Student Blogging Challenge: Week 2 – Activity 5: Visit other student or class blogs & Write a post on your blog

One of the aims for the Student Blogging Challenge is to actually get students from around the world to visit each others’ blogs and communicate; to make connections and friendships! So, naturally, one of the criteria and activities for the Student Blogging Challenge was to go and visit other people’s blogs and leave comments.

I’ve visited quite a few blogs. My plan was to post a comment and leave the page open so I could still see it, then come back, copy it, and include it in this post. Unfortunately, things rarely like to go according to plan. My computer crashed before I could copy all of the comments, so I only managed to save a few.

Although, ‘some’ is better than ‘none’! Below are a few comments that I have left on people’s blogs:

On Ingrid’s post, Harmony:

Hey Ingrid,
Your writing is really beautiful! I love your use of adjectives and description. It has a beautiful ‘flowing’ vibe to it!
I play/am teaching myself a bit of piano, but I don’t get much time to practice. I’ve always loved listening to flutes though. If I had been in a larger school a few years ago perhaps I would have taken up lessons!
You visited my blog a while ago and left a lovely comment. I left a reply on my post:https://9grace.edublogs.org/2016/09/07/lets-take-a-break/
I hope you continue visiting my blog, and we can keep talking!
Yours faithfully,
Grace

On Parker’s post, Braiding:

Hey Parker!
I love this post. I think it’s a really cool idea! I love braiding, I will often braid my friends’ hair at school at lunch time. My favourite braid to do in other people’s hair is a zipper braid, it looks extremely complicated but is actually quite simple. Here is a youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TEBfvmH2f0
You visited my blog before and asked me about places to see in Australia. I left a reply on my post:https://9grace.edublogs.org/2016/08/11/travel/
I hope we can keep chatting!
Yours faithfully
Grace

And on Jahaira’s post, What are you really learning at School?:

Hi Jahaira,
My name is Grace. I really like your post. I’ve pondered this subject many times myself and I think we have similar opinions towards it. I wrote a similar post myself for Blog Action Day, I’d love for you to check it out:https://9grace.edublogs.org/2016/10/20/what-were-taught/
Oh, I’d also like to ask; if you could, how would you improve/alter the school system?
Yours faithfully,
Grace

Ah, yeah, there are some of my comments. I’ve really liked each of the posts that I’ve commented on, so I urge you all to check out the blogs listed above.

Yours faithfully,

Grace

What We’re Taught

Student Blogging Challenge – Special: Blog Action Day (BAD 2016)

The Blog Action Day occurs annually on October 16th. Since this is the first time I have ever competed in the student blogging challenge, this is the first time I have ever heard about it. Usually, there is a specific topic that bloggers are asked the write about, but this year is different. We have simply been asked to write about something we are passionate about, and that we wish to see changed or improved.

I, as an individual, am extremely passionate about many, many things. So, I would like to write about something that has only recently come to the front of my attention; what we are taught at school.

Okay, I know this probably sounds bad, but hear me out on this one. From the moment we can walk and talk, we are sent to school. Actually, it is a requirement of law that every child/youth attends school until they approach the age of 18, or until they have a full-time job. Even then, most schools won’t let you drop out until you complete year 10. So, for the first 12 to 14 years of our lives, for at least 200 days out of a year, we are sent to ‘learn’.

Now, that is not my problem. I am mostly fine with the amount of time we spend at school. It is the content that we absorb there that I have an issue with. If we think about it, kindy, pre-primary and year 1 are spent learning to read, write and count. That is all well and good, all are things that we are going to use throughout the rest of our lives. From then on we are taught a bit more content. Things get harder, and we are introduced to concepts such as science and history. We do some research projects on things we might never re-visit again in our lives. We are told to be unique but are taught the same way as everybody else when, in fact, not everyone learns the same way. We are taught how to pass tests. 

Then, when we get to High School, we are taught much of the same stuff, only harder again. By the time people, students, youth, are in high school, most have some  kind of idea of who  they are and what they like. Many want to try new things and find out what they are really  good at.

In my time at High School, I’ve revisited subjects time and time again to go over harder concepts. Much of the stuff that we learn, we might never use again in our lives, ever, unless we go into a specific field as a career. I’ve also been told a lot of things, as I know many of my classmates might have also been told. Things like:

“You can’t be successful if you don’t get a job and make money”

“You will never get a job if you do not do well at everything

“Art is not a Career”

“Doing what you love will never get you anywhere, only hard work”

“You can never be happy if you are not successful at work”

We/I might not have been told these things directly, but this is what I have been hearing and feeling. However, I don’t agree with the statements above.

