Word of the Day

I learnt this word while doing a vocabulary test on dictionary.com. Because I am extremely cool.

Today's Word:

Glib

Readily (but insincerely) fluent; unconstrained

Sentence example: His glib chatter drove his friends to insanity.

Origin: From the Dutch word glibberig.

By Jess

The Pressure is On...

Once upon a time, there was an English Lit. class who enjoyed discussing topics related to their wonderful language. One day, they became terribly confused when talking about words with the suffix -press. They soon figured it out, but I decided to pop it on the Internet so no one could ever forget.

Oppress

To be tyrannical (e.g. a king); to cause discomfort through excess (e.g. heat); to distress

Suppress

To put a stop to something (e.g. riots); to abolish; to withhold from publication (e.g. the truth or evidence)

Repress

To quell; to keep in control

By Jess

Word of the Day

Today's Word:

Flagrant

Shockingly noticeable; scandalous

Sentence example: His underwear was flagrant because he had forgotten to wear his belt on his jeans.

Origin: From the Latin flagrare, meaning to burn, since in archaic language the word meant literally burning or blazing.

By Jess

Word of the Day

I found this one in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall a while ago, just thought you would all enjoy it.

Today's Word:

Desultory

Inconsistent; reluctant; random (e.g. an irrelevant comment)

Sentence example: The conversation between them was becoming desultory, and therefore proving to be a bit awkward, since it was only the first date.

Origin: From the Latin desultorius, meaning a circus performer who jumped from one horse to another.

By Jess

Agnes Grey

When people think of Bronte, they think of controversial tales of passionate love on the moors of Yorkshire. Agnes Grey is not part of one such tale. She is a church-going young woman who goes out to earn a living for her impoverished family by being a governess.

You can pick up Agnes Grey at any point and be able to tell instantly what she is like as a person. Every chapter is filled with religious quotations and though she arrives at her first post with a fresh outlook and ready for anything that may come her way, she is not ready for the way of the upper-class children.

The children Agnes deals with are, plainly put, spoilt brats. They are their mothers' little darlings and hence anything that they may do wrong is never the mother's fault, it is that of Agnes. Over the course of the year she spends at her first chance at being a governess, in this instance to a noisy boy and two spoilt little girls, her once excitable desire for adventure is soon relinquished as she realises that not everyone has such good manners as she.

Being only working class, Agnes Grey has an incredibly satirical narrative, exposing to the reader the never-ending coquetry of characters such as Rosalie, a later pupil of Miss Grey, and how others such as Rosalie's sister Matilda may pick up bad habits from their far-too-fond-of-alcohol fathers. I especially liked the dashed out swear words such as "d-n" that terrible Tilly uses. It made me laugh to think of a typical Victorian lady reading Agnes Grey and falling off her seat in shock when none other than a young lady could say such a scandalous word.

Agnes Grey is a feel-good sort of book that mainly anyone can read. It makes the reader think - ah well my life may be rubbish now but maybe eventually a vaguely handsome priest with a good heart will turn up and sweep me off my feet. Or something...

By Jess

You can shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin To Kill a Mockingbird

To be completely honest, I think To Kill A Mockingbird is beyond incredible. No, that is not the entire review, but it is my opinion and I would be thoroughly surprised if anyone opposed it. Told through the eyes of young Scout Finch, a true tomboy living in 1930's Maycomb, Alabama, we are told a story of racism and fighting for equality in the Deep South of the USA.

Reading David Lodge's The Art of Fiction for AS, I remember one of the chapters being about the beginning of a novel, and when it may end. Some beginnings are just a paragraph long, some take a couple of chapters to get going. Harper Lee sets up the main theme of the plot thoroughly well with just under a hundred pages of beginning, but I don't resent her for it in any way. This doesn't mean that you can't get into it, as may be the case with some novels. And once at the end of the story you know exactly why Lee needed to take her time explaining everything.

Atticus Finch is the father of Jem and Scout Finch. Before you ask, Jem is short for Jeremy, who at the start is in the fifth grade (however old that makes him – I think it's about nine); and Scout is a nickname for Jean Louise, who is a good four years younger than her brother. Scout tells us all about their neighbourhood: the spooky Radley Place two doors down on the right; friendly Miss Maudie and her azaleas; Miss Stephanie the gossip; Mrs Dubose the terrifying old lady three doors down on the left; to name but a few. Their first summer, where the story more or less opens, is spent with a new and similarly adventurous friend named Dill Harris from Meridian, Mississippi, and through their activities the reader learns that they are typical children, playing outdoors and getting into trouble.

Evidently there is a more significant tale to be told here. Atticus is a lawyer, and the first case that we are told about of his is where he is defending a black man. On witnessing the court case through Scout's eyes, we know that he is innocent. For this man has been accused of raping a Ewell girl: a white family who live on a dumpster near a 'Negro' settlement, sponging off relief cheques and who are really the lowest of the low. As Scout puts it so perfectly: “All the little man [Mr Ewell – the girl's father] on the witness stand had that made him any better than his nearest neighbours was that, if scrubbed with lye soap with very hot water, his skin was white.”

Of course, anyone who reads this book knows that in 1930's America there was extreme prejudice against the black inhabitants of the country. Atticus tells his own children, with much resentment, that even if a black defendant is clearly innocent, the jury will always take the word of a white man over his, no matter how dirty and rude said white man is. Hitler is mentioned briefly in one of Scout's 'Current Events' classes, and when her teacher Miss Gates says that it is wrong of Hitler to persecute the Jews, one boy appears to be confused why they should be the victims, since they are white. When Miss Gates says “over here we don't believe in persecuting anybody. Persecution comes from people who are prejudiced,” only Scout seems to think it all very hypocritical, with the black community in mind.

If you haven't read this book then dear Lord read it now. The not-so-ignorant view point of a young girl who is heavily influenced by her hilariously precocious older brother makes it absolutely perfect. The only thing I would criticise about To Kill A Mockingbird is that it comes to an end: I so desperately didn't want it to.

By Jess

Word of the Day

This terribly useful word is from none other than Jane Eyre itself. For further details see the previous post to this one.

Today's Word:

Vignette

Brief description

Sentence example: In the Bronte classic Agnes Grey, Agnes only gives a vignette of each of her pupils at the Murrays'. For further details come back in a couple of days when I have finished and reviewed it.

By Jess

Plain Jane

It is a well-known fact that heroines are meant to be beautiful, or at least that they clean up to be so. Grand gentlemen and dashing princes are meant to fall for lady or princess material, not humble sidekicks. This is just one of the controversies Charlotte Brontë presents to us with Jane Eyre.

