Reading Journal Gatsby Chapter 8-9

• 'Grotesque reality and savage, frightening dreams' - big difference from previous chapters - setting of West Egg has usually been dreamlike in the sense that it has been extravagant and elegant, beautiful colours and sounds of laughter and chatter, now it is much more sincere and dark
• Focus of narrative shifts - informs the reader about what happened at the garage after Myrtle died
• Wilson speaks of the eyes of T.J Eckleburg, eyes of God - relates back to previous chapters where they have been described - gives the idea that the eyes have seen everything and are all knowing
• Time: Gatsby cannot accept the fact that he cannot control time, cannot go back to how things used to be between him and Daisy
• Green light: green light on her dock a symbol of his destiny with her, his dream for a life with Daisy kept alive with symbolism
• Time: not linear, shifts between the past, Gatsby telling Nick of his and Daisy's past, again reinforcing how he just wants to keep his dream alive, and then bringing it back up to date
• 'There was a ripe mystery about it...bedrooms upstairs more beautiful and cool... of gay and radiant activities... laid away already in lavender but fresh and breathing and redolent of this year's shining motor cars and of dances whose flowers were scarcely withered.' - these particular words having such a deep contrast with the rest of chapter 8 and with events that have already happened, relating back to Gatsby's parties
• chapter 9: time is not linear once again, Nick writes two years after Gatsby's death, and Gatsby's father telling Nick of his earlier life
• Nick decides to leave West Egg due to its empty values - shows how time has changed once again, at the start of the book West Egg is empty for Nick with nothing there for him, until he then meets Jordan and Gatsby, when he has more purpose, and then Gatsby dies and Jordan announces she is engaged, when West Egg becomes meaningless to him once more
• By now the story has obviously shifted from a love story to a tragedy
• 'I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all—Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life.' - Nick commenting on their inability to shape themselves into characters of West Egg - almost summarizing, tying the story together

Reading Journal Gatsby Chapter 7

• This chapter is the longest chapter in the book but I think this is because it is arguably the most important chapter. Because of the events that take place it deserves more time and coverage.
• There are a lot of dramatic moments in the chapter, obviously because Tom finds out about Gatsby and Daisy and Myrtle is run over. 
• In the first part of the chapter, Nick says that Gatsby's 'career as Trimalchio was over.' Trimalchio was known for throwing lavish dinner parties and having power and wealth - this shows his affection for Daisy as after she attended one of his parties Gatsby is sure she didn't like it, and gets new servants because he doesn't want any gossip going about - Nick writes, 'so the whole caravansary had fallen at the disapproval in her eyes.'
• Pathetic fallacy is used to show how uncomfortable the characters are, as Nick writes, 'the next day was broiling', and how the train driver says 'Some weather...Hot!' he also says how when they are all in the hotel and the window is opened that it is 'hot shrubbery', and also writes, 'compressed heat exploded-' here Nick is using the heat of the weather to build up the tension to what is about to happen
• Tone is used a lot to express how the characters feel, for example, 'open another window', commanded Daisy,' and 'the thing to do is forget about the heat,' said Tom impatiently,' showing the frustration between the couple surrounding their rocky relationship
• I think that there is a change in genre when we get to chapter seven as it goes from being a sort of romantic novel to a tragedy, however the elements of love are still present. This is because of the sudden explosion in the characters emotions, as Nick puts it, 'they were out in the open and at last Gatsby was content,' to suggest he had been waiting for this for such a long time and he was relieved to have everything laid out on the table at last.
• In this chapter there is actually a lack of colour and sound, which is something Nick uses a lot in the previous chapters, but that may be because he doesn't want the reader to concentrate on the trivial details but wants to express the scene just how he recalled it.
• We also notice in this chapter that it is in linear chronology which differs from the other chapters as they usually skip from one event to another in time. This may be because the other chapters do not focus solely on one solid event, but describe several things and maybe because of other reasons such as in chapter 2 when he's drunk and cannot remember things strictly as they happened.

