From the darkness comes the light
When I was mulling over my central theme in this book series, I stepped back and looked about me. What was it at the core of my being that I wanted to challenge or highlight? And what would my main character, Eveline find at the core of her being?
Across the world, millions of our fellow beings are struggling with oppression and conflict. If you turn on the news channel you will be met with the seriousness of this, if you pick up a newspaper, conflict heads the news and if you read your newsfeed on both Facebook and Twitter it is there for all of us to see. I then looked deeper into why it is that these particular themes are so prominent and shrugged my shoulders, how could they be? Everywhere I look I see elements of both oppression and conflict, I’ve faced it head on for most of my life. But how do we address these issues? How can we resolve conflict without bloodshed?
‘Do you know why this world is as bad as it is?...It is because people think only about their own business, and won’t trouble themselves to stand up for the oppressed, nor bring the wrong-doers to light…My doctrine is this, that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt…’ Anna Sewell.
When my youngest sister is scared of the dark, I always point her gaze to the night sky and ask her, “What do you see?” she will fix her gaze and reply, “the stars” at which point I will reply with, “doesn't it amaze you that your eyes find the light instead of the darkness?” at which she will nod her head and settle a little. And so in order to better understand conflict in all its goriness, I created and molded together a new world, filled with new characters and complex stories. At the epicenter of this story is a very ordinary young woman, not ordinary through birth but ordinary through her vision of the world about her. She is troubled by the events of the Second World War and is at heart a pacifist, a mediator and a great believer in the goodness of mankind, which makes her story all the more difficult. She is plucked from a world of varying comfort and security and in metaphorical terms given a red button, forced to make a decision on whether to press it or not. How easy it would be for her to turn her gaze away from who she really is and what she really represents to the greater universe.
The greater question that we all ask ourselves…
Do we simply allow our vision to become blurred to the pain and suffering that surrounds us, or do we try to have a clear vision, try to better the world in which we live, even if doing that is hard and demoralizing?
What kind of person, Queen and Heir would Eveline be if she simply turned a blind eye on the oppression her people are facing? What kind of person would she be, to know that she had the power to change her world for the better, but to turn a blind eye out of fear?
Dilemma…
At the beginning of ‘The Prophecy’ Eveline, is an unsure, shy and quiet woman, happy to marry her best friend despite not being in love with him, because she is so afraid of change, afraid of the unforeseen. And then Galean comes forth from the darkness and his influence over her has a dramatic effect on her. She begins to find courage and strength and considering the immensity of her story in the first book, she needs it. Theodore would have his wife be unsure, shy and quiet because he cannot see past his own need to be at the forefront. Galean urges Eveline to step away from that cocoon of security, encourages her to see the power she has over the darkness, and this is why their love story is so important.
The point?
This series is brimming with the hardships of life, filled with the moral issues we face and filled with the varying degrees in which we try to deal with them, all seen through the eyes of my characters. Writing on behalf of a character and seeing how they would deal with conflict and oppression has been an interesting and still is an interesting journey. Many of the stronger characters like Theodore, do not always find themselves at the top of the mountain and many of the weaker characters go through an incredible transformation, which sees them overcome perplexing hurdles. Conflict doesn't only just separate people, but it brings people together and when we come together, we can actively seek change. When a rose dies, a new rose takes it place. When a situation seems impossible don’t just give up and turn a blind eye, persevere and strive to overcome the obstacles that you face and I know and understand that this is not easy. One person’s courage can bring down a wall of oppression and if we have the power to change someone’s life then it is our duty to do so. So many of the great and courageous people that have changed social history like Martin Luther King had to for example overcome tough obstacles to fight against segregation, having to face oppressive opposition, but he preserved and in the end congress passed the civil rights act in 1968. And this theme is at the center of Eveline’s journey too and not just her own, because it isn't only those born into privilege that can change our future and the future of others, we all have the tools to stand up to oppression and conflict whether it be in our own personal life or the lives of those whose voice have been silenced.
‘It’s gonna be a long journey, it’s gonna be an uphill climb, it’s gonna be a tough fight, it’s gonna be some lonely nights. But I am ready to carry on…’ Mary J Blige.
