To live or to die that is the option, whether it is more noble to suffer. The pain of misfortune or to take action, against your own troubles which may
End them. To die and to sleep and nothing more. By death you can end all heart aches and thousands of troubles that everybody is available to, why would nobody wish for their own troubles to end. To kill yourself and the chance to dream, but there’s the catch; because in death what will happen when you have moved off the business of humanity, it will stop us thinking-that’s the reason misfortune endures so long. Who will deal with all of life’s humiliations- and deal with the insults and oppression from superiors, the inefficiency of law, the rudeness of people from the office. When he can end all of this with a single dagger. Who would bear burdens and tire under a weary life. But there’s the chance of something after this life. The undiscovered country that no man has every returned from. Fear of death makes us all cowards, and our boldness makes us weak without any thinking. Actions that should be done, are misdirected and stop being actions. But shh, here comes Ophelia. Beautiful lady, please remember me when you pray.

Act one Scene one summary:

Hamlet begins on the outer ramparts of Elsinore Castle. It is dark and late and a guard Francisco is waiting for Bernardo to relieve him from his watch. Francisco is becoming nervous as the night goes on as the last two nights on watch he and Bernardo have seen a figure that appears to relate to a ghosts. Their description of the ghost is that of the newly deceased king of Denmark wandering around.

The two guards are accompanied by Horatio a scholar and a brave man who does not believe of the idea of there being a ghost. The two guards begin to retell the story and the same ghosts appears before there eyes, surprising Horatio. The
The play begins on the outer ramparts of Elsinore castle. It is late and Francisco, a guard, is on duty waiting for Bernardo to relieve him from his watch. Francisco is nervous because the previous two nights he and Bernardo have seen a figure who appears to be the ghost of the recently deceased king wandering around. Francisco and Bernardo urge Horatio to confront the ghost as he is a speaker of Latin, but as he approaches the ghost fades away. The scene ends with Horatio declaring to inform this news with Hamlet.

Act one Scene two summary:

The scene starts with the new King Claudius giving a speech on his recently deceased brother. King Claudius states that due to this he has married the Queen, Gertrude. There is conflict with the Fortinbra’s a royal family of Norway. The King of Norway is feeling ill and does not know of his nephews plan to raise an army against Denmark as Hamlet the Kings brother killed his father. Then the King consults his council, and speaks to Laertes son of Polonius a wealthy man. Laertes wants to go to France.

Later on Hamlet confesses his distress and sorrow towards his mother. Hamlet says that his mother has gotten over his father to soon and has married his brother. Hamlet is also angered by the fact that King Claudius called him his son. The scene finishes with King Claudius going off to drink wine, and Hamlet is left on stage alone expressing his sadness towards the death of his father.

Act one Scene three summary:

Laertes a young Lord is beginning to set of for Paris when he talks about Ophelia’s (Larte’s sister) relationship with hamlet.
He warns her that because Hamlet is such of a high status she may have to marry somebody else for the sake of the state. Laertes is afraid that Hamlet is taking advantage of her and only wants her for sex. Ophelia retaliates by calling Laertes a hypocrite and saying she is no child.

Polonius the father of the two walks in and gives Laertes a long advice. Claiming that borrowing money can result in a loss of friendship and that one must listen to a lot of things but talk less. Most importantly he tells Laertes above all be true to yourself. As Laertes departs he tells Ophelia that Hamlet doesn’t really love her and he only wants to sleep with her. Ophelia says to her father that Hamlet has expressed his love towards her many times. Polonius tells her that she is a fool to believe him. He orders her to stop seeing Hamlet, and Ophelia agrees.

Act one Scene four summary:

Marcellus, Horatio and Hamlet are outside and the air bites shrewdly. It is almost twelve and a flourish of trumpets and cannons go off. As Hamlet begins to talk about relations between Norway and Denmark the ghost appears.

Horatio exclaims “look my lord, it comes”. The ghos beckons towards Hamlet. Horatio and Marcellus warn Hamelt but he says his life is not worth a pin to him. After a long talk the choice is made to follow the ghost.

Act Two Scene One summary:

Polonius greets his slave Reynaldo and asks him to deliver some money to his son Laertes who has moved to Paris to study in university. However, Polonius has more devious plans for Reynaldo. He requests him to spread bad rumours about Laertes so people will confess that have done gambling or other actions that Polonius doesn’t approve of. Polonius explains that he is doing this do discover if Laertes is up to no good.

