School began as usual at 7.30.
I'm half asleep, my homework half-done.
My shower's cold; my oatmeal's dry.
I'm cursing as usual.
I'm walking to school; it's pouring.
My zipper's stuck; my left sneaker squeaks.
My water bottle drops; it leaks
I slip on the school steps; I trip in the hall
I'm cursing as usual.
I'm cursing in English and Chinese
I know I'm bilingual
I know I'm an intellectual
The classroom's hot
The teacher's a grouch
The students are snobs
and I'm a zealot
I will persevere
I will hold on
I will survive this hell hole
I will, I will, I will!
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Introduction to Figurative Language ( favourite poem)
Wilfred Owen
Dulce Et Decorum Est
Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.
GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!-- An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And floundering like a man in fire or lime.--
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
1. How are the figurative language used in the poem? Give the specific word(s), explain what type of figurative language it is and why the poet chose to use this figurative language?
Ans: The poet started with "bent double, like old beggars under sacks" ( 1). It is a simile of troops on a march. The poet wanted to paint a very powerful picture of the discomfort and lack of dignity experienced by the soldiers. "Men marched asleep" (5): a virtual impossibility, the metaphor represents the complete exhaustion endured by the soldiers. The "incurable sores on innocent tongues" (24) is also a metaphor and it declares the absurdity and injustice of war.
2. Tell us why you like this poem in no less than 100 words.
Ans: I like this poem because it tells us about the sufferings of soldiers. From the injuries, both physically and mentally suffered in battle, to the exhaustion they suffered and to lack of dignity they suffered. The poem is to revoke the idea of "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori", which means that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. The phrase is a line from the Roman lyrical poet Horace's Odes. The poem serves as a deterrent to young men, who were told lies about the glory and chivalry of war and to persuade them not to join in a war.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Animal Farm Chapters 8-10
Life for the Pigs:
The pigs live in farmhouse
Napoleon is waited on
The pigs sleep on beds
The pigs can drink alcohol
The pigs do not actually work
The pigs only give directions,then exploits the other animals to work for them
The pigs have more rations
Life for other animals:
They receive lesser food
They work longer hours
They are terrorised by Napoleon
They wait on Napoleon
They work for Napoleon as he pleases for an empty philosophy
PERSONAL RESPONSE
What is your reaction to the novel’s ending? For example, do you find it uplifting,depressing, cynical? Explain.
Ans: I find it depressing, yet there is a tinch of hope. Life on the farm is the same as during Jones' time and the animals are brutally exploited. However, they have seen through Napoleon's facade and someday they might find the courage to fight back.
ANALYZING LITERATURE
Q1) What dealings does Napoleon have with Frederick and Pilkington? How does the battle over the windmill affect the animals? What events from Soviet history is Orwell highlighting?
Ans: Napoleon trades with Frederick and Pilkington. They made life harder for the animals because they have to rebuild the windmill in an even shorter time than before. Orwell is highlighting the invasion of Russia by Germany during World War II.
Q2) What happens to Boxer and how do the other animals learn of his fate? How do they come to a final conclusion about these events?
Ans: He was sent to the knackers. The animals learnt about it when Benjamin told them the van used to send Boxer to the "hospital" was actually a van used by the knackers. Squealer told them that the van was used by the knackers originally, but it was bought over by the hospital, who forgot to repaint it. Squealer also said that Boxer was given the best medical care
Q3) What changes are made to the Fifth and Sixth Commandments? How is the entire list of Commandments ultimately refashioned? What point is Orwell making about the role of communication in Soviet society?
Ans: No animal shall kill any other animal was changed to no animal shall kill any other animal without reason and no animal shall drink alcohol was changed to no animals shall drink alcohol to excess.
Q4) In Chapter 10 the pigs begin to walk on two legs. In your opinion is this evolution a sign of progress? Explain.
Ans: No, I do not think that it is a sign of progress. Instead of progress, it is a regression as this shows that the pigs are turning human, which means that life on the farm is the same as Jones' time.
