Elizabeth Drew- A Watergate Diary. Text adaptation

Lauren Clancy

  You are writing an article for The New Statesman on corruption in politics. Using Drew’s article to explore the issues she raised.

  Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. These sort of legislated powers are not so shocking to the people of today, as many are used to such political corruptions. As in this day and age, MP's can get away with scandals in order to get themselves second mortgages and multiple houses in order to ‘keep them happy’. Although, the money scandal is just on a small scale, as governing powers are now spying and hacking phones and computers on an hourly basis, in order to ‘protect England’ although some people have taken offence.
  Although, one of the biggest scandal's known is the Watergate scandal of The United States in the 1970's. The Watergate scandal was a break-in at Democratic National Headquarters, in order to steal papers allowing him to spy and bug anyone of his choice. It was discovered that the participants were involved with Republican members of Nixon's administration, who was president at the time. When news of the break-in came out the Nixon administration tried to cover the incident up, and Nixon resigned before he could put sent to court. 

  Elizabeth Drew, who wrote a leading commentary on the Watergate scandal captured the most important of the scandal throughout May 1973. Drew explored the events day by day, as she saw some of the most bizarre things that then connected up to create the story in her eyes. As Drew first recalls, she remembers the plane crash of which lead to the death of Howard Hunt's wife, Dorothy. Hunt being an American intelligence officer and writer, was not accused of anything yet just left the crash of the plane. Yet, when his wife was found with $10,000 in $100 notes, of which the same notes led back to Mexican campaigns donors, questions were suspiciously asked. Drew expresses her beliefs of the Mexicans being told of apparent Government favors for money, in order to sabotage and develop money for the government to keep to themselves. As well as hoping to keep the information to themselves, although this did not happen so well as everyone was to suspect after the plane crash. This was a shocking horror in the 70's, as people could not believe the government would do such a thing to other people in the world. Yet, now in 2013 this kind of behavior would not be such a shocking horror, as scandals just like this are known of over the whole world. 

  The biggest way of this news travelling fast in the 1970's was by word of mouth, of which is very clear to see as Drew talks about a cocktail party she attended on May the 5th. Drew speaks of a cocktail party she attended of which she found out more potential information about Watergate, or what was believed about the Watergate scandal and who was responsible for such matters. Although, Drew understood not to believe this as nobody would know the truth without being of one involved, as too many different stories were told by word of mouth from person to person. Although, she was later to find out that particular people, James Dean, were in fact involved in the scandal. James Dean especially as holding such items in order to spy on others, which were reported to have been supplied by the CIA. Which is interesting, as when looking into the past of the CIA, then director was replaced at election at the time of the break out in the Watergate Scandal. 
  Such of these matter do express just how much the Government can do as to scandal but have the FBI and CIA on there side and helping them when they should be protecting the outside world. Also with such information being sold to the police, and the police destroying evidence needed to catch such criminals. Who can we actually trust? 

Commentary 

  When starting to think about the adaptations which would be needed to create my text adaptation, I realized the context wouldn't need to be all that different as both the text and my adaption were for the audience of a political newspaper. And so, by knowing this I could simply add in the dates in order to get factual content of the happenings in a day by day view. I used Drew's article in such a way to interpret the ideas and put them into my own choice of lexis.
  Furthermore, I researched more into the Watergate Scandal in order to get more of idea about the happenings and read more in depth. By doing this, it allowed me to get more factual information about the scandal in order to write a simple opening when relating to Drew's article. 
  Also, by adapting the source material from which was writing in the 70's, it allowed me to a 2013 perspective on the article and what happened. As, everyone in the world in now know to these types of happenings of spying and bugging etc. which is a contrast the knowledge of the people of the 1970's. This gives a strong view point to the political newspaper, which would be full of these strong views of different things in the world and so would fit with the purpose and audience of my adaptation. 
  Finally, I completed my adaptation with the use of a rhetorical question which would cause an argument or debate within the audience of The New Statesman  as it is an argumentative and strong viewed news paper. With this sense of a rhetorical question, it would allow the viewers to think of there point on such matters and how they feel about the whole idea of political corruption. 

Film assignment

Discuss the Narrative structure of The Wizard of Oz, 1939, and of Oz the Great and Powerful, 2013. 

• 750 words
• Hand to TLAS
• Due in Friday the 29th of November 

  The Wizard of Oz, 1939, is a circular narrative as it goes round in a circular format, as to go from the beginning, middle and end to come back to where it started at the beginning. As the film begins, we are introduced to Dorothy, the main character and her state of equilibrium. The state of equilibrium we are introduced to is Dorothy at her home with her everyday life on the farm and having an occasional mishapping with Miss Gulch, this state is filmed by Fleming in an almost Sepia edit as to express the normal state of which the characters of being shown her. However, this clear sectioning of the films almost foreshadows how the state of equilibrium will be broken in order to cause a disruption. The disruption in the film is the tornado, in which carries Dorothy and Toto in the Technicolour world of Oz in Munchkin Land, which is introduced with a full colour picture. The colour picture is used by Fleming as to express how beautiful, yet different this location is to the location of where Dorothy comes from.
  The same ideas of shown in Oz the Great and Powerful, 2013, as a not so magical wizard is caught up in a tornado when battling his everyday at the circus. As the Wizard takes off in a hot air balloon thinking everything is going to be okay, he is soon to realise not as to see the tornado in the sky near him. However, Oz battles threw and lands on the land of Oz where the picture turns to colour and expands to wide screen, which is very effective for the viewer. As in comparison to The Wizard of Oz, gives the idea of a bigger and better life for the character as almost a rite of passage to better themselves.
  Furthermore, Todorov suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium where any potentially opposing forces are in balance. This is then cleared up with a recognition. Of which, the theory does apply to the Wizard of Oz as the recognition is of Dorothy and Toto, as they realise they are no longer in their state of equilibrium. As this recognition happens, we are first introduced to a symbolic and significant object in the film, introduced by Glinda the good fairy. This symbolic object is in fact the ruby slippers which are given to Dorothy in order to keep her safe, yet cause her trouble as are wanted by the Wicked Witch of the West. Here, it is clear to give the characters their typical character 'type' of which they fall into from recognition of other children literature, fairy tales and TV. As, the hero can seen to be Dorothy as she goes along to help herself yet also helps the scarecrow, the tin man and the lion along with her travel. And the donor/dispatcher can be seen as Glinda, as she gives Dorothy the ruby slippers in order to keep her safe in her travels, of which she sends her on. Yet, the villain is obviously going to be the Wicked Witch of the West as she wants the slippers from Dorothy. 

