Watch me fail my speech and L2 English

should we be able to choose how we die ?

yes- because of terminal illnesses so they should be able to die on their own terms (euthanasia)

no because of the impact it leaves on families and the psychological damage to those affected by the act (suicide)

pro- ‘the compassion argument’. supporters of euthanasia believe that allowing people to ‘die with dignity’ is kinder than forcing them to continue their lives with suffering. Dignity in Dying patron, Sir Patrick Stewart has argued “We have no control over how we arrive in the world but at the end of life we should have control over how we leave it.” Some medical conditions are simply so painful and unnecessarily prolonged that the capability of the medical profession to alleviate suffering by means of palliative care is surpassed. Intractable terminal suffering robs the victims of most of their dignity. In addition, medical science and practice is currently capable of an unprecedented prolongation of human life. It can be a prolongation that too often results in a concomitant prolongation of unnecessary and pointless suffering. Enormous pressure is placed upon both families and the health care system to spend time and very costly resources on patients that have little or no chance of recovery and are irrevocably destined to die. It is, so the argument goes, not inhumane or irreverent to assist such patients – particularly if they clearly and repeatedly so request – to bring their lives to an end.

con- “A suicide is like a pebble in a pond. The waves ripple outward.” The first “waves,” close by, are big, and as they move outward, they get smaller and smaller. The reach of the pebble’s waves is much greater than the size of the pebble itself. when someone takes their own life this leaves a detrimental psychological impact on many people. When someone dies by suicide, the people impacted most dramatically are those closest to the person who died: family, friends, co-workers, classmates. As a result, the people who interacted regularly with the individual who ended their life will miss the physical presence of that person and typically feel the loss most intimately. But, those people represent only the first wave, or the initial level of impact. Those people who are members of an individual’s community, such as members of a faith community; teachers, staff and other students in a school; or service providers, may also be affected by a suicide. Some of these people may feel the impact in a way that feels similar to those closest to the person who has died. In a situation where the individual has struggled openly with mental health concerns, those who knew of the struggle will feel the pain of the loss—likely wondering if they could have done more. People who may not have even personally known the individual who died can also be impacted. Like emergency medical personnel, law enforcement, clergy and others who respond and provide support to the family and community, either at the time of death or afterward.  Ultimately, in the way that a pond is changed because of a pebble, an entire community can be changed by a suicide. According to a 2016 study, it is estimated that 115 people are exposed to a single suicide, with one in five reporting that this experience had a devastating impact or caused a major-life disruption.

Every year in the United States, more than 45,000 people take their own lives. Every one of these deaths leaves an estimated six or more “suicide survivors” — people who’ve lost someone they care about deeply and are left with their grief and struggle to understand why it happened. People who are left with this trauma from losing a loved one can develop many mental illnesses themselves. You may have recurring thoughts of the death and its circumstances, replaying the final moments over and over in an effort to understand — or simply because you can’t get the thoughts out of your head. Some suicide survivors develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an anxiety disorder that can become chronic if not treated. In PTSD, the trauma is involuntarily re-lived in intrusive images that can create anxiety and a tendency to avoid anything that might trigger the memory.

Start of speech——A peaceful passing in your sleep, your mind lost to dementia, stage 4 bowel cancer or the decision to take your own life- these are all things that occur around the world every day. Death. A character from ‘And Then There Were None’, Justice Wargrave found out that he was terminally ill and devised a plan on how to take his own life. He took his life into his own hands and planned out how he would leave this world, on his own terms. This raised the question for me “should we be able to choose how we die?”, and what is morally right? We should be able to choose how we die if we have a terminal illnesses. Many people believe that you certainly should be able to choose how you die, whereas others feel that the severity of the damage of a life ending unnaturally is too hard on those left behind.

What about patients with years of pain and agony, restricted to a hospital bed, left only to watch their life tick by ever so slowly, should they have to suffer? No. People with terminal illnesses have already been told that they have a limited time left to live and this may come attached with endless months or even years of pain and discomfort. Yes, they should be able to choose how they die, should be able to leave this world on their own accord, with the help of euthanasia. This is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease. Supporters of euthanasia believe that allowing people to ‘die with dignity’ is quick, dignified and compassionate, and is kinder than forcing them to continue their lives with suffering. Dignity in Dying patron, Sir Patrick Stewart has argued “We have no control over how we arrive in the world but at the end of life we should have control over how we leave it.” Some medical conditions and terminal illnesses are just so painful and unnecessarily prolonged that people in these situations should be given the option to pass on their own terms, surrounded by loved ones. The word euthanasia comes from the greek language and translates to ‘the good death’, a passing that is up to the patients decision, on terms that are pleasant and peaceful. A Tauranga woman, Esther Richards was diagnosed with the aggressive brain tumour, glioblastoma back in October of 2012. This is a terminal illness and resulted in her having to undergo 7 and a half months of radiation and chemotherapy. The monumental effects that are placed upon the body as an aftermath of chemotherapy and radiation alone very stressful on the body and your mental state. Richards said that knowing that there was a safe and legal option if she needed it would have relieved a huge burden. She also said “we should all have this choice to have a peaceful way out”. A study done on the 11 of September 2000 investigated the attitudes of terminally ill patients towards euthanasia. The results from this investigation found that 73% of all participants believed that euthanasia should be legalised, with existing pain and the individuals right to choose as the major reasons. No-one should have to suffer or endure unnecessary pain, when there could be the option to die with dignity.