After the discussion Ophelia enters the room. She comes with bad news and claims that Hamlet has turned mad. She describes him as being pale and half his shirt unbuttoned. Polonius thinks that he is doing this because of his love for Ophelia. She claims that all she has done is stopped forms of communications between them. Polonius is angry because of his suspicions of Hamlet, and says he is going to tell the King.

Act Two Scene Two summary:

Both the King and Queen enter the stage with two of Hamlet’s friends Rosencrants and Guildenstern, who are requested to spy on Hamlet. Reluctantly, they accept the task and mock the King by saying they have to do it anyway. When they leave Polonius enters the room and tells the King and Queen that he believes Hamlet has turned mad. Polonius believes it is because of his love for Ophelia.

A man from Norway, Voltemand comes with news that the King of Norway has managed to restrain young Fortinbras from invading Denmark, but now he must invade Poland. To do this he has requested for the army to pass through Denmark on the way to Poland. The King vaguely agrees and brushes the letter aside. The King, Queen and Polonius try to lie to Hamlet, whilst he mocks Polonius. The scene ends with the players entering the scene, and Hamlet tests them to recite speeches from the legend of Troy. Hamlet schemes to create the play tomorrow based on King Claudius’s crimes.

Act Three Scene One summary:

The King and Queen consult Rosencrantz and Guildenstern about their investigation on Hamlet. They tell the King and Queen what they want to hear but do not give any more detail to the story. They tell the King about Hamlet’s enthusiasm for the players, and they agree to watch the play. Polonius intends to use Ophelia to spy on Hamlet. They see him coming and decide to hide. Hamlet enters and does a long speech about weather or not he should kill himself, because of his guilt for not killing the King for his crimes. Hamlet then says he does not love Ophelia anymore and mocks her by saying she should go to a brothel.

The King and Polonius emerge from behind the tapestry, and come to the conclusion that Hamlet’s strange behavior is not because of his love for Ophelia. He fears of Hamlet’s melancholy and says it is dangerous as it can get out of control. The King declares he is going to send Hamlet to England. But Polonius asks to observe Hamlet after the play when he is talking to his mother, as he still believes his actions are because of his love for Ophelia.

Act Three Scene Two:

In the evening Hamlet informs the players on how to act scene. As he instructs the players Horatio enters the room. Hamlet very glad to see him, tells him everything he learnt from the ghost about King Claudius. They agree to watch Claudius whilst the play is going and and observe him to look for any signs of guilt.

During the play Hamlet teases Ophelia with many sexual references. During the part of the play where the King is killed by poison being poured into his ear, Claudius cries out and demands for the lights. Everyone flees the scene and leave Hamlet and Horatio alone on stage. They talk about Claudius actions and agree that he is guilty of his crimes.

Act Three Scene Three:

Somewhere in Elsinore castle the King speaks to Rosencratz and Guildenstern on their findings about Hamlet’s behaviour. The King begins to fear Hamlets madness and realises it is becoming a danger to him. Claudius asks of them to take Hamlet on a voyage to England and away from him. Polonius enters the room and says he has plans to spy on Hamlet whilst he is talking to his mother Gertrude. After Polonius leaves, the King says his sins for the first time on stage and says that he is a brother murderer. He begins to pray.

Hamlet quietly enters the room and sees the King praying. He realises that if he killed him that Claudius would go to heaven and he would have a better fate than Hamlet’s father had. He decides to kill him when he is singing or when he is drunk.

Act Three Scene four:

In Gertrude’s chamber she and Polonius wait for Hamlets arrival. As Hamlet storms in Polonius hides behind a tapestry, hoping to eavesdrop on their conversation and discover more on the cause of Hamlets madness. Hamlet asks his mother what she wants of him and he states that she has offended the dead King by marrying Claudius and makes many insults towards his mother. Hamlet hears a cry behind the tapestry. He brings out his rapier and stabs through the curtain, only to find that Polonius was dead.

The reminiscent of the ghost appears, invisible to Gertrude. Hamlet talks to the ghost and Gertrude begins to think he is even madder as she does not see or hear the ghost. The ghost has come to tell Hamlet that he is not doing his tasks as he has killed Polonius, where he should be avenging him by killing Claudius. The ghost gives him a final message to be easier on his mother.

