If you could be a ‘fly on the wall” anywhere and anytime in the past, where and when would you choose? (The time and place don’t need to have historical significance.)
DWP #1: Swat!
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If you could be a ‘fly on the wall” anywhere and anytime in the past, where and when would you choose? (The time and place don’t need to have historical significance.)
Daily Writing Prompts 
With the advert of the series the Crown, we as viewers received a better view of the life of the British Royals. We got inside information about how their relationships started (and some ended) and how Queen Elizabeth II made herself ready to be Queen.
Even though we have this inside information due of the series, I would love to be a fly on the wall in Buckingham Palace.
From the moment I started watching this series, I fell for this family as many other viewers. I think I can speak for a lot of people when I say I specificly fell for the charms of young Prince Philip. If I was the fly in this case, I would follow him around in his studies to have a better understanding of his feelings in relation to his role in the Royal family, which he is not content with. As a female I want to understand which feeling he undergoes as the ‘submissive’ in his relationship with the Queen, as he is represented as a ‘real man’.
In the series they capture a lot of his feeling. It looks reliable, but I think there are a lot more feelings he would like to express to his Queen and to her associates, but knows he cannot do that because it is against the “rules”. I would imagine he would go back to his studies after a small argument with one of the associates about ‘how to act correctly’ and really express what he is thinking. Not that I want to see him swearing or anything similar to that, but just see which feelings dominate.
I am looking forward to my invitation to Buckingham Palace to shadow Prince Philip for one day …
Martine Schrik – VO Engels 2C
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What a great angle. I like the fact that you connected his position to that of what many women may have felt (or feel). It was a nice addition to imagine a possible scene, which tells me more about why you would like be that fly on the wall.
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Fly, fly on the wall,
Who is the sneakiest of them all?
You rub your hairy limbs together,
The tea is great and has never been better.
Pick up a scoop here and there,
Workplace drama or perhaps an affair.
Take off once more when the tea’s gone cold,
In search of rumours new and gold.
Gossip galore across the place,
Sow chaos, mayhem and disgrace.
But be warned in case you decide to speak,
For many do not appreciate info leak.
Be discreet, they did not get this from you,
Whatever information you chose to spew.
Be swatted one day you will,
Another fly arrives, unable to resist the thrill.
The cycle continues so long as there is tea,
Which slanderers consume with glee.
Fly, fly, crushed against the wall,
Who is the sneakiest of them all?
It is funny that this writing prompt should appear today, as to me personally it is certainly very relevant. This morning I woke up to rumours, drama and cancel culture circulating through various Discord server chats of the small gaming community I am part of. If I could, I would like to have been a ‘fly on the wall’ in all these chats so it would be easier to piece together a coherent story. It also inspired me to write this poem. The poem reflects the joy and thrill of gossip as well as its adverse effects stemming from people’s emotional (irrational) response and the dangers of listening in and passing on whatever you happen to hear.
Kim Bakker
VO Engels 2A
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Excellent idea and writing! Creative, succinct and valid. I love your choice of ‘gold’ instead of ‘old’. It’s great you were able to turn something negative into something productive. I’m sure a version on the (virtual) wall would fit into many a workplace.
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If I could be a fly on the wall, I would like to witness the death of Adolf Hitler. I know, it kind of sounds weird that I want to see that, but there are some rumors about him and his wife. These rumors say that they didn’t actually kill themselves, but they flew away to an abandoned place somewhere in the woods. According to Joseph Stalin in 1945 (the leader of Russia), they started to live somewhere in Spain or Argentina.
Nobody saw him commit suicide, so I think he didn’t do it. If I was him, I’d probably do the same. All he had built was falling down and people were looking for him and wanted to kill him. He has done a lot of damage to people so I can’t blame them for that. I think when you have a lot of money and power, you can actually disappear. But when doing my research, scientists say they found Hitler’s teeth and stated that he really died in 1945. I still doubt that they can tell by his teeth that it was him, but I guess we will never really know.
Hanneke Hiemstra, 1B
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It would be great to know for sure. I like how you give the various reasons for the uncertainty surrounding Hitler’s death. However, your second paragraph is a little loose. I am unsure what the second sentence refers to – I think his disappearing, but this is discussed in the first paragraph. A topic sentence for the second paragraph could tighten it up.
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The first thing that came to my mind when I read this prompt was being a fly in the US senate and bugging Mitch McConnel relentlessly till he’d be covered in fly-bites. However, I couldn’t come up with a creative way to fill up that story nor would I be particularly sitting on the wall so I thought of a second scenario: Being a fly in John Dee’s library, because I find John Dee a fascinating historical figure and during his life, his library was regarded as one of the largest libraries in England. Furthermore, the prestigious scholar was known to dabble in alchemy and hermeticism, which I find to be rather interesting subjects. It would be fascinating to see all his books on the mystic arts and ancient knowledge. Even though I’m not religious myself, I still find these mysterious things fascinating. Like the several books, he wrote in the Enochian language which was supposedly dictated to him by Angels. Even though his ideas of Angels and magic aren’t convincing to me, I still admire the man and how he thirsted for knowledge. Plus, if I could return as a human to my own time this would be an excellent way to find inspiration for my writings, I’d be able to write a fantasy world that even J.K. Rowling couldn’t match! It would be so magnificent to be there in that room, filled with countless books and knowledge.
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Nice introduction: it captured my interest right away. Your enthusiasm for John Dee and his library came through your writing (I admit I Googled him). A little more attention to punctuation would make your sentences stronger. Some of them are long or run on without a comma to give the reader a break. A writer to topple Rowling is out there – why not you?
