NCEA 3.4 Writing Portfolio: Satire Piece

Ideas:

Description of MAC like it is an op course with extra options such as maths

Accurate reliever’s plan

Honest resume for a person applying for their first job

News article of students for vaping

Today we are confronted with the epidemic of ever increasing stress and overwhelming school days for the modern teenager.

Vaping is a government conspiracy to keep people addicted to drugs

School is a government conspiracy to control the population – we only know what they want us to know

Assembly speech advertising doing the bare minimum

“Good morning everyone, my name is … from the common student body and I’m here to speak about some of the fantastic opportunities available at MAC. We are all here, attending high school for at least 5 years. In that time you have so many hours, both in and out of school, and the way you spend these hours will shape you as a person. The more opportunities you get amongst, the more things you’ll

How terrible social media is but actually talking about the good parts

How hard it is to live in New Zealand:

  • slow internet
  • places out of cell phone range
  • bad tasting fruit
  • cold so get a runny nose
  • not being able to find the end of sellotape
  • cold enough in the morning for a jacket but warm enough for shorts in the afternoon
  • wanting to go skiing but the mountain slightly over crowded for your liking
  • Most delicious chocolate, Whittakers is $1.80 more than the cadbury’s chocolate
  • In order to tramping to NZ’s beautiful and sort after locations you have to decide before you go and book it
  • The supermarket is too busy at 5pm on a Tuesday
  • Stone fruit aren’t in season all year round
  • Lulu lemon bag gets too fluffy, can’t use it any more
  • Country road bag got dirty so you have to put it in the washing machine
  • In order to save the environment you have to remember to get your Trelise Cooper shopping bags from the car
  • If you are not a hug person and you’re involved in a NZ disaster you will be hugged by our friendly and compassionate prime minister
  • Too windy to go out on my jetski
  • Hit a rabbit with your toyota highlander on the way home, super inconvenient because you have to pull over to cry
  • Trying to buy things from amazon but it costs $15 to send to NZ
  • Too many people have the nice metal drink bottles from New World, no one knows whose is whose
  • Your taking your pure bread labrador for a walk along a beautiful, scenic trail and you have to pick up it’s shit so it doesn’t ruin the experience for others
  • Trying to go camping and you have to spend $6 for entry
  • No service on the 3 day hike – route burn or Milford track, so have to wait till you get home to brag to instagram followers about the wonderful scenery
  • Amazing new developments and facilities being built need an access road so you have to go 50km/hr in a 80km/hr zone for 3 mins
  • Occasionally you hear words in Maori and you don’t understand what they mean because you have never put enough effort into learning about your culture even though you have had 13 years of schooling where the option was available to you.
  • Block buster movies come out in NZ a couple of days after they do in the US
  • There is a smaller and lower quality movie/tv selection on NZ netflix
  • Fringe that doesn’t look good on them
  • For us is the life of action, of strenuous performance of duty; let us live in the harness, striving mightily; let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.”
  • “Nothing in this world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty.”

Trivial arguments, insufficient funds to satisfy desires, hungry for intervals up to 25 mins per day…

Every upper middle class 16 year old deserves the chance to grow and thrive, without any form of obstacle or inconvenience. In New Zealand we believe that each adolescent, regardless of circumstances or their parents being in the highest tax bracket, has the right to be untroubled and content at all times. Each year in First world countries, the days of innocent young lives are tragically interrupted by preventable causes. It is our responsibility is to stop our teenagers finding themselves in truely awful situations, such as inaccessible wifi, bad tasting fruit or getting a runny nose. Please donate now

Where would your donation go?

Technical Emergencies – Slow internent, no service

Education without Embarrassment –

My Story

“My dream is to go back to school without a fringe again”. Like so many students attending a decal 10 school, 16-year-old

Child Protection Against Bordem –

Climate Change –

Apparently, according to researchers in the particular field, the earth’s temperature is rising. Inconvenient for skiing.

NCEA 1.8 – Significant Connections. Ambition

The significant connections between how the nature of ambition is employed in the texts; Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Gattaca by Andrew Niccol, Ozymandias by Percy Shelly and The Climb by Ludovic Bernard. 