Desperately, Hamlet tries to convince his mother that he is not mad, and urges her to not speak of this to Claudius. Hamlet then reminds his mother that he is going to be sent on a voyage to England who he thinks of as poisonous snakes. Hamlet leaves the room, dragging the body of Polonius behind him.

Act Four Scene One:

Shaken after her confrontation with Hamlet, Gertrude goes to the King to speak to him about Hamlet’s madness. He King is speaking with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and dismisses them. Gertrude tells him that her son is as mad as the sea during a violent storm, and also tells him that he has killed Polonius. Claudius wonders how he will deal with this crisis to the citizens of Denmark, and decides that Hamlet must be shipped away to England immediately. He tells Guildenstern and Rosencrantz about the murder, and tells them to find Hamlet.

Act Four Scene Two:

The King disputes with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern in an attempt to get them too seek the body of the recently killed Polonius. Hamlet is asked by Rosencrantz where Plonius’ remains lay, but he answers “The body is with the King, but the King is not with the body.” Then they go out to seek the body of Polonius whilst Hamlet leaves the scene.

Act Four Scene Three:

In a room in the castle King Claudius asks Guidlenstern and Rosencrantz on what they have found out about Polonius’ body but they tell him they have not found any information. Hamlet enters the room and makes claims about Polonius’ decaying body and gives statements that worms are eating his remains. Hamlet states that Polonius is in heaven, or to seek him in hell himself. Hamlet then says “If you do not find him not within this month, you shall nose him as you go upstairs into the lobby”, and tells Claudius where he is. The King then decides that because of this Hamlet must be sent to England, and Hamlet exits the stage. Then aside Claudius tells his evil plans to kill Hamlet on a voyage on the way to England which will appear like an accident.

Act Four Scene Four:

Fortinbras enters with his captains and soldiers. Hamlet, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz enter and question Fortinbras on whose authority has he entered Norway, and he replies that it was the Kings. The captain tells Hamlet that they are going through to fight some part of Poland, seemingly a small patch of ground that is manned lightly. Hamlet is left alone on stage and has a soliloquy where he talks about life and death and the purpose of all humans on Earth is meaningless other than to sleep and eat.

Act Four Scene Five:

Gertrude, Horatio and a gentlemen are somewhere in the castle. Gertrude and Horatio talk about Ophelia who has recently been going mad, and is in sorrow because of her fathers death. Horatio says that the young girl should be pitied, and Gertrude does not wish to see her. Ophelia enters the room and starts singing. Horatio claims that her grief stems from her fathers death. He also mentions that Laertes has sailed back to France in secrete.

Somewhere in the castle a loud noise echoes. The King calls for his guards, and sees Laertes enter with a huge mob of people. The mob call Laertes lord and say that he should be the King. Laertes is furious and storms into the hall. He questions the King who is responsible for his fathers death but the King lies and says he doesn’t know anything about it.

Act Four Scene Six:

Horatio opens a letter which he has received from Hamlet, sent by a group of sailors. The letter tells him that pirates have occupied the ship which Hamlet was supposed to be sent to England. In the battle Hamlet has been taken captive, but with good treatment Hamlet is delivered back to Denmark. Hamlet meets up with Horatio and tells him he has a lot of news to update him on.

Act Four Scene Seven:

In an attempt to outrage Laertes, King Claudius tells him that Hamlet had killed his father. Laertes is astonished at the fact that Claudius didn’t punish Hamlet for murder. Claudius replies that he also intends for Hamlet to be punished.

A messenger arrives, carrying the letters that Hamlet sent to Horatio. Now the King knows that Hamlet is alive and he survived the voyage he decides to show his love for Polonius, in an attempt to gain Laertes to his side and plot to kill Hamlet. King Claudius arranges for a sword fight to be played. But Laertes sword will be sharpened where as Hamlet will be equipped with a blunt sword. Laertes decides to poison his sword with such a potent substance that even a cut to the flesh will mean Hamlet dies. The King then decides to be certain of his death that he will be given a goblet of wine with a poison.

Gertrude interrupts Laertes and Claudius’s plot and tells them and Ophelia has taken her own life and has drowned. Laertes unable to control his rage runs out and is followed by the Queen and King.

Act Five Scene One:

In the graveyard two grave diggers bury out a grave for Ophelia. One of the gravediggers says that Ophelia should not have a Christian burial as she took her own life. The second grave digger asks a riddle of who builds stronger the mason, the carpenter or the shipwright. The grave digger claims it must be the gallows maker as his frames outlasts a thousand tenants. But the second gravedigger corrects him and says it is us gravediggers whose houses last forever.

