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‘The cosmos and climate change; body and soul’

Megan Hunter at Greenwich Maritime Museum’s literary festival discusses the, ‘constant peril of climate change’, and explains, ‘I am concerned about it and I think about it and I am interested in writing about it’. 

Hunter’s novella, ‘The End We Start From’ captures the zeitgeist of modern day parenting within the kernel of an environmental disaster. Childbirth in the advent of a post apocalyptical flood reconstructs a cosmos of body, mind, and  two souls.

Climate change is cross-fertilised with theological myths about creation and an apocalyptic flood. Traditional myths are interwoven with modern issues, like two strands of a double helix, running through out the novel.

This tension forms the underlying conflict that drives the development of the protagonist’s feelings and emotions. The narrator is displaced in terms of soul, body, and country. 

The narrator’s world is one where the English are refugees in Scotland; a scenario that addresses the present day refugee crises and the burning issue of climate change.

Displacement is key when decoding Hunter’s use of symbolism.  The construction of her literary troupes and the narrator’s sardonic tone, is a self conscious critique of a learned narrator.

The novella’s strength is the narrator’s slim discern of postmodern theory with a reservation towards relying on classical thoughts and processes.

The narrator’s tone creates a level of complexity prevents a reader from reductive conclusions, without using post-modern literary techniques.  Instead universal stages of life create the conflict and tension in this novella. Childbirth and motherhood are the inner conflicts.

‘I lay him next to me, and fall asleep with my nose pressed against his pulsing temple’

The displacement of a child leaving the mother’s womb and attachment formation is summarised through the material barrier of flesh and skin. However the spirit of attachment continues to paradoxically increase as a result of growth and separation. 

Intimate moments between the narrator and Z create a cosmos within their own right. Like the double helix structure in the novella’s underlying conflict the external conflict (of being made a refugee) reduces as the narrator’s internal conflict, of adjusting to motherhood, subsides. Inherently, the external and internal conflicts that drive the plot, unravel until the cosmos of the physical world aligns with the forming cosmos and mesosphere of the narrator’s world.

Adjustment becomes a means of survival.

A new order, a new cosmos, a new life, dominates the novel and the role of the environment is both invisible and present. 

‘I was in advertising.. the young using the language of the retired’.

The modern world becomes an arcane reality. The novella’s lacunaes in language, symbolism, and dialogue are an artistically bold move that reframes language with new borders, and another way in which Hunter unites form and meaning.

It’s an artistic decision that embodies the DNA of the novel’s conflict as Hunter’s descriptions celebrate the style of the past whilst moving to the future. Hunter’s language is elite and trendy with a neo-classical twist.

The novel is ahead of its time. Hunter’s characterisation of the narrator captures an ecologically concerned young mother. In the narrator’s world there are fluctuations in body, hormones, family, world and soul.. 

This is one of the reason why the linguistic gaps in the narrator’s language appears unfilled however on closer analysis an intellectual reading can fill the symbolic space;  and the idealogical and thematic conflicts require the reader to swim.

The spaces are a representation of today’s mind body problem. Hunter adroitly navigates away from shouty individualism or aesthetic trappings. Instead as readers we are invited connect this unravelling cosmos into a new order.

Today’s modern day mind body  problem can find its seismic shifts from Cartesian dualism. Early modern scientists, thinkers, and theologians mediated, counselled, and cogitated about how saving the growing theological crisis between the body and its, all too, free-spirited elusive soul. 

The soul roamed between temple and church and found its way between the early modern neoclassical Doric columns and the colossal architecture of a Brave New World.

In the horizon there was an enlightenment that threatened to eclipse the soul’s enduring lucid appeal. But after the body and soul bifurcated the body kept the house,  and the soul moved into vaulted canopies of the Gothic era.

In the Gothic Genre, literature expressed a reaction to Cartesian dualism. An ethereal presence of something intangible not quite leaving the material world, manifested in hybrid supernatural states; sleepwalking, possession, vampires, ghosts, haunted houses, and characters with displays of intense eerie energy.

The ideological deprecation  had not been as amicable as hoped. And with no philosophical mediator in place, a very complicated piecemeal arrangement  has substituted a  vast spiritual plane, where the soul once lived. 

The aftermath of Cartesian philosophy lead to a range of reactions explored and exploded in literary, artistic, and contemporary culture, and the reverberations have lasted for centuries.

A centre for cosmos, world, and the individual has become a zeitgeist. Today psychology connects the individual within themselves, sociology connects us with others and neuroscience and biology tells of the processes within ourselves.

The cynosure of an ontological insecurity that inhabits the centre of this vast and globalised brave new hyper speeded world is an area of importance and exploration. Literature expressing some of the greatest conflicts of our time. Hunter combines modern day climate change with motherhood in the middle of a refugee crisis. Cleverly a number of binary oppositions create this effect. 

