Favourtite Humourous Quotes by the Famous

This week is DAVID LLOYD GEORGE. I find some of his quotes and sayings very quirky, others may not find them funny. Out of many politicians, he is on of few I can admire.

(Lloyd George is his younger years)

"Diplomats were invented simply to waste time." I thought this one was quite amusing, but not sure how to take it, whether to laugh or question it.

"Well, it was the best I could , seated as I was between Jesus Christ and Napoleon Bonaparte" (1919 at the Peace Conference Negotiations) I liked this one as he is talking about  Woodrow Wilson and Georges Clemenceau. It made me laugh quite a bit and thinking about how he worded it so well.

"{Churchill} would make a drum skin out of his Mother in order to sound his own praises" Again funny, just showing slight bitterness within politics. Only thing I have to say is, Churchill definitely made more speeches than Lloyd George seems to have.

"{Chamberlain} saw foreign policy through the wrong end of a municipal drainpipe." I find this one particularly funny, because of his subtle way having a go at Neville Chamberlain's corrupted mind. Lloyd George again words it very well.

Last Quote about Sir John Simon:

"He sat on the fence so long that the iron has entered his soul"  This quote has to be my favourite of them all, the pure sarcasm that comes across when you read it, it makes for a politics comedy gold.

Once again Thank you for reading this post and my blog, and I hope you all have a Happy Easter!

Next week will be quotes from a few various females.

Favourite Humourous Quotes by the Famous

This weeks quotes are that of OSCAR WILDE. He is one of my favourite literary persons. Some of his quote can be seen as very sexist, very much against women.

"The Play was a great success, but the audience was a total failure" I love this one, this was after the very first perfomance of Lady Windermere's Fan.

" I don't at all like knowing what people sat of me behind my back, It makes me far too conceited." An Ideal Husband.

"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. "  I may have to take this into consideration. It seems like very good advice.

"My own business always bores me to death; I prefer other people's." Lady Windermere's Fan, 1892. This can so easily apply to society of this day and age.

"True friends stab you in the front." Not quite sure how to take this one. It makes the mind wonder a bit.

"Women are made to be loved, not understood." Sometimes I couldn't agree more.

And final one:

"Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is far the best ending for one."
I totally agree with this, I have so many friends that when we first met it was due to laughter.

 

 

I Thank Oscar Wilde for his wonderful plays and his inspiration within his books, he is the one I have always looked up to.


Next week will be: DAVID LLOYD GEORGE

Education Discrimination?

I am currently applying to Universities to do my PGCE or if in Scotland my PGDE. All my life I have dreamed of becoming an English Teacher for secondary year. As many know this process is a big struggle and it is very competative to get a place.

However, I feel that sometimes there is discrimination in some of the choices.
This time last year I had an interview for the University of Aberdeen. I was very excited at the thought of possibly going to that partciular University. I have always wanted to go to a Scottish University to do my teaching.

This has now changed, if i get in to a Scottish University fair enough, but now I'd rather go to an English University for my degree. This is all because of a comment made by the Aberdeen.

They told me in my feedback form, the reason I wasn't getting a place wasn't because of my lack of English knowledge or how my teaching skills maybe, or how well I'd done my work experience. But all because I didn't know the system and because I'd never been in the system.

Is it fair? It doesn't matter where you're from you should still have a fair chance or be given a fair chance. I had done my research of the system beforehand and still I am told this.

Should this be the same over the border, if a Scottish student wants a place in the English School system, should they have same response?

I understand that the Scottish system is hard to understand, but it still isn't fair to reject someone on that reason alone. And for that reason I have lost my faith in their descisons.

Favourite Humourous Quotes by the Famous

Every Monday I am gonna post some of my favourite humourous quotes by famous people. Some maybe from Politians, some from Actors and some from other famous figures.

This week I am gonna start with Winston Churchill.

I have chosen a few quotes by Churchill that I find amusing and love.

"As far as I can see you have used every cliche except 'God is Love' and 'Please adjust your dress before you leave'" (Said in Life December 1940, although he denied it to be true.) I love this quote for the pure fact it made me laugh and the sarcasm that is behind it. A thing like this to be said in wartime is rather humourous.

“I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” I also found this one quite amusing, especially when I thought of it relating to Politics.

“Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains.” Again refering to Politics, this one made me laugh and made me think of what politics would be like today if Churchill was here now.

My final quote by Churchill I found very funny and is dedicated to a close friend of mine.

“We are all worms, But I do believe that I am a glow worm.”

So I say Thank you to Churchill for making me laugh even all the years.

Next week will be OSCAR WILDE.

Materialism? Or Symbolism?

Once I was told by someone that things such as Pandora charms etc were a sign of being materialistic. Things that were given as presents, such as Radley gifts, again Pandora charms and anything with a big brand label on were that of a materialistc and selfish personality.

 Definition: Economic materialism:Materialism (adj. materialistic) is the excessive desire to acquire and consume material goods.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_materialism)

 

My main focus for this is, once I heard of someone being told that they were this and it brought the phrase MATERIALISTIC to my attention. So I ask the question Materialistic? Or Symbolism? The topic in question, as I have already mentioned will be that of the Pandora Bracelet and charms.

