William Wallace

William Wallace is the hero of scottish history. He represents scottish nationalism, for even though there have been many fighters for independence, it was William Wallace who never once gave in to the english.

He became an outlaw early on when he killed the overbearing son of an english constable.He was driven by a fierce love of liberty for his suffering country and the dedication to the idea of independce. He was inspired by the latin precept (translation) I tell you truly liberty is the best of things" His wife was killed when he was visiting her one day. His daughter is said to have survived though. He fought and won many battles, and he brought the clans together to fight. He was knighted and gained the title of sole gaudian of scotland and leader of its armies. He was the fighter for the people, for it was the poor that loved him, not the nobles. He was executed when he was captured by the english. He swroe at trial he had never commited treason, because he hadnt sworn loyalty to the king.

The english king didnt want to create a martyr so he destroyed and dispersed wallace's body hoping it would be forgotten. Instead, because of the brutaily the poeple of scotland wanted to remember him.The people kept the story alive. There are places all around Scotland that have signs saying william wallace touched a rock or tree. There are constant retelling of stories.

cool fact: the referendum #1 that would ratify scottish parliament was held in 1997, 11 september, seven hundred years to the day since william's spectacular victory over the english army at stirling bridge in 1297.

I love the story of William Wallace. Whenever I watch braveheart I feel pride in my heart. I love the scene when the girl gives him a thistle when his family is being buried, and he looks at her with tears in his eyes. They fall in love when they are older, so romantic. Of course the english had to come along and kill her, but that is reality. I love the song the bagpipes play when they are saying goodbye to them "an outlawed tune on an outlawed pipe" it crushes my heart. The fact that the english decided to outlaw bagpiping is just ridiculous. They try to crush the scottish spirit, and the scots flare with the fire in their guts. Freedom, oh I wish scotland would look at itself and vote yes. There are so many people that died for freedom, and now they have a chance to gain it without bloodshed, dont they realize how much of a blessing that is?

Anyway, I love William Wallace, if you haven't seen braveheart then you've missed out, it is very near to the real story, the real big detail they left out was that he had a daughter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6zGEBhJMHA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_OpFxCx-A&feature=relmfu

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Braveheart quotes:

Young William: What are they doin'?
Argyle Wallace: Saying goodbye in their own way. Playing outlawed tunes on outlawed pipes.

William Wallace: It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom.

William Wallace: Lower your flags and march straight back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today.

Princess Isabelle: I understand you have suffered. I know... about your woman.
William Wallace: [pauses] She was my wife. We married in secret because I would not share her with an English lord. They killed her to get to me. I've never spoken of it, I don't know why I tell you now, except... I see her strength in you. One day, you'll be a queen. And you must open your eyes. You tell your king that William Wallace will *not* be ruled... and nor will any Scot while I live.
(One thing the movie didnt mention, he had a daughter)

William Wallace: I *am* William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men... and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?
Veteran: Fight? Against that? No! We will run. And we will live.
William Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!
[Scottish army cheers]
William Wallace: Alba gu bràth!
["Scotland forever!"]

William Wallace: Go back to England and tell them there that Scotland's daughters and her sons are yours no more. Tell them Scotland is free.

William Wallace: Every man dies, not every man really lives.

Robert the Bruce: Now, you've achieved more than anyone ever dreamed. But, fighting these odds, it looks like rage, not courage.
William Wallace: It's well beyond rage. Help me. In the name of Christ, help yourselves. Now is our chance. Now. If we join, we can win. If we win, well then we'll have what none of us has ever had before: a country of our own.

"After the beheading, William Wallace's body was torn to pieces. His head was set on London Bridge, his arms and legs sent to the four corners of Britain as a warning. It did not have the effect that Longshanks planned"

Royal Magistrate: The prisoner wishes to say a word.

William: FREEEEE-DOMMMMMM!!!!!

