Fraser

Greetings and Salutations! Welcome to Fraser's page. I like lego, learning and all sorts of other things. History and geography are some of my favourite subjects in Hums, and in Maths, the trickier the better. I am very curious, and I like to explore everywhere. In Hums my aim is to learn a lot more about European history and geography, but maybe some Asian history too. I am mostly in the dark about Asian history, and so I want to learn more.

__A Poem out of Tomorrow, when the War Began__

We ran At the corner The screams Ripping the night apart I hoped I didn't know.

__Some dialogue__

Charlie picks up the telephone. After a quick discussion with Liam’s parents, he arrives at Liam himself. “Hey Liam!” “Hey Charlie!” The excitement in his voice was unmistakable. “Ready to go to the Footy? It’s gonna be-“ “The Footy? It thought we were going to th-“ “Well, I thought you’d prefer it at the Footy.” “I was going to suggest we go to the cinema…” The tension over the telephone lines was mounting. “Well, I made an executive decision. We’re going to the Footy.” “but… I want-“ “I don’t care! It’s really important that I go to the footy on Saturday.” “But it’s really important that I go to the cinema!” “ Well get over it. I’m going to the footy. You can come or you can stay crying at home for the whole day. Your choice!” “I think you ought to come with me and my boss to the cinema! I really want a promotion!” And so it is revealed. “Anyway, why do you want to go to the footy so much?” “It’s nice weather we’re having, isn’t it?...” Liam: You and your stupid reasons! You always have a reason! What is it this time? Free pies? Some smelling salts? Honestly, Charlie, I’d’ve thought better of you. Charlie: I’m going to the footy. You can come, or you can go to your stupid cinema and watch that stupid movie with your boss! Liam: Alright, I will. Feel free not to come.

__Inappropriate Tone__

Robbing a bank As I walked by the bank, I saw a man clad in black pointing a gun at the teller. I stopped and looked inconspicuously into the window as money was passed over the counter. The police arrived, and I continued to watch. As they moved towards the building and removed their guns from their holster, a policeman looked at me. I slowly moved away. As I turned the corner, I stripped my jacket and continued watching. The robber was removed from the premises, and at least three policemen were dragged from the bank with bloodstains on their chests. I could tell that the action was over, so I moved away and continued to the train station.

__An Extended Metaphor__

The Locker bays The locker bays are a beehive, swarmed constantly by bees, old and new. As the honeycomb is used, it is bashed, smashed and destroyed until more has to be built. The yellow of the honeycomb fades over time, and the swarming bees pay no attention to caring for it. As the bees come and go, they slot things in the different holes, some filled with food, and some with young. The bees climb over it, discussing anything and everything, leaning and collapsing on them. When the bees are away, the beehive sighs and rests. Its duty to its occupants is over, for however short a time.

__Tomorrow, When the War Began__

__Tomorrow, When the Essay Began__

What does __Tomorrow When the War Began__ suggest that loyalty, courage and goodness are? __Tomorrow When the War Began__ portrays courage, loyalty and goodness to be universal human characteristics. John Marsden also portrays the characteristics as not always good, but often vital to a person’s ability to cope in a bad situation. Courage is, at its core, the power that a person has when forced to overcome their fears. Loyalty is shown when Corrie and Kevin go to the hospital. The group trust that they will be loyal to them, and not announce their position to the group. This shows not only a great sense of trust, but a great sense of loyalty. Goodness is a more complex human characteristic, as it is dependent on the situation. If Ellie had of killed in her high-school life, then she would not have been treated as openly as the group did when she killed the “three patrolling sentries”. John Marsden portrays courage, loyalty and goodness as universal human characteristics, interestingly shown by the ‘enemy’ as frequently as by the ‘heroes’. Loyalty is shown by the group in many different ways. They are loyal to each other, in not surrendering to ‘the enemy’ and not revealing their location, but they are also loyal to their country. When Homer wants to “blow it [the bridge] up”, he is being loyal to his country in being willing to attempt to remove the enemy from his town. After Kevin and Corrie leave for the hospital, A great level of loyalty is shown by Kevin and Corrie as “We’ve [the group] been holed up here for a week” and no patrols had come to remove the threat. The group are loyal to Corrie, in letting her go to the hospital to be treated, and Corrie and Kevin are loyal to the group for not disclosing their location. Without Loyalty, there would be no trust, care, and no feeling of debt to the person or thing being given loyalty. The group is loyal to their parents, as they attempt to communicate with them in several ways before retiring and continuing with survival. The limitation of loyalty is common sense. There is only a small difference between loyalty and stupidity. The group is loyal to their parents, but not loyal enough to charge at the fairground. They “combined action and thought”, and did not take overly dangerous risks. Patriotism and loyalty have a strong connection; they are both respect for one’s surroundings. Loyalty is care and protection, but also has its limits. Loyalty can protect, but can also endanger. Positive characteristics, including courage and loyalty, are shown, too, by the enemy. Courage is a person’s ability to overcome perilous or unnerving circumstances. Marsden confirms this by showing the group’s courage in doing things such as destroying the bridge and rescuing Lee. Courage is also shown in the novel when Ellie “came very close to death” and struck the match, lighting the petrol trail to kill the three soldiers. An everyday act of washing the dishes or going to school cannot be courageous. For an act to be courageous, it must be unusual. In the beginning of the novel, “Greek roulette” is a good example of courage. There are several different types of courage. Physical courage, perhaps the first type created by early man, is the ability to do something that threatens your body. When Lee is driven in the truck, it took great physical courage as he “roll[ed] and landed back in” the digger. When Fi runs from ‘the enemy’ with guns, she also shows great physical courage, to not surrender. Moral courage is another major part of courage. Moral courage is having the ability to overcome emotions that could destroy a person psychologically. An example of moral courage having ruined a person is the story of “BERTRAM HUBERT SEXTON CHRISTIE”. The Hermit had killed his wife and child as an act of kindness, but could not forgive himself. He simply retreated to Hell, where he constructed things to take his mind away from his act. When Ellie killed the three soldiers in the ride-on mower explosion, she worried for days. She did have the moral courage to overcome her actions, but she used a few days to finally achieve it. Courage is having the ability to overcome, be it physical or psychological. Furthermore, goodness is shown to be a complex arrangement of moral values, dissimilar to courage. Goodness is highly dependent on circumstance, as killing is bad in civilian area, but is often rewarded by medals and war spoils. Goodness is being respectful of others’ rights. This implies that people with good values are good, but this is not true. A person must also have a conscience that tells that person to follow those values. Homer, in his civilian life, was unruly. His conscience was not telling him to obey the values he had, with his “Greek roulette” smashing windows and ruining the school; when wartime arrived, his ‘lack of morals’ was beneficial to the group, as his attitude towards destruction led the group on many raids. As this shows, goodness is often contextualized. One does not have to do good things to be a good person. Take, for example, when Ellie found “a blessed box of matches” and killed the “three patrolling sentries”. This was definitely not a good thing to do, but the reader does not, from this point, take Ellie to be a bad person. The act was the same as killing in cold blood, but the circumstances were different. If Ellie had killed when the soldiers were helpless, then the reader would have forsaken her and she would no longer be a good character. The reader, however, is pleased by Ellie’s actions, as she saves her friends almost without thinking. This shows goodness from Ellie, as she acts to save those she is close to, but sacrifices where unavoidable. As they went out to survey the fairground and to destroy the bridge, they did not intend to kill. This means that they were good, as their sole intention was to help their country, family and friends. Goodness is a human characteristic, and it is very dependent on circumstance to determine itself in a person. In writing this novel, Marsden wanted the reader to see that morality is complex, and that children and adolescents are capable. This is a radically different view from that of William Golding in __Lord of the Flies__, where the young children begin to transform a tropical paradise into a hell. Marsden shows his belief in adolescents in the novel. Marsden wanted to show that crises impose themselves onto people, and that people mould themselves to crises so that they do not perish. In the novel, courage, loyalty and goodness are portrayed as universal human characteristics because this gives us deep insight into our own lives. By Fraser Dawson