Jane does not have an easy upbringing. I definitely didn't enjoy the first few chapters of Jane's life, not because it wasn't written well or because it didn't grab my attention, but because it was pretty depressing. I didn't really want to read about a ten-year-old orphan being beaten up by her obnoxious fourteen-year-old male cousin, even sometimes in front of her aunt, when nothing is being done about it. So when Jane went to Lowood School for orphans, I was pleased for her. And then her aunt went and spoilt it all by telling the headmaster, falsely, that she was devilish and wicked, leading him to tell the whole school. I was close to closing the book by this point, wanting to go and give all those horrid adults something to think about wickedness. I didn't, obviously. I carried on reading.

Jane Eyre is a wonderful love story. I assume most of you know the story, and if you don't then stop reading because I'm going to break my tradition of keeping schtum and spoil the plot, because otherwise this would be a terrible review.

As I earlier mentioned, Jane Eyre is an educated but unattractive girl, as is mentioned several times by different points of view. As she is the titular character and it is a novel written in the first person, there is no choice but to accept her as the true heroine, not that the Victorians would have liked this. Though they had their slightly odd obsession with orphans, pleasing them in one respect, they didn't like the thought of an ugly protagonist. So when Mr Rochester, albeit extremely romantically, proposes to Jane, they probably didn't like that either, because she was the governess of this stately gentleman's ward. He was meant to marry a lady, not a woman. We modern readers, however, love it.

Brontë includes a host of biblical quotes in the novel, most probably to reflect Jane's piety and additionally to create a greater sense of horror and betrayal when Mr Rochester's secret is revealed. The mad woman in the attic is the wife of Mr Rochester. She is not dead, they are not divorced, and hence there is no way that Jane and Mr R can marry. Jane finds this out the hard way: at the altar. Does she still love him? Of course. We modern readers may find this entirely acceptable, but I doubt the Victorian readers did. After all, he has broken more than one of the ten commandments: he is a terrible sinner and should not be forgiven. However, when he threatens to use violence against Jane when she insists she leave him, a modern reader (or at least I did) would find this shocking. How can he use violence against her? She hasn't done anything wrong! Why should he be the perpretrator and she the victim? But then again, domestic violence wasn't really an issue then, in that it was totally accepted. Which is a bit messed up, in my opinion.

But Jane does get what she deserves. After days of barely any food and traipsing around the Peak District (the most exciting bit about this is that I went to the town she finds refuge in on my Duke of Edinburgh Gold Practice Expedition) she is taken in my two sisters and a brother and their servant, changing her name to Jane Elliott and not divulging any details of her recent past so as to avoid recognition. It turns out that dear Miss Eyre is the heiress to a large fortune from her recently deceased uncle in Madeira and that the two sisters, Diana and Mary, and their brother, weirdly named St John, are her cousins. So Jane is a very happy lass.

Of course, she has not forgotten dear Edward Rochester, her true love. Brontë brings in the idea of Fate by having her hear his voice and sending her running to him and from a marriage proposal from her cousin (with a trip to India included – not a bad offer, but for all the wrong reasons). She finds Mr Rochester, but his loony wife burnt down Thornfield Hall (where she lived with him and his ward and everyone else before) and he was inside, leaving him blind and his left arm mutilated. But does she care? Of course not. It is true love, and Brontë understands all us girls by telling us that true love has no boundaries. After a very romantic entrance back into his life and a wonderful wedding without all the jewels and luxuries Jane had to so unwillingly accept the first time, the epilogue leaves us with Mr Rochester regaining his sight in one eye. I don't even care if it's not scientifically accruate, it is love for goodness' sake. And I'm so glad I stuck with Plain Jane until the very end.


By Jess

Word of the Day

This is from my new reading project, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Very good book by the way.

Today's Word:

Propensity

A natural inclination to behave in a certain way.

Sentence example: It was Victoire's propensity to be so kind as to let Jess borrow her laptop to post on her blog.

By Jess

A Sardonic Sense of Humour

The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham, is an early twentieth-century novel about lust, unrequited love and courage, taking place principally in the Chinese countryside.

When Kitty Garstin marries Walter Fane it is not for love. As she says herself, she never loves him, not at any point in the novel, despising his “sardonic” sense of humour and his crooked ways. No, Kitty does not marry for love. Instead, she marries Walter in a panic: her younger sister is already engaged; Kitty herself is nearing the ripe old age of 24 or 25; and this marriage would require her to live in Hong Kong, so she wouldn't have to deal with her sister's wedding or go on any loathsome family holidays ever again. Sorted. Walter on the other hand, adores Kitty. She is beautiful and chatty and funny, and Walter, though regretting that his love is unrequited, is happy enough with the situation to carry on with his life in peace.

In the bustling city of Hong Kong, Kitty meets many new people, old and young, men and women, all from the British Colonial base. One such person is Charlie Townsend, a charming, well-built man with a handsome face and apparently wonderful eyes. He is Kitty's undoing. Married himself, he never really loves Kitty so much as takes the opportunity she throws at him, and when Walter finds out a year later on finding them himself, Charlie has no intention of leaving his wife and saving Kitty from the clutches of Walter's ultimatum.

In short, the ultimatum is either stay with Walter or be divorced by Walter. The latter involves staying in Hong Kong. The former involves moving to the city of Mei tan fu, a bacteriologist, but this is less appealing as the site is ridden with a terrible cholera epidemic of which the citizens are dropping like flies. It is this option she is forced to choose.

This is where we see a journey of self-discovery take place. Kitty barely ever takes in someone's personality when we have a person described to us. It is always how attractive they are; how nice their eyes are or how revolting their nose is. Tired of hanging around the house all day and all night, Kitty decides to work with the French nuns who manage the orphanage, and here we see what was a dislike of “ugly” Chinese children change to a love of children and the development of a maternal instinct, just one example of how this new life changes her.

Simultaneously, Kitty learns to live with Walter, though he never really forgives her for her sinful behaviour and though she never fails to remind the reader that she does not love him and could never love him. She befriends the Customs man, Waddington, a squat man with a good sense of humour and a chatty tongue. It is Waddington who tells her about the Way, which is essentially a path of self-discovery the Chinese have figured out long before us.

Over the course of her stay in Mei tan fu, Kitty realises everything she never had figured out, sees everything she was blind to, and understands everything she felt clueless about previously. Her relationship with Charlie, for example, and Charlie's true self. Her superficiality shines through here again; she satisfies herself by telling herself that he was too fat, his eyebrows were apelike and revolting and his face was ugly, as opposed to thinking that his charm and his flattery were all false.

