Once upon a time, in a far world, there were four principal kingdoms: the humans kingdom of Lordaeron, the dwarfs kingdom of Ironforge, the elves kingdom of Teldrassil and the trolls kingdom of Zul’Gurub. When there was a prince , the prince of Lordaeron, whos name was Arthas. Arthas was loved by thye people of the kingdom, but from early age he showed ambition for power and vengeance, what really worried the king. When the prince reached the young age of nineteen, hejoined the elite group of the king’s army, named “The Silver Hand Order”, under the teach of Uther “The Iluminated” whom teached the prince all about justice and the light path yet when he already became general of the king’s army. He guided the army through many glorious victories which made an honor to fight beside him. During his life in the army, Arthas fell in love with Lady Jaina Proudmore, a wizard from the state-city of Dalaran and friend from childhood of Arthas.
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Thursday, 6 December 2012
Written Task
"Budapest, 1940"
It was a Monday, we were at home having lunch with uncle Lajos when we heard the news, Hungary had finally joined the Axis and the Wehrmacht and the SS were already searching and marking the jews. We knew it was just a matter of time until they'll find us. Uncle Lajos told us some days ago: "With the germans advancing so rapidly they will sooner or later arrive to Hungary, let's hope it will be later". Later that day uncle lajos had to leave to return his home, after that a letter arrived saying that the whole family had to go and register as jewish in the center of the main park, father was silent for a while and then he told us: "This means that is very likely that I'll have to go to a camp, I'm gonna pray to God for this not happening", and he left for praying. Mother meanwhile was worried, she couldn't think what to do if father was taken, she reached a point of worry when she started to cry. I was calming her down when suddenly father came back from praying and said: "Grab your coat and your hat, we have to go register ourselves". It was a long trip to the registration, along the road were a lot of people heading to the park, but the number tripled when we arrived. When it was our turn I saw to my sorroundings, I watched as the soldiers took away many old men and women, and the suffering of their families. When we finished we were marked with a yellow star to distinguish us from the rest of the people.
The next day when I arrived at school most of the kids were staring at me, some with face of disgust, others with face of hate, the teacher inclusive hadn't the the same attitude as always. When we were at lunch time, the few jewish boys as me were sitted on a table in the farthest end of the dining hall, and our food was stealed without us to do anything or we could get expulsed from the school. This started to make me fell deppressed and mother and father started to worry about this. They took me to the doctor, after he took a look at me he concluded that my problem was caused because of the treatment I recieved at school, so mother and father transfered me to a jewish school where there basically can't discriminate me.
After a time of one week we recieved a letter to the house for father. When he read it he collapsed and looked at mother, and mother started to cry disconsolately. I tried to calm her down but she pushed me away everytime I wen to hug father. At some point I went to hug him too knowing the truth, he was going to auschwitz. The next morning we all went to sinagoge to thank God that we as a jewish family had the home and the food and all the requirements a human needs; and also ask God for strenght for this difficult and sad moment for all of us as we knew that was very likely that father wasn't going to comeback.
The next day was very busy because father was deciding who will take care of what while he is not here.
Rationale:
I've chosen to write a new opening on the book "Fatelessness" . I did it trying to show, or at least make an idea, of the life of Georg before the events descripted in the book and how he reached the moments in the first chapter. I found it very interesting because you can know about george and his family before his father had to leave to the labor camp.
The audience of this type of writing could be, as I said before, someone who will read or is already reading the book and want to know the "preview" of the book. For this I tried to use almost the same use of language as the book so it could sound like it was written by Georg Koves, and try to "mix" and "camouflage" with the novel.
Something I added was that Georg's father and mother were still together when the events of the new opening happened, something that most of people will notice and can think that this is another story sinilar to Fatelessnes, but with the difference that I never said how much time difference is between the book and my text. Georg's mother and father were still in very much love between them whe this happened, as it can be seen principally in the first page, and the fact of people being taken away by the soldiers was more violently than it actually was.
This title isn't very elaborated, but it has the characteristic feature of telling the reader when this story (The new opening one) started. So the title "Budapest, 1940" can tell that, at least the first paragraph, happened in Budapest in the year 1940.
