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.