Age of Average

‘Avengers Age of Ultron’ is the second Avengers film and last instalment in what has been dubbed as ‘Marvel Phase Two.’ In this film Ultron is an artificial intelligence created by the infamous Tony Stark, or as he is more popularly known, Iron Man. But, as you might expect due to the fact that he is an artificial intelligence and created by one of the smartest characters in any comic book universe, Ultron decides that the human race isn’t worthy to rule over the planet and so need to be destroyed. Naturally, he is the one to do this and again naturally the Avengers, the Marvel superhero dream team, are the ones to try and stop him.

Due to the overwhelming success of the first Avengers film ‘Avengers Assemble’ this movie had a lot to live up to. Unfortunately, a lot of the expectations were not met. The first Avengers film had it all; action, suspense and most importantly all the main characters in a film together which comic fans could only dream of a few years prier. You could say this film had it all as well; action, suspense and the famous team together once more. But that’s the problem; it was the same old same old. The same tricks and plots were recycled to create this film and it meant that you spend half the film feeling like you have seen it all before. Another big problem with this film was the inconsistency in the characters personalities to the first film. You can’t have a character fighting of villains single handedly in one film and crying for the help of their unnecessary love interest in the next without viewer questioning things.          

There were, having said that, some great moments in the film. For example the character of Vision played by Paul Bettany. As a fan, and personal, favourite I was sceptical about the addition of this character and whether he would live up to his high status amongst the marvel comic’s fans. Thankfully Bettany didn't disappoint and his interpretation of the character was better than even some of the biggest and loyalist fans could have hoped for. 

The ending of the film, while predictable, wasn't overly disappointing. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has found their formula and they have made it work to the almost dangerous point where it didn't really matter how the film had ended. They have us around their little finger and the sheer fact that they have made a film with our favourite characters means that the majority of the cinema will walk about feeling like they haven’t wasted two and a half hours, regardless of the content of the film. The fact is we have seen this kind of film again and again. But you can’t deny the good guy/ bad guy formula works. If it didn't Marvel wouldn't be making its continuous millions.  

Irwin and Posner's Relationship on Pages 60 - 62

Essay Question – Discuss how Irwin and Posner’s relationship is presented in this extract.

During this extract which is set five years after the main body of the play we see Irwin talking to an, at the beginning of the extract, unidentified person. During the course of the extract we learn that this man is Posner who has come to interview Irwin, now a television celebrity. At the start of the extract we see Posner and Irwin talking after Irwin has finished the scene he is filming for his show. Irwin begins to speak in a simple, fragmented sentence saying ‘Familiar?’ This suggests a sense of awkwardness between the two characters as if they don’t know what to say to each other and so can only speak in a very simple way. Irwin’s use of an interrogative also suggests that he wants to find out information from Posner, suggesting that he still somewhat cares about what he thinks of him.

During the scene we find out that Posner is ‘miked’ and is speaking to Irwin to try and find out information to sell a story to the tabloids. Posner tries to find out information about the relationship Irwin had with with Dakin, and to do this asks him ‘he liked you… didn’t he?’ There is a lot of subtext hidden in this interrogative as while Posner wants to know the answer to this question to gain information to sell a story for the money that he needs, he also wants to know for personal reasons. As Posner was in love with Dakin during his time in school he wants to know if Irwin had what he desperately wanted to have, a romantic or sexual relationship with Dakin. The use of ellipsis could be interpreted by a director to emphasis this point, using the pause to have Posner stare into Irwin’s eyes trying to find out the answer to the question for personal gain rather than on mike for financial gain.           

The use of vocatives in this scene, as with the whole of the play, provides us a key insight into the different characters relationships with each other. At the end of this scene Posner asks Irwin to sign his copy of Irwin’s book. This comes across as strange as they have just has an argument after Irwin finds out that Posner is taping him. The way he refers to Irwin as ‘sir’ during this encounter shows us that Posner might still be living in the past. He is trying to recreate his school days when he was a lot happier and care free than he is now. Irwin replies to Posner’s request to sign the book to David, his first name, by saying ‘I never called you, David. I called you Posner.’ Irwin still calls Posner by his last name to try and offend him. Irwin wants to still have the authority and high status that he had over Posner while teaching him and Posner, by calling Irwin ‘sir,’ is complying to what Irwin wants.                  