Character, theme and ideology - Gatsby Chapter 4

The Great Gatsby Chapter 4 - character, theme and ideology

Main discussion points:

• Nick’s confidence growing
• How he is becoming more involved with the people
• His feelings toward Gatsby
• Daisy’s past

In the first section of chapter 4 Nick names all the attendants of Gatsby’s parties. This explores Nick’s character development as it suggests to the readers his materialistic side. An example of this would be when he writes, ‘and Edgar Beaver, whose hair, they say, turned cotton white one winter afternoon for no good reason at all.’ He finds himself repeating rumour just like the characters would at the parties, who he looks upon as superficial and materialistic. In chapter one he tells us of how he would be referred to as a ‘politician’ in University and this is supported further throughout the novel as we begin to understand Nick; he is very reserved, observant and tends to think very carefully about all he does. However now we see Nick developing and beginning to succumb to the nature of the East and West Egg. Another point is when Nick writes, ‘a Prince of something, whom we called Duke,’ – here he uses the pronoun ‘we’, including himself when he regards the people of Gatsby’s elaborate parties. Clearly this is very contrasting to chapter 3 when he attends his first party at Gatsby’s when he writes, ‘I slunk off in the direction of the cocktail table – the only place in the garden where a single man could linger without looking purposeless and alone.’ His confidence is growing and this becomes more apparent as the novel continues.

In this chapter, Nick goes out with Gatsby in his car, which he describes as ‘rich cream’, and says that the colour of Gatsby’s suit is ‘caramel’. These colours are also sweet things, which may show a deeper affection for Gatsby despite Nick’s initial disgust in him, as he represents everything Nick begrudges. Again this shows character progression in Nick as his feelings toward Jay Gatsby are gradually changing. Also, the use of colours here represents the theme of materialism, as these may be seen as beautiful and grand colours, the colour of money. The theme/idea of wrong doing is also reinforced at the beginning of the chapter when Nick says, ‘on Sunday morning when church bells rang in the villages along the shore, the world and its mistress returned to Gatsby’s house and twinkled hilariously on his lawn.’  The bells ringing from the Church on a Sunday is religious and holy, with Sunday being a holy day, and the ‘world and it’s mistress’ representing all the wrong doing taking place, such as the illegal drinking and affairs, namely Tom and Myrtle, laughing in the face of morality – ‘and twinkled hilariously on his lawn’ – also representing the people who gather there to drink.

Nick further pursues his own desires and seems to be caving in his diplomatic ways. He writes, ‘There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.’ This acts as a shift in Nick Carraway, as a personal acceptance of his own adaptation - as at the end of chapter four, he kisses Jordan, despite his earlier thinking that he should sort the situation back home before moving on to anything else. Daisy also develops in this chapter as more is revealed about her and the relationship with Gatsby through Jordan. Here we learn that Daisy never wanted to marry Tom, but maybe did so as to conform to the character she was expected to be, to act as a trophy wife, or perhaps she was too scared to abandon her plans with Tom on a whim that Gatsby would come riding back into her life on a white stallion. 

Reading Journal Gatsby Chapter 4

• At the very start of the chapter Nick writes 'On Sunday morning when church bells rang,' - church bells obviously being holy, and yet he continues to write 'the world and its mistress returns to Gatbsy's house', - contrast between church and holiness and the sinning between the 'world and it's mistress'- maybe referring to Tom and Myrtle. 
• Nick recalls all the names of the people who had been attending Gatsby's parties, showing how observant he is and how actually he's quite interested in the lives of other people - earlier he mentions Myrtle's reading material 'Town Tattle' but here it suggests that even he can be superficial and nosy. 
• Colour - 'rich cream' to describe the car, 'caramel' to describe the suit - colours of sweet things - maybe to show some form of affection toward Gatsby?
• Element of mystery is reinforced with Gatsby - his vagueness when talking to Nick and his sudden disappearance when the meeting with Tom occurs.
•   Nick makes a lot of references to the sky e.g 'a dozen suns' -dreamlike, illusional, perhaps suggesting there is an underlying negativity
• 'There are only the pursued, pursuing, the busy and the tired' - shows Nick's confidence increasing and how he is developing as a narrator, contrasting with how he was called a 'politician'. Now he is becoming more spontaneous and giving in to his desires rather than thinking everything out for long periods of time.

