Homework for Friday 15th March

[mslewis]

Homework for Friday...critical essay quotes

Write a paragraph analysing the quotes below. You should..

- Introduce the quote in a suitable way
- Make clear its context: who says it and in response to what?
- Analyse it, making clear its significance

"God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat."

"What if I did tell him? That fellow had it coming to him."

[robbieyoung987654321]

New Imaginery piece.. So far!
How it is more realistic, and you like.

The Difference Between She and Her Robbie Young

St Morrisey, as many towns has clear class divisons. The middle class have their area, and the low class 'peasents' have theirs. And neither dare cross the class divison or venture into each others area without an outstanding reason. Like No Man's Land, the sophisticates tip toe around in a solicitude state around the 'not so pretty' parts of town while the peasents broadly walk, with chests blown out, despite the flickering of net curtains and dirty looks, around St Morrisey without affliction of what the 'other people' think nor care. The concentric tree rings which spawned from the central area of the town, the church, which was placed high on a lushious green hill, made the class divisions even more visiable. The immediate several streets were made up of opulant victorian sandstone villas, with the paradisiacal reflection of the sun blinding every mirrored surface, with their trimmed lawns, prestine hedges and bright white picket fences, filled with the 'good type', the well educated, the wine gluzzing buracrats. As you go further back through the streets, the lawns gradually become less manicured, the hedges become furrier and the houses become more in a state of consternation, some boarded up, some with shattered windows, some with both. As an add on to the town in the 50's immediatley after the second world war with a need for new, affordable housing, these houses, being owned by the government immediatley became engulfed with a concentration of familes on housing benefit, rarely having jobs or qualifications. Thus becoming an vexation and an encumbrance to the well off hoi polli of the town, who claimed the council estate, usually refered to as 'St Benefit' area would "bring down the moral character and tradition of the town with their incubus attitudes", which lay intact for more than over two centuries. With the the economy shrinking by around 5% in 2009, the largest fall in output since 1931, and the largest recession for more than seventy years under way, some of the prestine lawns of St Morrisey have become to be less immaculate than what they once were.

Margherite Swanson-Cole, a proud 'pure' St Morrisan, a kept woman of around fifty, throughly educated, with her tightly curled greying hair, her delicatley aged soft face, her plump and well rounded breasts framed framed her ever noticable pearl necklace was an narrow minded citizen of the town being born and bred in the town, felt it was her moral duty to change things, to shake things up, but above all prove her neighbours that she was infact a woman to be respected and admired. Talking publically of the 'evil menace' which 'clung onto a respectable town', but primarly concerning her attention the biggest and most troublesome family of St Beneifit, the Andersons, the main concern being Billie-Joe, the mother of the family, who Margherite had a particular dislike towards. While declaring her in a public vendetta she claimed Billie-Jo, a mother of six with one on the way, 'did not know the names of half of her childrens fathers.' This one day all came to a hault on the 22nd of May 2010, while arriving for work at the local newspaper, Margherite was called into a tense short-lasting meeting before she even took of her duffel coat. She was being let go. Fired. She was now jobless. What would the neighbours say? Would she end up on housing benefit and end up living near the Anderson's? The local gossip Anne Whitburn, a cleaner at the paper, claimed she "aged twenty years in two minutes." Realising her place in society was shortly diminishing, Mrs. Swanson-Cole and husband Charles, decided to not tell the neighbours, maintain the high class image she had worked so hard for and pretend nothing at all had even happend. It was pregogative to not let it effect her. She would leave for work in the morning same time as usual, drive her car up by the church and leave her car in the church car pak and return home at 8:55, when she knew the neighbours and especially the two-doctor family, the Zahid's, would be at work and therefore would be oblivious to her misfortunes. While Charles was working at the local council offices, she would remian home prefusly cleaning and drinking. Sometimes starting as early as ten o'clock, Margherite's liver would be completley abliterated by the time it came noon. While maintaing her social circle of book club on Mondays, and yoga class, she was able to present herself as woman without crumbling self confidence nor an unemplyed drunk. While the campainging for the clamping down on the 'social evils' ceased, she remained envious and dubious of the 'easy life' she believed these people who had not worked a day in their life, had upteen children and got payed for it, had.