The next day when I arrived at school most of the kids were staring at me, some with face of disgust, others with face of hate, the teacher inclusive hadn't the the same attitude as always. When we were at lunch time, the few jewish boys as me were sitted on a table in the farthest end of the dining hall, and our food was stealed without us to do anything or we could get expulsed from the school. This started to make me fell deppressed and mother and father started to worry about this. They took me to the doctor, after he took a look at me he concluded that my problem was caused because of the treatment I recieved at school, so mother and father transfered me to a jewish school where there basically can't discriminate me.
After a time of one week we recieved a letter to the house for father. When he read it he collapsed and looked at mother, and mother started to cry disconsolately. I tried to calm her down but she pushed me away everytime I wen to hug father. At some point I went to hug him too knowing the truth, he was going to auschwitz. The next morning we all went to sinagoge to thank God that we as a jewish family had the home and the food and all the requirements a human needs; and also ask God for strenght for this difficult and sad moment for all of us as we knew that was very likely that father wasn't going to comeback.
The next day was very busy because father was deciding who will take care of what while he is not here.
Rationale:
I've chosen to write a new opening on the book "Fatelessness" . I did it trying to show, or at least make an idea, of the life of Georg before the events descripted in the book and how he reached the moments in the first chapter. I found it very interesting because you can know about george and his family before his father had to leave to the labor camp.
The audience of this type of writing could be, as I said before, someone who will read or is already reading the book and want to know the "preview" of the book. For this I tried to use almost the same use of language as the book so it could sound like it was written by Georg Koves, and try to "mix" and "camouflage" with the novel.
Something I added was that Georg's father and mother were still together when the events of the new opening happened, something that most of people will notice and can think that this is another story sinilar to Fatelessnes, but with the difference that I never said how much time difference is between the book and my text. Georg's mother and father were still in very much love between them whe this happened, as it can be seen principally in the first page, and the fact of people being taken away by the soldiers was more violently than it actually was.
This title isn't very elaborated, but it has the characteristic feature of telling the reader when this story (The new opening one) started. So the title "Budapest, 1940" can tell that, at least the first paragraph, happened in Budapest in the year 1940.
Text word count: 561 words
Rationale word count: 280 words
Total word count: 841 words
Friday, 16 November 2012
Tuesday, 30 October 2012
Jewish traditions task
Mezuzah: A mezuzah is a piece of parchment (often contained in a decorative case) inscribed with specified Hebrew verses from the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21). These verses comprise the Jewish prayer "Shema Yisrael", beginning with the phrase: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One"
A mezuzah is affixed to the doorframe in Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to inscribe the words of the Shema "on the doorposts of your house" (Deuteronomy 6:9).
Some interpret Jewish law to require a mezuzah on every doorway in the
home apart from bathrooms, and closets too small to qualify as rooms. The parchment is prepared by a qualified scribe (a "sofer stam") who has undergone many years of meticulous training, and the verses are written in black indelible ink with a special quill pen. The parchment is then rolled up and placed inside the case.
Tefillin: also called phylacteries are a set of small black leather
boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah,
which are worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers.
Although "tefillin" is technically the plural form (the singular being
"tefillah"), it is loosely used as a singular as well. The hand-tefillin, or shel yad, is placed on the upper arm, and the strap wrapped around the arm, hand and fingers; while the head-tefillin, or shel rosh, is placed above the forehead. The Torah commands that they should be worn to serve as a "sign" and "remembrance" that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.
The scriptural texts for tefillin are obscure in literal meaning. For example, the verse in Deut. 11:18 does not designate what specifically to "bind upon your arm," and the definition of totafot is not obvious. It is the Talmud, the authoritative oral tradition for Rabbinic Judaism, which explains what are to be bound to the body and the form of tefillin.
Shofar: The shofar is mentioned frequently in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and rabbinic literature. The blast of a shofar emanating from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai made the Israelites tremble in awe (Exodus 19:16).
