Literature and Poetry

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Permalink Reply by Percy the Dreamweaver and Son. on October 9, 2009 at 6:50pm

In A Vision of the Last Judgement Blake writes:

Error is Created. Truth is Eternal. Error, or Creation, will be Burned up, & then, & not till Then, Truth or Eternity will appear. It is Burnt up the Moment Men cease to behold it. I assert for My Self that I do not behold the outward Creation & that to me it is hindrance & not Action; it is as the Dirt upon my feet, No part of Me. "What," it will be Question'd, "When the Sun rises, do you not see a round disk of fire somewhat like a Guinea?" Oh no, no, I see an Innumerable company of the Heavenly host crying, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty.' I question not my Corporeal or Vegetative Eye any more than I would Question a Window concerning Sight. I look thro' it & not with it.

William Wordsworth remarked, "There was no doubt that this poor man was mad, but there is something in the madness of this man which interests me more than the sanity of Lord Byron and Walter Scott.".

D.C.Williams (1899-1983) said that Blake was a romantic with a critical view on the world, he maintained that Blake's Songs of Innocence were made as a view of an ideal, somewhat Utopian view whereas he used the Songs of Experience in order to show the suffering and loss posed by the nature of society and the world of his time.

He was a mentally troubled man.....Many are like him....I'm trying to find his thoughts on Genius, but can't seem to place 'em (thought they were on my 'phone/memory card, but "Noooo")...It's a very correct and simple theory...where is it ??????///...I'll find them and'll post 'em........Byeeeeeee.

Permalink Reply by Percy the Dreamweaver and Son. on October 14, 2009 at 10:13pm

Whilst being incarcerated here in hospital I shall be taking the opportunity to read for the 5th/6th time, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist by Robert Tressell. Below is a lengthy synopsis taken from the Trade Union Council's (T.U.C.) website.

It should be a given read within all schools....A history of pre- the Labour Political Party.....The Birth of Socialism in this Country.

Robert Tressell was the pen name of Robert Noonan author of "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists" which was written in 1910.

'The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists' (RTP) is a very readable account of how capitalism operates in the workplace, but in some ways it is also a very contradictory book. It rarely lets the bosses and 'Idlers' off the hook, yet the nearest thing to a working-class hero, Frank Owen, shows little faith in winning economic reforms through collective action. It shows that some workers get 'some of their own back', some of the time, but marginalizes trade unions. However, it demonstrates that do-it-yourself reforms are temporary, and that individual workers are powerless against the bosses, so it provides an excellent case for organising against capitalist exploitation, which is why it has been part of many trade union activists' tool-kits for almost a century.
RTP also offers a socialist critique of many of the ideas that seek to justify class society, and it retains an ultimate faith in the coming Co-operative Commonwealth; yet it does not tackle (let alone solve) the problem of how to get there. Owen is clear that the basic problem is politically rooted in 'The present system - competition - capitalism.' And he rejects reformism: 'it's no good tinkering at it. Everything about it is wrong and there's nothing about it that's right. There's only one thing to be done with it and that is to smash it up and have a different system altogether.' But he sees his job as winning workers to socialist ideas, which are rarely tested in practice, and he offers no political strategy, or even a set of tactics.

Towards the end of the book Owen hands over the baton to the middle-class socialist, George Barrington. He has a plan: 'you must fill the House of Commons with Revolutionary socialists'. Yet he assumes that the state is a neutral machine whose drivers will be allowed to steer society towards socialism, unmolested by capitalists, their hangers-on, the armed forces, the judiciary and the civil service, not to mention rival imperial powers. Of course, we have seen this plan fail - above all in Chile in the early 1970s. Yet while RTP was close to the cutting edge of British socialist thought when it was completed in 1910, it could not have been a fully Marxist novel, because by then Marxism had hardly touched the British working class. Its politics wobble between reform and revolution, but it contains some key Marxist ideas. The 'Great Money Trick', above all, has been put to work by generations of socialists to illustrate why we need to 'Blame the System', and to encourage us to build the kind of party needed to get rid of it altogether.

Sadly, the book that Robert Noonan wrote was not the one that was published, three years after his death, on 23 April 1914. The editor, Jessie Pope, cut out much of its socialist politics and all of Barrington's ideas about revolutionaries, while the publisher, Grant Richards, aimed his expensive edition at the liberal middle-class. The book sold quite well until August, when sales 'died', just as reformist socialist leaders forgot their internationalist rhetoric and got behind their 'own' national ruling classes in the Great War. However, after the experience of the imperialist slaughter and the example of the Russian Revolution of October 1917, some rank and file socialists cottoned on to RTP, and in 1918 Richards published an even shorter version for a working-class market. This cheap but politically gutted edition sold very well, especially when the General Strike was betrayed by union leaders terrified of taking political responsibility in 1926, and when the Labour Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, helped the Tories make workers pay for capitalism's crisis after 1931.

