Scribble Issue 11

SCRIBBLE

Shrewsbury High School Literary Magazine, Issue 11

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Dear Scribble Readers!

Before you get stuck into this edition, I would like to welcome you to another year of Scribble.

This is the Winter Term's edition of the ScribbleMagazine and is stocked with many intriguing articles, made up of alternative, thought provoking perspectives written by the team. Alongside everyone else who contributes to Scribble , I am excited to delve further and explore various elements of literature, whilst learning about journalism.

As this year's editor, I hope to further the admirable work of the previous ScribbleTeam and the teams before them. In early meetings we decided the central point of this issue would focus on issues of inequality, discrimination and misconceptions of people and sections of society throughout literature. Therefore, in a way, this issue seeks to combat these problems and fight these injustices by re-evaluating and re-examining the stereotypical experience. The topics chosen by our writers are central to society such as discrimination and unconventional experiences throughout love, family, education, gender and race.

I hope you enjoy this term's issue and we look forward to starting on the next magazine!

Enjoy!

Uma O’Hara

2

Welcome from the Editor

Contents

It Ends With Us - Florence Jaques

Romeo & Juliet - Flossy Parker-White

Post colonial criticism within Chinua Achebe’s award winning novel ‘Things Fall Apart’ - Uma O’Hara

Honey - Hattie Rennison

Shakespeare’s significance in today’s society - Isobel Taylor-Hart

Tula - Harriet Underhill

Shuggie Bain, The Truth - Emma Owen

Is it ok to ban books? - Esme Farmer

Editor

Uma O’Hara

Deputy Editor

Robin Aldridge

Editorial Contributions

Flossy Parker-White, Uma O’Hara, Isobel Taylor-Hart, Florence Jaques, Harriet Underhill, Emma Owen, Hattie Rennison, Esme Farmer

Editoral Design & Typeset

Tiffany Pardoe

Published by Scribble, Shrewsbury High School 32 Town Walls, Shrewsbury, SY1 1TN

Printed by Badger Print & Design, Telford.

It ends with us by Collen Hoover was released in 2016 and became the #1 New York times bestseller in 2021 due to a huge surge in popularity via social media platform TikTok. It follows Lily Bloom as the protagonist and takes us through how domestic abuse affected her as a child and ultimately as an adult. This

IT ENDS WITH US

by Florence Jaques

novel’s popularity was due to its effect on the reader as it makes us understand and sympathise with Lily instead of making us ask the question “ Why doesn’t she just leave?”. As much as I admire this book, Hoover received a lot of criticism from readers who believe she didn’t represent the abuser correctly.

Throughout the incidents of abuse in the novel Lily’s husband Ryle is shown to be “blinded by rage” and eventually he snaps out of it and expresses remorse. This frustrating cycle is repeated until Lily finally leaves him after she discovers she is pregnant. So why on earth do people like the book so much? It is not only because Collen Hoover makes us as the reader see Ryle’s good and loving side first, but it is also the hope that she creates that he can redeem himself and his and Lily’s previous relationship can be restored. Hoover offers a compelling perspective on how blurring boundaries over time creates a dynamic in which victims lose the ability to see their situations clearly. As well as this, Ryle is victimized further on in the novel after it is revealed that when Ryle was 6 years old, he accidentally shot and killed his beloved older brother with a gun that should never have been accessible to him.

However, this novel received a lot of backlash due to its false advertisement on TikTok. Many believed that it was about Lily’s romance with her teenage sweetheart Atlas, when romance played a small part in the bigger picture of the story. The main reason many people didn’t like the novel was because it can be perceived as celebrating toxic masculinity, romanticizing red flags and glorifying a charismatic-but-dangerous man. For the young people reading this novel it can influence their perception of what love truly is and what they should look for in a partner. Furthermore, throughout the novel Ryle is described as a “good person who does bad things”; this mixed with his victimisation reinforces that people like him constantly get excuses made for them and Hoover justifying them could cause a lot of damage to a reader.

Despite this, the ending seems to make up for it as Lily ultimately decides to leave him for the sake of her daughter. She expresses that she is breaking the cycle as her mother and her went through, and she refuses to let her daughter suffer the same fate. This moment creates a sense of releasing the shackles she has been bound by from a young age and seems as though she has finally made the right decision. Yet in the final chapter that flashforwards a year, we see that Lily is co-parenting with Ryle. Her decision was not seen as redemptive and powerful, but as ignoring the basic rules of parenthood- the responsibility of protecting her child.

