TASK – Explore how the narrative voices of the powerful and oppressed are explored in The Tempest and Frankenstein (2000 words)

April 7, 2015 / / 0 Comments

 

 

 

The way the narrative voices of the ‘powerful’ and ‘oppressed’ are explored in both, ‘Frankenstein’ and ‘The Tempest’ could relate to the way power over one another is presented in relation to the hierarchy. When in possession of power there tends to be a sense of abandonment, rejection and oppression for those below the “oppressors” . For example, in ‘The Tempest’, Caliban’s portrayal identifies the oppressive nature of Prospero. Prospero has all the power as well as the control over those less superior to him due to his magic. He refers to Caliban as a slave. It’s evident that Prospero has the power and Caliban is the one who has to cope with the oppression that comes with it. Similarly in ‘Frankenstein’, Victor’s knowledge gave him the power to create life, however, later proving to be more powerful than man. In Mary Shelley’s novel, she outlines oppression through Victor, the monster and ignorance resulting in the character’s respective downfalls.  Playing God left Victor Frankenstein with nothing to love and a freak of nature who was rejected by society. However the monster gained more power than Victor due to Victor’s physical fear. This leads Victor to focus on the creation and this leads him to distance himself from the important things in his life ( family and friends ).

In ‘Frankenstein’  Power is presented through the character ‘Victor Frankenstein’. He seeks power through his interest in science. As a result, this led to a creation which he ended up losing power over. The power the monster had, in terms of facial features

 

He abandoned that power because of his fear and intimidation of the responsibilities he was about to face.

 

How the creature is abandoned and victors actions that relate to oppress.

He’s treated harshly, by both his creator and society because of his atrocious appearance. He wants love and a father figure and wants to be accepted in a society.

 

Prospero is able to control the spirits of the island. By using these spirits, he’s able to control Caliban as well. From looking at Act 2 Scene 2 where Caliban talks to Stephano, you can see him talking about how Prospero uses spirits to control him. He talks about how they will cause hurt him if he doesn’t Obey Prospero.  Caliban’s the son of Sycorax, a witch who had controlled the island before Prospero got there and took over. There isn’t specific enough text’s or quotes explaining how Prospero got control of the island, however ever since he landed there he has been the one in control of the island so Caliban has lost the throne and the privilege to control the island due to Prospero coming and taking over what belongs to Caliban and not Prospero. Shakespeare can present Caliban as fearful towards Prospero, due to him having that power and control over him. Propsero control’s some aspects of Caliban’s life. He controls where caliban lives, what caliban does, and where he’s allowed to go. Prospero cannot control what Caliban says to him. Prospero taught him their language, so Caliban must have heard it from Prospero first. Prospero controls Caliban in the only way he knows how, with ‘magic’.

” All the infections that the sun sucks up from bogs, fens, flats, on Prospero fall, and make him by inchmeal disease’ ( A noise of thunder heard) His spirits hear me, and yet i needs must curse.” Analyzing this quote there’s that tense fear towards the way Caliban summons Prospero and the Power that Prospero has due to Caliban speaking and Prospero being able to listen to his phrases. The thunder heard would represent that fear as well as the destructive power that Prospero has. Shakespeare ‘s attempted to use that thunder to represent the power that Prospero has as well as the fear that Caliban experienced to him saying ” His spirits hear me”.

From exploring and discussing how the ideas of the ‘romantic movement’ are reflected in both texts; concerned with nature, human feelings and rebellion against society. Mary Shelly lived amongst practitioners of these concepts which influenced her novel, Frankenstein. She represents the monster as a romantic hero due to the rejection he must endure from normal society with this. Shelly is attempting to show the readers how many people in conventional society rejected those less than average or disfigured, just like Frankenstein

 

 

Persuasive Writing.

March 20, 2015 / / 2 Comments

`Is having too much money really a bad thing?

Is having too much money really a bad thing?