Compare two different teachers from ‘The History Boys’ and explore the way they are presented in the text by Bennett using quotations and references to linguistic techniques.

Hector and Irwin are two different characters in ‘The History Boys’ by Allen Bennett. While they are both teachers they have very different techniques and teaching styles from each other. Hector, an older teacher who has been at the school for years, is loved by the students for his liberal attitude towards education and view that ‘all knowledge is precious’ and you should learn to learn, rather than to pass an exam. Contrastingly Irwin is a new teacher at the school, employed to help the group of boys into Oxbridge. He is there to give them the edge they need and has the belief that knowledge is ‘for now’ and should be learnt to get you to a specific place, in this case to pass the exam allowing them to get into these prestigious universities.

The way in which Alan Bennett introduces the audience to both Hector and Irwin tells us a lot about each of their characters. Irwin is first presented by Bennett in the present tense as a man ‘in his forties’, physically disabled ‘in a wheelchair’ addressing three or four MP’s. Right from the first stage direction we see the contrast from Irwin in the present day to Irwin during his time teaching at the school. There he is a young man only a few years older than the boys he is teaching, whereas now we see an older looking man whose lives happenings have put him in a wheelchair, handicapped.

Bennett has chosen for Irwin to be shown talking to the MP’s about abolishing ‘trial by jury’ and ‘the presumption of innocence.’ The way he speaks to the MP’S gives the impression of a man without compassion, he is telling the MP’s to lie to the public about how these basic human rights being taken way doesn’t ‘diminish’ freedom but ‘amplifies’ it. He is showing no compassion towards the subject and talking about his ‘strategy’ towards getting rid of the rights. The noun ‘strategy’ is used to show the fact that it is all a game to him, even though getting rid of these rights could mean that innocent people are punished. This further shows the lack of compassion he has.

Contrasting from Irwin’s present day introduction, Bennett first presents Hector  to the audience when he come riding into school on a motorcycle, wearing ‘leathers’ and a ‘helmet’. This get up is a disguise; he isn’t showing his true self. It is all a way to mask who he truly is, a theme that continues throughout his first appearance and during the rest of the play. The boys then proceed to undress him from his motorcycle clothes. They each take of an item such as ‘les gants’ meaning gloves, or ‘le casque’ meaning helmet and show the item to the audience. We see here the unhealthy relationship between him and the students as the boys are physically undressing their teacher. It also represents the many layers his character has and the metaphorical undressing of his character; it is like they are pealing back his layer trying to find out who he is. This scene foreshadows the rest of the play where we begin to find out some of the different layers to Hector.

Bennett again shows Hectors disguise and inappropriate relationship between him and the students during the first conversation he has with the boys, which is in French. He is talking in another language so that the conversation can be private from everyone but him and the boys. Another way Hectors disguise is shown is his excessive use of quotes when he talks, especially to the boys, such as ‘all knowledge is precious.’  This furthers his disguise by hiding behind other people’s words rather than his own.

The biggest difference that Bennett presents between Hector and Irwin is their contrasting views on education. Hector has the strong, liberal view that ‘all knowledge is precious’ and you should learn to learn, for the love of knowledge, not learn for an exam. However Irwin has the opposing view that education isn’t for when you’re ‘old and grey’ but ‘it’s for now.’ He believes that you should learn knowledge to pass an exam and to get you to the next stage in your life. While Irwin has been employed to get the boys into Oxbridge and so wants them to focus all their time and attention on the entrance exam, Hector doesn’t believe that this should be what the students concentrate on. Bennett has Hector refer to the entrance exam as ‘your cheat’s visa.’ This shows Hector’s view that exams are like a free passage to adult life, you can get into places such as university with them however they don’t show how knowledgeable you really are. 

Analysing a Newspaper Article

How does the article inform and entertain its reader?

