HomeGrown Writing

Check out this blog!

2010-03-01T17:31:00.000Z

Check out this blog:www.breakingperceptions.blogspot.com

100 word review: The Buddha of Suburbia

2010-02-27T13:13:00.002Z

This novel by Hanif Kureishi was really good but, on some level, didn't quite live up to its hype. The plot satires race relations, the art world and the seventies in general beautifully. You'll definitely enjoy it if you like reading about race, sexuality, the seventies and the world of artists and actors. It was a funny book, but not as funny as I had expected, not laughing out loud at any

100 Word Review: His Illegal Self

2010-02-21T16:48:00.002Z

His Illegal Self is by twice winner of the Booker Price Peter Carey and from reading this book I can certainly see why has has won those awards. The structure of the novel, with no speech marks, constant change of narrative voice and flashbacks to the past, would be extremely difficult to the average writer and would normally make the book far too confusing to read. However, Carey does it

University News

2010-02-18T16:52:00.001Z

I GOT AN INTERVIEW AT WARWICK!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T17:07:00.000Z

glitter-graphics.com

100 word review: Burning Bright

2010-02-14T17:02:00.002Z

I disliked this book after reading the first paragraph. I hated the writing style. It is over descriptive and leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination and the whole book is filled with ambiguous sentences that are meant to make it "dramatic" but just get annoying. The plot itself is quite predictable, implausible in parts but not bad, it would work if written well. The poor writing means the

"Portrait of a Lady" by T S Eliot (poetry reading)

2010-02-07T20:02:00.000Z

Yeats, ‘Among School Children’

2010-02-07T20:00:00.000Z

Hardy, ‘After a Journey’

2010-02-07T19:58:00.002Z

I don't believe it! there are NO videos on Youtube for Hardy's poem 'After a Journey'! And i can't paste the poem without all the copyright hoo-ha. And there was me thinking I could get everything from youtube!

Frost at Midnight by S.T. Coleridge

2010-02-07T19:56:00.000Z

Thoughts: which bloody poem?

2010-02-07T19:54:00.002Z

I was thinking of applying for the scholarship at Ken which would mean writing a critical analysis and appreciation of either Coleridges Frost at Midnight, Hardys After A Journey, Yeats 'Among School Children' or Eliot 'Portrait of a Lady' so I'm going to post them all on here and see what you think instead!

Quote of the day!

2010-02-06T20:16:00.000Z

"I do not wish women to have power over men but over themselves"Mary Wollstonecraft

thought of the day: poo

2010-02-05T20:20:00.000Z

so it's the 5th... the warwick portfolio deadline... and I still haven't got an interview... oh dear...

Quote of the day!

2010-02-05T20:17:00.000Z

"All opposition creates a state of war"Simone de Beauvoir

Quote of the day!

2010-02-04T20:18:00.000Z

"All socities on the verge of death are masculine" (You just gotta love feminists!)Germaine Greer

Quote of the day!

2010-02-03T20:14:00.001Z

"No woman gets an orgasm from shining the kitchen floor"Betty Friedman

EXAMS ARE OVER!

2010-02-02T19:50:00.000Z

Exams are FINALLY over... phew! Now it's just waiting for the results in March and then more exams in June...woop.

Quote of the day!

2010-02-01T20:19:00.000Z

"Aren't women prudes if they don't and prostitutes if they do?"Kate Millet

Quote of the day!