Hamlet and Horatio enter the graveyard and observe Ophelia’s funeral from a distance. Hamlet looks around at the skulls the gravediggers toss around, whose graves are getting dug out. Hamlet makes a speculation about the skulls saying that this could have been the skull of a lawyer, and they are the skulls of men and women. Hamlet questions the gravedigger on whose grave he is digging but the digger replies it his grave, as it belongs to no man and women as they are not living. Eventually he admits it was the skull of a woman, whose soul is now at rest. The gravedigger does not recognise Hamlet and tells him that he has been digging grave since the old King Hamlet killed the elder Fortinbras, the day Hamlet was born.

After a while the funeral passes by of Ophelia including Gertrude, Claudius and Laertes. Hamlet wonders who has died and finds out that it is Ophelia who has died as she is laying out in the grave. Laertes from his grief jumps into the grave with her and holds her hands. Hamlet also bursts out into the funeral exclaiming that Laertes love for Ophelia could not match his own. They start to grapple each other and it is separated by Horatio. The King tells Laertes to be patient and follow the plan.

Act Five Scene Two:

Hamlet tells Horatio on how he avoided execution in England. He changed the letter to kill the bearers of the letter which were Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet tells Horatio how he had no sympathy for them as they betrayed him. They are interrupted by a man called Osric who tells the King Claudius has planned for a duel between him and Laertes. Hamlet agrees to the duel.

Whilst selecting weapons Hamlet picks a rapier right for him. Where as Laertes takes his time to find the rapier with the sharpened blade. He then poisons the blade ready for battle. When the fighting begins Hamlet hits Laertes three times, and after a scuffle they manage to switch blades unknowingly. Hamlet ends up cutting Laertes, but before was wounded by the same poisoned blade. The king offers Hamlet the poisoned goblet, but Gertrude takes the wine cup and drinks it. Hamlet realises what happens and orders for the doors to be closed to find out who the killer is. Laertes forgives Hamlet and says he has died in an honourable way. Hamlet in fury runs to King Claudius and stabs him with his rapier killing him. Hamlet tells Horatio to remember this story and to speak of it, and forgives Laertes before he dies.

A loud marching is heard down the hall and Fortinbras with his army ask why has so many people died. Horatio tells them the story, and is told by the English who have also come whose thanks do we owe for killing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. He tells him that it is Hamlet’s who has recently been killed. They decided to give him a burial so he could be carried away like a soldier.

There you stand in the cold silent night. You can see your wooden cabin in the distance; its hard for you to see in the night. Up in the mountains the moon hardly shines, a ghostly layer of clouds make it hard for you to see. As the night goes on it becomes colder, each breath you take hurts more than the last, like a poisonous fog. You wish to be inside, you imagine a warm soothing soup, drinking it would soften your throat. Tirelessly, you make your way through the deep snow. The fresh powdery snow crunches beneath your boots, each step sapping away at your store of precious energy. There are no lights up in the mountains, so you rely on the faint silver strands of moonlight, threads of light that weave through the clouds guiding you home. As you walk a stick lodged in the snow gets caught under your foot and you fall. The glacier of snow absorbs your fall, and it engulfs you.

Ten minutes pass resting in the snow. Now you begin to feel the cold, as it slowly creeps up your body, into your skin. There’s no sensation in your fingers other than numbness, you try to clench your fist but it almost seems frozen. Now you must get home. Though the night is silent, tranquil, predators lurk in the dark. Silent beasts of the night, this land belongs to them. The closer you are to home the acrid smell of burning wood fills your nose. Now the lights shine brighter, you know you are almost there. The thought of a kiss from the fire makes your cold, numb body work harder to move its legs through the snow. A few more steps. You are almost there.

Knock. Knock. As your mother opens the door, the heat escapes and lures you in. Quickly, you take your snow clothes of and approach the blazing fire. You hear a gentle crackle of flames, and the touch of fire pricks your skin with its warmth. At last you are home, warm and with family. You enjoy your hikes through the snow, they are pure experiences of solitude and nature, which relaxes your mind. Now it was time for you to sleep, and you go into your bed and cover yourself with the blanket, that protects you from the cold. The quiet thief that sneaks into your room at night and takes away the warmth from your body. Sleep overcomes your body, and you allow it to take over. Slowly, your mind dozes of into another realm.