The Painted Veil really is a good read. The whole self-discovery makes it a great holiday read and it isn't too long at 200 odd pages so do give it a go. The film, starring Naomi Watts as Kitty and the thin one from Fight Club is great too, I must admit, following the story the whole way, though it is dramatised a bit, making us believe that Kitty does love Walter towards the end, but that's Hollywood for you.

By Jess

Word of the Day

Sorry for the infrequent blogging, both of us are taking a slight summer hiatus but I found a word I wish to share.

Erubescent:

Becoming red or reddish; blushing

Sentence Example:

Her erubescent complexion was thanks to too many hours in the sun.

By Talia

Word of the Day

This is a word I found whilst looking up the meaning of an entirely different, all together more boring word. So rather than bore you with the dull one I'll just share the fun one.

Hypocorism:

1. A pet name.

2. The practice of using a pet name.

3. The use of forms of speech imitative of baby talk, especially by an adult.

Sentence Example:

Josh found the hypocoristic mannerism his best friend adopted around his girlfriend nauseating.


By Talia

Old Sport

In keeping with the theme of my American literature reading habits I took a successful stab at F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby.

The Great Gatsby is the tale of society in Long Island from the point of view of newcomer Nick Carraway. His house, with lawn unpreened and lacking a multitude of servants, is situated next door to the abode of a somewhat local celebrity, named Jay Gatsby.

I assume you all have the heard the phrase 'a friend of everybody is a friend of no one'. That phrase applies perfectly to Jay Gatsby. For all of his inconsistent life stories and all of his booming 1920s house parties, nobody really knows or cares about him as a friend. And anyway, Mr G isn't the goody-two-shoes in many ways. His shady schemes with a Mr Wolfshiem, portrayed rather anti-semitically by Fitzgerald as a conman with bad grammar, never really dominate the plot, but it still means that we readers know Mr G is a bit dodgy.

Gatsby has a habit of calling people “old sport”. Is this a way of trying to have people think the two of them are great pals? Because it doesn't work, as we so tragically find out. The only exception to this sentiment of 'I'll come to your party but I wouldn't bother with your funeral' is Nick; this is how we find out the story that makes the novel.

Nick, always the friendly one, is the old chum of another man who lives on the other end of Long Island. This man is named Tom Buchanan, and he has a twisted sort of lifestyle. For he is having a long and drawn-out love affair with a Mrs Wilson. Yes, you read correctly: she is also married, to Tom's friend, Mr Wilson. In the meantime, however, Tom learns of his wife's (yes he has a wife) relation with Mr Gatsby, which is one of harboured love. For Daisy and Mr G were once terribly in love but were separated, and now that they have been reunited, they have started to have an affair. Which is a bit awkward when Tom finds out, especially since it was Nick who was persuaded into inviting them both to his house for tea by a mutual friend named Jordan Baker who Nick sort of fancies anyway. Confused?

And though Tom is in the wrong, he has a point. Daisy isn't very subtle with her affections and Mr G thinks she will leave Tom for him, therefore holds back no smart remarks that may hurt Tom. Which is just really awkward for Nick, who turns out to be pretty fickle with who he supports and whether he loves or hates his new clique.

Fitzgerald's writing is compelling and though the novel is not entirely filled with a turbulent plot, I was left thinking about who was in the wrong and who was in the right, leaving me with the conclusion that everyone was in the wrong. Which was a depressing but satisfying conclusion. Give it a read and let us know what you think / thought (if you have read it already). The movie is coming out in the not too distant future with a star-studded cast: Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby; Carey Mulligan as Daisy; Tobey Maguire as Nick; and Isla Fisher as Mrs Wilson, to name but a few, but you know the book will be better, so do read it before then. Pretty please.

By Jess

Word of the Day

Just a quick Word of the Day today, no background story to this word, I've just always liked it.

Dearth:

An inadequate supply; scarcity; lack

Sentence Example:

During a famine there is a dearth of food.

By Talia

Words of the Day

I picked this word up whilst trying to find synonyms for miserable in my thesaurus. I assume you all know what miserable means therefore I will just provide you with a definition of the synonym I happened across.

Abject:

1. Utterly hopeless, miserable, humiliating, or wretched.
2. Contemptible; despicable

Sentence Example:

The situation seemed completely abject to Lucas; there seemed to be no right answer and he seemed to be facing zugzwang.

This sentence example neatly leads me onto the second word for today, and no it's not a made up word!

Zugzwang:

A situation in which a player is limited to moves that have a damaging effect.

Pronouced: TSOOK-TSVAHNG

By Talia

Word of the Day

This is more of a specific sort of word, but I think it's a suitable one none the less. It's from The Great Gatsby.

Echolalia

The uncontrollable and immediate repetition of what someone else has said.

As this isn't a word you would use in daily conversation, I am including yet another word from The Great Gatsby.

Tumultuous

Chaotic or riotous

Sentence example: The end of Harry Potter was marked by the tumultuous Battle of Hogwarts.

By Jess

Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do

Daisy Miller is the first Henry James novel that I have read, and I loved it. It isn't long at all at only 115 pages (my edition is anyway) so anyone can read it over a weekend.

The overall plot (without giving away anything) is the tale of a Mr Winterbourne, an American in Europe. When we first meet Mr W he is in a town called Vevey having just come from Geneva. Staying with his aunt, Mrs Costello, he meets a little scoundrel of a boy called Randolph Miller, who is in the process of refusing to go to bed, as little boys so enjoy doing. He promptly introduces our friend to his sister named Daisy Miller (no prizes for having guessed her name before you read it). The Miller family is American too, from Schenectady in New York state, and they pride themselves in being awfully sociable people, which doesn't always shed the best light on them.

Daisy is often called a "flirt", and it is easy understand why very early on. Considering the novel was written in 1878, she is a terribly forward sort of girl, even considered quite common by the higher-class members of the novel, such as pompous Mrs Costello. It is pretty evident that Mr W falls for her ditzy yet charming ways, and after just a couple of weeks or so he seems to be head-over-heels.

Daisy, however, leaves for Rome soon after they become friends, and as his aunt is there already, Mr W follows. This is where I find the novel to take a turn for the slightly amusing. You see, Daisy, as always, is being her flirty and amiable self, and in doing so she has made lots of friends. Lots of gentleman friends *cue 'shock horror' faces*. One such 'friend' is called Mr Giovanelli. Mr W first meets Mr G very awkwardly in a sort of third-wheel arrangement whereby he tags along with Daisy when she goes to meet him. Mr G, by Mr W's standards, is very common indeed. For example, he has a whole flower in his button-hole, and as was explained in the notes at the back of the book, the larger a gentleman's button-hole, the more common he is. So a whole flower? Scandalous.

