Climate Of Change
Entry by: macdonald
2nd December 2015
Climate of Change
Without a sign, his sword the brave man draws,
And asks no omen but his country's cause.
Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie.
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
A man should suffer greatly for his lord,
Endure both biting cold and sweltering heat
And sacrifice for him both flesh and blood.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhood's cheap.
I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time
Not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved
In the midst and heat of the battle
To live and die amongst you all;
To lay down for my God and for my Kingdom,
And my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust.
I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman;
But I have the heart and stomach of a king,
And of a king of England too.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the Valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
If I should die, think only this of me.
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England.
The old Lie; Dulce et decorum est
Pro Patria Mori
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.
We have before us an ordeal of the most grevious kind.
We have before us many, many long months of struggle and suffering.
You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word:Victory.
Victory at all costs-Victory in spite of all terror-Victory, however
long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.
We shall fight on the beaches
We shall fight on the landing grounds
We shall fight in the fields and in the streets
We shall fight in the hills
We shall never surrender.
Wade into them, spill their blood or they will spill yours. Shoot them in the guts. Rip open their belly. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt from your face and you realise that it's not dirt, it's the blood and gut of what was once your best friend, you'll know what to do.
But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory.
Iraq is steeped in history
It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham.
Tread lightly there.
It is a big step to take another human life.
It is not be done lightly.
Without a sign, his sword the brave man draws,
And asks no omen but his country's cause.
Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,
That here, obedient to their laws, we lie.
Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori.
A man should suffer greatly for his lord,
Endure both biting cold and sweltering heat
And sacrifice for him both flesh and blood.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhood's cheap.
I am come amongst you, as you see, at this time
Not for my recreation and disport, but being resolved
In the midst and heat of the battle
To live and die amongst you all;
To lay down for my God and for my Kingdom,
And my people, my honour and my blood, even in the dust.
I know I have the body of a weak, feeble woman;
But I have the heart and stomach of a king,
And of a king of England too.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the Valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
If I should die, think only this of me.
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England.
The old Lie; Dulce et decorum est
Pro Patria Mori
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.
We have before us an ordeal of the most grevious kind.
We have before us many, many long months of struggle and suffering.
You ask what is our aim? I can answer in one word:Victory.
Victory at all costs-Victory in spite of all terror-Victory, however
long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.
We shall fight on the beaches
We shall fight on the landing grounds
We shall fight in the fields and in the streets
We shall fight in the hills
We shall never surrender.
Wade into them, spill their blood or they will spill yours. Shoot them in the guts. Rip open their belly. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt from your face and you realise that it's not dirt, it's the blood and gut of what was once your best friend, you'll know what to do.
But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory.
Iraq is steeped in history
It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham.
Tread lightly there.
It is a big step to take another human life.
It is not be done lightly.
Feedback: Average score: 351 (70%)
Marker comments:
Marker 1
- What I liked about this piece: Great idea to weave all those famous words together into something new.
- Favourite sentence: Tread lightly there.
It is a big step to take another human life.
It is not be done lightly. - Feedback: This was very moving, all those words chosen and re-used from so many past conflicts then tied together with the hope that there won't be new ones. Great stuff, very moving.
Marker 2
- What I liked about this piece: The way you wove together all of the past poems/sayings/songs/lines/speeches about war and therefore brought to attention the fact that this happens over and over and over. I loved the ending - tread lightly there - yes. I do not feel this will end any time soon and one day, there will be a famous poem about these wars, these oil wars....
- Favourite sentence: But if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory.
Iraq is steeped in history
It is the site of the Garden of Eden, of the Great Flood and the birthplace of Abraham.
Tread lightly there. - Feedback: A very interesting way of pulling ideas together and showing how they are all one and the same, really. WAR. Attitudes to, reactions to, experiences of.... all so very terrible. Not sure - are you allowed to 'borrow' so many lines?! I like what you've done but sometimes you can't quote without permission - not sure. Enjoyed reading it, anyway.
Marker 3
- What I liked about this piece: Dealing with a big issue from a historical perspective
- Favourite sentence: Rip open their belly. When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt from your face and you realise that it's not dirt, it's the blood and gut of what was once your best friend, you'll know what to do.
- Feedback: I found the mixture of well-known phrases and original writing disconcerting. I didn't understand it completely. Who is the narrator?
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