Category: Communication

Introduction

The stimulus we were given is called Project Prevention. It is a non-profit organisation which pays drug addicts money in hand to volunteer to be sterilised (Birth control). Once they have showed proof that they had been sterilised, the addict will then be granted the money.   It was founded in the USA in 1997 by Barbara Harris, a woman who had adopted four children from a drug addicted mother with each of them only separated by one year. The heart-breaking experience of helping a child through withdrawals and other health problems had a profound effect on her and when she couldn’t get a legislation passed to ensure mothers who give birth to foetuses exposed to cocaine are put under long term birth control, she embarked on this instead. In 2010 she decided expand and bring her controversial organisation into the UK which was met with stern opposition from charities such as Addaction and Drugscope who did not agree with the demonization of drug addicts from Project Prevention and did not want that trickling into greater society.
The first thing that interested me about the stimulus was how I would explore this theme. Some people really support the idea that Project Prevention stands for; stopping drug addict babies from being born into extremely unhappy lives which is why she had gained enouh support to launch a campaign to bring project prevention to London. Enough so that they’re willing to put their own hard earned money into the organisation. However an equal amount of people feel just as strongly about how wrong Project Prevention is. They feel as if Barbara is taking advantage of vulnerable people just to satisfy her own agenda and think her methods amount to nothing more than bribery. These very stark and conflicting views on the same stimulus mean there are so many different ways to approach this dramatically. Another thing that really got my blood flowing was the opportunity to explore the idea of eugenics dramatically which I’d never seen done before. Eugenics is a social philosophy a social philosophy advocating the improvement of human genetic traits through the promotion of higher reproduction of people with desired traits. The main critique towards eugenics policies is that they are vulnerable to political abuse because the criteria of selection are determined by whichever group is in power. This would give the audience a lot to think about in a very Stanislavsky way and also produce emotionally intense theatre.

Character, Context and Plot

The character i played in this production was A drug addict. My character did not have the luxuries of a name as i wanted to emphasize the fact that the general public portrays every drug addict as a low life who doesn’t deserve care and affection without knowing their background and what got them into taking drugs in the first place. He has a very reserved personality due to the effects of the drugs however at the same time he can be very bold in order to attain money for more drugs. During the performance my character performs a synchronised set of actions (

Introduction

Upon reading the script, my group have reached a stimulus in which we feel will enable us to portray our talents as actors whilst relating to our central theme. The stimulus for this production will be Self-Winding. Self Winding came to us from the original text as the script was mainly about toys and they would have to wind themselves up, hence the term self-winding. Though this was the case, we felt that self-winding had a deeper meaning that we could portray through our acting. The literal definition of self-winding is wound by some automatic means, such as an electric motor or the movement of the wearer, rather than by hand. My group however choose to delve deeper into this word and see how this phrase would fit in whilst exploring the relationship between a father and his son. A brief summary of our production is at the beginning, two thieves (myself and Jack) would commit a crime and a father and son would get wound up in the middle and end up as hostages. The son would have to let go of his fathers ‘protection’ and become an independent individual in order to rescue himself and his father from the criminals. This was our first real draft in which we had hoped to explore the depth of how certain intimate relationships (in this case a father and son), may need in some cases one person to become self dependent in order for it to prosper. We then thought of the Bosnian war in the 1990’s and how inmates in Serbian concentration camps went through awful torture and lived in dreadful conditions, and upon further research, we came upon a death technique in which a father and son will be locked in a room for an hour and told they must kill each other within the time limit or they are both executed. This gave us a new concept/ idea which we sought to develop until we came up with our second idea, which we thought would be our final idea. Once we had tried to act out this idea, it became obvious that it would be very hard to act out without potentially offending anyone. We had then been further influenced by Isis and the young males and females going to Syria in order to join Isis and fight for their Islamic cause. Our final idea which derived from this matter was that we would have a child whose family had evacuated from Syria due to the fact that warfare had made it too dangerous for them to live in, we would use the strings to symbolize the decision he would have to make at the end of the performance whether to join Isis or stand against them. Throughout the play the young person will have to face trials and listen to various sources of influences which will sway his decisions. At the end he will chose to join Isis and attach the strings to himself which represent a suicide vest.