But what about people who have lost a loved one to suicide, left with grief and endless questions of what went wrong. Choosing to commit suicide is not a one person act, the grief and trauma that comes crashing down in the aftermath encompasses friends, families, neighbours and communities. Its like a pebble in a pond where the waves ripple outwards. As the pebble drops into the pond the first waves close by are big and powerful, and eventually as they move outward, they get smaller and smaller. The reach of the pebbles waves is much greater than the pebble itself. When someones commits suicide, this leaves a detrimental psychological impact on many people. The first wave encompasses people closest to the loved one- family, friends, coworkers or classmates. These waves and ripples travel further and further out, pulling in more people in to the traumatic aftermath. According to a 2016 study, it is estimated that 115 people are exposed to a single suicide, with one in five reporting that this experience had a devastating impact or caused a major-life disruption. In New Zealand and the world today suicide is one of the leading causes of death. The suicide rate in New Zealand in 2018-2019 was 13.67 deaths per 100,000 people, which means that thousands of more people were “suicide survivors” — people who’ve lost someone they care about deeply and are left with their grief, and struggle to understand why it happened. A New Zealand woman Karen Sykes was left with her life nothing short of an abyss, after the family were exposed to the ripple effects of a series of extraordinary tragedies from 2012 onwards. On March 2012, Karens husband’s 18 year old niece was killed by her friends ex- boyfriend, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan. This effected and took a toll on the whole family, especially having detrimental effects on Ians already fragile mental health. On October 3rd 2015 Karen came home to find her husband dead in the attic- no note, just one missed call. Karen said that her youngest daughter Beth was “like his shadow and that “they were so close”. There family was exposed to so much trauma in such a short amount of time and it didn’t just stop there. In April 2016 they found Beth dead, just like Ian- no note, no explanation. Karen was left with questions, in confusion saying “She wanted to see the world, get married, have children. It makes no sense.” In less than 4 years Karen Sykes lost two of the most important people in her life, leaving her devastated, alone, mental health crumbling. She was then diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in 2017 and underwent a psychotherapy treatment. she said to the GP “I don’t need medication- i’m not depressed, I’m heartbroken”. No-one should have to endure the pain and anguish that Karen Sykes is now left with permanently, a deep scar of loss and devastation that will last forever.

So, should we be able to choose how we die? should we be given that power right at our fingertips? Yes and no. I believe that no-one should have to go through unnecessary pain and suffering and that people with terminal illnesses should be given that option if they want it. But I think that options like euthanasia should just be provided to terminally ill patients who have legitimate reasons and wishes to want a painless and dignified death. There needs to be certain procedures and methods that are taken to decide who is eligible for this. We need to be absolutely certain as this decision, this choice, is irreversible. I think that this should be the only exception as the catastrophic psychological affects to mental health and the dark, empty hole you are left with after losing a loved one to suicide is is something no-one should have to suffer through. some people c it this way, some people c it this way… so now I leave it up to you, should we be able to choose how we die? and to what extent does this go to?

The ice twins the book

The book The ice twins, written by S.K Tremayne is a very moving and powerful story that had me guessing and asking myself many questions throughout. It follows the story of a ‘perfect family’ who’s worlds are flipped upside down when one of their beloved twins falls of the balcony, and the 6 year old died. This story tells of how trauma affects families and communities and how justice is seeked when the truth is needed.

After 6 year old twin Lydia falls of the balcony at Sarahs grandparents house and dies, the lives of Sarah, Angus and Kirstie Moorcraft are changed instantly and dramatically. Sarah believed they constituted a perfect family as she had been exposed to plenty of dysfunctional family stories throughout her career. Their perfect family was instantly torn apart where they were left crumbling under the pain and loss. Traumas so severe as death cause detrimental affects on a persons mental and physical states. These effects are most often negative and take a dramatic effect on someones well-being. For Sarah Moorcraft this put her in a state of deep depression, and Angus to become very unstable, causing him to lose his job as a result of hitting his boss. For all of them, there are too many painful memories attached to the house and the town, so one year later they take their surviving daughter Kirsty to a Scottish island in the middle of nowhere. Trauma and death is something that effects every person different but takes a toll on a persons haoura no matter what. This novel taught me a lot about trauma, death and the affects it has on people, as I had never really experienced something like that until my cat passed away in May this year. For some people losing a pet, a cat, seems like a joke, but for me I had grown up with sox ever since I moved to Wanaka when I was 5 up until 6 days before my 17th birthday. I remember coming back from Nepal after being away for a month and coming home where my dad told me ‘we no longer have a Sox’. At this instant I knew what it was like to lose someone who meant so much as I instantly broke down, something that had never happened before. After reflecting on this moment I understand the significance of losing someone important to you, where the pain never goes away, you just eventually learn how to cope with it that little bit more. For Sarah and Angus Moorcraft they lost a daughter, a child who meant so much to them, where now they are left with the scar of pain that will last a lifetime.

