http://reflektorreviews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/arctic-monkeys-am.html
This is a review of Calums review of Arctic Monkeys album 'AM'
Calum starts of by introducing you to the band and setting the scene, the opening quote of song lyrics is effective as it gives you a taste of what the Arctic Monkeys are about, and a sense of their music style. Before Calum starts the review of the album he gives you a taste of the band and their history with facts told in a story-like way, this makes it more interesting than just listing the facts themselves. He also uses some idiolect and refers to the band as 'the labs'. This removes the formality of the piece, making it a lighter read and more blog-like.
Calum uses interesting comparisons that relate to the majority of people, things such as 'But is the act convincing? Yes, and no. AM has it's high and low points. At times, it seems almost like Turner and co fit the shoe of leather clad American bikers, but all too often AM sounds a bit like it's wearing a faux leather jacket from Primark' The humour of the comparison is typical to what we would usually find on a blog, its easy humour that most, if not all, will understand and this makes the piece seem less heavy than a basic review we would find else where. The comparisons carry on with 'But then on the flipside Mad Sounds is just like a Sainsbury's Basics version of Lou Reed's Walk On The Wild Side,' another easy to understand joke that makes the piece more friendly. Calum is putting the songs down but not in a mean way, he is subtle about it, this is clever as both sides of points of view are told, with appreciation and disappointment shown.
All the way through the review Calum gives information on the band and Turner (front man of the band) in a way that fits in with the review. '...the latter of the two being a version of John Cooper Clarke's classic poem which Turner first encountered in GCSE English' gives an insight to the song without going off topic and making the piece heavy and dull.
The end paragraph contains some rhythm 'But despite the album's assets, it features a lot of filler, and the album's second side is almost all thriller, no killer,' this gives pace to the review, keeping it fresh, and as it slowly ends it doesn't finish badly, the quality of the writing, skill and humour is carried through out the piece, keeping it interesting and light; in my opinion these are the main and better features of a blog post.
Calum ends the piece with a hit to the band 'AM is a good album, but definitely an album of a band past their career peak, and beginning to 'lose it'.' leaving no doubt or second guessing in the readers mind of where Calums opinions stand with this album.
Monday, 30 September 2013
The Victim by Frank Wedekind
The monologue is about a girl who meets a man who falls in love with her, she is very innocent and doesn't know what to do and asks for advice from her friend. The girl slowly falls in love with the man and the man changes, he suddenly is cold towards her and doesn't want to kiss her goodbye, although she asks. The girl doesn't know what she has done and tries very hard to please this man, who is finally happy when she 'proves' her love and then moves in to his flat to be his mistress. His happiness and content doesn't last long as he moves and leaves her without any warning for another woman, out of sadness and hurt, it is hinted that the girl now works at a brothel.
The innocence in this monologue is radiated by her nativity towards her situation, almost like she doesn't want to see the truth because she knows it will only disappoint her. 'Then I wrote it down and asked Cilly,', 'I decided to ask Cilly' and 'I asked Cilly.' shows she wants to hear from someone else what is happening, she can not face the truth by herself, I think she needs to hear it out loud from someone else to be able to see exactly what he's doing as she thinks its her that has done something wrong. Cilly is a trusted person in her life and she uses her name and repeats it, when no other name is mentioned. This also includes an element of mystery as you never know anyone's name apart from Cilly, you don't know much about them at all, the girl always refers to the man as 'My lover' or simply 'him'. As she is speaking of the past I think this shows denial and unwillingness to face what happened, as I think she is holding him accountable of what she turned into. I think this because the audience are never given a chance to like the character as he is so anonymous and unknown to them, they are only given small details about his life that aren't enough to form an opinion, and at the end she says 'My lover had told me that there were women in Zurich who took young girls to sell them and to suck their last drop of blood. I asked a policeman who saw me sitting on a street corner where to find such a woman.' like it was his idea and without him saying that, she never would have taken that road.
I also think the way the piece is grammatically written is effective, the short sentences and comer breaks mixed with the long sentences gives the impression that a lot of information is being given, when it is not. They also show her negativity towards the situation. 'It was midwinter, one evening at nine o'clock. I had been at work two years.' the information is almost list like and this sets the opening of the monologue as quite abrupt and gives the feeling that she doesn't want to dwell on what happened. The danger is shown at the beginning of the piece by the storm and her 'slipping' as well as the men looking at her, and she takes it as flattery, also showing innocence. The night she meets 'her lover' is the night of a terrible storm which reflects in the danger we expect from the title 'The Victim' we expect something horrible to happen from the start.