The shofar was used to announce holidays (Ps. lxxxi. 4), and the Jubilee year (Lev. 25:9). The first day of the seventh month (Tishri)
is termed "a memorial of blowing" (Lev. 23:24), or "a day of blowing"
(Num. 29:1), the shofar. They were for signifying the start of a war
(Josh. 6:4; Judges 3:27; 7:16, 20; I Sam. 8:3). Later, it was also
employed in processions (II Sam. 6:15; I Chron. 15:28), as musical
accompaniment (Ps. 98:6; comp. ib. 47:5) and eventually it was inserted
into the temple orchestra by David (Ps. 150:3). Note that the 'trumpets'
described in Numbers 10 are a different instrument, described by the
Hebrew word 'trumpet', not the word for shofar.
Hanukkah: Hanukkah also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.
The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a shamash and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves is forbidden.
Kashrut: Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food that may be consumed according to halakha (Jewish law) is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" (in this context, fit for consumption). Food that is not in accordance with Jewish law is called treif . Kosher can also refer to anything that is fit for use or correct according to halakha, such as a hanukiyah (candelabra for Hannukah), or a sukkah (a Sukkot booth). The word kosher has become English vernacular, a colloquialism meaning proper, legitimate, genuine, fair, or acceptable.
Among the numerous laws that form part of kashrut are the prohibitions on the consumption of unclean animals (such as pork, shellfish (both Mollusca and Crustacea) and most insects, with the exception of crickets and locusts), mixtures of meat and milk, and the commandment to slaughter mammals and birds according to a process known as shechita. Most of the basic laws of kashrut are derived from the Torah's Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Their details and practical application, however, is set down in the oral law (eventually codified in the Mishnah and Talmud) and elaborated on in the later rabbinical literature. While the Torah does not state the rationale for most kashrut laws, many reasons have been suggested, including philosophical, practical and hygienic.
Tzedakah, or Ṣ'daqah in Classical Hebrew, is a Hebrew word literally meaning righteousness but commonly used to signify charity. It is based on the Hebrew word meaning righteousness, fairness or justice, and it is related to the Hebrew word Tzadik meaning righteous as an adjective (or righteous individual as a noun in the form of a substantive). In Judaism, tzedakah
refers to the religious obligation to do what is right and just, which
Judaism emphasises are important parts of living a spiritual life.
Sabbath or a sabbath is generally a weekly day of rest or time of worship observed in Abrahamic religions and other practices. Many viewpoints and definitions have arisen over the millennia. The term has been used to describe a similar weekly observance in any of several other traditions; the new moon; any of seven annual festivals in Judaism and some Christian traditions; any of eight annual pagan festivals (usually "sabbat"); an annual secular holiday; and a year of rest in religious or secular usage, originally every seventh year.
A mezuzah is affixed to the doorframe in Jewish homes to fulfill the mitzvah (Biblical commandment) to inscribe the words of the Shema "on the doorposts of your house" (Deuteronomy 6:9).
Some interpret Jewish law to require a mezuzah on every doorway in the
home apart from bathrooms, and closets too small to qualify as rooms. The parchment is prepared by a qualified scribe (a "sofer stam") who has undergone many years of meticulous training, and the verses are written in black indelible ink with a special quill pen. The parchment is then rolled up and placed inside the case.Tefillin: also called phylacteries are a set of small black leather
boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah,
which are worn by observant Jews during weekday morning prayers.
Although "tefillin" is technically the plural form (the singular being
"tefillah"), it is loosely used as a singular as well. The hand-tefillin, or shel yad, is placed on the upper arm, and the strap wrapped around the arm, hand and fingers; while the head-tefillin, or shel rosh, is placed above the forehead. The Torah commands that they should be worn to serve as a "sign" and "remembrance" that God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt.The scriptural texts for tefillin are obscure in literal meaning. For example, the verse in Deut. 11:18 does not designate what specifically to "bind upon your arm," and the definition of totafot is not obvious. It is the Talmud, the authoritative oral tradition for Rabbinic Judaism, which explains what are to be bound to the body and the form of tefillin.
Shofar: The shofar is mentioned frequently in the Hebrew Bible, the Talmud and rabbinic literature. The blast of a shofar emanating from the thick cloud on Mount Sinai made the Israelites tremble in awe (Exodus 19:16).
