Requiem for the Croppies - Review

Requiem for the Croppies

The pockets of our greatcoats full of barley...

No kitchens on the run, no striking camp...

We moved quick and sudden in our own country.

The priest lay behind ditches with the tramp.

A people hardly marching... on the hike...

We found new tactics happening each day:

We'd cut through reins and rider with the pike

And stampede cattle into infantry,

Then retreat through hedges where cavalry must be thrown.

Until... on Vinegar Hill... the final conclave.

Terraced thousands died, shaking scythes at cannon.

The hillside blushed, soaked in our broken wave.

They buried us without shroud or coffin

And in August... the barley grew up out of our grave.


Seamus Heaney

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Requiem for the Croppies is a poem written by Seamus Heaney about the Irish Republican Army (IRA). In 1919 to 1921, the IRA began a campaign against British Rule in Ireland which was known as the Irish War of Independence.

This reason in which I have chosen this poem is because not only did I find it an interesting read, but also because it was about something I never knew before. It was nice to learn about a historical event while researching about the poem.

War Poetry - The Lonely Hill

The Lonely Hill

Wild grow the poppies in Tunisian vale
Gracing the green of a fertile land
And here comes "Peace" to lay her veil
On the hill of the foes last stand. .

Out of the Plain reared the lonely hill
Like a breast bared to the sky
Its slopes clasped the fallen ever still
And its bosom echoed the swallow's cry. .

Small sanctuary of a fallen dream
Last bastion to Enfidaville
Your crumbled fort is a desolate scene
Where all but the winds are still. .

The winds will rise and the tall grass bend
To ripple like waves of the sea
And time will take the scars to mend
On the lonely hill of the free.

- RA Harris

The poem is describing a soldier sitting on top of a lonely hill in Tunisia waiting to be rescued. As he sits in his shelter, his mind wanders back home and freedom. I chose this poem from World War 2 because it made me realize how lonely the war must have been, when you leave your family and loved ones to serve the country and fulfill your duty. He referred to his dreams as fallen and I feel sympathy for the soldiers. We all have experienced loneliness, but not on such a massive scale. 

Poem on WW2

The Glory of the Guns

When the Battle Cry is spoken, 

And the Voice of War is heard, 

The soldiers of the Allies, 

To battlefields do move. 

The enemy is silent, 

As if waiting for the sun, 

Then they hear that awesome sound, 

The booming of the Guns. 

They shudder in their trenches 

Within a gnawing fear, 

Of knowing the Battery 

Of 1-6-1 is here. 

The shells come whilstling all around, 

And wreck and break and knock things down, 

Creating havoc among the lines 

And all that it surrounds. 

The enemy has broken 

In torn and tired dismay, 

Those so inclined 

Get down on knees and pray. 

The Allies are victorious, 

The enemy is on the run, 

Once again they have been beaten 

By the Glory of the Guns.

- Gunner MR Duncan

General Quarters WW2 Poem

GENERAL QUARTERS

General quarters, general quarters, 

All hands man your battle station! 

Sunday morning, December the 7th,

As war confronted our nation.

We soon found out it wasn’t a drill 

But instead it was war for real.

As you watch the death of friends and shipmates, 

It’s more anger than fear you feel.

Japanese warplanes came flying in low, 

As I took aim with my gun sight.

From the deck of a ship anchored at Pearl 

Damaged, though crew still eager to fight.

I saw the face of a pilot, who crashed,

Surrounded by black smoke and fire.

Some of my bullets must have found their mark.

For his death was but my desire!

Two thousand, three hundred and twenty-three killed, 

In a battle less than two hours.

With the heart of our Pacific fleet gone, 

Japan had flexed their naval powers.

The bombing and strafing of ships and troops 

Caused our congress to declare full war. 

Where many a man laid down his life 

Fighting for flag, country and more.

-Tom Zart

I chose this poem because of the rhyming scheme, and also the story that it tells. This poem was written during the WW2, of the Japanese against the Chinese. It talks about the scenery of the war and the feelings from one of the soldiers. 

Short Story Review

The Lady or the Tiger? 

Frank Stockton

Readability: 8/10

Entertainment: 6/10

Thought-provoking: 8/10

          The Lady or the Tiger is a short story written in the late 1800s by an American writer named Frank Stockton.  The story is set in an olden time, where a barbaric king formulated a system of punishment for criminals. The trial would take place in the King's arena, and the slaughter– or celebration, would commence. There are two doors within the amphitheatre, one of which contains the fiercest tiger, and the other holds a lady. The criminal would then face his/her fate by opening either door, depending on their destiny. If they were to be guilty, the tiger would come out and devour him, but if he was accused, the lady would emerge and they would have to get married. One day the king found out that his daughter was having an affair with a commoner, the king decided to punish him by putting him in the arena. On the day of trial, the commoner gestures towards the royal maiden to ask for help, the maiden points to the right door, and the story ends there. The main point of the story is to provoke the readers thoughts on the two major themes of the story– jealousy and love. Was the maiden so full of jealousy that she fed him to the tiger? Or did she love him too much to watch him die and sacrificed him for another woman? The answer is ambiguous.