 There is a microcosm of the human body and the macrocosm of the earth as a body. The ongoing realignment between the flood/ waters breaking, the swelling of the body/ the swelling of water on land show a world where current boundaries are no longer working. A world which is environmentally reached its threshold. The narrator inherits the loss but also inherits the hope of building a new world and a new life. 

 At the core of the novel’s simplicity and complexity is the incipient growth of optimism. The narrator’s displacement in a world that is now displacing its inhabitants is an example of how our actions with the environment will eventually impact not only us, but everyone else. 

There is the unraveling of the dual conflicts throughout the novel like the double helix staircase of DNA and the unravelling of the strands and rungs give way to form a cosmos which is imbued with the Z’s spirit. 

There is a recurring theme of the world of a child and the inner world of a mother and these two themes are recurring though out the book like the strands of DNA. There is also the central running dual conflict of the environment and the role of a  mother. These strands of DNA runs through out the novel and unravels as the novel progresses, and in the process encodes the work with an elusive spirit of growth and hope. 

The earth like DNA is unravelled and swollen with a need for a new start.

‘A dove was sent to see if the water left the face of the land, but she found no place for her foot’

Rebuilding Social Housing; A Proposal to Reform The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015

Current social and economical position

The work of any housing lawyer is to plaster the corners of a large crumbling and dilapidated building; the English institution of social housing. The most fitting architecture for the current circumstance would be that of a high rise tower block. Its interior overcrowded, its security systems in need of rewiring, its fire systems in need of reinstallation, its heating inefficient, but most importantly, its inhabitants long ignored.

No exterior mineral cladding can resolve the internal issues facing Local Authorities across the country. Shares in social housing decrease as private banks lure councils with attractive packages; the LOBO loans with no fixed repayment date and no fixed interest rate.

One could say the losses are becoming publicised and the profits are becoming privatised, ‘a financial crisis, this time in local authority and housing finance..people at the bottom suffer.’ As the single parent mum in London coughs up the bill for living in a small damp flat with soaring rent prices. This may not be Blake’s London, but the streets are certainly chartered for real estate. Since Thatcher’s government created a loosening of regulations under a free market drive, house prices have been rising and Britain’s housing crisis expanding. Property became a means to store wealth as opposed to an essential human right. When a basic need is denied the weakest in society are tested and the current economical conditions are affecting more people than it would seem.

In London a con den bleu chef working at a top London restaurant goes home to sleep in a freezing boat house with no running water or running electricity, save from what drips out of the generator; all in attempt to avoid paying the extortionate London rent rates. Perhaps the young workers who took this choice drifted into the cold waters of compromise, in order to create a viable situation. But why should those who want to work in London be punished with unreasonable rents, when they form the life blood of the city.

The groups with a government priority like women fleeing domestic abuse find themselves in the temporary shelter of Localism Act; expected to pay around 65% of their earnings on rent. Under new welfare laws single parents are expected to return to work when their youngest child is three. Childcare, travel, and bills will make it very difficult for low wage earners to live in the capital. The Localism Act 2012 is the first part of a two step government plan to put low-wage earners outside the Capital. Indeed the earth is wide and Sunderland, Greenwich, and Essex are all places that could house the growing waiting lists for social housing. Even if certain groups move out of the capital there is still a need to build houses.

Property developers working with councils are not obliged to release their profit figures. Under current laws they are able to turn away contracts that are not lucrative. The current housing crisis stems from political and economic conditions, not just a shortage in houses.

On one side of the debate, high rise flats obstructing a view of Canary Wharf in gentrifying locations is irritating at least. The fast changing social and economic landscape in London creates the need for a number of reforms that will renovate and improve the high rise tower block of social housing in Modern Britain. The juxtaposition of luxury apartments and grey tower blocks lends to more than a trite, ‘rich poor divide statement’. Rather it opens the door to explore creative solutions which meet the needs of wider social housing policies.

In order to address housing as a human right and not as a source of profit, reforms could work together to create the right set of circumstances. Brexit provides an ideal opportunity for this to occur. In the wake of Brexit there is ample opportunity for economic growth, especially in the timbre industry.

Brexit has created number of opportunities for UK forestry. Firstly, there is potential for stricter regulation of plant movement and this will result in the reduction of plant pests and disease; the forestry industry is expected to see an increase in profits over the next few years as demand for UK timber is set to rise.

The relationship between UK’s need for timber and conservation of forests is a fundamental starting point for a revised environmental policy that favours of economic growth. It is a post Brexit reality that existing environmental laws coexist with a political-economist agenda. Any future economical revisions related to the supply of timber for domestic businesses would be influenced by a number of key factors; the UK’s trading relationship with the EU post Brexit… UK agricultural policy, and the UK’s obligations under international agreements. In addition to cheaper timber from UK forests the current laws that foster self-build projects can make building a home easier.