Billie-Joe Anderson, the mother of six, the local baby machine, with her scarily skinny frame, bleech blonde straw for hair, sunken eyes knew that being looked down upon as the local scrag end was nothing new and the opprobrium against her and her family tarnished any chances of her bettering herself.. Getting pregnant at sixteen by the local yob, she left school, got a flat in St Benefit and that is where she has remained ever since. People took advantage of her because of her lack of inabitions and trusting nature. Being abused by her father, she ahd two options :rise above it or be condemmed to a life of misery and neglect. Unproctective sex sealed the later as her fate. She is the epitome of the stereotypical 'mother with many children on benefits' which is branded by newspapers and Mrs. Swanson-Cole alike.

[mslewis]

Hi Robbie

Wow! Yes this is more realistic - there's just more depth to your main character and a more mature theme: social class divisions and prejudice. I would look on this as the opening of a novel rather than a short story (it's already over 900 words) and break off at a suitable point, which could be the end of a chapter. I take it you are building up to some kind of encounter between the two women.

Next steps:

- decide whether your setting is America or Britain and make sure your language fits this as some of your expressions are quite British e.g. benefits but at other times details e.g. white picket fences sound more American in tone.

- carefully proof read and ensure that your expression always makes sense. As always your vocabulary is very varied and stylish but the words don't always make sense in context.

- take care that your two female characters don't descend into stereotypes, particularly Billie-Jo.

- think about an appropriate incident to end on.

Well done! Clearly shows you're a reader!

Ms L

[robbieyoung987654321]

The Difference Between She and Her Robbie Young
Chapter 1 -

St Morrisey, as many towns has clear class divisions. The middle class have their area, and the low class 'peasants' have theirs. And neither dare cross the class division or venture into each others area without an outstanding reason. Like No Man's Land, the sophisticates tip toe around in a solicitude state around the 'not so pretty' parts of town while the peasants broadly walk, with chests blown out, despite the flickering of net curtains and dirty looks, around St Morrisey without affliction of what the 'other people' think nor care. The concentric tree rings which spawned from the central area of the town, the church, which was placed high on a luscious green hill, made the class divisions even more visible. The immediate several streets were made up of opulent Victorian sandstone villas, with the paradisaical reflection of the sun blinding every mirrored surface, with their trimmed lawns, pristine hedges and pulchritudinous flowerbeds. These houses filled with the well educated, the wine guzzling bureaucrats. As you go further back through the streets, the lawns gradually become less manicured, the hedges become furrier and the houses become more in a state of consternation, some boarded up, some with shattered windows, some with both. An add-on to the town in the 50's immediately after the second world war with a need for affordable housing, these houses, being owned by the government, became engulfed with a concentration of families on housing benefit, rarely having jobs or qualifications. Thus becoming an vexation and an encumbrance to the well off hoi-polli of the town, who claimed the deary council estate, usually referred to as 'St Benefit' area would "bring down the moral character of the town with their incubus attitudes", which lay intact for more than over two centuries. With the the economy shrinking by around 5% in 2009, the largest fall since 1931, and the largest recession for seventy years under way, some of the pristine lawns of St Morrisey have become less immaculate than what they once were.