__Task 8__

Christie was a WW1 veteran, knew about brutality and this pushed him to kill his wife & child? He knew he couldn’t get the help in time, and they were really badly in pain. How he would feel about the people outside. He was a hero when he killed in war, but he was shunned when he killed in peacetime. Task 8 is due on Friday this week. I remember it well. I was sitting in my house, listening to the wireless. My wife and child were playing in the yard with some new blocks I had bought them, just a few days ago. I could hear the crash of the blocks, falling to the ground as, surely, my young boy smashed my wife’s towers. He was thoroughly enjoying the ordeal, smashing hard work into pieces constantly. My wife was not enjoying it as much. Then I heard the fire crackle. It was suddenly upon the house, racing at over 50 miles an hour. I raced out of the house and shouted “Imogen, come, quickly! Bring Alfred!” I came through the backdoor, to see my family lying on the ground, my wife with her left arm singed and my son’s legs half burned away. Tears came to my eyes as I realized that there was no hope of survival for them. Slowly, I reached back into the house, and removed the gun from its holster. I cocked the gun, and prepared to shoot the two most important things in my life. As I saw their eyes, I knew I would have to say one final goodbye. “Goodbye.” I burst into tears. I held the gun to her head, and without a word, fired the bullet. As her limbs lost their rigidity, I turned to my only son. I have him one, final kiss, and as he wailed, I pushed the gun to his forehead. Then he giggled at the sight. I almost lost composure then, seeing my son that would never become anything more. I had to try three times, but I finally shot my one remaining love. I ran then. I grabbed some food, and then ran into Hell. I sat and sobbed for hours at the top of the cliff. Then, when I had finally composed myself, I returned to the town. I told them of what I had done, and they instantly placed my in prison, awaiting trial. I was held on trial over the following week for my murders. I kept telling the jury that it had been in their best interests, but they were being swayed by one in the group. “But I didn’t! I was just doing the best for them!” “That’s real convenient, ain’t it? I know I’d pick that as a cover-up story if I was convictified-like!” In the end, I managed to sway them in my favour. It was mostly through my insulting him and how obvious it was that speaking of the event was saddening for me. Then, my step-aunt wrote me a letter. I had frequently written to her, being my only remaining relative. She told me she was completely on my side, and that she would still love me, even if I was proven guilty. The letter must have been slightly dated. Anyway, no-one else in the town even wanted to go near me. I felt shunned. Most of them believed me to be a murderer, except for the ones that had been at the court. I retreated back to my ruined home, the black ash floating past my face, cries of anguish from the trees.

I gathered materials from my home, including food, drink, and axe, some old photos, a chest, a book and lots of rope. I was going to live in Hell. Nothing could be worse. Still, I felt it was the best thing for me to do. I threw my non-fragile supplies down the cliffs, and slowly made my way down the rock. I used a rock I found at the top of the hill to smoothen out the path I was going on. I shoved many down that path, until it was as smooth as a baby’s bottom. Then I clambered down the path, into Hell. And it was. I sweated away for days, building my first hut, a few branches connected at the top, and leaves covering it. It was pretty nice, but it could have been better. Then I moved on to building a bridge to make it easier to cross the bit that was more difficult to cross. It was a much nicer construction compared to the other one. I was so pleased with it, I crossed it seven times. It is said that if you cross the best bridge you ever build seven times, the heavens will reward you. After I had crossed it seven times, I was endowed with fresh courage.

The next week, it finally rained. All of my valuables were in the chest, but I couldn’t sleep in a soaking wet hut, with barely anything. I decided that, as soon as it became dry again, I would construct a better house.

The next day, it was still raining.

And the next.

But then, finally, the rain stopped. I immediately began to chop down trees in a nice location. Once I had removed all of the gums from the area, I began to make them into wooden panels. Then, I constructed a wall, a few metres along. I was quite pleased with myself.

The next day I returned to my house to find that the geese had not been killed nor had one sheep. I took them down, courtesy of the nicely moulded track. The geese provided me with down, for pillows, and the sheep wool. I made a bed out of spare wood and wool, and a pillow out of wool and down. After that, I placed all of my secrets in a space in the windowsill. No glass, of course. I planted some herbs, and continued on with life. __Task 7__

Part 1 The two novels, __Tomorrow, When the War Began__ and __The Famous Five__ series share many similarities. For example, both “the Five” and the group go on an adventure by themselves, without any adult supervision. Both of the groups are young- to middle-aged adolescents, but the Five’s adventures serve as a dangerous parallel to the group’s, as in Marsden’s novel, it does not always conclude well for the group. Likewise with __The Secret Seven__ series, the many novels that combine to create __The Famous Five__ novels create a false sense of security in the reader. They suggest that life is something that one cannot ‘lose’, and that no evil ever prevails. __The Famous Five__ was included in the novel to show that the ‘good guys’ don’t always win, and that nothing in life is certain. Part 2 Marsden enclosed many secret events in history in the novel. Marsden’s knowledge of history and literature is highly advanced, and this gave the novel a highly concentrated amount of famous historical and literary events. The newsreader, reporting on “the new Neville Chamberlain”, shows Marsden’s excellent knowledge of World War II history, with Neville Chamberlain being the prime minister of England when Nazi Germany rose and he simply did nothing, allowing fascist Germany to flourish, until Poland was invaded, and England was forced to attack. Marsden applies this knowledge well, and does not overload the reader with it. He simply provides the quote as foreshadowing for what is to come, and presents it simply for those that know pre-World War II history. Marsden is not “weak” or “gutless” in the way he applies this quote. He simply presents it to foreshadow to the reader the degenerating position of the two countries. Marsden applies his knowledge of history well; he supplies many subtle hints as to what is to come.