  Although, these typical characters type could be seen to differ in each Oz movie as to go by the theory of Vladimir Propp. Vladimir Propp's theory was that all characters of tales could be resolved into broad character functions, as the typical characters may differ in each movie. As in the Return of Oz, The Wizard of Oz comes across as an anti-hero as he confesses to not being a real Wizard and is ready to leave the land of Oz. However, by the end of the movie he becomes the hero as to save the land of Oz, and flee the witches from the land, in order for him to gain power and because the Wizard of Oz. Also, the princess in the Return of Oz would be Glinda as she is the one who the wizard falls in love with. However, in the Wizard of Oz the princess would be seen as Dorothy as she is the main girl on the good side of the story. 
  Yet, how some things differ in each movie, The Wizard of Oz and The Return of Oz, some things do in fact stay the same. As the ending of both movies, end with The Wizard of Oz giving what he can but not what is expected in order to give the princess a happy ending. This is known through the theory of Todorov, as the attempt to repair the disruption, as both movies get rid of the witches and they are all happy again. Although, there is a slight differance as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz whats to go back home, to return to her state of equilibrium, which she does threw the power of her ruby slippers. This returning to her state of equilibrium is the narrative arc, as the movie occurs in a circular narrative where it starts in the same place as it ends. Yet, in the Return of Oz, there is no narrative arc of Oz returning to the circus. However, he returns to a state of equilibrium, as he gets 'all he ever wanted' a family, happiness and magic. 

882 words. 

Write up of Sylvia Plath- Daddy

Sylvia Plath- Daddy

You do not do, you do not do
Any more, black shoe
In which I have lived like a foot
For thirty years, poor and white,
Barely daring to breathe or Achoo.

Daddy, I have had to kill you.
You died before I had time-
Marble-heavy, a bag full of God,
Ghastly statue with one grey toe
Big as a Frisco seal

And a head in the freakish Atlantic
Where it pours bean green over blue
In the waters off beautiful Nauset.
I used to pray to recover you.
Ach, du.

In the German tongue, in the Polish town
Scraped flat by the roller
Of wars, wars, wars.
But the name of the town is common.
My Polack friend

Says there are a dozen or two.
So I never could tell where you
Put your foot, your root,
I never could talk to you.
The tongue stuck in my jaw.

It stuck in a barb wire snare.
Ich, ich, ich, ich,
I could hardly speak.
I thought every German was you.
And the language obscene

An engine, an engine
Chuffing me off like a Jew.
A Jew to Dachau, Auschwitz, Belsen.
I began to talk like a Jew.
I think I may well be a Jew.

The snows of the Tyrol, the clear beer of Vienna
Are not very pure or true.
With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck
And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack
I may be a bit of a Jew.

I have always been scared of you,
With your Luftwaffe, your gobbledygoo.
And your neat mustache
And your Aryan eye, bright blue.
Panzer-man, panzer-man, O You-- 

Not God but a swastika
So black no sky could squeak through.
Every woman adores a Fascist,
The boot in the face, the brute
Brute heart of a brute like you.

You stand at the blackboard, daddy,
In the picture I have of you,
A cleft in your chin instead of your foot
But no less a devil for that, no not 
Any less the black man who

Bit my pretty red heart in two.
I was ten when they buried you.
At twenty I tried to die
And get back, back, back to you.
I thought even the bones would do.

But they pulled me out of the sack,
And they stuck me together with glue.
And then I knew what to do.
I made a model of you,
A man in black with a Meinkampf look

And a love of the rack and the screw.
And I said I do, I do.
So daddy, I'm finally through.
The black telephone's off at the root,
The voices just can't worm through.

If I've killed one man, I've killed two--
The vampire who said he was you
And drank my blood for a year,
Seven years, if you want to know.
Daddy, you can lie back now.

There's a stake in your fat black heart
And the villagers never liked you.
They are dancing and stamping on you.
They always knew it was you.
Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through.

  Daddy is a confessional poem written by Sylvia Plath shortly before her death. It gives the readers glimpses from her life and the poem can be said to be symbolic. The tittle “Daddy” symbolises her father and Germany, its culture, people and the events that took place when the poem was written, ethnic cleansing and the killing of many people. As the poem begins, Plath uses the chanting of child-like lexis to introduce the poem.

''You do not do, you do not do'' 

This repetition of the same phrases over again, gives the sense of child like chanting. The idea of the lexis being child-like, expresses how Plath only saw her dad when she was a child, as he died when she was young and so growing up with her dad was not the situation. The lexis is almost like a nursery rhyme, as if to sing-along to the poem instead of it being the read of a poem.

  The speaker, Plath creates a figurative image of her father using varied metaphors to describe her relationship with him. She calls him like a black shoe that she had 'lived in'.

''In which I have lived like a foot

For thirty years''

The metaphor of Plath's father being a foot, expressing how she felt trapped when he was around. Her father was obviously a strict father of the 40's, made rules for Plath yet never treated her as if she was his friend as to never speak to her. The idea of being trapped gives the sense of the devil and being trapped in hell, as well as the colour imagery of the black shoe. 

