The Cradle Will Rock

The Cradle Will Rock

Writer: Book, music and lyrics by Mark Blitzstein

Director: Mehmet Ergen

Theatre: Arcola Theatre

Dates: 24^th November- 18^th December

The cradle will rock is a radical pro-union musical that premiered in Britain at the Unity Theatre in 1951 and is now the last production celebrating the 10^th anniversary of Arcola Theatre before moving out of Arcola Street. Although Mark Blitzstein had completed his work in September 1936 and several companies considered the material, they thought it too sensitive a subject on which to risk a production. Moll, a new girl in town who gets arrested for soliciting, finds herself in jail alongside an alcoholic former drug shop owner and the members of the “Liberty Committee” formed by Mr. Mister, a rich villain. Throughout the play, we see each one’s of the Committee’s member’s collusion in Mr. Mister’s corrupted tyranny for the sake of money, unfolding before our eyes as flashbacks. Only young Larry Foreman, who becomes the leader of the union, has the guts to stand against the “Liberty Committee” and Mr. Mister himself.

The cradle will rock is a piece about all kinds of prostitution- the press, the church, the courts, the arts and the whole system in general. Each character represents the corruption of each area, starting from Reverence Salvation, who is ready to preach peace or war, according to the financial benefits, to Dr. Specialist who stated that the death of a factory worker was because he was drunk to cover the Committee’s responsibility. As Moll sings at the beginning of Act II (Nickel Under The Foot), we understand what many people could do for money, comfort and social standing. Another theme explored in Blitzstein’s play is the importance of a union and how a mass of people can have so much power over an individual. Of course everything starts from each one of us who like Larry Foreman will have the courage to stand for justice no matter the cause.

The setting was the jail with benches, and a desk, simple enough so that the audience will have no difficulty at all to let their imagination through the flashbacks travel them elsewhere. The language differed depending on each character and musical dialogue, accompanied by the piano, dominated the most of the play.  There were songs as well at certain points. The characters were three-dimensional, engaging and often satiristic.

Although I found some bits of the musical dialogue too long and unnecessary for the development of the plot, it was a very enjoyable play, supported well by its actors and straight through to its message.

Women's empowerment

Switching channels on TV on a Saturday evening, reading a fashion magazine while drinking coffee and surfing the internet for the latest news is all you need to get manipulated and attacked by a massive amount of information about how you should look like and how you could achieve it. This road to perfection, for those who chose to follow, is of course no walk round the corner but a marathon, as the goal is reaching the impossible. When the role-models, given to us by the media, are the most attractive women with a perfect body and facial features, it is at least panicking the load of work and effort we force ourselves to undertake in order to look like them.

As I was walking in central London the other day, it seemed to me that UK women were in a constant competition against each other. The weird thing was that they all seemed to fight with the same weapons, showing off their sexuality. The media has well put in women’s minds that they need to be attractive and they rush into doing whatever possible to obtain that, by wearing revealing clothes, doing Botox and having all sorts of plastic and cosmetic surgery, such as breast surgery and liposuction. The cosmetic industry has increased massively the last few years, as women put higher standards and don’t seem to be satisfied with their looks.

This battle of renewing and improving original beauty is the effort of a woman to reveal and unfold her sexuality and be as attractive as possible to men. In our nature as female beings we have the need to be loved, wanted and adored and that’s why women get a pleasure in the thought of them being irresistible. But you know that at the end of the day being passionately wanted for a night cannot satisfy your emotional needs. What most women find pleasing in this, is the feeling of authority they gain when they know that they can control man’s desire by their looks and appearance. It gives them a sense of control and power.

But is this what women’s rights and empowerment are all about? Are we really empowered or do we fall into the trap of believing that we are sexually liberated when in reality we trick ourselves into a new level of degradation and subjugation? Do we ourselves, in our search for power, accidentally mark the steps that will lead us back into being the weaker sex? When we think that we won men with the power of sexuality and beauty is it possible that we became the sex objects lots of men would like us to be?

