G.A.L. Grace
Bio
I began writing at 12, but struggled to gain positive results from my work. I joined vocal with the hope that my writing may mean something to at least one person. My greatest ambition is to become an author; to educate and please others.
Stories (29/0)
Unmasking The Zodiac Killer
Case Name: The Zodiac Killer Overview: The Zodiac Killer is the name given to an unidentified serial killer who operated in Northern California during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The killer gained notoriety for a series of taunting letters and cryptograms he sent to local newspapers, claiming responsibility for a number of murders and threatening to kill more.
By G.A.L. Grace10 months ago in Criminal
White Noise
“Emerson! Get up” I am rudely awakened by the screeching voice of mother, I'm already dreading the rest of the day. I am greeted with a throbbing headache as soon as I open my eyes. The caravan is tinted a dark orange from the morning sun being filtered through the brown curtains. I have nothing planned for today; except for escaping this metal box for as long as I can. Perhaps I’ll check out the pool at the holiday centre; I still have three hours until it opens. The claustrophobic chaos is already making my skin crawl with discomfort. How did I get here?
By G.A.L. Grace10 months ago in Psyche
The Secrets of the British Monarchy
The British Monarchy is one of the oldest and most well-known monarchies in the world, with a rich history full of interesting secrets and hidden stories. From the Queen's private life to royal scandals and mysteries, there are many secrets that have come to light over the years.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Confessions
Contrast of Blanche and Stella
Sex and desire are key themes in the play ‘A Streetcar Named Desire’, of which highlight the differences between Stella and Blanche Dubois. Sex is a motif throughout the play which acts as a destructive force that signifies violence, mental degradation, the sullying of a good reputation, and financial ruin. Sex is viewed opposingly between Stella and Blanche; sex is a key attribute for Stella in her life as her relationship is based on sexual desire, which allows her to be accepted in 1940’s New Orleans as part of the working class. On the other hand, Blanche viewed sexual desire as a requirement to earn her own safety and protection - not for romantic or emotional means. Sex is the cohesion holding the marriage of Stella and Stanley together. During Scene 7, Stanley argues with Stella about Blanche while she is bathing, he explains how he has been asking around about Blanche and discovered she was banned from “hotel Flamingo” for sleeping around with multiple men, but the men “got wised up after two or three dates with her and then they quit, and she goes on to another, the same old lines, same old act, same old hooey!”. This proof explained Blanche’s desperation when she arrived at “Elysian Fields” as she had lost her positive, bourgeoisie reputation. Blanche lacks the emotional correlation between sex and desire, unlike Stella who simply desires a sexual relationship with Stanley. However, Blanche shows disgust over her behaviour after losing Belle Reve through her excessive bathing. At the beginning of Scene 7, Stanley is complaining to Stella over Blanche and her habit; he expresses his annoyance as the “temperature 100 on the nose, and she soaks herself in a hot tub”. Williams uses symbolism through Blanche’s continuous bathing to signify Blanche purifying herself from her sins. Although Blanche claims she bathes repeatedly to “calm her nerves”, though the real reason Williams creates this symbol is to show Blanche as wanting to cleanse herself from her past. Bathing ultimately symbolises Blanche’s guilty conscience. As well as the opposing views on sex between Blanche and Stella, they are also presented by Williams as character foils through their relationships with Stanley and Mitch. Stella does not hold a false image toward Stanley - she does pretend to be the woman she was in Belle Reve; she accepts her new societal position within her marriage. However, Blanche puts on a facade, especially in front of Mitch, though Mitch seems to enjoy the illusion Blanche creates for herself as she appears pure, clean and loyal. An alternative reading of Blanche’s sexual desire being purely for male protection, instead of love, could be linked to the contextual background of 1940s New Orleans as women were viewed solely as commodities at that time. Blanche created the perfect allusion of herself, specifically toward men, to ensure she maintained the same level of value she procured while living on the Belle Reve plantation - the image commonly linked to the archetypal southern belle. Opposingly, Stella accepted her new value when she married Stanley; a working-class man immigrant. In conclusion, Williams created the theme of sex and desire throughout the play to amplify Stella and Blanche as contrasting characters through their opposing views on sex and their dissimilar desires in relationships.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Families
White Noise
If my mind were a room, I imagine a circular, wooden structure with green vines drooping the walls, and dangling from the ceiling. Oversized windows would allow the raw sunlight to brighten the room. The only furniture would be a large, low bed, grand desk, and an unnecessarily large chair simply for reading on. Majority of the wall space will be covered by vast bookshelves, stacked with a variety of classic and contemporary literature. Several tapestries would also drape the walls, offering the room a sense of comfort. Multiple pillows would scatter the floor, though in an orderly fashion. The room would be illuminated and airy by day, but dark and desolate by night - with only the moonlight offering brightness. However, beyond all this would be a black, ancient door; feared to be opened.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Psyche
The Hoax Behind Schools
Marketisation of Education The New Right policies state that every parent should have a choice on the school their child goes to (Item B). The marketisation of education meant that schools became more competitive, like businesses, in order to try and attract the highest achieving students. As well as this, marketisation has also increased diversity and choice within the education system. One way in which this increase has occurred is through parentocracy. One of the ways diversity has been increased is by the tripartite system bringing along a mixing of students by different social classes. Another way diversity has been increased is through the introduction of free schools/academies, as students of lower social class could attend.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Education
Strikes; Essential or Pointless?