Iseult x
Across the world, millions of our fellow beings are struggling with oppression and conflict. If you turn on the news channel you will be met with the seriousness of this, if you pick up a newspaper, conflict heads the news and if you read your newsfeed on both Facebook and Twitter it is there for all of us to see. I then looked deeper into why it is that these particular themes are so prominent and shrugged my shoulders, how could they be? Everywhere I look I see elements of both oppression and conflict, I’ve faced it head on for most of my life. But how do we address these issues? How can we resolve conflict without bloodshed?
‘Do you know why this world is as bad as it is?...It is because people think only about their own business, and won’t trouble themselves to stand up for the oppressed, nor bring the wrong-doers to light…My doctrine is this, that if we see cruelty or wrong that we have the power to stop, and do nothing, we make ourselves sharers in the guilt…’ Anna Sewell.
When my youngest sister is scared of the dark, I always point her gaze to the night sky and ask her, “What do you see?” she will fix her gaze and reply, “the stars” at which point I will reply with, “doesn't it amaze you that your eyes find the light instead of the darkness?” at which she will nod her head and settle a little. And so in order to better understand conflict in all its goriness, I created and molded together a new world, filled with new characters and complex stories. At the epicenter of this story is a very ordinary young woman, not ordinary through birth but ordinary through her vision of the world about her. She is troubled by the events of the Second World War and is at heart a pacifist, a mediator and a great believer in the goodness of mankind, which makes her story all the more difficult. She is plucked from a world of varying comfort and security and in metaphorical terms given a red button, forced to make a decision on whether to press it or not. How easy it would be for her to turn her gaze away from who she really is and what she really represents to the greater universe.
The greater question that we all ask ourselves…
Do we simply allow our vision to become blurred to the pain and suffering that surrounds us, or do we try to have a clear vision, try to better the world in which we live, even if doing that is hard and demoralizing?
What kind of person, Queen and Heir would Eveline be if she simply turned a blind eye on the oppression her people are facing? What kind of person would she be, to know that she had the power to change her world for the better, but to turn a blind eye out of fear?
Dilemma…
At the beginning of ‘The Prophecy’ Eveline, is an unsure, shy and quiet woman, happy to marry her best friend despite not being in love with him, because she is so afraid of change, afraid of the unforeseen. And then Galean comes forth from the darkness and his influence over her has a dramatic effect on her. She begins to find courage and strength and considering the immensity of her story in the first book, she needs it. Theodore would have his wife be unsure, shy and quiet because he cannot see past his own need to be at the forefront. Galean urges Eveline to step away from that cocoon of security, encourages her to see the power she has over the darkness, and this is why their love story is so important.
The point?
This series is brimming with the hardships of life, filled with the moral issues we face and filled with the varying degrees in which we try to deal with them, all seen through the eyes of my characters. Writing on behalf of a character and seeing how they would deal with conflict and oppression has been an interesting and still is an interesting journey. Many of the stronger characters like Theodore, do not always find themselves at the top of the mountain and many of the weaker characters go through an incredible transformation, which sees them overcome perplexing hurdles. Conflict doesn't only just separate people, but it brings people together and when we come together, we can actively seek change. When a rose dies, a new rose takes it place. When a situation seems impossible don’t just give up and turn a blind eye, persevere and strive to overcome the obstacles that you face and I know and understand that this is not easy. One person’s courage can bring down a wall of oppression and if we have the power to change someone’s life then it is our duty to do so. So many of the great and courageous people that have changed social history like Martin Luther King had to for example overcome tough obstacles to fight against segregation, having to face oppressive opposition, but he preserved and in the end congress passed the civil rights act in 1968. And this theme is at the center of Eveline’s journey too and not just her own, because it isn't only those born into privilege that can change our future and the future of others, we all have the tools to stand up to oppression and conflict whether it be in our own personal life or the lives of those whose voice have been silenced.
‘It’s gonna be a long journey, it’s gonna be an uphill climb, it’s gonna be a tough fight, it’s gonna be some lonely nights. But I am ready to carry on…’ Mary J Blige.
Iseult x
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