 After this consideration, I came to the conclusion that although outward appearance and beauty are privileges of being a woman, they are not what the main focus should be lightened upon. In fact our external gifts should reflect our inner charismas. Strength and generally empowerment comes from within. That’s how women fought before us, so that we could be recognized as intellectually able to be educated, work and vote. Do we, in a way, abolish their fight by the way we see ourselves? Have we diminished the importance of our emotions, thoughts, intelligence and personal voice in our battle for recognition and acceptance?

A woman’s greater weapon, in my opinion, is confidence. A person needs to know themselves and believe in oneself to take a risk for a greater purpose. Loving who you are as a woman, embracing your personality, skills and ability and respecting yourself is what you need, not only to look good but to feel good as well. In that way you make people all around you value and appreciate you for who you are.

Dracula

Dracula

Writer: adapted by Liz Lochead, based on Bram Stoker’s classical novel.

Director: David Hutchinson

Theatre: Greenwich Playhouse

Dates: 9^th November-5^th December

The myth of vampires and the beliefs of bloodsucking demons in different cultures date back into prehistoric times. The most famous vampire story is of course that one of Dracula. It was written more than hundred years ago and it has influenced lots of books, plays and films over the years and still does. Although they usually escape from the primary plot of the story they borrow basic elements.  Liz Lochead’s play named Dracula is an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s classical novel and is true to the original story. Just like Stoker’s novel, in Lochead’s play, young solicitor Jonnathan Harker, visits Count Dracula’s castle for a routine deal to find himself imprisoned. In his effort to escape he is attacked by three female vampires, the Brides of Dracula and is saved by Count Dracula who wants to keep him alive to for legal advice and information about England and London. Harker manages to escape and Dracula sets off to find Mina, Haker’s fiancée, and her sister Lucy. Dracula attacks Lucy and she begins to waste away, so Dr. Seward, who had proposed to her, asks help from Van Helsing who immediately understands the cause of her illness. After Lucy’s death the three men begin to find Count Dracula before he attacks his next victim, Mina.

Like Bram Stoker’s book, Dracula play had an extraordinary feeling of seduction, eroticism and sexuality. The biting on the neck and the bloodstained dress symbolizes the loss of innocence and virginity of a woman and the passionate attraction of women towards Count Dracula symbolize the sexual liberation of women that wasn’t accepted in the Victorian times that the story is taking place. Director David Hutchinson points out this side of the tale with the five female characters, Mina, Lucy and the three Brides of Dracula, acting in passionate movements and their display of unbridled attraction. On one scene when Mina is attacked by Dracula she lays on the floor with her legs embracing Dracula’s waist and her body moving in sexual way whilst when the three men, Van Helsing, Harker and Seward enter to kill Dracula and save her, Harker is barely able to hold her and stop her from going back to Dracula. Eroticism is also displayed when each time Dracula attacked Lucy or Mina, red rose petals poured out their necks.

The setting was very intelligently set, as there was a table and two chairs used when needed and hidden behind two large white curtains when not.  The language and costumes were Victorian style and this made the feeling of time and place very clear to the audience. The characters were very well explored, as well as each ones passions and desires.  It is a very enjoyable play, although based on the classic tale, delivered in a fresh tone of eroticism and suspense.

The Palace Of the End Review

Palace of the End

Writer: Judith Thompson

Director: Jessica Swale

Theatre: Arcola Theater

Dates: 26^th October-20^th November

It is quite remarkable how much you could learn about a particular story if you could hear what people have to say when no one’s there to listen, to listen to their side of the story, what they’ve been through, what’s never been told, their own monologue. The play “Palace of the End” by Judith Thompson, a triptych of truly dramatic monologues, explores the most penetrating images of the Iraq War. An American female soldier, inspired by Lynndie England and played by Jade Williams, tries to clean herself from the shameful acts of abuse and torture that had taken place in the Abu Ghraib prison. The English weapons inspector Dr David Kelly, played by Robin Soans, is living his last moments expressing his anger and facing the consequences of sequenced and out of control lies. Finally, a mother from Baghdad, played by Imogen Smith, recounts the sufferings under Saddam and describes the tortures she and her children had been through by the secret police.