Q5) Some critics believe that, at the end of the book, Orwell suggests that the pigs and human political leaders are interchangeable. Do you think most government rulers are interchangeable? How might power change those who have it? Explain.
Ans: I think that most of them are interchangeable. No political leader is indispensable as if they lose their popularity, chances are that they will be forced to step down.
The pigs live in farmhouse
Napoleon is waited on
The pigs sleep on beds
The pigs can drink alcohol
The pigs do not actually work
The pigs only give directions,then exploits the other animals to work for them
The pigs have more rations
Life for other animals:
They receive lesser food
They work longer hours
They are terrorised by Napoleon
They wait on Napoleon
They work for Napoleon as he pleases for an empty philosophy
PERSONAL RESPONSE
What is your reaction to the novel’s ending? For example, do you find it uplifting,depressing, cynical? Explain.
Ans: I find it depressing, yet there is a tinch of hope. Life on the farm is the same as during Jones' time and the animals are brutally exploited. However, they have seen through Napoleon's facade and someday they might find the courage to fight back.
ANALYZING LITERATURE
Q1) What dealings does Napoleon have with Frederick and Pilkington? How does the battle over the windmill affect the animals? What events from Soviet history is Orwell highlighting?
Ans: Napoleon trades with Frederick and Pilkington. They made life harder for the animals because they have to rebuild the windmill in an even shorter time than before. Orwell is highlighting the invasion of Russia by Germany during World War II.
Q2) What happens to Boxer and how do the other animals learn of his fate? How do they come to a final conclusion about these events?
Ans: He was sent to the knackers. The animals learnt about it when Benjamin told them the van used to send Boxer to the "hospital" was actually a van used by the knackers. Squealer told them that the van was used by the knackers originally, but it was bought over by the hospital, who forgot to repaint it. Squealer also said that Boxer was given the best medical care
Q3) What changes are made to the Fifth and Sixth Commandments? How is the entire list of Commandments ultimately refashioned? What point is Orwell making about the role of communication in Soviet society?
Ans: No animal shall kill any other animal was changed to no animal shall kill any other animal without reason and no animal shall drink alcohol was changed to no animals shall drink alcohol to excess.
Q4) In Chapter 10 the pigs begin to walk on two legs. In your opinion is this evolution a sign of progress? Explain.
Ans: No, I do not think that it is a sign of progress. Instead of progress, it is a regression as this shows that the pigs are turning human, which means that life on the farm is the same as Jones' time.
Q5) Some critics believe that, at the end of the book, Orwell suggests that the pigs and human political leaders are interchangeable. Do you think most government rulers are interchangeable? How might power change those who have it? Explain.
Ans: I think that most of them are interchangeable. No political leader is indispensable as if they lose their popularity, chances are that they will be forced to step down.
Animals Farm Chapters 5-7
The Words:
In future all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs presided over by himself.
What they really mean:
Napoleon is going to make all the decisions from now on.
The Words:
I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine, comrade, leadership is a pleasure!
What they really mean:
Napoleon wants to maintain that he is sacrificing for the better of the animals.
The Words:
This work is strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.
What they really mean:
All animals must work on Sundays.
The Words:
From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with neighbouring farms: not, of course, for any commercial purpose, but simply in order to obtain materials which were urgently necessary
What they really mean:
Napoleon is engaging in trade with humans for his own profit.
The Words:
It was absolutely necessary, he said, that the pigs, who were the brains of the farm should have a quiet place to work in
What they really mean:
The pigs get to live in the farmhouse.
The Words:
It was announced that from now on the pigs would get up an hour later in the mornings than the other animals
What they really mean:
The pigs' workload will be lesser than the other animals
The Words:
Beasts of England has been abolished
What they really mean:
There will be no more rebellion on the farm and no more freedom, which means Napoleon will be the absolute ruler of the farm.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Q1) What was your reaction to Snowball's expulsion from Animal Farm?
