Author: Sonny

I stand here today, humbled by the task before me. I ask myself the question; why aren’t we protecting lives? Innocent people’s lives are at risk, so why aren’t we protecting them? I truly believe that someone who’s life is in danger should be saved, hence using torture as a source to do so. To save many other lives is what is essential. Torture is needed in this country and this is why!

We must come together and legalise torture in certain situations. We must put a stop to the people that threaten our freedom! Everybody’s lives are at risk! And we only have ourselves to blame. Torture will enable us to torture well-known criminals that have committed the worst crimes possible. A case in which torture should have been introduced, is the controversy surrounding Saddam Hussein. A notorious criminal that has been at the forefront such devastation and killings. We allowed this to happen! Hussein was transported to the UK, although due to law limitations, he was transferred to the USA where was hanged. How can a person, that killed 182,000 civilians not suffer the slow death and misery that he caused for many? If we used torture it would of prevented over 182,000 deaths. Without a doubt, torture will allow us to get information that would help prevent deaths in the future. It would be heartbreaking, truly impossible for us to forgive ourselves knowing that we could of used torture to prevent many deaths.

Christianity is the most followed religion throughout the world. Christians use the quote ‘life is holy’, so why aren’t we incorporating this into real life? We must, as a society, come together and protect, protect each other. When deaths of thousands occur, we act like we are sorry and we want to do something about it, so we aren’t we? We come together and introduce things such as comic relief, to save many lives of those in Africa. This is the same concept, why aren’t we coming together and saving other lives that are preventable? Using torture is the only way possible that is going to allow us to save lives.

Today, modern prisons in developed democratic countries such as the US or UK are not a bad place to live. Contrasting to their home, prison may be as good as or even better to live in. People aren’t scared to go to prison any more, there is no fear for going to prison. These criminals still get fed 3 meals a day! They also have the opportunity to use the gym/watch TV. Comparing this with prisoners during the 1930’s, they would be sent to Australia. While they were on the ship, most prisoners would die due to the journey taking so long. However, people would be scared and would fear being tortured, this would minimize death. Also criminals would be fearing doing crimes if they have to face this consequence. How can a criminal be able to live and get fed 3 meals a day? That’s not a punishment, they’re living in luxury!

Imagine a scenario, where your family relative is in danger. Their life is in danger to a point where the only way possible to save them is to resort to torture. Wouldn’t you want to extract information out of someone that knows about the situation? If somebody is refusing to give information about a family member that you love. Then you would want to extract as much information out of the person as possible? Only I can make it happen. It’s imprudent cataclysmic and anachronous, to think that you can’t torture someone due to the modern lifestyle we live. Imagine a family relative, that was captured, emaciated and punished for being innocent. The recent stories revolving around IS militants is a pure example of this. They have captured many innocent people, and held them ransom. They have dismally killed many people. If we used torture, it will allow us to stop these abysmal killings from occurring. So why can’t we use torture?

It is clear that torture is the answer that needs to be used by our country and many others. It will minimize the amount of criminals that is a threat to everybody on Earth. Preventing many deaths is the sole reason to why torture has to be introduced it is truly heart-wrenching, seeing an innocent person being viciously murdered. So why aren’t we being brutal? Why aren’t we harming these despicable excuses of a life? Nobody is safe! And until torture is introduced, we will not be able to stop it.

To Isabelle Kerr,

Regarding your article which conveys slang to be substantially used by the ‘youth’, I comprehensively disagree to how a certain way an individual speaks correlates to ‘so much youth unemployment’. I’m discordant that a person’s dialect would stop them from getting a job. That would be prejudice (judging someone by their features/appearance). The dialect of one human being has refined and evolved, which is why you, Isabelle, are inadequate and cannot understand the meaning of it.

The development of slang commenced many generations ago, where words such as ‘bounce’ and ‘crib’ correlated to someone leaving and to someone’s house. In this day and age, slang emerges when people (mainly youth) use acronyms to express their thoughts. Words such as ‘lol’ (laugh out loud) is an example of this. When people text in this era, people use ‘srsly’ as an alternative to ‘seriously’ and ‘ite’ instead of ‘alright’. The difference between these words, when spoken, would be unrecognisable. Therefore words such as this wouldn’t affect people’s language.

Connected to this, texting and messaging has evolved in recent years, leading to an culmination  of people using slang in text. Slang in messaging has provided an easier and quicker platform to communicate. In addition the internet has also evolved and many people from older generations, as opposed to younger generations, would be sceptical about this. They may even consider the youth to be as ‘shameful’ as you did, Isabelle. However, I believe that slang is a useful way for the younger generation to communicate and express themselves, utilising a different source of ‘language’ to exhibit their ideas. It even allows them to communicate without many other people knowing what they mean.

Slang can be contrasted with cockney rhyme. Cockney rhyme is a dialect; allied to slang, that uses rhyme to express meaning. For example, ‘apples and pears’ would mean stairs. Cockney rhyme is a certain dialect that has been used for centuries, which is considered by many, as a normal thing to do. There are clear parallels between the two. Both of them use a different array of vocabulary to convey and speak a different way. Yet why is  one considered as superior due to it being around for centuries?

It perplexes me to think that slang is the sole reason for ‘youth unemployment’. Personally, it puzzles me to think that there is ‘no hope’ for my generation because many people use a dialect that has been advancing for some time. I believe that this is a totally unique way in which the generation I live in speak, where we use equitable literary terms in an acronym to provide a different meaning.  In contrast with past generations who use slang, ‘take a chill pill’ uses no literary terms. Where as people in my generation use acronym’s like ‘rofl’ to convey a laughing theme (laughing on floor laughing).