Throughout the play the audience’s consciousness experiences a feeling of awareness and awakening about the tragedy in Iraq and the cruel reality of war. Although the play’s theme is the Iraq war, the main and core idea seems to be the refusal of people to act in the right way from fear of consequences. Judith Thompson says through the mouth of her character, Dr David Kelly “I’m beginning to think that it’s the greatest sin of our time. Knowing and pretending that we don’t know, so that we won’t be inconvenienced in any way. I knew. Oh, the things I knew. And I did nothing.”  All three characters had their chance to do something but refused, whether that was to disobey commands, reveal the truth or speak. After all, knowledge is nothing without action.

On stage there was nothing but two cubic pieces of furniture made of mirrors, which were used as tables or chairs, and a tall tree trunk in the middle that reached the ceiling. At the back wall there was a large mirror that changed into lightings of different colors. Although I found the setting quite simple the play needed nothing more to get my full attention as I were totally submerged into the monologues. Thompson knows the craft of monologue very well and manages to keep the interest at the maximum the whole time. She uses everyday- life language that differs depending to each actor. The first monologue of the female soldier was in an American accent and included a lot of swearing as well. Dr Kelly in English accent and the mother from Bagdad with an Arabic accent had different language but shared the same tone of maturity and life experience. These three dimensional characters told their own story in a way that it felt personal and thus engaging. 

The Palace of the End is a complete work of three fully explored characters and situations of the Iraq war, written in such a way that touches the subject in a different, new and fresh angle making the audience realize the reality of a general theme,  the Iraq war in a more specific way through personal testimonies. 

David Gilmour- The Legend

One of the most eminent and successful rock bands of all time can be no other than Pink Floyd. In a history span of more than 25 years Pink Floyd has produced many top selling hits among which is the famous The Wall, Comfortably Numb and Wish You Were Here. The band has amused millions of people with their music which has been, for the most part, a creation of one composer, David Gilmour. As a guitar player and a composer he found the secret of success which lies within experimenting with different styles of music such as Blues, Rock, Reggae, Jazz, and Oriental music.

David Gilmour was born on March 6, 1946 in Grantchester, a small village in the outskirts of Cambridge, England. His father Douglas Gilmour was a doctor and his mother Silvia was a college professor. Once David and his three brothers were of the age of 10, both of his parents left leaving them to live on their own. This wasn’t a huge problem to David who saw this as a chance to sneak around and cause trouble. At the age of 14, he borrowed his neighbor’s abandoned acoustic guitar and began to play on his own. He initially began to cover many American artists who were quite famous at that time in England such as Bill Hayley and Elvis Presley.

In these early years, David had a friend named Roger “Syd” Barret. Together they went to a strict boys-only-school named “The Perse Preparatory School for Boys”. After school he went to study Modern Languages but eventually quit and got to devote himself to what he liked most. After making his own band called the “Flowers” he began to tour Europe in a small van. During this time he was in severe need of cash and many times had to steal diesel to keep his van running. After this rather unsuccessful tour of Europe he was called to join Syd’s band named Pink Floyd.

During the years he was in Pink Floyd he played a huge part in creating the musical fusion of the band. Although he wasn’t the leader of the band, he made a huge effort to shape and sculpture Pink Floyd’s sound in their best selling albums. Apart form a guitarist he was also a very talented singer. He has a very distinct “angelic” voice which can be heard over various tracks. His guitar technique has a definite blues feel in some songs but on the other side he might just strum. He was never a pushy guitarist; rather he was composer who saw the general picture of a song and didn’t concentrate just on his guitar.