Mr W begins to grow extremely envious of Mr G's position, and as Daisy Miller is such a short book, it doesn't take long for his envy to become full-blown creepy stalking. As he follows Daisy everywhere (he has a peculiar way of showing his affection), she starts to grow tired of his nonsense, and insults him. Does this perturb our protagonist? Oh no! Even when Daisy is shunned by her temporary landlady, and even though Mrs Costello is adamant that she is filthy and whatnot, he continues to adore her from closer than she probably would like him to, at least whenever she is with Mr Giovanelli and his gargantuan button-hole. I highly doubt such stalking was accepted even in 19th century Rome.

What I noticed most, however, about Mr Winterbourne's infatuation, was his frequent commenting on Daisy's beauty. To him, she was "exquisite"and "pretty", but never funny or kind or sweet. Perhaps it is as a modern reader that I notice this, and a contemporary reader wouldn't have thought twice about the blind love. It revisits that idea of love at first sight: essentially it is just lust. Would Mr Winterbourne have loved / stalked Daisy in the same manner if her nose had been larger? Or if she had had bad skin? Or if she didn't have such good dress sense? Probably not, though he was attracted to her because of her terrifying ability to talk non-stop at people and make them think they wanted to listen. However, at the end (I shan't tell you what happens), Mr G comments on her wonderful personality, which makes me think that he was the one for her after all.

Thoughts? Would you be slightly unsettled by bumbling Mr Winterbourne if you were  in Daisy's position?

By Jess

A Special Word of the Day

Well folks today is a special day, it is the day we publish our one hundredth post! I know, you're all just as excited as I am. Who would have thought we'd find one hundred things to blog about in under half a year? So I'm sure it will come as no surprise to anyone that the word of the day is...

Hundred:

1. A cardinal number, ten times ten.

2. A set of this many persons or things: a hundred of the men. .

3. Hundreds, a number between 100 and 999, as in referring to an amount of money.

4. Informal: a hundred-dollar bill. 

5. Formerly is was an administrative division of an English county.

6.Similar to no. 5, division in colonial Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia, and in present-day Delaware.

7. Also called hundred's place in mathematics.

I bet none of you knew how many definitions of the word hundred there are, and now for a very obvious sentence example:

This is the one hundredth blog post on The English Review.

Synonyms when hundred pertains to 100:

Centenary, Centennial, Centuplicate, Century, Hundredth.

Synonyms when hundred pertains to a great number:

Army, Cloud, Crowd, Drove, Flock, Host, Legion, Multitude, Myriad, Rout, Swarm, Throng.

By Talia

The Kennedys

For the past five weeks I have been watching 'The Kennedys' mini-series on BBC2. I had heard about the show before it came to England because of the controversy it caused in America. It had been made to air on the History Television, in fact it was the first original scripted series to be commissioned for the channel and had a reported $30 million budget. However, the show was subject to heavy criticism, with critics claiming it was historically inaccurate and presented one of America's most beloved and famous families in a negative and inappropriate light. It is rumoured that the remaining members of the Kennedy family threatened to sue the channel if they aired the show, eventually History Television released a statement saying "this dramatic interpretation is not a fit for the History brand," but a channel called ReelzChannel picked it up. I am currently in the process of writing a 5000 word essay about JFK and the show seemed like a more relaxing way to understand the Kennedy family, but I did watch it well aware that there were massive creative liberties taken.

When I reference it in my essay I will comment on the historical inaccuracies but here I will review it simply as a programme. Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine, The Last Song,) took on the lead role of John 'Jack' Kennedy, and he really does look a lot like him. Katie Holmes (Batman Begins, Dawson's Creek, Tom Cruise's wife) plays the long suffering wife and perfect First Lady, Jackie Kennedy. Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan, True Grit,) as Robert 'Bobby' Kennedy, and Tom Wilkinson (In The Bedroom, Michael Clatyton) and Diana Hardcastle (Midsummer Murders, Silent Witness) as the patriarch and matriarch of the Kennedy family; Joe Sr and Rose.

The first episode opens in 1938 and shows Joe Sr. as the Ambassador in Britain showing his open support to the Munich Agreement, despite the current President FDR opposing it. Each episode has an element of politics to it, however the focus is always very much on the family relationships rather than the current events of the time. The Bay of Pigs disaster, for example, in episode 3 is sidelined by Joe Sr. blaming Bobby for not protecting Jack as both his brother and the Attorney General. Jackie also struggles with Jack's constant infidelities and turns Rose for advice. This is the general format for the series, politics is eclipsed by family drama, even the Cuban Missile crisis is, if not overtaken then definitely equal to, Jackie's humiliation at Jack's affair with Mary Meyer. And it is probably for this reason why the show was deemed not historically accurate enough for a history channel. One has to take both historic and creative licenses when recreating undocumented conversations, and it does make for more interesting television.

The programme jumps about in time, showing the Kennedy clan before, after and during Jack's presidency. In the earlier times, primarily before Jack becomes President, Joe Sr. is painted as a cruel and ruthless man who expected his children to live out his unfulfilled dreams. From my research, I have ascertained that this is probably an accurate portrayal of a man who would stop at nothing to have one of his sons inside the White House. Joe suffers a severe stroke and we are left with a shell of a man, who dribbles rather pathetically and is confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. We end up pitying Joe Kennedy. 

Over the first six episodes, without realising it, I had become quite attached to the characters, especially Jack and Bobby, therefore I found the penultimate episode quite emotional. Not to spoil the show for you, but Jack does get shot dead (I know, I know, I bet none of you saw that coming.) In the same episode, they lose their newborn son, Patrick and you see Jack telling Jackie that he's going to change, that he's done with his philandering ways. It is a clear romanticism of Jack's death, adding to the tragedy of his death by leaving the unfulfilled promise of a happy family behind as well as the Presidency. But it worked, I couldn't help but shed a tear.

The final episode aired last night, and I wasn't sure what to expect, given the fact that the protagonist was dead, but this episode focused on Bobby Kennedy. It showed his changed attitude following his brothers death, his constant support of Jackie and her children, and his new political drive. We see how he is motivated to run for office himself, to continue Jack's legacy and dreams for America. We watch as he becomes the senator of New York and then employs the same tactics that won Jack the election in his own Presidential campaign. In the scene where Jackie phones him up and tells him she is going to marry Aristotle Onassis, it felt as though the Kennedy dynasty really was coming to an end. A feeling confirmed in the following scene when Bobby Kennedy is shot dead in the Ambassador Hotel in California. The final poignant, scene of the eight episode mini series was a flashback to Jack's inauguration night, with each character making a toast to the future, a future that never quite came to fruition.