A success is not measured by how much money you make. How ludicrous is that! I believe a success is something that you class as an achievement, and that makes you happy! For example, recently I put my hand up to be project coordinator for the Kalbarri Comedy Crew. I had to write a grant, I had to write scripts, I had to coordinate meetings and people, I had to sacrifice my own time, I had to do some extraordinary things; things I never thought I would do at 14. I put a whole lot of work and extra hours into that project, and it all paid off! The best part of it though is that every moment of it, I enjoyed. At the end, when it was all over, I was happy. I made absolutely no money out of this project and put in more than $500 of voluntary work in for it. But to me, the project, the responses, the whole thing, it was all a massive success!

I am not good at everything. I LOVE the arts, and if I most definitely can make a career out of that. Over the past three years, I have proven that to myself more than ever. I will not longer let anyone tell me that it is not a career, nor that it will never get me anywhere. I have done some amazing things through art. I have met the most beautiful and inspirational people. I have learned so many new things, and I have discovered so many new pathways. I am successful, and I am happy!

My point is, alongside our education, we are told that we can only be successful if we are a certain way. That there are only so many options for a career. But that is not true. What I want to see being taught at schools is a proper career education! Things like running a comedy business, being an Aerial Performer, a puppeteer, they are all ‘jobs’! Blowing stuff up, or discovering new fish species can make you money. Doing things that you love can bring you success!

I want to see gifts being nurtured, rather than being disregarded. Someone writes brilliant stories? Nurture that. A girl struggles with math but, can figure skate like no one else? Nurture that. A person does exceptional art? Or write poetry? Don’t tell them that is not a career, nurture that!

All in all, I would love to see less mainstreaming and more opportunity. I’d appreciate being given opportunities to find out what I really want to do, as well as finding out what career options are actually out there. This stuff doesn’t have to be for everyone, not everyone wants that. But those that do are going to fight for it, and I would love to see that kind of change in what we are taught at school.

And there is my little B.A.D 2016 post! I would genuinely like to know what people think of this post. Let me know in the comments.

Apologies for this post being so long!

Yours faithfully,

Grace.

Image result for happiness success quotes

Commenting

Student Blogging Challenge: – Week 2 – Activity 2; Make a set of commenting guidelines

I know that netiquette is something that comes up in classes quite often, but I think it is still a good think to re-visit regularly because it is very easy to forget. So, when the activity for the student blogging challenge was to write up a set of your own guidelines for commenting, I was actually quite interested.

I think that the first thing that should be considered when writing a comment is the tone. Not everyone will read your comment in the same voice as you do, and so they might interpret the message differently. Things like sarcasm are hard to pick up in writing, without a specific tone. Even then, it could be mistaken and taken seriously. So, if you are going to include sarcasm, make sure it is very  clear.

The second thing that should never be looked over is grammar and punctuation. I cannot stress how important it is to use the correct spelling, tense, grammar and punctuation in comments. In fact, in all writing, if there is incorrect grammar or no grammar at all, the piece is going to be hard to read and difficult to understand. Plus, it is going to look messy.

In saying that, I think that comments can be a little more ‘casual’ than other pieces of writing. A little bit of slang is okay. A couple of extra exclamation marks are acceptable to stress enthusiasm, but we don’t need a whole line of them. Little things like that will generally be accepted, but still, practice good spelling and grammar.

Oh, one other thing. When commenting on a post, it is nice to compliment the writer. If you only criticize the writer, that doesn’t make anyone feel good. It is also nice to try and create a connection with the writer; ask them a question, or let them know that you learned something from their post.

Umm, so yeah, those are my ‘guidelines’ on commenting, and probably a brief summary of what most people expect in comments. Again, I think comments can be a bit more casual than other writing, but it is still good to follow a basic structure.

I hope this helped, or at least made a bit of sense!