You wake up to the piercing sound of a cockerel. As you get up you see the sun shining through clear blue sky. You take a deep breath of the thin crisp air of the mountains. People are already up, children are running, and the restaurants are full. Slowly, you put on some shorts and a blank t-shirt . When you leave the cabin you feel the sun’s power focusing on you, toasting your skin. A soft breeze brushes away some heat from your face. Emerald grass and bright blooming flowers cover the area. As you approach the restaurant you hear the subtle flow of water. You pick up a rock and throw it into the stream, as it falls it releases an array of hypnotizing ripples. The water is so clear and pure, you could drink from the stream. The sun rays reflect of the crystal water almost blinding. You look away. Carefully, you observe the wildlife, there are bees buzzing around you, and birds dipping in the water. You take another relaxing breath of air and move on.

You arrive at the restaurant, and you hear the traditional music, whilst the instruments overlap to create a beautiful sound. The drone of the ciftelia, and the soft deep melodies of the sharkia. People sing along to the song in delight, but the lyrics are unknown to you. As you approach your table you see that food is ready on the table. The scent slowly drifts into you nostrils, and you smell the flaky pastry of the pite, the sweet smell of hot chocolate. Now you feel more like at home. Look around. The atmosphere is so energetic; everybody around is happy. The music gradually turns to a soft sound in the background as you start eating. The pite crunches in your mouth, and you taste the delicious spinach filling, this brings your taste buds to life. You wash it down with a cool glass of water, in effort to cool your body. You drop the glass on the table, and it almost slips as your palms are so sweaty. Now you feel your whole body is becoming sweatier, and sweatier and your clothes begin to stick to your body like glue. You drop back into your seat, and in an instance your eyes close.

“Wake up!”. I got up with a sudden bang, and awaited another day of “school”. Slowly, I walk into the kitchen and surprised to see dinner made by the latest T700 bot, these days machines took over a majority of human life, or what used to be human life. After finished eating, I put on my uniform and shoes, so I could leave for school. One step outside the house and the dreadful smell of hover cars was like no other. Nobody knew why the fumes smelt so bad. It was different to those ancient things on wheels, but it wasn’t our place to ask them questions. It was faster and more efficient to walk than go by hover car, you would expect for there to be no traffic with all that space in the air. I guess the crowded nation we lived in was becoming a bit of a problem, nobody cared to how the problem would be solved. The rest of the world was left inhabitable. A few more strides and I was going to be outside the colossal red building which they called “school”. It was a place where the youth were kindly told to do jobs like making and fixing weaponry. Nobody saw the point, as we where the only nation left standing after the great war, but we always did what we where told. Not that day though. Thats when everything changed…

It was another typical day for the boy. Slowly, he raised from his bed and scratched his red itchy eyes from a late night sleep. He got out of his bed and begun making himself a bowl of cereal. The boy ate the cereal in anger, and was frustrated from the amount of work his teachers had set him. Carefully, he put his school uniform on laced his shoes. “Goodbye” He told his mother, and left the house. The air was fresh and crisp, but the further he went on the heavier the air became and the wretched fumes of the cars became noticeable. He got on the bus.

The second novel of my reading journal was “A dance with dragons” which is written by George R Martin and is the last book in the series of A song of Ice and Fire. The kingdom is war torn, and there is conflict between the powerful families of Westeros. It has a complex story line, and the story is based on a recurring motif which is “A game of thrones”. All conflict which occurs in the storyline is described as a game of thrones, and the powerful men are the symbolised as the players, and the people they control are the pieces of the game. The story is set in a medieval era, and through out the story new characters are introduced and developed. George R Martin uses very symbolic and metaphorical language to express themes and ideas in the story, but also to give hints to the audience. Also, the author plays with the audience through creating conspiracy theories based on the characters.

The book is written in third person. Each chapter is based on a characters experience, which means the readers get a biased view from the characters perspective. Each chapter is written in the view of the character and this means that the reader gets a good understanding of the character and even able to sympathise with all characters as the readers have spent so much time reading from their perspective and thoughts. George R Martin develops his characters through choices they have to make, and essentially questioning their morality. All characters have good and evil in them, in the novel there are no stereotypical heroes and villains. It relates more to reality. Sentences are structured in complex forms as most sentences are composed of many clauses. The author uses very descriptive language to describe setting and characters, to enhance the readers understanding of the world that is presented to them. George R Martin’s style involves including a lot of dialogue in the novel to express what character moods, and rhetorical questions (thoughts) of the characters. The language used is very descriptive, but also very violent and gruesome.