__Task 6__

Q1: Homer’s petrol trails inspire Ellie to use the ride-on mower, alongside Corrie’s knocking in to the lawn implement. Q2: Marsden uses many techniques to create tension. He uses jokes, not to make the reader laugh, but to lower tension drastically, giving him the ability to raise it even higher. Marsden also extends the paragraphs with long strings of adjectives and description. Marsden pads the text out with “soft, menacing feet” and “a blessed box of matches”. Marsden also uses similes and metaphor is a powerful way. Not overusing the technique, just enough are placed in the text to add a greater understanding of the environment and the people in the novel. Marsden’s techniques are very powerful, as he doesn’t use them too much, but just enough to allow for an extensive realization of the surroundings and the people inhabiting them. Q3: Marsden stops the reader identifying too closely with the “three patrolling sentries” by using several techniques. Marsden does not allow us to view almost any physical features of the soldiers, and this takes away from the reader his ability to identify with the men. The reader requires a physical image to build up her versions of the character. Without this, knowing what a character is like is almost impossible. Marsden also describes them as “Like they had antennae”. This describes the soldiers to be almost as bugs, without feelings or family of any kind. This allows the reader to accept the deaths of these people more easily, and not until the concept is firmly planted in the reader’s mind does Marsden allow the reader a look into the soldiers’ humanity. Q4: The reader does not condemn Ellie for the murders as the soldiers are dehumanised right up to the point where Ellie lights the match. By this time the reader has already thoroughly accepted the deaths of these “three patrolling sentries”, and it does not matter as much to the reader. The act of murder was committed in wartime, and so Ellie is not condemned for that fact also. Ellie has not committed an act of murder in cold blood, she has killed to save her, and her friends’, lives. This means that Ellie’s killing is not dissimilar to that of Christie. He also killed in war, and was not punished for it. He was awarded a medal, and even though this medal was not for killing soldiers of the other army, he would still have had to kill many to attain safety with the person being rescued. This shows that, even though killing is wrong, in war hot-blooded killings are not punished, and so the reader does not condemn Ellie. Q5: Marsden has the group pass the ‘welcome to Wirrawee’ sign for a hint of irony; they are most definitely not welcome. With soldiers firing at them on sight, and large aeroplanes destroying houses, the welcoming nature of Wirrawee has completely disappeared. Marsden shows brilliant use of simile and irony in this portion of the text. As they went “like bats out of Hell”, they raced from their first murder. This really is a living hell for the group. They have come to the realization that they are able to kill others for their own survival, and they have probably been thoroughly morally shaken by this. The statement is also ironic, as they are not heading away from Hell, but towards it. The simile also provides a brilliant analogue for their speed. Marsden has the group pass the ‘Welcome to Wirrawee’ sign for irony, and has the group flying “like bats out of Hell” as a metaphor and a simile wrapped into one entity.

__Task 5__

Q1: Homer’s petrol trails inspire Ellie to use the ride-on mower, alongside Corrie’s knocking in to the lawn implement. Q2: Marsden uses many techniques to create tension. He uses jokes, not to make the reader laugh, but to lower tension drastically, giving him the ability to raise it even higher. Marsden also extends the paragraphs with long strings of adjectives and description. Marsden pads the text out with “soft, menacing feet” and “a blessed box of matches”. Marsden also uses similes and metaphor is a powerful way. Not overusing the technique, just enough are placed in the text to add a greater understanding of the environment and the people in the novel. Marsden’s techniques are very powerful, as he doesn’t use them too much, but just enough to allow for an extensive realization of the surroundings and the people inhabiting them. Q3: Marsden stops the reader identifying too closely with the “three patrolling sentries” by using several techniques. Marsden does not allow us to view almost any physical features of the soldiers, and this takes away from the reader his ability to identify with the men. The reader requires a physical image to build up her versions of the character. Without this, knowing what a character is like is almost impossible. Marsden also describes them as “Like they had antennae”. This describes the soldiers to be almost as bugs, without feelings or family of any kind. This allows the reader to accept the deaths of these people more easily, and not until the concept is firmly planted in the reader’s mind does Marsden allow the reader a look into the soldiers’ humanity. Q4: The reader does not condemn Ellie for the murders as the soldiers are dehumanised right up to the point where Ellie lights the match. By this time the reader has already thoroughly accepted the deaths of these “three patrolling sentries”, and it does not matter as much to the reader. The act of murder was committed in wartime, and so Ellie is not condemned for that fact also. Ellie has not committed an act of murder in cold blood, she has killed to save her, and her friends’, lives. This means that Ellie’s killing is not dissimilar to that of Christie. He also killed in war, and was not punished for it. He was awarded a medal, and even though this medal was not for killing soldiers of the other army, he would still have had to kill many to attain safety with the person being rescued. This shows that, even though killing is wrong, in war hot-blooded killings are not punished, and so the reader does not condemn Ellie. Q5: Marsden has the group pass the ‘welcome to Wirrawee’ sign for a hint of irony; they are most definitely not welcome. With soldiers firing at them on sight, and large aeroplanes destroying houses, the welcoming nature of Wirrawee has completely disappeared. Marsden shows brilliant use of simile and irony in this portion of the text. As they went “like bats out of Hell”, they raced from their first murder. This really is a living hell for the group. They have come to the realization that they are able to kill others for their own survival, and they have probably been thoroughly morally shaken by this. The statement is also ironic, as they are not heading away from Hell, but towards it. The simile also provides a brilliant analogue for their speed. Marsden has the group pass the ‘Welcome to Wirrawee’ sign for irony, and has the group flying “like bats out of Hell” as a metaphor and a simile wrapped into one entity.

