Author: Samuel

The hawk perched at the top of a tall oak tree, listening to the gentle breeze. His hooked feet were clutching the branch. The hawk was still, merging into the background. No danger was around but the hawk was always ready to become a blur of motion if anything stirred. The inaction was boring the hawk and he began to dream.

While the hawk dreamed he rehearsed perfect kills and the feast afterwards. The hawk dreamed of past glories, near misses and most of all the thrill of the hunt. The thrill was a drug to the hawk it became all he thought about and what every centimetre of his feathered body craved. The thrill kept him going and sustained his otherwise monotonous life and was the only reason he was prepared to wait.

Without warning there was a slight rustle in the long grass at the bottom of the tall oak, which stirred the hawk from his dreams, it was time to hunt. The air’s buoyancy and the sun’s ray gave the hawk a huge advantage over its unsuspecting prey. It was as if the earth’s faces were made for the hawk to inspect as a sergeant inspecting those under his command. The hawk took off with all the eloquence of a ballet dance and the skill of a gymnast. The hawk’s flight was a marvel to watch as every inch of the hawk’s body was sensing the air currents, reading the signs and slowly preparing for the kill. Silence is the hawk’s best friend as it allows him to sneak up on many an unsuspecting mouse.

Where the sound originated, the silent menace circled, his eyes penetrating the grass like a knife through butter. The hawk was scanning for the mouse that had initiated the chase, adrenalin coursing through the hawk’s veins increasing the thrill.  It took the whole of creation to produce this perfect killer; from his foot to each individual feather. The hawk swiftly snatched up the creature between its talons and flew up. As the hawk flew the mouse began struggling with all of its might against the power of the hawk, trying to survive just that bit longer, clinging to its life. The hawk continued its feat of strength, flying to any place it wants in order to kill the poor creature in its clutches; because the whole world was his.

There was no sophistry in the hawk’s powerful body, tearing off the mouse’s delicate head. Blood was spilling everywhere. The hawk is the allotment of death and his flight was a path directly through the bones of the living, and into the nightmares of infants. His talons alone were enough to strike immense fear into the hearts of mice and men alike.  The hawk is the stuff nightmares are made of and no animal alive can assert that right. Hunting and killing was what the hawk was bred for.

The hawk returned back to the same branch, satisfied with the hunt. He was no longer hungry, sensed no danger, and began to dream again.

The hawk perched at the top of a tall oak tree, listening to the gentle breeze. His hooked feet clutching the branch, the hawk was still, blending into the background. No danger was around but the hawk was always ready to become a blur of motion if anything stirred. The inaction was boring the hawk and he began to dream.

While the hawk dreamed he rehearsed perfect kills and the feast afterwards. The hawk dreamed of past glories, near misses and most of all the thrill of the hunt. The thrill was a drug to the hawk it became all he thought about and what every centimetre of his feathered body craved. The thrill kept him going and sustained his otherwise boring life and was the only reason he was prepared to wait.

Without warning there was a slight rustle in the long grass at the bottom of the tall oak which stirred the hawk from his dreams, it was time to hunt. The air’s buoyancy and the sun’s ray gave the hawk a huge advantage over its unsuspecting prey. It was as if the earth’s faces were made for the hawk to inspect like a sergeant inspecting those under his command. The hawk took off with all the eloquence of a ballet dance and the skill of a gymnast. The hawk’s flight was a marvel to watch as every inch of the hawk’s body was sensing the air currents, reading the signs and slowly preparing for the kill. Silence is the hawk’s best friend as it allows him to sneak up on many unsuspecting mouse.

Where the sound originated, the silent menace circled, his eyes penetrating the grass. The hawk was scanning for the mouse that had initiated the chase, adrenalin pumping through the hawk’s veins increasing the thrill.  It took the whole of creation to produce this perfect killer, from his foot to each individual feather. The hawk swiftly snatched up the creature between its talons and flew up. As the hawk flew the mouse began struggling with all of its might against the power of the hawk, trying to survive just that bit longer, clinging to its life. The hawk continued its feat of strength, flying to any place it wants in order to kill the poor creature in its clutches, because the whole world was his.

There was no sophistry in the hawk’s powerful body, tearing off the mouse’s delicate head, blood spilling everywhere. The hawk is the allotment of death and his flight was a path directly through the bones of the living, and into the nightmares of infants. His talons alone were enough to strike immense fear into the hearts of mice and men alike.  The hawk is the stuff nightmares are made of and no animal alive can assert that right. Hunting and killing was what the hawk was breed for.