Margarete Swanson-Cole, a proud 'pure' St Morrisan, a kept woman of around fifty, thoroughly educated, with her tightly curled graying hair, her delicately aged soft face, her plump and well rounded breasts framed framed her ever noticeable pearl necklace was an narrow minded citizen of the town being born and bred in the town, who felt it was her moral duty change things up, but above all prove her neighbors that she was a woman to be respected and admired. Talking publicly of the 'evil menace' which 'clung onto a respectable town', but primarily concerning her attention the most troublesome family of St Benefit, the Anderson's, the main concern being Billie-Joe, the mother of the family. While declaring her in a public vendetta she claimed Billie-Jo, a mother of six with one on the way, 'did not know the names of half of her children's fathers.' It is easy to paint Margarete as a snob; certainly her comments about Billie-Joe's lifestyle and behavior are uncharitable at best, malicious at worst. This one day all came to a halt on the 22nd of May 2010, while arriving for work at the local newspaper, Margarete was called into a tense short-lasting meeting before she even took of her duffel coat. She was being let go. Fired. What would the neighbors say? Would she end up on housing benefit and end up living near the Anderson's? The local gossip Anne Whitburn, claimed she "aged twenty years in two minutes." Realising her place in society was shortly diminishing, Mrs. Swanson-Cole and husband Charles, decided to not tell the neighbors, maintain the high class image she had worked so hard for and pretend nothing at all had even happened. It was prerogative to not let it effect her. She would leave for work in the morning same time as usual, drive her car up by the church and leave her car in the church car park and return home at 8:55, when she knew the neighbors and especially the two-doctor family, the Zahid's, would be at work and therefore would be oblivious to her misfortunes. While Charles was working at the local council offices, she would remain home profusely cleaning and drinking. Sometimes starting as early as ten o'clock, Margarete's liver would be completely obliterated by the time it came noon. While maintaining her social circle she was able to present herself as woman without crumbling self confidence nor an unemployed drunk. While the campaigning for the clamping on 'social evils' ceased, she remained envious and dubious of the 'easy life' these people who had not worked a day in their life, had numerous children and got payed for it, had.

Billie-Joe Anderson, the mother of six, the local baby machine, with her scarily skinny frame, bleach blonde straw for hair, sunken eyes knew that being looked down upon as the local scrag end was nothing new and the opprobrium against her and her family tarnished any chances of her bettering herself. Getting pregnant at sixteen by the local yob, she left school, got a flat in St Benefit and that is where she has remained ever since. People took advantage of her because of her lack of inhibitions and trusting nature. Being abused by her father, she had two options :rise above it or be condemned to a life of misery and self neglect. Unprotected sex sealed the later as her fate. She is the epitome of the stereotypical 'mother with many children on benefits' which is branded by newspapers and Swanson-Cole alike. Every time she left the house, people would gawp at her. She would rise her middle finger and move on. She was used too it. She felt this way the way she, because of her mistakes, deserved to be treated. The main gawp was that of Margarete, who Billie-Joe had noticed, had taken a certain dislike to her. However, she simply rose above the tuts, the stares, the negative words being muttered. Making sure self respect was instilled into the heads of her children from the day they could speak, even-though her life had no 'light at the end of the tunnel.' If her children were to escape the deprivation and shame of such an area then her desideratum would be complete. Maybe her children could make something of themselves. That was the theory anyway. The police were constantly at the Anderson household. A petty crime there, shop lifting here. The police were such frequent guests, Billie-Joe knew each and every officer by name. Which just added to the fuel to the fire, giving Swanson-Cole reason to condemn her at every given chance. While on way to collect her giro at the post office, situated directly opposite the Church and the Swanson-Cole dwelling, one thunderous Sunday, Margarete galloped across and halted her entry, refusing entry claiming she wasn't welcome and her kind belonged in the depths of Hell. It suddenly dawned on her that her eldest, Michael had been planning on going to meet Swanson-Cole's middle child,
Emily that day.
"Your abso-ridden son is in my house as we speak. Remove him before I call your friends, the police again!" exclaimed Margarete.
Billie-Joe was aware of the exogamy relationship for three months by this point. She was just waiting until the autocrat realised. Emily would stay over regularly, claiming she was at friends. She was the antithesis of her mother. Calm and fun loving, not snobbish or exclusive.
It would have been so easy for Billie-Joe to fly of the handle, proving what everyone said about her was true. But no, she stunned Margarete, and the forming spectators, simply walked away with her head held high. Dignity intact.

.

***

"Mum I think I'm pregnant" Emily expelled in a gush of anguish.

