‘Birds on a Wire’ created by Banksy
I am Rayna, and this is my English 9 Honours and HCE project. For this assignment, I was given 4 images and told to chose one to write about. I chose ‘Birds on a Wire’ and wrote a narrative story to show my understanding of the image and the message it is trying to portray.
The Little Green Bird.
“I should never have hoped it would be any different there. But I had to leave, or else be eaten alive like the rest of my flock. I fled to this big city, across the sea, hoping they’d take me in. I was a fool.”
“A fool?”
“Oh, at first things were promising. I’d found a nice nest, and even applied to be a seed courier, but the pigeons nesting beside me were always gossiping. One night, when they thought I was asleep, I heard them faintly squawking about me.
‘Its feathers are the brightest green. Do you think it’s poisonous?’
‘Perhaps. I heard it ‘singing’ the other morning. It sounded like a battle cry. Maybe it’s come to take over!’
They squawked for hours, and eventually they came to an agreement.
‘It’s dangerous. We must tell brother Crow and the flock at once!’
Ridiculous, I know. How could they be frightened of me? I was half their size! Nevertheless, Crow solemnly showed up at my perch the next day. He asked me to follow him; I obliged. Crow is the leader of the city and you do not deny him. Oh, how I so dearly wish I had. Crow- and his silent guard- quickly escorted me to the center of the city. The sun glinted brilliantly off the rustling feathers of thousands of furious birds, chirping and squawking and holding signs.
‘Keep Off Our Worms!’
‘Go Back to Africa!’
‘Migrants Not Welcome!’
They were so suffocatingly loud, shouting over each other like that. I remember slowly closing my eyes against the brashness of the sun’s glare. All at once, a hush fell over the horde of pigeons and magpie. I had looked up to see Crow hop gravely up to the microphone placed purposefully in the center of the square.
‘Brothers! Sisters! I gathered you here today to witness the terror that has found its way into the heart of our fine city. This small danger may look innocent, but I assure you, it is not. This bird is the first of many, and each morning it sings out to its murder of menaces, lurking in the shadows of the forest, gathering numbers as it works its way towards a full out attack! I ask you all, are we going to let it tear down our lives? Our hopes? Our flock?’
The cries of pure outrage from the assemblage were deafening, and frightening. I turned to fly away, realizing that these violent birds were far worse than the hawks who had eaten my precious village, because they were going to kill me under some demented form of righteousness.
‘Not so fast, you hazardous tyrant.’ Crow leered softly at me. His thuggish lackeys caught my tail with their sharpened beaks and pulled me fiercely back down, holding me captive, caged.
Raising his voice above the thunderous rage of the crowd, Crow used my attempted flight to his advantage.
‘It tries to flee the beak of justice! Who would fly but the guilty? It disgusts me. This violent scout is too cowardly to face the repercussions of its dastardly actions. What say you? Shall we make an example of this menace?’
The blood-thirsty crowd was riled. They shrieked and cawed their agreement to the black autocrat with his talon-sharp words. I struggled against the brutes holding me down.
‘No,’ I protested. ‘Please! I am not an invader!’”
“You’re quite the storyteller though.”
“Yes, I guess I am. I remember this so vividly. It terrified me when Crow glanced down at me, and I saw the malice in his dark eyes as he turned back to the incessant crowd.
‘It pleads for its life, the dangerous coward. But we are not murderers like them! We shall clip its wings and throw it in the river. We shall show their army what happens when you mess with us!’
As he said this, the other crows pushed me to the ground and spread my trembling wings. I struggled, pleaded, and fought, but even then, I’d known that it was too late. They held me down as Crow crudely snipped away my flight feathers. I would like to tell you I did not cry or scream, but I don’t want to lie to you.
They threw me into the river, and the angry, foaming current swept me away. I don’t remember losing consciousness, but I guess I did. I awoke on the damp riverbed, the sun a distant glow on the horizon. That’s when you found me.”
“I see.”
“Crow will never see the invasion he prophesized, and he will believe it is because he clipped the wings of a little green bird. He will never know that I was innocent, or that I am still alive. Crow will believe he was right to hurt me and chase me out. I should never have gone. I should never have trusted Crow. I should never have hoped it would be any different there.”
What message was Banksy trying to get across?
-rfp
a powerful narrative Rayna – well done!