In my opinion this book is an incredible piece of work that showcases how easily a person can become trapped in domestic abuse and that although the decisions she made at the end weren’t right for everyone, they were right for her. It takes away the stereotype of a weak person becoming a victim to abuse and instead Hoover presents Lily as strong willed and independent. I believe it had this effect on not just me, but many people who read the novel.

ROMEO & JULIET

By Flossy Parker-White

The classical love story of Romeo and his dearest Juliet. The story that is widely known for the strength of love that guides the two ‘star cross’d lovers’ through their life, until the end. We often have a strong, distinct idea of what love should be, but this story has deeper meaning, with hidden ideas that we question; we ponder about their true morals, how Romeo actually perceived Juliet – the focal points of feminism intertwined with love offers a different perspective – one that offers a whole different viewpoint, crushing the fairy-tale believed abstraction that we all desire.

Romeo & Juliet by Anthony Falbo

As a modern-day audience, we focus on different things to fit our criteria of a ‘perfect love story’; Romeo and Juliet’s devotion towards each other was constructed by Shakespeare to represent the expectations generated by those of society, and they are used as a pair to highlight the pressure felt by those growing up to marry early and continue the family line. Ultimately, Shakespeare uses this play as a cipher to represent and underline his own opinions of society during the Elizabethan era, and how he wished to abolish this pressure that created a world full of ‘too rash, and too unadvised’ decisions. This is heavily contrasted by our society today – the pressures we face are argued by some to be larger, yet some believe that it is easier for us. We have more freedom within our lives as a generation, and slowly we see our world changing, becoming a better place with a more diverse and optimistic outlook towards love. We see more and more people falling in love at a later age, and finding themselves, developing their own characters before they develop their relationship with others. I find incredible that we still choose to listen to Shakespeare today – he shapes our society, through his works written in 1594, into 1595.

Look at the patriarchal values. The society we live in today has such a different construction, with such different outlooks; we take pride in the freedom that is given to those who would have been considered inferior during the Elizabethan era. Throughout Shakespeare’s play, we can see Juliet suffer from the injustices represented by the embodiment of her Father – Shakespeare uses the two characters and their interactions as tools to amplify the inequality. The most significant moment to underline this idea is when Juliet refuses the marriage of Paris – her father takes it with personal offence – he finds it absurd that a young girl would go against her Father, especially with such a naïve outlook on such a heavy, serious topic. He reacts with such anger that causes such a dispute that fuels the pace and the tragedy that shapes the denouement. The final tragedy in act V: scene 3, where we see both young lovers commit suicide, shows us just how inferior Juliet felt, and as she acts as a cipher for all young women in the time period; we see their power taken from them, as they are left unable to make their own decisions. Or perhaps this idea is amplified in the scene where Juliet is so confused by her emotions that her actions towards the Nurse’s change – she gains a shorter temper and appears to be more selfish – she is overpowered by love, as she has never had the freedom to think and feel for herself. Fast forward to our society today and women have a stronger voice, we have more ability to speak our own opinions and make our own decisions. Whilst this isn’t the case in all the countries globally, we can see how far Britain has come, and we can only use this to spark the hope to ameliorate the societies of other nations, encouraging them to follow in our footsteps. Perhaps, we took meaning from Shakespeare’s works; Beginning Theory, written by P. Barry, an English political philosopher best known as an exponent of classical liberalism, suggests the idea of Shakespeare crafting his play to challenge representations of women. We could argue that Shakespeare’s cipher was crucial for our society for us to see our flaws and forced us to change to improve and develop the idea of a ‘society’.

Ipersonally feel that we should have huge amounts of appreciation and gratitude for Shakespeare and his carefully constructed works – he has linked the ideas of feminism and choice of love within a romantic play, purposefully creating a tragic ending to reflect and mirror the significance and importance of these themes. We are allowed to see the shallow surface ideas, but also open our viewpoint and broaden our understanding of the society that Shakespeare created.

Post colonial criticism within Chinua Achebe’s award winning novel ‘Things Fall Apart’

Chinua Achebe published his first and most successful novel Things Fall Apart in 1958, just 52 years following the colonisation of Nigeria. Born on the 16th November in 1930 Ogidi, Nigeria, Achebe was submerged into the combination of postcolonial Christianity and Igbo’s traditional culture. This submersion was furthered by his parents transferral to Christianity and his Grandparents’ contrasting support for the traditional Igbo culture. Achebe highlights, throughout the novel, the glorious independence of this culture, pre-colonisation, allowing Achebe to compare life pre and post colonisation in Umofia and more widely Africa. In doing so, he draws upon the positive and negative sanctions of the culture. For example, he presents the festivals of Igbo, the worship of Gods, common practices and rituals and the importance of nature. However, later in the novel the