__Task 4__ Q1 Homer undergoes the most change throughout the novel. At the beginning of the story, Homer was a rogue, never listening to his teachers, and smashing windows with his ‘Greek Roulette’. He allowed the females of his class to taunt him, “They’d get madder and madder, and he’d keep leaning back on his chair”. After the major events of the novel, Homer is a changed man. He takes responsibility, and was “fast becoming like the teachers he’d always despised”. His episode with Fi also changed him somewhat. Homer showed compassion for the first time, and people began taking him seriously. Ellie was the first to experience this compassion. Homer and his family were “just Greek peasants to people like her”, and he appealed to Ellie for advice. Homer has “been … waiting for the American troops to drops down” and he was worried that they were not arriving. This pressed Homer into becoming a more serious person, and “that’s the deal, that’s for real, that’s what I feel”. Homer is changed greatly throughout the novel, and his rogue-like nature is applicable to many wartime scenarios. Q2 Homer was a genius for coming up with the plans to destroy the bridge and to save Lee. His ability to think of a plan, when no-one else was able to do so, is a vital skill to have in guerrilla fighting. “He combined action and thought” and he planned for the worst. He made arrangements for if one of them if they were killed. Homer claims that it’s “the Greek side of me [that] understands these things”, but it is more likely that it is simply his brilliant expertise he has in the field of rebellious behaviour. This is also true for a wartime situation, as guerrilla troops have to think laterally and in ways that wouldn’t get them in trouble. Homer’s rebellious youth has given him the skills to overcome the challenges of wartime life. Q3 Ellie was, all in all, a good person. She did all she could to save others, and only killed when absolutely necessary to her survival. Ellie “struck the match” on the petrol trail, and she sent the flames running along, and blew the ride-on lawnmower, and with it, the soldiers of ‘the enemy’. This shows that Ellie was a killer, but she was still an inherently good person, as she could only muster the courage, after she had consciously thought about what she was doing, when Kevin had instructed her to do it. When Ellie is running from the gunmen with the petrol-coated rope, she sacrificed her own safety, and possibly her life, for the freedom of the town. Ellie “came very close to death” that day, and she had volunteered herself to do it. Ellie is a good person, as she sacrificed many things for the lives and security of others. Q4 Chris did not belong in the group. Chris’ motives, style of life and personality were radically different to the group’s as a whole. Chris did not believe that other people were as important as him, but thought that his immediate wants were the most important thing in the world. This, combined with his love of drugs, made him radically different from the other people in the group. His motto was “If it grows, smoke it,” and this is a radically different view from that of the group. He is also a relatively lazy person, going to sleep when we was on sentry duty. Ellie suddenly understands the ruthlessness of war from him, and why sleeping sentries are shot. Chris is a “take it easy” type of person, and this is in stark contrast to the group’s active attitude. Chris’s “take it easy” attitude, combined with his use of “very strange and heavy stuff”, makes his disposition radically different from the rest of the group.

__Task 3__

Q1: Ellie is a very reliable narrator, sacrificing  all for the truth. Ellie says that she’s “not holding back ”, and with this she shows us that she is going  to be a very reliable narrator, telling things as she sees  it, not as an edited version. “The first time I [Ellie] saw their faces … then I lit the match” shows that, even though some things are embarrassing for her to tell, she still tells them, and sacrifices  all modesty for the truth. Despite this, she is not an infallible narrator. Her views of characters are portrayed onto our  view of them, and as she likes characters such as Homer, the reader  is also drawn to liking him. Ellie will also, inevitably, portray events that involve her as events of more importance, as she cannot be present for the events not involving her. Her style is very much a first person, retrospective narrator, and she “should be writing this [the story] … All formal, but I can’t”. She tells us things after they have happened, and this is highlighted in the end of the novel, with “I’m glad I got this up to date”. Ellie’s character tries to be a reliable narrator, but cannot be completely, and her point of view is portrayed onto the characters of the novel.
 * Well done on those beautifully embedded quotes. I liked how you used so many.**
 * Dear Fraser, I love your ideas, but you need to remember your past tense verbs! Maybe those quotes could be a bit more embedded.**

J  Sacrificed Well done, Fraser. Was going saw Excellent work, Fraser. Sacrificed were L  J   Brilliant! J J

__Task 2__

Q1: Who was the leader of the group? The leader of the group is difficult to identify, at best. Throughout the book, many different leaders take charge. Throughout the story, homer is the practical leader of the group. His innate knowledge of warfare and tactics means that he is the perfect person to take up the role. Whenever something has to be done, Homer is the one that takes charge. They “Gotta make a decision”, and Homer steps in. Homer’s history in school, with “Greek roulette”, also added to his easy acceptance of practical leader. Ellie could also be classed as a leader of the group, just not in the same way as Homer. Ellie is very much a psychological leader; not helping so much with the staying alive, but helping with the morale of the group. She is not without her flaws, she tends to take responsibility for things that are “all my fault”, but this also means that she understands the problem and can attempt to repair the damage. She can see the feelings and emotions of others well, and can understand and accept that the ‘enemy’ are real people, and have lives as much as they do. Robyn could also be classed as a leader, as when everyone else is celebrating, she is still worrying about others. Her worry for others, her quick thinking in a crisis and the way that she does not often show emotion builds her up to be a good leader, as she will not show her ‘followers’ that she fears the scenario. The group has many leaders, leading in all different directions. These people, pushing the group forward, combine their efforts to create a strong team. Q2: In the group, Lee showed remarkable courage. When he was shot by the guard, but pressed on, his courage was exemplary. It is certain that most people, when faced with that scenario, would give up, and lie on the ground wailing in pain. “He’s not dead”, but the injuries sustained would have been enough to cause almost anyone to stop. Lee was one of a rare breed of people that don’t give up. He simply had to “go [up] those two steps”, as he was driven to survival, without a thought of the pain he was experiencing. He had stopped, but was still making all effort to reach. Robyn had thought that he’d stopped “to look at the pornos”, but he was still battling on through immense physical and mental pain. Lee was the most courageous of the group, suffering through insurmountable odds to survive.

Q3: Many tests of friendship lie ahead of the group, both physical and psychological. One of the many challenges they faced included survival. They have their chooks and their vegetables, but they “just hope we [the group] can survive” with what they have, and they will most likely need more than what they have to do so. Psychological challenges also threaten them, with possibilities including arguing, being demoralised by the sheer thought of the massive army of the ‘enemy’, and other people in the group dying. These things would all be psychologically scarring, and they are all likely to occur to the group at some time or other. Ellie tries to raise the hopes of the group, and does a good job of keeping the group moralised. With the situation of Corrie’s house being destroyed, Corrie is obviously distraught. “They blew up Corrie’s”, and with it, a piece of her self-resolve. “Corrie gave a cry” and the house was engulfed in the explosion. The group will face many challenges, psychological and physical, and will continue to do so until the end of the war. Q4: Marsden included the story of Christie to give a parallel to the young group’s situation. The hermit is like the group in many ways, closing themselves from their families and the people they know for the price of freedom. Christie had earned the “St George Medal” for bravery, even only as “Private Bertram Christie”, but was still criticised for his actions. They are, too, being chased by people intending to capture them, and while Christie “killed both deceased”, he did it to save them the suffering, in the same way that Ellie killed the three soldiers to save Kevin from harm. This shows a mirror of the two lives; both retreated to Hell instead of capitulating to society, and both were pressed in dire situations to do what, normally, they would not. The story of Christie was included to provide a metaphor for the group’s lives, and to inform the reader that the two are not overly dissimilar.