Yours faithfully,

Grace

Zest Fest Finale

So, the Zest Festival is officially  over. It's been such a beautiful festival and has brought so much joy to so many people over that past five years, I can't believe this year was the last. I've honestly loved being part of the Zest Fest so much that, if it was continuing, it would have been one of the reasons as to why I might have stayed here rather than going to board in Perth next year. Anyway, this year's final Zest Fest really was amazing. I loved every second of it; watching the performances, revisiting memories, and performing myself! As well as the weeks leading up to it. The Kalbarri Comedy Crews sketch went great! It was a bit cheesy, and we forgot some bits, but that is honestly the beauty of improve; it doesn't matter too much, because you're making most of it up! Not to mention, we got nearly, I don't know, perhaps 15 new props that morning that we had never practiced with before, and had to incorporate into the performance. We got lots of laughs from the audience, and we got lots of great comments afterwards. We were all really excited as well! It felt great, everyone loved it, and we had a ball rehearsing and performing! I have to say, the whole crew put in their best efforts in the weeks leading up to the performance, and on that day especially.  Everything went without a hitch! With that, I'd like to give a massive 'thank you' to Bec, you helped me out so much! Thanks for getting me into this! Also to Julian and Jody from The Comedy Emporium. This wouldn't have been possible without your time and devotion. We all loved working with you so, so much! Also thanks a bunch to Meg, Kayden, Samantha, Jordyn, Brearly, and Anzel for being part of the Kalbarri Comedy Crew. I really hope you all had as much fun as I did! Working with all of you was a real privilege. Being project coordinator for the Kalbarri Comedy Crew as well as being able to be part of such a fun project has been so great, and I had an awesome bunch of people to work with. I've made so many great memories! [caption id="attachment_369" align="aligncenter" width="632"]14295473_983237918451766_7458248_n1 All of us dressed up after the performance. Good times :)                                     Me on the far right[/caption] Here is a short video that was (quickly) filmed by Julian during one of our rehearsal breaks (hence why we are all a bit awkward). Still, I think it give a good insight into what went into creating the skits that went into our performance. https://youtu.be/gT6IrLxprsE After the performance, most of the crew went home to rest for an hour or so before heading to Red Bluff for the main performance of the weekend: The Chamber of Rhetoric. That night was spectacular! Everyone came rugged up to sit on the rocks and watch the event. The night opened to a few spectacular pieces by the Perth Symphony Orchestra String Quartet , before we were serenaded by the Giovanni Consort choir/A-Capella group. Next, Red bluff itself was lit up by a projection of familiar, historical, and influential faces. Everyone was then in awe at performing artist Theaker Von Ziarno's daring aerial performance. The dramatic piece was full of heart stopping stunts and beautiful choreography! Finally, I closed the event by reading my poem The Zuytdorp (I will post this soon) as the signal pyre was being lit in the background. The whole night was fascinating! Unfortunately I didn't get to stay for the next day of the Zest Fest as I had to leave for Country Week. Still, I am absolutely baffled at how spectacular the whole weekend was, and how Bec managed to pull it off in a few weeks! I would truly love to be able to create such a gorgeous festival as this when I am older, and I am so utterly grateful to have been part of it. I hope those who were here to experience such a day were able to enjoy it as much as I did. And to those who haven't been able to experience the Zest Festival, I hope I have described it well! If anyone wants to find out more about the Zest Festival, check out some of my other blog posts! (tagged art or zest fest) Some have links to other websites also. Thank you again to all the talented people involved in making the final Zest Festival so memorable! Yours faithfully, Grace

The Zuytdorp

This is a poem I wrote based on the history and wrecking (1712) of the Dutch trading ship, The Zuytdorp, which was also part of the inspiration for the Zest Festival.

I think this is what you would call an ‘extended personification’. Anyway, here it is!

Yours faithfully,

Grace


The Zuytdorp

Standing tall,

She opens her arms,

And catches the wind in her sleeves.

Soon she closes her eyes,

And gives in to the command of the sea,

Rocking, swaying with the wind and the tide,

With time, she allows the current to pull her forward.

As the wind grows, she opens her cloak,

And embracing its strength and power,

Allows it to guide her,

Deeper into the waters she is yet to know.

Others have taken her journey before her,

Some have returned,

Others she will never know,

Still, she is not afraid.

She is new to the world,

Yet carries a heavy burden,

Whole heartedly, she follows her instincts,

Placing her trust in the wind.

She has left…

Alone, she braves the storm,

Ragged and sore,

Though not all is lost,

As she comes to rest in calm waters.

Once in every lifetime, she discovers a new place,

Indulges in delicacies,

And rejoices in adornment,

Though she knows she cannot stay long.

Again, she surrenders to the strength of the sea,

And soon finds herself being lead by the wind,

Through the abyss,

To which she has come to call home.

Under the night sky, she maps the stars,

And watches the moonlight on the water,

Sometimes she looks upon the rocky shores,

Yearning to feel the rush of the waves.

Yet she knows she mustn’t,

For they hide a terrible danger,

But like sirens,

They entice her to play.

She is sailing…

Eternally,

She has avoided them,

Though her fate has already been chosen,

She is destined to seek them soon.

Under the veil of night,

She fails to identify the ragged coast,

Mistaking shimmering waves,

For the moonlight she has come to adore.

Slowly at first,

Then all at once,

She discovers her fault,

But it was too late.

Her mind searches for an escape,

And she attempts to change her course,

Though the ocean pulls her back,

And the wind catches her veil.

Soon, she opens her eyes to her reality,

With a heavy sigh, she surrenders to the ocean,

Allowing the wind to guide her,

For her fate has been decided.

She is here now …

*disclaimer; there are supposed to be stanzas but I couldn’t get the formatting to work.

 

Sylvia Plath

Recently, I did a report on Sylvia Plath for an English assignment. I didn’t have time at the end of last term to do a blog post since I had to go to Perth for some tests, and also had Zest Fest and Country Week coming up.

I meant to post this last term but didn’t get around to formatting it, so here it is!

