Pump Earphones

I was asked to try out Pump earphones and here's what I found... The sound quality is awesome, especially compared to my Apple ipod ones. I liked the option of ear support for different ear shapes, and how flattering to find I have very small lug holes! I even found the v smallest painful to use, not an issue I've ever encountered with my ipod ones. For moving around I had some issues with the plugs coming loose. Possibly something to do with not being able to have the ear supports in? And the particularly bright orange wiring is def not a subtle colour! So would I recommend? Well, for audio quality, definitely, but only if you're going to be relatively static.

Some hints on the WW1 essay

P. Today’s technique is alliteration Q. ‘the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle’ E. Talk about alliteration and how it’s used – what effect does it create on the reader – does it sound like gunfire? Is it positive or negative? Onomatopoeia – links to the title, there’s lots of references to sound. Appeals to our senses and gives us an idea of what it was like in the trenches. Aural – relating to sound as a sense P. Strong feelings / attitudes. Who’s for the Game. Rhetorical questions. Q. Any rhetorical Q from the poem. E. What is the effect of the RQ? How do we react to it as a reader – intimidating, make us think, motivate us? Has the purpose of the poem changed? What is Pope’s attitude to war? P. Jessie Pope uses an extended metaphor in ‘Who’s for the Game?’ to compare the war to…. Q. Line 1, line 2 or line 3 – you choose! E. By comparing the war to a match, it’s showing how masculine the people who go to war are. Just like if you play sport at school, people see you as more manly! Pope doesn’t take the war seriously, she underplays it. She wants to make it seem fun so people join the team!

Wilfred Owen

P. Another way Wilfred Owen creates strong feelings is by using punctuation unusually. Q. ‘GAS! Gas! Quick, boys! –‘ E. Owen uses the punctuation to show strong feelings such as panic, worry and being terrified of the attack. In this quote, the first word is in capitals, which shows how it would have been delivered, with a shout. The exclamation marks and the short sharp sentences have the effect of conveying this emotion. By using the exclamation marks we get a sense of the tone and the panic in his voice. The comma after ‘quick’ separates the words and the idea of Owen calling the men ‘boys’ suggests he feels paternal (like a father) towards his men, suggesting his loyalty. The double dash at the end again is used as a separation between the supposed dialogue and the action that follows. Owen does this later on in the final stanza, where he separates the memory from the ‘now’ of the poem.