Character, Context and Plot

My character in this performance was Sadam a 15 year old Syrian boy who is 5ft9 and weighs 63 kg. He is very timid and reserved and is quite patriotic to his country. His biggest influence is his dad as he wishes to be praised and accepted by his father. During the performance, Sadam evolves into a confident person who is able to make his own decision however he is unable to become fully self-winding due to his close connection to his father. Plot. The plot of this play was that a young Muslim boy would question his freedom and the right for him to make his own decisions about a serious topic, Isis. He would then live out his life listening to various sources of influence such as his dad, his teacher, a news report and the prime minister. At the end of the production the boy then has to make a decision on whether he will join Isis, this will be portrayed by the tying of strings which represent a suicide vest. Or not to join Isis which will be portrayed by the ripping of strings. The scene starts off with the background music (Muslim chants), the set is pitch black and the protagonist (myself) is using a torch light and examining the three ominous looking figures on top of 3 boxes, he then goes to inspect 3 strings dangling from the ceiling, he inspect each string differently before moving on to the next scene. The next scene is a silhouette where the white cloth used to create the silhouette is stained with blood. A news report plays in the background which states that another American journalist has been beheaded by the terrorist group Isis. At that point the person behind the silhouette will fall down because he will have been beheaded. The scene then changes and is left with Sadam centre stage on his knees. Whilst he says his monologue, he will gradually get up and walk towards the first string. Kai who plays the role of a prime minister will then deliver his lines and whilst this goes on, Sadam will tie himself to the first string. After this is over, he will make his way over to the second string. Joe who plays the role of Sadam’s father have a conversation about the news report that they had just heard. The conversation will sway in the favour of supporting Isis where the father says that Sadam should do anything he can support Isis and block out anyone who thinks otherwise even if it means leaving his friends. He then makes his way over to the third string where he has an interaction with a school teacher (played by Jack) who takes a lesson on Isis. During the conversation, Sadam is asked what he thinks of Isis. Knowing only what his father has told him, Sadam explains to the teacher what his dad has told him. The teacher angered by his comments and lashes out at Sadam exclaiming that Isis is a merciless organization who need to be wiped out. The scene then changes to Sadam saying a monologue whilst the 3 ominous figures approaching with the blocks the were sitting/standing on and place it behind him. He then stands on the blocks and leans back saying Inshallah and the play ends.

Improvisation

There are many techniques that i used in order to help prepare my group for their performance. The first technique i use was an extraction of a character.I would run through the performance each time without an actor giving them the ability to analyse and give constructive criticism in the hope of improving the performance. The second technique i used  was role wall Every character will have to create a role on the wall for their own character in order to deepen the understanding of the actors role and try and get them understand and develop the internal emotions and external factors of their character. This coincides with Stanislavsky’s idea of Naturalism as he takes the approach that the actors should really inhabit the role that they are playing. So the actor shouldn’t only know what lines he needs to say and the motivation for those lines, but also every detail of that character’s life offstage as well as onstage. Hot seating was another technique used to help the actors better know their own characters. The actors will have to answer quick fire questions about their own

 Semiotics of Drama and Theatre

To help add a positive effect to the performance, we decided to experiment with things such as lighting, sound and props including clothing. Firstly we used lighting. I used a spotlight on the 2nd scene when my character says his monologue as it has a hard-edged effect which would light up myself on the stage which would further enhance the moment created by my character and create a positive and long lasting effect on the audience. It would also help the audience to focus solely on the two actors and grasp the full meaning of the scene. for the third scene I would use a Fresnel light. This would tone down the seriousness of the scene whilst to helping provide a whole new perspective to our performance.The whole stage will be used to emphasize the use of Brechtian theatre as all actors and props will be on stage at all times
for the 3rd scene I used a red coloured light. red light refers to anger and violence which corresponds with the scene as the mood of the scene is very tense. the colour would emphasize the tension felt between the two characters. and for the final scenes a bright light. we used sound in our production was used in many ways. Firstly we used a soundtrack of Muslim people chanting in Arabic. this was used in the first scene to create a suspense effect, we also used news report playing in the background which we then refer to later on in the play. we used 3 stage blocks a white sheet with red stripes to represent blood, and 3 long pieces of black string hanging down from the ceiling at the front of the stage. the 3 strings symbolised a suicide vest.

Structure

My performance had a much sustained structure to it in where the scene will build up to the moment of high tension and then the scene will dilate and filter onto the next scene. Regarding time sequences, our performance had a linear time sequence meaning we didn’t mess with the time structure by using flashbacks or split performances. this was because we felt as though it would over complicate the production and wouldn’t add any long lasting effect on the audience. The scene with the most tension is the last scene as the audience do not know what will happen to my character. He has 3 strings attached to various parts of his body and the 3 influential figures behind him have placed the blocks down in unison as to summon my character to stand on them. To increase the tension, my character paused to create a suspense which led to the much awaited finish where he leans back and utters the words “Inshallah” meaning God willing.

Audience and Defining Performance Space

our performance was performed to an audience of drama students and school teachers. during the play we made no real interactions with the audience however during the rehearsal process we tried to make my character lean forward into the audience. Although a brilliant idea, we had the inadequate equipment to pull of this stunt  and persisting with this would be a breach of health and safety. We did have minor interactions with the audience by the use of sustained eye contact. We also used rhetorical questions in order to puzzle the audience and get them to stay focused but also to add effect to the performance.  We had a very limited space in which we had to perform our piece as well as the fact that we all had to have 3 minute acting time and that we decided that no actor would be off-stage as we felt that every actor had a part to play in any scene at any given time. My character also made to major interactions with the audience as in his two monologue’s he addresses  the audience as if confiding in them for help and assistance. The use of eye contact can be seen as taking a fairly Brechtian approach to the play although an actors eye contact can make the difference between a good or a bad play. the props we used also held  great significance to the play and were placed to fit the purpose of the play. At the front of the stage our