__The Aztec Report__ [uploaded as a button due to layout issues] __Remake of Daedalus & Icarus__

The Story of Icarus & Daedalus

Daedalus was the inventor of the Labyrinth, a tomb designed to be inescapable. It was so. The Minotaur was kept there and fed 6 children every week. He was, surely, the greatest architect of the 30th century. When he was thrown into the tower with walls of black holes, a roof of pure seagull, and a floor of the stickiest wax ever discovered in Human history, floating in deep space, the whole Solar system was shocked. Daedalus was a creative chap, and he quickly had the idea of throwing lots of wax into a black hole. Through the small, barred window, he could see that it came out the other side. Singed, however, and, if it were a living thing, it would be dead. He knew, though, that if he could go through fast enough, he would not die. He walked up the dangerous stairs to the top of the tower, and grabbed 500 seagulls, ripped their wings off, and walked back down again. He had soon created 50 foot long wings, with helmets that could support a man for many decades. It had food provisions (of cooked seagull), and a drinkable liquid made of black hole juice. He and his son flew from the top of the tower down to the bottom a few times, practicing. Icarus almost flew into a black hole, but missed. The end of his wing got chopped off, and he had to get a new bit made by his father. Once that was done, they decided that it was time to test it. They grabbed a seagull, and threw it down, gliding behind it. As they trapped it, it was forced to the sides, and flew straight through the black hole. The seagull had survived! Suddenly, it froze stiff. It had died of asphyxiation. They decided this wouldn’t be a problem, and swooped down, glided out the black hole, and were free! Once out, Icarus did a few swirly turns. His father warned him with his radio, “Watch out for that police sphere!” Icarus sometimes called his father Dave. “I’m sorry Dave, I can’t do that.” “If you get too close, the microchip in your brain will fry you to death!” Icarus had stopped listening, however. As he swooped and dived, he had the grace of a swan. His wings flooding back the little atoms there were in space. As he approached the sphere, he felt a warming sensation in his head. As he got closer, closer, his head got hotter and hotter, until he was so close he exploded into tiny tiny wincy winy bits. Daedalus stared at the fragments of his son, and as he watched them float into the police sphere and turn to dust, he flew silently away. The story as the Encarta Dictionary for English [UK] puts it: Daedalus was “a craftsman and inventor who built a labyrinth on the island of Crete to house the Minotaur. He made wings so that he could escape from Crete with his son Icarus, but his son perished during the flight.”

__Renaissance Essay__

What were the differences between The Middle Ages and the Renaissance? The Middle Ages was an age of obedience and religion. In The Middle Ages, it was extremely difficult to move up the social ladder. In The Renaissance, however, there were many more options. Instead of having to be a farmer, a peasant could choose to become a manufacturer of many goods, which in The Middle Ages they would have had to manufacture all of their own goods themselves. For the first time since Classical Europe, people could devote their lives to, making tables, or wheelbarrows. People from The Renaissance had much greater degree of freedom than people from The Middle Ages. Exploration played a big part in the Renaissance. People began exploring new lands, like Marco Polo. He ventured to the East and ‘discovered’ China. He was held in very high esteem for his kindness and knowledge. When he returned from his voyage, he wrote a book. Thanks to a new invention, the printing press, he could sell his book to many people around Europe. This spread the word of Asia to many people, giving them food for thought. Many believed that great trade could be achieved from this new, foreign place. People from Asia thought the same things, and they began to trade with Europe. The new goods discovered included gunpowder, vital in the creation of guns. Europeans first invented guns, but only had the ability to do so thanks to the Asian gunpowder. The Middle Ages, however, hardly had any new discoveries and inventions. There was almost no exploration, and from that, no trade. The exploration of the world also led Europe to begin thinking outwards. They began thinking of what other, wonderful things there might be outside of their confines. Many people began to explore the globe, like Christopher Columbus, who ‘discovered’ the Americas in the 15th century. The Spanish conquistadors soon followed, and quickly killed off all but precious few of the Mesoamericans. Exploratory missions like this happened all across the globe. The only place that was not colonised or attempted to be colonised by Europeans was Australia, which was discovered and subsequently conquered later on. Exploration opened up big opportunities for Europe, providing them with a multitude of trade options, giving them more money to spend on education. From the sale of the middle class’ new goods they were earning more and more money. With this money, they would choose the most intelligent boy, and they would educate him. This boy would then, in turn, earn more money and a better education for his children. This produced extremely rich families. These families would build massive mansions, and would invite artists to live with them, in return for making the family some brilliant artwork for the period of time they stayed at the house. This advocated an increased ability to do art. Brilliant paintings were produced from The Renaissance, better than, arguably, those of modern day, as opposed to the artwork of The Middle Ages, which was no better than a modern day child’s work. Michelangelo is credited for the painting of the Sistine Chapel, and it is said to have taken him many years. It may be his most famous accomplishment, but it is not his only. Michelangelo painted many paintings in his time. Paintings of the Renaissance were extremely realistic in appearance, unlike that of The Middle Ages, or that of the Impressionist era. They used many realistic techniques, including vanishing point and linear perspective. Vanishing point is the theory that all views of an object have either a vanishing point or stop before they arrive at it. A vanishing point is the point at which an object is no longer visible; it exists on the horizon. The improved painting ability was one of the driving forces of humanism, because all peasants were painted differently. Humanism is the belief that every human is important. This made people feel good about themselves, encouraging more outspoken thoughts and discussions. The increased education created the skill of inventing, and some major inventions were prototyped in The Renaissance, like the helicopter, the tank and the gun. Leonardo Da Vinci was a very important figure of the time. Many people know that he was famous for painting the Mona Lisa, but that is not all that he is famous for. He is credited with the idea of robots, tanks, helicopters, and parachutes. Many of his designs were not put into practice in The Renaissance. Education had a major influence upon the discoveries and achievements of The Renaissance, and was one of the driving forces of the era. It led people to have time for thinking about more things, like religion. The Reformation was a major part of The Renaissance, and arguably the most famous thing that happened in the era. Religion was one of the driving forces of The Middle Ages. Every single person in Europe believed in what the Pope and his disciples said, and any sacrilegious statements were quickly dismissed by death. In The Renaissance, however, things began to change. People had more free time to themselves, and began thinking about life, the universe, and everything. They began to wonder about a priest’s ability to communicate with God, or a peasant’s lack thereof. They began to wonder: if God had made them all equal, then why could only the priests and bishops communicate with Him? One of the more noticed people that thought this was Martin Luther. His ideas were revolutionary. He pinned them to his church door in Germany, and people began to think. They read some of his 90 or so pages of script, and began believing that he was right. Martin Luther went on to write a book, and this book was easily spread around Europe thanks to the new, wonderful, printing press. Martin Luther’s beliefs and willingness to speak out sparked a new kind of Christianity. Protestantism. This religion quickly spread around Northern Europe, but failed to reach the home of Catholicism, Rome. Protestants believed at first that churches should be plain and bare. This was done for the purpose of letting people establish their own picture of God in their minds, and not having the artist’s impression of Him influence their thoughts. Religion changed a lot over The Renaissance, and has never changed as much in as little time. Without The Reformation, civilization would not have nearly as much free speech or room for religious criticism. It led people to think more of themselves as a person, and less of themselves as a slave to God’s will. The Renaissance was a time of learning and creativity. As the decades progressed, and the centuries dragged on, people began making more and more advanced discoveries. One of the most important of these discoveries was coal, and the use of coal in new external combustion engines was imperative in sparking the Industrial Revolution.

