Episode 82 How Guy Fawkes Impacted British Culture Today

Yesterday we talked about what was happening in the UK that led up to Guy Fawkes and his gang's 'Gunpowder, Treason and Plot'. Today I'll finish explaining what Guy Fawkes did and what happened to him. In addition, in today's episode we will look at the ongoing impact of Guy Fawkes on modern society, mostly in the UK, but in the wider world too.  This Saturday is Bonfire Night, so we will have lots of fireworks and bonfires around the country to remember these events. See you next week! Movies Mentioned Braveheart - 2006 Mel Gibson. This movie tells the dramatised story of William Wallace, a Scottish man, who brought Scotland together to fight against the English King Edward the First in the late 1200s/early 1300s. It seems to be available on Amazon and Disney+ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112573/ V for Vendetta - 2005 Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving - based on the earlier comic. This movie tells the story of a fantasy future UK where a totalitarian government has taken control. The main character, V, a survivor of the regime, inspires the people of the country to unite and fight the regime. The story steals some elements from the traditional Guy Fawkes story with the mask and blowing up the Houses of Parliament. It seems to be available on Netflix and Amazon. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434409/ Matrix - 1999 Keanu Reeves and Hugo Weaving - written by the same screenwriters as V for Vendetta. This movie tells the story of a fantasy future world where robots have taken over. They are using humans as batteries and have created a fake world that humans are plugged into. Neo, the hero, wakes up and works to save humanity. It seems to be available on Netflix and Amazonhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/ Today's Vocabulary Converted to Catholicism - when someone changes their religion we say they have 'converted'. He was so put out - idiom - he was annoyed and frustrated Enlisted - this is the term we use to describe someone who chooses to join a military force Rose through the ranks - idiom - to rise up through an organisation or institution, usually through hard work or achievements Hung Drawn and Quartered - this is a term used to describe a form of torture used in the UK over many hundreds of years, it was usually kept for the worst criminals (treason is considered one of the worst crimes). First you would be hanged with a noose, and then (before you died) you would be cut across the middle and your intestines pulled out (drawn), and finally your body would be cut into four pieces. The purpose of this was usually to display the body parts around the country as a deterrent to others who might consider a similar crime. It was very common for the head to be stood on a pike on the Tower of London for all to see. Noose - the rope used to hang a person. Guy/Effigy - a sort of scarecrow or model of a person. In this case it is placed on top of the bonfire to be burned. Candy floss/Cotton Candy - spun sugar treat popular at carnivals and fairs Totalitarian - A form of government that doesn't allow any form of opposition Fascism - A form of authoritarian government or political ideology often with a dictatorial leader and following a nationalist ideology Additional Information Guy Fawkes Islands - As I mentioned in the podcast there are some islands in the Galapagos named after Guy Fawkes, this website goes into some of the mysteries surrounding them. https://www.lapintagalapagoscruise.com/blog/guy-fawkes-in-galapagos/ The island is pretty remote: https://www.touristlink.com/ecuador/isla-guy-fawkes/overview.html This website has some interesting facts about Guy Fawkes: https://www.historyhit.com/thrilling-facts-about-guy-fawkes/ Anonymous Quote - This is the website of Anonymous where you can read their quote about the Guy Fawkes mask. https://www.anonymousforthevoiceless.org/why-the-mask Quotes from V for Vendetta https://www.readthistwice.com/quotes/book/v-for-vendetta