The novel takes a dramatic turn when just before they get ready to move, Kirsty announces that she is actually Lydia. “Why do you keep calling me Kirsty, Mummy? Kirsty is dead. It was Kirstie that died. I’m Lydia”. Hearing the words that you could have gotten the wrong twin who died brought all repressed trauma crashing back down on Sarah and Angus. At this instant I can imagine that a thousand questions would be racing through their minds like ‘did we get it wrong?’, ‘what is she saying?’, ‘how could this have happened?’, ‘she must be making this up, right?’. At this moment a need for the truth comes about, where Sarah needs justice for not only herself but for the daughter that died. Justice is defined as “the quality of being just; righteousness, equitableness, or moral rightness”. Knowing which one of your twin daughters is something you must know, something that must have justice brought to it, for your own peace of mind and for the sake of both daughters.

“It’s not so much my own death that is intolerable, it’s the death of those around me. Because I love them. And part of me dies with them. Therefore all love, if you like, is a form of suicide.” This quote from The Ice Twins highlights to me how powerful love is, where the death of a loved one can feel like the death of yourself. These emotions are so powerful that traumatic events like this can have a lasting impact on your life. Its almost as if when you lose someone you love, you lose a part of yourself with it. I think this links to the justice you would want from the loved one you lost.

Analyse how the audience was encouraged to hate or love a particular character

About Jerry Lundegarrd how we are encouraged to hate him through the use of language features.

One shot, digetic sound (accent) and low angle.

intro- How someone acts and their personality traits, tell you a lot about a person, whether you are going to like them or dislike them. whenever you watch a movie or read a book, you subconsciously form your opinion about that character from what you hear about them. In the movie Fargo, written by the Coen Brothers, Jerry is a key character who the audience is encouraged to hate. From the use of language features such as a one shot, diegetic sound, and close ups, they all help to portray the idea that Jerry is a bad person and that the audience should hate him.

S- Throughout the movie, the repetitive use of a close up on Jerry’s face shows his selfishness, as his face is the only thing seen in the shot. E- A close up portrays and emphasises the emotional state of a character, and for Jerry he is constantly seen in a close up. His emotions are numerously seen as confused, anxious and panicked, where his selfish desire for more than he needs has driven him into pushing the important things and people out of his life. Family and friends are something that everyone needs, something that is depended on, but Jerry has pushed them aside, forgetting what is really important in life. From watching the movie we already get the impression that he is selfish, from how he puts his wives life in danger in order to scam her father of his money. These close up shots jut solidify this message to the audience of his selfishness and create the impression that he is a character to be disliked. X- One of the many close up shots we see of Jerry is in the opening scene at the bar. In this scene alone there are multiple close up shots on Jerrys face that depict his emotions, as already his plan is beginning to have flaws. Even right at this moment in the movie, before we have even gotten to know Jerry, we know he is a selfish and self-centred character due to the abundance of these close up shots. Y-To be selfish generally refers to paying too much attention to your own wants, needs and well being, and not enough attention to others. It is generally a personality trait that has many negative connotations attached to it, and one that most people don’t want. Someone that I see as selfish who is also a public figure that a significant number of people hate or strongly dislike is Donald Trump. I find he is constantly putting his own wants and ideals before thinking of the wellbeing of America and the rest of the world. His anti immigration policies are absolutely appalling where he is solely thinking about the benefit of himself and not about the lives of the hundreds of thousands of innocent immigrants who are just in search of a better life. Selfish people let the needs and wants of themselves overpower what is morally right, and leads to a natural dislike of this person because of their personality.

Jesus Walks by Kanye West

Jesus Walks, by Kanye West, explains his feelings of religion and talks about society, racism and war with ourselves. He compares his opinions and feelings to that of society’s perspective. This song holds a powerful meaning about the struggles and challenges that Kanye and African-Americans have faced and really got me thinking about society and and the stereotypes in our world today.

At the start of the song he says “We at war. We at war with terrorism, racism. But most of all we at war with ourselves”. From the use of the term ‘war’ this declares that Kanye believes we are all apart of it and all at war. People are constantly at war with their environment and others, but he believes that the root of all conflict lies internally. For me this suggests he is in a war of racism and inferiority. His reference to terrorism suggests that he is rapping during the time of George W. Bush’s presidency, where his time in office was characterised by the international War on Terror. The song itself is called ‘Jesus Walks’ which is suggesting that God is an invisible but very powerful being who is everywhere and therefore walks among us even if we do not yet realise it.