          The writing style of this story is somewhat challenging for readers our age, as there are elaborate sentence structures and unfamiliar contexts and vocabulary. But the style is evidently not modern and the language used is very proper. I gave entertainment an above average score as I did find the story intriguing and definitely thought provoking. Overall the story is an interesting read so I highly recommend it!

'Extracts From Adam's Diary' Review

My story was an extract from Adam’s Diary by Mark Twain. The extract started when Eve is created. The story was told in first personal perspective, containing the inside thoughts of Adam, and how their daily life was back then. It is a very humorous story - how Adam and Eve named things that they didn't know, making up words and identifying them. I would say that it is obviously easy to understand the plot and the language of this story. Adam's Diary is a quite entertaining story to read as unexpected things that happened in life back then was surprisingly more hilarious than I thought it would be. For example, before Adam ate the apple, Eve covered herself with leaves, but Adam thought it’s stupid so he pull the leaves off, but when he bit the apple, he felt ashamed of himself. But this story doesn’t actually let you think when you read it.

Readability: 10/10

Entertaining: 8/10

Thoughts: 3/10

TOTAL: 21/30

The story teller

This story is about a pack of impatient children on a train demanding to be entertained by their aunt. Because of her old fashion story the children quickly grow disinterested, and this is all witnessed by a witty bachelor who tell the children another story. Instead of telling the children an old fashioned story where good things only happen to good people he alters the ending slightly, which appals the aunt but is adored by the children. This story was quite an easy read as the language was quite simple so I gave it a nine out of ten for readability. Although this story had a witty ending I didn’t enjoy it that much, seeing that it was slightly dragged out with a bit too much unnecessary detail. Therefor I gave it a six out of ten for entertainment. Seeing as the bachelor was obviously trying to irk the aunt and give the children a refreshing view on storytelling I gave this a seven out of ten for thought provoking.

1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saki 2.http://windling.typepad.com/blog/2013/02/iraglass-on-storytelling.html

US Civil War Poem by Walt Witman

TO THE GARDEN, THE WORLD.

To THE garden, the world, anew ascending,

Potent mates, daughters, sons, preluding,

The love, the life of their bodies, meaning and being,

Curious, here behold my resurrection, after slumber;

The revolving cycles, in their wide sweep, having 

         brought me again,

Amorous, mature—all beautiful to me—all wondrous;

My limbs, and the quivering fire that ever plays through 

         them, for reasons, most wondrous; 

Existing, I peer and penetrate still,

Content with the present—content with the past,

By my side, or back of me, Eve following,

Or in front, and I following her just the same.

Walt Witman

The poem is written during the US Civil war which celebrates physical love between men and women. It is one of the poems in the war poem anthology Leaves f Grass. I chose this poem because it reveals various aspects of the war from a different perspective. It also reveals the poet's appreciation of beauty and excellence, which hugely contrasts the destruction and horror of war.

The Giver Review

Genre: Science Fiction

Author: Lois Lowry

The Giver portrays a society first presented as utopian, but gradually appeared to be more dystopian. The protagonist, Jonas, was assigned the receiver of memories when he was assigned his job at 13, which led him to a treacherous journey.

The words were pretty straightforward, pretty easy to read. As for entertainment, I find the book pretty interesting and there were a lot of descriptions of small details. There were quite a few climaxes throughout the novel.  I find this book really thought-provoking and it really got me thinking, particularly the problems associated with communism and capitalism, even though I did find the thought that a society can never be perfect upsetting.

Readability: 9/10

Entertainment: 7/10
Thought-provoking: 9/10
Overall: 25 / 30

                                   

                                       Lois Lowry

'Little Women' Review

Author: Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

A vivid depiction of life in the 19^th century. The four sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March came from an indigent family where the girls had to work part-time jobs and struggle through the hardships in life at a young age in order to make a living. Throughout the book the sisters experience multiple encounters with those who are better off, causing them to be in fits of jealous piques. Eventually, the girls realize and start to appreciate the most precious thing they have in life: family.

The themes of the story are ‘Domestic Life’ and ‘Maturation’ as it talks about the struggle of the girls between familial duty and personal growth.

  

Readability: 9/10

Entertainment: 8/10

Thought-Provoking: 8/10

Overall: 25/30

'Clockwork Angel' Review

Clockwork Angel Review

Author: Cassandra Clare

Genre: fantasy, young-adults, romance

In year 1878, Tessa Gray tangles herself into London's dark supernatural underworld to search for her missing brother. She finds out that her only allies are Shadowhunters that slay demons, including Will and Jem whom she is attracted to. They find themselves fighting against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of demons, vampires, werewolves, warlocks and humans. The club is out to rule the British Empire with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures. Tessa and her allies strive to stop them.

"The Birds" Review

The Birds Review

Readablity: 8/10. Some parts of the language used maybe a little bit difficult to understand, but it is relatively easy to get an idea of the story’s background and plot.

Entertainment: 6/10.  Nothing really special or plot twisting happened in the course of the story, but this story provides an unforgettable ending which suddenly causes a sense of surprise and suspicion.

Thought-provoking: 9/10, the description of the flock of birds escaping and flying in the story is able to make us think about the danger that these birds are going to be in if they do not escape before Winter. The ending is especially thought provoking because the fact what the birds were doing in the ending gives us a feeling that something is not right, which in turn makes us think how and why the birds were doing this.