The hawk returned back to the same branch, satisfied with the hunt. He was no longer hungry, sensed no danger, and began to dream again.

Dear Ms Kerr

I agree with your article ‘Twerking, selfie and unlike? Young people don’t speak like that –I should know’. Slang words are just fashionable trends which are constantly changing and adapting.  An example of this is the word ‘groovy’ a slang word that was used in the 1960s. This word has now fallen out of fashion and no longer used in conversation.

I personally think that there is nothing wrong with slang, but like you I believe that slang has no place in the Oxford Dictionary. I believe this because firstly, it is not an accurate representation of all young people. Most of the younger generation is not obsessed with their image, reputation and sex, like these slang words now included in the dictionary would suggest. Secondly, these words could fall out of fashion and would then become obsolete. I believe that the Oxford Dictionary should only include slang words which have stood the test of time, and therefore becoming part of the general idiolect. This would allow obsolete slang words like ‘groovy’ to live only in the memory of the generation who used it, thus not restricting the evolution of the English language.

Also, people do not say ‘init’, ‘JK’ or ‘LOL’ in a job interview, as they want to make a good impression to their potential employer.  However if the Oxford Dictionary includes these words before they have been accepted by society, it could make the interviewee seem illiterate. Nevertheless this person could be a valuable asset to the company, but as they cannot express themselves to all audiences they could lose the chance to work for the company and stand out from the crowd.

Additionally many young people only speak slang to their friends and not to figures of authority who they respect and trust. Slang is a form of jargon between youths and their friends when they talk, text or use social media. They are using slang words on these platforms for quickness and so older generations do not know what they are saying, lol!

It could also be argued that Shakespeare was the greatest inventor of slang as he created hundreds of new words like ‘sanctimonious’ and ‘assassination’ for his plays. At first these words were unfamiliar, causing people to condemn them. But over time these words have become accepted and have earned their place in the English language. It has taken generations of people using these words before they became acceptable.  I believe the same will eventually happen to some slang words but hopefully not any abbreviated ones. But unlike Shakespeare, my generations is not creating imaginative new words to further our understanding of the world, it is just shortening perfectly good words.

Seriously there is really no need to shorten ‘seriously’ to ‘Srsly’, if you are going to revolutionise the English language at least be original and not alter the already eloquent English language.

Imagine that a known criminal is holding your family hostage, they are tied up with guns pointing at them.  One of the known criminal’s accomplices is sitting in the same room as you and is gloating rather than concealing their guilt. The accomplice will not tell you where your family is and how to help them, so the only way to save your family is to torture the accomplice in front of you. By torturing that person you can obtain the relevant information to save your family. The situation above is a personalised version of the ‘ticking-bomb’ case.

In most cases the ‘ticking-bomb’ case is not enough to persuade people of the justified use of torture. The original ‘ticking-bomb’ case is that there is a bomb in a nearby city and the culprit is in front of you, do you torture him and locate the bomb and saving many lives? Most people would be unwilling to torture the culprit to get the information on where the bomb is and without this information potentially a lot of people will die.

However, these same people could be willing to drop bombs on Iraq and Afghanistan. This is because the victims that will die or are severely mutilated are ‘name less’.  Hitherto most torture victims are not ‘name less’, this is because torture is up close and personal.

If a torture pill was created that subjected the user to both mental and physical punishment that could not be resisted,  but to the torturer, the victim appears to be asleep, would this type of torture become more socially acceptable to use?  By using a torture pill no visible signs of pain are seen therefore creating a level of naivety similar to that of a bomber pilot. Whereas both would know that their actions would result in suffering as the victims pain is unknown and they cannot see the damaged caused they can live guilt free lives.

During war a bomber pilot returning to base after releasing his bombs upon a civilian target killing hundreds of people including women and children is viewed as a hero. Whereas a torturer who has never killed a person but has tortured people to gain vital information to save soldiers and civilian lives is viewed as immoral. This is because they are viewed with different levels of culpability. The torturer who took actions that went against the Geneva Convention will be viewed as a villain as although it was necessary, people do not agree with the idea of torture and do not condone its use. Torture is viewed as barbaric, immoral and has no place in modern society.  But the pilot who risked his life to kill others is viewed as a hero as people view his actions as necessary in order to protect his country and to help bring a war to an end.  Also, his actions are seen as protective.  So how can a bomber pilot who murdered innocent women and children be a hero and a man who has never killed and whose actions saved lives be a villain?