Warning: it’s long


Sylvia Plath

sylvia
SYLVIA PLATH
12/9/2016 By Grace Crogan

Introduction

Sylvia Plath was one of the most admired and debated upon poets of the 20th century. During her time, she was often harshly criticised, with her reputation not taking off until after her death. Though a troubled poet, she has become one that many modern writers admire. Sylvia’s poems strongly reflect her upbringing and visions she had of herself, as well as the many conflicts she faced throughout her life. Her pieces capture blunt, intense emotions, as she often drew heavily on her journals and past experiences for inspiration. Though she has passed, she remains an inspiration to many.

 

Biography

 

Sylvia Plath was born on October 27th, 1932, in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Her mother, Aurelia Schober, later gave birth to her brother, Warren, in April 2 years later.

Aurelia Schober (1906 – 1994) was at Boston University studying a master’s degree when she met Otto Plath (1885 – 1940). Otto was one of Aurelia’s professors during her time at the university, he taught German, Biology, and had a focus in apiology (the study of bees). Otto and Aurelia were married in January 1932.

Otto had been a very strict father; his attitude and controlling nature lead to define the rest of Sylvia’s life, including her relationships and attitude. Unfortunately, Sylvia’s time with her father was only short. Otto died on the 5th of November, 1940, due to complications with diabetes, only a few days after Sylvia turned 8. The effects of Otto’s death are often captured throughout Sylvia’s poems, especially in her poem Daddy.

In 1942, Sylvia moved to Wellesley with the rest of her family. Wellesley remained her home until she started college 8 years later. At school, Sylvia decided to repeat grade 5, so that she could be in a class with children the same age as she was. From a very young age, Sylvia had been very ambitious and had the drive to succeed perfection. Sylvia went on to get top marks in all her courses, becoming the star student throughout her years. Throughout high school, Sylvia continued to receive straight A’s and excelled at many of her subjects, particularly English.

From a very young age, around 9, Sylvia started keeping journals. She had a sharp eye, and her journals often documented things that many other people would miss. Sylvia’s journals soon became her most confidential and trusted ‘friend’, especially in her years at college and throughout her depression. Sylvia later relied heavily on her journals and past experiences for inspiration throughout her writing.

Sylvia’s first poem was featured in the Boston Herald, a daily newspaper, when she was only eight years of age. She made a few small publications in local and regional newspapers and magazines throughout her youth, though made no major publications until much later. Her first national publication was in the Christian Science Monitor in 1950, just after graduating high school.

In in the same year, Sylvia won a scholarship to attend Smith College; an all-girls school located in Northampton, Massachusetts. During her first few years attending Smith College, Sylvia wrote over 400 poems. Her pieces at the time were supposedly ‘pretty’ and rather structured, lacking originality and emotion. Sylvia used a thesaurus to try and enhance her poems and paid very close attention to the structural layout of her pieces. Over the next few years, Sylvia entered multiple poems into competitions and publication agencies, though her works were constantly rejected. Sylvia did end up publishing quite a few pieces throughout that time, but her success was nothing compared to the pile of rejection slips she was receiving.

Throughout 1953, Sylvia wrote articles and short pieces for a small collection of local newspapers, including the Springfield Union and Daily Hampshire Gazette. During this time, Sylvia also won first prize in the Mademoiselle contest with her short story ‘Sunday at the Minton’s’. In June that same year, she also won a Mademoiselle Guest Editorship in New York City with the same story.

The month Sylvia spent away in New York was very important to her, and she became very busy. When she returned to the U.S. Sylvia was mentally, emotionally and physically exhausted. Her journal entries at the time were very vague and didn’t capture much of the events to follow. Sylvia suffered a breakdown around the time of her return. Upon receiving information that she had not been accepted into Harvard for summer writing classes, she felt that her fate had also been decided.

Sylvia soon fell into a state of depression; her journals ended abruptly and she failed to publish many pieces. During this time, she supposedly struggled to even eat, drink, and sleep. On the 24th of August, 1953, Sylvia performed her first suicide attempt. On that evening, she left a note stating that she had gone for a walk and would be returning the next day. She then broke into her mother’s cabinet, stealing her sleeping pills, and crawled into the cellar. Sylvia was found three days later, unconscious and barely breathing, with only eight sleeping pills left in the bottle.

Sylvia was rushed to McLean’s Hospital in Belmont, where she received extensive treatment for her suicide attempt, as well as her depression. Sylvia’s recovery was slow, though she was re-emitted into Smith College in the spring of 1954. Over the next few years, Sylvia picked up where she left off, and then continued in her excellence. She graduated Smith College in 1955 with the highest distinction, and also received a Fulbright scholarship to Newman college, Cambridge University, in England.