Nowadays, money can be used for everything. Many people value money, and many people don’t. I strongly believe having too much money is a bad thing as money has the potential to ruin people’s ability to appreciate things. Not only does it become an obsession that leads to distress bit it can also lead to misery and depression. Additionally, possession of too much money can cause greater issues whereby the population as a whole is corrupted as well as personalities, attitude and views.  Money can lead to power that overtakes others in all perspectives. It creates overwhelming debt that can tear apart families, nations and overall civilization. Money leads to war, which escalates to violence and creates greed among people in our society. Money is one of the major reasons for suicide. And suicide is one of the : thoughts and feelings that keeps family, friends and overall a society thinking, was money really the key to happiness?

When hearing the word money, what comes to your mind? Money is something that portrays the power people have over one another, in terms of opportunities. When in possession, it can be misused. For example, drugs, weapons and debt. Many people believe you can never get enough money. The more money an individual or a group possess, escalates to more power and control over others, in terms of war, politics or discussions. In this world, money’s one of the most important things that can help us survive in our corrupt society. Some people believe that due to the amount of money they own, they are superior to others. Their views on people change which leads to monstrosity, as well as taking part in events that are illegal and wrong. People state, “If I had money I would give some of it to help people, give to those who need are in need, save up, buy a new house”. But in reality, they would do the complete opposite. They wouldn’t help or give to those in need because of greed and selfishness. The power and the potential money has, has taken over their personalities, thoughts and heart. They wouldn’t save up because of all the luxurious views money has given them. It’s part of our nature. We say were going to contribute with something or help with stuff but we do the opposite.

Furthermore, instead of helping the poor, preventing starvation and curing diseases. Many nations, invest their money in weapons, which as a result, cause mass destruction through war. War is one of the many reasons that lead people to believe ”money cannot buy happiness, health or life”. When a war is over, what’s left? Homeless families, damaged crops and no livelihood. A multitude of people believe that money is the root of all evil and there is proof of this in even our most recent history. In 2003, the Iraq war commenced. There were approximately 5000 U.S soldiers killed and another 15,000 who were seriously injured; losing their eyesight, limbs and overall, their priceless health. However, from the civilian’s prospective, it was estimated that 1,120,485 violent deaths occurred, simply because of the greed and selfishness that George Bush had! His obsession with oil and money caused all this unnecessary conflict showing that the necessity of money led to monstrosity. And monstrosity, leads to deaths – with money being the root of this evil.

However, good things may also come from money as it can be beneficial to those less fortunate; improving the quality of their lives through education, health care and better living conditions. Generally people who have a substantial amount of money tend to donate some to charity, and these charities then go on to provide the essentials to people in need. An example of a charity, known as the ”Red Nose”,  has helped raise an impressive amount of £78,082,988, changing lives in the UK as well as across Africa. This figure alone speaks for itself and is evidence as to how money can be used for good causes.

Another advantage that money can bring, would be the privilege of being able to be in possession of anything one may wish for or want. For example, those with money have no limits in what they can buy, do or achieve. Limitless freedom is a privilege of those with money, whereby they can go on holidays, drive nice cars, and dine at exquisite restaurants… the list is endless. However, with every advantage there also comes the disadvantage. The greed money brings to a person gives them the belief that they are more superior than others which can lead to discrimination and distress. I personally believe the ‘power’ and ‘control’ money has determines our future. For example, in relation to politics, they argue over who can bring what to one’s country. What can improve the country economically, What effects could be used to improve our environment.

Ultimately, it’s evident that people, (more often than not) misuse money and spend it to satisfy desires which are unnecessary. Although money may not be the root of ALL evil, most conflicts around the world are due to one man’s greed for another man’s wealth. However, this is not absolute. Many people value money and use it for the greater good. Above all, money is a necessity if we are to live in this world and without it we would not be able to survive. I strongly believe that those who do not have excessive amounts of wealth do not exploit the power that money gives them, and though ultimately it depends on each person’s character, money has the ability to shroud a person’s morality. There is good and bad in everything, so it is down to you to use your money appropriately.