Ans: I feel that Snowball's expulsion of Animal Farm was predicted. Napoleon had the support of nine dogs, which he trained since their birth. This already shows that Napoleon was planning to overthrow Snowball long before.
ANALYZING LITERATURE
Q1) What happens to Snowball during the meeting about the windmill? What events in Soviet history does this scene represent?
Ans: He was chased out by Napoleon's nine dogs. It represents the power struggle between Stalin and Trotsky, and the expulsion of Trotsky.
Q2) Identify three ways that Napoleon tries to solidify his leadership on the farm. How does the process of decision-making on the farm change under Napoleon's leadership?
Ans: He chased Snowball out of the farm to consolidate his power, uses Squealer to brainwash the other animals and has his nine fierce dogs to get rid of opposition.
Q3) Why do the executions take place? What message do these events send to the animals about their role in a future society?
Ans: It is to teach the rest of the animals not to rebel against Napoleon. It tells the animals that any opposition to Napoleon will be brutally crushed.
Q4)How does Orwell compare Animal Farm under Napoleon's leadership, to its exploited state under Farmer Jones' rule? What attitude about totalitarian government do you think Orwell conveys?
Ans: Orwell shows that under Napoleon's leadership, the animals on the farm are still hungry and exploited as in Jones' time. He conveys the message that a totalitarian government will not be able to sustain itself.
Q5) Do you think it's fair that those who are more educated or more skilled - like the pigs in Animal Farm - have more influence in decision-making? Consider how decisions are made in your community, state, or in the nation.
Ans: I do not think it is fair because every one should have a say. In Singapore, citizens are also given the right to choose, but the power rests on the government.
In future all questions relating to the working of the farm would be settled by a special committee of pigs presided over by himself.
What they really mean:
Napoleon is going to make all the decisions from now on.
The Words:
I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labour upon himself. Do not imagine, comrade, leadership is a pleasure!
What they really mean:
Napoleon wants to maintain that he is sacrificing for the better of the animals.
The Words:
This work is strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.
What they really mean:
All animals must work on Sundays.
The Words:
From now onwards Animal Farm would engage in trade with neighbouring farms: not, of course, for any commercial purpose, but simply in order to obtain materials which were urgently necessary
What they really mean:
Napoleon is engaging in trade with humans for his own profit.
The Words:
It was absolutely necessary, he said, that the pigs, who were the brains of the farm should have a quiet place to work in
What they really mean:
The pigs get to live in the farmhouse.
The Words:
It was announced that from now on the pigs would get up an hour later in the mornings than the other animals
What they really mean:
The pigs' workload will be lesser than the other animals
The Words:
Beasts of England has been abolished
What they really mean:
There will be no more rebellion on the farm and no more freedom, which means Napoleon will be the absolute ruler of the farm.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Q1) What was your reaction to Snowball's expulsion from Animal Farm?
Ans: I feel that Snowball's expulsion of Animal Farm was predicted. Napoleon had the support of nine dogs, which he trained since their birth. This already shows that Napoleon was planning to overthrow Snowball long before.
ANALYZING LITERATURE
Q1) What happens to Snowball during the meeting about the windmill? What events in Soviet history does this scene represent?
Ans: He was chased out by Napoleon's nine dogs. It represents the power struggle between Stalin and Trotsky, and the expulsion of Trotsky.
Q2) Identify three ways that Napoleon tries to solidify his leadership on the farm. How does the process of decision-making on the farm change under Napoleon's leadership?
Ans: He chased Snowball out of the farm to consolidate his power, uses Squealer to brainwash the other animals and has his nine fierce dogs to get rid of opposition.
Q3) Why do the executions take place? What message do these events send to the animals about their role in a future society?
Ans: It is to teach the rest of the animals not to rebel against Napoleon. It tells the animals that any opposition to Napoleon will be brutally crushed.
Q4)How does Orwell compare Animal Farm under Napoleon's leadership, to its exploited state under Farmer Jones' rule? What attitude about totalitarian government do you think Orwell conveys?
