I am Awakened

I am awakened
by blinding flashes of light
enough
to turn the night sky
look like it's morning.

I tell myself
"The Gods are just having a party,"
And it seems like one too:
different colours like paper-white
electric blue
they get brighter
the more I shut my eyes tight.

The sound of soaring jet planes and
hovering helicopters
make the whole building tremble;
in the distance
I think I hear a canon go off

But when I see pink--
hot neon pink,
my hands cling to my ears

because the volatile sky
snaps
like falling trees
and hisses
like live wires

My heart shrivels
sending fear and terror
through my veins

And this doesn't die down
not until
each cloud releases its fury
not until
I hear the tiny
'pitter patter' on my window
sound of beads spilling on the floor
when the wind blows

Then it drifts away
just like that
farther and farther
till it seems
there is only a sporadic light bulb
and the thunder
only mumbles

The Vast Land

by Nysha T.

The heat welcomes you

toasting your skin,

your blood

Orange at sunrise

Ochre at noon

You can see

the currents of the wind

flowing on its grains

Like the ocean

it can engulf anything

in its reach

it can rise up

to the sky

and drift through the air

Yet, it is silent

And as the sun sets

to give way for the moon

The tyre tracks disappear

your footprints too

and the vast land

of the sand dunes

blends into the night

never speaking of your arrival

Jem's Diary

Dear Diary,

Sneaked up to the trial of Tom Robinson today with Dill and Scout. We sat at the coloured balcony with Reverend Skye.

Mr. Bob Ewell and Miss Mayella sure can lie. But Atticus got some skill. He revealed Miss Mayella had nobody be proper with her when he asked her if she had any friends! And Mr. Ewell does things to her, she said so herself.

Tom Robinson said Mayella jumped on him. I believe hi. Atticus showed it at the beginning when he asked about the last time he went to jail. I really thought we got him innocent. But that jury sure has some shadow of doubts. They charged him guilty! I don't think it's fair.

Why charge him because he's not our colour? Atticus told me it's because the world is full of ugly things. And that what I had seen today was just the start. He says when a white man charges a black man, the white man is trash. I hope they don't take Tom's life. Atticus says he has a good chance of another trial. But it will always be his color that will be judged.

Funny thing though. Calpurnia found lots of food outside the house. She said all of them were from all of the friends of Tom Robinson. I think they were thanking Atticus for his attempt, althougth he could not win the case. And Mr. Ewell gave him a real good wash of his spit. He said he was going to get Atticus. But I don't believe his; he's only angry, that's why.

-J.E.M.

To Kill A Mockingbird Cover

This is my version of the cover for To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

The tree at the back is the oak tree that a person can't even hug around near the Radley property. I had emphasized its bark in the picture. There is a shadow that forms into a man holding a knife on the oak tree. This represents Mr. Ewell trying to attack the Finch siblings when they were on their way home. (They were near the oak tree at that time it happened).

There is a broken pocket watch hanging down the page. This is one of the many gifts that Boo Radley gave to the children. I chose the watch as it no only represents time, it represents time that is frozen because of flaws and dilemmas. Like Segregation and the Great Depression.

But it could also be the porch swing belonging to the children, meaning their innocence. There is a mockingbird on the swing shocked to see the figure. Will it fly away in time?

And lastly, the title is scratched on the bark as it represents what Scout and Jem did when they marked the oak tree to tell everyone else the presents were only theirs.

-MAYCOMB COUNTY CHRONICLE-

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Movie v.s Book

There are some flaws in the movie directed by Harry Hook that was based on the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The conch, a symbolic item in the book, lacked an importance, the boys were lead by an adult, and tension between Jack and Ralph--some of the main characters-- seemed unclear.

To start off, the text specifically showed the significance of the conch. It stood for order and civility to the boys. And when it broke, it not only meant the loss of an item, but the collapse of law and order among them. However, in the movie, its meaning was not as powerful; the importance of its meaning was completely lost. Plus, it did not even break.

Additionally, the boys were not lead by an adult in the book. When the plane crashed, no adult survived. They actually were enjoying their freedom from the grown-ups and their rules. And they were lead by a kid named Ralph. But the boys were lead by the pilot in the movie--a grown-up. With a grown-up, we would not be able to see the naivate of the boys as they would be following his leadership for survival.

Furthermore, the Lord of the Flies made it clear of the tension between Jack and Ralph, the lead rivals in the novel. This tension between them would then give a foreshadow in the text that the group will spilt up; the novel had a reason. Nonetheless, the film only had shown an argument between Jack and Ralph that made the group split. In the whole film, their hostility against each other was not very present, hence, confusing the person who was watching and wondering," Why are they fighting all of a sudden?"

To conclude, the Lord of the Flies is an exemplary piece of fiction that did not deserve to have such an inaccurate movie. It had perfect detail, impressive characters, and had a mastery of allegories. But the movie does not match this ranking. So's to say, not all movies are as good as the book.

The Lord of the Flies Graphic Novel/ Comic Book

by Nysha T.

Lord of the Flies is now in comic! With colour highlights, and landscapes from the book, we now can see the story unfold in picture! Packed with real emotion, and quotes from the text, we can now understand what the story truly means.

Excerpt from the introduction of my comic:

"The Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a revelation that man can become savage when civilization and order is far from their reach. This point is shown in a group of British schoolboys stranded on an island by a plane crash during World War II. And with no adult alive to lead them, they start to do all sorts of antics. Their choices are limitless.

As the book is an allegory, I have tried to capture the second meanings in the scenes from the book. For example, there are a group of boys who arrive in the first chapter who have crosses on their hats and uniform. They march in step together too. To me, they have a resemblance to the Nazis, but they are depicted as boys. And their characters are reflected in the chapters to come."