This morning as I was showering and idly thinking about Guy Fawkes, I had a thought. Don't ask me how I came to be thinking about Guy Fawkes, especially since, if I told you, I would probably be arrested for sedition. Don't think they couldn't track me down. Oh no, these bloodhounds can sniff out terrorism anywhere, even where it fails to exist at all. But I digress...
While I was idly thinking about Guy Fawkes, it occurred to me excatly how odd Guy Fawkes day is. For those who don't know, Guy Fawkes was part of a catholic plot, know as the Gunpowder Plot, to blow up parliament... I think. Hold up, I'll just check.
(While I'm absent, please enjoy this lovely interlude of almost silence and general life noise, brought to you by which ever god you believe in. Or fail to believe in. Whichever. To quote Winterson:
"I can't go to church. I'm not of the generation who simply believe. I can't put my trust in science either, whose most spectacular miracles have not been to feed the multitude on five loaves and two fish, or to raise the dead, but to perfect mass destruction and prolong senility.
"On those ratings, God is still ahead.
"My knees will not permit of yoga. I do not have the frame for an orange sari or the mind of the East. I can't hear the sound of one hand clapping or find peace through twenty years of silent archery. I don't doubt any of it, but I can't do it." - from 'A Green Square' by Jeanette Winterson.
But this is an aside. I'm looking up Guy Fawkes. No, really.)
Okay: on November 5, 1605, a group of catholics, lead by Fawkes, attempted to assassinate James I and both houses of parliament by blowing up Westminster Palace with a whole heap of gunpowder placed in the cellar. Due to a letter, possibly sent by one of the conspirators, the plot was discovered and the 'disaster' averted. (This is neat, though: Guy Fawkes is often described as "the only man to ever enter parliament with honourable intentions.") Now, every year on Novermber 5th, children make effigies of Fawkes, get people to give them money (it's kinda like trick-or-treating) and then, come nightfall, throw the effigy on a bonfire. It's called (funnily enough) Guy Fawkes day.
Anyway, to get to the point, my thought was this: isn't it somewhat perverse to have a day devoted to the remembrance of some guy who failed to blow up parliament? I mean, why not have a day commemorating the guy who failed to blow up Hitler? The only thing I can think of (in order to rationalise it) is that it's the British government's way of telling the public that resistance is futile: "See boys and girls? This is what happens if you rebel against us. You get burnt alive! *evil laugh* So remember, do as you're told." (Why yes, I am bitter, thank you for asking.) It just seems perverse to me.
Love you all! Comment and make me feel warm and fuzzy, instead of depressed about the state of the world in general, and my country specifically.
(The individual who writes this 'blog has just stepped away from her computer. She has in no way been arrested for anything at all, so forget I mentioned it. Go about your business.)
While I was idly thinking about Guy Fawkes, it occurred to me excatly how odd Guy Fawkes day is. For those who don't know, Guy Fawkes was part of a catholic plot, know as the Gunpowder Plot, to blow up parliament... I think. Hold up, I'll just check.
(While I'm absent, please enjoy this lovely interlude of almost silence and general life noise, brought to you by which ever god you believe in. Or fail to believe in. Whichever. To quote Winterson:
"I can't go to church. I'm not of the generation who simply believe. I can't put my trust in science either, whose most spectacular miracles have not been to feed the multitude on five loaves and two fish, or to raise the dead, but to perfect mass destruction and prolong senility.
"On those ratings, God is still ahead.
"My knees will not permit of yoga. I do not have the frame for an orange sari or the mind of the East. I can't hear the sound of one hand clapping or find peace through twenty years of silent archery. I don't doubt any of it, but I can't do it." - from 'A Green Square' by Jeanette Winterson.
But this is an aside. I'm looking up Guy Fawkes. No, really.)
Okay: on November 5, 1605, a group of catholics, lead by Fawkes, attempted to assassinate James I and both houses of parliament by blowing up Westminster Palace with a whole heap of gunpowder placed in the cellar. Due to a letter, possibly sent by one of the conspirators, the plot was discovered and the 'disaster' averted. (This is neat, though: Guy Fawkes is often described as "the only man to ever enter parliament with honourable intentions.") Now, every year on Novermber 5th, children make effigies of Fawkes, get people to give them money (it's kinda like trick-or-treating) and then, come nightfall, throw the effigy on a bonfire. It's called (funnily enough) Guy Fawkes day.