The novel is a fantasy, as it uses common features of fantasy books such as castles and dragons. But there is a lot more to Westeroes than Knights and dragons. The author goes into depth of the history which explains why things are the way they are. This leads to questions being asked about characters and other conspiracy theories. In the world there is hardly any magic but there are many mystical beasts and sinister creatures. Examples would be dragons, dire wolves, wights and the others. The world is more realistic as it includes elements such as betrayal, violence, death of kids, brutality and other negative aspects of reality.

Many themes are prevalent in the series of a Song of Ice and Fire and the most important one is power. The plot is all about the power struggle and the way people get it weather through political claims or royal claims. It all in the end comes down to who is on the iron throne. The conflict through out the plot over acquiring power is described using the metaphor “A game of thrones” which is a recurring motif through all seven books in the series. It is symbolic to the characters as the players are the great powers of the country such as Kings and lords, but the pieces are less powerful people who are being used by the players to gain power, or make sure the person who is ready to snatch it away from you is dead. But not all power is political and military. Some of it is supernatural power for example Queen Deaneries has her dragons, Lord Stannis has access to a fire priestess.

Another theme in the book is morality and principles. Many people make their decisions from what they believe is right and wrong, Eddard Stark was an honorable man who wanted to resolve corruption but ended up losing his head for a treasonous act in which he thought would result in good for everyone. Everybody in the book has a role to play and duties to act. But in some cases their duties contradict with their principles. Characters are forced to do things which may seem immoral to others, but it all has to do with principles of characters.

This all links in with the idea of characters being anti hero. As in a character who is trouble and considered and outcast in society, and may do evil or immoral actions for the greater good. Jon Snow is a great example of a character who is an antihero. He has been discriminated his whole life for being bastard born, and now is the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch; a group of outcasts who have been assigned to guard the “Wall” from any wildlings (barbarians). He has betrayed his whole group as he as allowed wildlings through his wall, men who have butchered brothers of the nights watch. Jon Snow went against his principles, but he did this for the greater good which is to achieve peace for his people. He is heroic and brave and knows letting in all these wildlings, men who could slit their throats any night, to unite their groups to fight a common enemy. The white walkers. Then the question comes to the nights watch. Wouldn’t they be doing their duty killing Jon Snow? Then the entire night’s watch are anti heroes for not killing Jon Snow, who has went against their code of conduct and allowed wildlings into their home. All of them possess heroic qualities of bravery and camaraderie. It can be connoted from this that many of the characters in the series are antiheroes, there are no split heroes and villains.

My first book for the reading project was “A clockwork orange” by Anthony Burgees. The book revolves around a young teenaged boy Alex, who often commits in really violent crime with his group of friends. The book is set in a dystopian setting in an English society which has Russian influencing. During the book Alex the protagonist goes under the “Ludovico technique”, which turns him into a good person, but against his own will. This is one of the most important events in the book which portrays the most prevalent theme which is the importance of free will. Anthony Burgees expresses this idea through his use of neologisms and other language devices.

One of the devices Anthony Burgees uses in a clockwork orange is modification of language, by using English and Russian slang that he calls “Nadsat”. The youth only talk this way but it is not all slang, there is a variety of sophisticated language in there like Shakespearean English. However, there are childish words and rhythmic slang an example is “Appy polly loggy” meaning apology. The neologisms “Nadsat” is not understood by adults in the book. This shows the emotional and mental differences between the two generations. The youth who use the language are usually taking part in the “ultra violence” as the protagonist Alex likes to refer to it. “Nadsat” has rebellious connotations, and it presents the youth as very immature. Anthony Burgees also uses language to reflect Alex’s personality. Towards the end of the book Alex discovers that all this hatred he has had and the need for violence was just a part of his life and others. Alex starts talking differently, using the present tense and using less of “Nadsat”. It is a very clever technique as it shows the audience the transformation that is occurring in Alex’s life, and that he is no longer the immature violent teenager he used to be.