2010-01-31T20:20:00.000Z

"If civilisation was left in female hands we would still be living in grass huts"Camille Pagila

Politics Essay: Liberalism

2010-01-15T19:54:00.000Z

Why do modern liberals support social reform and welfare? Modern liberal ideas were related to the further development of industrialisation. Social inequality became difficult to ignore as the working class were seen to be disadvantaged. As economic individualism came under attack, liberals rethought their attitude to the state. The minimal state was incapable of rectifying the injustices and

Politics Essay: Liberalism

2010-01-14T18:56:00.001Z

Define individualism and explain its importance within liberal ideology Individualism is the belief in the supreme importance of the individual over any social group or collective body. Methodological individualism suggests the individual is central to any political theory. Ethical individualism implies society should be constructed to benefit the individual. The primacy of the individual is the

Politics Essay: Liberalism

2010-01-13T18:34:00.001Z

Why do classical liberals defend unregulated capitalism? Economist Adam Smith argued that the economy works best when left alone by government. The economy is a series of inter-related markets that operate according to the wishes and desires of free individuals. Freedom within a market means freedom of choice as businesses choose goods to make and consumes goods to buy. Relationships within the

Politics Essay: Liberalism

2010-01-12T18:20:00.001Z

Using examples distinguish between individualism and collectivism Collectivism is the belief that collective human endeavour is of greater practical and moral value than individual self-striving, whereas individualism is the belief in the supreme importance of the individual over any social group or collective body. Collectivism reflects the idea that human nature has a social core. Egotistical

Politics Essay: Liberalism

2010-01-11T18:06:00.001Z

Politics Essay: Liberalism

2010-01-10T17:18:00.000Z

Why do liberals support the principle of limited government and how do they propose that it be achieved? 45 Liberals don’t believe that a balanced and tolerant society will develop naturally out of the free actions of individuals. Liberals fear that free individuals may want to exploit others if it is in their interest to do so. Therefore our liberty requires that they are restrained from

Politics Essay: Liberalism

2010-01-09T16:07:00.000Z

Modern liberals support state intervention, but only within limits. Discuss. 45 Modern liberal ideas were related to the further development of industrialisation. Social inequality became difficult to maintain the belief that industrial capitalism had brought general prosperity and liberty for all. Modern liberals revised the classic liberal expectation that the unrestrained pursuit of

Exam Time

2010-01-08T16:04:00.000Z

Well exam time is here for both me and Symone so expect far fewer posts and the posts we do have are most likely going to be practice exam questions we've done!Schools only just started and I can't wait for it to be over!

Law Essay: Omission

2010-01-07T12:32:00.000Z

In general, the criminal law prohibits the doing of harm but does not impose criminal liability for an omission. However, there are justifiable exceptions to this general principle. Assess the truth of this statement by reference to situations where a failure to act may result in criminal liability Criminal liability in criminal law accepts that a person must commit an unlawful act with mens

100 word review: The Oversight

2010-01-06T12:22:00.000Z

I changed my mind about this book a few times. In the beginning, it was pretty good but the narrative voice needed some work and I was looking in a dictionary every few seconds. In the middle it got better: the big words eased up and the narrative voice improved, but the mix of present with flashbacks meant I got confused about who was who. Near the end, I REALLY liked it, understood everything

Quote of the day!

2010-01-05T19:33:00.000Z

Life is better than death, I believe, if only because it is less boring, and because it has fresh peaches in it. Alice Walker

100 word review: Nothing To Be Frightened Of

2010-01-05T19:21:00.002Z

Not being a fan of non-fiction, I was pleasantly surprised by this book by Julian Barnes. Barnes explores the fear of death and dying and in doing so creates a novel that is "among many things, a family memoir, an exchange with his philosopher brother, a meditation on mortality and the fear of death." This book really makes you think about death and what I like most is that Barnes never forces

I love good TV

2010-01-05T13:28:00.000Z

To some people television is this evil thing that dumbs down the mind and makes us lazy and ignorant, but I disagree: it's all about what you watch on television. If all you watch is America's Dumbest Pets then, yes, you won't gain any more than shallow entertainment. But when I finished watching Hustle, the BBC One drama, on Monday, I thought to myself "Bloody hell. Now THAT is some good writing

The Rabbit Hole

2010-01-04T23:43:00.000Z

Tall dark trees, like withering handsPulled at Symone’s dress;Howls of beasts cloaked by the darkBrought panic to her chest.She pulled the gnarly branches offAnd crept on, much like a whisper,Her brown eyes wide and waryOf the devilish midnight hunter.Stumbling for hours lost and confused,Alone in unruly woods,Symone felt like the girls in fairytalesWith gingerbread and red hoods.Alas poor Symone

TS Eliot "Macavity"The Mystery Cat " Poem animation

2010-01-04T16:27:00.000Z

A brand new video by Poetry Animations... they really are fantastic!!!