Ans: Orwell shows that under Napoleon's leadership, the animals on the farm are still hungry and exploited as in Jones' time. He conveys the message that a totalitarian government will not be able to sustain itself.
Q5) Do you think it's fair that those who are more educated or more skilled - like the pigs in Animal Farm - have more influence in decision-making? Consider how decisions are made in your community, state, or in the nation.
Ans: I do not think it is fair because every one should have a say. In Singapore, citizens are also given the right to choose, but the power rests on the government.
Animal Farm Chapters 1-4
Old Major - Gets the revolution started; inspires real hope for change
Napoleon - Expels Snowball out of the farm; and a despot
Snowball - Tries to increase the standard of living among the animals, but is corrupted.
Squealer - Helps Napoleon convince animals that Napoleon is always right
Boxer - Self-sacrificing, but dim
Mollie - Lazy and vain
Moses - Dependent on the ruling class--whether Mr. Jones or the pigs; a clever talker
Benjamin - Clever but is cynical
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Q1) What is your reaction to the animals' complaints and goals?
Ans: I think that the animals were right in starting the rebellion. However, I do not think that the rebellion will last long and it will be ineffective as the pigs were dominant even before the rebellion.
Q2) Do you sympathize with the animals' complaints and goals? Why and why not?
Ans: Yes, I sympathize with the animals' complaints and goals. Jones ill-treated the animals and took all their fruits of labour, while he did nothing except terrorise the animals.
ANALYZING LITERATURE
Q1) Describe how the Rebellion takes place. How does the animals' behavior during the Rebellion suggest both human and animal characteristics?
Ans: The animals cooperated and chased Mr Jones out of the farm. At the beginning, the pigs already started to be more privilliged than the other animals because they could drink milk and eat apples, and they were the only ones that voiced opinions during meetings.
Q2) How do the pigs gain the rights to the cow's milk? Why do the other animals allow this to occur? What does this event suggest about the power hierarchy on the farm?
Ans: They convinced the animals that the cow's milk was essential to the well-being of the pigs, who did all the brainwork of the farm. The other animals allowed this to occur because they feared Jones might return if the pigs were unwell. This shows that pigs held the greatest power on the farm and that they used this to their advantage.
Q3) How does the original vision of Animalism become the slogan "Four legs bad, two legs good"? In your opinion, do the animals want rules with simple language? What kind of language do the pigs use?
Ans: Originally, the vision of Animalism were on the seven commandments but the animals did not know how to read and write, so the slogan was created to allow all animals on the farm to understand. The pigs used English.
Q4) What technique does Orwell use to cast doubt on the likelihood of a successful revolution?
Ans: He portrayed many characters that were sceptical of the revolution being able to be successfully completed.
Q5) Characterize Snowball as a leader. Do you think his reaction to the stable-boy's death is the appropriate reaction to have during a revolution?
Ans: I feel that he is ruthless. I think that Snowball's reaction is not approriate during a revolution, because violence will solve nothing.
Napoleon - Expels Snowball out of the farm; and a despot
Snowball - Tries to increase the standard of living among the animals, but is corrupted.
Squealer - Helps Napoleon convince animals that Napoleon is always right
Boxer - Self-sacrificing, but dim
Mollie - Lazy and vain
Moses - Dependent on the ruling class--whether Mr. Jones or the pigs; a clever talker
Benjamin - Clever but is cynical
PERSONAL RESPONSE
Q1) What is your reaction to the animals' complaints and goals?
Ans: I think that the animals were right in starting the rebellion. However, I do not think that the rebellion will last long and it will be ineffective as the pigs were dominant even before the rebellion.
Q2) Do you sympathize with the animals' complaints and goals? Why and why not?
Ans: Yes, I sympathize with the animals' complaints and goals. Jones ill-treated the animals and took all their fruits of labour, while he did nothing except terrorise the animals.
ANALYZING LITERATURE
Q1) Describe how the Rebellion takes place. How does the animals' behavior during the Rebellion suggest both human and animal characteristics?