One idea which is explored through a clockwork orange is free will. Alex is a teenager that is a nuisance to the government and it would be better if he was turned into good. In the book they do eventually turn Alex into a good character, but by using the Ludovico technique. However, Alex would still prefer to choose the bad option but due to the technique Alex is forced into doing what the government believe is the right thing. The importance of free will is displayed by Alex asking himself “Whats it going to be then, eh?” every time before he is about to do something bad. Alex has the choice to do something good or bad by asking himself this question. Alex chooses the bad option of course. However, when Alex is put under the Ludovico technique he does not ask himself the question. It had took Alex’s free will away from him as he never questions his actions. Furthermore, this connotes that Alex is not really human anymore, as the principal of humanity, free will has been taken away from him. As the name a clockwork orange suggests. A machine capable of goodness but does not have any moral choice. The government took away all of his evil capacity, but it also meant that took away his free will. In the last chapter of the book after Alex is cured, he asks himself “Whats it going to be then, eh” and answers the question. Alex chooses a path of good, and proves that free will is essential, as eventually he does become good. During the time Alex is in prison a man asks him “Does God want good, or the choice of goodness? Is a man who chooses bad somehow better than a man who has good imposed on him?”. This suggests that the choice of goodness is more important that having the idea of good forced upon you, and that a man who chooses a bad path is almost the same as the man who has goodness forced upon him.

The idea of an anti-hero is a protagonist in a story line who may have good morale intentions, but does evil things or does not necessarily think the actions he or she does are evil. Also they may have physical defects and would be cast away from society or isolated in society. Alex suits the idea of an anti-hero as he commits extremely violent crimes which would be regarded by society as pure evil. At a point in the story he has goodness forced upon him, yet this still does not make him a stereotypical hero. It is towards the end of the book when Alex realised his evil was just a phase of his life, and that he was an immature man and did not need to do these things anymore for his pleasure. Also through out his teenage phase, his immaturity is shown through his language and a lot of the adults do not understand the language which shows the emotional differences. It is almost as if their group is isolated in society and they are thought of differently, as an inferior group of people.

The poem is by Edward Estling Cummings who was born in 1894 in the US. He had a highly religious upbringing and grew with a middle class family as his father was a professor at Harvard University where Cummings later studied himself. Cummings was a Pacifist during World War One, so he became a member of the ambulance corps. It is known that he was even arrested on the suspicion of espionage because he was not expressing views that where of German hatred. This influenced his themes in his poems and the messages he portrays.

Later on in life Cummings became interested in modern types of poetry, and his poems became very iconic as he focused on very traditional values such as God, love and patriotism. But he liked to weave in satirical elements to his poem that contradicted the messages of other poems. With his poems he liked to experiment with punctuation and the form of words, which is very prevalent in “Next to of course God America I”. Such as there are no capital letters or full stops until the very last line. In the poem “Next to of course God America I”, Cummings portrays a very satirical tone as he seems to be talking about patriotism, but then contradicts it and portrays a meaning that it is bad or a negative thing.

At the beginning of the poem, the narrator presents a lot of positive aspects about his country, which shows his patriotism. I can infer from this that the speaker is very motivational and has a lot of passion for his country. However, during the middle of the poem Cummings changes the style in his poem and the narrator begins to sound sarcastic by contradicting what he is saying. An example is the narrator says the idea of dying for your country is beautiful, which is very contradicting and gives it a sarcastic tone.

The poem ends with a line that contains punctuation. This shows that the speech was very fast paced as it ends with a full stop. The last line is “He spoke and drank rapidly a glass of water.” This symbolises a way that he also may have swallowed his words, and that the narrator himself may not even be believing the words he is saying. This is the final touch to portraying the narrator as a patriot who makes a fool of himself by sounding sarcastic and constantly contradicting himself through out lines of the poem. The message Edward Estling Cummings was trying to portray is that patriotism is not always necessarily a good thing and that it can be dangerous.

Poppies is a poem written by Jane Weir. Armistice Sunday is a tradition which marked the end of World War one in 1918. It was set up to remember the thousands of men that died in the fighting, even though their names will still be lost. So the period which the poem was written was the early 1900’s during the time of the First World War. Jane Wier was born in 1963, and grew up in Italy and Northern England. She owned a textile business which influenced some of her language in the poem. Even though the story is based on the First World War, it was influenced by her experience of soldiers dying in Iraq and Afghanistan in more recent times.