Got a response...

2010-01-04T16:24:00.003Z

So I got an email from East Anglia letting me know that they got my portfolio and that it will be passed on to the admissions tutor for assessment and I will hear from them very soon. So i'm back to sitting and waiting...

Rudyard Kipling "if" Poem Animation

2010-01-03T16:29:00.000Z

That's one lot sent off....

2010-01-03T16:20:00.002Z

I've just sent off my East Anglia Creative Writing sample. It's 7 pages and I have little faith in 2 of them. This self-doubt is the most frustrating thing in the world but what can I do about it? As sad as it sounds, I cannot convince myself that what I have written is good, I need other people to. Then again it can be argued that writer's are the most self-critical and insecure of the lot as

Words

2010-01-03T13:25:00.001Z

Words, Words, Where for art thou fucking words? Once words spilled from my mouth Like coffee beans on a counter, Like ice caps into oceans, Like excuses from a banker. Once I was inspired By people, by objects, by events, by day, by night, By an eyelash on a forefinger, By the colours in a light. Once I had notebooks filled with words Each one was written, not with ink, but

God I Love Doctor Who!!!

2010-01-02T16:29:00.000Z

So David Tennant has bowed out as Doctor Who, but buy did he have a beautiful end!!! I love the writer Russell T Davies and his final stand for the 10th Doctor was some excellent writing (perfectly delivered with excellent acting of course!) Here is a video of Tennants very last line and Matt Smith's very first

Quote of the day!

2010-01-02T13:07:00.000Z

A reader seldom peruses a book with pleasure until he knows whether the writer of it be a black man or a fair man, of a mild or choleric disposition, married or a bachelorJoseph Addison

100 word review: Oleanna

2010-01-02T12:33:00.000Z

It's a very short and to the point play. David Mamet is known for his natural dialogue and, while it is good, it makes it a play that should be watched rather than read. The constant uncompleted sentences and non-fluency features got on my nerves. The play is good for its observation rather than plot. It looks at the power struggle between man and woman and also questions the role of University

Auld Lang Syne (New Year)

2010-01-01T17:05:00.000Z

London Fireworks on New Year's Eve 2010

2010-01-01T17:02:00.000Z

Here's where I was on New Year's Eve

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-01-01T15:46:00.000Z

Happy New Year Glitter Pictures

Top Ten Must Play songs on New Years Eve

2009-12-31T15:46:00.001Z

U2 New Years Day

2009-12-31T15:44:00.000Z

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-12-31T15:43:00.000Z

Happy New Year Glitter Pictures

Sonnet 17 "Who will believe my verse in time to come..." by William Shakespeare (poetry reading)

2009-12-30T13:13:00.000Z

Quote of the day!

2009-12-30T13:09:00.000Z

The English instinctively admire any man who has no talent and is modest about itJames Agate

100 word review: Wuthering Heights

2009-12-30T12:57:00.000Z

I had heard several negative things about this novel: mainly that there is no protagonist for the reader to relate to. However, I found it to be the great English Classic that it is known as. Emily is the second of the Bronte sisters that I have read (Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is one of my favourites) and I have to say she delivers quite a complex structure very well. At points I did get

5 More Minutes

2009-12-29T17:36:00.002Z

“Jamie your shoelace is undone. For God’s sake put the box down and do it up before you break your neck!”“Yes Mum.”I could hear the gentle mocking in his voice when he said that, like its some hilarious little joke that I still act like his mother. He could be 52 with four kids and a pension for all I care, I’d still tell him to do up his bloody shoes. He handed me the box and bent down to do it

"During Wind and Rain" by Thomas Hardy (poetry reading)

2009-12-29T14:31:00.000Z

Hmmmm...