‘In modern war, what is most shocking is a poor guide to what is most harmful’ (Jonathan Glover ). This quote is an accurate depiction of how modern war is viewed, bombs which cause mass collateral damage are ok and torture is wrong. The bomb is more harmful but accepted where the idea of using torture is more shocking and rejected. But both results in human suffering, if one is accepted surly the other should be as well, as both actions are equally bad.

The use of torture is a necessary evil to protect lives as it is the most effective method to obtain the relevant information in scenarios similar to the ‘ticking-bomb’ case. It is also equally immoral to bombing.

I agree with the article by Isabelle Kerr ‘Twerking, selfie and unlike? Young people don’t speak like that –I should know’ as slang is just a fashionable trend which constantly changes and adapts. An example of this is the word ‘groovy’ a slang word that was used in the 1960s which has fallen out of fashion as time went on.

I personally believe that there is nothing wrong with slang, but like Isabelle Kerr I believe that slang has no place in the Oxford Dictionary. I believe this because, firstly, it is not an accurate representation of all young people, not all of us are obsessed with our image, reputation and with sex, like the slang words included in the dictionary would suggested. Secondly, the words could fall out of trend and would then become obsolete. I believe that the Oxford Dictionary should only include slang words which have stood the test of time, and therefore they have become part of the general idiolect. This would allow obsolete slang words like ‘groovy’ to live only in the memory of the generation who used it and not hold back the evolution of the English language.

You would not say ‘init’, ‘JK’ or ‘LOL’ in a job interview, as people want to make a good impression to a potential employer. However if the Oxford Dictionary included these words before they have been accepted by society as a whole, it would make the interviewee seem illiterate. However this person may be a valuable asset to the company, but as they cannot express themselves to all audiences they lose the chance to make a difference to the company and stand out from the crowd. This would cause a generation whose ideas and contributions may never be heard, as slang has not become a part of everyday language. Also many young people only speak slang to their friends and not to figures of authority who they respect and trust. Slang is a form of jargon between youths and their friends and if the oxford dictionary included some of these words before they are integrated in the English language.

It could also be argued that Shakespeare was the greatest inventor of slang as he created hundreds of new words like ‘sanctimonious’ and ‘assassination’, for his plays. At first these words were unfamiliar, causing people to condemn them. But over time these words have become accepted and have earned a place in the English language. It took generations using these words before society as a whole accepted them, and I believe the same will eventually happen to slang. But unlike Shakespeare, my generations is not creating imaginative new words to further our understanding of the world, it is just shortening perfectly good words.

Seriously there is really no need to shorten ‘seriously’ to ‘Srsly’, if you are going to revolutionise the English language at least be original and not alter the already eloquent English language.

Thesis statement society turned both Caliban and Frankenstein’s monster into monsters through rejection and oppression.

Overview

Intro: state thesis and explain how it will be explored

Para1 compare how society made them monsters include context on rejection of new ways of thinking and slavery use connotations

Para2 compare how monstrous they became because of their oppressor. Include context on how the church oppressed science and how slaves were oppressed, use metaphors

Para3 compare how they were both rejected by the fatherly figure.  Caliban being mistreated by Prospero and the monster by Frankenstein, use sematic field to cover language and context.

Para4 compare how both their one chance of acceptance was lost. De lacy for Frankenstein and Trinculo and Stephano for Caliban, use pathetic fallacy to cover language and context.

Para5 compare the power of both the monster and Caliban have. How this effect’s their dealings with the world and events in each of their texts. Use connotations of words to show their status in the relevant text.

Para6 compare how both endings are left opening with the monster intending to commit suicide and Caliban left alone on the island use connotations and perfect felicity.

Con round up of points and finish any lose statements

Key moments

Frankenstein: killing of William, killing of Elizabeth, final chapter, chapter 4 volume 1 and all of the monsters narrative.

Tempest: first appearance of Caliban, last appearance of Caliban, act 2 scene 2

Key quotes

Frankenstein: ‘I wandered like an evil spirit, for I had committed deeds of mischief beyond description horrible’, ‘I shall be with you on your wedding night’, “Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but I can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. You are my creator, but I am your master; obey!”, ‘hellish triumph’, ‘I have sworn eternal revenge’

Tempest: ‘I must eat my diner […] the rest o’ the island, ‘thou didst prevent me’, I must obey his art is of such power’, ‘and seek for grace’, ‘and yet I needs must curse’

The hawk perched at the top of a tall oak tree, listening to the gentle breeze. His hooked feet clutching the branch. When the hawk was satisfied that there was no prey or danger for miles around, he began to sleep as the inaction was falsifying dreams of the hunt. While the hawk dreamed he rehearsed perfect kills and the feast afterwards. The hawk dreamed of past glories, near misses and most of all the thrill of the hunt. The thrill was a drug to the hawk it became all he thought about and what every centimetre of his feathered body craved. The thrill kept him going and sustained his otherwise boring life and was the only reason he was prepared to wait.  

