And A Happy New Year

Tomorrow is new years eve, and to be fair, I'm pretty ambivalent about this.

It's vaguely sad, mainly because it's been such a good year - Starting 6th form, going sailing, meeting Johanna, my German Exchange partner. I met some awesome people, and somehow (although I'm still unsure where this actually came from) found a new sense of confidence. God, that sounds cheesy. And yet, I know that there is absolutely no point being sad about time passing. It's the most natural thing in the world; and as a personal history nut, I'm actually quite a fan of this whole time madness.

2014 though, is already seeming like it should be another brilliant year, with loads of things and events that I'm insanely excited about: A trip to Berlin and Poland with history, a debating competition (as strange as that might sound...) and finally the Dicey Conference, which I'm ridiculous nervous and excited about at the same time.
So to the new year - may the odds be ever in your favour!

Upon the subject of Teenagers

*RANT AHEAD* Sorry people.

I have always been fond of the BBC. I daily trawl through the BBC News page in search of any news story that I can read and devour, endeavouring to better my knowledge and understanding of the world. To me, the independent tries to take it’s broadsheet status and thrust it in your face with every technical sounding word than it can find, and the Sun is, frankly, only good for toilet paper. So the BBC is where I, an average teenager, read up on the latest news.

So you can imagine that I would be intrigued by the fairly innocuous yet intriguing headline of ‘Is there an 'angst canon' of books that teenagers read?’ while scrolling through the other articles, being myself a teenager who, surprisingly enough, reads.  However, I was outraged by what I found. The article was mainly about how there are a certain list of books that teenagers supposedly read to ‘[attempt] to look, well, a bit cool. The books are like a badge of honour.’.  According to the article, books – classics – such as  ‘1984’, ‘The Bell Jar’, ‘The Catcher in the Rye’, ‘Catch 22’, ‘The Outsider’ and even more modern books such as ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ and some books by John Green, are read by teenagers simply  to display their, well, their ‘Inner Angst’.

These are all genuine quotes from the article:

-          ‘The book itself might be placed conspicuously on show, with the titles poking out of school blazer pockets and tops of satchels. "[They're] what you might call 'accessory books'’

-          ‘Any teenager seen reading the book on public transport is sending out a message."You know that if you sit on the Tube reading that [type of book], people will know you're an angst-ridden teenager," says historian Lisa Jardine, who has researched the reading preferences of men and women.’

-          ‘Some may even detect a note of pretentiousness’

That last one really gets me. It makes me angry just to read it. Here, today when I can look at the same website and see half a dozen articles about the fact that teenagers don’t read enough today I cannot help but feel that something is drastically wrong with today’s media. Teenagers are frowned upon for not reading, or reading books that are perceived to be below their reading level, but when we try to better ourselves, to read something that may be intentionally challenging to give us a better understanding of how the world works, and indeed literature as a whole, we are deemed pretentious. So what is it that we are expected to do? Do we just give up? Being ridiculed for not reading but slated when we do what the ‘adults’ of the world tell us we should be doing?

Teenagers are called pretentious for reading books that include ‘Angst’ as a theme. Maybe some people are trying to look cool by reading these books. And you know what? Good for them. Good for the people who may not necessarily be interested in reading, but want to try out a topically challenging work. Why does that make us pretentious? And as for using the fact that we have read these books as a badge of honour, I say why not? Why shouldn’t I be proud of the fact that I finished Orwell’s 1984 – a notoriously slow book I will admit, but one packed with culturally and socially relevant meanings? I for one still inwardly use books that I’ve read as badges of honour. I unashamedly do this every day. Even writing this I remember how proud I am of myself that I have read Homer’s Iliad. I am proud of the fact that I read just one chapter of James Joyce’s Ulysses, because anyone who has tried it will know that it is notoriously difficult. Does that make me pretentious? Maybe. But who cares?

I wonder now, why the person who wrote this article thinks that teenagers are drawn to these books. Because they contain themes of not belonging to society? Maybe. Or maybe it’s because these books are difficult. They are designed to make us think about the world we live in today. Maybe people read them because they want to better themselves and give themselves a challenge.