Current Statutory Position

The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 is a significant reform in Housing law and is the legal foundation to build affordable houses. The Brownfield register scheme means that local councils are required to register plots of land that were previously used for industrial purposes. As councils across the country sign for brownfield registers the scaffolding for a new social housing structure is raised. The roof is ready as self-build firms offer a range of ‘flat pack’ or bespoke homes. Now the self-build build home is a near reality for aspiring homeowners; but the land registry is fundamental for the next step.

The land registry’s role is to, ‘draw a careful balance between the interests of different parties’.

When a potential applicant lodges an interest for registration in the the land registry there is a priority period. In the priority period:

“Entries made in the register during the priority period are postponed to the disposition in respect of which the priority search has been made, provided the application for registration of that disposition is lodged within the priority period.”

The priority period needs to be extended in order to avoid bad laws that would reduce, ‘outcomes which are not just or desirable’. The most important reform for the land registry would be to have a transparent and clear pathway for those registering an application. There must be a live system to differentiate the needs and demands of each query, in order for land to bought and developed with ease. Self build applicants should to be given priority, given the current housing need. Furthermore the priority period should be extended for self build applicants. This will create greater ease for individuals to build homes. The reform will also help to shape a system that is based on the best use of the land to meet wider social housing policy needs.

Proposed Reform for The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015

The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015 lists a number of authorities which are required to register land, for self build purposes.

S2(2)

(2) The authorities referred to in subsection (1) are—

(a) county councils in England;

(b) district councils;

(c) London borough councils;

(d) the Common Council of the City of London (in its capacity as a local

authority);

(e) the Sub-Treasurer of the Inner Temple (in that person’s capacity as a

local authority);

(f) the Under-Treasurer of the Middle Temple (in that person’s capacity as

a local authority);

(g) the Council of the Isles of Scilly;

(h) the Broads Authority;

(i) National Park authorities in England;

(j) such other public authorities, or descriptions of public authority, as

may be specified.

A reform to include the Land registry in this list will increase the searching powers for individuals applying for self build projects. The current reform will serve to protect individuals from the ambiguity present in the current priority period. It will also create greater priority for individuals who aspire to purchase land, to build their homes. This reform will create more options available for the British Public, it will also open more avenues that can be reviewed in the future. For example, the organisation that sells government land, the Housing and Communities Agency’s legal documents forbids land to be sold for self build purposes.

In sum, the proposed reform aims to increase the ‘public authorities’ listed in The Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Act 2015. Thus creating different connections with existing bodies and creating greater priority for members of the British public, who are looking to build their own homes. With the reformed self build act, the foundations have been raised, the walls have been determined, the roof is ready to shelter, and the interior is ready for furnishing.

A view of London’s skyline on a late summer’s afternoon; in the far horizon the grey tower blocks of yore remain, a remnant of an age that will soon disappear. Further to the periphery is the fast emerging skyline of eco friendly self build homes: the red sun’s rays sink slowly into the black gold  solar panels plates; the land is Brownfield and the grass is growing greener.

The Shipping container; Land and Sea.

Capitalism is a topic that spans over centuries and across the world. Capitalism is the world today. Its principles appear far away from everyday life; double book keeping, free markets, supply and demand, state backed banking systems; but the smoke of the Capitalist furnace pervades modern life.

Technology is a tool used by Capitalists to seek, find, make, advertise and sell new commodities. Despite technology’s importance in a Capitalist world it will never be a system of thought. Technology and Capitalism keep the ships of the world sailing into vast seas of human advancement, where many discoveries have yet to be mined or harvested. 

So continues the exchange between science and politicians and technology and change.

Technology can serve to strengthen the grip of the powerful. One technological advancement that changed the world is the internet, a by-product of a military project. The internet was not intended for  the public but now the internet has helped create an economy, jobs, and a currency. The history of Capitalism provides further examples of how technology can take Capitalism by the hand.

In a truncated coverage of the key technological advancements (in the history of capitalism) the most important inventions are: factory machinery, railways, steamships, and the shipping container, or the standardisation of the shipping container. How could something so simple create such a massive impact on the world of trade?

In the book, ‘The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger’ author Marc Levinison examines the the role of the shipping container in creating global trade.

The container sizes need to be standardized so that the containers can be most efficiently stacked – literally, one on top of the other – and so that ships, trains, trucks and cranes at the ports can be specially fitted or built to a single size specification.

This then led to Containerization.

The containers have standardized dimensions. They can be loaded and unloaded, stacked, transported efficiently over long distances, and transferred from one mode of transport to another…without being opened.

This then became a major factor in the development of a new system of transporting goods,

Intermodalism.