  This sense of Plath's father not treating her as a 'friend' is further carried on as symbols of her childhood are used.

''Daddy, I have had to kill you'' 

Here, Plath uses a symbolic moment of her children, as children metaphorically 'kill ' their parents, as if to tire them out. Plath uses this metaphorical meaning to express how she made him feel, or how she thought she made him feel. Yet, he also literally died and so Plath could feel this was her fault, and so cleverly added this into 'daddy'.

  Plath has cleverly added in emotive language in her poem to express how she wanted a relationship with her father.

''I used to pray to recover you'' 

The use of personal pronouns in this line express that it is in fact the speaker, Plath, talking to her father, you, and so we can see the want of the relationship. Plath expresses how she wanted a relationship with her father, as she used to pray to recover him. In other words, when he has died she used to pray to create their relationship. 

  A father is someone who protects you and loves you, gives you guidance and advice, and is the one person you can always count on. But for some people a father is just that, a male parent; a person you barely know, or a person you have come to fear. Plath expresses this with the use of hierarchy in the 30's of which Plath, the speaker, grew up in. 

''I never could talk to you.''

The way in which Plath expresses that she could not talk to her father, the sense of the hierarchy in the 1930's of parents vs. children, as Plath was growing up. The idea of Plath not being able to speak to her father could also be seen because of the lack of the male parent, as he would be the breadwinner going out to work and Plath would not off seen him much because of this. 

  Plath's use of hyperbole in the poem, gives a strong sense of how she really felt about her father.

''I thought every German was you.''

The idea of Plath calling her father every German expresses the power which he held over her. As German's had a lot of power during this period. The hyperbole of 'every German' expresses how Plath recognises that her father was in fact a German, this more detail description of him explores his personality and lifestyle to the audience. 

  Another interesting part of the poem is where Plath, the speaker, describes herself as a victim, referring to herself as a Jew.

''I began to talk like a Jew.

I think I may well be a Jew.'' 

The speaker is not necessarily a Jew but she wants the reader to see the relationship she had with her father to be like the relationship between a Nazi (her father) and a Jew (herself). Plath has feeling as if she is a Jew, because of the love and hate relationship she has with her father. In the poem the speaker talks of revenge and killing her father and also killing her husband. The climactic part of the poem is the speaker finally telling her father that she is through with him.

  Again, the power and hierarchy of Plath's father is show cleverly in the poem, as she expresses the description of him.

''And you Aryan eye, bright blue.

Panzer-man, panzer-man, O You-'' 

The idea of the 'panzer-man' of which was a tank driver during wars and so would of carried weapons for opposing enemies, and in fact the enemies. This hierarchy of power explores how Plath feels about her father and his life, as he was not literally a tank driver, yet Plath explores his as one to express his authority. 

  Also, Plath furthermore describes her father of how she remembers him, although not always the best things about him.

''A cleft in your chin instead of your foot

But no less a devil for that, no not''

Plath explores the memory of her father as having a cleft in his chin, of which the devil has in his foot making a hoof. This idea of the cleft refers to the devil and how the devil is in fact human although unrecognisable, as which is why Plath explores this idea. Imagery of the devil linking to her father, creates a bad image of him as if she believed her father was the maker of sin and hell. 

  The juxtaposition of the poem explores the greats of the love and hate relationship between Plath and her father, threw the use of colour imagery.

''Any less the black man who

Bit my pretty red heart in two.''

The colour imagery is juxtaposed off each other as Plath explores the love and hate relationship between her and her father. Such imagery represents how Plath felt imprisonment as a result of her father’s dictatorial control over Plath and her desire to be free of such oppression. Yet, the disciplinary of her father was the cultural norm of the time period, as the father would act as the breadwinner and the disciplinarian.

  Without the poem all being about the relationship between Plath and her Father, there are also referances to some of the other poem's Plath has wrote.

''At twenty I tried to die

And get back, back, back to you.''

Here, Plath explores her second attempt at suicide, as she tries to get back to her father to create this relationship that she wants with him. However, this is also a referance back to the situation in Lady Lazarus as Plath speaks about committing suicide in both poems, both at the actual time in her life. 

  As the poem comes to an end, Plath introduces aspects of her husband and how she had fitted her husband arond the memories of her father. 

''I made a model of you,

A man in black with a Meinkampf look'' 

The poem gives off a very weary perception of Plath fighting emotionally to get away from the life of silence and abuse. And so, to make up of the absent Plath had an idea to find features of her father in her husband and this she did. She explores this idea as to describe her husband as a model of her father, with a Meinkampft look of which was book written by Hitler himself. All around her Plath is trying to convey the truth behind being trapped in a confined world, by comparing her experiences to Nazi Germany and the Jews.

  Another sense of Plath exploring her husband as a model of her father is threw the use of her choice of lexis. 

''And I said I do, I do.'' 

Plath uses her lexis her, to express her excitement of finding a man who could remind her as her father. The idea of the repetition shows the excitement in her voice, yet also expresses the sense of child-like lexis as to sound like chanting, again.

  Finally, in the poem's last stanza Plath expresses how she has given up with the finding of her relationship threw the body of someone else. 

''Daddy, daddy, you bastard, I'm through.'' 

The choice of lexis here again is important, as Plath uses taboo language in order to speak to her father threw the poem. This expresses how Plath now feels strong, and is standing up to her father as she never could do as a child. Here, she expresses how she is 'through' with her father, as to say in other words that she has giving up trying to create this relatioship with him. It is interesting that four months after this poem was written, Plath committed suicide. 

Nancy Mitford- The English Aristocracy

  You are writing an information pack for A-Level English Language students on language and society. Use Mitford's article to explore her views on Language and Class. 