Genre, Performance Style and Convention

Our production can be seen as many different genres. If i were to choose it would be Narrative fiction, religious and Drama. For this play we thought of experimenting with the realms of naturalistic and non-naturalistic performance styles. We did this to see what type of effect it would have on the audience and we found that our performance was non-naturalistic. this allowed our play to be as flexible as we like as we could literally do anything as we could use symbolism to experiment and create a greater effect on the audience. This helped us to push the boundaries of what you would normally expect from a theatrical narrative play. This choice of theatre was not influenced by our stimulus at all in fact it was the polar opposite of what we intended to do. We first wanted to make the play very naturalistic, but as we practised and rehearsed our play, we came to the conclusion that it was very static and quiet dull compared to if it was non-naturalistic. As to the convention of our play, it went deep into the category of ritual ceremony and narrations. This helped us to further explore the central stimulus and understand our performance better in order to execute it with no flaws.

Evaluation

Overall my dress rehearsal went fairly well, i thought there were a few things that were brilliantly portrayed through our acting whilst over parts of the performance could be improved. The parts of the performance that i thought went well were the first scene and 2nd scene. The first scene was well practiced and when it came to the performance it was perfectly executed. The room being dark with just a torch light gave the torch light the power and control of who and what gets to be seen. The Muslim chanting in the the background helped to create a feeling of impending doom. The second scene was a silhouette where my character gets beheaded. I thought that the idea of a silhouette would be intriguing for the audience and create a dramatic effect. However after the dress rehearsal we heard feedback which stated it wasn’t well executed so we decided to scrap this idea. The parts of the play I thought we could improve on we’re the 3 interactions my character has with the 3 characters at the back. I felt as though we anti climaxed reaching the point of highest tension too soon in the conversation to allow any sort of effect to take place. I had also discovered that this was due to the fact that we were to direct in the conversation and stated the main focus of the conversation to early. To improve on this we will have to re script the performance to allow more time for a buildup of tension. I would also improve on the transition of sound. We did not merge or produce a soundtrack which was the reason why there was a big pause between the first scene and second scene which interrupted the flow of the performance.

In the play The Tempest written by William Shakespeare and the Gothic novel Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley, both explore the theme of power and control and within their individual texts and the theme power and control is profoundly influenced by the social and historical contexts of their lives and the time period in which they lived in. power the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events, whilst Control is having the ability to direct or influence the behaviour. Frankenstein is about an intelligent man who delves too far into his studies and creates the complete opposite of his desired intentions abusing the power he has acquired. He then abandons his creation as he is so disgusted with him and then finds himself in a power struggle with the monster. Frankenstein was written during one wet summer in Geneva at a countryside villa in Mary Shelley and Percy Byron along with a couple companions decided to write a short part of a horror story it was here that she wrote the first few pages of Frankenstein. Like all writers Mary Shelley was influenced to write Frankenstein in 1818 to the recent/ latest big events. one of such which is the Aldini experiment in which Giovanni Aldini, an Italian physicist underwent a public demonstration of the galvanic process of the electro-stimulation technique of deceased limbs was performed on the executed criminal George Foster at Newgate in London in 1803, in which when high electrical currents flowed through his body causing limbs to move and an eye to open for a split second. Another thing that may have influenced Mary Shelley was the Romantic Movement in which caused writers to start describing nature as a beautiful setting. The Tempest starts out with a ship caught up in a tempest some of the passengers are a group of nobles comprised of Alonso, King of Naples, Sebastian, his brother, Antonio, Gonzalo, and others. The ship then becomes victim to the tempests sheer force and everyone on board is thrown into the sea where they end up on a mysterious island that appears to have no inhabitants. This is where we meet Prospero the main character who has used his power of magic combined with his slave Ariel to cause the tempest with the intention of killing all those who were on board however his daughter Miranda convinces him otherwise. As they go back to the cave in which they live, we meet a second one of his slaves. Cali ban. Throughout the story we see the way in which power is portrayed through Prospero and his two slaves and witnesses the control he has over them. Like Mary Shelley, Shakespeare was also influenced into writing this play due the actions and events that took place in his era. The tempest was based on the tragic event of an English fleet crashing onto island due to a tempest which had spurred out of control, again this was what everyone was talking about at the time. Seeing as this was one of the main topics of conversation at the time, it is only natural for Shakespeare to take an interest in the topic. The name of the character Caliban, came from a book called “The Cannibals” which was one of the most read books of its time.
In Act 1 scene 1 of the tempest we see how power can overrule social status and hierarchy as shown through the use of experience and knowledge. When the ship is caught up in the tempest we see that everyone turns towards the boatswain for help as he is the one and only person who knows what to do in this situation. Normally he would not be able to order/talk to these people (Alonso King of Naples, Antonio Duke of Milan, etc….) in Quite an audacious manner due to their level of status in the hierarchy chain, but because of the circumstances at hand he is able to. It is also because he is the ships officer and that it is his ship that he is able to command anyone to do anything. His position allows him to exert his control over his shipmates and massively influence their actions. “When the sea is. Hence! What cares these roarers for the name of king? To cabin, silence! Trouble us not.” the language techniques used in this passage are quite bold and passively aggressive towards them. This helps us to understand the amount of power and control the boatswain has. “What cares these roarers for the name of king?” Boatswain is explaining to Alonso and Antonio that the ocean is a cruel place that claims’ the lives of all types of people whether you are a king or a peasant, when at sea everyone is equal. Boatswain then goes on to say, “To cabin, silence! Trouble us not.” This is a case of pathetic fallacy because the storm is violent and strong in its nature as is the boatswain by telling his shipmates that they assist the storm in such a violent manner. This is where we see Boatswain exert his power and control over the king and duke of Milan. He is telling the king and duke that there presence on the deck is only a hindrance to him and the rest of the crew. He then orders them to go below deck to the cabins for two reasons, the first is to ensure that they are safe, and the second to help himself and the rest of the crew focus on the task at hand. This language structure is very solid and highly effective in portraying the use of power and control.
In chapter 2 of Frankenstein, Frankenstein witnesses the destructive power of nature when, during a raging storm, lightning destroys a tree near his house. A philosopher specializing in the natural world who happened to be accompanying the Frankenstein family explains to Victor the concept of electricity. This then inspires Frankenstein to then create life which turned out to be a monster. ” on a sudden I beheld a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak which stood about twenty yards from our house; and so soon as the dazzling light vanished the oak had disappeared, and nothing remained by a blasted stump.” Frankenstein is marvelled by this experience and yearns for the knowledge to control this immeasurable power that can either create or destroy. We can see this through the powerful imagery Mary Shelley has used.
In Act 1 Scene 2 of the tempest In the Tempest act 1 scene 2 Prospero and Ariel are having a discussion on the tempest which Ariel has spurred up because Prospero has ordered him to. Towards the end of the discussion, Ariel feeling as though he has deserved the right, asks Prospero for his freedom and Prospero who feels outraged by this remark replies in a very vicious and threatening manner. “If thou more murmur’st, I will rend an oak and peg thee in its knotty entrails till thou hast howl’d away twelve winters.” Shakespeare uses this to portray how power and control can cause people to abuse their power and take full control over someone/something. The distressing imagery Shakespeare uses emphasises just how much power and control Prospero has over Ariel. “…peg thee in its knotty entrails….”Power and control is explored through the violent language used in this scene.
Chapter 4 – In Frankenstein chapter 4 Frankenstein starts to stitch the various dead body parts together ready for his final experiment and finally succeeds in reanimating life and through this also acquires the knowledge of this galvanic process, along with how to collect the power of electricity and take control of it in order to use electricity in the attempt to reanimate life. “I had worked hard for nearly two years for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body.” As well as gaining the power of reanimating life he has also acquired the power to control the deceased as he can reanimate any life whenever he wants. Shelley uses imagery of Victor stressing over choosing the best body parts and his considerable amount of hard work in order to portray his obsession for power and control over the dead.