The shofar was used to announce holidays (Ps. lxxxi. 4), and the Jubilee year (Lev. 25:9). The first day of the seventh month (Tishri)
is termed "a memorial of blowing" (Lev. 23:24), or "a day of blowing"
(Num. 29:1), the shofar. They were for signifying the start of a war
(Josh. 6:4; Judges 3:27; 7:16, 20; I Sam. 8:3). Later, it was also
employed in processions (II Sam. 6:15; I Chron. 15:28), as musical
accompaniment (Ps. 98:6; comp. ib. 47:5) and eventually it was inserted
into the temple orchestra by David (Ps. 150:3). Note that the 'trumpets'
described in Numbers 10 are a different instrument, described by the
Hebrew word 'trumpet', not the word for shofar.Hanukkah: Hanukkah also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar, which may occur at any time from late November to late December in the Gregorian calendar.The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a shamash and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves is forbidden.
Kashrut: Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food that may be consumed according to halakha (Jewish law) is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" (in this context, fit for consumption). Food that is not in accordance with Jewish law is called treif . Kosher can also refer to anything that is fit for use or correct according to halakha, such as a hanukiyah (candelabra for Hannukah), or a sukkah (a Sukkot booth). The word kosher has become English vernacular, a colloquialism meaning proper, legitimate, genuine, fair, or acceptable.
Among the numerous laws that form part of kashrut are the prohibitions on the consumption of unclean animals (such as pork, shellfish (both Mollusca and Crustacea) and most insects, with the exception of crickets and locusts), mixtures of meat and milk, and the commandment to slaughter mammals and birds according to a process known as shechita. Most of the basic laws of kashrut are derived from the Torah's Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Their details and practical application, however, is set down in the oral law (eventually codified in the Mishnah and Talmud) and elaborated on in the later rabbinical literature. While the Torah does not state the rationale for most kashrut laws, many reasons have been suggested, including philosophical, practical and hygienic.
Sabbath or a sabbath is generally a weekly day of rest or time of worship observed in Abrahamic religions and other practices. Many viewpoints and definitions have arisen over the millennia. The term has been used to describe a similar weekly observance in any of several other traditions; the new moon; any of seven annual festivals in Judaism and some Christian traditions; any of eight annual pagan festivals (usually "sabbat"); an annual secular holiday; and a year of rest in religious or secular usage, originally every seventh year.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org
Book Trailers
In this activity we are going to analyze the trailer of the movie Fatelessness.
- Do you think that the combination of the music, images and actors are trying to evoke feelings in the viewer ?
- What kind of feelings are they?
- Are this similar to what the book provoked in you?
- Would you feel inspired to watch this movie after seeing this trailer?
My Book Trailer Project
Think of an idea to boost motivation in the audience to make them watch this movie.
• Plan your own video trailer focusing on the feelings that you want to raise in the viewers. Create a Story Board with the scenes you think you can include in your Book Trailer.
This is an example of what you should have. You should be using around three sheets to storyboar your complete Book Trailer.
- You can do this activity in groups of 2-3 students.
- Each student must play a part.
- This trailer must last no more than 5 minutes for each group.
- You will have this Tuesday (Oct 30), next Monday (Nov 5) and Tuesday (Nov 6) to work on your Book Trailer. Before you start shooting the video, your teacher must approve your storyboard.
- Use props and costumes ideally to represent your roles.
- The shooting of the video and editing must be done in your house. That's why we will not give you any online assignment this week or the next, so you can use this time to work on your Book Trailer in your house.
- You can use iMovie or Windows Movie Maker to edit your Book Trailer once you finish shooting.
Use
some technical vocabulary when creating your story board. Take notes on
the following Prezi presentation on StoryBoard Vocabulary. CLICK HERE
Fatelesness (3)
it's important to make sure we manage all the literary terms that we need to give depth
to our analysis and make it worth reading.
The following Glossary will help you remember
the most commonly used rhetorical devices and other concepts used in literary works.
Use it as you analyse the following chapters
from the book.
You may also want to remember the difference between TONE and MOOD!