Anyway, to get to the point, my thought was this: isn't it somewhat perverse to have a day devoted to the remembrance of some guy who failed to blow up parliament? I mean, why not have a day commemorating the guy who failed to blow up Hitler? The only thing I can think of (in order to rationalise it) is that it's the British government's way of telling the public that resistance is futile: "See boys and girls? This is what happens if you rebel against us. You get burnt alive! *evil laugh* So remember, do as you're told." (Why yes, I am bitter, thank you for asking.) It just seems perverse to me.
Love you all! Comment and make me feel warm and fuzzy, instead of depressed about the state of the world in general, and my country specifically.
(The individual who writes this 'blog has just stepped away from her computer. She has in no way been arrested for anything at all, so forget I mentioned it. Go about your business.)
9 comments:
*warm fuzz!* *warm fuzz!*
Agreed on Fawkes— it is odd.
What was your opinion of V for Vendetta?
if only i could use my lj icons, i have a GREAT willow/tara ship icon that actually says warm fuzzy feeling. tis of both of them cuddling. you imagine that icon on this comment. and while we're at it, you still owe me the answer to my question of your feelings about kennedy, woman i'm curious....c'mon....you know you want to share....
newoo big hugs and happy thoughts.
didn't really know about guy fawkes until i saw v for vendetta, which btw kicks some major ass and everybody should see it, often. :) that's all for now from the short, confused jew.
Yay for warm fuzz!
Alas, I have not yet seen V for Vendetta, though I do plan to when there is DVD. I take it that it makes mention of Guy Fawkes day?
Jess, you asked about Kennedy? I don't remember which will be why I haven't answered. What was the question?
just wondered about your feelings on her. considering how much you love tara and all the bile towards kennedy on the net. me personally i kinda like her, it's a different relationship and all. just pondering.
v for vendetta is about a guy who wears a guy fawkes mask as he tries to take down the government so yeah he makes mention of guy fawkes day and guy fawkes several times. tis an awesome movie.
Oh, I'm pro-Kennedy. She's an interesting and very different character to Tara, thought a little obvious to my mind, and she and Willow have a very different relationship to the one Willow had with Tara. I don't understand the bile; I mean, it's a television show and, while Tara was my favourite character (and one of the very few things that really bugs me about Buffy (and Angel and Firefly) is that Joss seems to confuse destroying the characters' love-lives with creating dramatic tension), Tara's death was appropriate and relatively well-timed and I certainly didn't expect Willow to remain single forever after. I mean, sure, she was in love with Tara, but she's also only 21 years old. She has her whole life ahead of her and a relationship with someone else doesn't mean she's stopped loving Tara. It means she's growing up. Or desperately trying to escape a period in her life which both causes her pain because of Tara's death and causes guilt because she tried to destroy the world. Take your pick.
But then, I liked Tara quite independent of her relationship with Willow. I like her as a character, as an individual, because she possessed a maturity, depth of understanding and a willingness to do what was right and to stand up for her principles, even if she didn't like the consequences of doing so, that most of the characters in the show were only just learning. Willow was never one of my favourites anyway; if I had to pick a scooby, it'd be Xander. Does that answer your question?
V for Vendetta is definitely on my list of things to see, though I missed it at the movies. Too damn tired. Ah well, it'll come out on video eventually.
yeah i never understood the hatred of kennedy then again there are people who hate both oz and tara because the the ships they follow. there's a great part of the commentary for chosen where joss talked about wanting to bring tara back but how he was glad he got to do something different and he found that with willow/kennedy. plus it's been mentioined in other critiques that that ship brought out lessons and changes for both characters. so yea. plus you get the excellent ep killer in me which goes into willow's guilt and pain with tara's death. the fact that she turned into tara's killer because she felt she had killed tara by moving on. thank you for answering the question btw.
YOU'LL LOVE V FOR VENDETTA! you just will. i recommend reading the graphic novel at some point, which is what plan on doing just because i'm thinking it'll flesh out the story plus i want to see what all the changes were and how it affects the message.
Eek! Hi! Yay! Exams go well? When are you coming to see me?
tim's alive? where was the email? the celebration? tim? are you there?
:) be good to hear from you.
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