During her time, Sylvia had many lovers. Whilst studying at Newman College, Sylvia managed to maintain a relationship with Richard Sassoon, who was in Paris at the time, before he sent her a letter asking for a ‘break’. Meanwhile, during the harsh English winter, Sylvia had begun falling ill, and again slowly developing a depression. In late February 1956, Sylvia met with a psychiatrist to help with her emotional state.

On the same afternoon, Sylvia came across pieces written by Ted (Edward) Hughes, and was instantly intrigued. Sylvia was told of a party being held that evening in celebration of his successful publications being held nearby. After meeting, Ted and Sylvia developed a complicated yet outstanding romance and were soon married on June 16th, 1956.
In 1957, the couple returned to the U.S. Over the next couple of years, Ted and Sylvia continued to develop their relationship. Ted became rather popular amongst publishers and was offered multiple teaching jobs, whilst Sylvia finished her schooling. Sylvia picked up a teaching job after graduating, though struggled to balance herself. Her depression continued to slowly creep up on her as time passed. Soon enough, both Sylvia and Ted decided to turn their careers towards writing, leaving teaching behind.

1957 had been a supposedly stressful year for Ted and Sylvia, as proved 1958. Sylvia and Ted’s relationship had started becoming strained due to their lifestyles. On the last day of school (American systems, whilst Sylvia was still teaching), Ted was supposed to meet with Sylvia at the end of the day. Ted was nowhere to be found for hours until Sylvia finally returned to the school to continue her search. There, she found Ted walking through a breezeway with a student, who ran when she spotted Sylvia approaching.

Sylvia had previously developed suspicions of Ted’s affair, and this encounter proved to cause her to become more certain. This is said to have led to heated arguments between Plath and Hughes, as well as some possible violence.

In 1960, Ted and Sylvia moved back to England after Sylvia fell pregnant. On April 1st, Sylvia had her first child, Frieda. In the same year, Sylvia’s first poem collection, The Colossus, was published in England, and then in the U.S. 2 years later.

Later in 1960, Sylvia fell pregnant again, though suffered a miscarriage early the next year. Again she fell pregnant in 1961, and gave birth to her second child, Nicholas, on January 17th, 1962. Even so, Sylvia and Ted were feeling a lot of strain on their relationship; Sylvia had suspicions that Ted was having another affair. When on their holiday in Ireland, in September, Ted left unexpectedly. Sylvia returned home with her children not much later, after her suspicions of Ted’s affair had been confirmed. After his two previous affairs, Ted had finally left Sylvia for Assia Gutmann Wevill.

After Ted left, Sylvia’s creeping depression overcame her. During the following winter, Sylvia wrote most of the poems that are included in her last poem collection, Ariel. In the years of 1961 and 1962, Sylvia had written over 50 poems. Whilst struggling with her depression, Sylvia wrote her semi-autobiographical novel. It was then published in 1963.

The winter of 1962/63 was supposedly the worst English winter on record, causing many people to fall ill. Alongside illnesses, Sylvia’s depression finally took over. On February 11, 1963, Sylvia wrote a note to her downstairs neighbour, asking him to call a doctor when he received it. Sylvia then successfully committed suicide by inhaling gas from her stove oven. *

Sylvia Plath was buried less than a week after her death. Her poem collection, Ariel, was published in 1965. Sylvia and her poetry pieces have impacted and inspired the lives of many aspiring poets. To this day, many people still visit her grave site in Yorkshire, and adore her dramatic poems.

*this could have either been Sylvia’s second or third suicide attempt, though there is not any hard evidence of Sylvia’s supposed attempt to drown herself

Poetry Analysis

The poem I have chosen to analyse is one of Sylvia’s most famous poems, Lady Lazarus.
LADY LAZARUS
Sylvia Plath (23-29th Oct, 1962)

I have done it again.
One year in every ten
I manage it–

A sort of walking miracle, my skin
Bright as a Nazi lampshade,
My right foot

A paperweight,
My face a featureless, fine
Jew linen.

Peel off the napkin
O my enemy.
Do I terrify?–

The nose, the eye pits, the full set of teeth?
The sour breath
Will vanish in a day.

Soon, soon the flesh
The grave cave ate will be
At home on me

And I a smiling woman.
I am only thirty.
And like the cat I have nine times to die.

This is Number Three.
What a trash
To annihilate each decade.

What a million filaments.
The peanut-crunching crowd
Shoves in to see

Then unwrap me hand and foot–
The big strip tease.
Gentlemen, ladies

These are my hands
My knees.
I may be skin and bone,

Nevertheless, I am the same, identical woman.
The first time it happened I was ten.
It was an accident.

The second time I meant
To last it out and not come back at all.
I rocked shut

As a seashell.
They had to call and call
And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls.

Dying
Is an art, like everything else.
I do it exceptionally well.

I do it so it feels like hell.
I do it so it feels real.
I guess you could say I’ve a call.