The poem is about a mother expressing the feelings of her son in different moments in time, such as when the child is young, when the son leaves to go to war and finally the death of her son. The emotions that are given of by the poem are sadness and melancholy. The poem is written about topics that trigger these emotions such as the mother talking to her son in a way that shifts through time from when the child was young to where the man dies. The mother expresses her grief through out the poem which is another emotion the poem is based on, which creates a sorrow atmosphere as she grieves the death of her child.

The structure of the poem is organised as it is set out into four stanzas. But the way it is read out sounds like thoughts as there are a lot of commas, which created pauses in the poem. This suggests that the narrator is trying to remain calm and peaceful but there are bursts of sadness that leak out which are the breaks caused by the punctuation such as the full stops and commas. It appears as it is more the mothers thoughts than ordinary speech. Unlike most poems it does not include rhyme and when read out it doesn’t appear to have a rhythm. She uses words like “blockade,spasm and bandage” The words are connotations of war and violence. It the imagery portrays to the audience the mothers thoughts, and it appears to be fragments of her memory of her sons violent death. Jane Weir uses a lot of language that refers to materials and textile such as “felt, stitch, pleats and gloves”. This creates a semantic field of clothing which she weaves in and out of her poem. By doing this she adds texture to her poem and different levels of meaning such as

A way that Harpee Lee shows life in town like Maycomb is through symbolism. The mockingbird is a recurring motif through out the story, and it represents the destruction of innocence in characters such as Atticus and Tom Robinson. Atticus says in one part of the book “Shoot all the blue jays you want, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” The reason it is a sin to kill is because all they do is sing for people and nothing else. This is said by Miss Maudie in the book. The way this links in with the story line is the fact that Tom Robinson is charged with rape, when it is shown to the audience that he is innocent. Tom Robinsons innocence is destroyed as he always helped Mayella Ewell, and even denied her money. But he is imprisoned because of Bob Ewells prejudism towards the black community. Harper Lee shows that there were unfair trials in the 1930s such as Tom Robinsons case, and there was a lot of prejudice towards the black community in everyday life.

Racism and prejudice is a strong theme in the book and the idea is always brought up like the court case. Harper Lee is trying to send a message to the audience of what life was like at that time. When people were at the courthouse Scout sees “…the white people were lining up in front of the negroes.” The theme is woven into the story line, but Maycomb county is generally portrayed as a peacefully place. She creates a peaceful semantic field using the words “quite, silent, normal and tranquil”. The effect this has is it creates a calm atmosphere, and it makes daily life appear normal and nothing out of the ordinary usually occurs. However I think the word “silent” creates a more suspenseful atmosphere. This is how Maycomb is persieved by Scout, but she does not see the darkness behind the county, until the fragmented sections which are told from the point of view from an older and more mature Scout.

In “To kill a mockingbird” Jem begins to see how there is segregation in society, as he says “There’s four kinds of folk in this world. There’s the ordinary kind like us and the neighbours, there’s the kind like the Cunninghams out in the woods, the kind like the Ewells down at the dump, and the negroes.”

The speech from Jem shows that Jem has started to realise that people are seperated in Maycomb county, not only by race, but also by class. The Ewells and Cunninghams have less money and are less educated so they are classed as a different kind of folk. The black community are also seperated due to their different tone of skin.

Jem’s also begins to understand the hatred between the groups in society, and this is shown through events that occur in the book. An example would be the courthouse case and how Mayella Ewell immorally claimed that Tom Robinson had raped her. Jem says “…the thing about it is our folks don’t like the Cunninghams, the Cunninghams don’t like the Ewells, and the Ewells hate and despise the coloured folks. Even though Jem does not specifically say he realises how there is hatred in Maycomb society and all of the “four groups” hate each other.

The fact that Jem says these things shows the audience that Jem is slowly maturing and he understand the segregation and hatred in his society. This make Jem feel sad and angry as “he punched his pillow” and “his face went cloudy”. From his violent actions it is clear that he is frustrated and clears his anger by punching a wall. Furthermore, I can connote from the world cloudy that his face was pale looking and expressionless, because of his anger.

The theme present in the passage is the idea of there being one group of people in the world however, there is a lot of seperation. Another message which is brought to the audience is that people are seperated because of there education and wealth. Jem states that reading and writing must be what sets people apart because the Cunninghams can’t read and write and they are thought of as a lower class, so that must be the reason. Scout disagrees with him and gives her opinion that there should be only one type of folk, folk. The overall theme presented is that social hierarchies are developed in a community because of wealth, education and race.