This song talks about the white supremacy that is present in our world in the past and still today. “Getting choked by detectives, yeah, yeah, now check the method. They be asking us questions, harass and arrest us” Kanye makes references and draws attention to to the aggressive and atrocious interrogation methods that the police use against African-Americans in order for them to confess to crimes they didn’t do. Because of skin colour and ethnicity, white sumpremicists such as those in the police force believe that African-Americans are the root of crime, which is a racist, pregadicial idea that it backed up with no facts but only hate. Even after all this hate and the racial comments they receive, they do not back down but put up a fight in order to get justice for themselves and change the past to hope to move forward in a united and culturally diverse future. “We ain’t going nowhere but got suits and cases”. For African-Americans in this context, suits refers to lawsuits as they traditionally have a much harder time dealing with the court system. Cases is talking about how when black men die, quite often due to gun violence, their corpses are suited up and placed in coffins (cold cases). The words suits and cases for African-Americans has far least pleasant connotations attached to it than for white people. This song really made me reflect and think about how white supremacy is still present a lot today an how we still have a long way to go before we have a world filled with equality. White supremacists dream of a world in which minorities are either silenced or nonexistent, where the white people are superior and have dominance. Personally this never really fully occurred to me as a large percentage of Wanaka is white with very little range in ethnicities. We live in a secluded part of the world, sheltered away from many negative aspects of our world. This song highlights to me the strength that the African-Americans have, where it isn’t just going to take a racist comment to knock them down. They are determined and head strong strong, driven by the need for justice for themselves.

Justice comes from a need to make something right, and in this case living in a world filled with equality is something that everyone is entitled to. Religion plays a large part in this song as back when this song was written, you were shamed and seen as inferior depending on what religion you followed. For Kanye, he needed Jesus like school needed teachers. It seemed perfectly normal for a song to be about guns, sex or lies, but a song about god was weird, especially for a rapper. in this aspect, I believe we have come a long way with religions where everyones religions and beliefs are accepted where I live. I know this may not be the case in other countries as we are very cut off from the rest of the world. I can’t relate and compare my experiences with theirs but this song has opened my eyes up to what really goes in our world beneath our feet.

Changes by Tu Pac

The song Changes, by Tu Pac is all about justice. This song represents the various injustices and challenges that African-Americans have to go through on a daily basis. He skillfully writes impressive verses that highlight the main issues faced by African-Americans such as skin colour, poverty, racism, and crime, and how they are all interlinked. This song touches on the complexity of social issues and about much of a struggle it is for things to get better and for equality and justice to be achieved.

Even in the very first line of the song, Tupac says “I see no changes”. This refers to now and makes me think that even after the Civil Rights Movement that happened in the 1950’s and 1960’s that nothings changed. The monumental changes that were meant to occur in the USA such as equality, social justice, and the abolishment of poverty and racism did not occur as expected. Many problems that affected the African-American population before the movement were still present when he recorded the song back in 1992. He relates poverty to the colour of his skin when he says “I’m tired of being poor and, even worse, I’m black”. This suggests that he believes these issues are related to each other where the colour of his skin has effects on his and all of the African-Americas financial situations, and limits them from jobs and privileges a white person would receive. This causes a domino effect where then poverty affects crime when he says- “My stomach hurts, so I’m looking for a purse to snatch”. Because of a lack in money and just basic human rights, he highlights that this leads to turning to crime. This chain reaction starts from the racism and inferiority received because of skin colour in America in the 1900’s. “Cops give a damn about a negro. Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he’s a hero”- this highlights to me the fact about racism and that police violence is a racial issue. In the USA today it is still three times more likely for the police to kill an African American than a white American. All of the lyrics in this song hold very powerful messages that are all too real things African-Americas have grown up with and experienced. Hearing this makes me sad that this is what goes on in our world still today. This makes me realise that still even today, the world is far from equality.

The song suggests and shows me that he wants justice for himself and all of the African-Americans who are seen as inferior because of their ethnicity and skin colour. “I got love for my brother, But we can never go nowhere unless we share with each other. We gotta start making changes”- He is determined to change this cycle of racism and hate by ‘making changes’. This change starts with the people, where if they plan to resolve the hatred, then there must be ‘changes’ first. This need for justice comes from an inequality between the people and a drive to make these things right. At one point Tupac and the African-American people believed and had hope that the Civil rights movement would bring about change and better their lives. It ended the violence of segregation but failed to diminish the violence of poverty, leaving them in disappointment. After hearing this song and how African-Americans were and still are treated this made me realise that from living in Wanaka, quite a privileged town, I have been trapped inside this bubble of a perfect world. From living here, I am not exposed to the harsh reality and cruel things that go on in our world. Even though I live in a very safe part of the world, this is not the same as everywhere else, and I am gifted many privileges that others don’t have. This makes me feel very grateful for what I have and where I live, where I know I should not take advantage of these things. After listening to this song it made me question if things like this went on in New Zealand and why things like this happen. I believe in the equality of all people no matter their race, skin colour, ethnicity and sexuality.

