LiveJournal Year 3, Sem 1, Week 10
So we finished up The Tempest this week. This creative piece may seem unrelated. I think that the only really obvious parallel is that both this piece and The Tempest begin with a shipwreck. Though obviously this is a metaphorical shipwreck.
If you read closely, and think outside the box, you may find a few more parallels.
Shipwrecks Are a Chance to Show Off Your Survival Skills
unrelated but never the less humourous image snitched from http://bp2.blogger.com/_sr-EBSk3zig/RrAvONEk7WI/AAAAAAAAAOs/v9Q0wVGkSZ8/s400/islandtv.jpg
You are flung from the ship and land in the wet, gasping for breath and sinking deeper into the sea. Out of the corner of your eye you spy something bright and bouyant, a life jacket to wrap around you and keep your head above the blackness, as the big waves break around you, you feel safe and special.
With no land in sight, the jacket begins it's deflate. You are too heavy and have depended on it for too long. It is sick and tired of supporting your survival. Refusing to let go, you try to float but as you begin to, a dinghy appears on the horizon. Relieved to be rid of the pathetic and useless life jacket, you climb aboard and enjoy this new dryness. You bask in the sun and snooze, cradled and cocooned. You do not wonder why a dinghy would be floating, free and easy, all alone, this far out at sea. You do not worry that you cannot continue this way.
When I hit the ocean, it is cold and sends me crazy. Planks of wood from the wreck float by and I grab onto the biggest one. I cling to it until the splinters start hurting and making me hateful, then I decide it is time to swim. I float and freestyle, propelling my exploration. I pass oil drums and jackets, wood and life rings. Remnants of the wreck. They offer me a chance to rest, stop moving for a moment, enjoy the view. Then they soon become a burden, and it's easier to float alone, letting the waves rollercoaster me across the world. I'm aware that I can't swim forever. I can't float alone for too much longer. I will continue for as long as I can, until I reach an island. It will nourish and provide, while I cultivate and explore. We will know what laps at our edges, we will understand our stillness in the middle of the sea, and we will understand that sometimes I'll need to dive in, float away, swim alone and be free.
By Elise McKenzie
I don't think the language is all that great in this one, but the metaphor means a lot to me, so I'm going to say it's a good piece of writing.
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This week I commented on Kelly's entry, she was comparing Shakespeare to Marylin Manson :-)
http://kelsvincent.livejournal.com/16315.html?view=9403#t9403
Manson V Shakespeare
Love this entry Kelly, I heart Manson, he is amazing.
I think the thing they have in common, which stands out the most to me, is that they can both seem inaccessable at first glance. Obviously Shakespeare with his language (which true, is only difficult for us modern plebs) may appear impossible to comprehend, and many people never even bother to get more involved with his work, because they "don't understand it". For Manson, it is his confronting image and screamy metal music which makes him, at first glance, seem inaccessable.
With both Shakespeare and Manson, once you push through those initial reactions, you can really appreciate the meaning behind their work and then lo and behold, you begin to really appreciate the thing that put you off them in the first place!