  One way to think of a person’s position in society is to imagine a hand of cards. Everyone is dealt four cards, one from each suit: education, income, occupation and wealth, the four commonly used criteria for judging class. At first, a person's class is his parents' class. Later, he may pick up a new hand of his own; it is likely to resemble that of his parents, but not always as the wealth or lack of wealth within the family may differ throughout his life.
  Language and society work together to discourse the main aspects of social life, as it is believed that we can see the nature of people and what class they belong to by the way they dress or speak. This point could be seen as arguable true, but false also. As in the 1950's, this statement could of been true as to the speech of people and telling which class they belong to. Yet, it is believed by many that this in longer the case in modern day English.
  A feminism from the 50's, Nancy Mitford, believed that such a thing was extremely true back in the day. Mitford was born into an English Aristocracy family, was well spoken and evidently in the 'upper-class' of England. She strongly believed that the way in which one spoke would be the dependent of their social ranking in class. In her article, named the English Aristocracy, she mentions the most famous of her developments, the non-U and U of English speaking. The 'U' was seen as terms used by the upper class, of which included words such as Serviette, Mantelpiece and Dentures. As opposed to the non-U speakers, who were obviously the lower class or working, who were seen by Mitford to use words such as Napkin, Chimney piece and False teeth. Also, it was seen that the pronunciation of words were also a huge part of the contrast between the non-U and U. 
  However, this idea of non-U and U seems to have become much more relaxed, if not disappeared, in this modern England as evidently as you may imagine. Yet, people or judged non the less for in cases in they can not spell or talk 'properly'. And so, people are still put into these ideas of 'classes' eg. upper class etc. These classes are split into three main categories, which are then divided into seven each sub-category of their own:
• Upper class
– Upper upper : Old money
– Lower upper : New money
• Middle class
– Upper middle : Professional
– Middle class : White collar and entrepreneurs
– Working class : Blue collar
• Lower class
– Upper lower : Unskilled labourers
– Lower lower : Socially and economically disadvantaged

  These classes can soon be identified with simple uses of identification, the main few are these: How you look? How you dress? How you talk? What you like to do? Where you live?What your house looks like? And finally, what you eat? All these simple questions are a simple way of getting round a person to find out there class, without already knowing them. This reflects back to the article by Mitford,  as she expresses how people can in fact be judged and class guessed on their appearance and by their non-U and U speaking. Although in Modern day English it may be seen that slang and punctuation are more the aspects of telling people 'apart'. 

For more information on Language and Society in class please visit:
www.languageenglishsociety.co.uk/class

Commentary
  As beginning my information pack for A Level students, I decided that the best thing to do would be to introduce the idea of language and class. I did by listing different aspects of class and how class would be judged professionally. The idea of listing would give the students a clear understanding of what these classes are judged on in order to inform them, as to inform was the purpose of my essay.
  Furthermore, as beginning to introduce the article by Mitford I decided that the best way to do was to refer back to the past. This reference to facts and figures, lead me to the article by Mitford and allowed me to introduce it as to begin to speak about the article. Also, facts from the articles were used in the part in my essay about Mitford, as referring to the U and non-U, along with the examples of words used by each. By doing this, I could give my audience, A Levels Students, the best idea about Mitford as my purpose to inform them of such a matter with the knowledge of Mitford.
  Also, I used listing again in my essay when coming to explore the different classes in England, and how they sub divide into their own classes. By organising this into the rhetoric device of listing, it enabled my essay to look neat and tidy in order to inform the audience instead of confuse them. I feel the listing of the classes gave my information pack a neat and attractive one, as to look professional with the use of the listing.
  Finally, in my final paragraph of my information pack I thought it would be a good idea to use rhetorical questions in order to get the audience thinking about the information they have just read. I did this by expressing the questions which need to answered in order to find out the class of a person. By adding this in at the end of my essay it gives the students chance to think about the situation and so, gets them thinking more about the information just giving. 

Write up of Sylvia Plath- Lady Lazarus

Sylvia Plath- Lady Lazarus 

I have done it again.
One year in every ten
I manage it-

A sort of walking miracle, my skin
Bright as a Nazi lampshade,
My right foot

A paperweight,
My face a featureless, fine
Jew linen.

Peel off the napkin
O my enemy.
Do I terrify?--

The nose, the eye pits, the full set of teeth?
The sour breath
Will vanish in a day.

Soon, soon the flesh
The grave cave ate will be
At home on me

And I a smiling woman.
I am only thirty.
And like the cat I have nine times to die.

This is Number Three.
What a trash
To annihilate each decade.

What a million filaments.
The peanut-crunching crowd
Shoves in to see

Them unwrap me hand and foot--
The big strip tease.
Gentlemen, ladies

These are my hands
My knees.
I may be skin and bone,

Nevertheless, I am the same, identical woman.
The first time it happened I was ten.
It was an accident.

The second time I meant
To last it out and not come back at all.
I rocked shut

As a seashell.
They had to call and call
And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls.

Dying
Is an art, like everything else.
I do it exceptionally well.

I do it so it feels like hell.
I do it so it feels real.
I guess you could say I've a call.

It's easy enough to do it in a cell.
It's easy enough to do it and stay put.
It's the theatrical

Comeback in broad day
To the same place, the same face, the same brute
Amused shout:

'A miracle!'
That knocks me out.
There is a charge

For the eyeing of my scars, there is a charge
For the hearing of my heart--
It really goes.

And there is a charge, a very large charge
For a word or a touch
Or a bit of blood

Or a piece of my hair or my clothes.
So, so, Herr Doktor.
So, Herr Enemy.

I am your opus,
I am your valuable,
The pure gold baby

That melts to a shriek.
I turn and burn.
Do not think I underestimate your great concern.

Ash, ash--
You poke and stir.
Flesh, bone, there is nothing there--

A cake of soap, 
A wedding ring,
A gold filling.

Herr God, Herr Lucifer
Beware
Beware.

Out of the ash
I rise with my red hair
And I eat men like air.

Stanza one
  As the poem opens we are introduced to some sort of anniversary of a decade.