This song is still very relevant today as 27 years onwards, these issues are still faced by African-Americans in many aspects of their lives. This change can not occur unless they band together, in order to change these labels that have been wrongly given to them.

Pathos

Pathos is the appeal to emotion

This means to use specific language that stirs emotions in your audience. figurative language techniques and anecdotes are particularly effective means of this.

pathos can be extremely powerful when used well, however a speech built entirely on pathos is rarely successful. playing off of your audiences emotions will allow them to connect with you but it can also become manipulative if used too often

Murder on the orient express the movie

The murder on the orient express, originally written as a book by Agatha Christie is a very intricately constructed movie that had a good story line but personally I found it very hard to follow and I was not fully captivated by it the whole time. I think this movie is aimed towards a slightly older audience because of the time period it is set in and where it is set. Soon into watching the movie, I formed quite strong opinions about certain characters and felt like I was a part of the movie, solving the crime. The movie, murder on the orient express is a crime and detective movie which lends itself perfectly to portraying the theme of justice. Where there is a crime there is also a need for this crime to be resolved and a culprit to be named, bringing justice to the case.

Hercule Poirot is the private detective and retired police officer who happens to be on the orient express when Ratchett is mysteriously murdered after the train is stopped by an avalanche on the tracks. Poirot knows as soon as he hops on the train that there is something odd about some of the passengers onboard. For example Mary Debenham and Colonel Arbuthnot act as though they are complete strangers but certain behaviour suggests this is not actually the case from the way they act. Aboard the train is the most unusual assortment of guests where after the train comes to a stop and the murder has occurred, the true personalities of the characters are revealed.

Poirot is one of the worlds best detectors who sees things as it should be, sees things that other people don’t. He brings justice to the truth and makes it his job to uncover the culprit behind every crime he comes across. The murder that occurs on the orient express is unlike any he has seen before, where finding the criminal is a lot easier said than done. Ratchett was described as an evil character who had committed a monstrous crime himself, where the justice system had failed and he had gotten away. His gang and him kidnapped Daisy Armstrong, a three year old girl, where they collected the ransom from the wealthy family and then killed the girl anyway. He was most definitely guilty but was acquitted on some technical inaccuracy, leaving him to go free and not paying for what he did. Because of such a disregard to the traditional justice system and Ratchett walking free, he no doubt had many enemies that wanted him dead. The clues Poirot finds just don’t quite add up, something is different about this murder. He soon reveals the true identities behind some of the passengers and comes to two possible conclusions- either a stranger entered the train at Vincovci and killed Ratchett or that all of the passengers aboard the Orient Express were involved with the murder. Mrs Hubbard who is actually the grandma of Daisy Armstrong reveals that the second conclusion is correct. At this moment I was able to get a better understanding of the movie as a whole and made a very strong connection between the movie and the theme of justice.

Justice comes in many shapes and forms and in Murder on the Orient Express the certainty of guilt that Ratchett has is just one precondition for justice. When Poirot was revealing the results of his investigation he stated “A jury is composed of twelve people, there were twelve passengers, Ratchett was stabbed twelve times. Later on it was also revealed by Mrs Hubbard that “Colonel Arbuthnot was very keen on having twelve of us”. This was done strategically to give the murder the appearance of justice. The ordinary course of justice works by spreading out the punishment of guilt over multiple people, where a jury composed of multiple people ensures that not one person carries a burden to heavy for sitting in judgement over another person. When each member stabbed Ratchett, guilt was diffused in a similar way, where the spreading out of the crime allowed the burden to not be dropped on only one person. Mrs Hubbard (Linda Arden) said “Society had condemned him, we were only carrying out the sentence”. This suggests that he was already sentenced and dead to society, and that they just carried out what society aimed but failed to do. Ratchett was also drugged before the stabbings begun so they themselves would never know which blow actually killed him. From this, it brings it back to the act of an impersonal judgement from society where he is killed by everyone, but no-one individually.

The movie concludes with Poirot settling on the first outcome- the story or a murderer who got away. Even though Poirot is a detective, his choice not to incriminate the passengers acknowledges that justice has the same principles whether it is pursued inside or outside of the courtroom. For me, this movie is completely centred around the theme of justice as all of the passengers onboard the Orient Express get justice for Daisy Armstrong and the family, as well as Poirot solving the case. This shows to me how people band together when it really matters. They all shared some sort of connection to Daisy Armstrong and joined forces in order to bring justice to the little girl.