‘Intermodalism is a system that is based on the theory that efficiency will be vastly improved when the same container, with the same cargo, can be transported with minimum interruption via different transport modes from an initial place of receipt to a final delivery point many kilometers or miles away. That means the containers would move seamlessly between ships, trucks and trains.’

This standardization now applies across the global industry, thanks to the work of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), who in1961, set standard sizes for all containers.

The ISO maintains the flow of the shipping container and its contents.

There was political stability after World War Two with the emergence of America as a World Super Power. In the aftermath of the war countries focused their efforts on rebuilding their economies through trade. The political stability provided a fertile economic climate but it was technology that provided the tools to sow the seeds; and intermodalism was yielded, thus unifying resources along the production chain. This is an example of how technology takes politics by the hand. The shipping container revolutionised the world of shipping and helped to bring the advent of global capitalism.

The shipping container has a strategic role in bringing benefit to communities on land and sea.

Currently, Britain is facing a housing crises and the shipping container may very well be part of delivering the solution. The current housing crisis has been created by a number of conditions that show, ‘a good example of how socialism and crony capitalism go hand in hand’; a partnership that benefits a few groups in society.

If you happen to not be a Capitalist or a crony, like most ordinary people, then you will have your pockets empty after paying the rent or mortgage, and your hands tied with debt. Furthermore, the cycle of poverty generated by negative equity as result of burrowing is a red alert to show that lowering house prices and mortgage rates is not the solution.

The revolution in Capitalism created by the shipping container teaches one very important lesson, if politicians prevent change then the invisible hand of progress will open a door. The question then becomes whether the Capitalists will exchange hands for a better deal. Leaving the cronies outside, in the cold.

Gardening therapy grows away from a, ‘just add water’ culture. Family gardening nourishes communication, respect for emotions, and builds resilience. The psychosocial connections that are nurtured when gardening will have a significant and positive impact on identity formation.

To be connected to the land seems to be a privilege and a rarity for a child growing up in the urban metropolis of London, with its labyrinth network of houses, streets, emerging apartment blocks, and high rise flats of the past. A bleak urban reality; only if you let it become one. Gardening is an effective tool for therapy and it is an effective vehicle for education. It is an activity that combines recovery and achieving educational goals. Subjects which can be taught through gardening are; biology, chemistry, history, and even literature.

The tree has a unique and revered place in English Literary culture. Its roots are found in biblical associations, legends and mythical tales. In a recent article by Alice Thomson in the Times, titled ‘For the love of Britain plant more trees’, Thomson highlights the importance for planting trees in modern Britain; ‘British nurseries should be encouraged to nurture trees that are pest free.’ The roots for debates about the conservation of British forestry stem to the early modern period.  Simon Schama in his work Landscape and Memory explores the politics of tree felling in the early modern state as,‘the forester king was bound to be torn between exploitation and conservation.’ He also points how ‘Arguments over the true responsibility of a national forestry have not changed much since that time.’ Exploring the importance of archetypal symbols found in representations of nature raises important ethical questions about stewardship. Complex concepts that are often confined to religious and academic circles can be taught through the lens of gardening; thus altering the perspective of those taking part. This could lead to paradigm shifts that allow a child’s intellectual horizon to be broadened and developed.

Growing is an effective vehicle for educational therapy. A child’s learning weaknesses  can be turned into strengths with the right intervention. This can be done in the following ways. The most suitable method would be bridging the gap between academic and vocational studies.

Currently educational resources for growing are limited to a number of programmes which are not ‘academic’. The debate between academic and vocational studies is an established one in the Education world. Teachers at every stage, either directly or indirectly, find themselves making choices about how they deliver the curriculum and at what pace. More often then not, teachers don’t necessarily agree with those choices. In more recent years, there is blurring of the demarcation between academic and vocational studies. In the wake of increased university fees, work based training and learning is becoming a more popular option for students. Furthermore the current increase of academies is fast changing the educational landscape in Britain today. Take for example the definition of a ‘grain’, a well known word that is little explored in a academic or vocational context.

The grain’s plurality of definitions reflects its versatility and depth. The intricacies relate to the various systems of production that occur within a grain and outside a grain, both in historical times and under the lens of modern science. In the Medieval times, ‘to be dyed in the grain’ was a luxury. This arcane historical terminology reveals cultural conceptions and social attitudes and can be used to challenge students’ views on wealth and luxury. Furthermore the plurality of definitions creates interdisciplinary links between subjects and schools of thought that can be linked to scientific concepts.

The granum is defined as a, ‘sight for photosynthesis within a chloroplast.’ The lifeblood of a plant is connected to photosynthesis; this is what converts sunlight into food for plants. A plant becomes a microcosm for the world and the metaphorical lending power that can be used to teach microorganisms is huge. A plant’s internal processes can be related to wider external processes; supply and demand, free market principles, and cultures of individuality. When a school student learns about the richness of the world within a plant; its definitions, its processes, its microorganisms, its history, and internal systems there will be a profound effect.

