Writing – Page 2 – Habiba Tahir

TV Review: The Punisher

One Batch, Two Batch, Penny and Dime

Netflix has made sure that the last few months of 2017 are the ones we remember the most. Not only did we get the second season of Stranger Things, we also got to see our very own troubled vigilante The Punisher. We will also be treated to the second season of The Crown next month.

The show has received mixed reviews ever since it was released. I binge-watched the entire season and honestly, I enjoyed it.

Here’s the thing: Half the people are complaining about how The Punisher is too violent and brutal, and the other half are complaining about how there’s too much drama and less action.

Now, let me tell you one thing. None of us supports violence and murder – we don’t. But The Punisher is a violent ‘hero’ who kills criminals. It’s as simple as that. So, you really can’t say it’s too much brutality when this is what the comic book is based upon. And while more action would have made it better, there is always the need to make a character more human for the audience. If he were going around killing people the entire season, people would have complained that it got boring and repetitive.

So, give it a chance because even though there are flaws in the show, there are some episodes that will blow your mind away. ‘Gunner’, ‘Virtue of the Vicious’ and ‘Home’ being one of those few.

Also, is it just me or does anyone else find Jon Bernthal’s wobbly head a bit distracting?

You can also read my review on IMDb by clicking here. What did you think of the show? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Book Review: Turtles All The Way Down

Book Reviews, Reviews

“… no one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green

Rating: 4/5

Warning: This review is full of spoilers.

A lot of people are confused whether they liked this book or expected just a bit more. I have to admit, I was in a similar place. But I will tell you why I rated it with 4 stars.

First of all, we have to talk about Aza and her mental illness. Not only was she a different character, but also one that was extremely difficult to describe. When she was dealing with her anxiety and becoming overwhelmed with the littlest of things, I wasn’t annoyed. I actually understood her character. And that was only because John Green wrote her really well. I was not a big fan of the car accident because it has been overused as a climax in many other stories. But the event was heartbreaking, because at one point, you actually get to see how helpless she becomes when she is forced by her ‘self’ to drink the hand sanitizer.

Moving on to other characters, you have Daisy, a true friend who vented out her frustration of dealing with Aza in a Star Wars fan fiction. She knew about Aza’s mental illness but found herself getting annoyed sometimes. It made her character feel more human and it made me sympathize with both of the friends.

Davis was a character that I liked, but found too good to be true. After reading the book, I found the entire plot with Russell Pickett to be a bit … unattached to the story. It was the only thing that started and ended the main events of the book. Other than that, nothing that happened to him seemed interesting to me.

Once again, I think that this book gives us a very clear idea of how serious mental illness is. I believe that Green did justice to it by elaborating on it repeatedly. I also liked the ending because it allowed us to imagine what to expect for Aza without really saying it.

Turtles All The Way Down is a book that takes a serious issue, and combines it with love and friendship in a perfect balance. John Green wrote Aza with such dedication that you can’t help but hope that she makes it through her spirals.

What did you think of the book? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

Wrath

Free Verse, Poetry

Vile,

Inhumane,

Someone

Fits the outline;

Planning,

Reaching out,

For the

Darkest ways;

They are wrong —

But why

Would they still succeed?

Frozen,

Shocked,

Someone

Fits the outline;

Waiting,

Looking forward,

To a day

Of justice;

They have the chance —

But why

Would they still forgive?

Bitter,

Revealing,

Life

Fits the outline;

Destroying,

Moving forward,

To the

Very end;

It is ready —

But tell me

Would they now think twice?

Burning Questions

Anaphora, Poetry

Is it really how they say?

To live your life

with emptiness so deep,

it kills you within.

Is it really how it sounds?

To shout and wail

with a voice so desperate,

it tears you apart.

Is it really how it tastes?

To swallow the truth

with flavors so bitter,

it poisons you within.

Is it really how it feels?

To touch your inner self

with hands so impure,

it darkens you forever.

Is it really how they say?

To live your life

with thoughts so shallow,

it kills you within.