The girl with the dragon tattoo the book

The girl with the dragon tattoo written by Steig Larsson is a very powerful novel that is slowly uncovered and more secrets are revealed as the story progresses. For me the first 150 pages more or less were very confusing as I was still getting to know the characters and being introduced to them. This caused me to be not as focussed when reading as the story didn’t really seem to flow for me as it constantly changed between the perspectives of Mikael Blomkist and Lisbeth Salander. At this point in the book I especially did not know much about the character of Lisbeth Salander and what she had to do with the story and plot. Mikael Blomkist was the lead writer of millenium which is a big magazine company, until he gets slammed for libel and defamation of financer Hans-Erik Wennerstrom and faces prison time. Blomkist is a character that I see change immensely as the novel progresses, where at the start he is only persuaded to take on Henrik Vanger’s crazy assignment because of the reward of top secret information that he would receive at the end of his one year deal. He took the deal in an attempt that the information he would receive could help save his reputation and career. This instantly showed to me that he was shallow and just wanted to save himself, so the rest of the world would no longer see him as a disappointment and convict. However, as he begins his investigation and gets to know the people of Hedestad and his new investigative partner, Salander, he becomes more invested in the job at hand. It becomes not only about solving the case but about bringing justice to this girl and for Henriks sake.

The whole Vanger family represents a family of corruption and fake relationships. They are the owners of one of the biggest corporations in all of Sweden where a majority of their family has been overpowered by money and status, where they don’t represent any sort of normal family. When I think of the world family I think of love and support, a tight knit group of people that are always looking out for each other. This is not the case in the Vanger family as it is a family falling apart with certain characters that are depicted as very nasty people. 

The disappearance of Harriet Vanger is something that Henrik Vanger has spent his whole life pondering, wondering what happened to that teenage girl and why no one knows. When he hired Blomkist for this near impossible task he was reaching for once last chance to find the truth, and write a family chronicle while he was at it to keep the rest of the family at bay. This task seemed like a complete waste of time as no cop or special investigator had ever cracked the case or even got anywhere close to a lead. Blomkist slowly begins to uncover the most intricate of details that noone has ever noticed and begins piecing together a puzzle that gets weirder by the second. As the book progresses, the case hits the big turning point- Martin Vanger and his father, Gottfried Vanger are behind all of the murders over the past 30 years. Before this point I didn’t really have any opinion on Martin, just that he was the odd workaholic brother who no longer had a sister. At the instant I found out who Martin Vanger actually was I was disgusted and appalled by his character and morals. He was a disgusting, misogynistic woman predator who found pleasure and enjoyment in torturing and eventually killing vulnerable girls. “I’m more of a serial rapist than a serial murderer. […] most of all, I’m a serial kidnapper. The killing is a natural consequence – so to speak – because I have to hide my crime.” This to me shows how he objectified vulnerable women and saw them as toys to play with.

This really highlighted to me the fact about gender inequality and the objectification of women that is still going on today. Equality is a type of distributive justice which is concerned with giving all members of society a ‘fair share’ of the benefits and resources available. It is something that should not even have to be thought about and should just be done. “I think you’re wrong. It’s not an insane serial killer who read his bible wrong. It’s just a common or garden bastard who hates women”. This quote by Salander reveals her deeply held belief in the importance of personal accountability. Martin violence against women was a deliberate choice and because of that She punishes those who hate women with no regret and a sense of justification for doing so. Too often men are seen as the superior race where they are gifted many advantages in jobs, the pay they receive and how they are seen by other people. The fact is that women and men can do a job to the exact same standard where women should not be restricted to what they can and can’t do according to men. This superiority and dominance that is associated with men leads on to the idea of sexual objectification. Martin Vanger is a sadistic, sexual predator who objectified and took advantage of foreign women with no connections in sweden to feed his own psychotic mind. This to me highlights and makes me really think about how we still have a long way to go before full gender equality around the world. Currently iceland is the only country in the world that has made the gender pay gap illegal where the new law requires companies to prove that they pay men and women equal, for equal work. When Blomkist found out what Martin and his father did to all of those poor girls and Harriet he was determined to tell the world and publish his findings- to bring justice to the situation. Henrik Vanger however, was very against this idea and pulled the pin on the family chronicle and the information promised to Blomkist. This showed me something about Henriks character- he was more like the other self centred Vangers than I thought. Blomkist had been fighting all year to get justice for Harriet but it became more than that when the extent to Martin and his father’s crimes were revealed. Many dozens of innocent woman had been brutally killed over the time period of roughly 40 years, with none of them being solved. He chose vulnerable women- prostitutes, immigrants, women with drug problems and those whose families wouldn’t notice them gone or wouldn’t have the means to pursue an investigation. It now not only became about justice for Harriet but justice for the dozens of women and their families and friends who have not a single clue to what happened to their loved ones apart from they were brutally murdered. For Blomkist to hear that he can’t publish his findings went against every moral he had, where he knew what happened to the lives of many but was not able to even tell their families. A need for justice comes when something needs to be put right but not being able to bring justice to something so important and corrupt breaks everyones morals.

This novel constantly surprised me at many instances throughout and kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. Throughout the whole novel I assumed that Harriet was dead and it wasn’t until Blomkist turned up in Australia on a ranch looking a lady by the name of Anita that the truth was uncovered. This was the point in the novel where as everyone assumed harriet Vanger was dead it is brought to light that in fact she has not and she fled in an attempt to get away from her family and save herself. I was shocked and overwhelmed by how the whole story fit together in such an intricate puzzle-like manner. It was never predictable which is what I really enjoyed about it and it got me thinking about the whole scenario and even making my own guesses about what really happened to Harriet and who was involved. After reading the girl with the dragon tattoo I am left wanting more, feeling the need to continue reading on to the other books in the series. I felt as if I began to be in the novel and gained strong connections with the characters, where I began also feeling the need to get justice for the murdered women and their families just so they could at least know what happened to their loved ones.