Without warning there was a slight rustle in the long grass at the bottom of the tall oak which stirred the hawk from his dreams, it was time to hunt. The air’s buoyancy and the sun’s ray gave the hawk a huge advantage over its unsuspecting prey. It was as if the earth’s faces were made for the hawk to inspect like a sergeant inspecting those under his command. The hawk took off with all the eloquence of a ballet dance and the skill of a gymnast. The hawk’s flight was a marvel to watch every inch of the hawk’s body was sensing the air currents, reading the signs and preparing for the kill. Silence is the hawk’s best friend as it has allowed him to sneak up on many unsuspecting mice.

The silent menace circles around the area where the sound originated, his eyes penetrating the grass. Scanning for the mouse that had initiated the chase, adrenalin pumped through the hawk’s veins increasing the thrill.  It took the whole of creation to produce this perfect killer, from his foot to each individual feather. The hawk swiftly snatched up the creature between its talons and flew up. The hawk flew with the mouse struggling with all of its might against the power of the hawk, trying to survive just that bit longer, clinging to its life. The hawk continued its feat of strength, fly to any place it chose to kill the poor creature in its clutches, because the whole world was his.

There was no sophistry in the hawk’s powerful body, tearing off the mouse’s delicate head, blood spilling everywhere. The hawk is the allotment of death and his flight was on a path directly through the bones of the living, and in the nightmares of infants. His talons alone were enough to strike and immense fear in the heart of mice and men alike.  The hawk is the stuff nightmares are made of and no animal alive could assert that right. Hunting and killing was what the hawk was breed for.  

This is how it should be nothing changes, the trill, the hawk surviving to hunt another day and the fear it caused. The hawk will continue to go on like this.   

Sam Garner – Creative Writing: Monologue from Of Mice and Men

GEORGE: I killed him, he trusted me, and I killed, all because of a misunderstanding and the hatred of a small unhappy man. I ain’t no villain cause I killed Lennie out’a mercy, like a  farmer putting down a old horse or is that just my way of justifying it. I spose that saying ‘you gotta be cruel to be kind’ applies here, I tried to make Lennie’s end as happy, swift and painless as possible. I hadda do it, I know I hadda, I had no choice, there was no way it would have ended with Lennie gettin off alright. God I wish there was another way, but this here Curley forced my hand, if I didn’t do it then Lennie would have been strung up like a over sized fish like they had in the markets back in weed. How then can I be a villain if I saved a friend from a horrid end? Curley’s a mean man picking fights just to prove he’s big, but he’s nothing but a fool who wants to be big. Curely made the net that caught us all. Forced me to kill my best friend, forced Lennie to crush his hand and forced his tart of a wife to hang around us ranch men. Boy, I was sure glad Slim was there after and gave me the excuse to leave that place. He’s wise beyond his age and doesn’t deserve the life he is forced to live. Candy, was alright I spose he tried to look after me and Lennie and give us a heads up without Candy I would have suffered the same fate as Lennie, as the guys would have thought I had something to do with it like the did back in weed. Candy kinda saved my life and for what its worth, I’m extremely grateful he did. I just wish I had never let Lennie out’a my sight’ maybe I coulda avoided this but I wasn’t careful enough.

It’s my fault Lennie’s dead cause I shoulda tried harder, I failed Lennie’s Aunt Clare, and she trusted me with Lennie and I failed her. I really don’t know what I gonna do now, lookin after Lennie was my purpose and gave me company.

God I miss that big loveable guy, life ain’t gonna be the same without him for a start it’s gonna be a hell of a lot lonelier. Maybe I’ll move on too much pain here or maybe I should stay here and roll up a stake to buy that farm me and Lennie were always talkin ’bout to honour Lennie and keep his memory alive. Maybe now that I haven’t gotta look out for Lennie I could find a girl and settle down somewhere and live easy like when I was younger. I would have to roll up a big stake first and I getta along with some of the ranch workers here in Soledad. Might stick around awhile just till I’ve got enough money then I’m gonna push off and make a name for myself in this cruel mean world, and start trying to live my life