2009-12-29T13:02:00.000Z

Since I turned 17 i've had three books that teach you how to drive, the highway code and all that business and have yet to start driving lessons or get a provisional or anything. I think maybe I should do something about that...

No Title As Of Yet...

2009-12-28T23:26:00.006Z

I haven't written poetry since I've started back a school. I honestly though my writing had taken a turn in the wrong direction, then last night, out of the blue, inspiration FINALLY hit! I haven't drafted yet; what is here is what I wrote last nightThe darkness is my best friend,For I have no compassion.The tear stained pillow of my fears,Has kept me strong over years.The cards dealt by fate, I

"London Snow" by Robert Bridges (poetry reading)

2009-12-28T14:29:00.000Z

Quote of the day!

2009-12-28T14:27:00.000Z

Politics is the art of the possiblePrince Otto Von Bismarck

Benjamin Zephaniah - Rong Radio

2009-12-27T12:49:00.000Z

4000 Characters

2009-12-27T12:45:00.000Z

[A group of 10-15 1st year college students are sat on chairs, stage right. A sign is at the back of the stage “Uni Advice Day”. A teacher is stood in front of the students. On stage right are two chairs, one is empty and one has another student in it who looks deep in thought and serious. She appears to be saying something under her breath.] Teacher: For the next hour or so we will be looking

New Books!

2009-12-27T12:16:00.000Z

On Christmas Eve I went to a charity shop with my little brother and realised just how many cheapo books they have! I got about 5 books that I would have originally bought on Amazon for over £5 for 69p!!! So you can officially look forward to MORE 100 word reviews on the following books:Dracula by Bram StokerCatch-22 by Joseph HellerFilth by Irvine WelshGeisha by Liza DalbyWomen in Love by D.H.

Winter Wonderland: Jason Mraz

2009-12-26T12:15:00.000Z

A nice twist on the winter wonderland song...

Last Christmas - Wham!

2009-12-26T12:09:00.000Z

Classic Christmas song... We <3 George Michael

Happy Boxing Day!!!!

2009-12-26T12:08:00.000Z

Christmas Glitter GraphicsThey don't do boxing day glitter graphics, so we'll just wish you a Merry Christmas again!

Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas Is You

2009-12-25T12:06:00.000Z

Robyn and Symone's favourite Christmas song...and one of the sexiest men on the planet...MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin' Stevens

2009-12-25T12:04:00.000Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM HOME GROWN WRITING!

2009-12-25T12:03:00.000Z

Christmas Glitter Graphics

1 YEAR AND 1 MONTH OLD TODAY!

2009-12-24T13:04:00.000Z

Glitter Happy Birthday Graphics

12 Days of Christmas

2009-12-24T12:13:00.000Z

This is my favourite Christmas song... many memories of bellowing "five GOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD rings" in primary school on the last day of school. Not sure about the cheesy background music in this video though.

1 DAY TILL CHRISTMAS!!

2009-12-24T12:11:00.000Z

Christmas Glitter Graphics

Mean Girls - Jingle Bell Rock

2009-12-24T12:10:00.000Z

Great film and hilarious clip! (Keep an eye on any guys watching this video)

"Sonnet 18 - Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day?" by William Shakespeare (poetry reading)

2009-12-22T14:25:00.000Z

Quote of the day!

2009-12-22T14:23:00.000Z

Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupilsHector Berlioz

100 word review: The Five People You Meet In Heaven

2009-12-22T11:46:00.002Z

This is the perfect book to read on a lazy weekend afternoon. It's not very long and the plot is simple and uplifting. It was written by Mitch Albom, the author of the international bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie so if you have read it and liked it, then I recommend this too. If you haven't read any Mitch Albom, then you should read this! It's an interesting perspective on the afterlife and

"Rubaiyat of a Persian Kitten" by Oliver Herford (poetry reading)

2009-12-21T17:42:00.000Z

You have to look at this!