__Story Analyses__

Daedelus & Icarus analysis

Icarus Drowned.

Why are there different ‘takes’ in the telling of Daedalus and Icarus? The Author uses many ‘takes’ in the story to convey the different ways in which the story can be told. For example, the first take serves a dual purpose. It grips the reader to the story, and gives an extremely simplistic view to the story. The takes convey different views to the tale, looking at it from a factual angle, a simplistic angle, a creative angle, and a casual angle. These angles combine to provide a wide array of thought for the reader. As the stories continue, they get (with the exception of take 6) progressively longer and more in-depth. Take six, however, provides an excellent conclusion; it sums up the stories in an entertaining way. Whilst it may not provide as much information as the preceding takes, it provides a rare sum-up of the story, and is an excellent conclusion to the story. “Whichever way you cut it”, the takes help greatly in understanding the deeper repercussions of the story.

The Doll house analysis How did the author make the reader believe in the dragon?

The author conveys belief in the dragon in a number of ways. The personification of the gale implies something sinister behind it, and in a later part of the story the fire is also suggestive of the dragon actually existing. When the mother gets drawn out of the house, it is as though the ‘dragon’ has power over the people and can take control of their lives. The dollhouse is used as a conveyor of the future, to show that the child needed the parents in the house. Mary’s worry for her father’s absence portrays another aspect of the future, in that if her father were there, she would not have left the house. It has been suggested that the mother’s ‘magic’ lamp conveys the mother’s belief in the supernatural, but this is not so. The lamp is only used by the mother to convince Mary that she is safe. The author uses many ways to instil belief in the reader, including personification, the dollhouse mechanic, and the lamp.

__Heraldry Report__ [Attached as link due to layout issues]

__Medieval Essay__ Here is my essay. Hope you like it! Why did the Feudal system end?

The Crusades, The Black Death and the rise of towns all went hand in hand to collapse feudalism. Before feudalism, the Roman Empire ruled supreme, but as the Roman Empire fell, a system where loyalty was vital arose. Peasants were loyal to a noble, nobles were loyal to a king, and all kings were loyal to the Pope. If a noble changed his loyalty, the peasant would have no mind for it. Europe was united by loyalty running all through the Feudal pyramid, from the peasants, to the kings, and at the top, the Pope. He could order the people of Europe to do anything…

The Crusades gave people new ideas from the Middle East, giving them a feel for change. In 1090 AD, The Pope called the first Crusade. He requested five thousand people, but he received over one hundred thousand people, and he got all of these people to go by using the best in recruitment techniques. He said that if anyone joined The Crusade, they would instantly receive a place in heaven, and if they made it to Jerusalem, they would be allowed to keep any treasure they could claim as their own. When The Pope called The Crusade, Jerusalem was harbouring three religions. Muslims, Jews and Christians all owned their own corner of the Holy City. The Christians still wanted to ‘Liberate’ Jerusalem. This was the basis of the First Crusade. The Crusaders marched across Europe, and after three years, they arrived in Turkey. As they continued to march through the Middle East, they saw all of the technologically advanced cities, and began to doubt the teachings of The Church. They suggested that if God was on their side, why were the infidel so technologically advanced? This led to a lack of loyalty to The Church in later years. These ideas also had another influence on the Europeans. They saw the towns and the cities, and they brought the ideas back to Europe. Unfortunately, not everything the Crusaders brought back was purposefully brought to Europe. The Europeans were in the Middle East long enough to catch some deadly diseases, that were brought back to Europe upon their return, even though, not everything they physically brought back was bad. They brought back new foods, including sugar and apricots, among other things. The new products and wealth brought back allowed people to move away from their lord, and this gave them options, something peasants had never had before.

The Black Death was a plague that not only killed people, it also killed Feudalism. The Plague was a dangerous disease, jumping from person to person and killing with amazing speed. The plague first started in Sicily, an island of Italy. The Black Death came on merchant ships arriving and trading their goods. The people of Sicily sent the boats away, and away they went. This led the plague-ridden ships to other ports around the Mediterranean Sea. This helped the plague to spread even further than the people fleeing from Sicily. The Black Death was the first recorded pandemic of Europe, killing over seventy million people. The nobles fled from their castles, breaking the tasset agreement to their peasants. This sparked a feeling of betrayal. The lord had not protected his peasants from the plague, and so it is possible that they might have felt that the lord was undeserving of their trust and effort. The Plague was carried by rats, and these rats were transported in many ways. Merchants had a major influence in the spread of The Plague, because they would often move from town to town, spreading the disease without knowing it. Many peasants died throughout The Black Death’s four years of ravaging, and as a result of this, peasants became more valuable. Lords began bribing peasants to come and live with them, and so lords had to begin bribing their peasants to stay as well, because without his peasants, a lord could not eat. Now the peasants have the option of going to live with another lord. Once the peasants gained this power, they wanted more. The Black Death undermined the whole feudal system, leaving peasants valuable and with options, allowing them to take any path in life they please.