Writing to respond.

January 17, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Andres Ramos

IGCSE Writing to Respond. 

Dear Ms Samantha Taylor,

 

I am writing this letter with regards to your article presenting the way in which social media is taking over the younger generation. I strongly agree with your judgement concerning teenagers and the way social media’s affecting them and believe your statements, as well as views, are correct. Social media is growing and it’s population is increasing rapidly. However, Social media is holding young people back and not allowing them to progress to the best of their potential. I feel the need to speak about teenagers, due to them being portrayed as addicted, so I am writing this as a response to your article.

 From observing your article, Civil Thompson stated that the digital age is making teenagers uniquely shallow, and that kids are unable to form meaningful relationships. With this statement I strongly agree as upon you asking a teenage girl how often she texts, the response was a shocking “250 times a day” – it is clear that teenagers may easily be described as “addicted” to social media. Personally, as a teenager myself, I would acknowledge on this statement due to me experiencing something quite similar. In ‘our’ point of view, as teenagers, we don’t calculate how much times spent using these electronic devices, and we may get out of hand as many may say.

Furthermore, Jonathan Franzen declared that kids are “unable to socialise face to face because of the online temptations”. As a teenager myself, I can relate to the judgments made. However, I strongly believe there’s a place and time for everything but teenagers are devoting too much of their time to social media. Worryingly, there are many dangers involved with social media.  With just a picture and a name it’s enough to be used for fraud or danger to a kids personal life.Most young people are unaware of the dangers social media can cause and so freely post their personal information online. As teenager, this comes as no surprise, as i am a prime example whereby in the past i too, have posted personal information without giving it a second thought. In distinction to your article, Jonathan Frazen fears our more meaningful relationships will be weakened because of the affect social media has, he declares it is taking too much of our physical energy on these less meaningful online relationships. For example, all the countless hours glued to Facebook has turned teenagers into screen – enslaved social inadequates. For him to describes us as ‘’ enslaved social inadequates’’. As a young teenager myself, I would take offence on this judgement, but it is overall true. He also states that while us kids are busy tweeting, texting and spending, the world is drifting towards disasters.   I strongly believe in this accusation That us, as a young society, we do not know our everyday problems and social media has us under its control.

 The American comedian Louis CK proclaimed on the TV that he would not give his daughters a mobile phone due to him thinking they wouldn’t be able to develop any empathy.We can relate this to what Jonathan Frazer said because he stated that the younger generation cannot socialise face to face so therefore with this theory, most parents as well as adults would be worried of the dangers of what social media brings when in possession of a mobile phone. I strongly believe that this is true due to the fact that me as a teenager knowing one another and I know for a fact that teenagers, have developed more confidence over social media and therefore they seem to reject the face to face communication. Not only is it changing the social skills, but it’s also changing their brains and its resulting in selfish and attention deficient young people. A scientist Susan Greenfield, says that this electronic addiction is leaving a generation characterized by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to emphasise and a shaky sense of identity. In my opinion I believe this judgement is true due to most teenagers suffering from lack of appreciation as well as manners. They also couldn’t care less of what’s happening around them. I’m saying this from experience because of me being one of the teenagers that suffer from this addiction that social media brings.

Well… newspapers are constantly filled with frightening imagery of pornography. They claim aggression is caused supposedly by violent video games. Now that Grand Theft Auto has hit the shelves. It has been affecting us mentally and physically. Mentally in terms of aggression. Believe it or not video games, brings us frustration. The reason for this would be due to technology taking over our thoughts, if we don’t get it our way it will lead us to aggression. Physically… we tend to spend more time on this modern technology and as a result we don’t have enough time to keep fit. All we do is : eat, sleep and use the toilet. Technology is affecting our health and we can’t take control. However, I disagree in the point made where newspapers claim that us teenagers are influenced by pornography. I strongly disagree with this judgement made due to me, as a teenager my self, not experiencing this.