In chapter 9 of Frankenstein victor has travelled to the Swiss Alps presented as ‘Mont Blanc’. His journey to the Swiss Alps was to pursue rehabilitation and recuperate. As he analysed and interacted with the many different sceneries in which the Swiss Alps had to offer, it allowed him to witness the utter sublimity of it which was the feeling of very great excellence or beauty which had the ability to prevail over any other emotion or any mental state due to its magnitude. ‘‘These sublime and magnificent scenes afforded me the greatest consolations that I was capable of receiving”. The word ‘Sublime’ allows the reader to fathom that what he was viewing through his eyes was heavenly and outstandingly beautiful comprehensive sight. This in turn enabled Victor to recuperate. Mary Shelley is trying to portray the sublimity of nature through the Alps and how this had the power to assist people recuperate from any hardships and other types of mental stress that they are facing, but she also notes that the sublimity grants people the opportunity to regain control of their emotions and mental state. The word ‘consolation’ used in the text as a form of recuperation for Victor. ‘Consolation’ is when a certain experience that enables sorrow and depression to dissipate. Mary Shelley was inspired to write about ‘The Romantic Movement'(which was the beauty of Mother Nature that enabled people to experience the sublime) in her work. She portrays the Romantic Movement in this chapter by portraying its power through the sublimity and how it enabled Victor to recuperate.
In act 5 scene 1 of the Tempest Stephano, Trinculo, Prospero, Caliban, Antonio, Alonso and Ariel are in the same room conversing about the incidents that have developed, Antonio has not seen Caliban before and, says “One of them is a plain fish and no doubt marketable” because Antonio the Duke of Milan he thinks that he can make profit from someone who doesn’t have power or control and uses Caliban’s lack of knowledge of freedom to exploit him for profit. Shakespeare is saying that power and control can lead to manipulation of others that are not powerful or do not have control to do what the powerful and controlling people want. Shakespeare uses the line “… and no doubt profitable.” to show Antonio’s arrogance.