2009-12-21T16:58:00.003Z

I was reading an article about some poet or other on the BBC news website and saw this link:http://www.bbc.co.uk/poetryseason/If you like poetry then you have to look, it is so incredibly amazing! I don't want to spoil it and tell you anything that's on there so you'll just have to check it out for yourself!

100 word review: The Bell Jar

2009-12-21T11:53:00.000Z

When you read this you can instantly tell that it is written by a poet. Rather than simple description, the novel is rife with figurative language and imagery. It doesn't become overwhelming, however, and the novel still has an easy to read simple style to it. In some ways it even reads as a poem because you can sense the deeper meanings to all the events without Plath having to spell it out to

Anne Sexton reads "The Truth The Dead Know"

2009-12-20T17:31:00.000Z

4000 Characters

2009-12-20T17:25:00.000Z

This is the very first piece I have written for my creative writing portfolio to send to East Anglia. (It's a monologue.)[Spoken by a girl of 17-18 in a t-shirt and jeans.] Extremely happy and excited, using big gestures and movements For my 7th birthday, my father bought me a chemistry set with 100 different experiments. That’s what it said on the box: learn to make colourful crystals, find

100 word review: Saturday Night Peter

2009-12-20T11:57:00.000Z

This is the second autobiography by comedian Peter Kay. I read his first, The Sound of Laughter, because he is my favourite comedian and I read Saturday Night Peter because the first autobiography was so good I wanted more! It's packed with jokes, emotion and simple honesty and you really get to know Peter Kay the person, not just the comedian. A must read if you are a fan of Peter Kay or of his

100 word review: Un Lun Dun

2009-12-19T19:32:00.002Z

When I bought this book I didn't realise that it was a children's book but that don't let it put you off! I absolutely love this book and it is definitely in my top ten. It is the most imaginative plot I have come across in years and reminds me of a darker and more serious Roald Dahl. It is also has fantastic illustrations by the author, China Mieville. This is his first children's book and it

Sylvia Plath Reads 'Daddy'

2009-12-19T17:28:00.000Z

Monty Python - Storytime

2009-12-19T16:52:00.000Z

Got a letter...

2009-12-17T17:08:00.000Z

I got a letter from Nottingham. At first I thought it might be an offer but they would have said about that online too. It was basically telling me that because of the number of applicants for my course and the fact that they have to take everyone into equal consideration, they are postponing giving offers until after the January deadline. Ah well, getting nothing is better than getting a

Siegfried Sassoon's return to Cambridge

2009-12-17T16:46:00.000Z

The archive of World War I poet Siegfried Sassoon has been delivered to the Cambridge University Library after a campaign to raise £1.25m. Siegfried Sassoon was an English poet and author who is among the sixteen Great War Poets commemorated in Westminster Abbey's Poet's Corner. Sassoon was an undergraduate at the university and became an honorary fellow of Clare College.The collection includes

Collecting Alice and other pointless things

2009-12-17T16:29:00.000Z

A rare edition of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, given to the real Alice, has sold for $115,000 at an auction. I can understand people wanting to hold a little part of history in their hands but isn't $115,000 a bit excessive?The book was sold by American football star and book collector Pat McInally who said: "I think it is the most important children's book ever written... so finding a

100 word review: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

2009-12-16T18:41:00.002Z

I didn't finish this book. I gave up after about three volumes (there are nine). Tristram isn't born for over 150 pages because of the narration. He digresses to the point where you have completely forgotten the plot of the novel. When his father and uncle are having a conversation, before telling you the conversation, the narrator tells you about his father’s philosophy of children's names and

New Books!