Large historical licence taken? Yes. Slightly dodgy accent from Katie Holmes at times? Oh yes. Emotional, intriguing and worth watching? Definitely.

By Talia

Word of the Day

I cannot remember where I read this word, but I do remember questioning it's meaning. Upon discovering the answer I am now sharing it with you lovely readers.

Bivouac:

Noun: 
1. A military encampment made with tents or improvised shelters, usually without shelter or protection from enemy fire.

2. The place used for the above mentioned military encampment.

Verb:

To rest or assemble in such an area; encamp.

Sentence Example:

The 1st Battalion was now bivouacked in a field in the middle of nowhere.


By Talia

Word of the Day

This is one I learnt whilst reading 'A People's History of the United States.' Whilst I have not found the book entirely engaging I have learnt new words and one of those is:

Nadir:

The lowest point; the point of greatest adversity or despair

Sentence Example:
Leo had suffered through a monotonous day at work but the nadir came when the tube broke down on the way home, and he was stuck in a hot tube carriage, underground, during rush hour.

By Talia

Word of the Day

I am currently reading Robert Dallek's 'John. F. Kennedy. An Unfinished Life.' It is the very interesting biography of JFK and it is teaching me many new words, one of which I would like to share with you.

Sacrosanct:

1. Extremely sacred or inviolable.
2. Not to be entered or trespassed upon.
3. Above and beyond criticism, change or interference.

Sentence Example:
Victoria considered her room to be sacrosanct, and therefore was furious when she found her little sister in it, playing with her things.

By Talia

It All Ends Here

Last night I had the great privilege of attending the 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2' premiere. It was a huge event and the red carpet stretched all the way from Trafalgar Square down to Leicester Square, they had also turned half the carpet into Diagon Alley. I had been so excited about seeing the film I hadn't really thought about the fact that this was the end, despite the words 'It All Ends Here' being superimposed over every poster in the world.

I have been reading Harry Potter since I was six, therefore as Harry has grown over the past seven books and eight films so have I. I couldn't tell you precisely what it is about the books that makes them the all time best books in my opinion, yes there's the fantastic names (Neville Longbottom, Severus Snape etc.) and the magical world being set in England, in places that we all recognise (Kings Cross Station, Surrey, Tottenham Court Rd) but it's more than that. It has to be, there's a reason these books are the second most widely read novels in the world, second only to the Bible. There's a reason why we all (myself included) queued up at midnight to get a copy of the books, why next week everyone will be at the Odeon at midnight to see the first screenings of the final film installment. It's because we all love Harry, not in the same sort of way we love an action hero, but we love him as a best friend and care about what happens to him and Ron and Hermione.

The new film is in 3D, a move which I wasn't thrilled about, I think 3D is quite gimmicky and Harry Potter doesn't need it. However, soon I was so engrossed in the movie I'd forgotten all about the clunky glasses on my face. The movie begins exactly where the last one finished, with our three protagonists at Shell Cottage trying to decide whether to go after the Hallows or Horcruxes.  I promise this review won't have any major spoilers (although let's be honest it's not like you haven't all read the book a dozen times,) so I will focus on my personal highlights and I've narrowed it down to three scenes.
Scene one: The 3D came into its own during the break in scene at Gringotts Bank. It felt like we were on a roller coaster as the cart twisted and turned through the underground vaults.
Scene two: All the teachers and the remaining members of the Order come together to defend Hogwarts against the imminent attack from Voldemort and his followers. As well as some very witty lines from McGonagall (Maggie Smith) there is a fantastic shot of the protective enchantments coming together and forming a bubble around Hogwarts.
Scene three: The most obvious one, the Battle of Hogwarts. I don't want to spoil it so I will just summarise it in one word- epic. It was quite simply very, very epic.

For those of you worrying about too many changes to the book in this film don't be, obviously there are changes, there always have to be. But J.K Rowling was one of the producers on this film, and if she was happy with the changes then so am I. The splitting of the final novel allowed for far fewer details to be skipped over, unlike in the sixth movie. The only thing missing from this film was the promise of another one to come. During the premiere J.K Rowling cried, Emma Watson cried, Daniel Radcliffe cried, Rupert Grint cried and I bawled. These movies and books mean so much to so many and as Daniel said last night; "I don't think the end of the story happens tonight because each and every person who will see this film will carry the story with them through the rest of their lives." And he's right because in the words of Seamus Finnigan; "there's only one Harry Potter," and I for one miss him already.

By Talia

Word of the Day

This word is one that I found written on a post-it note attached to the bottom of my desk, so clearly I meant to post it at some point, and there's no time like the present is there?

Objurgate:

To express strong disapproval, to criticise severely

Sentence Example:

Sarah was objurgated by her mother when she came home four hours after curfew, consequently she was grounded for two weeks.

By Talia

Word of the Day

This is a very early Word of the Day as I currently cannot sleep, although depending on where you are in the world this might just be a normal timed Word of the Day.

Doyenne:

A women who is the most respected or prominent in any particular field

Sentence Example:

Oprah Winfrey is the doyenne of talk shows and has millions of viewers for every show.

By Talia

Quotation, Quotation, Quotation

When people remember great authors, orators, Presidents, Prime Ministers or just great people, they tend to associate them with a specific phrase, a quote if you will. When people think of Shakespeare most will instantly go to the old classic; “Romeo, Romeo where fore art thou Romeo?” Quotations are brilliant: you can slip them into conversation and instantly sound more intelligent. They can also be used to inspire you and I thought that I would share some of my favourite and most memorable quotations with you.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” – Albert Einstein

I think this is my favourite quote of all time; it is certainly the one I’ve yelled at my parents the most after yet another disappointing science report, because if Einstein thought having an imagination was more important than knowing which was the x and which was they y axis then who am I to disagree?

“Whatever you do in life will be insignificant, but it is very important that you do it anyway.” ­– Mahatma Gandhi

Before you jump to conclusions: no, I did not learn this quote from an R-Patz movie. I have always liked it because it gives you a little perspective on life. Just because the majority of us will not lead life leaving legacies behind when we die does not mean we shouldn’t strive to achieve better for ourselves.

“Being a woman is a terribly difficult task, since it consists principally in dealing with men”
- Joseph Conrad

Although spoken by a man, a truer quote about women was never spoken. It is now scientifically proven that girl’s brains develop faster; we are more emotionally mature than boys; and we are definitely more rational. Miniature feminist rant over, this quote is a keeper, plus I always loved Heart of Darkness.