[robbieyoung987654321]

Reality Television or the Eighth Deadliest Sin By Robbie Young
final version

The wine-guzzling, diamond-encrusted, porno-making socialites of modern reality television exchanging ferocious blows on national television has lead to the faux pas that this kind of behavior is indeed 'real' or normal. The women who guzzle from the salmanazar of reality television are helping this type of viewing to be ingrained into the physic of young people, especially young girls in our society. I personally believe this is fundamentally wrong and damaging to the way young girls view themselves but also the world in which they inhabit. Do we let this money making sham continue or shall we do something about it before its too late?

These 'socialites' are not entirely responsible for this leaching onto the brains of these merely pubescent people. American shows such as the "The Real World" and "the Hills" were filled with over-dramatic fights and serial intrigue long before the wave of these American-esq shows invited British screens. But unlike books and movies before them, reality television claims to represent real life which makes people believe increasingly more that life should be full of high drama ups and downs which really, unless you live with Joey Essex, in reality does not exist. In the increasingly celebrity obsessed world we live in, it is hardly surprising that these shows allow people to fantasize about gaining status through automatic. Normal everyday people can watch this 'trash TV', see people like themselves and imagine that they also could become celebrities, on television, with millions in the bank. These shows reflect the increased desire for status in today's society which leads to envy and lack of self worth, being preached to our children from the moment they learn how to work the remote.

In a recent survey, it was claimed 67% of viewers watch reality based programmes for the comedic value they exploit. It has the ability to make these 'real' people make complete fools out of themselves on a national platform and somehow it makes us feel good about themselves. But is it benefiting our society to be laughing at the misfortunes of another? I think not. You would have to be on the same intelligence levels as these media whores to think it was benefiting us. That innate desire and longing for what we cannot have is really why we watch these shows and really "this TV is great... If you're an idiot!" The fame and wealth achieved by reality television is surely an appealing prospect to a world stuck under an economic bus of downturn. We sit and wait for the next Z-Lister to make a pornographic expedition so we can crown her the next Kim Kardashian.

One American exploit recently to dawn our screens is the Real Housewives. With countless series, the shows chronicle the lives of these money-grabbing, ostentatious, classless, immature, narcissistic, catty and vulgar women. Giving unprecedented access to the the related, friendly or socially acquainted 'ladies' including their everyday rituals, careers and social lives, with a scripted drama around every panoramic glass corner. While watching the Housewives, people start to believe their days should be drama-filled despite the repercussions just to prove a point. The reasons are usual menial and scripted but while watching you get sucked in, believing this is the way you should indeed act in your own life outside the grey box. As cultural phenomenons become ingrained into society, one example being the Harlem Shake, so too this behavior is increasingly being seen as the norm and indeed habitual.

These shows also help to promote materialistic attitudes. While watching, we leave our everyday lives to live in a pulchidous mansion, gaining the opportunity to achieve our dreams and make hundreds of thousands of pounds in doing so. These matriarch's of plastic surgery and bad acting certainly seem to think that selfishness, aggression and rudeness and admirable qualities. Helping to encourage selfishness, glorifying wealth and exacerbating in people feelings of hierarchy and resentment towards others. These materialistic self proclaimed bitches can make outrages sums for being 'real' and surely you can see these type of women should not be role models to our impressionable new generation of young girls or they will end up 'media whores' like the rest of them. Now after countless shows and spin offs we seem to be missing the point. The housewives have become ingrained in our culture. We buy their perfumes, watch their clothes, shoes and read their books. Which really are a way of these talentless nobodies drawn from the depths of reality, to promote themselves even further.