2009-12-16T13:53:00.000Z

I recently bought 15 new books and I've listed them below so you can know what 100 word reviews you've got coming up!The Stepmothers Diary by Fay WaldonThe Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch AlbomThe Oversight by Will EavesSaturday Night Peter by Peter KayHis Illegal Self by Peter CareyThe Bell Jar by Sylvia PlathThe Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif KureishiWuthering Heights by Emily BronteVanity

Lyla Poetry Slam Winner

2009-12-16T09:40:00.000Z

"Vampire" by Ted Hughes (poetry)

2009-12-14T17:41:00.000Z

OMG!!!!

2009-12-14T16:27:00.000Z

I got an email from East Anglia today asking for a 7 page creative writing portfolio in 2-3 weeks.... something tells me that this is NOT going to be a relaxing Christmas. Plus now that I have finished school, I don't have any teachers to tell me if what I've written is any good so YOU shall have to read and comment for me =]

100 word review: All My Sons

2009-12-14T12:53:00.000Z

I read this play as part of my A2 English Literature & Language course. I am a firm believer that plays are meant to be watched not read and that people only read plays to over-analyse them (which is incidentally exactly why we are reading it for my course). However, All My Sons is, unlike others, still a good play even when it is just being read. If you are a fan of Arthur Miller then you should

Lovesong -- by Ted Hughes

2009-12-13T17:35:00.000Z

My Kent Visist Day

2009-12-13T17:01:00.000Z

I have officially booked my place on the Kent visit day for February 10th 2010! Here's hoping I like the place!Robyn

100 word review: The Waves

2009-12-13T12:45:00.000Z

The first time I tried to read this book, I gave up. I just couldn't get to grips with Virginia Woolf's stream-of-consciousness style. However, I tried again and this time I finished it. It's a very short novel and a very interesting observation of life. On the manuscript of the novel, Woolf wrote 'the author would be glad if the following pages were not read as a novel' and you really do have to

"Black Ice and Rain" by Michael Donaghy (poetry reading)

2009-12-10T17:42:00.000Z

Really really old book on display in Scotland

2009-12-10T17:10:00.000Z

The oldest book in Scotland is going on display for the first time in history and for the next 3 months, the public will be able to look at view it at the Edinburgh University library. The Celtic Psalter dates from the 11th Century and contains hand-written psalms in Latin, with Celtic and Pictish illustrations. The psalter is part of a display which marks the refurbishment of the university

100 word review: The Golden Notebook

2009-12-10T12:49:00.000Z

Doris Lessing is an author that everyone should read, purely for her credentials: winner of the nobel prize for literature, a Companion of Honour and a Companion of Literature, David Cohen Memorial prize for British Literature, Spain's Prince of Asturias Prize, the International Catalunya award and the S.T. Dupont Golden PEN Award for a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Lierature, to name but a

100 word review: Little Women

2009-12-04T16:05:00.000Z

This has been one of my favourite books since I was a child and it is a classic that everyone should read. Many would say that only women could enjoy it, but I disagree. You watch the sisters of the March household grow up and change and feel such a connection with them that you can't help but react like a proud parent. The plot is fantastic and do not think this a romance. It is about four

Politics Essay: Political Parties

2009-12-04T15:56:00.001Z

To what extent are parties effective in promoting political participation? Political parties depend on political participation as they need good political participation to ensure a good turnout at elections. As political parties are brought to government power by the electorate, they need the electorate to have political participation. Political participation, therefore, is one of the functions

Monty Python-Writers Sketch

2009-12-04T15:55:00.000Z

100 word review: The Portrait Of A Lady

2009-12-03T16:17:00.000Z

Another classic that should definitely be read. It follows Isobel Archer, whose main aim in life is to protect her independence. It is a great look at women in society and although set in the 1800s, there are still many themes and feelings that modern women can sympathise with. The only bad thing I will say is that I think there was a little too much detail and the plot could actually have been