Oh! The Angst!

Cynicism has become an important part of student life.

This past week has seen my pessimism reach previously un-fathomed depths. Along with the usual bitching and moaning relating to the college/country/planet authorities, the smaller things have come within the reticule of my depressing rifle. The aggression of certain breeds of bird, the use of the word "supposebly" and the sogginess of tomatoes have all been the subject of bitter, never-ending tirades.

Oddly enough, however, I no longer view this pessimism as a bad thing. With previous little time left in college, it is the right of the student to verbally tear to shreds every single aspect of existence. Nothing should be left along from our scathing and snide remarks that undermine the very laws of existence. We are thus united under a banner of negation.

For after all, this college era is most certainly ending. We will not have the luxury of complaint for much longer as we must finally engage with the system rather than deriding it from afar. Inevitably, we must become the people we despise. But if we can hold on to the smallest part of our disquiet, or at least the memory of it, then perhaps we can give future generations less to complain about.

If not, then at least they can enjoy their small rebellion as we have enjoyed ours!

-The English Student

Deconstruction, not Destruction

Although it is an old theory, the idea of 'deconstruction' as posited by Jacques Derrida and others still has worth today.

'Deconstructionism' deals with the idea that there are no overall theories that can properly encapsulate existence. This school of thought came as a reaction to theorists who believed that literary texts are examples of unifying constructs that create understanding. These theories were pushed further with hypotheses that claimed that language itself was without any universal meaning and is a hollow construction that belies true existence.

These theories have often been derided for being elitist and abstract. On the surface, it is very easy to believe methods of deconstruction to be out of touch with common literary practice and common human existence. After all, by claiming that there is no universality in relation to literary texts, one can be seen to ignore the common tropes and form that are latent in countless instance of literature. It seems that we should take a slightly less extreme approach to criticism if we are going to engage with the theories of Derrida.

Indeed, it is important to make the distinction between 'deconstruction' and 'destruction'. We must not completely ignore all aspects of a text, but instead we should reduce them down to their basic form. The value of 'deconstruction' is that it attempts to make room for contrasting theories while looking for an underlying trope common to them all. Instead of forcing writers and texts together, sparing use of 'deconstructionist' approaches will allow a critic to identify the foundations of these texts rather than create a hollow amalgamation of the issues they deal with.

In this way, 'deconstruction' should be identified as another useful band in the spectrum of literary criticism.

-The English Student

Steinbeck and Orwell: Approaching an understanding of Capitalism

Orwell offers a solution to a major problem identified in Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

The Joad family travel throughout the southern United States in a bid to find employment and a new home after the destruction of their farm. Steinbeck counterpoints the personal issues of the family with the general plight of the citizens of the country. The ordinary labour workers are becoming victims to the increasingly powerful leaders of industry that have emerged in the economy. These capitalists have gained so much power that it makes more economical sense to let crops die than to pay people to harvest them. Steinbeck indicates that this capital will fall into the hands of fewer and fewer people as this process continues.

But any solution he offers is undermined by a general impotence on the part of the labour movement. Instead, we have to look to other writers to find potential alleviations to this struggle. In Nineteen-Eighty Four we find a society that is constantly in war. The constant need to supply products for the war effort has created stable employment for millions and more importantly, has prevented a revolution by the working class. War can bring capital from outside a country back into it and this process can allow wealth to trickle down through the main capitalists to the individual workers.

Of course, this is a very bleak and distressing conclusion but the solidity of it cannot be denied. Even Marx can be adopted to this theory when his strategy of working within systems rather than revolutionising them is taken into account. However, this system will inevitably lead to strife and pain as increasing levels of violence (or at least destruction of products) would be necessary to sustain it. Is there no way of improving the system?

Can we no longer control the capitalist leviathan that we have created?

-The English Student

Franz Ferdinand: Concert Review

At last, the brilliantly original Franz Ferdinand have returned to the touring circuit.

If they have faced recent criticism for an apparent separation from their previous inspiration, the Scottish four piece certainly did not show a drop in quality as they took over our capital city for the night. This is most noticeable in their iconic on-stage style the band moves as a tight and intense unit that really communicates their love for music to the crowd. While any verbal interaction is kept to a minimum, passion oozes from the pores of every person on stage.

Front man Alex Kapranos obviously takes a lot of attention and considering his perpetual vocal improvement this is certainly well-deserved. However, the drumming skill of Paul Thomson completely stole the show. The power and ingenuity of Thomson is borne out in every single song as he confidently breathes life into new tunes and past classics alike. It is hard to overstate the impression that this Keith Moon/Phil Selway/Animal hybrid makes and how important he is in creating the bands unique live sound.

The consistency of Thomson and the band in general is important when the changing sound of the band is considered. While their latest album, "Tonight: Franz Ferdinand" marks a departure from earlier work, the cohesion of the band makes a set of old and new virtually seamless. This culminates in a brilliantly innovative and well-paced concert. The highlight of this set would have to be the energetic "Outsiders", but this is akin to choosing a diamond from a collection of other gemstones.

The mark of a great band is one that sounds better in person than on record; point in case is the newly revived and truly fresh Franz Ferdinand.

-The English Student