Reading Journal Gatsby Chapter 3

• Nick uses a lot of reference to color and sound which reflects his watchful and observant personality - he speaks of Gatsby's 'blue gardens', suggesting his thoughts are that Gatsby thinks he is royalty. 
• He describes the party goers as 'moths among the whisperings' - this comparison gives the idea that he feels the party goers are just attracted to money and nice things, like moths are to light. 
• Many references to color and light - 'stars, colored lights, glistening, dark gold, primary colours, opal, yellow' - gives insight to the atmosphere, people 
• Description of sound - 'oboes, trombones, chatter, laughter, yellow cocktail music, voices sang,' - reflects the social scale and status of Gatsby and people attending the party, their happiness and the way they revel in money
• Nick uses many lists to convey a certain image or idea - 'significant, elemental and profound, books or insurance or automobiles, whisperings and the champagne and the stars.' 
• He also uses many references to the moon, for example he writes 'a wafer of moon was shining over Gatsby's house' - uses powerful imagery and relates back to chapter 2 where Gatsby is staring up at the sky and as Nick dictates ' deciding which share of the heavens were his.' Gives the impression there is much to be revealed about Gatsby, especially when it is written that 'endowing with complete isolation the figure of the host, who stood on the porch, his hand up in formal gesture of farewell'  -Nick refers to him as a 'figure', and says he is in 'complete isolation', showing mystery and loneliness.
• Nick unknowingly makes a link between himself and Gatsby, when he writes about himself, 'I felt a haunting loneliness', after stating that Gatsby was in complete isolation. 

Reading Journal Gatsby Chapters 1-2

• Straight away in the first chapter we get an insight to Nick's upbrining - very proper, so how will this develop and contribute to the narrative?
• 'I'm inclined to reserve all judgements', - we understand how he is quite an introvert character, who watched and observes, 'I was unjustly accused of being a politician' - gives the sense he may be quite serious - is there an underlying reason for this?
• 'Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn' - foreshadows later conflict with Gatsby, raises questions - how will this affect the story?
• Why does he refer to his cousin in such a romantic way? - 'Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth, but there was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget; a stinging compulsion...'
• Why does Nick refer to Tom as 'Tom Buchanan' but to Daisy only as 'Daisy?' -  may show status, role in society
• A lot of references to wealth  - 'Lived in France for no particular reason'.
• Tom comes across very arrogant - 'Nice place I've got here' - and racist, 'It's up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things'.
• Daisy and Tom's relationship seems very dysfunctional and showy - the way Tom disregards her
• What is the significance of Doctor Eckleburg?
•  Why does Tom have a mistress?
• Myrtle is portrayed as not very well educated and fairly illiterate - 'I got to write down a list so I don't forget all the things I got to do.'
• Tom is revealed as a violent brute as Myrtle repeats Daisy's name (this could show some sort of regret as to what he's doing or shame) - 'Tom Buchanan broke her nose with this open hand.'
• A lot of characters are revealed in the second chapter which makes me wonder what their significance will be later on in the play

Reading Journal

Act 3-5

• Hero and Ursula are discussing Benedick's love for Beatrice whilst Beatrice is hiding and eavesdropping
• Don John and Don Pedro telling Claudio of Hero's supposed 'disloyalty'. 
• Dogberry is introduced - we begin to understand he is not wise 
• Watchmen hear Borachio and Conrade talking of the scheme, they are arrested
• Dogberry tries to tell Leonato what the watchmen have told him but because he is dim doesn't actually tell him anything
• Claudio humiliates Hero in front of entire church 
• Why does Claudio do this? Perhaps he does it out of blind fury, because he truly loves her, he is too distraught to function properly. Perhaps he doesn't love her at all, and wishes to regain his title as a vigilant hero in front of his companions. 
• Why doesn't Hero defend herself? Perhaps she feels her voice will not be heard; she has a group of men talking at her, telling her she has done what she is being accused of. Perhaps it is to do with her status in the play; not a significantly strong character
• Why does Leonato feel such sudden resentment toward his daughter? E.g - 'Death is the fairest cover for her shame', 'Do not live, Hero, do not open thine eyes'. Perhaps this is shameful to his name, an embarrassment.
• Why do the other characters seem so set on Beatrice and Benedick falling in love? Perhaps to relieve stress from the war, it shows mockery of Benedick and Beatrice; they are so sure they hate each other but now they are being proved wrong.
• Why does no one ask Hero where she was the night she is being accused of cheating? Perhaps because she is a woman, her voice is invaluable