An example of the structured reality shows is the Only Way is Essex, which first broadcast in 2010 was the first in the long line of American inspired, high drama, low budget, shows to have hit our British shores in the last couple of years. TOWIE depicts various cast members dealing with relationships, everyday life, weight loss, the search for the perfect body, homosexuality, abortion oh and - fake tan. The show has the ability to create new words such as 'reem' - recently introduced into the Oxford English dictionary, promote the highly acclaimed Vajazzle, and make plastic surgery seem normal to the people watching it. Primarily the 14-29 age group. Young people are shown the orange-skinned, balloon-breasted fish lipped women and are told to believe this is 'normal' or 'real.' Do you want your children exposed to this nonsense? Reality television as a whole has transformed the way we as a society views ourselves. We as an audience are told if your boobs are too small, get implants. If your nose is too big, get a new one. If your tummy sags, lift it. This is not just morally wrong, it is also severely damaging. Especially to those vulnerable teenagers praying to fit in to a society which is too wrapped up in how white your teeth are. The impact of these shows is the dumbing down of intelligence and inhibitions, creating victims of their own self desire to be famous. Intelligence seems to get you nowhere these days. If you want to be famous, you ought to be beautiful.

The Guardian journalist Stuart Heriage claimed 'at heart The Only Way is Essex is a show about identical-looking people making utterly pointless small talk in precisely the same disinterested monotone for an hour." The show does not serve a real purpose, it makes serious issues seem unimportant and flippant. But that is okay, at least the fake tan market is booming. Placing people in scripted situations to provoke odd behavior is really all this show has to offer. There is no educational value in watching these shows. They do not teach us anything, they do not inspire use to be better or more caring people, they merely show fame hungry self publicists, doing them damnedest to reach the fame status. Their behavior does not even seem so outlandish anymore, so we join them in their behavior, morals thrown in the gutter.

The addictive what-happens-next state these shows put our minds in is taking over our lives. You wish you could turn away but you simple cannot. Reality television has become the latest legal high which has some viewers addicted without the possibility of rehabilitation. Young girls have started to talk about the cast members as though they were their close friends, feeling true emotion for them, following them in every aspect of their lives. It may be time to re-examine why these girls are watching these shows and finally determine if viewing this is just a way for them to pass the time or a true addiction in which they cannot shake off. If you do not care about these shows demoralizing the minds then it will continue to be 'senseless trash that rots perfectly good brains.' Things need to change before this affects our children in the long run. I personally call for the return of a game of Kirby or a tree house at the end of the garden rather than allowing our children to be morphed into the next charity case on a seven figure figure sum broadcast to millions of viewers.

[robbieyoung987654321]

Sources -

Phillipa Warr Why Reality Television Isn't Real
Posted: 26/08/11 11:27

National Reality TV Awards 2012 Nominations: 'TOWIE' & 'Made In Chelsea' To Battle It Out
Posted: 27/06/2012 14:50 Updated: 27/06/2012 17:08

This House believes reality television does more harm than good - Debatbase.com

Kim Kardashian: the woman who mistook her life for a brand
Helena de Bertodano
Published at 12:01AM, June 25 2011

Take this oath: First, do no harm

Junk television damages our society. And post-Hutton fearfulness damages our democracy
John Humphrys
The Guardian, Saturday 28 August 2004 02.33 BST

The New York Times
November 30, 2009, 6:33 am
Reality TV Makes Reality Its Victim

Telegraph.com
Reality TV is damaging society, says Humphrys
4:02PM BST 27 Aug 2004

[mslewis]

Thanks Robbie!

See you tomorrow.

Ms L

[scottmckenna]

Sorry about this,

Once factoring in the bibliography, I only had to delete a sentence.

Have A good holiday everybody

[scottmckenna]

Sorry about this,

Once factoring in the bibliography, I only had to delete a sentence.

Have A good holiday everybody

Attachments:

[robbieyoung987654321]

Reality Television or the Eighth Deadliest Sin By Robbie Young
final version #2

The wine-guzzling, diamond-encrusted, socialites of modern reality television exchanging ferocious blows on national television has lead to the misconception that this kind of behaviour is indeed 'real' or normal. The women who guzzle from the salmanazar of reality television are helping this type of viewing to be ingrained into the physic of young people, especially young girls. I personally believe this is fundamentally wrong and damaging to the way young girls view themselves but also the world in which they inhabit. Do we let this moneymaking sham continue or shall we do something about it before its too late?

