THE INFLUENCE OF MUSIC ON OUR LIVES – CAN IT REALLY SOOTHE THE SAVAGE BEAST? ROBERT MILLER The opening line of Congreve’s The Mourning Bride is commonly misquoted as ‘the savage beast’, and is purposefully adopted in my essay title. Almeria bemoans her plight; music which ‘has charms to sooth a savage breast’ has no effect on her. What is this collection of patterns with its ability to engage our emotions, what purpose does it serve and do we still need it this far along in our evolutionary path? I seek to explore how the mind, heart, spirit and body can meet through music and that the misquotation is indeed apt – as the inexplicable response to music is our most human of traits. I believe Almeria’s condition is a transient amusia: a temporary deficiency in the complex network of brain connections, leading to an inability to translate the music received into a meaningful emotional response so that she is ‘more senseless grown than Trees, or Flint’.
TRAPPED IN WONDERLAND: DID JOHN TENNIEL’S IMAGES FOR ALICE IN WONDERLAND INHIBIT INDIVIDUALITY FOR FUTURE INTERPRETATIONS OF THE NOVEL? DOMINIC POVALL The characters of Alice in Wonderland are arguably some of the most recognisable and memorable in English literature. But why is this? Studying the book, I discovered that the characters are rarely, if ever, described. So why do we have such a clear mental image of what these characters should look like? The images we see correspond almost directly to the original illustrations by John Tenniel, and for this reason, I ask whether his illustrations inhibit the ideas of future artists, and what these artists have done to try to break the mould with their interpretations of the novel. My essay looks at how these artists have maintained some of the elements of the original Tenniel illustrations, whilst adding their own style and tone to create something original and new. ANTICANCER DRUGS: HOW DO THEY WORK? SUNG HEI WU Cancer has been one of the biggest causes of death in recent decades. We have spent an extensive amount of time and money on cancer research, looking for ways to cure cancer. Carcinogenesis occurs inevitably because of mutations that change the cell cycle completely. Alkylating agents and antimetabolites are commonly used to treat cancer. They have different mechanisms and side effects. Alkylating agents interfere with the cell cycle by combining themselves with the DNA, while antimetabolites inhibit enzymes that synthesise the DNA. With the breakthrough of medical technology, there are more new and radical approaches to cancer treatment, such as engineered genes and COX inhibitors.
“What is this collection of patterns with its ability to engage our emotions, what purpose does it serve and do we still need it this far along in our evolutionary path?”
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