In Wish You Were Here, he begins with a typical strumming pattern which he fills with occasional riffs and after the first verse he has the whole band jump in giving a mod-erate blast effect. The song has a somehow mellow sounding with a repetitive motive. A repetitive motive is, was and will be a definite “must” for any modern composer who want his song to sell, be heard and not forgotten. The drum beats don’t change and they seem to serve the role of a metronome but by the same token a song such as this doesn’t require much effort or style. As the song progresses, Gilmour gives more emphasis on the piano, which plays chords and builds with occasional fills. When it comes to solo, Gilmour uses a difficult technique of playing the notes and singing them at the same time. This technique, although hard to master, is almost like a cliché derived from the blues masters such as BB King, Robert Johnson and SRV.

Probably the one of the words that are almost synonymous with Pink Floyd is The Wall. This album was “project” that Gilmour and the leader of his band Roger Waters had planned to do making not only an album but also recorded a show and a movie. The highlight of this album is the song Comfortably Numb which has Gilmour giving a master class of guitar and lyrics. The song begins with a very sad motive which has the bass having the lead role with keyboards and piano helping in the creating a sort of “cloudy” effect. Suddenly “the sun brakes the clouds” with the chorus. The cymbals add a sort of punch to the chorus making it very broad and warm. Gilmour sings in a very distant manner giving even more space for the song to breathe. Midway through the song there comes a bright solo with the band playing the chorus. As the song progresses, we once again have a gloomy picture with a small orchestra with violins adding to the scene. The next chorus is followed by the …No. 4 electric guitar solo of all time…”(Guitar World Mag). The solo just takes your mind away to a journey of some sort. It’s long and it rises steadily reaching it’s climax with the guitar tearing the listeners’ soul in pieces. The solo never ends with the song coming to fade out.

Another vastly discussed Pink Floyd album is the “Dark Side of The Moon”. This album was primarily inspired by the leader of the band, Roger Waters. He was directing the music in the album but nevertheless Gilmour still got to experiment with his guitar adding his touch to the whole picture. In the song Time, Gilmour gives a sort of upbeat Reggae feel which goes along side the lyrics that describe the wasting of time. The drums once again serve no important role with the keyboards and the David’s solo “stealing the show”. The solo is very bright and has a considerable amount of reverb, given in order to accent the importance of the theme of “time”. It doesn’t have fast parts but contains some rather brilliant harmonies which were a sort of improvisation of Gilmour.

David Gilmour was, is and will be a truly remarkable guitarist and composer. He has left his mark in rock history. Although he didn’t seem to be a flashy guitar hero he accomplished to be one of the most respected and gifted guitar players to ever walk this earth. His playing and singing have influenced many of today’s mainstream artists as well as metal and hard rock bands. Music is as diverse as life. We need to have examples from the past in order to progress in the future. David Gilmour fused his past with our future and has left his name in the books of Music History.

Stalo Markides

Walking in the old narrow streets of Nicosia Stalo Markides' glamorous shop stands out. It is a vintage style shop with exquisite show case which Stalo was working on at that moment. When she noticed me standing outside the window door, she immediately left her efforts of creating her summer windows for later and hurried in good spirits to open the door for me. She greeted me with a friendly smile and then offered me a drink. While she went to get some water for me I wandered in the shop looking at her unique and stylish bags and accessories.

Stalo Markide’s bag’s trademark is the special way and technique she uses to bring out the beauty of the leather. The amazing thing about her incredibly stylish and qualitative bags is that she has developed the craft of making them entirely on her own. “I’ve always been excited with the idea of leather and bag and have always been interested in bags” Stalo says “I’ve always observed closely expensive and good quality bags, because I knew that if I wanted to do something, I wanted it to be of great quality.”   Leather is her favourite fabric and material for both bags and accessories and tries to use it as much differently than what we have seen before as possible. “The last time I’ve been to Paris I took with me not only bags but accessories as well, something I hadn’t done before.” She told me. “I was very pleased to notice that my accessories were much more different from all the others and from what there is in the market now and I believe it is a start for something new.” 

