Grammar Gazette-Issue 1, 2021

FROM THE STUDENTS ENGLISH

A World of Opportunities Combining talent, passion and practical skills

ALUMNAE FIONA QIU

Pride and Poison The paradox of power Dunya Yelesich (10W)

Unfortunately, it seems our leaders still have a long way to go, becoming their own de-facto Ozymandias Take Donald Trump, former President of the USA, for example Trump was a man so intoxicated with power that he thought himself invincible—much like Ozymandias Now, after an election defeat and a double impeachment, he is following the same pattern His own power-fuelled and pretentious actions are what made him redundant Shelley’s moral of power bringing about its own ruin is one all too familiar to us, and one history has proven time and time again to be an undeniable truth For decades, men in power have been getting away with all sorts of grotesque behaviour towards women But with the recent MeToo movement, women who have experienced these assaults can unite to bring their tormentors to justice Starting with famous Hollywood actresses—and successful allegations against director Harvey Weinstein and others—then moving all the way to the Australian parliament, and the notable case of Christian Porter, the movement has empowered women to step forward and testify against their abusers This is yet more proof that the oppressed will always find a way to stand up to oppressors and eventually succeed, bringing power, crumbling, to its knees Power never lasts because of the powerful’s destructive self-confidence, and the fact that there will always be someone fighting against it. Even today, our leaders must heed the lesson of those sandy ruins, lest they become them Tyranny still abounds, and we must learn to speak truth to power and continue to fight. ■

Throughout the history of humanity, we havewitnessed the rise and fall of the tyrannical—those whose power has got into their heads, contaminating their minds and corrupting their morality We had trembled in fear at the mounting power of famous dictators like Hitler and breathed relief when their reigns of terror ended But there is something innate about humans’ desire for power, so we must resign ourselves to the fact that someone somewhere will always—now and forever— fall prey to it However, Romantic poet Percy Shelley provides us with a little hope that power is ephemeral His 1817 poem ‘Ozymandias’ is a stern word of warning that power, when used for bad, never prevails But the question is: why is it still the case that power never lasts? Arrogance and tyranny might scare us, but it’s always the undoing of those who abuse their power Shelley’s stark comparison of Ozymandias’ immense hubris and his crumbled ruins highlights that arrogance erodes power quite like nothing else His lines, “[It says]/ Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair/Nothing beside remains”, provide a distinct juxtaposition between Ozymandias at the peak of his power—vain and superior—and his broken likeness, years later when he and his civilisation are long gone, sunken in the sand of a barren wasteland This sad irony demonstrates that power is short-lived Shelley’s deliberate ambiguity of “Nothing beside remains” leaves us to wonder whether it means that nothing remains beside Ozymandias’s statue; or that there is nothing there but remains. However we interpret that line, one thing is certain: Ozymandias’s superiority amounts to nothing and tells us that the powerful should learn to be humble … if they don’t want to be humbled

Being busy and challenged, says classical musician and BGGS alumna Fiona Qiu (2017), were strong foundations for a balanced and successful future.

lead and help others succeed I also got a rather surreal opportunity to perform with Grammy Award winner Michael Bublé at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre ’ Fiona also received the QCGU German Violin Travel Bursary, a subsidy that allowed her to immerse herself in the culture and arts of Europe, and take lessons with some of the world's best violin teachers in Germany, Austria, the UK and more Just before completing her degree, she won the Ena Williams Award for Postgraduate Studies overseas, which will help support future overseas studies This year, Fiona moved to Melbourne to train at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) with Dr Robin Wilson and Zoë Black Fiona says the relationships and network she formed at Girls Grammar have been important to her ‘I have kept in close contact with a lot of my Grammar sisters, especially those in the chamber and symphony orchestras I've also gained a lot of important networks from the School For example, I was able to meet other Girls Grammar alumnae in the music industry, one being Francesca Hiew (2004), a violinist in the Australian String Quartet ’ ■

‘While studying at the Queensland Conservatorium I worked part-time at a violin shop, and also applied for a lot of paid performance opportunities I found the process of applying for these jobs and managing my pay and superannuation easy, thanks to those lessons ' After graduating, Fiona was torn between pursuingmusic and optometry Music had always been a major presence in her life, having toured China, Russia and Europe with the Tagiev Chamber Orchestra at the age of 11 and joined the Queensland Youth Symphony at 13 Now, Fiona has no regrets ‘I am glad I followed my passion and chose music as it has offered me so many opportunities I completed my Bachelor of Music with Distinction at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University last year. While studying, I performed with ensemble- in-residence, Ensemble Q, and worked with a host of international visiting artists and conductors I was also appointed Concertmaster of the Australian Youth Orchestra (AYO) National Music Camp twice The AYO concertmaster role is a huge honour and big responsibility You learn how to

Fiona remembers her time at Girls

Grammar fondly

‘I made some of my most precious memories at Brisbane Girls Grammar School It was exciting and sometimes stressful to balance music, academics, and other co-curricular activities Still, balancing has been one of the essential life skills I've relied on since secondary school ’ She describes herself as the kind of student that wanted to do everything— she participated in the Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, Girls Grammar Quartet, Badminton and Service groups, and in her senior year, she balanced all those interests with being Griffith House Captain and a Student Council member However, she also gained tangible knowledge and practical know-how that has stayed with her ‘School taught us many practical skills, too, that I have only begun to appreciate now In Year 10, we studied a subject called Enterprise and Management We were taught how to pay taxes, write a resume, manage superannuation and more These were all very valuable lessons that I have applied in my daily life

above Dunya Yelesich (10W)

Gazette

Gazette

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

Brisbane Girls Grammar School

26

Issue 1, 2021

27

Issue 1, 2021