The monologue is about a girl who meets a man who falls in love with her, she is very innocent and doesn't know what to do and asks for advice from her friend. The girl slowly falls in love with the man and the man changes, he suddenly is cold towards her and doesn't want to kiss her goodbye, although she asks. The girl doesn't know what she has done and tries very hard to please this man, who is finally happy when she 'proves' her love and then moves in to his flat to be his mistress. His happiness and content doesn't last long as he moves and leaves her without any warning for another woman, out of sadness and hurt, it is hinted that the girl now works at a brothel.
The innocence in this monologue is radiated by her nativity towards her situation, almost like she doesn't want to see the truth because she knows it will only disappoint her. 'Then I wrote it down and asked Cilly,', 'I decided to ask Cilly' and 'I asked Cilly.' shows she wants to hear from someone else what is happening, she can not face the truth by herself, I think she needs to hear it out loud from someone else to be able to see exactly what he's doing as she thinks its her that has done something wrong. Cilly is a trusted person in her life and she uses her name and repeats it, when no other name is mentioned. This also includes an element of mystery as you never know anyone's name apart from Cilly, you don't know much about them at all, the girl always refers to the man as 'My lover' or simply 'him'. As she is speaking of the past I think this shows denial and unwillingness to face what happened, as I think she is holding him accountable of what she turned into. I think this because the audience are never given a chance to like the character as he is so anonymous and unknown to them, they are only given small details about his life that aren't enough to form an opinion, and at the end she says 'My lover had told me that there were women in Zurich who took young girls to sell them and to suck their last drop of blood. I asked a policeman who saw me sitting on a street corner where to find such a woman.' like it was his idea and without him saying that, she never would have taken that road.
I also think the way the piece is grammatically written is effective, the short sentences and comer breaks mixed with the long sentences gives the impression that a lot of information is being given, when it is not. They also show her negativity towards the situation. 'It was midwinter, one evening at nine o'clock. I had been at work two years.' the information is almost list like and this sets the opening of the monologue as quite abrupt and gives the feeling that she doesn't want to dwell on what happened. The danger is shown at the beginning of the piece by the storm and her 'slipping' as well as the men looking at her, and she takes it as flattery, also showing innocence. The night she meets 'her lover' is the night of a terrible storm which reflects in the danger we expect from the title 'The Victim' we expect something horrible to happen from the start.
Saturday, 21 September 2013
Repost: What We See is Not What We Always Get
What We see is Not What We Always Get
3rd August 2013
A Refection on the film Every Child is Special.
To Perceive beyond what your eyes can see, it means to say a certain thing, that every child is special.
If there is a very young child who cannot perform well in school and is not able to compete in academics with the other children of this age, will that be enough to declare that he is as an idiot? Considering how the society defined excellence, does learning grammar or mathematics in a slower manner as compared to an "average" child indicate that he is incompetent? Is there no other way to understand the reasons why do things occur? Cannot we view art in the world of science and vice versa? Is not knowledge integrated that limits on how we find solutions in a problem are infinite? Let us not get fixated on the standards about what we have to do, it must be ourselves who set standard, by that, we can be subjective and look at things in different perspectives.
Life is neither just about school nor about our jobs, not solely protocols nor creativity. To truly live is to enjoy and maintain balance in every aspect of it. There are geniuses who did not finish school and, at the same time, there are still foolish " experts" even after obtaining their post graduate degrees.
Only if we consider that everyone has a gift, everyone is capable to excel in his own way, it is the time that what we believe in will prevail.
I like this piece of writing because of the way it engages with the reader. The change of perspective from 'your' to 'his' to 'we' (2nd person to 3rd person to 1st person) guides the reader into taking the opinion of the writer, as it takes the reader through the writers opinion by making them feel as if they are belonging in that group. The starting use of 'your' gives the sense of loneliness as it is just yours, but then is shows 'he' also agrees with you, and at the end its actually 'we', and 'we' are all together for this. The rhetorical questions are also effective as they make the reader think without having to guide them completely, as they are biased questions, starting with 'Cannot we view...' and 'Is not knowledge...' they lean the reader into making a decision without having to add extra detail to make the piece long. The shortness of the piece makes it easier to stay involved, as the piece is packed with questions and opinionated facts, the length of the piece is a good length as it is not too long and dreary, or too short and not have an effect.