When I finally get round to reading Camus’ ‘The Outsider’, I will have read it because we discussed the book in depth in my Debating club, discussing the themes of Existentialism within literature alongside Determinist points of view. I was twelve when I read 1984 for the first time. I read Homer’s Iliad in five days, and when I was eleven I had a tested reading age of twenty.  However arrogant you think I am for mentioning these points, think about this. If any adults knew all of this about me, would they expect me to be reading trashy airport chick-lit (which I have nothing against, by the way)? Would I get told that I should be reading things more on my level? Probably. I would be judged and looked down on, called lazy for not reading something more difficult. So why is it that these same people, if they did not know my story, would call me pretentious for reading the books that are suitable?

Adults today don’t give teenagers enough credit. Maybe instead of making judgements about a social group as a whole, disparaging ones I might add, because we happen to read books with a certain ‘theme’, just applaud us, because we have taken the time to read recreationally – whatever the book may be. Be happy that we are doing something useful. Because I’m sure that adults would rather see teenagers reading ‘pretentious’ books than spray-painting walls and engaging in anti-social behaviour.

It seems though, we just can’t have it both ways.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24833198   - The article in full

My favourite book

It sounds like such a petty term, like I'm almost disregarding every other piece of literature that I've both read and have yet to read. Like I have chosen one book to hold above all others in my regard. But still, until the next book that grasps me like this one has, I can honestly say that I have never read a book quite like Louis De Bernieres's masterpiece, Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Perhaps surprisingly, I didn't actually pick up this book to read of my own volition. I had to read it for my AS Literature course. When we were first told to read it I had no emotions to speak of really, I just thought that it was going to be another novel that I'd probably like, but forget about no sooner than the exam was over. But then we started reading it in class. Within the first chapter I became enamoured with the charm of the Greek Island of Cephallonia, and already could relate to the brilliantly rendered characters on Dr Iannis and his brilliant yet different daughter Pelagia. Chapter two took me to somewhere I certainly did not expect to be, inside the inner thought's of the infamous Italian dictator Mussolini, and then to be following the horrible tale of the Greek occupation that happened during the second world war.

It's not often that I end up crying because of a book, with the notable exception of The Book Thief, but Carlo's death had me turning the pages through my tears. Antonio and Pelagia's reunion at the end of the book had me laughing, while also slightly surprised - I had honestly thought that the charming Captain was dead!

But really, If there was ever a book that I would reccomend to other people, it would be this one, despite the numerous complaints of people in my class, with cries of 'but there's so many long words!'. So yeah, un bury your copies of Homer, and get stuck in to Captain Corelli's Mandolin - I can truthfully say it's probably the best book I've read. (So far any way...)

Exam Results and the Impending Future

Exam results day; that one magical day in the summer where almost every sixteen year old in the country is worried about letters of the alphabet printed in capitals on an enveloped sheet of paper, albeit, extremely important letters.
As always, I was really nervous about going to get my results, but I'm actually really happy and surprised with what I got; I didn't even hope that I'd have done nearly as well as I did!
I got:
A* - Maths, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, History, German and Business,
A- English Language, English Literature, P.E, Art, ICT (Distinction, counting as 3 A grades)
B- Music (Damn you music, Damn you)
and I also got an A in AS English LangLit, a B in AS Art, and a B in the Foundations of Advanced Maths.

7 A*'s, 7 A's and a B - I seriously never imagined that I would do as well as I did, even getting full marks in four of the exams I took earlier in the summer! My results are nowhere near the highest anyone got in my year, but I'm just happy that I managed to get 7 A*'s, which I think (maybe) is the amount you need to get into a good university. Getting a B in music will make getting into somewhere especially good harder, but I don't really mind. I really couldn't have done any better!
(Hopefully this doesn't sound like I'm bragging, because I honestly don't mean to sound like that...)

My results mean that I'll definitely be able to do all of the subjects I want for A level, being English Lit, History, German and Psychology, and that my predicted grades should probably be something similar to AAAB, which is good.

My friends all did amazingly too, so it seems that despite all of the 'grade turbulence' the exam boards warned about, everyone I know has come out on top. Yay!