''I have done it again.

One year in every ten''

This thing that is being done 'one year in every ten', seems to mark an anniversary to the 

persona as she speaks among herself and not to a listener. This first stanza linked with title
almost gives a hint to the audience, as the story of Lazarus in the bible is whom Jesus brought
back to life, in other words resurrection. And so with this, we can see that the persona has experiences something every year in ten which is related to death and resurrection. 

Stanza two
  The use of juxtaposition in this next stanza, shows the difference between the happenings of
the anniversary of this persona and the resurrection of Lazarus in the bible. 

''A sort of walking miracle'' 




Here, the persona uses colloquial language to express the happenings of such a 'walking
miracle'. The colloquial language is used in such a way that it expresses how the poem is modern and informal, and what might be seen as not so important. Yet, the story of Lazarus in the bible is one of the most important and is very formal towards its audience. Also, the walking miracle relates as biblical imagery, relating to the story of Lazarus, to express how two of the same thing can be so much different. 




  Furthermore, as the stanza develops there is more imagery, this time imagery of WW2 and references which express the dark irony within this poem. 




''Bright as a Nazi lampshade'' 

This reference to WW2 explores the dark irony of the poem, as the persona expresses her skin as being as bright as a Nazi lampshade yet this story behind the lampshade is most important. As during the Holocaust, once bodies had been burnt remains were used to create things for the Germans, such as lampshades and fillings etc. And so, by the persona referring to her skin as 'as bright as a Nazi lampshade' there is obvious dark irony, as the persona's skin is obviously not all that bright. The skin would also especially be bright after such a situation which may of being the resurrection of the persona them-self. 

Stanza three

   As this stanza opens, the previous stanza is carried threw with the last line using enjambment.

''My right foot

A paperweight,''  

The foot of the persona is being described as like a paperweight as to reflect on the making of the Nazi lampshade. The persona is exploring how there limbs are heaving due to the Nazi's making bodies into objects during the Holocaust. This idea of people being turned into objects, links to the situation in the applicant, as people are also classed as objects. Although not literallyin the applicant, yet it is literally here, this link is strong between the two poems. 

The persona uses a metaphor in order to express death and after death in the poem, and how this reflects to the story of Lazarus in the bible. 

''My face a featureless, fine

Jew linen.''

The featureless-ness of the face is a clear metaphor for how when a body is buried it, usually, has the face covered with a fine linen in order to 'dress' the body. This is more frequently done within families with a high background of money, as grave clothes are expensive. And so, the featureless face is a metaphor for these clothes, and the death of the people as death is the creation of people being very featureless and blank. 

Stanza four

  The persona uses further juxtaposition as to express the person who has awoken her from such an experience. As the poem has developed, it seems the persona is committing suicide to only be saved or 'resurrected''. 

''O my enemy.

Do I terrify?'' 

The person who has in fact awoken the person is seen as her enemy, as if what he has done is a bad thing. This is obvious to see, as the persona wanted to get away from her life, yet the person awaking her is obviously the person who saved her and therefore, to her, is her enemy. This idea is extremely subversive and a juxtaposition to the story of Lazarus, as he was forever grateful to Jesus for bringing him back to life. In the bible, resurrection is seen as a miracle and an amazingly grateful thing, yet the persona expresses otherwise. The persona is being very subversive in her language and choice of appearance to her opinion. 

Stanza five 

  This stanza is the listing of imagery of death of which is explored by the persona. 

''The nose, the eye pits, the full set of teeth?

The sour breath

Will vanish one day.'' 

Here, the persona uses listing as the express graphic imagery of death and the human body. The stanza is almost dehumanizing as the skeleton-like imagery is expressed disturbingly. It is as if the persona is asking whether her body will have this left when she dies, as she is concision of how she will look in her grave. 

Stanza six

  Again, the persona uses biblical reference in order to keep relating back to the story of Lazarus in the bible to express the story in the poem deeper and deeper. 

''The grave cave ate will be'' 

This biblical reference of the cave is important as to keep referring back to the Lazarus story and how this poem is an extremely different story yet the same situation. Also, in this line there is the use of assonance which is used to create internal rhyming within the line. This sound is almost like an echo, which creates the idea of emptiness within the grave as it is not literal but is because of the death of the human inside. 

Stanza seven
  The stanza could be arguably the most important as to suggest that the persona is in fact Plath herself, as within knowing her life background it reflects almost exactly to this poem. 

''I am only thirty.

And like the cat I have nine times to die.'' 

The idea of the persona being 30, the time in which the poem was wrote Plath herself would of been thirty. Furthermore, the idea of the cat and having nine times to die reflects back to the opening of the poem where the anniversary of past events. This could express how the persona, or Plath, justifies her idea of trying to commit suicide and failing as to be a cat with nine lives. 

  Also, in the stanza Plath relates back to the Applicant poem as she expresses the 'ideal women'.

''And I am a smiling women.'' 

The idea of the smiling women, is almost a mock by Plath as she realizes this is the social norm of women, yet she was obviously not smiling or happy because of the situations she puts herself threw every ten years. This irony by Plath explores the ideal women, which is what she does not want to be, and reflects it among the 'living doll' image in the applicant. 

Stanza eight 
  As this stanza opens, we are introduced to a significant number of 'Number Three' which stands out in order to catch the attention of the audience.

''This is Number Three.'' 

This capitalization of the 'number three' expresses how the event is important and significant to Plath and her life. This line of the stanza is to show how the event she is talking about is 'number three', this event is her near death experience of which she experiences every ten years being a decade of which is her anniversary spoken of in the first stanza. 

  Also, the choice of lexis by Plath is interesting as she expresses her past and how she feels about her past experiences and what the future holds.

''To annihilate each decade.''  