- TONE is the author’s attitude towards the writing (his characters, the situation) and the readers. A work of writing can have more than one tone. An example of tone could be both serious and humorous. Tone is set by the setting, choice of vocabulary and other details. WORDS TO DEFINE TONE: Amused, Humorous, Pessimistic, Angry, Informal, Playful, Cheerful, Ironic, Pompous, Horror, Light, Sad, Clear, Matter-of-fact, Serious, Formal, Resigned, Suspicious, Gloomy, Optimistic, Witty.
- MOOD is the general atmosphere created by the author’s words. It is the feeling the reader gets from reading those words. It may be the same, or it may change from situation to situation. WORDS TO DEFINE MOOD: Fanciful, Melancholy, Frightening, Mysterious, Frustrating, Romantic, Gloomy, Sentimental, Happy, Sorrowful, Joyful, Suspenseful.
Fatelessness (2)
Famous Cases: Anne Frank's Diary
For
the first 5 years of her life, Anne lived with her parents and older
sister, Margot, in an apartment on the outskirts of Frankfurt. After the
NAZI seizure of power in 1933, they fled to Amsterdam.
The Germans occupied Amsterdam in may 1940, deporting Jews to Auschwitz-Birkenau and Sobibor killing centres in German-occupied Poland.
During
the occupation, Anne and her family went to hiding in a secret attic
apartment behind the office of the family-owned business. They stayed
there for two years.
On
August 4, 1944, the Gestapo (German Secret State Police) discovered the
hiding place. The Franks were sent by train along with other Jewish
prisoners to The Auschwitz Concentration Camp Complex. Due to their age, the two girls were transferred to the Bergen-Belsen
Concentration Camp, where they both died of typhus in March 1945, just a
few weeks before British troops liberated it. The girls' mother, Edith,
also died in Auschwitz. Only Otto, the father, survived the war.
While in hiding, Anne kept a diary
in which she recorded her fears, hopes, and experiences. Found in the
secret apartment after the family was arrested, the diary was kept for
Anne by Miep Gies, one of the people who had helped hide the Franks. It
was published after the war in many languages and is used in thousands
of middle and high school curricula in Europe and the Americas.
Anne Frank has become a symbol for the lost promise of the children who died in the Holocaust.
Adapted from <http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005210>
Original DIary of Anne Frank.
Anne Frank's Life Interactive Timeline HERE
Fatelessness is a Holocaust memoir
that takes us back when the Jewish were savagely discriminated due to
the Nazi ideology which spreading throughout Europe. Find out more about
this in the following site. CLICK HERE
Before we begin our analysis, let's remember:
HOW TO ANALYZE A QUOTATION
- Read through the quotation.
- Identify the speaker, listener, and context of the quotation.
- Examine the quotation carefully, looking for any of the following:
- Character development: What is revealed about the character’s personality?
- Themes: Look to see if there is anything that relates to the author’s message.
- Literary devices such as: simile, metaphor, irony, etc. Consider the reason WHY the author creates this figurative language. What is the writer trying to highlight or convey?
***
You are not limited to only one of the above. Some quotations may be
rich with elements that enhance the writer’s craft, which leaves us
plenty to analyze.
- Pull all of your ideas into one strong, cohesive response. Try to “pull out” or highlight word, phrases, and word units that help you to support the idea(s) you are trying to convey/prove. Italicize or “quote” the words/phrases and integrate them into your sentence(s) as you analyze the significance of the passage.
- Don’t forget the “HOW/WHY” rule: explain how and why the quotation is important.
Fatelssness
"Remarkable... an original and chilling quality" - The New York Review of Books
"In
his writing, Imre Kertész explores the possibility of continuing to
live and think as an individual in an era in which the subjection of
human beings to social forces has become increasingly complete... [He]
upholds the fragile experience of the individual against the barbaric
arbitrariness of history."- The Swedish Academy, The Nobel Prize in Literature 2002
Before analysing "Fatelessness" from the point of view of Texts and Contexts, let's review what the official IB Language and Literature Guide tells us:
Through
the close reading of literary texts, students are able to consider the
relationship between literature and issues at large, such as gender,
power and identity.