In the early 1930s a handful of socialists in the Labour Party thought about building a socialist alternative, but most of them stayed. However, especially after Hitler came to power in 1933, many other socialists joined the Communist Party of Great Britain. In 1935, as Stalin was moving right towards a Popular Front perspective, The Richards Press reissued the 1914 edition of RTP. Then, in 1940, during World War 2, Penguin published a sixpenny paperback of the 1918 edition. From 1941, after Hitler broke his pact with Stalin and Russia joined the Allies, Communists pushed the Penguin edition, especially in the armed forces and the trade unions. Ironically, what was left of its socialist content contributed to Labour's landslide victory in 1945, and to the 1947-8 alliance with US imperialism which is still with us today. Eventually, in 1955, just before Stalin's crimes were made public, and thanks to Fred Ball and Jack Beeching, the reconstructed 'complete' edition appeared from the Communist Party publisher, Lawrence & Wishart. A paperback followed in 1965. To date RTP has sold well over a million copies in more than one hundred printings and at least six languages, and it continues to sell very well indeed.

Some supercilious people argue that RTP appeals, above all in periods of working-class defeat, because of its 'pessimism' and 'elitism'; and it is true that the book is sometimes very hard on workers: 'They were the enemy... They were the real oppressors...They were the people who were really responsible for the continuation of the present system... No wonder the rich despised them and looked upon them as dirt. They were despicable. They were dirt. They admitted it and gloried in it.' So, 'Truly the wolves have an easy prey.' But are millions of working-class readers masochists, or are today's socialists just plain stupid?

Most of the negative outbursts about workers in RTP do not come from the socialists, Owen and Barrington. Their arguments with workmates are reported as dialogues, and, sometimes, as bitter and sarcastic monologues. But often, especially after they win the argument but lose the vote, it is the narrative voice which 'reports' their thought processes as they deal with their frustrations. In the 1920s the Russian literary theorist, Valentin Volosinov, argued that this technique was an ideal way of representing 'class struggle in the head.' But whose heads? The narrative voice addresses not Owen and Barrington, but us, the readers, so we, too, are involved in the ideological struggle, and are encouraged to take sides all the time.

We live in a capitalist world, and imperialism remains red in tooth and claw. So we face the same basic choices as Owen and Barrington. Do we give in to sophisticated despair, blame other workers, and claim that they can't or won't change? Do we argue that, since capitalism is allegedly all-powerful, we should settle for a few crumbs from the table? Or do we carry on, like Noonan, patiently explaining how the 'Great Money Trick' works, then go on to organise fighting unions, and to build a party, rooted in the working class, which, amongst other things, sends socialists (including revolutionaries) to Parliament? RTP continues to offer this choice, and its socialist ideas remain very relevant to those of us prepared to put them into practice in these increasingly anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist times.

Told you it was lengthy....
Liverpool Trades Union Council unveiled a blue plaque dedicated to Robert Tressell at The Old Royal Liverpool Infirmary, Brownlow Practice, Pembroke Place, Liverpool at 10. 30 am on Sunday 3rd February 2008.

The author died of phthisis pulmonalis (tuberculosis) in the hospital in 1911.

Permalink Reply by s <3 on October 14, 2009 at 10:24pm

My Granddad, the Druid, was a staunch unionist, he disliked Winston Churchill a great deal, the only reason I was ever told was that Churchill did something terrible in WWII, leaving some soldiers to die somewhere. My Granddad was in WWI, in the cavalry, his horse was called Monty. He had a fight with an officer, and faced a court marshall, so deserted and rejoined under another name. He never got caught! That's the story I was told.

Permalink Reply by Percy the Dreamweaver and Son. on October 15, 2009 at 12:57am

Churchill did more than one, unacceptable 'error' during those times.

I'd've loved to've met your Grandfather, he had a very full Life. And an enlightened one, it seems.

Great story about your Grandfather and re-joining. In those innocent days one could get away with so much, huh ?

Permalink Reply by s <3 on October 15, 2009 at 9:17am

My Grandfather had a very colourful life, full to the brim. I wish I had know him better and spent more time with him too.

Back in those days boys of 16 would join up and fight!

My Grandfather never told me what it was that Churchill did that so upset him so, but he was not the sort of man to dislike anyone for no reason.