Now to celebrate with cake :D

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

Set in the brutal, and thankfully fictional, nation of Panem, ‘The Hunger Games’ brings a totally new layer to your classic romance story. Forget boy-meets-girl… this is more boy-and-girl-get-thrown-into-a-fight-to-the-death-in-which-only-one-of-them-can-possibly-survive. Regardless of the underlying romantic elements, make no mistake in thinking that this book is just for girls, as is the major audience for most other novels of that genre. This book is a must-read for all; a story that anyone can enjoy.

Being widely different from most other books on the market today for teens, the ‘Hunger Games’ has gotten a fair amount of bad press, mainly being described as very bloody and horrifying – apparently this being simply too much for quite a few book reviewers. But for the people with this opinion, those who read the book and only see people mindlessly slaughtering other people, the real question that springs to mind is whether they have actually read the book at all. Yes, I will admit that through the course of the book twenty-two people are killed in the savage environment of the arena, but, being a person who is greatly squeamish, I can safely say that, really, only one of the deaths is what could be described as slightly grotesque. And that is at the very end of the novel.

But of course, the main complaints are not about the detail in which these deaths are described (which actually, is not overly detailed anyway) but is about the fact that there are deaths at all. What these people don’t see, possibly, is the true meanings of the book. Through the whole novel, Collins clearly shows that, even though it seems like some people’s deaths are inconsequential, every human life – be that of friend or enemy – is a big deal. A lesson that, to me, is vitally important for much of today’s teenage population to understand, especially with the amount of violent video games on the market, in which faceless beings are shot down without thought or feeling. The ‘Hunger Games’ is not about death, or blood, or merciless slaughter, it shows that every life should be valued, and also that feeling, whether it be love or respect, or anything else, is greatly needed, otherwise we will turn into veritable monsters.

Although the ‘Hunger Games’ is perhaps a little darker in true meaning than it perhaps would first seem, this does not mean that it cannot be enjoyed by a wide variety of people: that is the true genius of Collins’ writing. When you get down to it’s roots, the ‘Hunger Games’ is a love story like no other, with humour interspersed through the tragedy, lightening our minds and compelling us to read on. 

House of Silk - Anthony Horowitz

After having read all (and yes, I do mean all) of Conan-Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, I have to say that I was hooked. I simply couldn’t get enough of the adventures of the ‘world’s greatest detective’. So you can probably imagine my excitement and slight trepidation when I found out that Anthony Horowitz, an author whose other books I had previously read and enjoyed, had written what was branded as ‘the new Sherlock Holmes novel’.  That same day I went out and brought the book, admittedly not even bothering to read the blurb which I knew would just feed my anticipation.

And I wasn’t disappointed. As soon as you read the first sentence of the prologue, you’re immediately hit by the astounding way that Horowitz somehow manages to affect the exact same writing style used by Conan-Doyle in the original novels. Everything is perfect; from the sentence structures to the use of words that are possibly archaic to today’s standards, but fit in perfectly with the era of the novel. Reading on, you simply find yourself captivated, glued to the pages as the mystery unfurls around you, taking twists and turns as unlikely or improbable as you could get, but all the while following the inevitable deductions given by Holmes, created as ingeniously as in the original canon. Even more brilliantly, Horowitz makes sure that even while our protagonists seem to be deducing seas from drops of water, we as readers can easily follow the plot, even in places being able to make deductions of our own without too much mental effort, and without taking the air of intelligence away from the story.

Although ‘House of Silk’ is perhaps very different from some of Horowitz’s other novels, namely the adventurous ‘Alex Rider’ series, or even the ‘Diamond brothers’ collection, it still manages to get across the brilliance of his writing despite the story being set in a completely different time period and showing a writing style very different from anything still seen in the modern day.

 Even without any mention of Deerstalkers, or the appearance of the line ‘Elementary my dear Watson’, (probably to the joy of some Holmes aficionados) ‘House of Silk’ is inevitably a classic Sherlock Holmes tale filled with the amazing deductions of the original books, while bringing elements of adventure and excitement that will readily be loved by anyone – whether they have read the originals or not.