Ambition is a powerful characteristic, but the nature of it, whether it has pure or dark intent determines what the ambitious person becomes. The four pieces of literature; Macbeth by William Shakespeare,  Ozymandias by Percy Shelly, Gattaca by Andrew Niccol and The Climb by  Ludovic Bernard each have a distinct ambitious character and so, offers themselves as a valuable learning opportunity to explore the nature of ambition. What comes of hearty or greedy or selfish ambition? Love? contentment? Dust?

Macbeth was famously ambitious, what’s a bigger goal than becoming king? Having a strong drive is beneficial, it’s basically what gives life purpose. In Shakespeare’s Scottish Play, Macbeth does achieve his goal, but the way he got there disintegrated his morals. To satisfy his ambition he did many terrible things that were against his values, and eventually, he deteriorated into a poisoned version of himself with no morals. “I am in blood. Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more. Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” This metaphor Shakespeare has used says that Macbeth has already traveled so far down his dark path that it is the same distance to evil as it is to return to his good self, so he may as well keep on going further. By, the end of the play, Macbeth had ‘scorpions in his mind’. The pull of his ambition was overpowering and so it took away his purpose instead. In act 5, scene 5, Macbeth almost invites his death; “The way to dusty death… It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” This extract is another of Shakespeare’s metaphors and it describes Macbeth’s epiphany. His life is compared to a play that is “full of sound and fury” so it is full of dramatic, intense events but it signifies nothing. Macbeth’s nature of ambition was born in greed and a thirst for power so even once he achieved his goal it actually meant nothing to him, he was not content in himself. He had lost his pure spirt on his journey. Instead, he was left with a grey cloud of his conscience that overshadowed any new gained power. So, Macbeth was headed to a “dusty death”, meaning that he no longer believed he could go to ‘heaven’. When he dies he will simply become dust. The lesson from this piece of literature is that possessing ambition for something that only benefits you will end up meaning nothing.

The likeness between the two characters, Macbeth and Ozymandias seems uncanny but another significant connection between the two texts is the reference to dust. This poem is a traveler talking about a sculpture that remembers the past king, Ozymandias. Again, this king was incredibly ambitious but in the end was also left to dust as described in the setting of Percy Shelly’s poem. Ozymandias did big things with his life as we know from segments like “king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair”. Look at what he has achieved, look how mighty and then think about how sad you are that you could never achieve what he could. This seemed to be a mindset Ozymandias lived by; ‘how amazing am I and how petty you are’. No matter how much power he had nor how impressive he was, it didn’t matter because no one else benefited from his drive. “The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed” is a metaphor Shelly seems to use to show the situation between Ozymandias and his subjects. He was cruel to his people, he did not care about them one bit and that filled their hearts with hate for him. So, when this king of kings died he had a grand memorial structure but no one who would come to appreciate it. Therefore, it’s surroundings were “boundless and bare. The lone and level sands stretch far away.” Just like Macbeth, Ozymandias was possessed with selfish ambition thus they met the same end. Dust once again. The author warns that the nature of Ozymandias’ ambition is toxic, so one should take a hard look at themselves and think whether their craving of power should be appeased at the expense of others.  

Gattaca by Andrew Niccol, on the surface is starkly different to Macbeth and Ozymandias. It is set in the future while the other two are set more than 500 years ago but, there is an underlying similarity; an ambitious man and a dusty end. Jerome, the DNA donor to the main character Vincent, had a big ego and an even bigger ambition. He had a backstory of being an Olympic swimmer and all he wanted was the gold. But, he got silver. That tossed him into a violent downward spiral. He did attempt suicide, became paralysed in his legs and that is how he came to meet Vincent. Niccol’s plot line involved Jerome gaining a new ambition; to help Vincent achieve his goal. Yet, it seems Jerome’s ambition really only had eyes for one thing, Olympic gold which was now an impossible goal. He of course was not a terrible man, he had a drive that a lot of people wish for. But, he had a narcissistic ambition. It was too late for Jerome, when we met him in the film. He could not live without his glory. So, the film ends with an epic scene flashing to and fro from Vincent living his dream (blasting into space) and Jerome making his way into the incinerator. The visual reference of the flames in the incinerator and Jerome literally turning to dust relates back to the previous two texts. Each an ambitious man after glory or power, that comes to dust. This film leaves you wondering is ambition good or bad? It worked out for Vincent, he kept on going against all odds with his ambition, he achieved his goal and in the end he felt fulfilled. But if you can’t achieve your goal? Then ambition is a prison. You can think of nothing more than the path to your goal but it’s hopeless. You just can’t get there. So, we learn we must tread lightly around ambition because we do not want to let it over power us. Because we do not want to end up like Jerome; incinerating ourselves. 