In conclusion, I strongly agree with all the judgments made towards the way teenagers are misusing technology overall and the behavior there portraying. However, as a teenager my self I disagree with a couple judgments that were made, but overall I respect this article and I will take all this information into consideration and hopefully we’ll all take control and not let technology take control.

Your Sincerely,

Andres Ramos

 

 

 

How does Shakespeare and Shelly explore power and control through language, structure and characterization.

November 25, 2014 / / 0 Comments

 

The theme of power and control is present in ‘ Frankenstein ‘ and ‘ The Tempest’. Both Shakespeare and Shelly explore these themes through Characterization, language and structure .I’ll be exploring and looking at all the significant feelings and plots behind the ‘ romantic movement’ and ‘ Gothic genre’ . The idea of power and control is reflected in the characters of  ‘Frankenstein’ and  ‘The Tempest’. Shelly presents the theme of control and power through her character Victor as he attempts to “play god” It’s his pursuit of power that causes him to create a monstrosity that over takes his creators life and gain’s more power due to Victors physical fear. Frankenstein is a creature created from dead flesh sewn together like a jigsaw puzzle of human parts. Victor Frankenstein is the mastermind behind the creation and becomes haunted with the unthinkable of what nature can produce. Nature proved to be more powerful than man. Playing God left Victor Frankenstein with nothing to love and a freak of nature.This is alike to Frankenstein due to Victor’s passion and obsession with science and bringing the monster to life. However the monster gained more than Victor due to his physical fear. This leads Victor to focus on the creation and this leads him to distance himself from the important things in his life ( family and friends ).   

 Ariel Shows total obedience to Prospero by saying he will do whatever he tells him to: fly, to swim, to jump into fire or to ride on the clouds in the sky. He seems to be afraid of Prospero and Obeys him out of fear. They have that Master and servant relationship. Prospero summons his servant Ariel , who greets Prospero as his ” Great Master”. He then gleefully describes how he created the illusion of the storm, following Prospero’s instructions. This indicates that he enjoyed doing it, and was willing to do whatever his master orders him to do. Ariel’s response to Prospero’s power over him is cheerful due to the freedom that Ariel wishes to gain.The scene of Act 1 Scene 2 demonstrates the subservience of Ariel and Prospero. Ariel creates the storm, as ordered by Prospero, then comes back and reports his success to Prosprero. Prospero then tells Ariel he has more work for him to do, which makes Ariel mad, as he was supposed to be freed from servitude to Prosprero. Prospero threatens him with more years to servitude if Ariel doesn’t quit his complaining. 

Prospero is able to control the spirits of the island. By using these spirits, he’s able to control Caliban as well. From looking at Act 2 Scene 2 where Caliban talks to Stephano, you can see him talking about how Prospero uses spirits to control him. He talks about how they will cause hurt him if he doesn’t Obey Prospero.  Caliban’s the son of Sycorax, a witch who had controlled the island before Prospero got there and took over. There isn’t specific enough text’s or quotes explaining how Prospero got control of the island, however ever since he landed there he has been the one in control of the island so Caliban has lost the throne and the privilege to control the island due to Prospero coming and taking over what belongs to Caliban and not Prospero. Shakespeare can present Caliban as fearful towards Prospero, due to him having that power and control over him. Propsero control’s some aspects of Caliban’s life. He controls where caliban lives, what caliban does, and where he’s allowed to go. Prospero cannot control what Caliban says to him. Prospero taught him their language, so Caliban must have heard it from Prospero first. Prospero controls Caliban in the only way he knows how, with ‘magic’.

” All the infections that the sun sucks up from bogs, fens, flats, on Prospero fall, and make him by inchmeal disease’ ( A noise of thunder heard) His spirits hear me, and yet i needs must curse.” Analyzing this quote there’s that tense fear towards the way Caliban summons Prospero and the Power that Prospero has due to Caliban speaking and Prospero being able to listen to his phrases. The thunder heard would represent that fear as well as the destructive power that Prospero has. Shakespeare ‘s attempted to use that thunder to represents the power that Prospero has as well as the fear that Caliban experienced to to him saying ” His spirits hear me”.