17/06/23 The current teacher and bus strikes are causing significant levels of inconvenience and frustration for thousands of people in London. The strikes are affecting most people's daily routines and making it harder for them to get to work or schools. As well as this, it can be stated that the bus strikes are causing traffic congestions and delays on the roads, which can be irritating for drivers and commuters.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Fiction
Pollution Due To Urbanisation
Pollution due to urbanisation is a growing concern in many cities around the world. As more people move into cities, the demand for resources such as electricity, water, and transportation increases, leading to higher levels of pollution. This pollution can have serious health consequences for people living in these areas, and can also harm the environment. It is important for cities to take steps to reduce pollution and promote sustainable development.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Earth
Feminism and Power in The Handmaid’s Tale
The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian novel set decades in the future. Author Margaret Atwood utilises the roles of Offred’s mother and best friend Moira to represent feminism and the effect of power. These figures are crucial because they teach a modern audience the value of rebelling against injustice. The motif of power is significant in the characters of Moira, and Offred’s mother.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Education
Position of Women in The Handmaid’s Tale
To a certain extent, Atwood has made me consider the position of women in our society in the way of what views other people may have in modern society. Margaret Atwood uses The Handmaid’s Tale to make the readers consider the position of women in society by inviting them to examine how they value women in contemporary society. Although today’s society is significantly contrasted to Gilead’s dystopian modern society, the novel enunciates the idea that women are still not as valued as they should be. Atwood uses the character of Aunt Lydia to link contemporary and Gileadean society together by referencing a common feminist topic in today’s society, (women’s clothes), in a speech to the training Handmaids. Aunt Lydia confidently states, “the spectacles women used to make of themselves. Oiling themselves like roast meat on a spit, and bare backs and shoulders, on the street, in public, and legs, not even stockings on them, no wonder these things used to happen.” Offred recalls Aunt Lydia’s account of how women used to behave, particularly during the summer. Aunt Lydia postulates that when women dressed provocatively, they invited men to take advantage of them, by saying that crimes would never happen to nice women who cover themselves up - Aunt Lydia places all the blame on the women who are victims rather than the men who are the perpetrators. Aunt Lydia’s blaming of women plays an important role in indoctrination in Gilead’s mandated conformity. Aunt Lydia’s view on the blame of women for their harassment could be immediately linked to today’s society as, in certain areas, there is a debate about whether the reason for female sexual harassment is due to how ‘revealing’ their clothing was during the crime. Therefore, Atwood could make certain individuals consider Aunt Lydia’s statement in today’s society, and either agree with her view or believe the opposite, that clothing does not correlate with sexual harassment. Aunt Lydia ends her speech by stating that “no wonder these things used to happen.” Atwood has purposefully left this concluding statement ambiguous for the reader as it could be interpreted in two different ways. The first is that she is talking about sexual harassment and rape, implying that the women were naive enough to go into public in ‘revealing’ clothing and therefore should have known they were setting themselves up for the “things that used to happen”, (harassment). Whereas the other interpretation could be that she was talking about second-wave feminism. The reader can infer that there were feminist uprisings around the time The Handmaid's Tale was set through Offred recalling a day in the park when she was young with her mother, who was burning pornographic magazines of women, showing that she and the others were feminists as they disagreed with women having to use their bodies to be valued in society. Aunt Lydia could be referring to feminist uprisings for equality as “these things that used to happen.” The past tense of the word “used” highlights the lack of power in society for women as the feminist uprising was completely resolved by the Gileadean institution, and forced women to take a domestic role in the community by having to cook, run households, and most importantly reproduce. One way this control over women is contained is through the power of fear through “The Wall”. In conclusion, Margaret Atwood has made me consider the position of women in today’s society through the idea that contemporary society could also be overturned, like Offred’s society before Giliead, and all accomplishments toward gender equality could be entirely disregarded by an institution as powerful as Gilead. Atwood has made me consider how other people may view the position of women in society, specifically men, and if they might agree with any of Aunt Lydia’s views on the position of women in society.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Education
The Ethics of AI
As a software engineer, Alex had always been fascinated by artificial intelligence. He spent his days working on developing algorithms that could learn and adapt to new data; he dreamed of a future where AI could solve some of the world’s most pressing problems.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Futurism
Science Behind Transmission of Norms and Values
Functionalists support the process of socialisation in society as the main agencies teach individuals the expected norms, values and attitudes in society which will create social order and prevent deviance, (item b). A functionalist which supports socialisation is Talcott Parsons who introduces his theory on the ‘organic analogy’. Parsons refers to the organs in the body as a reflection of how society operates in a stable manner. Socialisation benefits society as it teaches all the correct norms and values to all in society from a young age. This creates social cohesion, meaning that society becomes stable, which reduces and helps to prevent crime and deviance in society. Talcott Parsons introduced the term ‘value consensus’, which is formed due to socialisation. Value consensus is when all in society are in an agreement, leading to social stability. Agencies of socialisation, like family, reinforce value consensus. Family acts as primary socialisation, and it teaches the key norms and values of society, such as manners and societal norms. Such is taught from a very young age, which is significant in reinforcing value consensus as it unites all in society by creating agreement. However, a Marxist interpretation may dispute this as they would argue that primary socialisation is different for upper-class children and working-class children as the bourgeoisie teach their children the exploitation of the working class.
By G.A.L. Grace11 months ago in Psyche
