Tea Stains and Daisy Chains: literature

Unique Christmas Gifts for Book Lovers

12:34

The BBC Top 100 Books- Memoirs of a Geisha

14:08

It came as somewhat of a surprise to me, as I was reading this book, to suddenly notice that it was written by a man. If anyone had asked me, I'd have been absolutely adamant that the voice of Nitta Sayuri (the first person narrator) was the work of a woman, simply because her character was so stunningly tangible. The ability to write from the perspective of someone of the opposite sex with such insight and immediacy, is a rarity that should be commended as a triumph in itself.

Memoirs of a Geisha tells the compelling story of Sayuri's transformation from girl to geisha, a journey that begins in a poor Japanese fishing village in 1929. Writing in retrospect, Sayuri recounts her experiences with intense clarity and emotion, as well as with the certain kind of wisdom only gained with age.

Nine year-old Chiyo (for that was her name at the time) is plunged into an unfamiliar world in which she must learn a whole new way of life. The narrative is so enthralling, that the reader feels as though they are floundering alongside the girl with the remarkable blue-grey eyes, desperately trying to succeed, while also clinging on to a childhood fantasy.

While much of the story tells of parties, enchanting social events and beautiful clothes, the less spoken about part of a geisha's life is explored in equal depth and honesty. Throughout the novel, the reader is painfully aware of the exploitation taking place, as well as the fact that the central character seems to have no choice nor control.

By the end of the novel, the reader feels as though they've been through so much with this woman, that they wish they could meet her, ask her questions and, more importantly, tell her that she's the most incredible person they've ever met.

Before reading Arthur Golden's novel, I only had a vague idea of what a geisha actually was. I was mostly wrong. While much of what I discovered about the life of a geisha shocked me, I also found myself developing a great amount of respect for these women.

Overall, I think I'd have to say that this was the most beautiful book I've ever read. If that's not a recommendation, then I'm not sure what is.

Harriet x

31 day blog challenge

31 Day Blog Challenge- Day 2

17:21

bbc top 100 books

The BBC Top 100 Books- The Wasp Factory

14:35

So I may or may not have taken a slight detour on the "whale-athon" (as nicely put by someone on Twitter) to sneak in a bit of Iain Banks. As I was struggling a little (to say the least) with Moby-Dick, I was planning on interspersing it with a bit of The Wasp Factory, but I quickly abandoned this idea when I remembered that I just can't resist a bit of gothic. So now I'm back to square one with Moby-Dick, only this time I haven't read it for a couple of days...But I refuse to be defeated by a whale!!

Ever since I studied Mary Shelley's Frankenstein at school, I have been a huge gothic fan. Perhaps this is strange, because I absolutely hate horror films and I'm fairly squeamish, but to be honest, gothic horror is something else entirely. If done well, as it is in The Wasp Factory, I think the reader experiences something more awful than when watching a film, as they process the descriptions and develop them into the images or ideas that scare them personally. It's often our imaginations and our own minds that frighten us the most. I think the fact a few words on a page can do this shows the immense power of the written word.

The Wasp Factory is told from the point of view of sixteen year-old Frank Cauldhame, our first person narrator. I'm not going to give away much of the story line because I want you to find out for yourself, but just by reading the blurb, we discover that Frank has killed three people. It also becomes clear that he has had some sort of "unfortunate accident", although he keeps this frustratingly hidden for the majority of the book, only giving us tantalizing hints in passing. He also gradually unveils the true nature of the Wasp Factory itself, as up to a certain point, we are unable to fully visualise this strange contraption. As well as this, although we find out early on that Frank has a brother who has gone insane, we're left wondering what on earth happened to him to cause this madness. We know it must be pretty awful, but I'm not sure we're quite prepared for the truth.

Essentially, throughout the novel we are presented with a number of incredibly intriguing (yet painfully unanswered) questions about Frank and the people around him. Fortunately, just before the tension gets too unbearable, Banks reveals the truth, often in a way that will make you want to avert your eyes, but simultaneously remain glued to each word on the page. You'll find you can't put it down, just in case the next sentence unveils something huge.

But in amongst all this, what if you're missing something? Something really fundamental?You forgot to ask the most important question...

I shall say no more, otherwise the experience will be ruined. Just read it. Now!

Harriet x

P.S. I'm back to battling on with Moby-Dick- The whales shall not defeat me!

bbc top 100 books

The BBC Top 100 Books- The Catcher in the Rye

14:29

This book was not what I expected, despite the fact that I'm not entirely sure what I did expect. I think, for some reason, I'd imagined that it was set earlier than it was and that it would be written in a more formal style. So when, by the end of the first sentence, the narrator had already said, "all that crap", I was rather pleased.

The Catcher in the Rye is in fact set in America in the 1950s and is told from the perspective of a boy called Holden Caulfield. On the first page, you find out that he is currently in some sort of mental institute (we assume), where he has come to "take it easy". The rest of the book is him recounting to us what happened to him the year before, when he was sixteen and had just been kicked out of prep school for the fourth time.

The things he tells us are fairly unremarkable in themselves, but it's the way in which he tells them and the way his mind seems to work that are the fascinating parts. Despite the fact that Holden comes across as fairly peculiar, I found myself (along with many others, I hope) being able to identify with him, as well as agreeing with some of the seemingly strange and unrelated things that he says. I really loved the way that the narrative so cleverly shows how his thoughts drift from one thing to another in a way that at first seems quite bizarre, but is actually very realistic.

I also like how insightful Holden is as a narrator. He seems to have this obsession with blaming everything bad on what he calls "phoniness", which he sees in most people around him, especially adults. This "phoniness" is actually a rather ingenious description for situations and individuals that are superficial, shallow and hypocritical.

