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Young Writers Society


E - Everyone

Generations of Inspiration

by HopelessRealist


Yes, I am back. I have returned from the silence with a fresh breath of old English frustrations and concerns. On looking back on the shambles that was my first piece of work on this website I thought that in this piece I would try to redeem myself and fittingly touch upon the people that have inspired me to be who I am. I often believe that you other humans lack a similar intelligence to me, in fact that is wrong. The people that will be reading this are most likely older or of similar age to me and believe me, I respect you immensely for wasting your time reading thus far. No, it is the younger generations that I have given up hope with. 

On visiting your social media hubs, you know them better as Twitter and Facebook, I came to the conclusion that the younger generations should all be wiped out and we should start again. This I suggest should start at the age of 16 and we should rid the world of those of and below that age. (If you are a child reading this below or of the age of 16 then take no personal offence from this, I just despise brats such as yourself). I was actually never a child, I was born into a child's body but developed the brain of an adult at the age of 3-4 weeks. The weeks before my enlightenment consisted of crying and eating of which I recall fondly. 

Nevertheless, younger generations below my own have really let the human race down and if there was ever a time for the world to 'rage quit' (gamer reference) then it would most likely be very soon if not now. In face I was rather looking forward to this End of the World malarky in 2012 but as we saw and most likely assumed, the world carried on spinning and the only armageddon that we witnessed was the release of the song 'Gangnam Style'. 

Therefore we now come back to my original topic of the piece (finally), people who have inspired me to be and become who I am today and who I shall be in the future. Unfortunately for you literacy animals and English anoraks there is only one author who has ever and will ever inspire me, I believe we have found a fitting place to start:

Oscar Wilde - Where can we start with Oscar Wilde? He is the most influential and most widely respected authors of all time. With sensational works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and Lady Windermere's Fan he conveys a perfectly imperfect society in the Victorian Era in England and uses the most sumptuous of epigrams and literacy techniques to delve into the beauty, sentiment and complexity of literature. He was the leading aristocrat in the Aesthetic Movement and changed the look of English society through the power of his writing. He was cultivated, controversial and fantastically gay which leads me to make him both my favourite author and man of all time. His flamboyancy and outright outrageousness inspire a feeling of admiration for the man imprisoned for his homosexuality and death at a reasonably young age. Every piece of work, every cigar, every tumbler of whiskey, I dedicate to you Mr Wilde! 

Favourite quote: "We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless."

Joseph Stalin - *winces eyes and clenches teeth* Oooh controversial, I know. Stalin is considered one of the world's most brutal and evil dictators ever to have lived, up there with the high-rollers such as Hitler and Kim Jong Il. However it is not his philosophy and actions that I admire, he effectively enslaved a majority of the Soviet population and forced them to work and die in the name of collectivisation. He was highly intelligent. He was passionate and brave. He was formidable. His work ethic was unsurpassed. The Soviet Union prior to his rule was a country on the brink of collapse, Stalin had the greatest hurdles to overcome and he achieved the most. He beat Trotsky to the leadership seat against all odds post Lenin and so for me his undoubted determination and fearless conviction to save Russia and to make it into one of the world's most powerful states can only be admired. 

Thomas Tarquin Asch - I would guarantee every reader any money that you do not know this man and unfortunately it is your loss. He was and still is the man that introduced me to and taught me Government and Politics in school. Before taking the subject the thought of Politics bored me intensely and he changed my mind from the start. Mr Asch, the title he was handed as a school teacher was and remains to be the funniest and most incredibly strange man I have and most probably will ever meet. A stocky, if not 'fat', man in his early 40's, standing at around 6ft 5" he was and is the most scary man that anyone who has had the pleasure to meet him will know. Sporting dark brown hair and a dark brown amish beard and a booming deep voice that could make a Wolverine purr, he was both flamboyant and interesting to listen to. His philosophies on everything were intellectually teasing and often scattered with incredible humour. His repetitive and completely predicable one line puns and jokes will never be forgotten along with his vast knowledge of quite literally every subject under the sun. The man should have a knighthood. 

That is all I have time for right now, by this I mean I am running out of things to say and my fingers may be hanging off by the skin. I have been tapping away at my keyboard for some time and hope that the length of this post has not put you off my work. I can agree that compared to the first piece it lacked considerable humour and intelligence but a fine balance between the both is what I intend to supply. I hope for your sake that this piece did not bore you intensely but instead I hope you found it both enjoyable and interesting.

Hopefully I will see you back here soon, as my next piece shall be much lighter and furiously controversial. Follow me for more work coming soon, leave a comment and a like and I will be sure to review your work with equal enthusiasm.


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Sun Jul 27, 2014 7:24 pm
Carina wrote a review...



Hi, HopelessRealist! Captain of Team Plasma here to deliver a review in this Pokemon-themed review day. This piece is unlike any of the pieces I've ever read, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I've quotes snippets from your piece, and I'm going to break it down to a few categories: tone, grammar, and relevancy to the thesis/topic sentence. Seeing as you're quite professional and a realist, I may be on the blunt side of things, so apologies in advance. Reviews are simply critiques to help the writer, after all. So let's get started.