And I shall conclude with a quote that does not have much bearing on my life but makes me chuckle, spoken by a notorious philanderer:

“A man who marries his mistress creates a vacancy.” – Jimmy Goldsmith


By Talia

Words of the Day

Since I have not done any posts for a couple of days I shall give you two today to compensate. Both are from The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson. The first is wonderfully weird (note the alliteration) and the second just just sounds very intelligent.

Today's Word No.1:

Flibbertigibbet

1. A gossip
2. A chattering and flighty sort of person

Sentence example: She was a flibbertigibbet of a girl, always chattering away when she was meant to be concentrating.

Today's Word No. 2:

Sublunary

1. Terrestrial
2. Underneath the moon
3. Mundane or worldly

Sentence example: His playing chess was a sublunary pleasure he liked to have after a hard day at work.

By Jess

Word of the Day

Freya and I have been eagerly looking through the many bookshelves of the library for the past couple of hours. On finding a modern American poetry book we have found a new word in the poem called Aunt Jennifer's Tigers by Adrienne Rich. What a wonderful world.

Today's Word:

Denizen

Resident or inhabitant

Sentence example: A denizen of London will carry an umbrella with them whatever the weather.

By Jess

Word of the Day

This is from doing my Personal Statement around friends who just randomly throw good words around, even though it's the library and we are meant to be silent. Don't you just love school?

Today's Word:

Précis

A precise summary

Origin: No extra brownie points for guessing this is from the French for 'precise'.

Sentence example: Charlotte's personal statement was a précis of her love for Classics.

By Jess

Las Chicas de España

As any of my AS Spanish classmates are well aware, the end of Spanish AS came as a relief. Now we don't have to worry about grammar or excessive knowledge of vocabulary (or lack of it) until next June. Of course, we all had to return to school anyway so as to prepare our personal statements and university applications, but it also means that lessons stretch beyond the syllabus and allow us as students a little leeway to enjoy, for example, Spanish literature and culture as opposed to solid blocks of specification lists.

So, in Spanish, we have just finished reading La Casa de Bernada Alba by Federico García Lorca (who also wrote Blood Wedding for those of you who saw our school play). La Casa tells the story of a mother and her five daughters after the death of their father, set in a rural village in a repressed Spain. Lorca himself was shot during the Civil War and never saw Spain under General Franco the dictator, but from this play especially we can easily see he knew what was coming.

Bernada Alba, the titular character, is an old mother who thinks of one thing and one thing only: honour. In this Spain, only the older daughter may marry since she carries the dowry of the family, whilst any other daughters must stay at home to help their mother, all the while staying chaste and respectable. It is very much a society of "what would the neighbours think", and the repression is unbelievable.

The symbolism in La Casa de Bernada Alba is overwhelming. Bernada herself holds a walking stick. From her first line to her last line she demands silence while banging the stick on the ground: ultimate authority, and also that no matter what the course of events may be, her attitude never changes. Colours are another source of symbolism for Lorca; the white lace that all the girls wear marks their purity whereas the green dress that Adela wears brings an omen of death. And just Adela's name itself: it sounds like the Spanish word 'adelante' meaning 'forward', for she is the daughter who signifies the progression of movements against the dictatorship.

I shan't spoil any of the plot of this play, but I definitely think you should all find out what happens for yourself. Not only will you learn about Spanish history and culture but you will improve your Spanish along the way! For those who read in translation, never fear. Though some of the language techniques may be lost, the story stays the same as does any symbolism you may wish to pick up on. Enjoy!

By Jess

Word of the Day

Moving onto words from Chapter Three of The Great Gatsby (don't worry I am further on than that, it's just because there are so many amazing words that F. Scott Fitzgerald has bestowed upon me that we are still on Chapter Three). I feel we are making real progress here, dear readers.

Today's Word:

Prodigal

1. Wastefully or recklessly extravagant
2. Giving profusely
3. Abundant
4. Noun - a person who spends too much

Sentence example: Her prodigal behaviour was costing her father dearly.

By Jess

Being Shakespeare

About a week ago one of my dearest friends invited me to go and see Simon Callow perform "a Shakespeare monologue thing". I wasn't really sure what this meant, but I knew that if it was Simon Callow performing then it was bound to be spectacular. Was I wrong? Of course not. And so on Tuesday I went with Charlotte and her family to the Trafalgar Studios, signposted clearly for us by the enormous posters depicting Callow's face alongside that of Shakespeare himself.

It all started with Mr Callow walking out fairly solemnly onto a stage decorated with a few simple props and a couple of trees in the background. As earlier mentioned, I didn't really know what to expect from it, so even though any time allowed for anticipation was short, I still felt myself leaning closer to the stage (not too hard considering we were fortunate enough to have front row seats), and waiting for his first words.

It turned out to be Callow telling us about Shakespeare's life from birth to death, referred to as his "seven ages". Along the way, Callow would perform short extracts from different Shakespeare plays, and not just male monologues. Though his portrayal of Mark Anthony from Julius Caesar ("Friends, Romans, countrymen; lend me your ears") had me sitting in utter awe, I can safely say he was just as good at hopping to and fro acting both Romeo and Juliet in the scene where Romeo first visits Juliet ("what light through yonder window breaks") as she looks out for him, remembering their time spent together at the dance ("O Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo?") The second act was finished off with a monologue from King Lear, which had both Charlotte and I nearly reduced to tears. And then he snapped back into the storytelling aspect of the show and wiped away the tears as if they had meant nothing at all. Truly inspiring.

I found it particularly interesting, though not altogether surprising, that a lot of phrases or sequences from Shakespeare's plays were taken from his own life and his own experiences. The quality of his work was marked by his bouts of happiness or sadness, his great rebound shown by classics such as The Tempest; he hadn't lost his touch.

Callow didn't go into Shakespeare's sexuality, i.e. homosexuality, though he did talk about his wife of many years named (coincidentally) Anne Hathaway, and also his children. What was particularly distressing was the death of his son, Hamnet, which happened around the same time as the writing of Hamlet, an infamously tragic play. Nor did Callow go into this whole hullaballoo about whether Shakespeare did or did not write his own plays. All he said was that Shakespeare had indeed shamelessly stole ideas and words from a few playwrights at the start of his career, since he started out in the theatre business by patching up others' work, so really he was bound to steal something (though I know it is still not entirely justifiable).

If you can manage to get your hands on a pair of not too pricey tickets to see Being Shakespeare by Jonathan Bate I really would recommend it. If you think from this review that it is just Simon Callow bellowing about Shakespeare and his life, it's not, and I apologise for giving you the wrong impression. Callow acts nearly all the parts worth playing that Shakespeare has ever written, snapping in and out of character as if it is the easiest thing in the world. If you are not an actor yourself, trust me, it isn't easy to do that and make it convincing. Callow succeeds superbly.

