The Crucible by Arthur Miller
| March 13, 2013 | Posted by Jane Lu under reviews |
The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller based on the Salem witch trials that occurred in Massachusetts Bay from 1692 and 1693. The play starts with Reverend Parris praying over his daughter Betty who is unconscious. Days before he just found out that his niece Abigail Williams was involved in dancing in the forest with some other girls, causing rumors of witchcraft in the town, as people all gather at Rev. Harris’ home. Suddenly Betty springs up and starts to scream. Reverend Hale whose expertise in witchcraft is called in to inspect Betty and he raises the incident of the girls dancing in the forest. Tituba, one of the girls who was involved in dancing confesses that she… more
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – a review
| December 5, 2012 | Posted by Jane Lu under entertainment, reviews |
Just recently, I watched the film “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” with a couple of friends and really enjoyed it. The film, from 2011, is directed by Stephen Daldry and based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. It stars Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock and Thomas Horn and follows the story of nine-year-old Oskar Schell (Horn), who has lost his father Thomas (Hanks) in the 9/11 World Trade Centre tragedy. After his father’s death, Oskar is left under the care of his mother Linda (Bullock) and grandmother. After the tragedy, known as the “worst day” to Oskar, Oskar confides with his grandmother even as he pulls away from his mother because she refuses to explain the events of the “worst day”,… more
China: the ever-expanding economy
| September 5, 2012 | Posted by Jane Lu under international |
On the 15th August, 14 Chinese activists sailed to the disputed island between Japan and China on the anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, in protest to Japan for claiming the island which is part of the Chinese territory. The activists set foot on the island, sang the Chinese national anthem and planted the Chinese national flag on the rocky land; they were seized by the Japanese guards. Five of the activists were arrested and the other 14 were detained in their boat. Immediately after the incident, the Chinese demanded the unconditional release of the activists. On the 17th August, Japan said they would release and deport the 14 Chinese activists. The island, called Diaoyu in China and… more
The Olympics and the art of speaking
| September 2, 2012 | Posted by Jane Lu under culture, sport |
The London Olympic Games have now officially finished, coming to their end as the last note of music from the closing ceremony faded into the air, but I must say that overall the Olympics were very successful, really bringing the summer holidays to their peak just before school starts again. The Olympics not only symbolize great values and spirits, such as the spirit of sportsmanship, they also symbolize peace and harmony where countries or people from all over the world can put aside their different ideas or conflicts to participate in this international event. The Olympics are a modern version of the Ancient Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, which began in 776BC. Looking back at human history, you can see… more
1984 by George Orwell
| July 27, 2012 | Posted by Jane Lu under culture, reviews |
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a dystopian novel about life in Oceana, where everyone is oppressed under the dictatorship of the government; where every aspect of life, including the mind, is under control by the government and Big Brother, whom everybody in society is supposed to worship. In Oceana, the population is divided into three classes: the Inner Party, which is the upper-class ruling minority; the Outer class, which is equivalent to the middle class; and finally the Proles, the majority working class that is also the lowest class. The government controls the population through four ministries: the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Plenty, the Ministry of Love and the Ministry of Truth. The story follows the story of Winston Smith,… more
The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje
| June 1, 2012 | Posted by Jane Lu under culture |
Of all the post-war books written, I would say The English Patient is one of the best novels from the modern era. Written by Michael Ondaatje, the book follows the history of a Canadian nurse, a Canadian-Italian thief, an Indian sapper in the British army, and an English-accented Hungarian man who is also known as the English patient. The book is set in an Italian villa after the second world war. Hana is a young Canadian nurse who takes care of the English patient, whose face was severely burnt beyond recognition in a plane crash. Though his tags were lost, his copy of Herodotus’ histories escaped the fire. He claims that he is English, which gives him the name “the English patient.” Also living… more
Little Miss Sunshine
| May 24, 2012 | Posted by Jane Lu under entertainment, lifestyle, reviews |
Recently I watched a 2006 comedy called Little Miss Sunshine. Not only did I find the movie funny and interesting, but I also found it very inspiring. Little Miss Sunshine follows the story of the Hoover family. Sheryl Hoover, the mother of two children, Dwayne and Olive, lives in New Mexico with her husband, Richard, who works as a motivational speaker and life coach. He is a person who believes that if you work hard and try your best then you will reach success, which he often refers to as the “nine steps to success”. Dwayne is an unhappy teenager who has decided to stop speaking until he is accepted into the US Air Force Academy, where he can accomplish his… more
A collection of war poems; a collection of thoughts
| May 14, 2012 | Posted by Jane Lu under national, poetry |
Grass, by Carl Sandburg Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo. Shovel them under and let me work– I am the grass; I cover all. And pile them high at Gettysburg And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun. Shovel them under and let me work. Two years, ten years, and the passengers ask the conductor: What place is this? Where are we now? I am the grass. Let me work. I recently visited Belgium and had a chance to visit the graveyards of some of the heroes who sacrificed themselves in the first world war. The first thing that came to my mind was this poem by Carl Sandburg. Indeed, the whole field was covered by grass, and… more
Godless, by Pete Hautman
| May 10, 2012 | Posted by Jane Lu under culture, lifestyle, reviews |
Today, there are about 7.006 billion of people on the Earth, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. Of these 7 billion people, it is estimated that 5.1 billion to 6.8 billion have a religion, which is 73% to 97% of the world’s population – a very large proportion. Yet have you ever asked yourself: what is a religion? In the book Godless, by Pete Hautman, Jason Bock is a 16-year-old atheist who becomes tired of his religious parents and their Catholicism. Instead, Jason decides to invent a new god – “the Ten Legged God,” which is the town’s water tower. After all, as Jason himself reasons, “water is life.” It starts off as a joke when Jason names his… more
Does morality create law, or does law create morality?
| May 7, 2012 | Posted by Jane Lu under lifestyle |
The word “morality” comes from the Latin word moralitas, meaning manners and proper behaviour. Nowadays, we say morality refers to how we differentiate good from evil, right from wrong. The word “law” refers to a system of rules that controls and enforces behaviour, including that of a society’s government, that will avoid causing harm to a community. The question, “Does morality create law or does law create morality?” reminds me of a similar thought: “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” Indeed, morality and law have such a strong relationship that they both seem come before one another: it is awareness of morality that causes laws to be set up in order to spread morality in society; hence, in… more