Hi my names Belinda Black, I am 24 years old and I am addicted to heroin and cocaine. I’ve been addicted to these substances for the past nine years however I am on the road to recovery and have been clean for 3 months. It all started when I was 15, my father passed away, he was the only family I had left. After he was gone, there was no one left who truly cared about me. I was brought to foster care. It was terrible I was abused every single day by the workers, they said I was useless, that nobody could ever love me or care about. I fell into a state of depression. That was when I met him, Tony. For the first time somebody would talk to me and I could talk to him about all my woes. That’s when he offered me cocaine; he said it would help me overcome my troubles. I was young and stupid, I didn’t know any better and I was insecure. For some time it helped ease the pain of losing my Dad, but soon enough the drugs effect on me weakened, to a point in which it started making me feel even worse. But I couldn’t stop, I was addicted. Tony offered me heroine and said it was stronger and had a better effect, so I started heroin soon afterwards. The drugs were expensive and I couldn’t afford them with normal means, so resorted to theft and prostitution. 3 years later and I had become a wreck. No job, no food and I was homeless and just as I thought my life couldn’t get any worse, I Became Pregnant. 9 months later and I gave birth to my child, it was a boy and he was slightly autistic but I still loved him very much. I asked the doctors what caused him to be autistic however I already knew the answer, it was the drugs. I told the doctors about the drugs and they offered me free health care and rehabilitation. Two years later and I am now drug free with a healthy two year old boy. I think that what project prevention is doing is disgusting and a strong breach of eugenics and moral ethics as its denying people like me the chance to reproduce. I know that if I was asked back when I was a drug addict, I would have said yes because I wanted the drugs and would do anything to get my hands on money in order to pay for them. Drug addicts are not in the right state of mind which is why asking them when they are insecure is going to lead to them taking the opportunity to sterilise themselves. I say NO! to project prevention.

Why is it Western society’s responsibility to eradicate poverty in the Third World?

Picture an image. Close your eyes and imagine that you are in a warm cosy house. Big turkey, roast potatoes, the whole Christmas dinner surrounded by the nice company of your loving family. It’s a good feeling isn’t it? Now imagine a cold, one room flat. It is damp, and there is no food on the table. You have no money and are starving. Such a horrible feeling is felt for those in Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa each and every day living in absolute poverty, deprived of the luxuries of modern society, stripped of the basic necessities that enable human beings to live a decent life. Absolute poverty is a state of poverty in which income is insufficient for maintaining a minimum standard of living.   This way of living is unjust and must be stopped, and there are many ways to help change this way of life. Poverty MUST be stopped.

Over the last 30-40 years, absolute poverty on a worldwide scale has drastically decreased from around 45% to 20%, however to this day poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa has hardly dropped. Over 40% of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa are still living in absolute poverty.45-50% of people in Africa live below the poverty line. 40% of Africans live off less than a dollar a day. These people live in overcrowded slums with no clean food, water or proper clothing. They dig through bins to find anything valuable to sell just so they can eat. Sub-Saharan countries are all countries south of the Sahara desert (excluding Sudan), yet we as the western world are not doing enough to eradicate absolute poverty once and for all.

“I can’t understand why the front pages of newspapers can cover bird flu and swine flu and everybody is up in arms about that and we still haven’t really woken up to the fact that so many women in sub-Saharan Africa – 60 percent of people in – infected with HIV are women. “Annie Lennox stated this after coming back from a visit to South Africa. “The first thing that drew me to the things I do was witnessing injustice towards women and children in circumstances that were so extreme and yet so ignored.”

Is the world even focussing on poverty? Well the answer is yes. Countries worldwide have gathered to discuss this very dilemma.  In 2005, the G8 leaders met in Scotland to discuss ways to improve poverty especially in Africa. “The G8’s $50 billion aid promise acted as a catalyst to significantly boost total aid levels over the 8 years since Gleneagles, with total aid levels rising by around 35% from 2004 to 2010. Africa received around US$11 billion more aid in 2010 than in 2004”. Charities like Red Cross, children in need and many more are dedicated to raising money in order to improve the quality of living in Africa and around the world.  “Since early 2009, the American Red Cross has worked with the Kenya Red Cross on a comprehensive HIV prevention, care and support project. In the Siaya and Busia districts of western Kenya, we are working to reduce the number of people contracting HIV, decrease the number of HIV -related deaths and improve the quality of life for the chronically ill.” However these countries need donations in order to function, that’s where we come in.

It’s time to recognise that the people want to rid the earth of this cruel, cunning and crooked world known as poverty. To stop this inhumane treatment. It’s time for the western society to realise that the people are hungry for action against poverty. Poverty is not a natural occurrence, it is man-made so man can overcome it. We want action NOW!

We have to realise that it’s not what our country can do for those living in poverty, it is what we can do for them as well. most of us who are against poverty sit behind the TV watching the countless adverts about poverty go by without picking up the phone to donate. If everyone in the world just picked up the phone to donate, the process of eradicating poverty will move a lot quicker. Take matters into your own hand and give money to charities like Red Cross who go out to these countries providing food and water to those who need it most. They also provide medical treatment to the sick and provide clothes.