“I’ve always been designing bags and accessories on my own from a small age.” She added in our conversation when I had pestered her with a bunch of questions about how she had started, as something that was for granted. Stalo has studied jewelry design at the Middlesex University for four years. At her third year she had the opportunity to work with Steven Jones, an amazing talent as she said and then worked at Erickson Beamon jewelry house. “You didn’t expect to do anything there, maybe a coffee or some tiding up” she said “but one day the manager called me in her office and said she wanted to try me as a designer.” A lot of people worked there for years and never had the chance to actually design and Stalo was just a student but keen and eager to work, always impressing people with her self-created style. So her first time to design accessories was for Justine Timberlake and Katie Moss in a photo shoot for Vogue magazine.

This year, as every other year Stalo Markides attended the Paris Fashion Week from which she gets to find her customers and shops that are interested in buying her bags. You can find Stalo Markide’s bags in selected shops, such us Harrods, Me Me Me, Luisavia Roma, Etoile and others. She also attended the Celebrity Gift Lounge where she met and gave some of her bags and accessories as gifts to celebrities like Eva Herzigova, Erin O’Connor, Yasmin Le Bon and actors from the films Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter and others.

She is having her new Summer Collection for 2011 this October but has no other plans for this year yet. “I would like to have a family” she giggled shyly when I asked her for what she sees herself doing in the future. “I want everything to get into a flow and be more relaxed, because now I get to do everything on my own and this stresses me a lot. I want my company to be more organized and known.” She added. “I want something different for the future and I want to open my own shop in London or Paris.” 

Stalo Markides is a new talented designer that has impressed everyone that has worked with her, dares to step into new things and is a pioneer into the fashion world. “I want to get ahead of myself, exceed my expectations and always be a step forward.” She stated passionately. Her uniqueness and love for what she does after all is what brought her career into flourish and success. 

Isolation

A year ago, I had decided to move to London and study. I had no relatives or friends there or anyone else that I would know. Because of my introvert character I am not the kind of person that can make friendships very fast and I didn’t even look for that. Not that I didn’t want friends but it wasn’t my priority at that moment, I had so much studying to do and it would be a waste of time thinking on how to make friends with people, something I disappoint myself in every time.  City life is a busy life and it is very easy to get lost in the crowd and feel so lonely, even with so many people around. I was stepping each day further into isolation, being trapped in my room’s four walls and loneliness. Many people have had the same or a similar story to me. It’s not difficult to find yourself in solitude when living in a big city with no friends around.

Loneliness is feeling like you are a drop of water in the ocean, a spot in the crowd. It is the lack of contact with people and in advance the lack of friendship, understanding, compassion or even identification. A lonely person feels like is not wanted or maybe that is not recognized. When being in such a situation for long it might possibly have consequences on your physical and mental health. Studies have shown that chronic loneliness may be responsible for a variety of heart diseases or cancer. It can also impact your learning or memory because it is harder for the brain to develop when you have no contact with other people.

In addition, if you are in such a situation where you are all alone having no relationships with other people and living in your inner world rather the real world, then depression is probably knocking on your door. Depression is a state of low mood accompanied by low self-esteem and loss of interest or pleasure for things that used to be enjoyable. It leads to negative way of thinking, not being able to sleep and anxiety. It might sometimes lead into the feeling that you are of no value or that there is no reason to live and lead to suicide. 

Once you realize your problem you are in a very good way. It is said that knowing your situation is the 90% of its solution. It is essential to change your way of thinking and think positively, look at the things that can make you happy rather the negative things and think of ways you can make someone happy, even if that is just opening the door for someone. Further more physical exercise can be very helpful in making you feel better and positive. Go for a walk early in the morning or late in the afternoon when its dawn or when it’s sunset and enjoy the benefits of a good walk and you never know, you might meet a positive person going for a walk as well.

Human nature is created in such a way that we have the need to contact and have relationships with other people. Friendships constituted to the happiness and well-being of an individual. We are designed to interact, bond with other people and socialize. It is essential for human beings to communicate with other human beings to survive.  People feel like they are not valuable when they don’t have anybody else to give attention to them and they feel like they don’t exist if there is nobody else to recognize them and care for them.