Students
should be encouraged to consider how texts build upon and transform the
inherited literary and cultural traditions. The compulsory study of
translated texts encourages students to reflect on their own cultural
assumptions through an examination of work produced in other languages
and cultures (Fatelessness)
The study of Literature - texts and contexts - means that students will be able to meet the following learning outcomes:
1. Consider
the changing historical, cultural and social contexts in which
particular texts are written (produced) and received. Areas to be
considered could include:
- political pressure and censorship
- dominant and minority groups
- the role of the individual and family in society.
- the impact of prevailing values and beliefs.
- protest and polemic.
2. Demonstrate
how the formal elements of the text, genre and structure can not only
be seen to influence meaning but can also be influenced by context.
Aspects to be considered could include:
- narrative technique
- characterization
- elements of style and structure
- poetic language
3.
Understand the attitudes and values expressed by literary texts and
their impact on readers. Students should be able to recognise that:
- there can be very different readings of the same text
- the context of reception, including the individual reader, influences the way a text is read
- different values may be in contention within a text.
"FATELESSNESS"
Atonement
1. Satisfaction or reparation for a wrongdoing or injury, amends (dictionary.reference.com)
2. Reconciliation. Reparation for an offense or injury. (merriam-webster.com)
3. Repayment, compensation, or reparation made for a wrongdoing or mistake (vocabulary-vocabulary.com)
"Atonement" by Ian McEwan
2002 National Book Critics Circle Award Winner
Ian
McEwan's symphonic novel of love and war, childhood and class, guilt
and forgiveness provides all the satisfaction of a brilliant narrative
and the provocation we have come to expect from this master of English
prose.
On
a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a
moment's flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie
Turner, the son of a servant and Cecilia's childhood friend. But
Briony's incomplete grasp of adult motives - together with her
precocious literary gifts - brings about a crime that will change all
their lives. As it follows that crime's repercussions through the chaos
and carnage of the Second World War and into the close of the twentieth
century, Atonement engages the reader on every conceivable level, with
an ease and authority that mark it as a genuine masterpiece
(review and plot retrieved from <http://www.randomhouse.com/highschool/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385721790>)
TASK:
Watch
the first half of the 2007 movie adaptation of "Atonement". While you
watch, take notes and answer the following questions:
1.
What sort of social and cultural setting does the Tallis House create?
What emotions and impulses are being acted upon or repressed by its
inhabitants?
2.
A passion for order, a lively imagination, and a desire for attention
seem to be Briony's strongest traits. In what ways is she still a child?
Is her narcissism - her inability to see things from any point of view
but her own - unusual in a thirteen-year-old?
3.
Why does Briony stick to her "version of the story" with such
unwavering commitment? Does she act entirely in error in a situation she
is not old enough to understand, or does she act, in part, on an
impulse of malice, revenge, or self-importance?
4.
As she grows older, Briony develops the empathy to realise what she has
done to Cecilia and Robbie. How and why do you think she does this?
(adapted from <http://readinggroupguides.com/guides3/atonement1.asp>)
DUNKIRK EVACUATION
A
key historical element that shapes the destinies of the main characters
is the evacuation of the British troops from Dunkirk, France.
- 2nd Clip from the movie "Atonement" (2007): Dunkirk
- Reading Task 1: CC p. 291
Based on the extract from the novel "Atonement", answer the following questions:
1. What is happening?
2. What ideas or feelings are being suggested?
3. Who is the narrator?
4. Who is speaking in the passage?
5. Who is seeing the events taking place?
6. What is the setting?
7. What do you know about what is going on?
REFLECTION
8.
Do you think that the passage about the evacuation of Dunkirk would
fulfill McEwan's desire to write about the war? Whose vision of the war
is depicted: Robbie's, Briony's, McEwan's, or those of his sources?
Glossary
- Tommies: Colloquial word to refer to "British soldiers"
- Maginot: "Maginot Line" - a line of concrete fortifications and war defenses built around the borders of France with Germany and Italy.