reader experiences the extinction of these characteristics due to the process of Colonisation. This decay in culture can be seen to directly mirror key protagonist Okonkwo’s decay in relevance and success. The setting of the novel is situated in the outskirts of Nigeria in a small, united village Umofia. The novel follows the journey of Africa and specifically Okonkwo’s reaction to the white missionaries, emphasising the people’s confusion as they become threatened by sudden cultural changes imposed on the Igbo such as the introduction of alternative political structures, institutions and religion (Christianity), tdescribed as the “collapse, breaking into pieces, chaos, and confusion” (Alimi 121). Achebe’s incentive of writing the novel was in an effort to reclaim the lost voices of the previous culture and educate his readers of traditional African values, by revising the stereotype provided by post colonial literature. Before Things Fall Apart was published, most novels that had been written about Africa had been written by Europeans. The majority of these novels provided stereotypical presentations of Africans as wild, animalistic creatures, however Achebe’s account of Africa largely revises this racist stereotype as he celebrates the culture, people and values.

Wanting to challenge the stereotypical view of Africans at the time, Achebe highlights the similarities between the colonisers and colonised cultures to show that the cultures aren’t as different as Western literature portrayed. This idea is immediately introduced as the importance of possessing fame and strength becomes clear through Achebe’s characterisation of key protagonist Okonkwo, a legendary figure, largely worshipped due to his success in Umofian society. “His fame rested on solid personal experiences” and “Okonkwo’s fame had grown like a bush fire in harmattan”. Achebe highlights how strength catalyses success, a similarity in every culture as physical and physiological strength both cultivate success. Achebe amplifies the importance of strength in Umofian society, due to his comparison of Okonkwo and his late father Unoka: “Unoka, the grown up was a failure. He was poor and his wife and children had barely enough to eat. People laughed at him because he was a loafer, and they swore never to lend him money because he never paid back”. Achebe’s contrasting characterisation of Okonkwo and Unoka highlights the importance of motivation and respect in Igbo culture further creating a revised version of African culture. Achebe does this by replacing the out dated ‘wild’ stereotype of Africans, showing Africans to possess their own goals and ambitions.

This is accentuated by the importance Achebe places on money, debt and respect throughout the novel, this largely diminishes the stereotype of Africans being uncivilised as their culture was seen to value many of the same elements of Western cultures. Achebe’s comparison of cultures is a key revisionist tool as he strives to criticise post colonial literature due to the differing portrayal of characters from Europe and Africa. Western Literature largely stereotyped Africans as uncivilised, this novel is often compared to Conrads “The Heart of Darkness” by Post-Colonial critics, Conrad motivated this stereotype: “They passed me within six inches, without a glance, with that complete, deathlike indifference of unhappy savages”; here Conrad’s description of chained slaves as savages massively highlights the unjust nature of Western literature. Achebe fights to revise this by his presentation of Umofia before the arrival of the colonisers, such as the Igbo have their own judicial system constructed by centuries of knowledge, which the ancestral gods trusted the oldest men in the village to carry out a fair ruling. Achebe provides multiple examples of the strict yet fair system in play throughout the novel. It is initially shown in chapter 2 of the novel, when the sons of Mbaino murdered a daughter of Umofia; following this announcement there is a dramatic yet orderly raucous throughout the crowd before “An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war on the one hand, and on the other the offer of a young man and a virgin as compensation”. Although this may not be the obvious or perhaps fairest way to run, these rulings are what makes Umofia an orderly place. Achebe’s inclusion of these rulings is significant, as when the white missionaries arrive they remove the structure of Igbo culture and replace it

Essay by Uma O’Hara

Image: The story of the hunt glorifies no one by Toyin Ojih Odutola

continued importance placed on light and dark, light being used to symbolise safety, whilst dark is seen to represent terror. This is a somewhat striking feature of the culture, due to Achebe’s narrative decision of placing Okonkwo’s clear characterisation as a resilient war hero constructed to be feared, however he too places the same significance on light and dark. This highlights the people of Umofia’s respect for common practice which keeps the peace in the culture. Additionally this presents Umofia as a strong community, with everything and everybody working neatly around the central aspects of the culture. On the other hand this strong emphasis on light and dark, could be Achebe presenting the innocence of the people, as in the novel the Igbo’s ignorance to the wider world immediately becomes clear, as throughout the novel there is little reference to the wider world, and therefore Achebe’s focus on light and dark may be presenting the culture’s naivety. This however has the affect of making this culture appealing as “On a moonlight night it would be different . The happy voices of children playing in open fields would then be heard”, intensifying the happy naivety of the community. Achebe’s focus on these aspects of the culture provides more empathy from the reader when the Colonisers arrive and are seen to largely obstruct this initial innocence. Achebe further amplifies the significance of dark and light in Igbo culture, as Chielo is shown to be possessed by the spirit of her God, demanding to see one of Okonkwo’s daughters Ezinma to take her away to Agbala the priest. The appearance of spirits is accompanied by the blanket of darkness, therefore in Igbo culture nighttime has the effect of causing great chaos and discomfort within the compounds. Achebe’s inclusion of these aspects has the effect of educating the reader of key features of Igbo culture as he highlights the great importance whilst presenting them as normal rather than unusual or strange.