The choice of the lexis 'annihilate' means to erase the past, cancel out and start again, which could be seen as the reasoning in why Plath decides to try to commit suicide every ten years in order to recreate her anniversary. It is as if Plath does this to try forget the past and start again when she awakes, yet if this worked she would not remember anything as to maybe no awake. 

Stanza nine

  As the stanza opens, Plath's choice of lexis is extremely deep as she explores her look as she awakes. 

''What a million filaments.''

Plath choices to use an alternative of bandages to call them 'filaments', these filaments have been used to express how Plath has been mummified. This mummification is almost as if Plath has been wrapped up like a dead body, yet she has been awoke. By expressing these filaments, it could be seen that this is a hint at how she feels when she awakes, as if she is trapped and suffocated and this is the reasoning in why she wants to leave. 

  Here, Plath explores how the poem is modern and the period in which order her is also, compared to the period in which the story of Lazarus occurred.

''The peanut crunching crowd

Shoves in to see'' 

The idea of the peanut crunching crowd, is used by Plath to express the idea of the media and thousands of people all around her looking in on her situation as she awakes from trying to commit suicide. The media and people around are to express the modern day and how this is causing a situation when she awakes. As Plath explores them moving as if to 'shove', in order to rush in on her and judge her. 

Stanza ten

  With an odd idea in the middle of the poem, we are introduced the Plath's side of challenging the typical women stereotype. 

''The big strip tease.

Gentlemen, ladies''

The idea of the big strip tease explored by Plath, shows how she is sacrilegious, which is another concept of the modern nature of the poem, and challenges the stereotype of women.  It is as if Plath is exploiting herself as entertain for the audience in which can see her, by doing this she judges the audience back as to explore how they are the reasoning for her carrying this on. She blames them from encouraging her, yet with them doing this she is challenging the women stereotype of being quiet and keeping themselves to themselves, yet Plath explores herself to the whole world. The idea of Plath being entertainment for the audience creates a sense of voyeuristic, as to get pleasure out of watching someone in such a way. 

Stanza eleven

  This stanza expresses just how much Plath has become entertainment to the audience, yet also how Plath exploits herself to the audience.

''These are my hands

My knees.

I may be skin and bone.'' 

The idea of Plath exploiting herself to the audience shows how she puts on the show being of their encouragement by 'shoving' in to see her. Plath explores this matter as to expresses how she can judge her audience back, without  giving them the chance to judge her for trying to kill herself. Yet she judges them back for encouraging to do so.  

Stanza twelve

  Again, this stanza is another important one as to express how it is actually Plath herself creating the voice of the persona in the poem. 

''The first time it happened I was ten.

It was an accident.'' 

As the persona speaks about 'the first time' being 'an accident', it can be seen that in fact this accidental near death experience actually happened in Plath's life when she was just ten. When working this out, it is clear that a decade of anniversary for 30 years running would of first started when the person was ten, making the person in fact Plath herself. 

Stanza thirteen

    This stanza is introduced by Plath as the 'second time', which could be assumed that is the events of the second time she tried to kill herself. She uses a dreamlike state to express her wants of death and how she did not want to come back.

''I meant

To last it out and not come back at all.''

This dreamlike state is described by Plath as to express how this second time was not an accident like the first, and in fact she wanted it to last... She wanted to die. This imagery of death, is a huge juxtaposition towards the death and resurrection of Lazarus. As the death of Lazarus was a shock and misfortune to all, yet Plath describes her own death as wanted and as if she was not to be missed. 

  Also, in this stanza the use of enjambment carries the last line threw to the first line of stanza fourteen. 

''I rocked shut

As a seashell.''  

This imagery of the natural seaside environment, as to describe a seashell, is a great juxtaposition as to be placed with the idea of death and a body 'rocking shut'. Yet, this juxtaposition could be seen as a metaphor as to describe how Plath's thoughts are far at sea as she thinks about killing herself and 'lasting it out'. It could show how her mind is in a dreamlike state, where as her body does actually feel the pain of this, also expressing the juxtaposition of the nature imagery as to the death imagery.

Stanza fourteen

  As more juxtaposition is used in the poem, to express how Plath see's death to how others would, we can see that the whole poem is together as a whole to explore the juxtaposition of Plath's idea of death with the idea of death in the Bible. 

''They had to call and call

And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls.'' 

Here, we have the disturbing imagery of worms around the body which is then juxtaposed by Plath as if the worms are pearls. These pearls are seen as imagery of elegance, which expresses how Plath sees the idea of death, yet most people would see it as worms around the body. 

Stanza fifteen

  This stanza opens with exploring one of the biggest contrasts between Plath and the Bible.

''Dying

Is an art'' 

The idea of Plath thinking dying is an art, as if it is the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination is a huge crime, especially in the period of which the poem was written. Also, suicide in the Bible is one of the biggest sin's as to kill oneself when in fact this is a job of God, can be seen an extreme wrongdoing. By exploring this, we can see how Plath was not religious and did not believe in anything as such as she was willing to take a job of God to kill herself. 

Stanza sixteen

  As the poem continues to get deeper and deeper into the idea of death and how Plath feels about such a thing, greater technical skills are used in order to express such a matter. As in this stanza, phonological rhyme is used to explore the depression and lack of excitement Plath feels. 

''I do it so it feels like hell.

I do it so it feels real.'' 

This use of phonological rhyme is expressed to how Plath does this event on a ten year anniversary as to carry on. The rhyme in the lines gives the sense of carrying on with someone, as to carry it out, and Plath decides she will carry out these events in an anniversary to make sure she gets what she wants. When Plath talks about the suicide as making her 'feel real', could express how life does not excite her and it does not feel real to here. This could be seen as a symptom of depression, as she does not feel as if life is real but believes that death is and will make her feel so. 

Stanza seventeen

  This stanza is very blunt and puts out there of what Plath believes about suicide with the use of dark humor. 

''It's easy enough to do it and stay put.''  