Ans: The animals cooperated and chased Mr Jones out of the farm. At the beginning, the pigs already started to be more privilliged than the other animals because they could drink milk and eat apples, and they were the only ones that voiced opinions during meetings.
Q2) How do the pigs gain the rights to the cow's milk? Why do the other animals allow this to occur? What does this event suggest about the power hierarchy on the farm?
Ans: They convinced the animals that the cow's milk was essential to the well-being of the pigs, who did all the brainwork of the farm. The other animals allowed this to occur because they feared Jones might return if the pigs were unwell. This shows that pigs held the greatest power on the farm and that they used this to their advantage.
Q3) How does the original vision of Animalism become the slogan "Four legs bad, two legs good"? In your opinion, do the animals want rules with simple language? What kind of language do the pigs use?
Ans: Originally, the vision of Animalism were on the seven commandments but the animals did not know how to read and write, so the slogan was created to allow all animals on the farm to understand. The pigs used English.
Q4) What technique does Orwell use to cast doubt on the likelihood of a successful revolution?
Ans: He portrayed many characters that were sceptical of the revolution being able to be successfully completed.
Q5) Characterize Snowball as a leader. Do you think his reaction to the stable-boy's death is the appropriate reaction to have during a revolution?
Ans: I feel that he is ruthless. I think that Snowball's reaction is not approriate during a revolution, because violence will solve nothing.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Gulliver's travel-- why is it a satire?
Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift's best seller, appeared on 28 October 1726. Purporting to be an autobiographical account of Gulliver's ‘Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World’, contemporaries interpreted Swift's work as a political allegory on the administration of Sir Robert Walpole. Gulliver's travel is a satire in many ways.
In order to convey this satire, Gulliver is taken on four adventures, driven by fate, a restless spirit, and the pen of Swift. Gulliver's first journey takes him to the Land of Lilliput, where he finds himself a giant among six inch tall beings. His next journey brings him to Brobdingnag, where his situation is reversed: now he is the midget in a land of giants. His third journey leads him to Laputa, the floating island, inhabited by strange (although similarly sized) beings who derive their whole culture from music and mathematics. Gulliver's fourth and final journey places him in the land of the Houyhnhnm, a society of intelligent, reasoning horses. As Swift leads Gulliver on these four fantastical journeys, Gulliver's perceptions of himself and the people and things around him change, giving Swift ample opportunity to inject into the story both irony and satire of the England of his day and of the human condition.
Swift ties his satire closely with Gulliver's perceptions and adventures. In Gulliver's first adventure, he begins on a ship that runs aground on a submerged rock. He swims to land, and when he awakens, he finds himself tied down to the ground, and surrounded by tiny people, the Lilliputians. Irony is present from the start in the simultaneous recreation of Gulliver as giant and prisoner.Gulliver eventually learns their language, and arranges a contract with them for his freedom. However, he is bound by this agreement to protect Lilliput from invasion by the people of Blefuscu. The Lilliputians relate to him the following story: In Lilliput, years ago, people once broke eggs on the big end. However, the present king's grandfather once cut himself breaking the egg in this manner, so the King at the time, the father of the present king's grandfather, issued an edict that all were to break the eggs on the small end. Some of the people resisted, and they found refuge in Blefuscu, and "for six and thirty moons past" the two sides have been at war. Of course, to Gulliver, such an argument would be completely ridiculous, for he could hardly distinguish the difference in the ends of their eggs. For Swift, Lilliput is analogous to England, and Blefuscu to France. With this event of the story Swift satirizes the needless bickering and fighting between the two nations.