I often believe that you other humans lack a similar intelligence to me, in fact that is wrong.

Always, always avoid the dreaded second-person "you" whenever possible. It's a common mistake in writing, and there is a beam of falsehood in every sentence with the subject as you.
In addition, the "you other humans" seems demoralizing, like there are two categories: other humans and non-humans. If the reader is reading this piece, they're most likely 100% human just like you. This is a minor red herring ad hominem fallacy, which is a personal attack that attacks the arguer rather than the argument.

you know them better as Twitter and Facebook

Another sentence with "you" as the subject.

FIRST PARAGRAPH

The first paragraph is the most important in any kind of writing, whether it be in prose or essays. It contains the hook that is essentially the "make-or-break" since the reader can choose to stop reading if he/she finds it too boring. However, specifically in an article or essay, the first paragraph also contains a thesis. The thesis, as you might already know, is the one-sentence summary of what the article is all about.

I'm not picking up a strong vibe out of the first paragraph. The hook was weak since it centers around you without a link that the reader can relate to, and the whole paragraph seemed like a ramble. Make it interesting; ask yourself, "If I was a reader and I didn't know me, would they keep on reading?" In addition, the thesis was hard to place. In fact, I'm unsure if it's even there, but perhaps it's, "No, it is the younger generations that I have given up hope with"?

(If you are a child reading this below or of the age of 16 then take no personal offence from this, I just despise brats such as yourself).

First off, if the number is three words of less, type it out so it spells sixteen.
Second, the parentheses are distracting and take the reader out of the mood. I advise to remove it altogether or reword so it fits into the paragraph nicely.
Third, the sentence is ironic and contradictory. The topic sentence was that everyone that is sixteen or under must go; how are they not going to be offended? To say that they should "take no personal offense" in insulting and antithetical.
Fourth, you once again used the red herring/argumentum ad hominem fallacy where you attack younger readers with "brats such as yourself." It's out of place and makes you look incredibly unprofessional. Never, ever use personal attacks in essays or articles.

SECOND PARAGRAPH

The topic sentence is acceptable; you want to wipe out the people sixteen and under. Okay, sure, the sentence is strong, and it's going to take a lot to convince the readers, but...there were no supporting details. It was a hit-and-run; you made a big remark and had no details to prove your point. Don't just tell me; tell me why you want them wiped out. All there is in that paragraph is the topic sentence saying you want them exterminated, another sentence about the age range, an ironic sentence in parentheses, and then your own personal story of an adult brain. There are no supporting details at all, which weakens your thesis.

'rage quit' (gamer reference)

If you bring up the fact that you've lived your life in maturity with an adult brain, then keep the professional tone and don't bring up "childish" themes such as games. Keep the tone consistent.

Nevertheless, younger generations below my own have really let the human race down, and if there was ever a time for the world to 'rage quit,' (gamer reference) then it would most likely be very soon if not now.

Grammar check, which I added above. There needs to be more commas. Nevertheless isn't necessary either, and the whole paragraph can be merged with the one above.

In face

Typo.

THIRD PARAGRAPH

The topic sentence was that younger generations have let everyone down, but the corresponding sentence seems very out of place. It's not the younger generation's fault that Gangnam style was released, nor was the whole 2012 facade mainly targeting the younger generation. Stay on topic.

FOURTH PARAGRAPH: Therefore we now come back to my original topic of the piece (finally) ...

You're supposed to stay on the original topic the whole time. Never take irrelevant tangents in an article. After all—and this is ironic—most of the younger generation does that. :p

... people who have inspired me to be and become who I am today and who I shall be in the future.

Time out. Is this the original topic of the piece? As the reader, I interpreted your thesis as exterminating the younger generation. Perhaps you can make your thesis more clear.

Where can we start with Oscar Wilde?

Not needed.

With sensational works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and Lady Windermere's Fan he conveys a perfectly imperfect society in the Victorian Era in England and uses the most sumptuous of epigrams and literacy techniques to delve into the beauty, sentiment and complexity of literature.

This is a good sentence; it's on topic and conveys a professional tone.

I dedicate to you Mr Wilde!

There is only one Mr. Wilde, so stay consistent in a universal tone for the audience. It's an easy fix; simply remove the you.

*winces eyes and clenches teeth* Oooh ...

Unprofessional and takes me out of the mood. Probably best to remove or reword into literary text.

He beat Trotsky to the leadership seat against all odds post Lenin and so for me his undoubted determination and fearless conviction to save Russia and to make it into one of the world's most powerful states can only be admired.

This is a run-on. Add punctuation or break it down.

I would guarantee every reader any money that you do not know this man and unfortunately it is your loss.

That's not quite how you start a topic sentence. Perhaps, "Although he is not as famous for his work, he was and still is ..." Stay unbiased.

Mr Asch, the title he was handed as a school teacher, was and remains to be the funniest and most incredibly strange man I have and most probably will ever meet.