These 'socialites' are not entirely responsible for this leaching onto the brains of these merely pubescent people. American shows such as the "The Real World" and "the Hills" were filled with over-dramatic fights and serial intrigue long before the wave of these American-esq shows invaded British screens. But unlike books and movies before them, reality television claims to represent real life which makes people believe increasingly more that life should be full of high drama ups and downs which really, unless you live with Joey Essex, in reality does not exist. In the increasingly celebrity obsessed world we live in, it is hardly surprising that these shows allow people to fantasise about gaining status through automatic fame. Normal everyday people can watch this 'trash TV', see people like themselves and imagine that they also could become celebrities, on television, with millions in the bank. These shows reflect the increased desire for status in today's society which leads to envy and lack of self worth, being preached to our children from the moment they learn how to work the remote.

In a recent survey, it was claimed 67% of viewers watch reality based programmes for the comedic value they exploit. It has the ability to make these 'real' people make complete fools out of themselves on a national platform and somehow it makes us feel good about themselves. But is it benefiting our society to be laughing at the misfortunes of another? I think not. You would have to be on the same intelligence levels as these media whores to think it was benefiting us. That innate desire and longing for what we cannot have is really why we watch these shows and really "this TV is great.. If you're an idiot!" The fame and wealth achieved by reality television is surely an appealing prospect to a world stuck under an economic bus of downturn. We sit and wait for the next Z-Lister to make a pornographic expedition so we can crown her the next Kim Kardashian.

One American exploit recently to dawn our screens is the Real Housewives. With countless series, the shows chronicle the lives of these money-grabbing, ostentatious, classless, narcissistic, catty and vulgar women. Giving unprecedented access to the the related, friendly or socially acquainted 'ladies' including their everyday rituals, careers and social lives, with a scripted drama around every panoramic glass corner. While watching the Housewives, people start to believe their days should be drama-filled despite the repercussions, just to prove a point. The reasons are usually menial and scripted but while watching you get sucked in, believing this is the way you should indeed act in your own life. As cultural phenomenons become ingrained into society, one example being the Harlem Shake, so too this behavior is increasingly being seen as the norm and indeed habitual.

These shows also help to promote materialistic attitudes. While watching, we leave our everyday lives to live in a pulchidous mansion, gaining the opportunity to achieve our dreams and make thousands of pounds in the process. These matriarch's of plastic surgery and bad acting certainly seem to think that selfishness, aggression and rudeness and admirable qualities. Helping to encourage selfishness, glorifying wealth and exacerbating in people feelings of hierarchy and resentment towards others. These materialistic self-proclaimed bitches can make outrageous sums for being 'real' and surely you can see these type of women should not be role models to our impressionable new generation of young girls or they will end up 'media whores' like the rest of them. Now after countless shows and spin offs we seem to be missing the point. The housewives have become ingrained in our culture. We buy their perfumes, wear their clothes, and read their books. Which is another way of these talentless nobodies drawn from the depths of reality, to promote themselves further.

An example of the structured reality shows is the Only Way is Essex, first broadcast in 2010 was the first in a long line of American inspired, high drama, low budget, shows to have hit our British shores in the last couple of years. TOWIE depicts various cast members dealing with relationships, everyday life, weight-loss, the search for the perfect body, homosexuality, oh and - fake tan. The show has the ability to create new words such as 'reem' - recently introduced into the Oxford English dictionary, promote the highly acclaimed Vajazzle, and make plastic surgery seem normal. Young people are shown the orange-skinned, balloon-breasted fish lipped women and are told to believe this is 'normal' . Do you want your children exposed to this nonsense? Reality television as a whole has transformed the way we as a society views itself. We as an audience are told if your boobs are too small, get implants. If your nose is too big, get a new one. If your tummy sags, lift it. This is not just morally wrong, it is also severely damaging. Especially to those vulnerable teenagers praying to fit in to a society which is too wrapped up in how white your teeth are. The impact of these shows is the dumbing down of intelligence and inhibitions, creating victims of their own self desire for fame. Intelligence gets you nowhere these days. If you want fame, you ought to be beautiful.