I believe in equality and right now, the world is trapped in the shackles of inequality. As long as there is poverty in the world/ true freedom can never be achieved. The steps that need to be fulfilled by developed countries such as England and America are visible. Trade justice is a clear way to show that they are seriously committed in improving the quality of life for those living in poverty.

Let’s put an end to poverty so we can all stand proud with our heads held high.

Dear Ms Samantha Taylor,

I have read the article in which Clive Thompson states, “the digital age is making teenagers uniquely shallow and the kids are unable to form meaningful relationships,” and it has come to my attention that this is posing teenagers to be in a sense, soulless people who cannot create substantive relationships between one another.  As a teenager myself, I believe as though it is my duty to speak out on behalf of my fellow teens as to why I agree with this statement  and why I disagree with you, with the hope of making our generation less self-dependant on technology.  It is clear to see that you disagree with Clive Thompson.  Social networking sites and other digital devices such as the PlayStation 4 and Xbox one has taken priority in teenager’s lives over their school work and studies. Some teenagers claim that they could not live without their mobile phones and Wi-Fi.

Digital devices have the potential to be great learning devices however, they serve as a greater distraction.  Firstly, when students should be taking down notes and doing their homework, they are instead using the internet to listen to music, updating social networking sites, streaming videos, or checking celebrity gossip.  Secondly, the lack of handwriting letters and completing homework on a piece of paper instead of Microsoft word and other writing software has affected the handwriting of the youth in a negative way.  Finally, students can copy and paste answers from the internet onto their own document and claim the work as their own, this encourages the use of plagiarism.  Cyber bullying has also raised concerns for parents as the social media and social networking sites has made it easier for people to gossip and bully online.  81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person.  Instead of using the internet to build and create more meaningful relationships, teenagers are rather using social networking sites to hurt other people and damage what little relationships they have left.

Although I agree with what Clive Thompson is saying, there is some truth to your argument, because I use social networking sites a lot and the reason why is to communicate with other people.  He has shaped this article in a very biased way, and has not looked at the advantages of young teenagers using digital devices and has overcrowded the article with negative statistics.  The Common Sense data also reports that 52 percent of teens feel as though social media has “mainly helped their friendships,” opposed to the 4 percent who believe connecting online “mainly hurts their friendships.” Social networking is a free and faster way of conversing with friends.  It is a faster way of meeting up with friends to go out and creating new relationships.  This statement is almost making it out as though teenagers are soulless human beings who are unable to make substantive relationships with one another.  Though smart phones are one of the biggest distractions to young teens, it is one of the most effective ways for parents to keep track of their child’s whereabouts.  For example.  Gps tracking applications. It is also easier to look up information on certain things and get access to the latest news, as opposed to reading books which could take up a considerable amount of time.

Despite the advantages of the use of digital devices within the youth community, if you weigh the pros and cons, you will unquestionably see that young teens are being affected by the use of digital devices in a disadvantageous manner.  Looking at the statistics, 71% of teenagers post information on the town where they live and the school they attend. This makes it very easy for people to track these teens putting themselves in a very vulnerable position.  20% post their mobile number (compared with 2% in 2006).  This statistic is the most shocking.  This shows that as the digital age has rapidly evolved since 2006, the percentage of teens willing to post their phone numbers on the internet has increased tenfold.  91% of the 12-to-17-year-olds surveyed post photos of themselves (an increase from 79% in the last such survey, in 2006).  All these facts and statistics will obviously put teenagers in a bad light and leave them exposed to weekly attacks in the press.

People may think that teenagers using digital devices is a great way to communicate with each other strengthening relationships and expanding knowledge using learning devices, therefore they would disagree with myself and Clive Thompson.  Some people also believe that you and Clive Thompson are neither right nor wrong.  Some people believe that not all teenagers are unable to create meaningful relationships, however some people such as yourself do and that it is not fair to judge all teenagers in a negative way.  On the other hand other people think Clive Thompson is right such as myself and that the digital age is affecting teenager’s ability to create meaningful relationships.  In conclusion I believe that your article highlights the key information needed for the youth to take into consideration what they do online and whether it is useful or counter-productive to their learning.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Jed Ampiah

Dear Ms Samantha Taylor,

I have read the article in which Clive Thompson states “the digital age is making teenagers uniquely shallow and the kids are unable to form meaningful relationships,” and it has come to my attention that this is posing teenagers to be in a sense soulless people who cannot create substantive relationships between one another. As a teenager myself, i believe as though my duty to speak out on behalf of my fellow teens as to why i agree with this statement and hope to make our generation less self dependant on technology, and why i disagree with you. it is clear to see that you disagree with clive tompsons Social networking sites and other digital devices such as the playstation 4 and Xbox one has taken priority in teenagers lives over their school work and studies. some teenagers claim that they could not live without their mobile phones and Wifi.

Digital devices have the potential to be great learning devices however they serve as a greater distraction. Firstly when students should be taking down notes and doing their homework, they are instead using the internet to listen to music, updating social networking sites, streaming videos, or checking celebrity gossip. Secondly the lack of handwriting letters and completing homework on a piece of paper instead of microsoft word and other writing software has affected handwriting in a negative way. Finally students can copy and paste answers from the internet onto their own document and claim the work as their own, this encourages the use of plagiarism. cyber bullying has also raised concerns for parents as the social media and social networking sites has made it easier for people to gossip and bully online. 81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person. Instead of using the internet to build and create more meaningful relationships, teenagers are rather using social networking sites to hurt other people and damage what little relationship they have left.