Achebe’s introduction of the white missionaries is rather late on in the novel, giving time to characterise the people of Umofia, including their core values, traditions and cultural features. It could be argued this section leading to the colonisation of Africa is the key revisionist part of the novel as it allows Achebe to replace the outdated stereotype by a revised and corrected vision of African society. Additionally Achebe’s large emphasis on the culture throughout the novel has the effect of amplifying the readers sympathy as they watch these aspects get discarded and replaced. Achebe makes the narrative decision of removing Okonkwo from directly witnessing the colonisation of the culture, as he was exiled, therefore Okonkwo hears everything through his friend Obierika. This direct removal from the introduction of the white missionaries is a key narrative decision, as it shows how previous key leaders such as Okonkwo weren’t able to fight the colonisers, fuelling the idea that the decay in Okonkwo’s success can be seen to physically represent the colonisers success, as the power of the original leaders diminishes as does their culture. Achebe’s initial introduction of the colonisers is somewhat subtle: “During the last planting season a white man had appeared in their clan”. This subtle introduction of the white missionaries is effective as it echoes the clear confusion of the Umofian people. However, Achebe’s inclusion of an Oracle has the effect of foreshadowing the later colonisation “the strange man would break their clan and spread destruction among them… and it said that other white men were on their way”. Due to the inclusion of the oracle, the reader immediately expects the severe colonisation that is quick to follow the arrival of the white man “The three white men…used a powerful machine to make themselves invisible…and they began to shoot. Everybody was killed”. Although Achebe’s initial introduction of the white missionary is highly subtle and seems to be somewhat ignored by the people, it soon becomes evident within the novel how un-expectant the people were of any intrusion upon their society, largely magnifying how the colonisers used this to their advantage, as by the time key members of the culture found out about this intrusion, such as Okonkwo, it was too late as the people of Umofia were already terrified by the deaths and colonisation of surrounding villages. Achebe additionally highlights the destruction of Umofian culture as he draws attention to the construction of coloniser’s systems such as the church, which many Umofians joined including Okonkwo’s son. This amplifies

A Proud Trio, Igbo Women in the early 20th Century

the decay of the villagers original emphasis and reliance on the traditional God’s of Igbo culture. The people of Umofia are separated into two groups following the colonisers arrival, those who carry on following the traditional beliefs of Igbo culture, such as Okonkwo and those who convert to Christianity and begin to follow the structure of the colonisers such as Okonkwo’s son Nwoye. This may be explained by Fanon’s theories surrounding postcolonial criticism, as he believes the “native’s develops a sense of ‘self’ as defined by the ‘colonial master’…while the coloniser develops a sense of superiority”. He furthers his theory “in an attempt to deal with the psychological inadequacy the native tries to be as white as possible by adopting Western values, religion, language… and by rejecting his own culture”. The change in belief of Nwoye, mirrors Fanon’s theory, presenting the idea that the natives were psychologically forced into thinking in the same way as the white people they feared, whilst members of the community such as Okonkwo who were determined to fight held onto their traditional values. Therefore Achebe’s narrative decision of introducing the missionaries far into the novel amplifies the sudden effect and domination of colonisation on African society.

Achebe’s novel is a successful revisionist insight and portrayal of the effects of colonisation upon African society as he revises the stereotype of African people in literature. He replaces the illusion and unjust view of Africans as uncivilised savages, with a structured society with unique traditions, monitored by generations of ongoing beliefs and wisdom. This has the effect of combating the claim made by Europeans, that one of their reasons for colonising Africa was to civilise unsophisticated African minds as a humanitarian act, which is clearly unjust. Achebe’s novel also is successful as he normalises and protects traditional aspects of the culture, therefore Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart is a highly influential, as it provides a voice to victimised cultures.

Chinua Achebe, Lagos, 1966

Photo depicting early christian missionaries and native africans

Igbo masks oppose beauty to bestiality, the feminine to the masculine and black to white.

by Hattie Rennison Honey

SEVEN...(AND A HALF!):

My hands are sticky with ‘honey’ happiness, I smear my mess, it tastes sickly sweet. If only I could stick you just to me We could join the chasm of the loving honeycomb tree; My fingertips are glazed with sticky, silky glee We laugh. Oh ‘honey’ – Oh ‘love’… I finally feel free.