As Swift's story of Gulliver unfolds, the satire begins to take a much more general focus: humanity as a whole. Gulliver manages to escape the land of miniature, and after a brief stay in England, returns to the sea. Again, he finds himself in a strange land, but this time, he is the small one, with everything around him many times the normal size. Unlike the Lilliputians, however, he is alone in this world. When he encounters the first natives, he fears for his life, "for as human creatures are observed to be more savage in proportion to their bulk". This is but one of the many attacks on humanity that Swift's satire will perform. While in Lilliput Gulliver had been treated with respect, largely due to his size; here in this land of giants, Brobdingnag, he is treated as a curiosity, forced to perform shows for public amusement, until the royalty of this nation learn of his presence. During the time Gulliver spends at this court, he relates much of the situation of Europe to the king, who listens with much eagerness. Gulliver tells us:
I would hide the frailties and deformities of my political
mother, and place her virtues and beauties in the most
advantageous light. This was my sincere endeavor in those
many discourses I had with that mighty monarch, although it
unfortunately failed of success.
However well he tried to speak of England, he did not manage to tell only "her virtues." Instead, much of what he so faithfully speaks to the King is actually the vice and immorality to be found in England
It is during Gulliver's fourth journey that Swift's satire reaches its pinnacle, where "Swift put his most biting, hard lines, that speak against not only the government, but human nature itself". In this journey, Gulliver comes to the land of the Houyhnhnms, which are creatures that look like horses but have the ability to reason. Also in this land are the Yahoos, of which Gulliver could only say that "Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my travels so disagreeable an animal, nor one against which I naturally conceived so strong an antipathy". With great irony, Swift brings Gulliver into contact with a Yahoo once again. "My horror and astonishment are not to be described, when I observed in this abdominal animal a perfect human figure". Indeed, Gulliver finds that the only difference between himself and the Yahoo to be the Yahoo's lack of cleanliness and clothes; otherwise, a Yahoo would be indistinguishably human. With this line, Swift's satire achieves its goal, and shows that the flaws of humanity are overwhelming, and let to continue, result in a total degradation of the human. As such, this is a satire of human beings on how humans have to correct their behaviour.
In order to convey this satire, Gulliver is taken on four adventures, driven by fate, a restless spirit, and the pen of Swift. Gulliver's first journey takes him to the Land of Lilliput, where he finds himself a giant among six inch tall beings. His next journey brings him to Brobdingnag, where his situation is reversed: now he is the midget in a land of giants. His third journey leads him to Laputa, the floating island, inhabited by strange (although similarly sized) beings who derive their whole culture from music and mathematics. Gulliver's fourth and final journey places him in the land of the Houyhnhnm, a society of intelligent, reasoning horses. As Swift leads Gulliver on these four fantastical journeys, Gulliver's perceptions of himself and the people and things around him change, giving Swift ample opportunity to inject into the story both irony and satire of the England of his day and of the human condition.
Swift ties his satire closely with Gulliver's perceptions and adventures. In Gulliver's first adventure, he begins on a ship that runs aground on a submerged rock. He swims to land, and when he awakens, he finds himself tied down to the ground, and surrounded by tiny people, the Lilliputians. Irony is present from the start in the simultaneous recreation of Gulliver as giant and prisoner.Gulliver eventually learns their language, and arranges a contract with them for his freedom. However, he is bound by this agreement to protect Lilliput from invasion by the people of Blefuscu. The Lilliputians relate to him the following story: In Lilliput, years ago, people once broke eggs on the big end. However, the present king's grandfather once cut himself breaking the egg in this manner, so the King at the time, the father of the present king's grandfather, issued an edict that all were to break the eggs on the small end. Some of the people resisted, and they found refuge in Blefuscu, and "for six and thirty moons past" the two sides have been at war. Of course, to Gulliver, such an argument would be completely ridiculous, for he could hardly distinguish the difference in the ends of their eggs. For Swift, Lilliput is analogous to England, and Blefuscu to France. With this event of the story Swift satirizes the needless bickering and fighting between the two nations.