It’s easy enough to do it in a cell.
It’s easy enough to do it and stay put.
It’s the theatrical

Comeback in broad day
To the same place, the same face, the same brute
Amused shout:

‘A miracle!’
That knocks me out.
There is a charge

For the eyeing of my scars, there is a charge
For the hearing of my heart–
It really goes.

And there is a charge, a very large charge
For a word or a touch
Or a bit of blood

Or a piece of my hair or my clothes.
So, so, Herr Doktor.
So, Herr Enemy.

I am your opus,
I am your valuable,
The pure gold baby

That melts to a shriek.
I turn and burn.
Do not think I underestimate your great concern.

Ash, ash–
You poke and stir.
Flesh, bone, there is nothing there–

A cake of soap,
A wedding ring,
A gold filling.

Herr God, Herr Lucifer
Beware
Beware.

Out of the ash
I rise with my red hair
And I eat men like air.

Analysis

The title, Lady Lazarus, is an illusion to the subject matter of the poem itself. The original definition of the word Lazarus is: a friend of Jesus, and brother of Mary and Martha, who died but was brought back to life again after 4 days (by Jesus). In calling the poem, or herself (if the poem is about her) Lady Lazarus, she is implying that the poem is about a woman who has died and come back to life.

The subject matter of this poem is evidently about a woman’s suicide attempts, her depression and impulses, and possibly her death. Throughout the start of her poem, the poem speaks of a woman being “a sort of walking miracle” with “nine lives to live”. The poem suggests that the woman in discussion has died, or tried to die, once in every decade she has lived.

The poem suggests that the woman has lived for nearly three decades, and that she has attempted suicide twice already. The poem is said to be written around the time of Sylvia’s 30th birthday, which could link the poem to Sylvia’s personal feelings and experiences, alongside with other mentions throughout the poem.
The second mentioned suicide attempt in the poem is quoted:
“The second time I meant
To last it out and not come back at all.
I rocked shut

As a seashell.
They had to call and call
And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls.”
The description here could be linked back to Sylvia’s attempt to commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pill, whilst she hid in the basement of her home. This leads the reader to make a connection between the poem and Sylvia’s experiences.
As the poem develops, the focus shifts back and forth between suicide and that of “a peanut-crunching crowd”, as well as the mention of funerals and cremation. There is, of course, no way that we can link this experience to a living person, though the mention of death and a type of funeral is a very prominent subject throughout the poem.

The tone and mood of the poem are, in a sense, complicated, yet strongly related. The tone of the poem Lady Lazarus seems to be dark, lonely, intimidating, and possibly depressed. The poem itself is a very strong, yet sad piece, and makes the reader sympathetic and feel somewhat sad.

There are many poetic techniques used in this poem. The poem itself could be seen as an extended metaphor. There is also the use of strong imagery, personification, and incorporation of real-life scenarios to make the poem seem somewhat believable. The poem doesn’t have a dominant rhythm or rhyming structure, though each stanza has 3 lines.
The theme of Lady Lazarus is definitely something along the lines of depression and suicide. The purpose of this poem could be many things: to express grief, sadness, or depression; to open up about troubles and secrets; or to let out some of the emotions she is harbouring. On the other hand, this poem could have been written purely because of sudden inspiration.

In summary, the poem Lady Lazarus is a poem most likely based on Sylvia Plath’s own experiences with depression and suicide. The poem is provoking to the point that it can possibly make the reader feel sympathetic and upset for the character/narrator/author of the poem. Somewhat freeform, the poem has no definite structure other than the stanza format. The poem does an outstanding job at capturing some of the honesty of depression and displays the purpose extremely well. Altogether, Lady Lazarus is an extremely powerful poem on a very strong, complicated subject. The harshness and emotion of the poem are definitely what captivates people, making it so famous.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.poemhunter.com/sylvia-plath/biography/
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/sylvia-plath
http://www.sylviaplath.info/biography.html
http://www.biography.com/people/sylvia-plath-9442550#synopsis
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/sylvia-plath
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvia_Plath *background and pictures
http://www.gradesaver.com/sylvia-plath-poems/study-guide/summary-lady-lazarus
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/sylvia-plath-125.php

Let’s Take a Break

Okay, I know that I have been kind of overloading the dashboard with Zest Fest stuff…so I’ll give it a break this week!

The only problem is, now I have to think of something new to write about.

Actually, while I’m on the topic, taking a break sounds really good. Over the last two weeks, I’ve been getting home, grabbing a snack, and then working non-stop for hours. Talk about a full plate! With my normal homework, as well as the work I’ve had to finish before I go away, and all my Zest Fest tasks, I’ve been busy busy busy!

However, all that is about to change soon! In a few days, I’ll be headed down to Perth (to do some exams mind you), where I can (hopefully) have at least one day to sit and think. Then when I get back, the long-awaited Zest Festival! After that, it’s smooth sailing from here on out!

