THE DREAM The dream seemed to recreate the kennedy assasination or something like that. There was some vent taken place. We were the centre of attention - we had either been the victim or had been accused of some great crime. So we were trapped in our house afraid to go out. We looked outside and saw police cars. I mentioned it - everyone other car was a police car. Eventually we went outside - but had to run for cover. There was a mention of South Africa and poison gas. Someone had spoken in a South African accent. We ran back at top speed running for our lives.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION In real life the dreamer was writing a history of the German attack on his local town of Scarborough during the First World War. Here a town full of civilians were suddenly attacked without warning. It was aa shocking attack which made international headlines. He was trying to collect as many first hand accounts as possible.

DREAM ANALYSIS: When you get a dream try to make associations with it. An association basically makes a connection between real life and one of the dream symbols. The dreamer looked through his dream and made one simple association. The account reminded him of the attack on his home town of Scarborough and the type of first hand account that the dreamer wished to write.

The dream brings to life some great event. The dream uses some language which could have been used by the people undergoing the 1914 bombardment of Scarborough. Think of phrases like "So we were trapped in our house afraid to go out" or "We ran back at top speed running for our lives". These two quotes would not be out of place in a real historical account of this bombardment that the dreamer had been writing.

The event in the dream also uses the phrase "a great crime had taken place" and that is another similarity with this real life history. The German attack on Scarborough was a ruthless attack on an unarmed port. It was described in the British press as a war crime. Other countries, such as America, too were shocked at the vicious attack on civilians.

The dream brings to life the Kennedy assassination. Even this has some relevance to the dreamers account of the 1914 bombardment of his home town. It was said that everyone remembers what they were doing when they found out about the Kennedy assassination. This was a momentus day in history. That was true as well for the people of this small town. This German attack was the biggest day in the history of their town. Everyone who went through it had their own story to tell.

The Kennedy assassination has another relevant connection. It is linked to conspiracy theories. It was said that the Germans had planted spies and had planned the event out in detail. The British side of the story is also full of secrets. It was said that Winston Churchill, the hero of Britain in World War Two knew about the attack but did nothing. He was in charge of the Navy at the time of the attack and German codes had been broken giving them forewarning of the attack.

So the dreamer was able to make several connections between real life and the dream. The dream used the type of language that people might have used to describe this real life event. Both the dream and reality describe an event which was to be remembered for years to come. Both dream and reality also involve issues of secrecy and conspiracy.

What is the point of the dream? What are we to make of the associations made above. The dream could clarify the dreamers plan in writing this account. You could say that the dream caught this feeling "I want to write a history of this bombardment which really brings it to life. It will show how people were literally trapped in their houses and running for their lives. It will show how big the event was. It was something which was remembered for years to come. Also it will bring to life the conspiracy theories." So the dream hinted at the typs of points that the dreamer wanted to emphasise.