21st Century Breakdown: Album Review

Green Day's long awaited eight album has been released to much fanfare. But is the hype justified?

With American Idiot, Green Day became a household institution with sales and popularity soaring. Their new found political drive became the voice of an angry American generation and endeavoured to awaken the people from an apathetic slumber. Unfortunately, with such lofty ambitions the music of American Idiot became more of a backdrop to politics and not the focal point of the album. I feared that Green Day would continue down this road and place more emphasis on political messages rather than creative forms of expression.

It is with this trepidation that I listened to Green Day's newest offering, 21st Century Breakdown. The album is divided into three different acts and the more expensive edition is bundled with artistic impressions of each act and song. While this approach may seem pretentious or contrived it is indicative of the adjusted focus of the band. Green Day have used these forms along with varying song length, sound and structure to experiment with methods of sharing their message. While the political theme is still evident, it is more expertly weaved through the actual music and as such, both are equally important to the album.

21st Century Breakdown is therefore less politically divisive and more musically creative. This is borne out in many of the songs on the album.  "Before the Lobotomy" and the title track both showcase an array of musical arrangements and a wide range of versatility. Tracks like "Know Your Enemy" are more overtly political and stand as weaker (but more popular with militant American youths) points on the album. At least these songs are shorter and just as musically simple as their message. 

These tracks really bring us to the crux of 21st Century Breakdown: the political messages are there if you want them, but Green Day have managed to make the music the focal point of this new album and I very much hope they continue in this manner.

-The English Student

The Foundations of Literature

Students of literature often overlook the foundations of contemporary works: Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey.

These epic poems are frequently identified as the core of all subsequent literature. Homer (if indeed he did exist) created a formulaic method of literary expression and transliterated stories from the prevalent oral tradition. While these poems can be viewed as the first form of literature, the stories told and the manner in which they are told are far from primitive.

These poems directly deal with literary framework and issues of vocality. The Iliad contains a prolonged flashback and a very subtle illumination of the previous ten years of the Trojan war. In a similar vein, The Odyssey is written from the perspective of both Telemachus and Odysseus and contains a circular narration regarding Odysseus' 'nostos'.

The themes and patterns of these poems are also still evident in contemporary literature. Including specific references to the vents of The Iliad and The Odyssey, the creation of the return motif and issues of military leadership, honour and spirituality have their basis in Homer. These themes have directly and indirectly influenced countless writers throughout the history of literature.

To understand the vast forests of literature it is necessary to trace their roots in the beautifully complex work of Homer.

-The English Student

In Praise of The Creative Assembly

As The Creative Assembly release an extensive patch for their latest game we should pay homage to this excellent game developer.

The "Total War" series is one of the greatest (if not the greatest) strategy game series ever conceived. The games combine large scale, turn-based campaign strategy with fast paced real time battles - and do so perfectly. From the earliest iteration, "Shogun:Total War", it was clear that The Creative Assembly had hit on a wonderful formula for breathing new life into the stale strategy genre. From the humble beginnings of "Shogun", The Creative Assembly have gone from strength to strength with two medieval games, the highly popular Rome-based effort and countless expansions. Besides the obvious engine similarities between these games a common thread of excellent attention to detail and innovative growth is evident.

With the release of "Empire: Total War", The Creative Assembly have taken another ambitious step. The sheer scope of this effort is phenomenal, with huge tracts of the globe now theatres of war. With this fresh approach comes a fresh attitude to the fan base. The "Total War" community has been pampered with daily updates from developers on the official forums, a huge dedication to bug fixes and tangible displays of progress regarding game updates. This is especially laudable considering the fickle nature of many (but certainly not all) community members that berate The Creative Assembly for game problems.

Of course, these problems do exist. The Creative Assembly was forced to release "Empire: Total War" long before they had wished to. When Sega denied the application for an extension, a flawed game was inevitably released. Very serious problems are also evident with "Stormrise", a new game from the developer outside the "Total War" series. While the pressure of publishers and the quality of "Stormrise" are reasons to worry, I cannot question the skill and dedication of The Creative Assembly.

If they can maintain their honest and real connection to the gamer I have no doubt that The Creative Assembly will continue to make a fantastic contribution to the gaming community.

-The English Student

Thoughts on "Objectivist Lamp"

As the object was the point of interest for Carl Rakosi, so "Objectivist Lamp" is my point of interest this week.