The three former texts competently scare us away from ambition but ambition is a natural and necessary trait of humans. We need it to achieve our goals. In contrast to all the pieces of literature noted above, The Climb by Ludovic Bernard follows a character called Nadir Dendoune who climbs Mt Everest in the name of love. Obviously, it is a heart warming story, and whats more, is based on true events! The text also has the unifying elements that links all the texts together; each describes a challenging journey the character goes through on their way to satisfying their ambition, with reference to dust. Nadir has ambition but a very different kind. His ambition is to love a girl and for her to love him, which already would benefit more than himself, unlike Macbeth, Ozymandias and Jerome. When Nadir and his Sherpa make it to the summit the Sherpa Bernard makes visual and verbal references to a box of cremated ashes that is under the flags. Again dust, but this time the feeling is warm not like cold particles of waste matter as it they seems with the previous texts. The difference is the nature of their ambition. These ashes were of climbers who loved what they did. Certainly they would receive attention from summiting Mt Everest but you would have to really love climbing mountains to put your life on the line like they did. They are inspiring people. Because their ambition benefited others the dust is valued. It is locked up tight in a box and the people whose ashes they are are thought of often. This film teaches that ambition will take you places, to the top of the world even. The ending might be tragic like it was for those climbers in the box but the intent was inspiriting. 

All four of these texts expand one’s insight into the nature of ambition. Each of them intertwine but have varying spots on the spectrum of right and wrong, which is one of the most valuable of the lessons these texts have to offer so we know how to avoid to avoid the wrong end. We learn that ambition can be dangerous, leading you to having a poisoned mind or to be hated by many but it also lets you achieve great things. Each of these authors and directors have issued a warning of how powerful ambition can be but still we cannot live without it. Even more interesting, each of the authors show dust and ash as an end to the raging fire of ambition, which seems quite fitting in truth.

Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust. It is better to burn out than to rust.

NCEA Formal Writing 1.5, Literary Essay

 

The Scottish Play is one crowded with witchcraft, ambition and consuming uncertainty.  Shakespeare makes full use of the conventions of language and theatre through Macbeth’s speech/actions to elucidate to the readers and audiences a world of direst cruelty. Macbeth forgets his morals and religion in the whirlwind of ambition he then suffers the consequences with the deterioration of his mind. The way Shakespeare illustrates this shows the volume of the crimes Macbeth has committed but also adds another dimension of direst cruelty by displaying mental illness.

 

Personification is one of the many language features that Shakespeare uses to convey the intense darkness of the play. In Act one, scene 4 Macbeth says “Stars hide your fires; let light not see my dark and deep desires…”. Macbeth does not want the “powers that be” to see his following actions; they are too completely wicked. This is said though the use of personification and symbolism. Stars are used as a emblem of the “Heavens” so by the means of this passage we can tell Macbeth is speaking to his “God”. He says to the stars to “hide their fires” so they cannot see his damnable ambition, but of course stars can neither hide fires nor see. Using personification in this situation, Shakespeare not only gives the impression that stars represent “God” but also shows the power of the stars; that they can see, and that there will grave consequences when they do. Deeper, the line shows that Macbeth fully believes in God and cares about what will happen to him in the afterlife. Like Macbeth, the original audience of the play Macbeth think “God” as undeniably real. A statement like “Stars hide your fires…” strikes fear and anticipation into the crowd of the 16th century because it shows that the following events are dire enough to send Macbeth to “Hell”.  This line so intensifies the plays submersion in ominous events.