Although he's judgmental and tiresome in that he uses the same phrases over and over again, I found myself quite drawn to this odd sixteen year-old boy, who seems to be isolated from the world around him.

In amongst all the weird and wonderful things that Holden says, my favourite was his description of his little sister Phoebe as "roller-skate skinny". I can't really explain how, but I knew exactly what he meant.

I'd love to know what you thought of Holden, as he really is a very intriguing character and this was a very intriguing book!

Next up is Moby-Dick by Herman Melville.

Harriet x

bbc top 100 books

The BBC Top 100 Books- Birdsong

13:24

bbc top 100 books

The BBC Top 100 Books- Brave New World

09:39

A levels

Can the effect of today’s education system on young people be likened to the identity loss of the individual in dystopian literature?

15:41

This may seem like a bold statement, not least a controversial one, but let me explain.

The whole point of dystopian literature is of course to highlight potential flaws in society and allow the reader to reflect on the world. However, it is unlikely that either 1984 by George Orwell or The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood were written with the view to being compared to the education system in the 21st Century.

The title I created for my A2 English Literature coursework claimed that ‘The purpose of dystopian literature is to dehumanise the individual’. I then went on to discuss this view in relation to the two novels mentioned above. In the introduction, I began by distinguishing three factors that, in my opinion, define a human being (simplified of course for the purpose of the essay), which were individual identity, freedom and dignity. Whilst I’m not going to sit here and argue that the experience of students in the UK today is undignified and compromises freedom, I can’t help but notice some similarities when it comes to the loss of individual identity.

On many levels, students today are encouraged to ‘be themselves’ and create a personal identity through pursuing their interests and goals. But does this really match up with the huge emphasis placed on exams, grades and success? As I explained in my previous post, I feel as though the pressure of school, sixth-form in particular, caused me to lose myself, or perhaps never even find myself. In other words, in some ways, school seemed to stunt my personal growth. Many of you reading this will probably completely disagree, as I’m sure most people experience the opposite. It is undeniable that school is full of opportunities and experiences, which have the potential to inspire and motivate young people. However, I do believe that it doesn’t always work like this.

In my essay, I explored the significance of the names of both Winston Smith (1984) and Offred (The Handmaid’s Tale). The character’s lack of individuality is reflected in the commonplace ‘Smith’ and the possessive ‘Of Fred’. My name is of course Harriet, although during my time at school, I couldn’t help but feel that I was defined by what I did, rather than who I was. For example, while the head teacher may not have always remembered my name (perfectly understandable), I was ‘The Runner’. In the same way, to many of my peers I was ‘The Clever One’, or ‘The One Who Always Has A Spare Pencil’. I was known as the girl who always seemed to be going up for awards in assembly. But of course I wasn’t the only one; girls (and boys) like me are everywhere, in every school all over the country. I speak only for myself, however, when I say that I was hiding behind these labels, as empty and ‘vessel-like’ as Offred. I had no time for personal growth and development when every moment was taken up with trying to succeed, both academically and physically. “Surely you’re expecting too much; your identity lies in your studies and interest in sport?” I hear you ask. The truth is, I wasn’t particularly interested in my studies, because everything I learnt seemed to be for the sole purpose of passing an exam, rather than for the enjoyment of it. On the rare occasion that something did grab my interest, we had rushed onto the next topic before any real flame had been ignited. And as for doing research in my own time on these subjects? No way was I going to spend the precious few moments of ‘my own time’ looking into something that wouldn’t be in the exam! Of course, much of the ‘A’ Level content is interesting, yet is compromised by the fact that we seem to be learning for the sake of learning. In the days before each of my exams, my one wish was to ‘get all this information out of my head!’ Walking out of the exam hall, I felt complete relief at being able to just let go of all the facts and figures I’d been so desperately clinging on to for the past few months. Is this really what education should be about? Sure, almost a year on, I can remember the vague overview of the A2 Psychology course. But if someone gave me the exact paper I sat, I’d wonder how on earth I even began answering the questions.

If it seems as though I’ve gone off on a tangent, let me bring you back to the point. I gave everything I’d got to those exams, in order to keep myself covered by the label that said I was ‘The Clever One’. What would be left of me if I didn’t get those A*’s? I had nothing to fall back on. This was made even worse when I gave up running around exam time because the pressure of training and revision had got too much. Then, when the exams were all finished and I had my A’s and A*’s, I emerged, bleary-eyed, feeling as though I’d spent the last year or two in a dark cave. I realised with horror, that without the safety of my label-identities, I had absolutely no idea who I was. And here I return to the title of this piece; my identity was lost (or perhaps never allowed to form) because I was driven by the need to succeed at the things I was known for: academia and athletics. I believe that this drive was partially fuelled by the competitive nature of today’s society and the emphasis placed on exam success by the education system.

Unsurprisingly, I can’t offer any ground-breaking solutions. What I can say, is that if I were to do my time at school again, I would be more aware of life after sixth-form and exams. I would invest time in doing activities that might be irrelevant in the classroom, but would leave me with more than just the letter ‘A’ at the end of it. If I could go back, I wouldn’t look down my nose at my friends who seemed to spend more time ‘having fun’ than revising. I don’t know what the perfect balance is between the two, but I do know that those friends are now coming to the end of their first year at uni and I’m sitting at home trying to pick up the pieces.

Harriet x

Unique Christmas Gifts for Book Lovers

The BBC Top 100 Books- Memoirs of a Geisha

31 Day Blog Challenge- Day 2

The BBC Top 100 Books- The Wasp Factory

The BBC Top 100 Books- The Catcher in the Rye

The BBC Top 100 Books- Birdsong

The BBC Top 100 Books- Brave New World

Can the effect of today’s education system on young people be likened to the identity loss of the individual in dystopian literature?

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