What We see is Not What We Always Get
3rd August 2013
A Refection on the film Every Child is Special.
To Perceive beyond what your eyes can see, it means to say a certain thing, that every child is special.
If there is a very young child who cannot perform well in school and is not able to compete in academics with the other children of this age, will that be enough to declare that he is as an idiot? Considering how the society defined excellence, does learning grammar or mathematics in a slower manner as compared to an "average" child indicate that he is incompetent? Is there no other way to understand the reasons why do things occur? Cannot we view art in the world of science and vice versa? Is not knowledge integrated that limits on how we find solutions in a problem are infinite? Let us not get fixated on the standards about what we have to do, it must be ourselves who set standard, by that, we can be subjective and look at things in different perspectives.
Life is neither just about school nor about our jobs, not solely protocols nor creativity. To truly live is to enjoy and maintain balance in every aspect of it. There are geniuses who did not finish school and, at the same time, there are still foolish " experts" even after obtaining their post graduate degrees.
Only if we consider that everyone has a gift, everyone is capable to excel in his own way, it is the time that what we believe in will prevail.
I like this piece of writing because of the way it engages with the reader. The change of perspective from 'your' to 'his' to 'we' (2nd person to 3rd person to 1st person) guides the reader into taking the opinion of the writer, as it takes the reader through the writers opinion by making them feel as if they are belonging in that group. The starting use of 'your' gives the sense of loneliness as it is just yours, but then is shows 'he' also agrees with you, and at the end its actually 'we', and 'we' are all together for this. The rhetorical questions are also effective as they make the reader think without having to guide them completely, as they are biased questions, starting with 'Cannot we view...' and 'Is not knowledge...' they lean the reader into making a decision without having to add extra detail to make the piece long. The shortness of the piece makes it easier to stay involved, as the piece is packed with questions and opinionated facts, the length of the piece is a good length as it is not too long and dreary, or too short and not have an effect.
Monday, 16 September 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt--2ASTg7k
I think one effect of the language in this clip to make it funny would be the way they used a modern colloquial register. The way in which they talk to each other is not what you would expect from a conversation in that time, and the modern twist and use of words such as 'blud' and 'lush' gives it the unexpected humor at how ridiculous it seems. Their accents do not change, they keep the accent which you may expect, but the words change, this makes it sound odd and out of place.
The sentence structure is also peculiar and not what you would expect, with sentences such as 'I love the seaside, isn't it'. The 'isn't it' at the end makes this sentence strange as it doesn't belong there or make sense. It doesn't have an answer and doesn't get one, but it adds humor as it is so strange. The language used is funny because it doesn't belong or suit the surroundings, and the situation they create is out of the norm. Words such as 'nudey' don't have any meaning behind them but we know what he means. The uniqueness of the language used is what makes the clip funny. The dialogue is snappy with the sentences being short and quick, making the jokes stand out more and not having long, boring sentences, as well as the sentences not having many pauses, this makes you flow with the dialogue and there's no time to get bored or lost in the clip. The sentences make sense to us as we hear it but when written down they seem more strange as you begin to notice the non-standard English within it. The phrases such as 'all this' and 'this and that' are understandable but probably wouldn't be expected to be used in that time. The use of the language in these sentences has sociolect we would maybe relate with teenagers today (example: the word 'blud').
Sunday, 15 September 2013
Of Mice&Men lyrics:
That's not what you're looking for,
There's not a reason to walk out that door,
And I don't even want you to sing,
I just want you to jump with me.
My change:
I do not think that is the right object that you require,
It is not a good enough reason to leave in fact,
However I would not like you to talk in melody,
I would just like you to join me as we push ourselves off the ground.
Sleeping With Sirens lyrics:
You make me feel low
Don’t make me feel low
Cause I've tried so hard to convince myself
It’s okay that I feel this way
My change:
You make my atmosphere seem to be a negative manner,
I would not like you to make my atmosphere seem a negative manner.
Because I have tried so very hard to persuade oneself,
That it is permitted to have this atmosphere about me.
The Kooks:
I may say it was your fault
Because i know you could have done more
Oh you're so naive yet so
How could this be done
By such a smiling sweetheart.