Scottish independence

Let me tell you something about scottish people, when the english outlawed bagpipes, the scottish people hid them and started singing puirt-a-buel songs. When the english banned weapons, the scots began training by throwing 1000 lb rocks and flipping trees. When the english killed william wallace, and tried to write him out of history, the scots preserved the story. when the english took the stone of destiny in 1296, the scots, well, in 1950 they finally stole it back from westminister abbey. After centuries of opression, voting no in 2014 for independence is saying scotland has finally been broken. It is like saying that all that fighting was useless.

I am just an american, but I have scottish blood. I have a great-grandfather who refused to leave his homeland out of pride, and other family members whose hearts never strayed from the highlands. There are more people of scottish ancestry living out of scotland than the whole population in scotland, and thats not how it should be. That could change. I don't know much about modern scotland, I only know the stories and the history. I hear alot that there is no pride in scotland, and I wonder how that happened. Scotland deserves its freedom, it deserves to have the pride that the english have tried to keep it from having.

I'll write more on this later

--JSparrow

Outlander (spoilers)

I picked this book up because I had heard of it being the king of all Scottish novels. The fact taht it had a thistle on it helped too. The story was amazing in many ways. Sometimes the way the author described something made it seem incredibly beautiful.

In the tale an english woman gets transported back in time to old scotland. There she meets a man named jaime, a good-ole highland man (except for the beating, which i've chosen to ignore). She is brought to the mckenzie clan where she in under watch, because they are uncertain whether or not she is an english spy. She ends up having to marry jaime, in order to keep her from a violent english soldier determined to rape most of the main characters in the story. The english soldier happens to be the great-great...grandfather of her husband in the future, which is both hilarious and unnerving at the same time. For alot of the book she tries to get back to the rocks to go back to the future, but she ends up chosing to stay with jaime. Apparently, jaime is running from the english himself, but he is caught. They break him out of jail, but jaime is a little, um, well he is hurt afterwards. He ends of getting better, somehow after nearly dying. It ends with a pregnancy! yayy!

There was alot of sex in this book. I mean, it didnt go into detail but it definitly took up a big chunk of the book, and the book is really big, mind. There were alot of things I just couldnt agree on with this book, but at the same time it had something, something. My favorite part was when she saw the loch ness monster, it was a magical moment in the book. The author really knows how to tell a story. The transitions, and lingering thoughts at the end of a chapter were perfectly made. There was adventure, which I appreciate. There was also this intimacy with the catholic church, which is rare in books. Being catholic, I am painfully aware that movies and books often cast the church in a negitive light. It doesn't bother me that much, or all the time, but it was refreshing to hear someone say something semi-positive or at least not negitive about it. The priests werent considered lecherous either, which is a plus. My uncle is a preist, so that part about the view on the church upsets me alot.

There was one part when jaime "had" to beat her to restore her honor as a woman, and I am going to admit that my heart sunk at that part. I almost stopped reading the book, it was clearly trying to call whipping someone as normal. I got really mad, I almost tossed the book. So mad, that my faith in mankind was shaky. It takes alot to make me believe a man can love, and very little to believe a man doesnt have the capability of it. I know, I need to work on that. I understand that it is old fashion scottish culture, but I didnt like it. I am a bit of a feminist, if I havent already said so. I ended up going back to the book though, there is just something irresistable about a good story. He ended up apologizing to her, promising never to do it again, telling her embaresing stories about when he has been beaten up (which is alot), and she, like an idiot forgives him. I wouldnt forgive him, I still havent forgiven him. I only got through the book by systematically ignoring that part.

Positives and negitives, I don't know what to say. I don't know if I liked this book or not, but I am going to read the next one in the series to try and figure out the answer. There are seven books in the series, "Dragonfly in amber" is next.

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"I don't want your gold and silver, I don't want your house and land
I am going with a soldier, I have promised him my hand
But the father spoke up sharply: You will do as i command,
You'll get married on a Sunday and you'll wear that wedding band"
---(song) step it out mary


--JSparrow