Reading Journal

How is comedy constructed in Much Ado About Nothing and how are the serious elements emerging?
Act 1-2

• The use of sarcasm and satire between Beatrice and Benedick
• Use of schemes between Claudio and the Prince to get Hero - immaturity
• Serious elements such as the past between Beatrice and Benedick - a deeper undertone is beginning to emerge through Beatrice in act 2 scene 2 but again through the use of comedy
• Sincerity portrayed through the use of Don John's character - why is he so bitter and uptight? He says, 'I'd rather be a canker in a hedge than a rose in his [Don Pedro's] grace' - cutting off his nose to spite his face - perhaps Don John is jealous of his illegitimate brother, as he will never be as important regardless of his current status?
• How does the romance develop between characters such as Hero and Claudio and Beatrice and Benedick?
• How does authority develop?
• Will Don John change his ways further in the play?
• Why do the characters mask themselves and put on a front? What do they have to hide?
• Why is it called Much Ado About Nothing when clearly it is about something?
• Do we really understand the characters?
• Use of dramatic irony/confusion to generate humour
• Narrative - follows Propp's eight character types
• Narrative -binary oppositions e.g bad vs good- Don John vs rest of cast
•  How far will Don John go to cause disruption?
• Why is Beatrice so powerful, more powerful than Hero?
• Beatrice questions the typical role of women in those days - she is strong, independent, does not want a husband
• Perhaps Hero has more to offer later in the play
• Comical construction - use of sexual tension 
• Will Don John become romantically involved with anyone or is he too cold and mischievous?

Review of Fra Lippo Lippi

Write about the ways Browning tells the story in lines 191-269 of ‘Fra Lippo Lippi’.

               

Browning tells the story by using rhetorical questions that do not prompt an answer eg line 198, ‘Is this sense I ask?’ He already knows the answer and is very sure of himself. Another point is the repetitive use of enjambment and there are no stanzas as he is drunk and therefore rambling on and on. This gives the impression he has wanted to express his feelings for a very long time and now he is voicing everything at once. Dramatic punctuation is used such as ellipses and abrupt stops. This conveys his fluctuation in emotion, his state and level of inebriation and desperation to release everything he has bottled up. The tone of the poem is belligerent as he continuously addresses people as ‘you’ – telling people how they feel for example lines 261-264, ‘You tell too many lies and hurt yourself;/ You don’t like what you only like too much/ You do like what, if given you at your word/ You find abundantly detestable.’

He uses many discourse markers which makes the poem much more realistic, imitating real speech, e.g., line 196, ‘She’s just my niece… Herodias, I would say-/ Who went and danced and got men’s heads cut off!’ This is effective as his pauses insinuate contemplation and thought amidst his drunken state. Also, the metre is very unobvious however is iambic pentameter. He has used this because it is upbeat and is suitable for the poem, accentuating his intoxication and instability in emotion but still shows how he finds the situation humorous. He uses many personal pronouns to refer to himself and the Church, showing how close to home and important this is to him and his degree of irritation toward the Church – you may consider the entire poem to be a direct dig. Browning uses italics to show when Fra Lippo Lippi is singing, for example line 238 – ‘Flower o’ the pine, /You keep your mistr… manners, and I’ll stick to mine!’ which again reinforces his being under the influence, and may even suggest deeper emotion through song or how it is easier to lyrically explain his feelings.