From exploring and discussing how the ideas of the ‘romantic movement’ are reflected in both texts; concerned with nature, human feelings and rebellion against society. Mary Shelly lived amongst practitioners of these concepts which influenced her novel, Frankenstein. She represents the monster as a romantic hero due to the rejection he must endure from normal society with this. Shelly is attempting to show the readers how many people in conventional society rejected those less than average or disfigured, just like Frankenstein. 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

IGCSE Coursework – Writing to Describe (1)

November 21, 2014 / / 1 Comment

After the 5 year sentence, he stepped out of his nightmare and carried on walking without turning back. He was certain he was ready for a fresh start, but it was at that point that her words rang in his ears… It’s over.

“Look at me”, she glanced at him with tears in her eyes, “tell me you don’t love me” he continued. Nina paused for a moment and took a shuddering breath as her voice grew with strength. “You couldn’t have loved me while you were away. You never have, you never have!” Immediately he grabbed her hand and expressed himself with remorse. “I’ve made mistakes, yes, errors but that has nothing to do with love, it’s been a disaster but I’ve always loved you Nina, always”. She stopped, and turned her gaze down onto their dark shadow so as to hide the tears that welled in her dreary eyes. She knew that this had to be the end. “Stop” she replied, in a manner she hoped was stern, though he heard through the cracks in her trembling voice. “Go on; tell me that you don’t love me”. His words pierced her broken heart and all she could hear at that moment was the thunderous beat that was erupting in her chest. She opened her mouth, and with deep regret mumbled “I don’t love you”.

He gazed at the clear summer sky while the warm rays of the sun shone upon his beautiful brown eyes. He didn’t want to watch the love of his life leave; he couldn’t bear to see her go. Not knowing what to feel or say, he was frozen for a second and took a deep breath before gathering the strength to walk too. He walked puzzled, what had just occurred was playing back in his mind like a broken record – he couldn’t shake the thoughts that engulfed him. As he stared at nothing but the solid concrete ahead of him it started to rain. It rained so heavily that he could hear the force of the rain pounding the ground beneath his unsteady steps, causing him to increase his pace. It was then that he came across a river. A calm, clear river – much the opposite of the thoughts that took over his troubled mind – a serene place, with a certain air about it, that encouraged him to peer into its crystal waters. The rippled reflection that was before him was indicative of the way he felt. Torn apart by the girl he loved; he could not think straight once again. A surge of emotions overcame him and he stood there, in tears.

Alone she lay in her bed, wishing he was right beside her. ‘’Things happen for a reason’’ she convinced herself while sorting through old pictures. Her voice was quiet, almost silent so she could pretend to hear his voice, but at that point it was just too late.

Monday morning, the day that most people dread – and Nina was no exception. As she got up she took a deep breath and peered out of her window. The gleaming smile she was known for had faded and her heart was heavy as she got ready for the long day ahead of her. There was a sudden knock at the door, and although she had left him only a day before, her heart skipped a beat at the idea of it being Sebastian. Alas, and there he was; with a face lit up like a thousand stars. He could not hide his delight, though Nina’s demure did not mirror his. The lack of eye contact, her body language and overall aura was evanescent. Sebastian was keen to step foot in her apartment to sort things out however with the first step he took, he noticed the luxury which surrounded him. His eyes scanned the whitewashed walls and saw a picture of Nina’s graduation. It was then that the truth hit him, the sudden realisation as to why his relationship with Nina had unraveled came to light. Nina had rejected him with the courage and strength to let go. She did love Sebastian, but she had to end it with him, not because she didn’t love him but due to his education. Nina was a top dog while he was a little fish. It all made sense now but the question was: was he going to keep studying in order to save his relationship?