 

The headline 'Jeremy Corbyn rejects formal privy council induction by Queen' grabs the readers attention as it is about the current topic of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his issues with the queen and the royal family. As this is a current topic seeing ‘Jeremy Corbyn’ will make the reader interested and wanting to find out the latest piece of information.  The headline is also short and snappy, so we can read it quickly without having to spend too much time thinking about it. This is especially good for an online article as the writer has little time to try and convince the reader to read their article. The headline also gives us a lot of information on what the article is about, we see immediately that it is about 'Jeremy Corbyn' and his rejection of a 'formal privy council introduction' by the queen. This means that the reader knows exacally what to expect the article to talk about. The headline is in a larger font than the rest of the article and so catches our attention as that is what we see first.

 

The subheading of the article 'Labour leader turns down opportunity to be made a memeber of the council in person by monarch, citing private engagments' gives us slightly more information than the headline, telling the reader in more detail what is going to be talked about in the article. The fount is the same size as the article, but is in a different font and so like the headline stands out from the rest of the article. The term ‘Labour Leader’ is used to inform the reader of who he is and also uses alliteration so that it is rememberable.

 A picture is used to grab our attention. Right under the subheading is a large picture of Jeremy Corbyn so is one of the first things you see. This article is shown online and so needs to grab the reader’s attention in the first 2 seconds or they will lose it, this is why they include large pictures so that the reader’s attention can be grabbed as quickly as possible. The picture they have chosen of him is zoomed in on his face, with a stern and powerful look on his face. As this article is taken from ‘The Guardian,’ which is a generally left wing newspaper, they want Corbyn to appear powerful and like he is a force to be reckoned with as he is the biggest left wing voice in politics. The background of the picture is red which is the colour of the Labour Party; this gives us the impression that the writer is showing support of the party and wanting to get behind Corbyn’s views.

During the article itself many different techniques are used to inform and entertain the reader. For example in several places during the article the writer uses facts such as 'The largely ceremonial body made up of 600 senior figures.' The use of facts makes the reader feel that what the writer is saying is trueful and so can be trusted. Another way that the article informs the reader is through complex sentences. For example 'The decision suggested that the Labour leader, a republican, was unwilling to follow convention.' A complex sentence allows the reader more information then they would gain otherwise, here being 'a republican.' At the end of the article the writer deciribes David Cameron as 'launching a strong attack' on Corbyn. Agin we see the left wing supporting Guardian through the language used. The verb 'attack' is used instead of somthing such as counterargument as it has harsher connotations to it and they want the right wing leader David Cameron to be seen in a bad light.

 

Graffiti, Slave Trading and Combine Harvester

Bristol. The European Green capital, home to a number of Banksy’s most famous pieces and the best city to live in Britain according to The Sunday Times. Oh and also home to one of the most influential ports during the slave trade, infamously insufferable traffic and don’t even get me started on our public transport. But every city has its faults right?   

I love my city, I really do. But having lived here for all 16 years of my life I can’t help but question some of its reputations and pick apart some of its myths. For example, let’s get this out of the way. We are not all farmers, even if the majority of us sound like it. We don’t go around singing Combine Harvester all day long, I can promise you that.  

I do count myself fortunate to live in a city like Bristol, as much as I tend to complain about it. As a lover of literature and the arts I couldn't really have scored a better place to be born, well excluding London of course. Bristol is the birth place of author J K Rowling, well she was born just outside but we sure as hell are going to claim her, and artist Banksy, well a lot of his artwork lives here so he must be a local boy right? I remember walking around the streets in the centre of town as a little kid mesmerized at all the graffiti decorating, or some say littering, our walls. It really is a beautiful place. A hipster’s paradise many say. Everywhere you turn you seem to be hit by a political message sprawled across anywhere spray paintable. If you want to enjoy some deep thinking and learning to hate the world you live in I can promise you that Bristol’s art scene is the place for you.   

