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novels

Initial Thoughts on Ali Smith’s – hotel world

My initial thoughts on “Ali Smith’s hotel world” after reading the first chapter were heart-breaking, however hugely meaningful. Considering the book started off with the death of Sara appeared as a very abrupt and bleak start for me. To add on, understanding the discrimination one faces because of being distinct from society is quite disappointing and sorrowful. On the other hand, I also learnt something important whilst reading the first chapter. Sara’s ghost had an aim to revisit and repeat her fall. Personally, I think Ali Smith was trying to say – one should live life to its fullest – by embracing every moment of it. To add on, as the corpse visited her past, I feel like Sarah was trying to recognise what life brought to her, pointing out love (the girl in the watch shop) and understanding life itself. 

POEMS

How do poets use literary devices to create a symbolic image?

The sentiment of love is a deep and beautiful subject and can be written in various ways. Some people write for their partner and some write to portray parental love. The poem “I carry your heart” by E.E. Cumming was intended to illustrate his love towards his wife however now can be put forward simply as a poem of love. The poem uses various literary devices and many stylistic elements to present a pleasing description of love.

In lines 1 and 2, E.E cummings uses the heart as a metaphor to illustrate multiple aspects of love

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart) i am never without it(anywhere)

At first glance this phrase portrays a sense of closeness to his lover. The speaker says he is carrying his lover’s art inside his, which is clearly pretended however illustrates how close and loved she is to him. However a different readers may view this phrase in a different ways. As mentioned before this poem has managed to show parental love too. This opens up a broader spectrum of possibilities and puts forward a beautiful message. When the writer says “i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)”, readers might view this as him saying that – you and I possess the same blood – which portrays a beautiful link to the aspect of parents’ love. Alongside this, the writer uses other stylistic elements to convey his love to his lover. The unique use of punctuation which involves limiting the use of full-stops paints a picture of endless love and a rush of loving thoughts. 

Seize the awkward campaign

The Seize The Awkward campaign is an initiative put forward by a nonprofit organisation called Ad Council. The campaign illustrates the importance of mental health and reducing risks of self harm caused by mental illness. The campaign is seen to be collaborating with famous influencers/celebrities, who motivate the younger generation to have what is considered to be uncomfortable and awkward conversation with their friends (regarding mental illness).  

Click here for further analysis of the commercials in the campaign.

Songs By Me

In the Starting weeks of my English IB diploma program, I have learnt a lot of new aspects and had some interesting interactions.

We started our course by reading a fascinating novel by Ali Smith. (More blogs on Ali smith coming soon!)

Whilst in the early weeks of my English course, we also looked into poems, which I felt were quite symbolic and beautiful. One of them was by E.E. Cumming’s “i carry your heart”.