SIXTEEN: ‘First’ ‘Puppy’ ‘Unconditional’ - …Love Articulation of this above? Incompatible. Impossible. I picked them: Our roots so deep – surely storms cannot lift? I clung to the last gloop of sticky honey; thickening like glue. I gasp a breath – submerged under blue Of all your lies…my favourite; ’I love you’

TWICE MY TEENS:

I walked into your love Fated to my own choosing Every step, each print… Our rings adorn our loving, glazed, honey fingertips Your arms, my scaffolding Your heart, my incandescent warmth Your soul, my faith Your incarnation, my home. We vow. We promise. We join together to climb the top of our honeycomb tree The sacrament is placed, with the Queen Bee.

THE END OF

OUR YEARS:

We died the second you took your last breath, Never so appealed to the union of death. Our flame, speckled with radiance –Whispered away, simply like your brillianceI promise to sift through the sadness of your absenceawaiting my soon, hopeful exhale – craving the presence of your resemblance.

When death too, takes my hand I will reach out and hold you with the other Caressing the tightest grip Promising to find your glazed, sticky fingertips Saying my goodbyes to our hollow, vacant, honeycomb tree; Oh ‘honey’ – Oh ‘love’…thank you…for you are the one who has set us free…

Sixth Former Hattie Rennison has written this original poem and offers her own critical reading of it.

The poem, ‘Honey’ exhibits how the perception of love changes as time continues, and as people grow older, our opinions and actions towards love evolves continuously. Each stanza expresses a significant temporal landmark of love in a person’s life; childhood, teenage years, the choice of marital commitment, and finally the parting of love due to mortal death. The complex narration of love is represented using ‘honey’. Not only is ‘honey’ a relation to childhood imagery, bees and sweetness – it is also a homonym; used as a phrase to address a loved one, or amplify a fondness towards a person. Although honey is sweet and tasty, it can also become sickening, messy and cling onto fingertips. Our perception of honey (similarly to love) changes as we grow older. When we are young, the messiness of honey simply adds to its appeal, and there is never too much sugar to fuel the excitement of a child. However, when maturity settles, the consequences of its stickiness and messiness begins to outweigh its initial delicious attraction. This honey echoes love. Complications arise and our ‘rose-tinted glasses’ disappear when reality seeps into our perception of love from the transition of childhood to adulthood. This transition mostly occurs through teenage years; the confusion of love itself and the lack of stability it may have is unsettling. Although our perception of love drastically changes, as we grow and develop, our childlike perception of love being fun and sweet (like honey) always stays in the back of our mind. Threading us along with hope, in order to truly experience the uniqueness of this emotion, however messy it may be along the way. Therefore there is a consistent mention of honey through each stanza, allowing the ignition of a youthful, childlike perception to keep going. Essentially, love is a thoroughly complex emotion, so much so, that it could be considered ‘impossible’ to truly experience with all its purity. As time unforgivingly continues, we are forced to battle through our experiences with love, and allow it to evolve as humans do too.

Shakespeare’s significance in today’s society

by Isobel Taylor-Hart

e’ve all heard of it- tragic love stories of suicidal teenagers, murderous kings, backstabbing over power and money. But why should we know about this? And why should we take life-determining exams over these texts? In particular, a good example of Shakespeare’s prevalence in today’s society is the 2022 GCSEs - the examination on Shakespeare was compulsory, whereas the 19th century novel and poetry anthology were choices, making it obvious that the top educators saw Shakespeare’s plays as more beneficial to learn than more recent texts.

But why is this?

Many people feel dread at the sound of Shakespeare’s name, but in my opinion, Shakespeare is a huge influence on everyone, even changing the way that individuals may act. I make this claim because, put simply, Shakespeare’s stories are always that of morality, no matter whether it is a tragedy or comedy, making them almost fable-like. This introduced a new layer of civilisation to Elizabethan society, particularly among the peasants who enjoyed his plays. These people fell in love with the characters, and this influenced their actions. Plays were a huge factor in people’s lives, being perhaps the only form of entertainment, without the existence of televisions, phones or any form of entertainment that could come on demand. Therefore, society has slowly began to develop around Shakespeare’s tales, and it is no surprise that Shakespeare is still a huge part of today’s culture.