The Rise of Towns created a whole new class, working greatly to undermine feudalism. There were two key factors in the rise of towns; crop rotation and the money from The Crusades and the Black Death. Crop rotation led to people producing enough food for a whole community, and this led to other people not needing to farm. Instead, these people could turn their attention to other work, like carpentry or metallurgy. These people would set up on a crossroads, because there they could reach the largest number of people. These people demanded money for their work, and the lord gladly obliged. A lord would allow a town to grow because it supplied him with money and wares. The money came from the rent, and the wares came from the people that made them in the town. Towns would set up a merchant guild, to run the town. These guilds would elect a mayor of the town, and put together funds for the lease of the land. These guilds led to the eventual downfall of the lord, because the people in the town did not need the lord to look after themselves. Less and less people needed the lord, due to an increased population living in the towns. The Church started to see the benefits of this, and set up schools in the towns. The townspeople would send their children to the schools, wishing a better life for them than they had. The children learned, and suddenly people could understand what was happening in Church. This allowed people to question it, and people became slightly suspicious of the Church’s honesty. When they could read, they would now look at the lord and think that they were more intelligent than them, which they obviously were. They looked down on the lord, instead of up, and spread the discord. Pestilence was at an all-time high, and people within the towns bore the brunt of it. People would simply throw their garbage out the window, because it wasn’t their land. Lighting inside the houses was also very poor, because glass was non-existent in Europe. Shutters were used in place of glass, and on a windy day, shutters had to be fully closed, and all the lighting in the house would come from candles. Fire was also another big problem with towns. Unlike Roman towns before them, the medieval towns simply popped up, with no planning or street design. Spaces between houses were often non-existent, and fire spread like wildfire. Even the streets were very narrow, only about the width of two people at most. People would often live above their shop, selling goods on the bottom floor and living on the top. People would often move their goods out into the street for advertisement, or sometimes, one had to go into the shop to see what was there. Towns created many new opportunities for peasants. They created a whole new class, toppling the feu7dal pyramid.

Once feudalism had been toppled, the people turned to the towns’ councils to make all the decisions. Towns began to grow big enough to have many new buildings, like universities. This was the beginning of the Renaissance, a time of thinking and change. People like Galileo and Da Vinci lived during this period, and the Reformation of the Church caused doubt among everyone, leaving people open to change.

__My Medieval Story__

==The Legend of Sir Dorn == Sir Dorn galloped away on the stolen horse. The King’s guard gave chase as fast as they could, but they were no match for Sir Dorn’s mastery of horses. Sir Dorn cantered faster than a catapult might throw a stone, but soon arrived at the deepest gorge in all of England. He saw the other side of the gorge. “I can make it!” He reared back, and charged the gorge. He forced the horse’s head up, and the horse took a mighty leap, that would slay a normal rider. But Sir Dorn is no ordinary night. He readied himself for the fall, raising his body slightly, so that he would survive the huge drop. The steed landed, and Sir Dorn had survived! As he looked around to see the approaching men, he yelled, “Ha! No man so weak as the likes of you could make that jump!” And with that, he rode away. He ran to his castle, safe from the King’s guard in the outskirts of the kingdom. He tossed the satchel on the table. “Where’ve you been, then?” “I’ve been out claiming treasure, of course!” “And what is it this time, may I ask?” “DIAMONDS!” He boomed. “Really? It’s always diamonds!” She announced. When he showed his wife the spoils, she snatched a few. “To pay for the servants,” she said. Later that week, a message from the King came to Sir Dorn. It told of unthinkable riches. Mountains of diamonds, and castles of gold. It said that there was only one task, so easy as plucking a chicken, that he would do to claim his prize. The message atoned that he had to come to the Castle Frawford to learn of this task. He galloped on a shining stallion to the castle. As he arrived, King Pellew walked from the gates. He warned of 1000 archers hiding in the eaves, ready to kill him in an instant, should he make any move to slay the King. And so the two struck a deal. Sir Dorn would go forth and slay the mighty dragon, in return for full pardon and half of all the riches in the beast’s den. Sir Dorn rode away, and arrived at his castle once more.”I’m going on a quest!” he shouted to his wife. “Where to?” “To the Mountains of Wales. There be a Dragon there, that I may slay, in return for many riches! Castles of gold and mountains of diamonds!” “Well, go on then...” Sir Dorn decided that he’d need some recruits. He gathered his best apprentices, and some other, lowlier nights, and awayed!

So Sir Dorn and his fellow questers rode off on their steeds to the highest mountain in Wales. Mt Graan was staring down across the land, and Sir Dorn knew that this was where the dragon lived. He galloped faster, shaking the ground with every step. The peasants’ houses were burnt with purple flame, the likes of which could only come from a dragon. He came to the huge mountain, and stood at the base. “Mighty Dragon, Hark! I seek an audience!” The dragon swooped down from the sky, breathing flame into the sky in anger, as his slumber had been disturbed by this pathetic creature. Sir Dorn was afraid, but made no move to flee. Instead, he stood his ground, determined to show the dragon he was one of King Pellew’s nights, and that he was not afraid of anything! “What is it you want, pesky human?” breathed a fiery voice. “To see what your blood looks like!” roared Sir Dorn, and the dragon swooped down from the sky, and all of the apprentices in the bushes fired their arrows, but most missed. One of the arrows looked like it was going to hit! It rushed forward with the bravery and courage of King Pellew himself, and struck the beast. It looked at the wound, and tried to flap its wings. The mighty dragon had been hit in a tendon! The dragon could no longer fly. Sir Dorn drew his blade, and with a thrust stronger than a trebuchet’s weights, chopped off the other wing. As he drew the blade through the beast, he heard the crunch of bone. He reached out, and snapped the bone in two. The beast was now writhing in pain on the floor. Covered in blood, Sir Dorn thrust the sword straight into the beast’s heart. With a final, mighty breath, the dragon said ‘please’. But it was too late. Sir Dorn had killed the beast, and the blood of its chest had splattered all over him. He dug a small hole, just big enough for a head, and put the beast’s head in the pit. With that, he climbed to the top of the mountain. He confiscated a few carts from the peasants, and wheeled the diamonds away. He came to the King, and showed him one diamond. “This is all the beast had, your honour,” he said. “Really?” King Pellew raised an eyebrow. “Really.” “Well, ok then, I suppose. Off you go, back to your castle.” Once Sir Dorn returned, his wife greeted him. “Wow. Diamonds. I only ever see you steal diamonds, is that all you stea- oh, how stupid of me! How’ve you been?” “Brilliant! We have riches beyond compare! We shall never be poor again!” “Are you sure you’re alright?” “…No…” //900 words exactly! In this story I try to portray the quarrle between King Pellew and Sir dorn. [Anyone notice the Hornblower reference?] King Pellew sends Sir Dorn on an impossible quest, so as to get rid of him. As it happens, Dorn finds it easy, and so he comes back and tricks the king into only getting one diamond. At the end, Sir Dorn feels as though he shouldn't've killed the dragon. Little was he to know that the dragons were to die out in the next 200 years.// __The Mighty Deeds of Beowulf__

 **The Mighty Deeds of Beowulf **  **In under 100 words **

There’s a party in the new hall. Grendel arrives and everyone runs in fear. Grendel grabs and eats our best warrior and leaves. Everyone worries for years. Beowulf arrives over the sea and slays Grendel. Everyone is happy for years, but then Grendel’s mother arrives, and kills our 3 best warriors, so we set off with Beowulf to kill her. Lots of people get killed, but Beowulf dives underwater. He comes up with the head of the beast a few hours later. All is happy once more.