Fahrenheit 451

I enjoyed the movie Fahrenheit 451 quite a lot as it had a very good concept and an interesting story line behind it. Even though I enjoyed the movie, it made me angry at certain characters throughout. In the world they live in, all books and written material are banned and forbidden, where if someone is found in possession with them, the books are burnt and the person’s memory is erased. The government within the American population is scared about the safety of America, and out of fear drug the country with ‘eye drops’, place cameras in every room and convince the people of America that books cause insanity. The main character Montag has grown up knowing that books are bad and that a fireman’s job is to burn books, not put out fires. “Really, your uncle is right, you are light in the head. Put fires out? who told you that?” Montag has grown up knowing books are bad, and finds it absurd that firefighters ell job is actually to put out fires. The producer, David Coatsworth has portrayed the main character Montag very well in my opinion. He comes across to me as someone who fits in but has not yet conformed like the rest of the society has in a robotic manner. Where of all the other firefighters accept and defend the idea that books must be destroyed, Montag questions why this is and why the rebels try so hard to protect books. “Tell me, why do you burn books”. Clarisse says this to Montag out of curiosity for why would he do it? thats just all he has known where is a sheep following the rest of the sheep, listening to what is apparently ‘right’. Montag’s mentor, Beatty is a character that constantly infuriates me throughout the movie. He has so much authority and power over the people, where he is obnoxious and self absorbed, putting on the hero act to the people and then being a rebel behind the scenes. His character portrays what people will go through in order to keep their ‘perfect’ image, where looking good comes morally before doing what’s right. 

The rebels themselves are generally from the older generations and are seen through the movie as if they are poor or inferior. This idea of inferiority is shown by having them dressed in tatty clothing and living in shady neighbourhoods, which therefore strengthens the key idea that books are dangerous and bad. These ‘rebels’ know something that the rest of America don’t which is why they would put their lives on the line to bring justice to books and all that they have to share with the world. The rebels represent a group of people who believe in what is morally right and will do what it takes, even risking their lives to save the lives of written knowledge. Justice is defined as just behaviour or treatment, where for these people they must save the lives of written knowledge. When Beatty and his team raid an old house out of the city they find one of the biggest stash of books in all of history. At the house is a lady sitting on a chair reading a book, totally mesmerised by the words on the page and not by the recent intruders. She had such a connection to these books that when they set the place of fire she was burnt to the ground with the books as well. Even from this scene it is clear to see that the majority of America is obviously drugged and delusional, because why would someone be willing to die over something unless it was for such an important reason?

Justice comes in all forms, but throughout the movie fahrenheit 451 it comes in bringing justice to literature and to those from the older generations or those who know the truth. They believe it in them that the rest of the world should know and experience what they do. Through this dystopian movie it shows how higher authorities are driven by fear and uncertainty, where the need for absolute control over a country comes into play. Justice in the movie is all about bringing fairness and truth to the people of America, to show what books are really for and what the government is actually doing.

Something I found very interesting about the movie was the technology used and the thoughts I took away after watching the movie. Their whole world is on the screens, where everything is live-  every footstep, word, search- all broadcasted and followed. For Montag, his whole life is being watched, where people love heart react and thumbs up what he does in his day to day routine. When he begins to question whether what he is actually doing is right he takes a stand by helping out Clarisse and the rest of the rebels to do what he knows is right. Soon after, Beatty knows something is up- that he is helping the rebels, snuck a tracking device and has been reading books. Beatty always seemed to be loyal to Montag but turns his back of him, by planting thousands of books in his house and arresting him while the whole event is broadcast to America. This moment highlights to me the fakeness of Beatty’s character where he was able to turn his back so easily on his best man, letting the idea of his reputation come over genuine connections. His ‘likes’ and ‘reactions’ dramatically plummet with now angry reacts, sad reacts and thumbs down. These ‘reacts’ and emojis portray the element of social media and what effect it has on a society. Fahrenheit 451 is warning it’s watchers of the scary possibility of what could come of social media, where it could transform generations to become a society with no genuine connections, no distinctive thoughts and an excessive reliance on technology. Ray Bradbury’s message from creating this movie is that he wants readers to understand the importance of reading and thinking. One of his quotes that relates very well to the movie is “You don’t have to destroy books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them”. Social media has had an already monumental affect on our society today as of the alarming rates of cyber bulling leading to exceptionally high suicide rates in New Zealand as a country. Too often people turn to social media as the easy way out, where things are said and done that would never even have been thought of being done in face to face interaction. This movie takes an all to real twist on what social media can do to a society. Social media no doubt plays a big part in my life today. I’m all for snapchat and instagram but I can agree that these platforms are both very distracting and influential. Something really interesting that Instagram has done recently is make it so that only you can see how many likes your photo gets. This is trying to take away all the insecurities and ideas around likes, where now you can just focus on what you want to post without being judged on how many likes you are getting. I think this is a really good thing to do as it is a step back from stereotypical social media traits, where no judgement comes from it. This makes it more personal where it is just about sharing your memories with your friends.

