Tuesday 29 December 2020
Tess Holliday on the Cover of Cosmo
Sunday 27 December 2020
Why Homework Should Be Banned
I know I'm not the only one who feels strongly that homework should be banned. In fact I think if you were to go around surveying everyone on their opinion towards homework, the general consensus would be a resounding 'NOOOOO!!!!!!'. This, quite frankly, is because the majority of people hate homework. Yes, hate is a strong word- but I fear that it may be true when used in association with the word 'homework'. The evidence against homework is fairly strong: Children hate homework because it eats up the time that could be spent on doing actually enjoyable things, teachers hate homework because they have to spend hours marking piles of the stuff rather than doing what they actually want to do and parents hate homework because it takes up their time, leaves their children grumpy, miserable creatures and inevitably is used as a petty hierarchy system for the 'who is the best at parenting' competition in the school playground at pick-up time. Essentially, it's a lose-lose situation for everyone involved. Here's why:
Homework encourages a mindset which promotes overworking and places a heavy emphasis on the 'work' aspect of work-life balance. This is unhealthy, both physically and mentally. There is more to life than than just work, work, work. I'm not denying that work is an invariably essential element of life- you have to do it and children should be taught the value of work. But there are healthier ways to show the importance of work rather than setting children hours of homework on top of an already tiring six hours of school a day (not to mention the extra-curricular clubs students are expected to participate in as well). Everyone- including children- needs to have some time to rest. It's crucial for mental health. When you take into consideration the gruellingly long academic day and the accompanying piles of homework mounted on top, it becomes painstakingly evident that children aren't afforded much time to switch off.
Arguably, it could be suggested that homework teaches discipline. However, it's also important to remember the fact that some children aren't fortunate enough to have access to the same resources that other children are privy to. Some parents aren't in the position where they are able to spend as much time and attention on helping their children with homework as other parents may be able to. This unconscious bias does affect homework grades and overall academic performance. Rather unwittingly, homework adds social and economic class into the equation of children's grades.
And perhaps most potently, imagine being forced to spend your free time doing something that you passionately hated and that chipped away at your confidence. For some people academia is extremely disheartening and every minute spent with pen in hand, poised over a blank exercise book page willing the work to all make sense, heartbreaking. Obviously education is enormously precious and everyone privileged enough to be able to go to school should. Yet there comes a certain breaking point for those who know that academia is truly not for them when they have to give up their free time to do homework, when they could instead be doing something that is to them more productive to what they wish to do with their lives.
It's clear that homework has a lot of negatives. Should homework be banned? Well, it depends on whether or not you believe the pros outweigh the multitude of cons.
By Frances Hudson
Saturday 26 December 2020
Notes On An Exhibition By Patrick Gale Book Review
I loved 'notes on an exhibition' by Patrick Gale. I think it's an extremely well-written book. Not all the characters in the novel were necessarily likeable. In fact, as a reader, some of the character's dubious actions are difficult to agree with. However the characters were all written in a very authentic and real way, which allowed the reader a chance to sympathise with them and understand the choices that they made. Each chapter of the novel begins literally with a note from an exhibition regarding the main character's artwork (the main character is a successful artist and the book revolves around the trials, tribulations,events and impacts of her life). The following events of the chapter then all relate to whatever the note was, which was a very unique and interesting way to structure the novel.
The difficult theme of mental health plays a major role in the story. The author manages to tackle this theme with both the seriousness it deserves and eloquence.
I don't want to say too much and give away the plot of the story. The intricacies of the book are certainly difficult to explain without giving away too much information so I'll just say this: the book is extremely enjoyable and I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially those interested in art or art history. Although the book is fictional it does contain 'characters' that are actually real life artists such as Dame Barbara Hepworth (although I believe the accounts with her character are purely fictional despite the fact that she is a real person).
As for the novel's ending, it is a strange way to end the book. Ultimately it all draws to a satisfying conclusion. All the loose threads are tied up, no questions left to ask, no pernickety plot holes or unturned stones left... to an extent. However, not all the problems are fixed with a solution. Although all the characters are at a suitable point for the story to end, there is still so much more about them that remains unknown. Perhaps it doesn't make much sense for all this additional information about the various characters to be squished together at the end of the novel because that would probably feel very cramped and incoherent. It also wouldn't necessarily flow smoothly with the format of the novel, which jumps between perspectives of different characters at different times and different stages of their lives. However, it would be really interesting if there were to be a follow-up to this book, explaining what happens next and I would genuinely love to read that.
By Frances Hudson
Wednesday 9 December 2020
The Patchwork Trend
Social media is classically a reliable way of gauging current fashion trends. Chances are that if there's a particular outfit or style continually cropping up on your explore page or unabashedly splashed all over your Instagram feed, then it officially maintains 'trend' status. Trends are like narcissistic acoustic-guitar players who insist on playing covers of Oasis songs at parties... they like to make themselves known. They are not shy creatures. A sentiment proved by the recent 'patchwork' trend reverberating through the depths of social media, which is certainly no exception to this rule.
The patchwork trend is a culmination of a number of factors including the sustainability movement, the revival of Y2K style and the comfort we crave during this pandemic. There is no textbook patchwork garment either. In fact, the only qualification necessary for a garment to pass as a legitimate member of the patchwork genre is for it to consist of a mixture of different fabrics and colours held together by bright contrastingly-coloured thread.
Nowadays, the importance of sustainability is paramount. Everyone is aware of the dangers facing our planet and even in a time where the fog of utmost uncertainty is shrouding the future, we at least know one thing for definite. Change has to be made in order to rescue the planet. The UN Conference on Trade and Development considers the fashion industry to be the second most polluting industry in the world, a statistic that makes the emergence of new trends feel futile and wasteful. However, this is not the case with the patchwork trend with it's penchant for upcycling. One of the major joys of the patchwork trend is that it can be friendly to the environment, if chosen it to be. The trend can easily be achieved via recycling old unused garments or leftover swatches of fabric. The trend's rampant encouragement to reuse and recycle old fabric and material can only be a good thing. Besides, it also permits the trend to be as accessible as possible to... well, just about anyone.
In the time of lockdown, where our sartorial choices revolved entirely around comfort (hoodies, tracksuit bottoms, old jumpers littered with crisp crumbs and chocolate stains), it does feel somewhat alien to have to revert back to how things were before. Now that we're allowed to venture outside again, the thought of begrudgingly swapping our beloved leggings for some seemingly more fashion-centric jeans, is not appealing. However the patchwork trend offers a solution to this problem. The trend comes in a range of different clothing options... jackets, dresses, skirts, trousers. On a smaller scale there are patchwork accessories as well: bags, headbands, scrunchies, handbags. The look is easy to achieve, catering to our lockdown mentality of comfort and ease, but alternatively looks well thought out and suitably put together.
The patchwork trend, for some unknown reason, evokes a deep sense of nostalgia. Perhaps because of it's similarity to patchwork quilts that would not be amiss in a Grandma's house, transporting us back to our childhood. More likely, it is the undeniable links it holds to Y2K style. In a time where the future remains overwhelmingly uncertain, it is easy to find solace in trends of the past and it appears that this is what has happened with the patchwork trend.
It is clear that the patchwork trend is popular for a number of reasons. The question is what do you think about the trend? and will you indulge in it?
By Frances Hudson
How To Build A Girl Book Review
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I know I'm not the only one who feels strongly that homework should be banned. In fact I think if you were to go around surveying everyo...