**Why Bullies Bully **

**A report by Fraser Dawson **

I think bullies bully for many reasons. They might have nothing to do, they might be in a psychologically unstable position, or they may be unhappy with the nature of some factors of their life. For example, in //Mwangi and the World Game,// the bully physically attacks Mwangi, and almost fatally wounds him. This shows, due to Mwangi being black, that Gresham is unhappy with the fact that social equality is taking hold in the USA. Although, this is a bad example, because as the story continues, it appears that it is Gresham’s mother is the one orchestrating this operation. I think that this mother has convinced her son into attacking another student. Gresham would still have to have a reasonably positive view on violence, but his mother still probably put him up to it. Another reason that bullies bully is because they want to feel powerful. Some bullies go for the weaklings of the year level, trying to convince themselves that they are not the least powerful in the school. There are many types of bullying that exist today. These include cyber bullying, physical bullying, psychological bullying, peer pressure, and many others, that fall under even more guises. There are many reasons why bullies bully, some of which we have brought upon ourselves. They are a major problem of our modern society, and should be wiped out. Creative Response-Mwangi and the World Game I was unhappy. I was eating lunch on my own for the 21st time this month. No-one wanted to even look at me. I prepared myself for the everyday bullying. Garry came over. He shoved me to the ground, my face falling in the corral. I got scratched and cut all over. I just lay there, crying on the hard rock. Everything seemed utterly useless. Then Flo walked over. She crouched down and said, “What’s the matter?” “You know perfectly well!” I sobbed. “Well, then, can I help you?” “No! I’m worthless. No one even deserves to be in my presence.” “Well, ok then...” As she turned and walked away, I returned to my patch of rock, soaked in water. At the end of lunch, I pick myself up slowly. My eyes ringed with red lines, I moved on. When I arrived home, I just threw myself onto my bed. I cried and cried and cried. Everything seemed useless. No-one could hear me. I was utterly useless. I was tempted to throw myself out of my window, into the depths where the sharks lurked. I approached the window, willing myself the courage to jump. Once more, I come back down from the windowsill. I cannot jump. The thought that someone, anyone, even cares mildly is enough to keep me going. For this month, at least.

= The Mighty Deeds of Beowulf = A paragraph on the tale of Beowulf and Grendel by Fraser Dawson How is the horror of Grendel conveyed? A wide range of strong and powerful writing techniques are used in the portrayal of Grendel. The author of this legend uses many poetic terms in his writing, including alliteration, assonance, metaphor and simile. Many paragraphs only have a few words. This increases the value and importance of the statement many times over. To inspire terror and to stress the horror, “Grendel!” stands alone in a paragraph. Metaphor and simile are both used in sizeable amounts in this text. The metaphors and similes imply many things, including visual representation and mutual representations of values between the described object and the object being used to describe the original subject matter one metaphor states, ‘the world was covered in a blanket of shadow’, to stress the overwhelming andf smothering nature of the affliction. And a simile refers to ‘... like the earth cracking under their feet’ to show the extent of the horror when Grendel laughs at their terror. The author uses the visual imagery and powerful adjectives of the English language to his advantage, using majestic words and powerful sentences in incredible ways, supplying beautiful imagery of the characters and their surroundings. A good example of this is ‘see afresh his ships ploughing through the surging seas’ One of the ways the surroundings are most applicable to the plot is the foreshadowing. Many things occur in the natural environment that predict the near future, including a point when the swamp in which Grendel’s mother resided. The ‘swamps and smoky marshes’, that were usually a dull brown, ‘turned a liquid silver’, and this foreshadowed the victory of Beowulf. One of the major reasons for Grendel’s terrifying stature is his lack of human attributes, physically and psychologically. He lacks the human morals of respect and sympathy. The ‘huge [,] mottled [,] ... deformed troll’ looks nothing like a human, and his sheer ugliness proves that his arrival cannot be good. The author of this tale of adventure and fantasy has used many, very successful styles and techniques.

__The Soldiers- Bill Nugent__ “We trained our guns on the prisoners. To my right, Sergeant Pelton wore a hardened grimace, and too my left, Inabinett had a cruel smile playing around his lips, threatening to turn into a grin. Then I made a big mistake. I looked into a prisoner’s eyes. I suddenly realized that this person has a family, friends. All would receive the horrible, terrible news that they’re dead. Then Pelton said the word I wished he didn’t. “FIRE!” he shouted, and we sprayed bullets across the prisoners. They fell to the ground, but came back up to their knees, clutching their chests in pain. Then we fired again, and they fell once more. This time they didn’t get up.

We walked back to the camp-Inabinett stopped to answer ‘the call of Nature’ as the higher-ups would put it. Foster gave me some food, even the thought of eating made me feel sick. I vomited out the side of the trench. Jimmy handed me some cognac, I took a big swig, and took sick again. I lay down on the cold soil and Foster asked, “What’s the matter with you, bill?” “Nothing,” I replied. Foster said something about the French and the Germans, but I lost what he heard in my regret. It was getting close to night time, when I would carry out my plot. When everyone was asleep, I went back to the gravel mine. There I stripped down one of the corpses, albeit respectively, and took my clothes off too. We swapped uniforms, and I carried him over to the trench. Everyone was asleep, because it was my watch, and I placed the body into my bed. Then I ran. I remembered the direction you ran in, so I went that way.” “Really? How did you remember?” Walt asked. “Simple. You ran over the lowest tree stump. It had the greenest leaves.” “Carry on, then!” “I went on for about 1 and a half miles, and I found a shack. Knowing you well, I thought you would’ve hidden in there. I came too see, and I was right!”

After I had finished my story, we ate some of our rations, a few roots and 3 bugs each. Then we settled down onto our mats of hay and went to sleep. We talked for a little while, but not too long, about what we had done. I found it hard to get to sleep, but I managed it, finally. I awoke bright and cheerful, until I remembered my situation. “You awake?” Walt asked. “Yes,” I replied. “We’d better get going. They’ll be onto us by now. They have the whole of the Allied forces on their side.” “This is gonna get raw.” // I wrote this with Bill being in the mindset of a person that takes in small details, and a very fragile person. I didn't do very well on the soldier language thing. I do not like speaking colloquially. I managed to get the word // raw //in at the end.//

__The Bayeux Tapestry__ [Added as a link due to layout features]