Although i agree with what clive thompson is saying, there is some truth to what you are saying. because i use social networking sites a lot and the reason why is to communicate with them. He has shaped this article in a very biased way, and has not looked at the advantages of young teenagers using digital devices and has overcrowded the article with negative statistics. The Common Sense data also reports that 52 percent of teens feel as though social media has “mainly helped their friendships,” opposed to 4 percent who believe connecting online “mainly hurts their friendships.”Social networking is a free and faster way of conversing with friends. It is a faster way of meeting up with friends to go out and creating new relationships. This statement is almost making it out as though teenagers are soulless human beings who are unable to make substantive relationships with one another. though smart phones are one of the biggest distractions to young teens, it is one of the most effective ways for parents to keep track of their child’s whereabouts. It is also easier to look up information on certain things and get access to the latest news, as opposed to reading books which could take up a considerable amount of time.

Despite the advantages of the use of digital devices within the youth community, if you weigh the pros and cons you will unquestionably see that young teens are being affected by the use of digital devices in an disadvantageous manner. looking at the statistics,71% the town where they live and the school they attend. this makes it very easy for people to track  these teens putting themselves in a very vulnerable position. 20% their mobile number (compared with 2% in 2006).  This statistic is the most shocking. This shows that as the digital age has rapidly evolved since  2006, the percentage of teens willing to post their phone number on the internet has increased tenfold. 91% of the 12-to-17-year-olds it surveyed post photos of themselves (up from 79% in the last such survey, in 2006). All these facts and statistics will obviously put teenagers in a bad light and leave them exposed to weekly attacks in the press.

you may think that teenagers using digital devices is a great way to communicate with each other strengthening relationships and expanding knowledge using learning devices, therefore they would disagree with myself and clive thompson’s. Some also believe that  you and clive thompson is neither right nor wrong, they believe that not all teenagers are unable to create meaningful relationships, however some people such as yourself do and that it is not fair to judge all teenagers in a negative way.on the other hand other people think clive thompson is right such as myself and that the digital age is affecting teenagers ability to create meaningful relationships. In conclusion I believe that your article highlights the key information needed for the youth to take into consideration what they do online and whether it is useful or counter productive to their learning.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Yours sincerely

Jed Ampiah

Picture an image. Close your eyes and imagine that you are in a warm cosy house. Big turkey, roast potatoes the whole christmas dinner surrounded by the nice company of your loving family. It’s a good feeling isn’t it. Now imagine a cold, one room flat. It is damp, and there is no food on the table. You have no money and are starving. Such a horrible feeling is felt for those in Africa, especially Sub-Saharan Africa each and every day living in absolute poverty, deprived of the luxuries of modern society, stripped of the basic necessities that enable human beings to live a decent life. Absolute poverty is a  state of poverty in which income is insufficient for maintaining a minimum standard of living.   This way of living is unjust and must be stopped, and there are many ways to help change this way of life. Poverty MUST be stopped.                                                                                                                     

Over the last 30-40 years, absolute poverty on a worldwide scale has drastically decreased from  around 45% to 20%, however to this day poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa has hardly dropped. Over 40% of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa are still living in absolute poverty.

45-50% of people in Africa live below the poverty line. 40% of Africans live off less than a dollar a day. These people live in overcrowded slums with no clean food, water or proper clothing. They dig through bins to find anything valuable to sell just so they can eat. Sub-Saharan countries are all countries south of the sahara desert(excluding Sudan).

“I can’t understand why the front pages of newspapers can cover bird flu and swine flu and everybody is up in arms about that and we still haven’t really woken up to the fact that so many women in sub-Saharan Africa – 60 percent of people in – infected with HIV are women.”

Annie Lennox stated this after coming back from a visit to south Africa. “The first thing that drew me to the things I do was witnessing injustice towards women and children in circumstances that were so extreme and yet so ignored.”

Is the world even focussing on poverty? well the answer is yes. countries worldwide have gathered to discuss this very dilemma.  in 2005, the G8 leaders met in scotland to discuss ways to improve poverty especially in africa.”The G8’s $50 billion aid promise acted as a catalyst to significantly boost total aid levels over the 8 years since Gleneagles, with total aid levels rising by around 35% from 2004 to 2010. Africa received around US$11 billion more aid in 2010 than in 2004”. charities like red cross, children in need and many more are dedicated to raising money in order to improve the quality of living in africa and around the world.  “Since early 2009, the American Red Cross has worked with the Kenya Red Cross on a comprehensive HIV prevention, care and support project. In the Siaya and Busia districts of western Kenya, we are working to reduce the number of people contracting HIV, decrease the number of HIV -related deaths and improve the quality of life for the chronically ill.” However these countries need donations in order to function, thats where we come in.