The poem is in linear chronology, which shows how Fra Lippo Lippi is telling a story, his story, and all that brought him to where he is now. This is effective as we should expect a happy ending out of a story but actually the end is Fra bringing us up to date and we should never know the ending of his story.

In conclusion, Browning is wise in his use of linear chronology, iambic pentameter, punctuation, perspective and tone to convey the story of Fra Lippo Lippi and what he felt at that particular time. Through the use of such narrative devices we can understand the personality of this man and his deeper emotion toward the Church itself.

Review Pied Piper of Hamelin

The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a poem by Robert Browning set in Hamelin's Town, Brunswick. The sub heading is 'A Child's Story', suggesting a fairy tale. He starts the first stanza using in media res, with no introduction offering a riveting beginning with only a setting, which leaves much to the readers contemplation. We also get the sense he is omniscient in this poem when he writes,

But, when begins my ditty,
Almost five hundred years ago,
To see the townsfolk suffer so
From vermin, was a pity.

This is because he describes what is unknown to the readers as 'vermin', however he is already erudite in the story. The perspective is from the narrator recounting the tale, which gives the voice a sense of purpose; he is telling the story for a direct reason. The poem uses rhyming couplets and is in iambic pentameter which flows like a song, perhaps even the song to the Pied Piper's music, which may be why the sub heading is A Child's Story.

The poem being in linear chronology and using enjambment supports the story telling and fairy tale theme as we can understand that this is a story the narrator has told many times- again showing a clear sense of purpose being conveyed- as there is no sign of natural speech; there is a complete lack of discourse markers and it flows perfectly like a song, perhaps even the song to the Pied Piper's music.

The use of imagery is strong when the appearance of the Pied Piper is described, when Browning writes

His queer long coat from the heel to head
Was half of yellow and half of red,
And he himself was tall and thin

The use of simple primary colours again appeals to children however the description creates the image of a jester like figure, who should he fail in making the King laugh would be at great risk. This is effective because in this poem it is the 'jester' who holds the upper hand, suggesting role reversal. Browning describes the Mayor in a negative way, which may actually be to insult the Council and those of high authority, for example on line 47:

With the corporation he sat,
Looking little though wondrous fat

and continues throughout the poem to insult the Mayor and council. This may be a comparison with the rats, who take all they please straight from the people - just like the Mayor and council in all their false glory and apparent fake power as they cannot resolve the rat invasion themselves. The poem becomes quite sinister when Browning describes the sounds of the rats-

You heard as if an army muttered;
And the muttering grew to a grumbling;
And the grumbling grew to a mighty rumbling

You may say through the use of personification that again Browning proposes an analogy between the rats and the Council, showing how the cannot be trusted amongst their whisperings and lies. This becomes an extended metaphor

The children are described when the Pied Piper lures them into his musical trance after the Mayor lies to him, and the way they are portrayed provides a great contrast between them and the council:

Out the children came running,
All the little boys and girls,
With rosy cheeks and flaxen curls,
And sparkling eyes and teeth like pearls

This is especially effective as it conveys them as almost angelic; showing how unfair it is that they should be taken as a consequence to the selfishness of the council and how conceited and pompous they truly are. The poem finalizes with the narrator talking to a boy called Willy, telling him of how If we've promised them aught, let us keep our promise! Proving it serves as a cautionary tale and sending out a prominent message.

Confessions of a Drug Abuser

I am very nearly thirty now
I've been sat in this cold damp place
for hours, thinking of what could have been
had I not touched the powder
A year since my wife succumbed to the sweet lull of death
- Oh, how I wish I could join her.
What I would do to reverse the past
My children and I, together at last
There's nothing left but this bitter shell of a man
My life encompassed by my own selfishness
Waiting, wishing, wondering about what will be
...how cruel a life of misery.
My heart seldom beats much more,
for what is the point in life when you have nothing to live for?

'My Last Duchess' Review

'My Last Duchess' is a dramatic monologue written by Robert Browning, using the view point of a seemingly deranged man with unhealthy obsessions. It uses first person to engage the reader more and lure them into the mind frame of a psychopath, and the continuous use of enjambment in one large verse.