The material world and its free market forces which drive the youth to acquire happiness through the accumulation of capital; and present a glittering identity through a culture of commercial commodities will slowly be analysed and deconstructed. The race for validation that drains the mind of intellectual nourishment will be weeded out as students will be taught through science, history, and economics that, ‘to have less is to have more’. More importantly that a child should never be valued on what they own but for their ability to learn, analyse, and grow into better citizens. The free market forces that caused generations of children to be consumed in a wasteland of their own material insecurities will become  fertile soil for educational attainment.

 

The Granum

The granum is defined as a, ‘sight for photosynthesis within a chloroplast.’ The lifeblood of a plant is connected to photosynthesis; this is what converts sunlight into food for plants.

Photosynthesis requires chloroplasts and chloroplasts needs granum. There is a highly sophisticated and methodological system present within the world of a chloroplast and this is why the granum is a site of intrigue and wonder.

Chloroplasts are microorganisms and they form part of a cell. Within a cell there are many microorganisms workings together, and each component has an internal collection of systems, integral to cell’s overall functioning. An analogy is: a cell is a house; a microorganism is a room in the house; and the components of a microorganism form the furniture. Following this analogy of house politic the granum functions as a kitchen.

The granum is made up of discs and each discs is called a thylakoid. A good way to remember this is to imagine a shiny new one pound coin reflecting light. There are stacks of one pound coins that form a granum. The granum absorbs, circulates and stores light constantly, in order to produce energy required for a plant to grow. This is possible because every granum is made of a special membrane that allows light reactions to take place.

The light reactions are designed to travel across one granum to another, therefore preventing a circulation of light reactions within one granum. The connection between every granum is called a lamellae. A good way to remember this to imagine one pound coins, connected by luminous bands of light.

It’s all very illuminating looking at the wealth of reactions within and around a granum but there is also the importance of the lamellae to consider. The circulation of light is fundamental to the production of food in a plant. Inside a plant’s economy the chloroplast relies on a sharing of resources from one granum to another. This allows a plant to flourish and grow towards towering heights, and to bear fruit or grain.

The paradox of a grain shares many parallels with the process of photosynthesis. The grain as a food source comes from dead land in the winter; in the heart of darkness and death, beneath the soil, life germinates. Inside a granum there is a world of reactions and components that require a coherent narrative in order to be grasped with ease. In order for students to appreciate the fascinating world within a plant. A world where it is possible understand how life can sprout from dead earth; bringing a variety of energy light and life, within and around a plant.

The grain’s plurality of definitions reflects its versatility and depth. The intricacies relate to the various systems of production that occur within a grain and outside a grain, both in historical times and under the lens of modern science. In the Medieval times, ‘to be dyed in the grain’ was a luxury.

The historical definition of a grain refers to Kermes dye, ‘The dyestuff was called “grain”… because the desiccated eggs resembled fine grains of wheat or sand’ . The dye was derived from a red scale insect’s eggs and was used throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. Consequently textiles dyed with kermes were described as ‘dyed in the grain’. The small insect grains produced a rich red crimson colour that eventually became a much coveted status symbol, for those who had capital to purchase. Today a similar process is still used to produce cochineal, a dye used by McDonalds to produce a bright red colour. Still for many people in the general population, ‘grain’ relates to the production of food.

A more well known definition of grain refers to, ‘seeds of wheat or other cultivated cereals’. The ‘seeds’ of wheat identified are similar to the desiccated eggs of the Kermes dye; in the sense that it is the raw material required to start a process. In the two definitions a similarity is the emphasis of where the process begins and not the final product. The linguistic variations and contrasts can be utilised to analyse how a society views its survival and growth.

The grain, in its agricultural definition relates to the production of food, ‘Wheat or any other cultivated cereal used as food’, this shows that a ‘grain’ is a fundamental building block for survival.  As a result of technological advances in production, packaging and transport, the range of products produced from wheat or cereal is vast. However as processes of production and systems of management become more complicated and demanding, the grain as an entity is neglected in today’s world. It would appear trite to state that commodities are valued more than people. Perhaps, it would be less trite to state that people are lost in the process of creating huge achievements, whether this be through circumstance or choice. A grainy reflection of a post-modern reality; where the end product is more important than the individual building blocks that make the process possible in the first place.

Stewardship comes hand in hand when observing the importance of an individual grain. In a pre industrial era the grain had a noble place as the starting point for food, culture, trade, and wealth. Just as mill stones were sought and hidden in the homes of peasants, ‘grain’ was not just a commodity for producing food it was a cornerstone to self sufficiency. The gradual accumulation of grain demonstrates the need to treat resources sparingly: a grain left on a plate becomes a handful; a handful over months becomes a store cupboard; and over years a store cupboard becomes a huge room.