This idea of 'doing it and stay put' is almost a dark hint at humor, as if to say it is easy to do it over and over again and no one would notice. Plath connotes this as dark humor as without using emotional language, she does not want the audience to feel sorry for her but yet to think 'that's about right'. The poem in itself does not grab attention due to feeling sorry for Plath, yet it is just shocking and almost unbelievable as she is able to talk about suicide so opening. This talking of suicide opening if very modern, along with Plath herself. As she describes her work as 'long and thin', Plath herself was evidently long and thin connoting to this humor and how she is very modern, as to compare to William Shakespeare he would not class his poem's as 'long and thin'. 

Stanza eighteen

  Referring back to stanza sixteen, we see again the idea of Plath wanting to leave the real world as to believe death will make her feel real. This is linked to the listing and repetition in this stanza, as we expressed to how Plath feels about 'the real life'.

''To the same place, the same face, the same brute

Amused shot:'' 

This expression as Plath comes back around from 'the second time', tells the audience how her coming back to the same things around her is a realization that her work did not pay off. Plath tried to escape this life, but yet instead of waking up to 'feeling real' she is in the same place etc., which is described an outright nightmare for her. Furthermore, the 'amused shot' is joined with the stanza by the use of enjambment to the shouting of the audience ''A miracle!''. This voyeuristic shout by the crowd, explores how they are insensitive about Plath and her situation. 

Stanza nineteen

  The use of a popular idiom, is explored as the figure of speech is almost metaphor for the events of which had just happened to Plath in the poem. 

 ''That knocks me out.'' 

This figure of speech could be seen as a literal idea of how this does actually 'knock her out', as this figure usually means as if 'it killed me' to express excitement or happiness. For example, someone might say 'that concert knocked me out/killed me' as if to express how good it was. This is the context in which Plath means in this line as she metaphorical tells the audience that attempting suicide knocks her out, when literally it also does. This is clearly done by Plath, in such a way to express her feelings towards the events of suicide and how she really feels about it. 

  Furthermore, also in this stanza the idea of death becoming a right of passage for Plath is greatly expressed.

''There is a charge

For the eyeing of my scars...'' 

As this stanza carries on to the next one, the audience can get an idea of how Plath tries and tries yet she does no succeed in what she wants. As Plath believes that death is a rite of passage, as to express it as 'to make her feel real', this idea is very clear. Yet, someone is preventing this rite of passage for her and so she expressing this by explaining that the attempts come with a charge. This charge could also be seen as a literal charge for the audience, as she creates her 'entertainment' for the crowds who gather. This literal charge is again a reference to the dark humor in the poem as to charge people to let them watch you try to commit suicide is rather sickening and disturbing, although it may not be in Plath's mind.

Stanza twenty

  See above.

Stanza twenty one

  Again, more reference to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust is made here in this stanza as Plath describes her 'miracle maker'. 

''So, so, Herr Doktor.

So, Herr Enemy.'' 

The idea of the Nazi Germans in this stanza is used to express the doctor who awakes Plath from her attempt at suicide. As she expresses his as 'Mister Doctor' by the German 'Herr Doktor', and as her 'enemy'. This strong use of the lexis 'enemy', expresses how she deeply feels about the doctor as to hate him for awaking her from escaping to become 'real'. This is huge contrast as in the Bible to express someone as an enemy, was a reference to the devil as another name of his. The idea of Plath expresses her doctor as the devil, is a huge reference to hell and the ideas of which she had in her mind as to kill herself.

Stanza twenty two

  Here, Plath talks about herself as if to speak to the doctor of whom is in front of her as time of the event is present here.

''I am your opus'' 

  The idea of Plath being the doctor's opus is to express her as a piece of the artistic work, especially one on a large scale. And so, in other words Plath is describing herself as the doctors biggest piece of work so far, yet expressing this as if the doctor is only helping in order to make himself biggest in his industry. Plath believes that the doctor is only doing this in order to get his name bigger, and that in fact he does actually want to help her. However, in overall fact he is just simply doing his job. 

Stanza twenty three

  Again, Plath is hinting at the doctor of not just doing his job but making it seem as if his concern is unreal, just as she feels unreal in the world. 

''Do not think I underestimate your great concern.'' 

Plath explores the nature of her doctor threw the use of sarcasm and irony, as she expresses that the doctor is unreal and fake as he pretends to care about her. Although, it seems Plath would think this as her personality comes across very blunt and depresses which makes her feel this way about other people when in actual fact the doctor probably does genuinely care about her and her feelings as she has tried to commit suicide and he has saved her. 

Stanza twenty four 

  Another link to the Holocaust and Nazi Germany could be interpreted here as Plath explores different lexis in order to compare the suicide of herself to such a big event in history, in fact most probably one of the biggest.

''Ash, ash

You poke and stir.'' 

The use of the lexis 'ash', relates to the Holocaust as the devastating fact of the people who did not meet Hitler's need were burnt. This death relates to the Plath of which Plath is trying to commit to herself, yet she is not succeeding in such a matter. This repetition of the lexis could be seen as how Plath feels that the death of people is dragged out, as she expressed in her other poetry. 

Stanza twenty five 
  Again, reference to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust appears in the poem as we are explored into the objects of which the humans were literally made in to.

''A cake of soap,

A wedding ring,

A gold filling.'' 

Here, Plath has used listing to express how Hitlers ongoing of the killings of the Jew's was long and painful for the audience who had to watch. This listing shows how during the Holocaust, no ones feelings came into the deaths as people had to do as they were told all round. Again, this is sickening imagery from Plath and is extremely disturbing, especially to sensitive audience yet with the modern day writer she explores this in such a way to shock her audience, without it shocking her. 

Stanza twenty six

  In this penultimate stanza, more dark irony is expressed by Plath as she refers to the Bible and God herself without hiding behind the story of Lazarus. 