Typing it all out, it sounds a lot closer than it feels. I guess, with all the stuff I have on between now and then, my brain is a bit overloaded, and it can’t comprehend a length of time as well as it might other times!

That brings me to another point, though. I’ve always found that with life; and that’s with everything in life, nothing is ever as straightforward as it may seem. Nothing. Whether it’s school work, community work, a book or poem, even other people! No matter how deep you dig, there will always be something more than what you think.

For example, not everyone realises just how much some people have on, what they are doing, and what other complications might come into play. I think this is also the case with most other things. If someone is having a bad day, or if they don’t feel up to something, it’s probably for a much greater reason than they are willing to share.

I don’t really know where I was heading with this post, but I know what I want to say now. If you don’t know the full story, even if you think you do, it’s best not to make assumptions. I know Jack did a similar post to this not long ago, and I was thinking about that whilst writing this. My point is, the best option you have is to never assume, always be open to anything and everything.

Wow, umm, now that I’ve gotten over my roller coaster of a post… I think I’ll leave it here. I don’t really know where I was headed with this post, and I’m a bit confused with how it ended, but anyway!

So, that was my crazy mind tangent for the while!

Yours faithfully,

Grace

When & Where

Alright, the official start of the Zest Festival is only 2 weeks away! Everyone knows that it’s happening, but when exactly, some people are still unsure of. So, I thought I would do a post of when & where everything is taking place throughout the Zest Fest weekend, but first, a bit of background info.

This year, the festival is celebrating the theme of Eendracht, Unity; accepting a world of difference. This year’s festival is also the last of the splendid 5 year event, making it all the more special, especially to those who have been majorly involved! This year’s festival memorializes the 300th anniversary of the sinking of the Dutch East Indies trading ship, The Zuytdorp, and includes snippets of the past 4 years of the festival, as well as all of the cultures and countries that the Zest Fest has visited in previous years. Coincidently, 2016 is also the 400th anniversary of the landing of Dirk Hartog, and so makes this last Zest Festival one to remember.

This year’s festival will have a special opening night. Unfortunately the night is an 18+ event, but it is said to be a wonderful show. Those attending will dance the night away to the beautiful sounds of the Perth Symphony Orchestra quartet and Giovanni Consort, at a masquerade ball at the Opening Night Pleasure Garden (16th of September, Rainbow Jungle).

The next day(s) hold an array of events around town and down at the foreshore. From kite flying exercises, to markets, to mazes, to comedy performances! All of which you want to attend.  Become lost in amazement in the History Maze, learn about the history of cultures from around the world, and seek the illusive Lady of Honor hiding within. Check out the KDHS displays at the Kalbarri DHS library, and then satisfy your food cravings at the trade winds tasting tent. Laugh away the afternoon at the Kalbarri Comedy Crew’s historical, and hysterical, performance; one which I can guarantee to be a treat! Finally, don’t forget to come down to Red Bluff at 7pm on Saturday the 18th, for an insightful and undoubtedly memorable Chamber of Rhetoric Performance.

Below is a copy of this years official 2016 Zest Fest program for the 16th, 17th and 18th of September.

Zest Festival 2016 Program

Just a short post this time! I hope to see everyone at some of the magnificent performances and events happening around town on the splendid weekend.

For more information visit http://zestfest.com.au/ or visit the Kalbarri Zest Fest facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KalbarriZestFestival

That’s all from me for now,

Yours faithfully,

Grace

Three Weeks In!

Last Sunday (13th of August) was the 3rd official Kalbarri Comedy Crew workshop leading up to the Zest Fest. With the performance date approaching fast, everyone from KCC has been working hard in order to make good progress developing the comedy skit. With the guidance of comedians Julian Canny and Jody Quadrio from The Comedy Emporium, as well as Zest Festival Director Rebecca Millar, we’ve been doing just that.

The workshops usually start with a few improvisation games to get our minds moving. There’s a lot of laughs, usually at the expense of those who are performing, but it’s okay, everyone gets a turn to embarrass themselves!!

These games are really fun: they usually start out with a couple people as performers, and then a subject or topic is pitched at them. Then, depending on what game we are playing, the performers have to develop a scene based on the suggestion. Some games like Insert line and Tag in (you could probably google the games and it would come up with a better description than what I have written here) involves either writing down absurd lines and excerpts from books or movies to use within the scene, without the performers actually knowing what is written down, or tagging another person to take the place of performer and take the scene somewhere else based on their ideas

Some scenes can go absolutely anywhere, and have the whole room rolling with laughter within a minute or so. I have gathered that there are a few basic rules or ‘guidelines’ that should be followed when improvising in order to keep the scene alive and interesting:

First Rule of Improvisation – Just go with it: You might have started the scene off by supposedly getting ready to go skiing with your best friend, but guess what! Now you are two annoying sisters trying to push each other off a cliff! Or, at least that’s what you think…

Something beautiful about these improvisation games is that, no matter how carefully you structure your lines, a scene can completely change direction in a matter of seconds, based on the reaction of your partner. This puts you on the spot, forcing you to say the first thing that comes to your head! This generally means you could also send the scene spiralling in a completely different direction to before. There is no way to predict how a scene is going to play out when you are doing improv, and that is what makes it so hilarious!