The Guardian journalist Stuart Heriage claimed 'at heart The Only Way is Essex is a show about identical-looking people making utterly pointless small talk in precisely the same disinterested monotone for an hour." The show does not serve a real purpose, it makes serious issues seem unimportant and flippant. But that is okay, at least the fake tan market is booming. Placing people in scripted situations to provoke odd behavior is all this show has to offer. There is no educational value in watching such shows. They do not teach us anything, they do not inspire use to be better or more caring people, they merely show fame hungry self publicists, doing them damnedest to reach the fame status. Their behavior does not even seem so outlandish anymore, so we join them in their behavior, morals thrown in the gutter.

The addictive what-happens-next state these shows put our minds in is taking over our lives. You wish you could turn away but you simply cannot. Reality television has become the latest legal high which has some viewers addicted without the possibility of rehabilitation. Young girls have started to talk about the cast members as though they were close friends, feeling true emotion for them, following them in every aspect of their lives. It may be time to re-examine why these girls are watching these shows and finally determine if viewing this is just a way for them to pass the time or a true addiction in which they cannot shake off. If you do not care about these shows demoralising the minds then it will continue to be 'senseless trash that rots perfectly good brains.' Things need to change before this affects our children in the long run. I personally call for the return of a game of Kirby or a tree house at the end of the garden rather than allowing our children to be morphed into the fame-hungry reality whore.

1300 words

[robbieyoung987654321]

The Difference Between She and Her Robbie Young
Chapter 1 -

St Morrisey, as many towns has clear class divisions. The middle class have their area, and the low class 'peasants' have theirs. And neither dare cross the class division or venture into each others area without an outstanding reason. Like No Man's Land, the sophisticates tip toe around in a solicitude state around the 'not so pretty' parts of town while the peasants broadly walk, with chests blown out, despite the flickering of net curtains and dirty looks, around St Morrisey without affliction of what the 'other people' think nor care. The concentric tree rings which spawned from the central area of the town, the church, which was placed high on a luscious green hill, made the class divisions even more visible. The immediate several streets were made up of opulent Victorian sandstone villas, with the paradisaical reflection of the sun blinding every mirrored surface, with their trimmed lawns, pristine hedges and pulchritudinous flowerbeds. These houses filled with the well educated, the wine guzzling bureaucrats. As you go further back through the streets, the lawns gradually become less manicured, the hedges become furrier and the houses become more in a state of consternation, some boarded up, some with shattered windows, some with both. An add-on to the town in the 50's immediately after the second world war with a need for affordable housing, these houses, being owned by the government, became engulfed with a concentration of families on housing benefit, rarely having jobs or qualifications. Thus becoming an vexation and an encumbrance to the well off hoi-polli of the town, who claimed the deary council estate, usually referred to as 'St Benefit' area would "bring down the moral character of the town with their incubus attitudes", which lay intact for over two centuries. With the the economy shrinking by around 5% in 2009, the largest fall since 1931, and the largest recession for seventy years under way, some of the pristine lawns of St Morrisey have become less immaculate than what they once were.