Ohh and your sweet and pretty face
In such an ugly world
Something so beautiful.
Change:
Personally, I am authorized to claim it is your offence
As I have knowledge of the lack of your effort.
You are so simple,
How could this have come about
By such a comparable treasure,
Your sweet and pleasant face,
In such a grotesque world,
An individual so beautiful.
That's not what you're looking for,
There's not a reason to walk out that door,
And I don't even want you to sing,
I just want you to jump with me.
My change:
I do not think that is the right object that you require,
It is not a good enough reason to leave in fact,
However I would not like you to talk in melody,
I would just like you to join me as we push ourselves off the ground.
Sleeping With Sirens lyrics:
You make me feel low
Don’t make me feel low
Cause I've tried so hard to convince myself
It’s okay that I feel this way
My change:
You make my atmosphere seem to be a negative manner,
I would not like you to make my atmosphere seem a negative manner.
Because I have tried so very hard to persuade oneself,
That it is permitted to have this atmosphere about me.
The Kooks:
I may say it was your fault
Because i know you could have done more
Oh you're so naive yet so
How could this be done
By such a smiling sweetheart.
Ohh and your sweet and pretty face
In such an ugly world
Something so beautiful.
Change:
Personally, I am authorized to claim it is your offence
As I have knowledge of the lack of your effort.
You are so simple,
How could this have come about
By such a comparable treasure,
Your sweet and pleasant face,
In such a grotesque world,
An individual so beautiful.
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
When I think that I’m only 16 years old, it scares me, and it’s strange that the number of years I've been alive is frightening. The thought that the rest of my life is determined by what I do in the next few years is intimidating, to the point where my decisions are always doubted and second guessed. Everyone has that one break from reality, where you can escape into your imagination and forget about everything you struggle with. My break from reality is music. I love everything about music; the way it can influence your emotions, the fact that people out there have so much talent to be able to impact people’s lives in the way they do with just sound, lyrics and instruments is beyond my understanding and something that will never cease to amaze me. Talent is something that I always admire, whether it be in Arts, Music, or Writing. Seeing someone be so outstanding at something is inspiring, and always pushes me to try harder so I become someone else’s inspiration.
Although I have no interest in following a music career, some of my most enjoyable experiences are going to concerts with my best friend. The sheer excitement of seeing our favourite bands is a feeling I will always have, no matter how many concerts I go to. The nerves mixed with excitement and suspense is one of the best feelings. Especially when it’s my best friend’s favourite band, seeing her face when they come on stage and start with a low rumbling base is unforgettable and the journey home is always full of her explaining what happened even though I was there. Most people have a best friend, someone they can rely on and have a good time with, but I honestly think my best friend is someone who I will spend the rest of my life with; I want to see her grow up, get married and make decisions. She doesn't have things easy and I want to see her learn that things won’t always be the same, I want to see her talent grow so I can admire her ever more than I do now and even more that I thought possible.
My family are also a big part in my life, other than supporting me throughout everything and putting up with my sudden mood changes, they’re always going to be an aspect of my life I will think myself very lucky with. I live with my Mum, Dad and Brother and somewhere out there I also have a sister called Jodie. I don’t really know anything about her, only that she has a daughter and she once lived with us, I think I was about 5 when she left but she’s become a taboo subject in my house. It doesn't really bother me although it has always intrigued me about what happened. It’s strange to think I have a sister because I know nothing about her. I remember in primary school my friends would say they wanted an older sister to share clothes with and I would catch myself agreeing, and then I would remember I do have a sister. I wouldn't even recognise her if I saw her so in some aspects I wouldn't even consider her a sister. To me the term sister doesn't just mean sharing the same parents, how could I call someone my sister when I could be sitting right next to them and not know?
In some ways I'm embarrassed to be sharing this with everyone but I'm also very excited to get to know everyone in my class and I'm not really sure how long this is meant to be, or how interesting it’s going to be to read, so I apologise. I'm also terrified about English; I don’t consider myself a good writer so choosing English probably wasn't the best option, but I really want to learn how to influence emotions with words, it interests me so much and I'm so jealous of anyone who can write that well.
My life is pretty simple, I have nothing exceptional or unique about me, but sometimes that isn't a bad thing. My life revolves around school, friends, family and music and that’s how I want it to stay forever, I don’t want to grow up and get a job or learn about taxes and politics, I want to stay in my childhood forever.
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