of Titus Andronicus has an end line that gives a stop to the rhythm in the poem that includes alliterations, “And tribunes with their tongues doom men to death” – Titus “And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds” – Owen. They both have alliteration, yet it’s used in both the entire poem and Titus’ line the endings of both gives the feeling of fear. I say fear because “doom men to death” means men who are doomed may be in grave danger and “drawing-down of blinds” has a meaning of the inevitable death that will be forgotten by the people. Comparing Titus Andronicus to another Wilfred Owen poem metaphors are used. For example in Dulce ET decorum “As under the green sea, I saw him drowning.” This where Owen sees a soldier suffering from a gas attack, so horrific it’s like the soldier was actually drowning with the gas. From Titus Andronicus act 3 scene 1 “A stone is soft as wax, –tribunes more hard than stones;” The point where he tells his problems to the stones he’s trying to say that stones are soft and will probably understand Titus if they had feelings and the tribunes are more “hard than stones” is a metaphor that the tribunes are cold blooded
With all these language techniques and devises that the authors use to express emotions the most effective way they can is because it leaves though to the readers on what happened. Owen and Sassoon try to give readers an idea on what they felt during the war, giving them a knowledge on the reality of war and all the horrifying images that will be remembered forever. Comparing this with Shakespeare and his play Titus Andronicus Shakespeare gives people an idea of life in the Victorian era, because of the emotions and actions shown by Shakespeare’s play we know what life must have been like in the Victorian era, violent, no symphony, battle of the fittest, only the rich will have good lives. The list goes on. Owen, Sassoon and Shakespeare uses techniques to show extreme emotion to let us know how they felt. To let us appreciate it.

In both the play and the poetry, iambic pentameter provides an underlying rhythm. When emotional states become extreme, this rhythm is often undermined, frequently through the Adsense of the final stressed syllable. This interrupts the flow of the characters speech, or the verse, which provides to the reader and audience a clear signal to their emotional distress.