As well as all this, Shakespeare is ever present in today’s language. Shakespeare ‘invented’ 1,700 of the words in today’s dictionary, making him one of, if not the most significant writers in the development of the English language. You may not even know it but it’s very likely you use his words daily, simple words such as bedroom, ladybird and uncomfortable. This level of cultural impact is completely irreplicable. Shakespeare also built the ‘Globe’ theatre, which is a tourist landmark for England and is a huge hotspot for new creations and stories, opening pathways for more art created under his legacy.

He has even shaped our historical understanding. What do you think of when you picture Richard III? A manipulator, who took the throne ruthlessly by force? This misconception may have been solely formed by

WShakespeare under royal influence to make the Tudor royals seem more rightful, securing their dynasty. And what do you know about Julius Caesar’s death? Shakespeare made his death relevant; he made the details interesting and passed the story on through generations to the point where an overwhelming majority of people today know about Caesar’s death, and this is all thanks to Shakespeare’s play.

Shakespeare has also vastly changed how people see love. Before the Elizabethan era, love was a contract, designed to gain money or power through relations, and was often made between relatives. Nevertheless, Shakespeare took this old perception of love and turned it around with ‘Romeo and Juliet’, perhaps one of Shakespeare’s most profound and widely known pieces. It follows two teenagers who marry despite no approval from their parents, no materialistic motivation and a huge family feud, and although the ending was less than idyllic, the whirlwind romance in the play showed people that love was truly important and could be an expected thing to occur within, or even before marriage, not just being a rare occurrence.

Therefore, Shakespeare is highly relevant in today’s society, and may even be the most significant person within the English language ever. Everything, from movies and books to the way that we communicate with other people would be different without Shakespeare’s influence. As a matter of fact, we would not have tragedies, romances and comedies as we know them today without the work of the Bard.

‘Tula’

Education is not a privilege.

It’s a human right.

In the UK, where all children are able to access education, free of discriminatory limitations, we often underestimate the value that this opportunity holds in shaping children’s lives. In todays UK society, it is not even a question as to whether children will be granted the right to an education but is instead an assumption.

The free verse poem ‘Books are door-shaped’ by Margarita Engle has opened my eyes to educational injustices that still occur all around the world and particularly gender inequalities in relation to accessing education.

The poem is focalised through ‘Tula’ – a young girl who feels trapped within the world she inhabits which places limitations on her simply due to being female. The central metaphor illustrates books as transportational devices through which Tula can escape the brutal realities of everyday life and instead explore a fantasy world where she feels ‘less alone’. However, her parents believe that ‘girls who read too much are unladylike and ugly’ so instead of opening physical books and indulging in their words she uses her imagination to explore ‘distant lands and faraway places’. This highlights the desire to learn and challenge her intellectual curiosity, however societal norms restrict her to a life of childbearing and household duties; innkeeping with gender dependant expectations.

Margarita Engle explores a very topical issue through her words which remind us that in some country’s girls can’t access education and have to fight to be heard. Access to education shouldn’t be determined by a child’s

by Harriet Underhill

gender, yet 130 million girls globally are out of school and 15 million girls of primary school age will never even enter a classroom.

Many girls face obstacles that prevent them from accessing school life. Every year 15 million girls under the age of 18 are married. Child marriage is a key factor withholding girls from attending school. They are expected to grow up quickly and fulfil duties as a wife. This expectation, although partly cultural, usually stems from poverty and families not being able to afford to look after and provide for their daughters so having them marry young means the financial responsibility is transferred to the husband. Another common trend identified is the onset of menstruation disrupting a girls’ ability to attend school often due to a lack of gender separate bathrooms, no access to sanitary products and a lack of understanding in society around the topic leading to teasing and humiliation. Furthermore, many girls don’t feel safe in school due to gender-based abuse which is reinforced through a report that revealed female university students in Liberia were often harassed and pressured into ‘sex for grades’.

It is important for us, who attend school without a question, to understand that this is not the reality for all. In Afghanistan, the Taliban have effectively banned girls from secondary education, recently announcing that high schools would reopen only for boys. This makes Afghanistan the only country on earth to prohibit half its population from receiving an education.

In the last stanza of the poem, we understand that in the fantasy world Tula creates in her imagination, girls are ‘heroes’, rescuing ‘other children from monsters’. Here, the idea of ‘monsters’ could be linked to the Taliban control in Afghanistan preventing girls from being educated. This stanza is so powerful as it highlights that girls who push against these limitations and speak up in order to protect future generations from growing up in the same discriminatory society are ‘heroes’.

I have been attending school since the age of three; learning, questioning, exploring. Never once did I question whether I deserved to be there. Never once did I worry that my right to an education would be taken from me.

Human rights are inherent to all human beings, regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. Human rights cannot be given or taken away.

Education is not a privilege. It’s a human right.