 

For my Birthday last year my parents bought me a Pandora bracelet with a few charms and since then I have added some myself as well as others buying me some for special occasions. This is when the phrase SYMBOLISM came into my head.

 

Definition: Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolism_(disambiguation)

 

 

 

The Picture above shows my first charms for my bracelet. (From Left to Right) My Celtic bead representing my nationality, Red heart bead, Chinese Pisces representing my birth sign, Grey heart bead and my Grandma bead, in remembrance of my Grandmother who I lost. Only two of the beads I could say I have that show a possible materialistic side to me.

 



 

The two beads above I bought for myself, the C for my first name initial and the wolf as I belive that the wolf is my guardian that watches over me in my dreams. Again Materialistic? Or Symbolism?

 

 

 

The charm above was given to me by my Parents when I graduated Univeristy.

 

 

The above charm was given to me by very close family friends for graduating University.

 

Both my charms for university show the symbolism of my success and my personal achievements.

 

My last charm I recently recieved for my birthday this year.

 

This charm is a poppy, which represents the Poppy Appeal and the remembrance of all those who fell and died fighting for us today during the First World War, which I always donate to. As well as my love and interest in WW1.

 

All my charms have their own meanings and symbols, which I am sure others out there who have one do to. But still there are many people who still say that it is all about Materialim and just to help companies such as Pandora and Chamilia a profit, yet my last charm there proves that this isn't always the case as some of the money that you pay for the charm is given to the Poppy Appeal and there are many others out there that are doing their bit for charity to, such as the Breast Cancer Charm and the Marie Curie Charm.

 

So I ask you which way do you see it?

 

 Materialistic? Or Symbolism?





Cloud Atlas Book Review.

As the new film "Cloud Atlas" has been released, I thought I would share with the world my views of the novel before I go to see the film. This is a piece I did in university. I do apologise if people find it too long. But I must express this as I do have my own concerns and reservations about the film style.

Beforehand though have a look at the trailer for the film.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByehYal_cCs

Hope you enjoy my review, Many thanks, Claire.

  
The novel Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell is a very compelling novel, the structure and style is rather strange when first reading the novel. However this is a novel of six different genres and styles, which makes the novel very confusing to read, from a personal point of view, and is structured in a way that a reader can’t lose themselves in imagination, the novel is structured in such a way that concentration is vital. This novel also has a lot of historical and religious references, which makes the novel a bit more bearable to read, these also make one wonder if they have any relevant significance to the novellas. This novel also has many similarities to other novels, so intertexuality is very key within this novel, as well as Mitchell dealing with issues such as Capitalism.

  The style, form and structure is rather stunning, the form of the chapters is also fascinating, forming in the order of 1,2,3,4,5,6,5,4,3,2,1, showing the structure of a mountain, which has very close links with the mountain within the plot of the novel, which also refers to the downfall of the story overall. Mitchell uses ‘chiasmus’ showing symmetry from the middle of the book, replicating the first British book. This particular order is sometimes confusing when first reading the novel as Mitchell cuts off half way through sentences and leaves each chapter on little cliff hangers, on the other hand, it is also easier to intake all the information that the author is throwing at the reader; it gives the reader a chance to digest the information properly and gain a better perspective of the story. On first reading, the third chapter ‘Half- Lives-The First Luisa Rey Mystery’  seemed to be an easy simple read and the use of mini chapters separated into 39 in the first half made it even easier. However one was drawn into the belief it was a part of his real life fiction, until told otherwise and also finding out in the following chapter, that is in fact a novel within a novel, this made it even more confusing, although it is rather cleverly structured by the author. The chapters all have a different style which the author uses well and to his advantage for storytelling, the first and last chapters, ‘The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing’   written in the form of a diary fits in well with the story he starts out with. The second and tenth chapters ‘Letters from Zedelghem’ is told in the form of letters, the fourth and eighth chapters ‘The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish’   is written as a standard novel, then is found to be made into a film in the following chapters the fifth and seventh chapters, ‘An Orison of Sonmi-451’ is written in the form of an interview and the sixth chapter, ‘Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After’ is again written the standard form of novel yet again. This form in which the novel is written makes the author a genius as it is very cleverly structured and is still able to make the story flow, although some parts seem as though the author is trying to prove he knows how to write in all the different was he has and isn’t actually trying to create a brilliant best seller.  Another way the structuring helps the novel is that it flows from start to finish using the characters in a such a way that all the characters are connected, a few examples of this are ‘I read more of Half-Lives but fell asleep just after Rufus Sixsmith is murdered’[1] and ‘I forced my mind elsewhere, anywhere; a scene from The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish’[2] these examples help explain how in each chapter, there is a mentioning of particular characters from the previous chapter. Justine Jordan writes in the Guardian, ‘”genre-busting” author whose work knits together science fiction, political thriller, historical pastiche with musical virtuosity and linguistic exuberance’[3] One agrees with this review, as Jordan makes a valid point that he combines so many genres into one story, which again is genius and shows the authors abilities at their finest even if the story itself isn’t magnificent.