On a first reading this poem seems exceptionally simple. Rakosi devotes twelve lines to the description of an ivory lamp with a "batik lamp shade" (L. 10-11) that rests on top. Significantly, this description is not made in comparative or contrasting terms. While the lamp is described as if it has hands and a breast this is owing to the fact that it is a female figurine. Rakosi does not attempt to invest the lamp with any definition outside direct description.

The structure of this poem is in line with these thematic issues. The inter-locking lines of the poem are a physical representation of the "hand crossed" (L. 5) figurine that the lamp is styled after. In the same way that the ivory woman holds the illuminating light bulb, the poem holds the illuminating title "Objectivist Lamp". The poet uses the structure of the poem to highlight the importance of the singular item that is described throughout.

Each of these issues underline the now useless division of form and content in the modernist and post-modernist period. While we can identify different formal and thematic techniques, their results are inextricably linked and impossible to separate. Although many have questioned the worth of such objectivism as art, it is hard to conceive of a poem that more closely captures every aspect of its object.

By adapting Rakosi's direct approach, literary criticism could create a more coherent and useful accompaniment to literature.

-The English Student

A Commuting Story

Marc sat in the usual seat on the usual bus home at the usual time in the evening.

After a long day he was not in the mood to read. He put his fifty-nine year old copy of The Great Gatsby to one side and began staring out of the window. The low dulcet tones of the voice in his ears coupled with the monotonous rumbling of the bus lulled him towards a sleep-like state. The buildings of the city blurred together and then began fading into the outer-urban landscape. Somewhere in the transfer Marc's eyes closed.

They rolled back behind the lids, covering Marc's vision in a dull sepia tone. A soothing sight for a soothed mind. Then suddenly darkness. Utter and complete darkness as if the sun had been destroyed and perpetual black had fallen.  This abrupt change caused a tremor of shock to run through Marc's mind. He had no position, no thoughts, no context and no existence in this sudden darkness. Marc quickly opened his eyes (out of shock more than fear) and the world reformed around him. The tunnel rolled back past the top of the bus and completely out of view. 

It was as if his mind had broken and restarted itself. He could describe the sight outside the window; the concrete barriers and sterile grasslands. But they now meant something else. The words may have remained, but their essence was different. Marc saw the bridge and put his book back into his bag. He pressed the stop button and got off the bus at the usual stop at the usual time.

But nothing was usual ever again.

-The English Student

Becoming Raskolnikov

Dostoevsky presents us with one of the most troubled and warped characters in literature: Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov.

This former student wanders the streets of St. Petersbourg, wallowing in his self-imposed depression and inhaling the noxious elements of the city. In an attempt to gain the capital he needs to avoid working in his future he robs and kills two women. The majority of the novel is then devoted to Rodyo's internal struggle with his conscience and external struggle with the police. But throughout the text it is disturbingly easy to empathise with this character.

Rodyo is in search of a small amount of capital that will allow him to live without the constraints of work. With this capital he would likely return to his studies and pursue intellectual enquiry in his areas of interest. Members of contemporary society often feel the same way. Every person who plays the lottery, gambles in any way or commits a crime for monetary gain hopes for the one big payout that will give them freedom. If I could study and write without monetary fear I would be a much happier person.

But Rodyo suffers from a serious character defect that points to the folly of this strategy. His arrogance and feeling of self-importance allows Rodyo to destroy other lives if it benefits his own. While we all want economic freedom we would be obligated to forcefully take the capital of others to get it. The one huge payout that is always on the horizon is not worth the destruction of others who only seek the same thing.

It is useful to empathise with Raskolnikov; but we must strive not to become him.

-The English Student

Aeon Flux: Chronophasia

"The waking comes soon, like a storm."

Aeon and Trevor search for a virus that creates human happiness in a Breen jungle-facility. Trevor discusses the origins of the virus and claims that it is an attempt to regain a past human attribute. This trait gave us a universal connection to every other member of society but was apparently lost through evolution. But we never actually lost this connection, we have just forgotten its origins.

The efforts of the Breen scientists in recreating this attribute imitates real social creations. Religion is one such example. Religion hinges on our inherent need to connect to other people and elements of existence. Other examples of these patterns include the connections fostered by science, law and education. Clearly we are attempting to represent our universal inclinations in social structures.

But should we build towards this universality or move back to our natural state? Neither option is feasible. To try to recreate a natural tendency through unnatural means is folly. We also must face the reality that we have become inherently social creature and cannot retreat from that. Instead, we should recognise that this universal connection has never left us. Science, law and all other human endeavours are attempts to foster this connection.

So long as we connect with one, we connect with all.

-The English Student