According to yourself Isabelle, ‘Shakespeare will be turning in his grave’. This argument is invalid. Firstly the words contained in Shakespeare’s context wouldn’t have existed in the ‘Oxford dictionary’. Words like ‘thee, thou and art’ were widely used within Shakespeare’s time but didn’t appear in the Oxford dictionary. This would therefore mean you’re incorrect Isabelle, because  the English language that Shakespeare introduced doesn’t correlate with the English language that you think is ‘right’.

Furthermore, you display your argument about ‘The Oxford dictionary online’. It is important to remember that the online dictionary can be altered in the click of the button. This therefore means words you stated such as : ‘twerk’ and ‘selfie’ can be deleted instantly. So why do you revolve your life around saying things are right or wrong when they could be deleted instantly?

To conclude, using a morally incorrect term in prejudice doesn’t suggest that the younger generation can or cannot get a job based on their dialect. I completely disagree that the younger generation are ‘at fault’ for using slang; it’s been at the forefront of many generations. I find it unfair that other dialects that have clear parallels to slang, are considered as superior towards it. Thus I believe  that the younger generation speak the same, if not better English than people that have been living in contrast to different generations.

Yours sincerely, Sonny Daykin

I’m sitting on the top of the food chain, carefully awaiting my prey. My features convey that i am the predator, and of someone that doesn’t need to worry about getting hunted. Between my hooked hands and hooked feet I look for my victim that is obsolete, scanning the sky and ground looking for some meat. I am dependent of myself to bring back food for my family, only I am able to feed the chicks. Once i have spotted my prey, I close my eyes, take a breath and fall from the sky.

My features benefit me greatly, my wings allowing me to project with tremendous speed while I hunt my casualty. I have feet to catch thy prey, and deliver the food home. I have an acicular beak to feed the food to my family, and one day I will teach them how to hunt like me. The convenience of the high trees accredit me to develop unstoppable speed while I hunt. It allows me to see every blade of grass possible. The cold air allows me to glide through the air at great speed, circling my next victim, ready to find the opportunity to pounce.

Today, I still find myself cemented. Unable to find the opportunity to kill, I stand on the top of the tallest tree. Looking in desperation for something to extrude. My chicks are intuitively emaciating. Wishing that they could have something to eat. While I wait, I sit, I wonder how unique of a creation I am. My foot is created to incogitable adaptation, scaled to perfection. Each feather has it’s own overwhelming design that enables me to battle through the freezing temperatures I face, and allowing me to keep my chicks warm. I am one of a kind, propitious to be in a commanding position, where I am the hunter, not the prey.

I am not an animal which deceives predators through colour or shape. I’m a menace, a destroyer that happily kills. My manners are about tearing off heads. Although this may portray me as a serial killer, I kill when I please because it’s all mine. I have to live, feed my family and progress, which is why I decimate.

I’ve found it. A small rodent will be the next dinner. From the tree, I find the opportunity to swoop down, moving faster than a cheetah chases it’s prey. I feel the sun’s rays projecting against my back, warming my feathers as I do so. I swoop down to ground level, using the sharp claws on my feet to pick up and squeeze the mouse to death. All in one action I pick up and fly off back to my home.

On my journey back, I spot the glazing sun slowly diverse in the horizon, the sky changing colour. I return home with this rodent to feed my three chicks, however this snack can’t be enough for all of us. The day changes to night, where I find myself in search of a bigger meal. A meal that will be colossal in size compared to the small rodent that I had previous. I use the same procedure of standing on this abundant tree. I am scanning, attempting to find who I shall kill next. These procedures I use, recognise me as one of the efficacious birds of the sky.

Sonny Daykin Creative Writing

There was magic in the air that day, the match’s end was near, the intensity was building, a nail-biting thriller, had come to it’s climax, a stress building final 10 minutes. The fans were cheering, supporting and waving the famous flag showing the red and yellow crest. Counting down the minutes, slowly the momentum was shifting, the belief of the team in red mounted, the immense support was growing, the chants of ‘United’ were screamed from the top of the fans’ lungs and was heard all around the stadium. Nothing had been going right all game, this was total domination. The flow of football from the team in red was non-existent, the victory for the team in grey was imminent. The German giants were moments away from conquering Europe, all they had to do was defend this last gasp corner. Everybody took a deep breath as the corner was about to be taken.

A 90th minute goal had swung the pendulum of the team in red, the relief of a last gasp equaliser was shown like a Mexican wave, a domino effect of silence was heard around the stadium, the team in grey were stunned. The tie at 1-1 was surely heading to an extra 30 minutes in extra time. The belief of the team belief of the team wearing the tremendous world wide known red shirt had rocketed, the players were playing for their lives, every tackle that happened, they would win, every pass would be accurate and reach their man, the tie had turned around. During the final minute of added time, the team known as the ‘Red Devils’ had an almost identical corner to the first, that would surely be the last kick of the game…

The impossible had been accomplished, the fans who supported this colossus of a side cheered in delight, two goals in as many minutes had left this affair unchallengeable, and the opponents had no time for a comeback at all. The sheer belief of this team was phenomenal, this belief had seen them become victorious in this monumental fixture. Celebrations took place wherever it could, inside the stadium, outside of the stadium, at home and on the streets, celebrating this unlikely win, which with three minutes to go, it almost seemed imminent that the team in red would leave this game empty handed. The two managers shook hands, both in shock over this crazy affair.

This victory, had seen the team in red conquer all before them, which saw them complete the famous ‘triple’ which had never been accomplished by an English side. The victory parade had seen the red army come together in support of the great three trophies, where fans were chanting, and getting a glimpse of the great silver wear. As the crowds  circled around the red city, the tremendous pride and belief would go down in history to be one of the greatest ever teams, which they called their beloved Manchester United.