Permalink Reply by Percy the Dreamweaver and Son. on October 19, 2009 at 2:16am

My Daughters came to see me today at the hospital and brought a book of poems, all with their subject being, Southwark, the borough where I was born (and live now). The works are in varied age groups, but the two I'm copying here are from the 5 - 11 year group.

The second is quite obviously 10, the other around 7, I think.

Both show the innocent quality of children. Fabulous stuff.

By : Chloe Sarah Murr.

I love Southwark
especially the park
with slippery slides and flying swings
and really dizzy roundabout things.

I love Southwark
especially the park
with towering monkey bars
and golden painted stars.

I love Southwark
especially the park
the thing I like best
I'll write it by name
I really like the climbing frame.

I adore the image, "..and golden stars". Wonderful. Also the speed and fun of the 1st stanza, and how it all slowed so quickly with the "..stars", line. Magical....I bet she's great, huh ?

This next one makes me think of a child that really, really wants to be the best and LOVES their subject.

By : Courtney Dixon.

School rules but science is the best
No intestines is better than me !
Pleasure-less Maths, English or D.T.
Freak
I will be competitive and mean
No one is better than me
The Year Five
Science Queen !

Permalink Reply by s <3 on October 19, 2009 at 10:05am

They are great poems...... I love children. I wish "adults" would pay more attention to them, they are very wise and insightful.

Nice that you have had a visit form you daughters.

Permalink Reply by Percy the Dreamweaver and Son. on November 10, 2009 at 7:27pm

REVOLUTION IN THE HEAD.
Ian MacDonald.

Just finished this one, my Lovely Girlfriend bought it for me whilst I sit pondering on Death's doorstep ! Lovely girl.xxxxxx.

Ian MacDonald's "Revolution In The Head" is perhaps the definitive work of Beatles music criticism. MacDonald examines every Beatles song, analysing how it works musically and exploring the context in which it was written and recorded. ....The Beatles geek's handbook and bible. I'm ya man for that description. Look no further.

Here he introduces the seventh track from "Sgt. Pepper", 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!'.......Plus a pic of the lads with Stu Sutctcliffe and Pete Best and a couple of things to make this posting less boring..........................

" Lennon double-tracked vocal, Hammond organ; McCartney bass, guitar; Harrison harmonica; Starr drums, tambourine, harmonica; George Martin harmonium, Lowery organ, glockenspiel, tape-effects; Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall harmonicas

Recorded: 17th February 1967, Abbey Road 2; 20th February 1967, Abbey Road 3; 28th-29th, 31st March 1967, Abbey Road 2.

Producer: George Martin.

Engineer: Geoff Emrick.

UK release: 1st June 1967 (LP: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)

US release: 2nd June 1967 (LP: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)

While The Beatles were filming a promo for ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ in Sevenoaks, Kent, on 31st January, Lennon wandered into an antiques shop and picked up a Victorian circus poster advertising ‘the last night but three’ of a show put on by some travelling tumblers in Rochdale in 1843. This appealed to his sense of the ridiculous and, when the new album called for another composition from him, he hung the poster on the wall of his home studio and, playing his piano, sang phrases from it until he had a song. Taking it to Abbey Road, he asked George Martin for a ‘fairground’ production wherein one could smell the sawdust – which, while not in the narrowest sense a musical specification, was, by Lennon’s standards, a clear and reasonable request. (He once asked Martin to make one of his songs sound like an orange.) While The Beatles’ producer worked more naturally with the conventionally articulate McCartney, the challenge of catering to Lennon’s intuitive approach generally spurred him to his more original arrangements, of which ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite’ is an outstanding example. Using harmonium, harmonicas, and a tape of Victorian steam organs and calliopes cut up and edited into a kaleidoscopic wash, he created a brilliantly whimsical impression of period burlesque, ideally complementing Lennon’s dry nasal delivery. Few producers have displayed a tenth of the invention shown here.

Lennon was happy with the effect but not with the song, which he considered facile. Most would beg to differ. Ingeniously matching its serpentine melody, the lyric elaborates on its poster text with real wit, while, with its irresistible image of a solemnly waltzing horse, the track as a whole offers a grotesque sequel to McCartney’s wholesome ‘Yellow Submarine’ which only a professional misanthrope could fail to enjoy. Yet Lennon was by nature – and later on principle – distrustful of objective art (i.e., anything that didn’t directly concern himself). Unable to appreciate the pleasure his imagination brought to others, he fashioned things like this with fluent ease only to reject them for having entailed none of the pain by which he measured creative authenticity. A spontaneous expression of its author’s playful hedonism, ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite!’ was repudiated by the puritan in him. "

© Ian MacDonald, 1994. Published by Pimlico 2005. Used by permission of The Random House Group Limited.