Connections are of great importance in life. Real connections with people that care and are always there for you can make you happy, healthy and complete. Don’t let yourself get lost in the crowd. Always look for a person to connect with. Remember you are not the only one that needs a friend, maybe you are the person someone else is looking for as well. Be positive and in good spirits. Life has it’s ups and downs. The problem is when you stay down too long.

Arxontiko Kimis Boutique Hotel

Driving through the winding road, the sea view disappears hastily at the next turn, all I can see are thick trees on the hills.

A picturesque town emerges between the curves of the mountain, traditional tall buildings with delicate lacy balconies and wide bright windows; an imperial stone church with it’s’ distinguish bell tower and the burgundy roofs of the dense little houses.

Near the town square with its whitewashed tables and chairs, we finally found our hotel, a baby-blue building with a wooden opened door and welcoming lanterns on both sides and on the pavement. The Boutique Hotel «Αρχοντικό Κίμης», is a luxurious hotel in the center of Kimi and promises an unforgettable stay.

My goal for this holiday was to relax, enjoy the delicious Greek cuisine, experience luxury, without the stress of everyday life’s routine, not worrying about a list of things that needed to be done. Kimi’s Boutique Hotel certainly had the way of fulfilling this experience at its best.

When entering, what impressed us at once was the unique way the interior was decorated, the black and white chess-like floors, the gold-lined and elegantly carved ceiling, the selected handmade furniture in a classic line, the chandeliers and the decorative detailed paintings on the walls.

In the morning we would have a rich breakfast, with a variety of biological and deliciously tasteful food. Afterwards we would go to the finest places in the area, such as beaches were you could rest under the shade of the trees, the river where the whole town got fresh water from, the historical church with the amazing view of the sea and others, all recommended by the extremely hospitable Hotel owner. Then we would return back and relax, have a shower in the Jacuzzi and in the evening we would be again advised to go to the best traditional cuisine restaurants with great views and biological Greek cuisine, just a couple of minutes drive away. At night, we would go for a walk along the harbor and dawdle at the books at the markets. When back from a lovely day, we would sleep in our queen-size bed to continue our dream.

I certainly had the holiday I was aiming for and even more, as I spent three luxurious days, with no worries, had great food and visited wonderful places. The «Αρχοντικό Κιμης» Boutique Hotel has distinguished by far from all the other hotels in various places I’ve been to, because of its artistic character and uniqueness. I do advice you, if you ever decide to go on holidays in Evvoia, it’s the best place to stay!

Versace

You don’t have to be interested in fashion, to know or at least have heard of Versace. It’s one of the most well known fashion brands in the world and has been loved and worn by many famous people such as Elton John, Jenifer Lopez, Princess Diana and many others.

Versace is known for its great quality, the elegance of the clothes and fresh style. However, quality and style are not the only things to hold up a fashion company. Business management is a family thing for Versace and they proved to be very good at it.

Donatella Versace, who is the head and designer of the company, owns the 20 percent of it, her brother Santo owns the 30 percent, while her daughter Allegra has inherited the remaining 50 percent from her uncle Gianni Versace, who loved her so much. 

Gianni, the founder of the Italian house, who was murdered by Andrew Phillip Cunanan, on July 15, 1997, was a legendary figure that had brought revolution in the fashion world of his time. He had a unique style and loved his job. He wasn’t afraid of making a change or using unusual material. He had learned the craft of dressmaking from his mother and knew what he wanted to do from a very young age. It was something that came within him and one of his favorite things to do when he was young was to watch his mother’s clients trying on dresses.

His mother, Francesca Versace, a dressmaker, with whom Gianni had a very special relationship, had her own shop in Reggio Calabria. Although his father was a merchant, he loved poetry and opera so he took young Gianni to the theatre and the movies, elements that were afterwards shown as influence in his designs.