In the giant conveyor belt of the modern world people have become grains as large cooperations pour crimson dyes, with the promise to sell robes of happiness and freedom. The concept of ‘the grain’ as an individual, a unit, the start of a fundamental process, remains archaic, strange, and at best original. Have we all become emperors complete with his robes? Perhaps modern science can help provide the answer by allowing the naked human eye to peer into an invisible world and (excuse the pun) see a grain of truth.

Modern science turns the grain back into a granum. The scientific definition of a grain derived from the latin ‘granum’ refers to, ‘a stacklike structure in plant chloroplasts that contain chlorophyll; the site of photosynthesis’. The most scientific of definitions and perhaps the most difficult to understand burrows its name from ancient times. The latin word for the grain signifies one of the most complex and fundamental processes for mammals at all stages of the the food chain, photosynthesis. This presents a paradox on two levels; firstly, a dead language is used to signify a process of maintaining life, at a microscopic level; secondly the Latin term represents a process that could only be seen by modern science. The use of Latin represents a neoclassical revival of logic and reason, and empiricism. Logic and reason are also intellectual tools that can solve challenges such as food wastage and poverty, both relative and absolute.

The use of the Latin ‘granum’ shows the importance of scientific knowledge and its application in modern times.The stack-like structure represents a systematic methodological process of logic and reasoning. The chlorophyll represents the lifeblood of a plant as it carries light and light represents progress, a medium outside time and space. Each grain contains the power to trap light, build economies and sustain lives. Just like the unwinding of the millions of rungs in a double helix.

The grain’s small and humble appearance never changes although the processes within and around constantly churn. The combination of the historical and scientific definitions of a grain converts the grain into a granum, the ordinary into the extraordinary, matter into light, and food to thought.

The grain is important for children to learn and appreciate, not for the reasons I mention or for its many definitions; but for the avenues of enquiry the twain combined produce. This is food for a growing mind.

The modern world produces three main options: science, intellectual thought and religion: you can see the world in a grain, outside a grain or beyond a grain. Reason allows us to choose whether we see the world beyond, inside or outside.

But in order to simultaneously see inside and outside a grain we require a science education that cuts through the grain of both worlds.

Currently educational resources for growing are limited to a number of programmes which are not ‘academic’. The debate between academic and vocational studies is an established one in the Education world. Teachers at every stage, either directly or indirectly, find themselves making choices about how they deliver the curriculum and at what pace. More often then not, teachers don’t necessarily agree with those choices. In more recent years, there is blurring of the demarcation between academic and vocational studies. In the wake of increased university fees, work based training and learning is becoming a more popular option for students. Furthermore the current increase of academies is fast changing the educational landscape in Britain today.

A structure similar to the tripartite system is emerging as the process of ‘academisation’ continues: ‘100 per cent of schools with still be converted into academies by the year 2020 as planned’, as stated Rachel Pell’s article, “Full academisation of schools still a reality, despite Government U- turn, think tank confirms”. Conditions for teachers are described as ‘chaotic… confused curriculum alongside unmanageable workload and pay’ (ibid).  However the current state of affairs also creates emerging opportunities for greater flexibility in the delivery of the national curriculum. Possibly a grafting of academic teaching and vocational application; fertile ground for a growing garden in mainstream education.

There are strong examples of successful gardening projects in the US, namely Steven Riz’s South Bronx gardens. Riz describes his teaching and growing Odyssey in his book, ‘The power of a Plant. The American example is inspiring and phenomenal in its own right. The gardening and learning experiment has been successful in a number of states across the US, from crises garden nurseries for families in turmoil. There are University departments dedicated to gardening therapy for families, research published about the link(s) between raising attainment and gardening, and corporate funded programmes to help communities and schools grow together, as shown in the Riz example.

So what incipient plants can be transported and nurtured from across the continent, if any? What are the considerations that will aid a successful transportation stage. More importantly what will it take for the roots to grow into Britain’s current educational landscape.

Firstly, there are the epistemological considerations. The school structure and underlying principles behind British Education has a complex and long history. The British system has evolved over centuries and Britain has an undeniable reputation for a world class standard of education. Although that history appears in the subtlest of ways, its presence casts a long tradition with Educationalists in teacher training departments. Subjects divisions are upheld and maintained, divisions can be political. There is an overall sense to agree to disagree.

Growing food is currently not supported by any GCSE subject per se. However all the subjects in the curriculum can be linked to teaching ‘growing and gardening’; from scientific facts, to ethical debates about food and stewardship. The number of ways in which the topic can be integrated into the curriculum reflects the cross curricular and multifaceted nature of growing and gardening. A return to a holistic way of teaching gardening and growing is as panglossian as a hope to see a revival of the trivium but a plan to utilise the current educational climate is nearer to that of a practical optimist. The challenge is not where to fit growing into the curriculum but how. Aside from the epistemological considerations there are also logistical considerations.