We are more than just the artsy place we have become though; we have a darker past that tries to stay hidden behind our artwork. During the late 1300’s to the mid-18^th century the city’s main source of income was seaborne trading. Nearly every family during that period took part in trading slaves to different parts of the world. The Bristolian’s of the time seemingly weren't really bothered about the involvement of slavery in their businesses if it meant large sums of money would be theirs. We have never really lost our links to the city’s shameful past either. Bristol’s most famous venue Colston Hall is named after Edward Colston, one of the big names in slave trading. While he’s given a great deal of money to the city, the way he gained that money was in no way ethical. In fact, our whole city was built on a less than ethical foundation. Strange how no one shouts about that as they do about Banksy.

All in all though, I’m happy I come from Bristol. As much as I do want to move away from the place, I know that I could never leave for too long. It’s where I've spent my whole life. I’ll always be a sucker for the artsy atmosphere and childhood memories that only Bristol can offer me. 

The History Boys Characters

The History Boys Characters

 

Posner:

·         Quite

·         Jewish

·         Loves to sing and read

·         Is struggling to come to terms with his sexuality

·         In love with Dakin

Dakin:

·         Attractive, and aware of it

·         In a relationship with Fiona

·         Has both Posner and Irwin interested in him

·         Manipulative

·         Often/always  has sexual subtext

Scripps:

• Predisposed with exploring Christianity
• Writer, records events 
• Posner confines in him

Rudge:

• Star rugby player
• Surprises everyone with his wanting to go to Oxford
• Finds Irwin difficult to lean from
• Stands up to the ‘academic nonsense’ saying that Oxford will ‘take him if they want him’ so there is no point in lying 

Akthar:

• Muslim
• Happy to get involved with joking and teasing
• Will knuckle down with his work when it comes to it

Crouther:

• Keen actor
• Friends with Lockwwod

Timms:

• The joker
• Often subjected to hits from Hector
• Enjoys teasing Irwin

Lockwood:

• Shrewd film buff
• Interested in politics

The Headmaster:

• Stereotypical headmaster
• Only cares about the results
• No care or compassion
• Quite corrupt
• Understanding of the arts is limited
• Wants success for him and his ego, not the students
• Utilitarian, someone who only thinks you should learn things for a specific use

Mrs Lintott:

·         Traditional history teacher

·         Unfairly treated based on her gender

·         Plainly states facts

·         Gets excellent results

·         Has quite feminist views

·         Gives the only ‘human’ response to Hectors abuse

·         Sets Hector straight when trying to justify the abuse

Irwin:

·         A young history teacher

·         Employed to get the boys into Oxford

·         Believes in education to get pass exams

·         Believes history is a performance 

·         Wants the boys to learn to ‘win the game/ the exam’

·         Trains the boys to lie about what they are interested in to seem more interesting and original

Hector:

• Been at the school for years
• Doesn’t act like a regular teacher
• Loved by the students
• Believes in learning for the joy of knowledge
• Learns through doing, liberal attitude
• Hector sexually abuses the children at the school on the way back on his motorbike
• He is like a Thomas Harding poem character, he is meeting his inevitable and tragic end
• Brakes down in class near the ending of the play
• Wants the boys to tell the truth to the Oxford boards

My Spoken Language

I find that my language changes around different people. For example the language I use with my family is very different from the language I use in front of my friends. My language will also change depending on the age of the people I am talking to as well as their status compared to my own.

My friends greatly influence my language; with them I tend to use much more informal words and phrases. For example with my friends I am more likely to shorten down sentences from ‘would you like to come to my house’ to ‘you wanna come to my house.’ This is an informal way of speaking and one I would never use with my family or authority figures. With my friends my language also tends to be more taboo. It is seen as expectable and normal in my friendship group to use swear words whereas with my family or authority figures it is unacceptable and disrespectful.   

A lot of my spoken language comes from the type of language that my family uses. My mum and everyone on her side is Scottish and so I find myself using typical Scottish words and phrases such as ‘wee’ as that I what I am surrounded by at home. I come from a religious family and so phrases such as ‘oh my god’ are just as, if not more, unacceptable than swear words as they are seen as offensive and a form of blasphemy.

When I am with people with authority such as a teacher, manager or police officer I will use much more formal language. I use full sentences without abbreviations as this is a sign of respect towards them. I will speak in a way that is a lot closer to ‘The Queen’s English’ than with my friends or even my family.