As Swift's story of Gulliver unfolds, the satire begins to take a much more general focus: humanity as a whole. Gulliver manages to escape the land of miniature, and after a brief stay in England, returns to the sea. Again, he finds himself in a strange land, but this time, he is the small one, with everything around him many times the normal size. Unlike the Lilliputians, however, he is alone in this world. When he encounters the first natives, he fears for his life, "for as human creatures are observed to be more savage in proportion to their bulk". This is but one of the many attacks on humanity that Swift's satire will perform. While in Lilliput Gulliver had been treated with respect, largely due to his size; here in this land of giants, Brobdingnag, he is treated as a curiosity, forced to perform shows for public amusement, until the royalty of this nation learn of his presence. During the time Gulliver spends at this court, he relates much of the situation of Europe to the king, who listens with much eagerness. Gulliver tells us:
I would hide the frailties and deformities of my political
mother, and place her virtues and beauties in the most
advantageous light. This was my sincere endeavor in those
many discourses I had with that mighty monarch, although it
unfortunately failed of success.
However well he tried to speak of England, he did not manage to tell only "her virtues." Instead, much of what he so faithfully speaks to the King is actually the vice and immorality to be found in England
It is during Gulliver's fourth journey that Swift's satire reaches its pinnacle, where "Swift put his most biting, hard lines, that speak against not only the government, but human nature itself". In this journey, Gulliver comes to the land of the Houyhnhnms, which are creatures that look like horses but have the ability to reason. Also in this land are the Yahoos, of which Gulliver could only say that "Upon the whole, I never beheld in all my travels so disagreeable an animal, nor one against which I naturally conceived so strong an antipathy". With great irony, Swift brings Gulliver into contact with a Yahoo once again. "My horror and astonishment are not to be described, when I observed in this abdominal animal a perfect human figure". Indeed, Gulliver finds that the only difference between himself and the Yahoo to be the Yahoo's lack of cleanliness and clothes; otherwise, a Yahoo would be indistinguishably human. With this line, Swift's satire achieves its goal, and shows that the flaws of humanity are overwhelming, and let to continue, result in a total degradation of the human. As such, this is a satire of human beings on how humans have to correct their behaviour.
Alice in Wonderland
No longer a wide-eyed child, Alice Kingsleigh (a pitch-perfect Mia Wasikowska) is now an easily distracted 19-year-old who seems hopelessly out of sync with her muted Victorian surroundings.
Dodging a garden-party marriage proposal from the dorky son of a lord and lady, Alice instead opts to take off after a pocket watch-clutching rabbit (voiced by Michael Sheen), and the 3D glasse work their magic. Although she doesn't realize it, Alice has been down this particular rabbit hole before, when she was a much younger, more spirited girl.
But before she's able to get back in touch with her "muchness," she'll bond with a mercury-poisoned Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp, in another blissfully out-there tragicomic performance) and butt heads with the tyrannical Iracebeth.
Dodging a garden-party marriage proposal from the dorky son of a lord and lady, Alice instead opts to take off after a pocket watch-clutching rabbit (voiced by Michael Sheen), and the 3D glasse work their magic. Although she doesn't realize it, Alice has been down this particular rabbit hole before, when she was a much younger, more spirited girl.
But before she's able to get back in touch with her "muchness," she'll bond with a mercury-poisoned Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp, in another blissfully out-there tragicomic performance) and butt heads with the tyrannical Iracebeth.
Whether they were required to spend quality time in front of a greenscreen or were totally CGI creations, all the usual suspects, from the rotund Tweedledee and Tweedledum (Matt Lucas times two) to the disembodied Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) to the fearsome Jabberwocky (the great Christopher Lee), are present and brilliantly accounted for in collaboration with special effects master Ken Ralston.
Ultimately, it's the visual landscape that makes Alice's newest adventure so wondrous, as technology has finally been able to catch up with Burton's endlessly fertile imagination.
Also taking their cues from John Tenniel's original illustrations, Robert Stromberg's fanciful production design and costume designer Colleen Atwood's ever-inspired wardrobe selection help make it quite the trippy trip. This story emphasises on life values such as taking charge of your life and not being manipulated by others, and of course, facing the problems in the real-world instead of running away from them. This movie is definitely worth a watch
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