Second Rule of Improvisation – Never say ‘No’: Would you like to hold the dissected frog?? Of course you would! Because you are on TV, on a channel that doesn’t actually exist yet…

Saying ‘yes’ to just about anything that is thrown at you, in one way or another, is the only way to keep the scene alive. Sometimes that means, yes, you are in fact, a squirrel. It gets everyone laughing, usually at your expense, but hey, it’s a comedy act!

Third Rule of Improvisation: Ask questions, make statements: If you simply reply ‘yeah’ or ‘nah’ to everything your partner is saying, it puts a lot of pressure on them, making it hard to keep the scene alive. Instead, ask them a question in return, or make a statement on what they said. It really involves making a strong point or suggestion, and telling your partner, and your viewers, what is going on. This also allows you and your partner to bounce off and work with each other’s ideas throughout the scene. For example, (and this is a really bad example) “I heard it is going to rain today”, a reply could be “but it’s sunny! Those weather people always get it wrong.” Just something to keep the conversation, and scene, alive.

Anyway, after some warm up games, we have been getting into some brainstorming and scene building. Basically, any ideas that we have had over the week, or anything interesting we have come across when researching the VOC (oh, that stands for Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie/Dutch East India Company) we will brainstorm in order to see if we can draw some inspiration off that piece of information for ideas for scenes.

Next, we will go off again, and brainstorm ways that we can incorporate our ideas into a funny skit. This, is a LOT harder than you would think. Trying to pitch the idea in a way so that those without much background of the topic will still understand and find the scene funny is quite a challenge. I think if we were doing a more contemporary show, with just some general comedy that anyone can relate to, it would be easier. Trying to incorporate the history of the Dutch and the VOC is the real challenge.

Even so, it’s been lots of fun, and we’ve come up with some good ideas! Julian and Jody, who have been coming up every weekend to work with the crew, have provided heaps of inspiration to everyone participating. Being comedians, they also bring a great vibe to the workshops, and have helped us all tune in our improvisation skills! I think all of us are a lot more confident with doing a small bit of improv and developing a basic comedy skit.

At our last workshop, Julian did a bit of filming on his phone and put it all together in a short film. None of us really thought we were actually being interviewed, so we all look a tiny bit awkward. Either way I think it is a good insight into some of the actually work we are doing for the project.

Unfortunately, the video is too large to upload onto the blog, but you can view it by clicking the link: https://youtu.be/gT6IrLxprsE.

I know this post has been really long! Sorry… I’ll leave it at that for now and post some more information later. Oh, there is still a spot open to become part of the Comedy Crew though! Come see me if you are interested.

Yours faithfully,

Grace

 

Kalbarri Comedy Crew, workshops and performance is sponsored by Country Arts WA and Healthway to promote the Drug Aware message.

Travel?

When my family and I travelled around Australia, I collected postcards. I have some really great ones: one of Lake Eyre; quite a few from Tasmania; and lots of other gorgeous ones.

Anyway, I keep all of my postcards in a photo album. On the front it has a little quote:

“Now boarding Melbourne, Los Angeles to New York City, San Francisco, London via Paris & Barcelona, Rome via Cairo, up to Moscow & across to Brussels, Amsterdam, last stop Tokyo.”

And that, to me, sounds like and amazing journey!

I don’t really know what I want to do when I finish school. However, I do know that one day I’d like to go travelling.

Where? That I am not sure of, but I think it will start with somewhere that takes my fancy at the time, and then I’ll go on a journey from there! Maybe I’ll only get as far as to see that country, perhaps I will end up travelling the whole world. It really depends on where my heart, and my pocket, can take me.

Really, I’d love to have a job that I can hold on the road, as well as a small something that I can make a profit off of whenever I decide to stop for a while. I’d also like to go with a friend, someone special! That way, not only will we be able to help each other out, but you would always have awesome company. You would also be able to take each other on amazing adventures!

By what means I am going to travel, that is another question: A plane, car, boat or by foot; that is yet to be decided. I think, though, that when I do travel, I won’t be staying in hotels. If I do that, how am I supposed to explore the world’s natural beauty? Instead, I’ll have a tent, or a camper trailer if I get lucky, and I’ll go off track. I’ll go to beaches and to forests, as well as deserts and mountains!! Yet, I’ll find time to visit the bustling cities, with their beautiful colours and raging festivals.

It’ll be great. The more I think about it the more excited I become! I’ve already started saving, and planning! I really cannot wait to see the world.

Yours faithfully,

Grace