By Jess

Word of the Day

This word was learnt today in none other than my Personal Statement Workshop for English Literature. It has been plucked from a personal statement that is of astoundingly bad quality, due to the overuse of long words. Such as this one:

Today's Word:

Verisimilitude

1. The appearance of truth
2. Likelihood; probability

Sentence example: La Cantatrice Chauve, a French play by Ionesco, lacked any form of verisimilitude within its plot.

By Jess

Word of the Day

My dad found me this word in the travel journals of Samuel Hearne, published in the late 18th century.

Today's Word:

Assiduity

1. Constant and close application
2. Devoted attention

Adj: Assiduous

Sentence example: Jessica was working on her extended project with much assiduity.

By Jess

Word of the Day

It's pretty bad I know, but this is one of those words that I always hear and never have the courage to ask what it means because I don't want to seem uneducated. So now I'm posting my ignorance on the internet, because when in doubt, make it public.

Today's Word:

Astute

1. Sagacious or wise: as in either a concept or a person.
2. Shrewd or cunning

Sentence example: The astute businessman made quite a profit through his crooked deals.

By Jess

Nothing Compares

Nothing Compares To You is a song written by Prince in the 1980s, though it never had much publicity then as it was never released as a single. When Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor recorded it as a single, however, it took off and gained her global fame. I think we need to take a look at the lyrics and discuss their meaning, as there is so much hidden meaning.

Please carry on to the end of this. Its interesting quality increases as you read on.

It's been seven hours and fifteen days
since you took your love away.
I go out every night and sleep all day
since you took your love away.
Since you've been gone I can do whatever I want.
I can see whomever I choose.
I can eat my dinner in a fancy restaurant,
But nothing
I said nothing can take away these blues,

'Cause nothing compares,
nothing compares to you.

It's been so lonely without you here,
like a bird without a song.
Nothing can stop these lonely tears from falling.
Tell me baby where did I go wrong?
I could put my arms round every boy I see,
but they'd only remind me of you.
I went to the doctor guess what he told me,
guess what he told me.
He said girl you better try to have fun
no matter what you do,
but he's a fool.

'Cause nothing compares
nothing compares to you.

All the flowers that you planted, mama,
in the backyard
all died when you went away.
I know that living with you, baby, was sometimes hard,
but I'm willing to give it another try.

Nothing compares
Nothing compares to you (3x) 


You read these lyrics and, assumedly, you link it to a harrowing tale of love and the loss of it. The fact that only a fortnight has passed since the departure (whether over death's boundary or just out of the singer's life) of the beloved means that the pain is all the more evident. On the topic of death or break-up, I would say that is up to the listener to decide for themselves. "Where did I go wrong?" could mean what did the singer do to deserve sudden self-willed desertion of the loved one, or it could mean 'what have I done to deserve this?' in some sort of karma-esque manner, as in the partner has died. I really don't know.

Perhaps this lover even had a bad effect on the singer. The fact that now he or she can go wherever he or she wants signifies a potential restriction of free will, yet the addressee is still a preciously loved one. That's loyal love for you.

It is particularly confusing when the singer says he or she is "willing to give it another try". Then you think: 'oh so the lover's not dead?' Because when the singer mentions the doctor, we assume it is due to a case of depression.

Right?

Wrong.

Prince wrote this song about cigarettes.

Isn't that wonderful? I love eccentricity. Perhaps Sinéad O'Connor sang this about the loss of a loved one, but it was on BBC Radio 2 the other day that Prince had indeed written this song about his love of cigarettes.

Priceless. Do leave a comment below if this twist of events humoured you as much as it did me.

Enjoy the respective performances of Prince and Sinéad O'Connor below:





By Jess

Word of the Day

I'm pretty sure this word is still from the first chapter of The Great Gatsby but I can't be certain. I have, you will all be pleased to know, read on since that point, and I have a whole wealth of new words to share with you over the next hundred years.


Today's Word:

Visceral


To do with the viscera, or affecting the viscera.

And thus here is word two:

Viscera

The collective word for the organs of the body.

So maybe not so useful...

But hoorah! Here is another, far more useful word to attend to your needs of learning a good new word each day! My mother literally just asked me what it means as she read it in an article.

Egregious

Extraordinary in a bad way.

Sentence example: He was a particularly egregious character.

Word of the Day

This is a word from my Ancient History class with Dr. Arnold. It is truly amazing how many words Harriet and I have learnt from that class.

Today's Word:

Vitriolic

Hostile

Sentence example: The professor's vitriolic style of teaching meant his students lived in fear of him.

*DISCLAIMER: The professor is not referring to Dr. Arnold.*

By Jess

The Bard of Ye Olde England

Shakespeare.

If someone ever mentions the name, we think of Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, or funny love stories that become more and more complicated after the turn of each page. Not only has dear Will contributed to our entertainment industry and to England's heritage and tourism income, but he has contributed just as much to our language, though so many of us are unaware of this. And no, they aren't just silly words that mean nothing to us anymore, they are everyday words that we may use whenever we want to express ourselves. That takes some skill.

I am going to provide a list of words first recorded in Shakespeare's works; see if you would ever have expected it of him!

1) Accused (noun). First recorded in Richard III, the word was already a verb from the Latin 'causa', but Shakespeare used it as a noun. It is now commonly used in trials.


Extract: "Face to face / And frowning brow to brow ourselves will hear / The accused and the accuser freely speak"


2) Blushing (adjective). This was used in Richard II. It was also used in Henry VIII and two of Shakespeare's poems called Venus and Adonis and The Rape of Lucrece.


Extract: When the angry king's face is compared to "the blushing discontented sun".


3) Cater (verb). This word derives from the Middle English noun meaning 'buyer of provisions'. Shakespeare includes 'cater' in As You Like It, when an old servant is talking to Orlando.


Extract: "Take that and He that doth the ravens feed / Yea, providently caters for the sparrow / Be comfort to my age!"


4) Critic (noun). This is used by Shakespeare in Love's Labour's Lost when Berowne is complaining, having made fun of others for being in love. Shakespeare was, indeed, constantly criticised for his work so it is not entirely surprising that he made up 'critic'.


Extract: "I...have been love's whip / A critic, nay, a night-watch constable".


5) Denote (verb). This is used in Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, said by Friar Lawrence when admonishing Romeo for contemplating suicide. It is from the Latin meaning 'to mark or note out'.


Extract: "Thy wild acts denote / The unreasonable fury of a beast".


6) Frugal (adjective). This word can be found in the comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor, in the scene where Mistress Page is surprised to receive a love letter from someone unexpected. It derives from the Latin word 'frugalis' which means 'frugal or virtuous".


