Friday 24 August 2012

REVIEW: THE BELL JAR- Sylvia Plath



This is one of those novels that I always wanted to read, but somehow never got the chance to- until now. I'm not sure why it particularly intrigued me, amongst all the modern American classics. I admit to only having a vague notion of Plath herself: she was married to Ted Hughes, a fantastic British poet, and that she killed herself.

The Bell Jar is told from the perspective of Esther Greenwood, a 19-year-old American student who slowly descends from simple low-self esteem to depression. Even though Esther is given a magazine scholarship at university, she seems to feel suffocated and confused by both her present and her future, which escalates at an alarming rate. 'The bell jar' itself is imagery for how wherever Esther goes, even if put into a seemingly ideal situation, she still "would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in [her] own sour air.” 

Plath's use of language is as beautiful as it is in her poetry. She succeeds in making me feel empathy for Esther, rather than feeling frustrated and annoyed by her demise. The use of powerful imagery for such a delicate subject draws the reader into Esther's world, and makes them seriously consider what the best path for Esther would be.

The fact that this novel is largely autobiographical also adds to its addictive and convincing appeal. Plath actually committed suicide a month after its publication, so the novel's sentiments were obviously fresh in her heart, rather than hindsight: a revelation that makes The Bell Jar all the more poignant and important.

Although maybe not to the extent of Esther and the author, I think many people can relate to that stressful indecision, that desire to having lots of dreams and having to choose one as a life focus. A cautionary tale, or a desperate cry for help: that's up for the reader to decide. Either way, Plath's novel may have had a lukewarm reception when it was first released, but for me personally, its one of the most well-written, emotional novels I have ever read.

A Glimpse Into Sweet Kenora Life...


Well, London 2012 was certainly an exhilarating and exhausting experience for Patrick and I. Not only were we getting excited watching the sports- but we were engaging in a challenging sport of our own- flat-hunting. Hunting for a flat in London during the busiest time of the year? I hear you cry. Are you crazy? After the 13th viewed house, I was started to think so- but luckily, it was 13th time lucky for us.

Anyway, enough of that- there's plenty of time to revel in new-flat joy. I want to talk about our fantastic few days in a small lakeside city in the middle of Canada called Kenora- the perfect place to relax after all the craziness before. By travelling immediately post-Olympics, we inevitably took a little Olympic craziness with us to Toronto: there were a fair few Canadian Olympians and sports presenters on our flight. Once we'd left the sports stars behind at Toronto Airport, being pulled every which way for photos with fans, we could say goodbye to the Olympics once and for all, and hello to a few days of Kenora-style relaxation.

Before I even stepped into Kenora, I felt like I had already been there. Patrick was always telling me of the fun summers he and his family spent there- swimming in the freshwater lake, visiting his grandparents' camps, playing with the Vaudry and Gustafson kids, going fishing with his family. However, I was not quite prepared for the rich greens of the surrounding trees, and the utter peacefulness of the lake. It was a landscape that I had briefly seen in Finland, but that was still very new and awe-inspiring to me. From the airport to the camp, Patrick's Grandpa Martz told me how he and his friends had spent a very cold winter, and very hot summer (extreme temperatures in Canada's centre!) making a road from the highway to the camp. Penetrating those deeply-forested woods must have been the ultimate challenge, but if the camp is anything to go by, it was certainly worth it! We were fortunate enough to see the landscape both from the ground, and high up in the air; the tiny aeroplane that we took from Thunder Bay to Kenora offered picture-perfect views of the Lake of the Woods, and the thousands of islands that it contains. 