"he was and is/will..."

There are countless of times when there's a situation where you say, "he is and will always be" or (taken from above) "was and remains to be." I get what you're trying to say, and I totally understand, but it's getting predictable. It's also lost it's punch since I've read variants of that so many times, so use them sparingly.

FIFTH PARAGRAPH: That is all I have time for right now, by this I mean I am running out of things to say and my fingers may be hanging off by the skin.

This is a bit of a ramble. Topic sentences relate to the thesis, so stay relevant—paragraph or topic. The whole paragraph is like a, "Come back soon!" gimmick. Always, always follow the thesis—otherwise it is not an article, and I would suggest the 'Other' category instead.

Here is a link of fallacies in case you are interested.
Fallacies
Wikipedia List of Fallacies

That's all for now. PM me if you have any questions.

Keep writing!

~Carina




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Sun Jul 27, 2014 6:58 pm
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Rosendorn wrote a review...



Hello.

This was highly disorganized, and appeared to be three essays in one that you glued together without any thought for how they'd match and expected us to say it was a pretty picture.

First, you begin with the thesis that everyone under 16 should be killed off. This was actually a well organized thesis statement and I was filled with morbid curiosity on why you picked such a topic, as it appeared to be satire.

Then you switch to three bios and never return to your original topic, effectively rendering your thesis statement irrelevant.

Your conclusion ties all the way back into your first sentence where you're talking about frustrations, and about how you will return again. This does not, by any stretch of the imagination, mean you are talking about your thesis.

There is absolutely no consistency here, when an essay basically demands it. Why are you putting in the information you are delivering? How do your favourite people relate to why we should kill off everybody under 16? You do not resolve anything when a good satirical essay will thoroughly explore an issue to the point readers feel satisfied the argument is whole and complete when they finish, even if it is completely ridiculous. Satire is, after all, meant to ridicule and shame in the hopes of improving society.

All in all, pick a topic and stick with it. Then you'l have good satire.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

~Rosey




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Sun Jul 27, 2014 2:57 pm
ScarletDreams14 wrote a review...



Hey there! Scarlet here, as you know It's review day.

You know what that means, time to review!

Nitpicks first...


- The only possible nitpick I have is the first line. Nothing too tremendous, I just don't see why the first letter of Yes is bolded.

Yes, I am back.


- That's for you to explain, but it's not that big of a problem.

Other than that, you did a wonderful job.

Despite the fact I'm one of them brats you we're referring too. That doesn't bother me as much, I'm only 2 years under the age of 16. I'm rather mature and tend to stay out of trouble. Your article was rather entertaining and I loved getting into your insight on everything.

Good job and keep writing!


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Sincerely, Scarlet; Member of #0000BF ">Team Aqua!


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Fri Jul 25, 2014 12:22 am
wtppowers wrote a review...



Hello, HopelessRealist! It's Mr. Powers here, with another fun and exciting review! Tonight, I'm going to look at this article, which seems to be quite negative toward young people. It's Hopelessly Realistic, as you'd say.

I sense a hint of egotistical feelings before you hit the Oscar Wilde section. You believe that your brain is one of an adult, while you make it seem that your peers have the brains of goldfish. I'm not going to rip you apart for this. Why? Because I agree with you.

The youth of today, the kids of the 2000s (and even the Millennials) are lacking in everything. Intelligence, morals... you name it. We do spend too much time on social media outlets and do some mind-boggling stuff.

But now we get to the point of the article: to inform the reader of who influenced you and made you who you are today.

Oscar Wilde was a genius. I certainly did not know he was homosexual. I guess you learn something new everyday. Joesph Stalin, too, was a genius. A brutal genius, but still... he did help Russia become a leading industrial power. Without him, Russia would be in the dark ages for a lot longer than it was. And so what if 40 million people or so had to die? You gotta pay for progress, right? And Thomas Asch is certainly an odd choice. And yes, while 99.9% of readers have no clue as to who he is (I'm in that .1%), he would be heralded as a God if he were more popular.

In summation, I quite liked this article. The research you put into those three men was fantastic. You writing style is a bit sophisticated, but that only shows your high intelligence. I give this work two thumbs up and a like. In fact, you've earned my followership, in the hopes that you put out some more quality works!

Please, keep writing!




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Thu Jul 17, 2014 1:26 pm
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donizback wrote a review...



Hello HopelessRealist, welcome to YWS.
I am here for a mini-review.

I won't say much about it because it is nicely structured and the flow was pretty good too! The way you started was quite impressive. I liked it!

Apart from that, there are a couple of very little grammatical mistakes around which I won't bother pointing at because I am not a grammarian or anything as such. I hope someone else would point that out.

Everything was fine about it except for the size. The size seems to be a little longer! This made me skip the comment of Thomas Tarquin Asch :(

Well it was nicely written. I write articles too so I liked your effort; you did a great job writing it.

Looking forward to see your upcoming work.

Cheers,





I say, in matters of the heart, treat yo' self.
— Donna, Parks & Rec