Gianni’s siblings were Tina and Santo. When his sister died at the age of ten years old from peritonitis his mother was devastated. Some years later, Donatella was born and Gianni developed a very special bond with her. Unlike his brother Santo, who was his father’s favorite and had studied business administration and economics at the University of Messina while helping his father with his business, Donatella seemed to be a lot like Gianni. He made his first designs for Donatella, who was his muse. Donatella began studying literature at the University of Florence, but then abandoned her studies to follow and help her brother. 

Gianni started helping his mother as a buyer for her boutique. He then worked for some other large companies and in 1978 Versace got his own label. His brother Santo was there to help him out with his first contracts and business matters. Along with his brother Santo and his sister Donatella, Gianni Versace marched a road of rise and success.

After the terrible incident of Gianni’s murder, Versace was in a very crucial stage. Donatella took over since her daughter who had inherited the largest percent of the company was only 11 years old and tried to gather the pieces and continue the work her brother had began.

“I had two choices” Donatella admits in an exclusive interview for net-a- porter “to follow Gianni’s steps completely or to become my own person. That was a bit difficult for me at the beginning because everybody was expecting me to follow Gianni’s steps and at the same time to compare what I was doing with Gianni.” Donatella, like all the Versace family, is daring, original and with a strong personality and what she did was that she continued what her brother had started in her own way.

Problems though came on the surface very soon. The company was gaining almost half of what it gained before Gianni’s death and some of the Versace houses had to be sold. The whole company and family was scared by the drug addicted Donatella who was not much of herself anymore and at some point later on the press was informed about Allegra’s eating disorders. Fortunately with the help of her dear friend Elton John, Donatella decided to fight her addiction and has been sober since 2004.

The amazing thing about Versace is that they have their own “family way”. It is of great significance for the Versace family what they leave behind for the next generation to come. Like Francesca Versace taught her craft to her son and gave him a starting point, so Gianni imparted his skills to his sister and left his great fortune to his siblings and beloved niece. All the Versace family members were loyal, active and took part in making this work. The question now remains of what the future holds for this famous Italian house and if Allegra Versace is going to keep the tradition.

How did the life of Charles Dickens influenced his works?

Few writers had achieved such immense success such as Charles Dickens. Dickens’ experiences in the early years of his life played a crucial role on the formation of his character and, consequently, his writing. Dickens unique and highly descriptive writing have made him one of the most loved and inspiring writers of our times.

     Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, England. His father John worked at the Navy Pay Office of Portsmouth, a job which granted him a substantial amount to spend on his family but primarily on himself. Having everything at his dis-posal, Charles began to interested in reading books. He was fascinated by the colourful pictures the books had. He recalls later that this hobby developed in him the ability to have photographic memory.

     Changes began to occur when Charles’ father was put to jail for debt. Charles was force to go to work in order to sustain his family. He was initially working 10 hour shifts in Warren's boot-blacking factory and earned six shillings a week. After some time, the economic condition was stabilized but Charles’s mother wouldn’t let him resign from his work. This created a huge wound in Charles’s heart and he would never forgive his mo-ther for this act.

     It was in that factory that Charles Dickens saw the conditions, the poverty, and the daily toil a social worker went through. Later in his life, Charles clearly describes his experience in the factory in his novel David Copperfield. At his 12 years of age, Charles had to see what it was to earn for a living and what it is to be working when you are not supposed to. This experience had a tremendous influence on his life and his works. A remarkable example can be Oliver Twist. In Oliver Twist, Dickens accents our attention on the evils of his society such as child labor and child crime.

     When Charles father was free, he let Charles quit his job. Charles, already in his 17 years of age began his career as a law clerk, a job that would prepare him to enter the world of writing. After a short while, Charles left his occupation and became a journalist for Morning Chronicle. There he wrote articles in forms of sketches. These sketches were known as Sketches by Boz. Also, while he was in Morning Chronicle he compiled his first novel, the Pickwick Papers in 1836.

     The Pickwick Papers proved to be a huge success. In the same year, Dickens got married to Catherine Thompson Hogarth. The relationship in the couple was usually not good. They had different characters and their relationship didn’t seem to work out. During the twenty years of their marriage they had 10 children which Charles most dearly loved.