Teachers may want to grow gardens but the logistical challenges would need to be addressed and supported at a school level. A few of the current challenges teachers face include; the demands of delivering the curriculum, meeting targets, marking, administrative tasks, acquiring resources, and individual school policy for extra curricular groups. Teachers are still able to garden with such challenges, but the seeds will germinate faster if watered from top down, and not sprinkled sporadically. The current conditions and educational upheaval has left soil that is ready to be sown.

Currently gardening is supported by museums and their educational out reach programs; the Eden project, Kew Gardens, and the Oxford mind growing, are to name a few. The groundswell of charities related to Social Horticultural therapy and gardening continue to grow.

There is capability for a garden in the current English educational landscape.

Growing is an effective vehicle for educational therapy. A child’s learning weaknesses  can be turned into strengths with the right intervention. This can be done in the following ways.

The first step is to identify what the barriers are. This can be done by focussing on an individual’s abilities and recognising their challenges. This creates opportunities develop and reach personal potential.

Emotional and cognitive barriers are interrelated and can be tricky to untangle. For example, barriers related to concentration and focus are closely related to thought patterns generated by belief systems, which are based on values. Intellectual ability is not the concern but rather problems with concentration and focus.  As most teachers will probably agree ‘naughty’ children are often very intelligent. The most common example to illustrate this a child who loses concentration when they find a task too challenging. Deeply ingrained beliefs can result to a learning attitudes that will impact a child’s ability to concentrate and focus. This is when the skill of learning to learn can be an effective tool.

The process of learning to learn is very important, Dr. Mathew Cruger director of the Child Mind Institute’s Learning and Development Centre states, ‘One of the biggest struggles that characterises almost all of the kids I see is they don’t know how to think about how to do work in an organised way”. A child’s ability to start start a project or to break down a homework task is central to to develop skills for lifelong learning.Learning to learn is also an effective was to empower children as they will be able to transfer this skill to a plethora of different environments and subjects.

When gardening and growing children will be able to build a base of knowledge around a practical task. This process will help teachers an parents to recognise underlying learning issues, by analysing a child’s reactions and comments. Gardening will provide a safe environment for educators to identify where a child feels uncomfortable and how they react to that uncertainty or learning challenge. Furthermore growing provides sufficient opportunity for educators to help develop strategies to to improve concentration memory and attention.

Furthermore they will be able to transfer that process to other areas of learning, as well as the sense of accomplishment. For many the first step would be to identify the challenge(s) a child may be experiencing in their ability to learn. The challenge maybe related to concentration and focus, not intellectual ability.  The next step would be to see the different methods available and to use those methods to build a robust plan that can help build a child’s strengths in an incremental and safe way.

A series of articles on how families heal after breakdown

Character Conservation: English moral identity in Early Modern Literature

The tree has a unique and revered place in English Literary culture. Its roots are found in biblical associations, legends and mythical tales. In a recent article by Alice Thomson in the Times, titled ‘For the love of Britain plant more trees’, Thomson highlights the importance for planting trees in modern Britain; ‘British nurseries should be encouraged to nurture trees that are pest free.’ The roots for debates about the conservation of British forestry stem to the early modern period.  Simon Schama in his work Landscape and Memory explores the politics of tree felling in the early modern state as,‘the forester king was bound to be torn between exploitation and conservation.’ He also points how ‘Arguments over the true responsibility of a national forestry have not changed much since that time.’

The early modern tree is a rich resource for examining character in early modern works of literature. The tree in Early Modern Literature is an important literary symbol in the contextualisation of debates related to environment and use of resources. Professor Andrew McRae ‘examines Michael Drayton’s recurrent laments at the loss of English woodland in Poly-Olbion’.  He explores tree felling through a discourse of environmentalism. This raises important questions about, ‘humanity’s engagement with the natural world’. The literary usage of the tree in the early modern period provides a fascinating insight into the creation of a distinct cultural and moral identity.

The tree as a symbol of character has critical implications; as the physical preservation of a tree would extend to moral preservation of character. Early modern usage of tree symbolism in different contexts would be examined to show the dangers of corruption in character. By exploring and examining tree symbolism the findings can be used to make further enquiries about cultural and moral anxieties related to the preservation of character. Furthermore tree symbolism facilitates for deeper analysis of character and its social, economical, and political ideological tenants. The tree as a symbol of character creates fascinating connotations with trade, shipping, national defence and art. As the early modern tree has its roots in many fields an interdisciplinary approach between environmental studies and Medical Humanities would yield fruit for further analysis.