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I have always had a fascination with the ‘Roaring Twenties’. Movies like The Great Gatsby and books such as The Sun Also Rises only fuelled my interest more. Although there was a lot of crime such as the mafia and the infamous Al Capone it is thrilling to think about the spectacular movements in this era. Therefore, I decided I would like to have been a fly on the wall in a speakeasy in America during the prohibition. I would have been able to experience the extravagant parties and the sense of adrenaline in the air as everyone knew they were doing something they weren’t supposed to. It would have also been great to see the influential activities surrounding the suffrage movement. I wouldn’t experience the right to vote as women in a speakeasy but I would encounter the new motion of women allowed to smoke and drink in public, not forgetting the iconic flappers. This new independence for women must have been exhilarating and women know should be grateful to the brave individuals of then for paving the way. The class mixed with excitement and new opportunities is what really draws me to the twenties and as a fly on the wall I could have had a glimpse of the big movement.
Femke Calame Fonville, 2A
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I agree – it must have been a fabulous time. You describe both the excitement of the speakeasy and the importance of the suffrage movement very well. I think it would have been a stronger piece, however, if you had chosen one or the other. Both subjects are quite broad and I felt a little caught between them.
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I think the question “If you could be a fly on the wall anywhere and anytime in the past” is difficult to answer, because there were so many fascinating events that I would be a part of or could witness. However, if I had to choose between one of those events, I would like to be a fly on the wall of the Montgomery bus where Rosa Parks did not want to give up her seat for a white passenger. This happened in the time where segregation took place in America, so there were different laws for colored people and for white people. Which means there were seats in busses for colored people and seats for white people. However, the seats for white people were all taken in the Montgomery bus, so the bus driver ordered Rosa Parks to give up her seat for the white person. Still, Rosa Parks did not want to give up her seat, which made her one of the most well-known people being a part of the Civil Rights Movement.
I would like to witness Rosa Park’s resistance, because she was a role model for other colored people to disobey segregation. I think it would have been fascinating to see what happened in the Montgomery bus when Rosa Park didn’t want to give up her seat. Besides that, I wonder what other people in the bus did during this happening.
Quinty Wiebrands, VO Engels 2C
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Excellent choice. I would have liked to read more about why you chose this moment. The first paragraph tells me a lot of facts, but I’m interested in hearing what you have to say. I wonder what you think might have happened in the bus or what the others did.
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If I could be a fly on the wall, I would like to witness the 1930s till the 1940s in Ireland. For one of classes I had to read the book Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. This book shows us the life of a lower class Irish family, that struggles to keep their heads above water.
When reading the book, it was clear that people had strong opinions, but no facts to support them. When Frank was old enough to figure out what he thought was right and what was wrong, he came to the conclusion that you can’t believe everything that people tell you. Sometimes they only know half the truth, or they only looked at a situation from a certain perspective. Was he the only one who started to think for himself, or were the other people to scared to admit that they had doubts.
I would like to know what the people, who followed everybody else without thinking for themselves, thought of Frank when he decided to move to America and live his life the way he wanted to. Did his decision make other people doubt the ‘knowledge’ they obtained, or did they simply not care? What was going through their minds, when he decided Ireland wasn’t going to be it for him.
Sabrina Spaan VO Engels 2C
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A very interesting perspective, looking at the effect the main character’s actions had on the people in his life. It really gives the feeling of being privy to very personal emotions, whether stong reactions or, indeed, not. Your piece is well-written and flows smoothly.
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It was in 1989, on the 9th of November, that the Berlin wall fell in a burst of passion and determination. What began with the mistake of an uninformed politician granting east Berliners passage to west Berlin, ended in the celebration of liberty throughout the world. To be present at this joyful event, even as a silent and unknown presence, is something I have often fantasised about. This historic evening first caught my interest when I was on a summer holiday in Berlin. I had visited a Berlin Mauer museum during my stay and was captivated by the video’s, pictures and stories presented. The image of East Berliners crying tears of joy as they received a warm welcome from west Berlin has been embedded in memory ever since. Family members who were reunited after 28 years of separation, wall peckers taking souvenirs from Berlins tragic past. I would love nothing more than to be able to see this monumental happening. Especially checkpoint Charlie, a place I have visited several times, would be interesting to witness on this remarkable night. For it was on that exact spot that the cold war was particularly noticeable in Berlin. In the very same place where in 1961, America and the Soviet Union one faced each other in a tense military conflict, there would then be thousands of Berliners revelling in their newfound freedom. Finally, free from the limitations of the Berlin Wall.
Juliët Wind, 1D
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Excellent writing! Your piece is well-constructed and your choice of verbs, adverbs and adjectives makes it come alive. Combining the historical facts with your own feelings keeps it from becoming logged down and makes it original. (Although it might technically be correct, informally ‘pecker’ has a different meaning to the one here – I’ll let you look it up.)
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There are so many places and time periods I would want to witness, but if I absolutely had to pick a time and place to be a fly on the wall I would pick Iraq before the war. It’s where my family is from, I often hear stories about how beautiful and amazing it was before all the wars. It would be nice to know what it was like, what it looked like and experience it myself instead of the few pictures and videos I have seen.
I am happy that my parents made the choice to flee to the Netherlands, we are all much better off here and much safer. But I think it would be very cool to see where my family lived, where they went to school, where they worked, all the animals they owned. To ‘have a concert in my living room’ as my dad calls it. (They would have musicians over for a few hours and it would be like a little concert, my family was very wealthy and had a very high rank where they lived so they were able to do things like that)
If it was absolutely safe I do think I would want to visit someday. I don’t think I would be able to be happy there though, so it would just be a visit, I don’t see myself ever moving there.
Samara Sahar 1b
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What a great experience that would be; if only it could really happen. I would love to have been able to read about all you’d seen. Exploring and writing down your family’s memories could be amazing.
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