its time to recognise that the people want to rid the earth of this cruel, cunning and crooked world known as poverty. to stop this inhumane treatment. its time for the western society to realise that the people are hungry for action against poverty. poverty is not a natural occurrence, it is man made so man can overcome it. we want action NOW!!

we have to realise that its not what our country can do for those living in poverty, it is what we can do for them as well. most of us who are against poverty sit behind the tv watching the countless adverts about poverty go by without picking up the phone to donate.if everyone in the world just picked up the phone to donate, the process of eradicating poverty will move a lot quicker.take matters into your own hand and give money to charities like red cross who go out to these countries providing food and water to those who need it most. they also provide medical treatment to the sick and provide clothes.

i believe in equality and right now, the world is trapped in the shackles pf inequality. as long as there is poverty in the world/ true freedom can never be achieved. the steps that need to be fulfilled by developed countries such as england and america are visible. trade justice is a clear way to show that they are seriously committed in improving the quality of life for those living in poverty.

lets put an end to poverty so we can all stand proud with our heads held high.

Running along the beach, the scorching sun castigates the unsuspecting people below.  Those who have not brought sun umbrellas sprint to find shade underneath the few exotic palm trees available. Individuals surf towards the illusion of the calm, turquoise waves of the deep blue sea, only to be hit by the harsh reality of its sheer might and ferocity.  Boards and bodies are sent flying towards the coast in a matter of seconds.

The sun is shining. A cluster of children gaze in awe at the sapphire sea, desiring the feeling to float in it.  One child cannot resist the urge any longer and makes a fast break for the sea. The ocean tickled his feet as he got closer and closer to achieving his goal; however his attempt falls in vain as his attentive carer swiftly snatches him and returns him to his exasperated friends. He is angered at the fact that he did not get to play.

The big beach volleyball tournament is officially underway. A voice screams through the megaphone. The preliminary round has started. As the heat increases, bodies are soaked to the skin in sand and sweat. The discordance of clapping and cheering make a perfect scenario for a private conversation. “I hate you! This is all your fault we are late, you were too busy sorting out your makeup now I can’t en…” but we hear no more as the huge uproar of cheers block out the rest of the conversation. The boy stomps off into the crowd, leaving his frustrated mother worried about his whereabouts.

The sky is clear. A cluster of teenage boys head towards the quiet side of the beach, there intentions however are to gaze at the young teenage girls with ‘perfect’ figures harmlessly attempting to gain a natural suntan in the hope of not getting sunburnt. The girls have noticed the boys and are glad that they are receiving attention from the opposite sex. One of the boys pluck up the courage to mingle with the girls however their conversation is cut short by a couple asking them for directions. As they walk away to their destination the couple turns back to thank them for the directions, but are met with fierce stares of jealousy. Puzzled by this they shrugs it off and walks away hand in hand with his girl.

“The big beach volleyball tournament has come to a close. “Huge cheers are given to the host. The victors are the newlywed couple, the Johnson’s. A tremendous round of applause is given to the winners, who receive a luxury getaway to Hawaii. The Johnson’s are ecstatic with the prize and thank everyone for their support. They then leave and enjoy the rest of their day at the beach.

A careless mother has left her seven year old son to wonder off near the shore. At first the dazzling waves were calm but in a matter of seconds, the once calm waves turned into a thunderous tsunami dragging the boy away from the shore and closer into the ocean. He tries to make his way back to shore racing the rising tide but is swiftly overpowered by the sheer force of the current and is pulled further towards sea. The boy shrieks cries of help but is not heard by anyone.  He is started to be dragged below as he now wrestles with the sea fighting and gasping for the as much air as he can before he is pulled under again. His fate seems inevitable until by utter luck, a life boat sails past him spotting the boy. The lifeboat throws a life ring to the boy in which he attempts to grab but fails as it is too far out. The lifeguard reel it in and throw it further out in which he clutches it almost instantly and is pulled on board. The battle for the boys safety is not over yet as he now suffers from hypothermia.  Foil is wrapped around the boy and he is given hot cocoa to drink in order to raise his core temperature back to normal.  As the boy is brought to shore, his mum runs towards him, a stream of tears flow down her worried face.  Tears filled with anger as well as joy cloud her vision as she makes her way to her son with haste.  A quick walk soon turns into a run as she pushes through the masses.

Screaming “move out my way, let me see my son.”  As she reaches her son the crowd’s part and she falls to her knees, “how many times have I told you to stay away from the sea? Don’t you ever do that again do you hear me.  You had me worried sick.” At this point the tears are overflowing, her emotions of joy overwhelm her and she succumbs in her guilt of letting him out of her sight. The crowd then walk off to leave them alone. Sobbing, the boy apologises for shouting at his mum earlier about her makeup and she humbly accepts the apology.  The two then walk off into the distance.

By noon, the tide begins to close in at a rapid rate on the beach dwellers and the coast guards decide that it is no longer safe to be on the beach. The coast guards begin to vacate the remaining people.  Lumps of sand are left where mighty sand castles once stood, forgotten spades and buckets are washed off into the distant sea never to be seen again, the day at the beach has officially ended.