Margarete Swanson-Cole, a proud 'pure' St Morrisan, a kept woman of around fifty, thoroughly educated, with her tightly curled graying hair, her delicately aged soft face, her plump and well rounded breasts framed framed her ever noticeable pearl necklace was an narrow minded citizen of the town being born and bred in the town, who felt it was her moral duty change things up, but above all prove her neighbors that she was a woman to be respected and admired. Talking publicly of the 'evil menace' which 'clung onto a respectable town', but primarily concerning her attention the most troublesome family of St Benefit, the Anderson's, the main concern being Billie-Joe, the mother of the family. While declaring her in a public vendetta she claimed Billie-Jo, a mother of six with one on the way, 'did not know the names of half of her children's fathers.' It is easy to paint Margarete as a snob; certainly her comments about Billie-Joe's lifestyle and behavior are uncharitable at best, malicious at worst. This one day all came to a halt on the 22nd of May 2010, while arriving for work at the local newspaper, Margarete was called into a tense short-lasting meeting before she even took of her duffel coat. She was being let go. Fired. What would the neighbors say? Would she end up on housing benefit and end up living near the Anderson's? The local gossip Anne Whitburn, claimed she "aged twenty years in two minutes." Realising her place in society was shortly diminishing, Mrs. Swanson-Cole and husband Charles, decided to not tell the neighbors, maintain the high class image she had worked so hard for and pretend nothing at all had even happened. It was prerogative to not let it effect her. She would leave for work in the morning same time as usual, drive her car up by the church and leave her car in the church car park and return home at 8:55, when she knew the neighbors and especially the two-doctor family, the Zahid's, would be at work and therefore would be oblivious to her misfortunes. While Charles was working at the local council offices, she would remain home profusely cleaning and drinking. Sometimes starting as early as ten o'clock, Margarete's liver would be completely obliterated by the time it came noon. While maintaining her social circle she was able to present herself as woman without crumbling self confidence nor an unemployed drunk. While the campaigning for the clamping down on 'social evils' ceased, she remained envious and dubious of the 'easy life' these people who had not worked a day in their life, had numerous children and got payed for it, had.

Billie-Joe Anderson, the mother of six, the local baby machine, with her scarily skinny frame, bleach blonde straw for hair, sunken eyes knew that being looked down upon as the local scrag end was nothing new and the opprobrium against her and her family tarnished any chances of her bettering herself. Getting pregnant at sixteen by the local yob, she left school, got a flat in St Benefit and that is where she has remained ever since. People took advantage of her because of her lack of inhibitions and trusting nature. Being abused by her father, she had two options :rise above it or be condemned to a life of misery and self neglect. Unprotected sex sealed the later as her fate. She is the epitome of the stereotypical 'mother with many children on benefits' which is branded by newspapers and Swanson-Cole alike. Every time she left the house, people would gawp at her. She would rise her middle finger and move on. She was used too it. She felt this way the way she, because of her mistakes, deserved to be treated. The main gawp was that of Margarete, who Billie-Joe had noticed, had taken a certain dislike to her. However, she simply rose above the tuts, the stares, the negative words being muttered. Making sure self respect was instilled into the heads of her children from the day they could speak, even-though her life had no 'light at the end of the tunnel.' If her children were to escape the deprivation and shame of such an area then her desideratum would be complete. Maybe her children could make something of themselves. That was the theory anyway. The police were constantly at the Anderson household. A petty crime there, shop lifting here. The police were such frequent guests, Billie-Joe knew each and every officer by name. Which just added to the fuel to the fire, giving Swanson-Cole reason to condemn her at every given chance. While on way to collect her giro at the post office, situated directly opposite the Church and the Swanson-Cole dwelling, one thunderous Sunday, Margarete galloped across and halted her entry, refusing entry claiming she wasn't welcome and her kind belonged in the depths of Hell. It suddenly dawned on her that her eldest, Michael had been planning on meeting Swanson-Cole's middle child, Emily that day.
"Your abso-ridden son is in my house as we speak. Remove him before I call your friends, the police again!" exclaimed Margarete.
Billie-Joe was aware of the exogamy relationship for three months by this point. She was just waiting until the autocrat realised. Emily would stay over regularly, claiming she was at friends. She was the antithesis of her mother. Calm and fun loving, not snobbish or exclusive.
It would have been so easy for Billie-Joe to fly of the handle, proving what everyone said about her was true. But no, she stunned Margarete, and the forming spectators, simply walked away with her head held high. Dignity intact.



***

"Mum I think I'm pregnant" Emily expelled in a gush of anguish.

[robbieyoung987654321]

1289 words!!!!!!!

[mslewis]

Thanks Robbie. You still need to proof read both pieces again if you want them to get the highest possible mark. There are a few typos, particularly in the persuasive piece. Take the time to do this - you've worked so hard on the content that it would be a shame not to do this.

Ms L

[mslewis]

And thanks Scott - enjoy your holiday in the sun!