Month: February 2015

Both ‘The Falling Leaves’ and ‘Futility’ represent death through out both poems. This is because they are both set within the time frame of World War One. The poem ‘Out of the Blue’ states the date when the poem is set, November 1915. This is an iconic date as it was the start of the first world war, which was known for the mass amount of deaths caused by war. ‘I saw the brown leaves dropping from their tree’ is used as a metaphor for soldiers dying. The leaves represent soldiers fighting in war and the tree is the country that they are fighting for. Seeing as they are dropping this means that they are dying, this is because they are falling to the ground. This can link to patriotism as they are dying for no particular reason except for fighting for their country with no goals of their own other then their country’s. As the narrator is a woman, we are seeing the effects it is having at their home countries and how it effects their families. As they were left with the important jobs of looking after their country while the men were out to war, so they must maintain the country until they come back. “if anything might rouse him now” is used by Wilfred Owen to suggest that there is a chance the soldier might be alive. However, both the reader and Wilfred Owen know that the soldier is already dead. ‘The kind old sun will know’ meaning that the sun is the creation of life, it gives and takes it away. It is saying that the sun has given up on humanity on a whole, including this soldier. Wilfred Owen is showing the effects war has on the world and how we can not be forgiven for our acts of war. Both Margaret Postgate Cole and Wilfred Owen are presenting the effects of death on a country in each of their poems using the art of war.

Both ‘The falling leaves’ and ‘Futility’ each present death in their poems by using the imagery of the cold and the feelings you gain from it.  “Like snowflakes falling on the Flemish clay” is used to create the idea of snowflakes falling and covering the ground then fading away. This is because a single snowflake will fall then fading from memory which suggests that the bodies of the fallen will fall and fade into history and be forgotten. Also the fact that the snow is ‘wiping out the noon’ meaning that the snow is covering the fields, this gives us the image that loads of dead bodies are covering the battlefield. This gives us the image of the great amount of people killed within World War One. “Snowflakes” also connotes the idea of bodies littering the fields of Belgium. Postgate Cole is suggesting that there are so many bodies that both light and hope are being blocked out. This creates a cold and bitter tone in the poem which shows Postgate Cole’s hatred of the waste of life the war causes. This is similar to “Futility” which uses the cold to connote the hopelessness and emptiness war causes. For example “and this snow” is used to create a shift in tone that indicates hope might be lost and the soldier is dying. “Snow” also mimics the language of doubt and is a metaphor for hopelessness. Owen does this to emphasize hopelessness of the soldier’s conditions on the front. Owen uses the metaphor of “snow” to connote the amount of soldiers falling and the emptiness this leaves behind. Both Margaret Postgate Cole and Wilfred Owen are presenting the effects of death and the cold numbness this leaves.

Both ‘The falling leaves’ and ‘Futility’ each present death within the structure of their poems. “On the Flemish clay.” is the only line in the poem with a full stop; this suggests that the poem is one sentence. This means that the poem is a single thought created by a woman for a diary entry. It is also a place of war and the ‘flemish clay’ is the earth of Belgium, which is famous for the place of World War. It also escalates all the lives lost with in the first world war.  Postgate Cole may have decided to structure her poem like this, as a good poet will keep the structure tight to show the poet is considering a serious point. As Postgate Cole has used this structure feature in her poem it shows the reader that the war and the massive loss of life is an extremely serious point. I believe Postgate Cole wanted to stress the seriousness of her poem, as her poem is an extended metaphor. This is similar to “futility” as Owen uses half rhythms to create a structural feature. For example “sun” and “sown” are half rhythms, Owen included half rhythms as a regular rhythm scheme would have made the poem sound pleasant and upbeat. However as Owen used half rhythms the poem sounds broken and replicates the bullets, guns and explosions that would have been heard at the front. Owen did this as the sounds of the front were unpredictable and suggests that home life is broken as the men are dying needlessly because of war. Both Postgate Cole and Owen are presenting the theme of death through the structure of their poems.

What did God say when he made the first black man? “Damn, I burnt one.”

This is racism. It’s a problem that still confronts many members of our society. It has been an issue for hundreds of years, mostly because people don’t understand other cultures, decide that others are different and are therefore able to be mocked. Now I ask the question: why should we let these people carry on with being racist and being so light hearted about it? I believe that just because the victims do not react, it does not mean that inside they are feeling hurt and betrayed. Why should we let people call each other ‘Niggers’ or any other racist remarks such as “paki” and “white trash”? There should be a punishment that we all implement. A type of ‘time out’ could be a highly effective means of dealing with the problem. By doing this we can allow them to reflect on what they have done and let them learn that it is wrong to use this type of language.

Right now people call each other “nigger” and “paki”, and I still wonder why they call each other something they’d feel horribly offended by. I am white. I do not call white people white trash because that would be insulting to them. So why do people think it is acceptable to call each other “niggers”, because they are both black and it makes it okay? Because they are only joking around? Racism is no laughing matter. We must come together to sign a petition. This is so we can implement a punishment for those who use these words so light heartedly. In many music videos, people are calling each other “niggers” or just being casually racist. This needs to stop. With this punishment being implemented we will be able to apply justice to those who use racism for comedic effect or a way of communication. Racism should be frowned upon by society and its inheritance.

The types of thoughts that could motivate a racist may well be that they’re scared or fearful of their home life or job. Perhaps they even speak from personal experience, where people from different cultures have had negative impacts on their lives. This is still no excuse for racism. If you are racist then there must be a punishment implemented so that justice can be served. This is so that we can have an acceptable society with no one becoming hurt; a utopia if you will. No one would want to live in a world full of racists. We can take a step closer towards our perfect society by implementing punishments so that people will learn that racism is wrong and that it is not okay to call someone a “paki” or “nigger”. By doing this we are making society a better place for its inheritance to live in.

Even in our modern Government racism is still about. The party UKIP still restrains from having people of other origins within this country. They believe that people who are not from England, are not British and should be sent back to their home country. Even if they were brought up here. Do you think this is fair? Why should they be punished when they have been working just as hard as other ‘British’ citizens to keep their homes and earn their money?

If a person has laughed at that joke, it does not make it acceptable within society. In fact the person that had laughed at that joke is just as bad as the person who said the joke. If you hear someone being racist then you should get a member of authority so that they can implement a suitable punishment accordingly. I firmly believe that a punishment  could act as a  ‘time out’ so that they can reflect on what they have said. This would allow them to realise that this language is never acceptable. They can then also receive a criminal record depending on how bad they used the racist remark. Once we implement these punishments we will be able to create a more peaceful society. Thus creating a more pure society for our children. Racism threatens our modern society. People must learn the consequences of racism.