So, I should keep this brief (well, my version of brief, anyway!) and leave you to look at the many photos. Highlights? Where do I start? Smelling that glorious fresh wood smell for the first time, and instantly feeling relaxed. Reeling in my first fish with the help of Jimmy Gustafson, a finalist in a recent prolific fishing tournament. Catching my first fish, after Patrick and I had just swapped fishing reels- every man for himself in fishing! Eating the day's catches in a delicious fish-fry dinner. Relaxing by a wood-fire when the days turned a little cooler. Swimming in the surprisingly warm lake- a bit better than Lake Baikal! Meeting lots of family members and friends that I had heard so much about- Grandpa Bergman, Grandpa and Grandma Martz, most of the Gustafson family...and many more! Seeing wildlife I had never seen before- a groundhog, a loon (no, not my reflection!), a hummingbird, and even a beaver swimming in the distance (which Patrick thought was a bear at first!!). Hearing the loon's unique cry at dawn. The boat incident, where we accidentally hit a reef in the lake, was a little unfortunate...but we caught a few fish at that same reef later on that day to make up for it! Every cloud has a silver lining, and all that.

All in all, it's clear that Kenora life is a very sweet life indeed. Enjoy the pictures!


Timmy Ho's at Thunder Bay Airport. Apparently asking for a 'hot cap' instead of an iced one is not a usual request...

Getting ready to board the little plane!

Our pilot welcoming us on board.




Lake Of The Woods, 12,000ft below.

Arriving into Kenora.

Minutes before the "incident"!

Too excited about fishing!!

Jimmy, Bob and Patrick on the way to some fishing spots.

A fellow loon (nope, the joke hasn't grown old yet!).

My first big catch (with Jimmy's help!)

My first solo catch!

The Farmer's Market.

Getting ready for our synchronized swimming routine...

I'll give that a score of 8. 


Canadian pride.



L-R: Maura, Clare, Benny, Ali, Kate and Patrick.



L-R: Me, Patrick and Grandpa Bergman.






Tuesday 7 August 2012

London 2012...

...the event that makes me gape with wonder at the athletes' stamina (triathtletes, you especially), hide my eyes at vital winning points, and cheer like I'm watching my own family. The atmopshere here in my home city has been truly incredible- the majority is no longer stoney-faced commuters (for now), but happy, smiley people with bright pink, big foam hands. That's probably got a lot to do with the sensational GB team- 22 golds and counting! GB! (clap clap clap) GB! (clap clap clap). Jessica Ennis is now my idol, though not even she can inspire me to become a heptathelete.

Quick little titbit before I show you some pics of our Opening Ceremony, tennis and rowing experiences: one of the GB ladies that won the gold in the team cycling sprint went to my high school! You've done Nonsuch and Sutton proud, Joanna Rowsell!

Anyway, here are the pics- hopefully we can manage to attend one more event before the 12th!


My friends and I getting ready for the opening ceremony.

All sorts of nationalities were all around- Venezuela, Switzerland, even a Japanese TV crew! No Fijians that I could see; I had to represent when they were in the countries parade by waving my Fiji flag sulu!

Jess in the middle, with Tim and his mum either side.



 The Red Arrows zooming by just before the ceremony.

Feeling patriotic!


 A Swiss guy showing off...this was his third attempt. Still blooming impressive, though!

 The countdown begins to the opening ceremony...

 Canada! (Bad quality I know.)

Fiji!!

 (l-r) Paul, Alice, me and Patrick


Murraaaaay- Olympic champion! Not at this moment though; this was just the quarter finals. Murray went on to beat world number 2. Djokavic, then world number 1 Federer! 
 First time on Court No. 1- the second largest court- and we're 5 rows back! Too exciting.





Love your dress, Serena!



 Paul, Patrick and Alice in front of a grass-cut Wenlock, the London 2012 mascot. Cyclops or alien...you decide.


Andy Murray and 18-year-old Laura Robson, who went on to win silver in the mixed doubles.



Spot the Canadian at the Eton Dorney spectator stands!

Good ol' British summer rearing its rainy head...

The Men's Four British team, who went on to win GOOOOOOOOLD! Got a tad excited- along with 1000 other  Brits in the crowd!