Fahrenheit 451 was a movie I really enjoyed that I thought was very relevant to me as social media plays a big part of everyones lives today. It highlighted the importance of books and what it means to bring justice to something so important and necessary.


Creative writing woooooo

Statement of intent- I am writing this creative writing piece about a day up the ski field, Treble Cone. It is a mountain that I have been going to from a very young age, where I look forward to getting up there every weekend and skiing from sunrise until closing. I want my reader to feel as though they are up the mountain, experiencing the whole scene. I want to paint the scene by using the five senses as well as figurative language to create a rich description of my scene. The passing of time is shown through the use of the sun and the descriptions behind it as the long eventful day slowly comes to an end.

It is winter, a crisp morning in the mountains, as the wary sun peeks up over the sugar-coated hills. It is god peering down on the world below. A blanket of white, hugs the undulating landscape creating a fresh canvas ready to be painted. Shrubs and pines shake off the morning frost, infusing the air with the sharp, sensual scent of a raw winter. Trails of cars play follow the leader up the treacherous, iced roads, winding their way up to the bejewelled peaks, crowned with headdresses of ice and snow.

Listen. It is the morning call from the keas chiming through the cutting, crisp air, leaving frozen notes hanging in the mist, holding on to the harmonic melody. It is an arctic breeze whistling and dancing over the hills, prancing and twirling as the everlasting winds swirl the snow like the white sea foam. The graceful flakes flutter around merrily, until finally venturing to the ground, with a delicate landing into the abundance of snow. The sound of excited children chattering and laughing is whisked through the frost-bitten air as they rug up in their winter attire, in an attempt to block out the bone biting chills.

It is Saturday morning. The thin, golden beams of light streak the surface as the sun curiously extends its arms over the mountains, reaching out to touch the slopes below. Infinite light floods the landscape as brave skiers and snowboarders brace the brisk conditions, preparing to explore the undiscovered terrain. Clusters of families wait eagerly in anticipation, queuing to embark on the rickety lift, lugging its way to the top. Bulging, velvet clouds scatter the sky, moving rhythmically with the sound of the wind, as they attempt to scare off the fearless, beaming sun. Skis and snowboards carve intricate drawings into the fresh canvas of the rugged mountain face, creating a mind map of the mountains. The over confident skiers seek fresh lines, hunting for unscathed valleys and hills, glazed in the snow from an eternal winter. “Come on, we HAVE to go down here”, the lead skier exclaims, overflowing with adventure and thrill as he points his fluorescent orange pole in the direction of an abrupt, grand valley, running for eternity. Craggy, broken rocks with points and edges as sharp as piranha teeth jut out of the mountainside, creating a perilous minefield to be avoided at all costs. The skiers, awakened with energy and passion, take the first cautious turns down the exhilarating slope. The race begins- a stampede of snowballs hurtle down the course, hunting down the skiers in an attempt to win. A raw, spine tingling breeze is channeled down the valley, closely following the keen skiers, whipping up snow in all directions. Tornados and spirals of fresh snow form a whirlwind of frosted flakes, morphing the freshly skied terrain.

Look. slow and steady, the meandering stream winds its way cautiously through the rolling countryside, marking a clear, curvaceous path for the lost adventurers to follow. It is a dark abyss, the once courageous sun now shying away, cowering, to hide behind the safety of the mountains. Bit by bit but ever so slyly the dark, omniscient figure crawls deeper down the valley, consuming all in its path. Darkness is approaching. Shaky footprints engraved in the landscape stagger further up the crusted face, beckoning the explorers to follow. Wary glances all around are all it takes to start the climb, panting and heaving as the top looms further and further away. Clouds tumble over the sugar capped peaks, flooding the sky and draining the colour from the freshly painted canvas. The beacon on the horizon flickers faintly, losing strength as the darkness scares the light away, like a fierce cat chasing a petrified mouse.

And soon you will be standing gasping frantically, yearning for that crisp, biting air to flood in to your lungs. The climb is over. Exhausted and limp, the sun makes its final appearance filling the zesty orange hued sky with an ambient glow. It sluggishly retreats, closing its eyes for the night and waving a final goodbye  to the remaining stragglers. Your senses will be exhilarated, bursting with desire and passion as the late afternoon breeze whisks the delectable, spicy aromas of the butter chicken pies and waffle fries through the surrounding landscape. Taste buds tingle and hairs stand on end, shivering in excitement. Those distant yet comforting memories of being wrapped up in the marroon velvety blanket by the intimate fire surge through your mind, as the last bite thaws you from the inside out.