     One of the reasons that Dickens’s work was successful is the fact that most of it was sequentially posted in the newspaper he was working with. The reader was eager to see what was coming next and couldn’t wait for the next issue to come out. Such tremendous success gave him the ability to travel around the world with his family and look for new inspirations. The product of such inspirations were many exceptional novels such as the American Notes and Pictures from Italy.

     After his divorce with his wife, Charles got to spend his time with a young actress named Helen Ternan. Charles writing time decreased and he began to tour Europe and USA to perform readings of his works. Charles’s readings were very vivid and interesting to listen to. He used to use various tone qualities and different voices for all of his characters.

     Constant touring caused great exhaustion to Charles. Charles died of a stroke in Gad’s Hill Place on June 9, 1870. Charles Dickens has been remembered as one of the most brilliant, vivid and creative writers History has ever know. It has been said that the works of Dickens could only come second to Shakespeare because there was so much passion, life and truth in them.

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Silas Marner by George Eliot has been considered one of the classics of the 19^th century. This novel somehow brings to remembrance The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The theme of “religion-and-ethics” runs throughout both novels and plays a key role in the development of the characters. In his book, George Eliot incorporates  clear mechanics together with a story-line full of suspense and action. Although the novel seems to be way too narrative and motionless in the beginning, the story unfolds with the protagonist ,Silas Marner, been robbed by the Dunsey Cass, the son of a wealth land-owner. The story begins to progress even more when, he accidentally finds an little girl sleeping in his house and just outside of his porch, her dead mother. This story has defi-nitely stood the test of time and has earned the title of “masterpiece”.

     After being exiled for his home town, Silas Marner sits in his cottage and weaves on his loom. Being totally absorbed in his work, Silas doesn’t want to enroll in the society of “Raveloe” because of his great disappointment with people, friends and God. Our story takes a turn when we are introduced to Squire Cass and his two sons Godfrey and Dun-sey. Being raised by a wealthy father, the two men have become selfish, unforgiving and corrupt. The actual story begins with the quarrel between Godfrey and Dunsey over a hundred pounds that Godfrey owed to Dunsey. Initially this money was stolen by God-frey from one of his fathers renters. Dunsey threatens Godfrey that he would reveal his theft and his secret marriage with Molly Farren, an opium addict. Godfrey agrees that Dunsey would sell Wildfire, Godfrey’s favorite horse. As Dunsey went to sell the horse he accidentally injured it and the horse died. Dunsey then realizes that his money just “died” and just a few meters away he sees the cottage of Silas Marner. He sneaks in, finds the money that Silas had stored and he vanishes in the darkness. When Silas came home, he was in terror of the robbery.

     After having informed the towns people about the incident, Silas proceeds with his weaving. He has been discouraged and depressed. Money had become his obsession and now he has to live without it. Weeks passed and Silas began to have the hope that his money would come back to him. Just before Christmas Eve, Silas went out of his cottage and when he came back he saw a little girl sleeping near his fireplace. He immediately feeds her and later on finds her mother, Molly Farren, lying dead outside his cottage. He adopts the little girl and names her “Eppie” in memory of his sister. Godfrey, who is Eppie’s father, doesn’t reveal himself because he wanted to pursue his marriage with Nancy Lammeter. Sixteen years later, we find Eppie, who has become eighteen years of age, taking care of her father. The climax of the story comes when Godfrey and his wife Nancy reveal Eppie’s real father and demand that Eppie would be “re-adopted”. Eppie refuses to leave Silas, who now is very old. The story ends with Eppie being married to a young man named Aaron Winthrop in a grand ceremony at the centre of Raveloe.

     I have found this story quite noteworthy because, although it has a simple meaning, it hides in itself things that reflect the status of our society, today. The love of money, drug abuse, and a constant search for love are just some of the things this brilliant novel de-monstrates in a simple manner that can be understood by any casual or fervent reader. This novel truly is an all-time classic that, probably, will never loose the weight of it’s significance.