 

 Mitchell includes many historical places and includes religious connotations, He also engages with the issues of Capitalism. Mitchell writes each novella being set in a place that has had some major historic event from the past, examples of this are, the chapter ‘Letters from Zedelghem’ is set in Belgium place of both First and Second World war, and Zedelghem was eventually a POW camp during second world war, Mitchell also uses the places of Hawaii and Korea, again both places had involvement with war, whether these have any significance to the plot of the novel is another matter. Mitchell uses the character of Sonmi as a ‘God-like’ character, using her as an important figure, showing if she wasn’t so important would the novel have any other purpose.  In the chapter ‘Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After’   Sonmi at this point is worshipped, showing her as a ‘Goddess’ and showing religion within the Post-apocalyptic future,  as well as Sonmi’s character having a Marxist representation. ‘The Fall’ in this chapter is almost biblical and again shows the survival of religion even in this future. Mitchell writes, “List’n, savages an’ Civilizeds ain’t divvied by tribes or b’liefs or mountain ranges nay, ev’ry human is both, yay. Old’uns’d got the Smart o’ gods but the savagery o’ jackals an’ that’s what tripped the Fall.”[4] This shows the peak point of the novel from personal view, this shows the point of the whole religious aspect and the idea of the mountain is mention again, referring to the structure of the novel yet again.  Mitchell addresses the issues of Capitalism through the story of Luisa Rey through the use of corporations, which is ‘Seaboard Corporation’ which Luisa investigates the corruption and a murder at the corporations nuclear power plant, this plot follows through to the chapter ‘An Orison of Sonmi-451’ which shows Korea in the future showing how Sonmi is involved in the rebellion against the Capitalists and how there is a chain reaction through the issues of Capitalism.

This novel has major issues relating to realism, in this novel what is realistic? Although Mitchell writes in the acknowledgments that he researched the Ewing and Zachry through a travel scholarship, he uses some parts that are actual facts, however, when reading through the novel the first three chapters seem as though they are set in the real world and could have been actual events, until the revelation of Luisa Rey being a novel and Timothy Cavendish actually being a film, this makes you question the realistic ideals within the novel and see the novel from a different perspective yet again and makes you ask what is real about the novel?

 

Mitchell uses many ideas which relate so well to other novels, highlighting the intertexuality throughout the entire novel. With the character Robert Frobisher, Mitchell’s storyline in this particular part of the novel has many parallels with Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, the ideas and story of a young man having an affair with the wife of the person he is staying with. Also the chapter with the character of Sonmi has a comparison with the novel ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? ‘by Philip K. Dick and with the movie ‘Blade Runner’  as the plot line being an interview process it is the same as the character Deckard interviewing the replicant Rachael  and the idea of a post-apocalyptic future where the use of nuclear power and nuclear war has destroyed the world. This again relates to an earlier point about Mitchell possibly trying to prove a point about his writing ability and skill.

Overall, Mitchell has proven that his writing skills are spectacular in the formation and structure of this novel and his use of language makes the story understandable to read, however, the novel as a whole has some good elements of theories, which is shown throughout the entire novel, as pointed out earlier, but at the same time Mitchell hasn’t truly succeeded in making this a masterpiece.

---

[1] Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell, (Hodder and Stroughton Ltd, Great Britain, 2004) pg169

[2] Ibid pg351

[3] David Mitchell: Critical Essays, Sarah Dillon (Glyphi Limited, Great Britain, 2011)pg 201

[4] Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell, (Hodder and Stroughton Ltd, Great Britain, 2004) pg319

 

Remembrance

A year ago on March 15th, Me and my family lost a very special lady. My Grandma, Evelyn Tindall.

 

My Grandma was a very loving, caring, special and a very wonderful woman. She was strong and had the most wonderful personality. Like everyone, we had our ups and our downs, but she was always there for her family and her friends.

 

 

 

The picture above may be old, but shows how much she loved and cared for her family.

 

A year ago we lost you and you were taken away from us. We miss you so much everyday. I always think about the quirky little things you did and said. We love you so much, it is unimaginable. Everyday I wish I could have you back, but as time goes by I know that it will get easier. I know you are looking down on all of us and smiling. Knowing that we have made you proud.

 

Love you always Grandma RIP xxxx

 







Welcome.

This is my very first blog site ever. So as my first piece I thought I had better introduce myself. I am Claire Louise, and I am aiming to become a English Teacher, that's the dream anyway.

I aptly chose the blog title, "Dreams Really Do Come True" after graduating university and taking myfirst step to achieving my dream. This wasn't an easy task or an easy part of my life. Throughout my blog I will post about my opinions, about my pains and mostly about my struggle to be the person I am today.

The picture above shows me on my big day. An official Graduate of English.

My first big struggle was leaving home. I know many others have this struggle, but the pain of leaving your parents, leaving your home and everything you know and feel safe around. That is the hardest and biggest step to take into the real world. This I am sure many will know.

For now, I say Goodbye and hope to tell you more.

Thank you.