(Indra Club. Hamburg. 9 Aug., 1960).

Permalink Reply by s <3 on November 10, 2009 at 8:22pm

Excellent book for you Percy..... shows how much she loves you.

Sevenoaks has no oaks left after the storm of 1986, or so I believe.

It's one of the beautiful towns on the A25..... ones that still retain all their old charm...... Westerham, Oxted, Reigate, not Redhill, Dorking, Guildford, Godstone..... that's as far as my knowledge extends!

Permalink Reply by Percy the Dreamweaver and Son. on November 10, 2009 at 9:30pm

Don't know it at all.......

Shame about the trees. I remember taking my 'Friend', Lela and her dog over to Hyde Park a couple of days after the storm. It was awful. All those huge, stately trees on their sides. Horrible. At least it was natural not man-made, though, Sue.x

Permalink Reply by s <3 on November 10, 2009 at 10:15pm

It was terrible, I suppose living in London you perhaps did not have the same type of damage.

There were so many trees down, people in the village did not have electricity for a while, I don't remember how long exactly but it was about a week.

I was worried that they stables were I kept my horse at the time would have been hit, as they were next to many big trees, but not one of the trees there were damaged, and my horse was unperturbed by it all, and he was and still is the nervous type.

It took weeks and weeks to clear all the mess and those who had chainsaws made a killing.

I slept though it all and woke to the chaos.....

I will check about Sevenoaks loosing all of their oaks, I might have remembered wrong... I know they lost a good few, but they may have one or two still standing.

I get upset when trees are damaged, they are very special and should be treated as wonderful old treasures, if only they could talk. We have some lovely trees where we are, and some very old ones too. We occasionally hear a crack and then a crash, the sound is very spooky, that's when a tree looses a limb, beech trees do it sometimes. Even more sad is when a tree just falls over. That's when happens rarely when there has been a lot of rain and the trees are in full leaf, I guess all the leaves and the soggy ground have difficulty in keeping the tree upright and sometimes the leaves are just too heavy with the weight of the rain on them too, so the soil gives way. They often still survive even if they have fallen. We have more than one or two like that.

Permalink Reply by Percy the Dreamweaver and Son. on November 10, 2009 at 11:21pm

Very sad Sue. All the damage that was done.

I slept through too !! Sue, my ex-, and me and the children lived at Blackheath but I had my flat as well 'nd was staying there that night. I had workmen coming the following a.m. to do some maintenance on the boiler (can't remember her name now ! BOOM-BOOM !!!).

My place has venetian blinds throughout and I didn't open 'em when I arose.

I 'phoned the company to check they were definitely coming (you know what it's like. You sit in and no one and their pets turn up !).

The woman at the other end was going on and on about some storm and they weren't able to turn up blah, blah, blah................or so I thought.......... and acted, verbally, accordingly !!!!! She eventually told me she wasn't going to listen to me go on and on when there were others in a far worse situation due to the night before...........and disconnected the call !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was FURIOUS !!!!!!

Then I opened the blinds.

My road's lined with plane trees (I live on Long Lane, Borough). One right outside my living room window. It wasn't there. Nor was the one opposite ! Awful, just awful.

There's new ones now, of course.

I've often heard branches fall. It's a strong sound, huh ? Never ever seen a tree topple.

Your horse wasn't affected, no ? You know, it may be because it's natural, not man made as I said before. The animals may have worries whilst whatever it is occurs but after, their senses tell them the problem's over. Whereas if it's something totally alien to the natural World it's another story. We're the same. A disaster caused through nature never bothers us as much as a 'self inflicted', or, 'man inflicted' devastation. It brings a subconscious/conscious worry of the unknown. The idea one's not sure what may attack again. With the addition that, probably, the destruction, or whatever, was/is caused by something mechanical. Which, unless armed, you are likely as not unable to counter. Fear of the unknown............as with pets during Fireworks Night. You know there are silent fireworks now ?

Just an idea.

If you miss this elsewhere I'll put it here too. What made you think Teà maybe was 21 ? She's not only stunningly attractive both inwardly and outwardly (I am such a Lucky fella. I really and truly am) but she is also 38. Her birthday's 16th of April. As I wrote earlier about this somewhere else, Aries and Leo, a brilliant coupling. If you believe in astrology etc. The Chinese horoscope's pretty accurate when it comes to me, but doesn't think T and I will hit it off, relationship-wise. Wrong there though. We compliment each other quite well. As does rhubarb and custard. We are completelyccompatible Lucky buggers, the both of us.