‘Tula’BooksareDoorShaped

Books are door-shaped portals carrying me across oceans and centuries, helping me feel less alone.

But my mother believes that girls who read too much are unladylike and ugly, so my father's books are locked in a clear glass cabinet. I gaze at enticing covers and mysterious titles, but I am rarely permitted to touch the enchantment of words.

Poems. Stories. Plays. All are forbidden. Girls are not supposed to think, but as soon as my eager mind begins to race, free thoughts rush in to replace the trapped ones.

I imagine distant times and faraway places. Ghosts. Vampires. Ancient warriors. Fantasy moves into the tangled maze of lonely confusion.

Secretly, I open an invisible book in my mind, and I step through its magical door-shape into a universe of dangerous villains and breathtaking heroes.

Many of the heroes are men and boys, but some are girls so tall strong and clever that they rescue other children from monsters.

Margarita Engle, "Tula [”Books are door-shaped”]" from The Lightning Dreamer. Copyright © 2013 by Margarita Engle.

Shuggie Bain The Truth

by Emma Owen

As hard as it is, I must break it to you… not every book is a happy one. Not every book results in a satisfying ending, where hope becomes the trajectory and good confronts evil. Sorry to break it to you, but this is not a Jane Austen novel! Love is not the winner, overcoming social statuses and pride. If anything, it’s the pit in your stomach, the dirt in your nails, the exhaustion of your existence. Here, the author, Douglas Stuart, explores the pain and suffering of the protagonist Hugh ‘Shuggie’ Bain as he endures the hardships of life growing up in Glasgow during the 1980’s. Stuart shuns from the glossy sheen that may cover the imperfect ways of society, forcing us to see the corruption.

Within this novel, it’s important to consider the novelties of life, the system of society and the harsh reality that Stuart captures of Shuggie. Whilst pioneering through the truths of Glaswegian living in the 1980’s, Stuart comprises his piece full of the pessimistic ways and the bleak standard of living. Stuart’s Marxist perspective of Glaswegian society achieves the balance of class and status, the large divide of wealth and poverty and the stakeholders and

capitalists against the exploited labourers. The devastating dysfunction of society embeds the collapsing of industry, the rising of unemployment and poverty, the choices that face grim and difficult pathways and Shuggie’s naivety to his own identity. Additionally, the most severe difficulties that are suffered in this relentless novel are alcoholism, abandonment, and co-dependency. Having the most defiant and emotional wreckage upon the damaging destruction of family.

We have all grown up, aspiring and idolising the strong connection between parent-child relationships, from the Weasley family in the ‘Harry Potter’ series to Atticus Finch in ‘To kill a Mockingbird’, yet in this novel, Stuart subverts away from typical lovey-dovey and loyal family relationships which are seen as an escapism from the battles of reality, to being one of the main battles in the first place. Stuart instantly captivates us in the first chapter of the alone sixteen-year-old Shuggie steering his own life in a single room, haunted by the other occupants of the house. Struggling for money, begging for jobs, and rationing his supplies- his life urges us to think how did Shuggie end up here? And who is looking out for him?

In context to today’s modern society, it is inevitable not to think about the whereabouts of Shuggie’s parents. Nowadays, children solely rely on their parents; financially due to the rising economic crisis our nation faces, through the basic struggles of life and the support that only a parent-child relationship prevails. Here in this novel, the ideologies of parents supporting children are seen as a fantasy for ‘Shuggie’ and his two older siblings (Alexander and Catherine).

Alexander (referred to as ‘Leek’) and Catherine survive the early trauma from Agnes (their mum) kidnapping them in the night, away from their committed biological father to live with her newly found boyfriend- Big Shug. By growing up in a domestically abusive household, Leek continuously deflected the idea of staying at home, wanting to escape the harrowing lifestyle his mother convicted to him. Like a prison-cell, Leek is constantly referred to as feeling guilty and reserved due to his constant dismissal to opportunities in order to help save his mum, such as a full scholarship to an arts school, as he feels trapped to uptake the fatherly duties that Big Shug couldn’t commit to.

Catherine on the other hand, after years of instigating the motherly role to protect the youngest child ‘Shuggie’ from the monstrosities of reality, has led a different approach to the suffering caused by Agnes, escaping at the first possible chance

to South Africa. Newlywed and ready to abandon the memories of her past life.

To understand the privations that Shuggie withstands, it is apparent to develop a sense of understanding towards his childhood. To sustain an ounce of acknowledgement of the trauma the boy has faced, the questioning of the parental guidance he so yearned for must be addressed. Exposed to several suicide attempts of his mother’s, the knowing that his mother’s mug didn’t contain coffee yet the translucent state of vodka and the prevailing hopes gained and lost from constant relapses- Shuggie is oppressed of his childhood. After being discarded by his father and eventually, his older brother, his guidance relied on the transient state of his mother, however, the metamorphosis of fate came to an untimely demise as the sixteen-year-old boy loses her.