 

“Mine eyes are made the fools o’ th’ other senses”. In Act 2 scene 1, Macbeth sees a dagger, one he cannot touch. This is an example of a theatre technique that reveals the darkness of Macbeth’s mind. He can see a dagger in front  of him, but he does not trust his eyes since he cannot grasp it; “Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.” At this stage he is very unsure if what he is seeing is real or a creation of his deteriorating mind. The dagger “appears” before Macbeth because he is completely consumed by the decision he has to make; to commit treason or not. In the soliloquy Macbeth says “The handle toward my hand?”, which shows he has imagined the dagger as if it is “asking” to be held. He also says “And such an instrument I was to use”, meaning that the dagger is the one he was planning to use when murdering King Duncan. Macbeth is convinced by these two things that he is meant to kill Duncan, that the dagger is a sign. From this he feels that the decision has been made for him, by the ‘dagger of the mind’. Such a theatre technique shows  the true intensity of the events that are about to occur, they induce a character under such heavy strain to conger up a hallucination to decide his fate. This scene further deepens the darkness of The Scottish Play. A character talking to a murder weapon (one meant for the king) that is not in front of him.  It storms the audience with uncertainty of Macbeth’s state of mind, but also, one now knows Macbeth is going to kill the King of Scotland.

 

In Act 2, scene 2, Shakespeare uses a hyperbole to convey Macbeth’s state of mind. Soon after murdering King Duncan, Macbeth says “Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood Clean from my hand?”. Will the whole ocean be able to wash the blood off Macbeth’s hand? The answer to this question is shown through the statement made by Macbeth, “making the green one red”. He feels that if he would try to clean the blood of his hands in the sea the blood would die the entirety of it red. He feels like the blood would never stop running from his hands, and he could never be rid of it. This of course is  extremely far fetched, the blood on someone’s hands obviously could not cause the entire ocean to become red but the imagery created from it makes such an impact. To actually have someone’s blood on one’s hands already represents so much; they are responsible for someone’s death. But to have so much blood on one’s hands that no amount of water could wash it off depicts that there is no way of escaping the guilt. To use a hyperbole in this instance really shows how grim an act of treason is and how it affects Macbeth’s state of mind. From murdering Duncan onwards Macbeth becomes a completely different person. He cannot escape his actions so it begins to define him. This powerful use of language also effects the audience heavily, reading or listening to a line like that provokes an image of gallons and gallons of blood polluting the largest body of water. It gives a sicking feeling. It again builds on  direst cruelty of the Play Macbeth. 

 

Another powerful use of theatre in Macbeth was the Iambic pentameter. Throughout the play Shakespeare uses a pattern of speaking that both makes the lines easier to remember for the actors, but also and more importantly conveys ‘status’. The higher in society a person is in Macbeth, the less likely they will falter the rhythm of the iambic pentameter. For example, the gentlewomen’s lines are; “That, sir, which I will not report after her.” and “Ay, but their sense is shut” where there is no real rhythm recognisable. While, when King Duncan speaks it is always recognisable; “We will establish our estate upon” and “But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine”.  Macbeth is of the highest status in the country for the majority of the play, meaning that the rhythm of his speech should not waver, yet it does. This is noticeable in  Act 5, scene five where Macbeth says his speech that begins with “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow…” Every second line of this has 11 syllables, when they should just have 10. The technique of using the iambic pentameter adds another dimension to the storyline and the idea that Shakespeare want’s to convey: Macbeth’s life is ending. In the speech that Macbeth makes, he talks about days being meaningless, that instead time is measured in syllables: “To the last syllable of recorded time…”. At this point in the play Macbeth has given up, he no longer values life: “Signifying nothing.”, and no longer cares about what will happen to him after he dies: “The way to dusty death.” (dusty signifying that when we die we simply become dust). So now Macbeth does not care about using up his ‘syllables’, he uses one more every second line. The use of the iambic pentameter really shows how Macbeth’s mind has diminished; he is a king and can no longer talk properly. This point in the play is the height of the sickness of Macbeth’s mind. Macbeth’s mind being dark, darkens the whole play and even for some, their view on life.

In the play Macbeth, Shakespeare uses many, many language and theatre techniques to drench the audience in a world of direst cruelty. Examples of this are his use of personification, hallucinations, hyperboles and iambic pentameter. These techniques reach so much further than simply Macbeth’s character or the storyline, it steps over into real life. The techniques relate the play to the world the audience lives in, their religion, their values, oceans and views on life so the darkness of the play is quite influential. Macbeth’s struggle with his mind dimensioning and the ideas his character convey because of it really effects the audience. Sometimes even name of the play inspires darkness in one’s mind, so some cannot even say the name, Macbeth.

 

 

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