''Herr God, Herr Lucifer'' 

This line is the main part of the poem, as to realize that in fact Plath does compare herself to Lazarus and is in which why the poem is named 'Lady Lazarus'. Yet, she does this with the use of irony to express how she is not religious, although she is not fully ignorant to the Bible. She see's the story and understands, yet her opinion of death is the complete opposite and this is the reasoning the complete juxtaposition between the two 'Lazarus'' in the poem. 

Stanza twenty seven 

  This last stanza is full of different imagery which Plath puts together to sum up the poem, as to express what death means for her.

''Out of the ash

I rise''

The idea of Plath rising from the ash, is a reference to the rising of the phoenix from the ash. This reflect on the idea from early in the poem where Plath explores her want to annihilate, and start again by wiping her past, which is like what the Phoenix does as creates new life or is reborn as it rises from the ashes. 

  Also, in this stanza Plath uses colour imagery to reference the devil and hell.

''With my red hair'' 

The idea of Plath expressing herself as having red hair, reflects to the idea of the devil and hell as if she has created or is a sin. Yet, Lazarus was risen or reborn to free his sins, this contrast again expresses the difference between the two stories despite the situation being the same.

  Finally, the last line of the poem is very powerful as Plath expresses 'eating' as a strong verb. The last line being the finale of the poem, does end on a note of which the audience begin to think about what Plath means.

''And I eat men like air.'' 

This idea of eating men like air gives Plath a strong finale, as if to express how she is not back to life and is strong, despite nearly dying were she would of been extremely weak and vulnerable. Plath wants her audience to see this strong side of her, as throughout the poem she wants her death to be seen as a liberation. This liberation of her death links in with the period, as the starts of the Women's Liberation, which is clearly put together by Plath as she links all the references together. 

In what sense would you say Larkin’s poems are less deceived?

In what sense would you say Larkin’s poems are less deceived?

  At first response to this question I realised that, in fact, less deceived meant that something was not misleading or didn’t cover anything up. This idea of expressing shows the reality of life and what it really is all about, rather than the imaginations some people may believe. Larkin himself expresses this less deceived attitude in his poems as he is strong about his opinions, with them being straight forward and not misleading, this being expressed greatly in Mr Bleaney. As, within the poem the story is of a man, Mr Bleaney, who once lived in a hired ‘box’ yet whom died, and so is now being rented by the persona of the poem. However, on a deeper level Larkin expresses, threw the voice of the persona, how the hired box is significant of Mr Bleaney’s life as for an elderly man he did not have much to show for his life. Larkin says it how it is and explains how we live measures our own nature and that in fact My Bleaney’s life showed no more than a hired box. On one level this is sad, for the audience, and an emotional response is brung forward, yet on another level expresses how there is many people like this in the world and in fact Larkin is just bringing us back to the reality of life.

                                                           ‘’He stayed
                                          The whole time he was at the Bodies’’

This quotation from Mr Bleaney, shows how the character whom dominants the poem was bounded to this hired box and in fact it was his life, as he ‘stayed the whole time’. This express how less deceived Larkin is this poem, as with also expressing it is all he has to show he also express how in fact this was the entirety of his life. The idea of this poem, is to show how the persona is worried as to become like Mr Bleaney himself as he explores Mr Bleaney’s life as he lives in the box now himself.

  This idea of the reality of life is also strongly shown in Larkin’s ‘Take one home for the kiddies’, as Larkin expresses the reality of family pets. As Larkin expresses how children always want pets, as they think of the fun they can have with playing with them, yet it’s not always fun or playtime with a pet as it needs other aspects to live. This poem diminishes animals to “living toys” and explores how the idea of a new pet soon wears off, it shows how fickle children are.

                                             ‘’Mam, get us one of them to keep.’’

The colloquial language of ‘mam’ explores the innocence of the child, yet while they express how they want a pet to keep it is known that half of the time the pet will no be to keep. Yet, if in fact it is then the novelty soon wears off of having a pet in the family home. This poem shows the exact reality of pets and having them to ‘keep’, as it is well known that many people do not do this.


  The ending is the main part of course, as through the use of the imperative: “Fetch the shoebox, fetch the shovel” and then the unfeeling speech: “Mam, we’re playing funerals now”. As the child expresses the death of the pet, yet again this aspect of playing is coming through, as if the pet is just a toy. This is clearly done by Larkin, in order to give the sense of the reality of life and how if fact he literally is saying it like it is, when read into. The death of the pet, an almost universal occurrence in children’s lives, teaches them about death and the reality of life, a huge part of growing up. In its short and punchy style it is satirical – we don’t understand the rehearsal for life that we give children when we indulge them in pets. Which is in fact, just how Larkin is expresses the reality of life in his poems, to prepare for the worse in all cases.
  Finally, a huge poem by Larkin which is extremely less deceived is in fact ‘Nothing to be sad’, as it explores how life is slow dying without the use of any interpretation. Larkin believes that the whole point in life is death, he sees it as that everyone will die in the end but people just pass time with things such as building, making families, finding love and making money etc.
                                          ‘’Measuring love and money
                                                Ways of slowly dying’’

With no hesitation, Larkin is proud to express his feeling that in fact everyone is slowly dying. His bold attitude of this situation will be not understood by some, yet others will realise what in fact he relates to however they cannot argue with the situation because he will always be right. Larkin’s choices of lexis express how he is not celebrating this fact, yet he is feeling depressed about such a situation which would be an obvious first reaction, which again is less deceived and straight forward. The poem explores one of the biggest aspects of life, death, and while doing this Larkin is simply just exploring the reality of life, despite the poem seeming extremely clever in the way he pieces it together.

  As a conclusion, it is extremely interesting in the fact that all three poems by Larkin, in which I have just analysing do all, include the biggest aspect of life, death. In fact, all three poems revolve around the idea of death and which is why they all work together to express how Larkin is less deceived in his work and works at his best when exploring the reality of life.