Modernist Literature 

The tree as a representation of modern character grows from its biblical connotations and departs  into a complex array of meanings and associations. This perspective is further refracted when looking through a modernist lens.

The tree as a modernist symbol for character requires an analysis of its primary associations.

The tree is an important of symbol of identity in Virginia Woolf’ ‘To the Lighthouse’; ‘Move the tree to the middle… She had never finished that picture.’  There is an internal struggle to assert a distinct and feminine identity: Mrs. Ramsey’s decision to move the tree to the middle, after great deliberation, never transpired to action.

The desire to physically assert the artistic representation of one’s identity is shown in Mrs. Ramsey’s control over her artwork. Mrs. Ramsey’s internal conflicts about her locus of control arise when ever she is faced with the question of where to put the tree. The aspiration for the tree to be moved to the middle is an indication that Mrs. Ramsey wishes to be accepted, as a woman and as an artist. However, Mrs. Ramsey’s plight is that she is reaching out to a world that is simply not there. The picture suggests more about character and its implications.

The ubiquitous nature of the tree’s position represents social change through self realisation, ‘It seemed as if the solution had come to her: she knew now what she wanted to do’. The transfer of the tree from the boundary to the centre would define the tree’s position. The tree at the centre of the picture implies that Mrs. Ramsey’s locus of control is now internal and she is no longer on the periphery but central to the lives around her; both psychologically and spatially. Ironically, the epiphany never materialises in an artistic expression. The tree is not so much a symbol of modernist character but a symbol for individuality and independence. The inability for the artist to convey a sense of individuality shows the reader that Mrs. Ramsey is reaching out to a world that is not present, politically speaking. The tree as a symbol of character is challenged by the modernist quest for identity. The desire to move the tree to the centre becomes an expression for the need to a have a solid identity in a modern world of fluctuations, waves, tribulations, and wavering lights. Woolf’s emphasis on the surroundings within the picture represent external influences that can create character.

The position of the tree in the picture alludes to the tension between individual and society, as the, ‘question was of some relation between those masses’. Woolf’s trees are hollowed of their moral centre and a large part of their substance is defined by, ‘those masses’ that surround them. Indeed, there is a philosophical paradox; the quest for one’s independence is founded on considering the needs of others: a contradiction that lies at the heart of this analysis. The struggle for individuality as an artist and as a women is trapped by the need to be measured against the ‘others’ in this case. The tree wouldn’t be at the centre if the ‘hedges’ were not around them and if the ‘wall’ did not stand. The ontological conundrum is solved by suicide; the tree can only be removed by one solution. Death.

Elsewhere in the novel the symbol of trees is illuminated in hues of patriotism, ‘The autumn trees, ravaged as they are, take on the flash of tattered flags’. Woolf’s language merges aesthetics with psychological enquiry but the discussion of character and national identity would be beyond the scope of this discussion.

Overall, the symbol of a tree shows the complexity of mind, identity, and individuality in the emergent branches of a modern world.

George Orwell

Trees symbolism plays a subtle role in George Orwell’s modernist dystopia, Nineteen Eighty Four.

The recurring landscape of the, ‘boughs of elm trees’ to dream, reality, and to memory, demonstrates how trees can be a symbol for political indoctrination or the process of losing one’s identity.

 The representation of the tree in Orwell’s work is a self conscious metaphor for the linguistic process where by propaganda is used to take away meanings and make meanings. The tree’s meanings becomes defined through a process of hopes, rebellion, torture, and submission. The journey of Winston’s trees become the meaning of the trees. The tree as a symbol of character becomes a symbol or the political vision of the individual. Reading the tree as an individual leads to the conclusion that the modern person is defined by external factors; politics, governments, and political displacement.

‘Innumerable fingers, like moving trees, were still streaming past in either direction, crossing and recrossing. He shut his eyes again. It was composed almost entirely of words that we already possess words like hit, run, dog, tree, sugar, house, field — but in comparison with the present-day English vocabulary their number was extremely small, while their meanings were far more rigidly defined. All ambiguities and shades of meaning had been purged out of them.’

Trees show the trauma of the individual psyche through political revolution, war, imprisonment, and oppression. The modernist representation of a tree places importance on external factors, thus the process of defining a tree becomes its meaning. There is a sense of an ending created by; ideological fluctuations, political oppression, philosophical uncertainty and moral ambiguity. The modernist representation of trees does not support the interpretation of trees as a symbol of one’s character. Rather trees become a symbol for the process of losing one’s character. 

The search for identity becomes as important identity itself, as a the post modern world grapples within a prism of ideologies, a myriad of morals, an abundance of wealth, and disappearing borders.

The tree as a literary symbol will continue growing from its ancient roots. And the questions still remain; what trees will we grow today, where do we want to place them, and what boundaries need to be observed?