Extract: "Why, he hath not been thrice in my company!... I was then frugal of my mirth".


Here are some briefer examples too:

aerial / aggravate / brittle / bump / castigate / countless / cranny / critical / dwindle / eventful / excellent / fitful / fragrant / frugal / gnarled / gust / hint / homicide / hurry / lonely / majestic / monumental / obscene / pedant / radiance / submerge / summit / 

bare-faced / blood-stained / cloud-capped (towers) / fancy-free / fore-father / ill-starred / heaven-kissing (hill) / lacklustre (eye) / leap-frog / snow-white.

I do hope you enjoyed this bite of knowledge. I think it is so inspiring that one man created so many words that we use in everyday language. Imagine trying to do that...


By Jess

Word of the Day

Still listing words from the first chapter of The Great Gatsby, because there were just so many. F. Scott Fitzgerald is officially one of my idols.

Today's Word:

Genuflect

1. To express a servile attitude (passive or obeying)
2. To bend the knee in worship or reverence

Sentence example: The servant genuflected in his master's presence because he needed to be respected.

Word origin: 'Genu' in Latin means 'knee' and 'flectere' means 'to bend'

Just to let everyone know, Talia has had to go into hospital for surgery (this little anecdote is not from our school obviously). She is fine, but it means that she won't be blogging for a while. Everyone wish her to get well soon!

By Jess

Word of the Day

I think we are all guilty of this in our essay-based exams...

Today's Word:

Trite

Lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of overuse by excessive repetition.

Sentence example: She found it difficult to take his trite argument seriously.

By Jess

Good Morning America

At The English Review we are always looking for ways to expand our audience and cater to more people's English related needs. This is just a quick post to say that we would love to know what our American readers would like to see more of, whether it be words, books, music, films or any other category that has some semblance of English attached to it.

Either comment below with suggestions or email us at: tburrows@godolphinandlatymer.com  or
                                                                                  jhof@godolphinandlatymer.com

Word of the Day

The word for today is one I happened upon whilst whiling away my free time (yes that's right, I am a FREE woman,) on YouTube and Google.

Exegesis:

Critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text

Sentence Example: To understand her homework assignment it would take an exegesis of the source and she was tired, therefore she instead watched the dancing cockatoo on YouTube.

I have included a link of the dancing cockatoo, since it really is highly entertaining.

By Talia

Word of the Day

I thought I would stay true to this season of our year. Just in the nick of time.

Today's Word:

Vigil

Alertness or wakefulness during the hours usually dedicated to sleep.

Sentence example: All night, the vigil caused by anxiety kept her awake, which was a dreadful problem because she had an exam the next morning.

By Jess

Word of the Day

Here is another word, still from the first chapter of The Great Gatsby. Don't you all feel super intellectual?

Today's Word:

Extemporise

To improvise, whether it be with speech, music or just general life.

Sentence example: Annie felt she had to extemporise in her audition as she had forgotten to learn her monologue.

*DISCLAIMER: We at T.E.R. do not recommend following Annie's example. It's scary and makes you shake a lot.*

By Jess

What happened to my sweet girl? She's gone!

So I just watched Black Swan for the third time, and still it is mesmerising. And I decided how better to share my opinion than with all you lovely people.

Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta; Closer), Mila Kunis (The Book of Eli; Friends with Benefits) and Vincent Cassel (Read My Lips; The Crimson Rivers) is a recent film that deals first and foremost with severe psychological issues and extreme striving for an ultimate perfection. Nina Sayers (Portman), is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company who has been wishing for the lead in a production for a long time, especially with her obsessively protective mother telling she deserves it non-stop. When the previous lead female is fired for being too old and past-it, Nina lands herself the role of the Swan Queen in the company's production of Swan Lake, though she does this in a not entirely P.C. way. I shan't elaborate. I will only hint that the director is male.

Anyway, a new addition to the company, Lily (Kunis), arrives and immediately Nina feels threatened. We all know that feeling. I can relate especially to Nina when the director, Thomas Leroy (Cassel), makes it known to poor Nina that he clearly admires Lily and her "passion" for ballet. She is so afraid of being replaced, and perhaps this is what stems a lot of the rest of the storyline.

If you do not know the ballet, let me help you. The White Swan falls for the Prince, but when her evil twin, the Black Swan, seduces him, leading him to reject and hence forget about the White Swan, she kills herself in despair. As 'Swan Queen', Nina has to play both parts immaculately. Precision is not a problem for Nina: she is always accurate and flawless; but it is also her main problem. Leroy insists that the Black Swan has to be passionate and carefree, i.e. a bit like Lily. So when Lily is made the understudy or alternate of the Swan Queen, Nina goes crazy. Not that she was particularly sane before that.

What we see in Black Swan is the production season through Nina's eyes, leading up to the grand performance. As previously mentioned, though, Nina is slightly insane, in that she is extremely paranoid and has magnificently vivid hallucinations. The point is, we are seeing the film through Nina's eyes, so half the time something will occur, the audience is shocked / upset / in a terrible awe; then it will turn out to have been a hallucination. This is what makes the film so thrilling. The goosebumps factor comes in when they play the Swan Lake theme tune in all its delicate glory, whilst her music box plays and the ballerina spinning has eerily had its top half broken off.

The contrast between Nina and Lily is pointed out all the time in Black Swan. Lily always wears black and has tattoos and swears a lot; whereas Nina wears white and is quiet and reserved. However, both have the girly, high voice typical of ballerinas and this sometimes confuses the two of them, especially when it is too dark to see who it is. The cleverness of this staggers me. We do see, however, a change in Nina as the film progresses. When she dons her Black Swan costume after committing a particularly heinous act, she dances as she never has before, with passion and insanity. I shan't tell you the ending, but it is as spectacular as the rest of the film.

Black Swan seems to me to be a bit like marmite. If you love it, you love it. And if not, then you hate it. So many people have reviewed it so badly yet so many have reviewed it so well and by that you know it's going to be hard-hitting. A friend said to me that she found it slightly far-fetched, which is true in a way, but so incorrect in another. Do you see what I mean? The questions are endless. Please do see it if you were unfortunate enough to miss it on the big screen.

Here is the trailer just to persuade you even further:





By Jess

Word of the Day

In case you have been completely mind-boggled by the post below mine I thought I would add a single 'Word of the Day' for you all to learn (on top of the ones below of course - you can never know too many words).

Hegemony:

The political, economic, ideological or cultural power exerted by a dominant group over other groups.

Sentence Example:
The Labour Party were afraid of the hegemony displayed by the Conservative party, and believed that electoral reform was the only way to break their political dominance.

By Talia