Concluding to the harsh narratives that this novel endures, Stuart exposes us to the realm of reality. No tinted cover to hide the subjugation of Glaswegian 1980’s, just the raw and desolate life of a boy, psychologically created by abandonment, alcoholism, exploitation, and exposure to the hamartia’s of society. Yet in my opinion, it formidably prevails the strength of love and the victims held against it.

Glasgow, Scotland, 1980. Photographs by Mr Raymond Depardon/Magnum Photos

Is it ok to ban certain books?

By Esme Farmer

As part of her Scholars’ provision, Year 9 student, Esme Farmer, has been researching and investigating the big question of ‘Is it ok to ban certain books?’. In the modern world where so many expressions of artistic licence are being questioned within the contexts of the need to be more ‘woke’ and of ‘cancel culture’, she has been wondering whether literature should be subjected to stringent censorship and monitoring, or whether, as a form of artistic expression, anything goes. Her argument is summarised below:

Some books can be seen to have a negative influence or effect on people. This is sometimes because the book contains offensive and hurtful language so the book is then banned to prevent more people from taking offense from its content. In 1988, The Satanic Verses was published, shortly to be banned by multiple countries that same year. The reason for this is, it was viewed as highly offensive and controversial towards Muslims, containing religious violence and it is now said to hold ‘A unique place in the history of literary censorship’. Literature can often have the effect of being ‘an extremely effective weapon for planting an ideology in people’s heads’. This means that when certain people

read things they create this idea in their head because reading can trick you into forgetting to stay in touch with reality- an illusion of a different world forms and they start thinking about it more, occasionally leading to people repeating negative things that have happened in history. ‘The efforts to hide parts of our history are not simply to protect us but to tell a new story and define a new future.’

Another thing books can be banned for (more in the past than present) is discussing homosexuality or race. Books by Oscar Wilde were banned, leading to him being put on trial for writing about ‘gross indecency’

and ‘homosexuality’. When the famous novel ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ was published, it produced a lot of controversy for the subject of race and racism being brought up frequently, but is now seen as a ‘classic novel’.

Despite the fact that a book might be offensive or hateful and people think it should be banned, humans have a right of free speech and are allowed to write or read whatever they choose. However, claiming you can say what you please comes with the responsibility of being able to handle the knowledge that anyone else can come forward with an opposing thought, as other people also have freedom of speech – “If you believe in free speech, you also believe in showing why you disagree with people by putting forward your arguments – not by stopping your opponents from speaking.’ In addition to this, trying to stop people from saying what they feel might make someone more determined to force their opinion upon others or even encourage other people to believe that what they can no longer read has much more power than what they originally thought. Sebastian Huempfer highlights the fact that prohibiting something makes it much more desirable when he says

Free speech can also be extremely beneficial through influencing others and sharing knowledge, as in past times in history, it has helped fight for change. An example of this is the suffragists, fighting for women’s rights. Even in books and literature, a voice can be strong and have a positive impact by not only teaching people more about our world but also sometimes creating characters and sharing stories in a way that makes people feel more comfortable in their own skin. In an article, Dr Epstein talks about how having diverse characters or accomplished female characters is crucial for future generations because to move forward as a society we need to be accepting of one another and feel like we’re equals. Things like this can only be discussed if everyone has a right to voice their opinion without feeling like they might be shut down.

Having considered both sides of the debate, there is merit for each approach to censorship. On one hand, it’s easy to get offended by things in literature, especially in today’s society. On the other hand, people have a right to read or write whatever they please. I personally believe that books should not be banned entirely, maybe just in certain places, such as schools or universities. Censoring a book can become quite a large thing – people have to read it, discuss it, and go to lengths to stop others from doing the same thing. If you compare a whole book being banned to something on social media being reported, like a post or comment, you can see just how different the two are, regardless of the fact that just one simple comment online can have basically the same effect as a whole book – imagine multiple. Things online can impact lots of people greatly, particularly since more and more people have social media as such a huge part of their day to day lives, even young teenagers. People need to control acts on social media before trying to prevent a full work of literature being seen – which is a form of art. Stopping people from expressing themselves just because a few people find a way to be offended is unnecessary. A lot of the time people are offended by something because they think they should be – not because it relates to them.

If you tell people it’s dangerous and you’re not going to let anyone read it, that makes it sound like it’s powerful and seductive in a way that it really isn’t.

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