Initial idea- a series of short poems on the pendulum of political ideology.

(This was later modified to include vignettes or short stories in between verses, to maximise
the impact of the piece and its messages.)

The writing style was inspired by the script- Love and information by Caryl Churchill.
I felt that the abstract nature of this play was more informative than a straightforward
approach. Obviously my piece is not a theatre script, but the dialogue particularly in Part 3
is heavily inspired by the style seen in the script.

RESEARCH

Firstly I researched all the events of the three specific time periods, trying to find similarities
and trends.
Source 1- Zhang, X., Lin, W.-Y. and Dutton, W.H. (2022). The Political Consequences of
Online Disagreement: The Filtering of Communication Networks in a Polarized Political
Context. Social Media + Society, 8(3), p.205630512211143.

I picked this source as I wanted to explore political ideologies and division in the modern
world, as it is an important facet of identity in the modern world.

Source 2- Mark, J. (2019). The Medieval Church. [online] World History Encyclopedia.
Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/Medieval_Church/.

This source provides valuable insights into mediaeval attitudes towards religion, and
sheds light on the intolerance towards non-christians.

Lumen (n.d.). Daily Medieval Life | Western Civilization. [online]

courses.lumenlearning.com. Available at:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-westerncivilization/chapter/daily-me
dieval-life/.

This source provides information on common life and opinions of medieval Europe,
which allowed me to put together a convincing persona of someone who would have
existed at the time.

Lyonette Louis-Jacques (n.d.). The Salem Witch Trials: Legal Resources - The Salem Witch
Trials - The University of Chicago Library. [online] www.lib.uchicago.edu. Available at:
https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/collex/exhibits/salem-witch-trials-legal-resources/
Nick Haslam, Melanie J. McGrath, Melissa A. Wheeler (2019). Changing morals: we’re
more compassionate than 100 years ago, but more judgmental too. [online]
findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au. Available at:
https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/2843-changing-morals--we%27re-more-
compassionate-than-100-years-ago--but-more-judgmental-too [Accessed 26 Mar.
2023].

‌These were the most influential sources. See rest at the bottom of this document in the
reference list.

There were several major differences between the time eras, many of which were influenced
by people’s views on religion, and the role it played in their lives. Another interesting fact is
that individualism only really emerged after the age of enlightenment, before and prior to
this the identity of the common man was that of a group, not of himself.
Sexism was very prevalent, but I do not want to focus on feminism because that is not the
main message, and a topic as strong as that tends to draw attention away from the main
messages, as reader’s get fixated on that ideology.
I want to explore the church’s influences, how people thought, what their morality was.
I want to either explore or either touch on the reasons behind people choosing to believe in
God, and how such irrational beliefs are the founding pillars of our society.
Poem draft -
The heart is empty,
The mind demands answers
We will not accept a meaningless life
God is an explanation,
Without an explanation
We’d fall apart
In truth it is fear, not faith that reigns
In truth it is desperation not belief that holds us together
Draft 1-

The earth is at the centre.
The church is supreme.
Do not question.
Accept.
Question is the soul of humanity
Galileo says.
To make sense of the world, we must see
Galileo says.
The church is right, I was wrong.
At last Galileo conceded.
I wanted to explore these themes, and for
the most part I did for my final piece, but
then I realised that the scientific discoveries,
however important, drew away from core
human issues.
Moreover, I also realised that including
short snippets would enhance the message,
and provide me with a better platform to
express the life and opinions of people.

His book on his findings was published

shortly after his death.

Purity is vital.
Religion reigns supreme.
 What is life, what makes a good man,
If not the word of God.

But which God is right?

How are we to know?
All men are equal.
All people are free.

The voice of the masses has to be heard

The monarchy has lost its way.
King Louis the sixteenth is just Louis.
Off with his head.
Make way for the revolution.

Ideas + development

Many drafts later- (there are too many to include, but the following is the second to last
draft. The final being the submitted version.)
The final draft is meant to reflect the changes in humanity, and it's values and morality (
going back to types of morality in first brainstorm)
Reference list

columnist, M.C., Opinion (2022). Opinion: It is often said that politics are a pendulum. That’s probably right. [online] Bangor Daily News. Available at:
https://www.bangordailynews.com/2022/06/10/opinion/opinion-contributor/it-is-often-said-that-politics-are-a-pendulum-thats-probably-right/ [Accessed 26 Mar.
2023].

Lumen (n.d.). Daily Medieval Life | Western Civilization. [online] courses.lumenlearning.com. Available at:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-herkimer-westerncivilization/chapter/daily-medieval-life/.

Lyonette Louis-Jacques (n.d.). The Salem Witch Trials: Legal Resources - The Salem Witch Trials - The University of Chicago Library. [online]
www.lib.uchicago.edu. Available at: https://www.lib.uchicago.edu/collex/exhibits/salem-witch-trials-legal-resources/.

Mark, J. (2019). The Medieval Church. [online] World History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.worldhistory.org/Medieval_Church/.

Nick Haslam, Melanie J. McGrath, Melissa A. Wheeler (2019). Changing morals: we’re more compassionate than 100 years ago, but more judgmental too.
[online] findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au. Available at:
https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/news/2843-changing-morals--we%27re-more-compassionate-than-100-years-ago--but-more-judgmental-too [Accessed 26
Mar. 2023].

Zhang, X., Lin, W.-Y. and Dutton, W.H. (2022). The Political Consequences of Online Disagreement: The Filtering of Communication Networks in a Polarized
Political Context. Social Media + Society, 8(3), p.205630512211143. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221114391.
‌