The title 'My Last Duchess' insinuates dominance instantly; the use of the word 'my' to express possession over this woman. The title also shows how this man feels no emotion towards whatever has happened to this woman; he shall have another. The poem uses iambic pentameter although this is not obvious - with every second second word being stressed. This is unnatural and contributes to the feeling of something sinister. The narrator begins by pointing out the painting of his Last Duchess, for he writes 'That's my last Duchess painted on the wall, looking as if she were alive, I call that piece a wonder now.' The tone is calm, leaving no room for emotion. Rhyming couplets are used throughout, which contradicts the poem itself, as they connote romance and love - we discover later that this is quite different. There is no stanza, no break, which may be representative of what the man has done and shows how he will repeat his actions, without stopping to think about what he is doing.

The use of imagery is quite extravagant - as this man was married to a Duchess you think of royalty, colours of gold and red. This is reinforced by his archaic language, he is obviously well educated and influential (which he later denies in a bid of modesty). Examples of this include: 'She had a heart - how shall I say?- too soon made glad, too easily impressed; she liked whate'er she looked on, and her looks went everywhere.'

The narrator also uses a series of rhetorical questions - 'How shall I say? Too soon made glad,', 'Who'd stoop to blame this sort of trifling?', 'Will't you please rise?' they need not be answered by his company as he is not inviting him to speak, it seems he is too encompassed by the sound of his own voice. This reinforces his own pretentiousness and arrogance.

There is never any evidence throughout the poem that his Duchess did anything wrong, just that she was a generally happy individual. However the narrator seems to show no remorse for this, just smug that now he can control who looks at her and who she looks at by pulling back the curtain, which symbolizes his eternal control over her.

Review of 'Porphyria's Lover'.

The poem begins with some imagery, creating a picture in the reader's head of a dark and gloomy night. We get this from the sentence 'The rain set early in to-night, the sullen wind was soon awake', the words 'rain' and 'sullen' having negative connotations, such as darkness. Browning also personifies the wind, saying that it was 'soon awake', making it seem more dangerous. He continues this as he writes, 'It tore the elm trees down for spite, and did it's worst to vex the lake', accentuating the cruelty of the wind and how dismal it is outside. It can be described as a love poem, as Browning uses rhyming couplets throughout. Instead of using iambic pentameter like most Shakespeare poems, which are widely associated with love, it uses iambic tetrameter, consisting of four iambic feet. This is especially effective at it already creates the idea that it is not an ordinary, typical love story.

When he describes the arrival of Porphyria, he says she glides into the cottage, which gives an element of beauty and makes her seem almost angelic, enforcing a religious aspect in the poem. This continues throughout further description of her; Browning writes, 'Which done, she rose,' which prompts the idea that she is angelic, as she does not just get up, she rises. Browning creates the impression that Porphyria is willing to give herself to the narrator, the man in the poem, in the way he illustrates the removal of her things - 'Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl, and laid her soil'd gloves by, untied her hat and let her damp hair fall.' The use of the words 'withdrew', 'laid', and 'untied', creates the image that she does so gently, lovingly, for him and for him only, with insinuates love more than passion.

Browning also begins to portray how perhaps this woman has a form of dominance over this man, a sense of control - 'She put my arm about her waist, and made her smooth white shoulder bare' - this also reinforces the idea of an angel, as biblical people are often carved out of white stone, into a smooth and beautiful creation, and it gives the idea that she is making herself available for him, when she wishes to, not when he desires her. He also says, 'And stooping, made my cheek lie there', which suggests how he does not do this out of will.

