Week 16 - Nat Turner: The Martyr

Danced with death

Violence is never the solution, except when it is. Pardon me for stating the obvious, but no one enjoys being enslaved. Throughout slavery’s long and diabolic arc, insurrections were a common occurrence. They were usually put down with extreme prejudice, but the fact that they continued apace laid bare the slave holders’ lie that slaves were content with their lot.

Nat Turner was the leader of one of the more successful slave revolts.  It was really only successful in the sense that they managed to gain a few weapons and fought valiantly for a while. The revolt did not last long and ultimately, the number of black casualties far outstripped those of whites. For a time, though, they managed to strike fear into the hearts of slave holders.  

In a lot of ways, Nat Turner remains an enigmatic and little-known figure. He was quite intelligent, having learned to read and write at a young age. He was intensely religious and an introspective person, yet he was not afraid to resort to violence. It shows the brutality of the system that forced his hand.

‘The Confessions of Nat Turner’ which was a series of interviews conducted with him while he was in jail awaiting execution, is his story in his own words. It certainly made for an interesting read. Ultimately, his story is but a tragic one.

Greatest Quote:

My grand mother, who was very religious, and to whom I was much attached — my master, who belonged to the church, and other religious persons who visited the house, and whom I often saw at prayers, noticing the singularity of my manners, I suppose, and my uncommon intelligence for a child, remarked I had too much sense to be raised – and if I was, I would never be of any service to any one – as a slave.

Week 16: The Forbidden Fruit

Temptation

Like a naughty friend

With outstretched and welcome arms

Temptation greets you

It calls out your name

 Not really sure where this one came from, but I like it. It came together quite nicely. One of the tests I like to use to see if a piece works, is to read it backwards. If it feels the same, then that's good, and this one passes that test handily.

Week 15: Neil DeGrasse Tyson - The Scientist

Stargazer

I’ve always loved science and technology. It might have been fate, or just plain luck, but from the moment I read my first Encyclopaedia Britannica volume at age 6, I was hooked. I loved reading and writing, but more than anything, I loved to learn about how things worked, what made them tick, and the principles behind the seemingly mundane phenomena that we take for granted.

Not to be a curmudgeonly old man, but it feels like that sense of wonder, of curiosity is lost among the younger generation. I remember watching and being fascinated by Bill Nye and his (quite awesome, I should say) presentations. For people who wanted something a little bit more high level. Cometh the need, cometh the man.

Neil Degrasse Tyson is a Harvard Alumnus, and an astrophysicist, but more importantly, he is someone who has spent a lifetime attempting to communicate the importance of science to the masses. Science ought to be accessible to all, and he has been on the forefront of trying to accomplish this. He has appeared across numerous media promoting the sciences. He has worked tirelessly to capture the attention of the fickle masses and show the importance of the sciences. He has a way of explaining high-level concepts in a very straightforward, yet utterly precise manner. I love his passion for his work and that’s something that has always inspired me. I won’t say much more than that. I’ll let him speak for himself.

Greatest quote:

The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.

Week 15: Empty

Blanks

To live and not love

Is to never have lived at all

A blank existence

Like a quiver with no arrows

I'm not sure what the inspiration was for this one. I like it although, I think the flow is a little halting and the final line somewhat stands apart from the rest of the piece. 7.5/10 for me.

Still though, it remains, yours
Lloyd Webber