Even so, there is then a narrative shift from her being dominant and assertive, as Browning writes, 'Murmuring how she loved me -she too weak, for all her hearts endeavour, to set it's stuggling passion free,' - this recreates her image into a feeble, fragile being, too drained to convey her adoration for this one man. However we then get an insight into the feelings of the narrator, the way he feels about Porphyria, and we begin to see how he may want to preserve this woman, to keep her his eternally. We recognise this when Browning writes, 'At last I knew Porphyria worshipp'd me; surprise made my heart swell, and still it grew while I debated what to do. That moment she was mine, mine, fair, perfectly pure and good.' This exaggerates his own love for Porphyria, clearly wanting to own her, perhaps as she seemed to own him. To regain his dominance. It also explains how perhaps Porphyria had only ever given herself to him, nobody else had touched her, thus the use of 'perfectly good and pure', which also emphasizes the religious apsect of the poem, as angels are wholesome.

The feelings of the narrator towards Porphyria are heightened in the next line, 'I found a thing to do, and all her hair in one long yellow string I wound three times her little throat around, and strangled her. No pain felt she; I am quite sure she felt no pain.' This urges many questions as to why he would want to murder her, which we can only assume is because it is the only way she can be rightfully his forever, or it may even be more morbid than this; it is the only way he can have full control over her. Perhaps he did not like the power she had over him, the power of an angelic figure.

We understand he is not guilty for what he has done, as Browning describes how he opened her lids to see her blue eyes once again, and a guilty person would never want to look their victim in the eyes to see their wrong doing stare back at them. The use of alliteration in the sentence, 'Blush'd bright beneath my burning kiss,' is effective as it acts almost as a lullaby - you can almost imagine this man voicing these words, as they roll off the tongue so effortlessly and so flawlessly.

A short description of The Common, part of my Language homework.

The leaves of the trees are fully flourished, hues of jade and viridian, nature in all its glory. The sun is gentle in its afternoon magnificence, the grass soft beneath your feet. Few people remain, to bask in the beauty of a mid summers day, so it is peaceful, picturesque, tranquil. The pool, cerulean, still and untouched, and it is only the occasional stronger gust of wind that disturbs it. Like a butterfly; serene until we should make our presence apparent.

The park is empty, for children now sit with their mothers and fathers, they too silently enjoying the harmony, being at one with the world. The atmosphere is a deer, that coincides naturally with everything else, living happily in her own company; it is a dove, breathing amity where ever it fly. The warm air laps at the cheeks of every happy being sharing the peace, almost cosy, like home.

'When I Woke Up' Review

'When I woke up, the knife was still there.'

Immediately the feeling of something quite sinister is conveyed. This is because of the use of the dramatically short sentence which conveniently echoes throughout the mind as we try to understand what may have happened leading up to the placement of the said knife.

I instantly assume that something dark has taken place, as in my opinion the connotations of a knife are usually linked to knife crime and murder. The sentence is very effective as it does not give a time scale, maybe the person fell asleep during the night, in the morning, and maybe he slept for a long time or hardly any time at all. I think it does not specify a certain time as it adds to the confusion and mystery of the story, and also urges the reader to contemplate this for themselves. It is also strange as the sentence does not specify a gender of the person, but I presume it is a man. This may because of men being more associated with knife crime. The use of first person draws the reader in, as using 'I' makes it much more personal for the reader, as if they are living out the story themselves, whereas using third person is less subjective and therefore does not entice the reader to such an extent. Despite my first thoughts of the knife being linked to murder, there are other perspectives you could take when reading this story. For example, the nature of this could be completely innocent. Perhaps someone forgot to put the knife away, whilst cleaning up, or it could be that the person in the story is in fact a victim of crime. It could be a kidnapping, and he may be relieved the knife remains there, in that spot, as it means he is still alive. Or, to take another view on it, it may be based on a suicidal nature.

Just from a story as short as this, because of the narrative it prompts the mind to ask questions as it leaves much to be desired. There is a basis for a beginning, middle and an end, which is not distinctive but evidently there. This is because the tension increases. The beginning of the story starts with the person waking up, and then his attention turns to the knife, which is the middle, and he realises it's still there - the end. It also acts as a build up to the climax of the story, the realisation that in fact the knife is still in that one place. The sentence only uses one syllable words which creates more dramatic tension than it would if it was written as 'When I woke up this morning, I noticed that the knife was still there.' It isn't as intense because the one word syllables are like a beating drum, one beat after another, building up to something bigger.