- Poilus: Colloquial word to refer to "French soldiers"
- RAF: Royal AIr Force: The Air Force of the United Kingdom
- Frogs: Another colloquial word to refer to "French soldiers", due to their camouflage
- 3rd Clip from the movie "Atonement" (2007) - Closure
- Reading Task 2: "Historical Truth" CC p. 295
ONLINE ASSIGNMENT for the week (also to be posted in your BLOG)
What are the benefits and limitations of this approach?
Why do other authors, like McEwan, take the opposite approach?
Pride and Prejudice
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, American poet and educator: journal entry, May 1839.
Using a novel as a "primary source" can end up being a really effective way of learning about social history. Such is the case of "Pride and Prejudice", a novel written by British author Jane Austen and published in 1813.
The story depicts what happens to Elizabeth Bennet,
a clearly ahead-of-her-time character who finds herself struggling
against British society's views of propriety, marriage, decorum, women's
role, morality, justice, and family breeding. On the way, and against
all odds, she happens to find love in the unconventional Mr Darcy.
Even
though the story's historical context portrays the societal and
cultural features of mid-19th century England, it still mirrors current
conflicts and issues of today's society. It has been adapted to films,
TV series and re-tellings of the most interesting kind as presented in
the following clips:
TASK 1: Based on the clips above, answer the following questions:
1. Why do you think "Pride and Prejudice" continues to be a referent for modern tales?
2.
What do you think is the effect that these different authors (film
directors, producers, modern writers) want to achieve in today's
audiences?
3. If you had to choose one of the previous versions to analyse, which would be the one and why?
Review of important terms
Class: David Cody provides a basic definition of class on The Victorian Web, an EDSITEment-reviewed website. He explains:
Class is a complex term, in use since the late eighteenth century, and employed in many different ways. In our context, classes are the more or less distinct social groupings which at any given historical period, taken as a whole, constituted British Society. Different social classes can be (and were by the classes themselves) distinguished by inequalities in such areas as power, authority, wealth, working and living conditions, life-styles, life-span, education, religion, and culture.
Gentleman: Cody again provides a helpful description on The Victorian Web, an EDSITEment-reviewed website. He states:
Members of the British aristocracy were gentlemen by right of birth (although it was also emphasized, paradoxically enough, that birth alone could not make a man a gentleman), while the new industrial and mercantile elites, in the face of opposition from the aristocracy, inevitably attempted to have themselves designated as gentlemen as a natural consequence of their growing wealth and influence. Other Victorians [as well as those who lived earlier in the nineteenth century]—clergy belonging to the Church of England, army officers, members of Parliament—were recognized as gentlemen by virtue of their occupations, while members of numerous other eminently respectable professions—engineers, for example—were not.
<http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson-plan/jane-austens-pride-and-prejudice-novel-historical-source#section-16101>
TASK 2: CC pp. 287, 288 "Jane Austen and women's emancipation"
Glossary
- self-indulgence: To pity oneself
- youth: state in life when one's considered young
- whilst: while
- excursive: tending to avoid the main subject
- envisage: view
- reverberate: replicate
- stifling: suffocating
- unscrupulous: absent of values or moral norms
TASK 3: CC pp. 289, 290
PEE and quotations
So if you're answering a question, state your point, back it up with a piece of evidence and then, explain it.
Try out the PEE technique. Here's an extract from "Holes" about a character named Stanley and the prison work camp.
Find two features of Stanley's character and explain how they are suggested. Write your answer in your English notebook.
Stanley
and his parents had tried to pretend that he was just going away to
camp for a while, just like rich kids do. When Stanley was younger he
used to play with stuffed animals, and pretend the animals were at camp.
Camp Fun and Games he called it. Sometimes he'd have them play soccer
with a marble. Other times they'd run an obstacle course, or go bungee
jumping off a table, tied to broken rubber bands. Now Stanley tried to
pretend he was going to Camp Fun and Games. Maybe he'd make some
friends, he thought. At least he'd get to swim in the lake.
'Holes' - Louis Sachar
Point:
1. Stanley is a lonely boy.
2. He is willing to make the best of a bad situation.
Evidence:
1. The writer suggests that Stanley spent long periods, when younger, playing alone with stuffed toys.
2. Stanley thinks that he will have the chance to make friends and "at least he'd get to swim in the lake".
Explanation:
1.
The writer lists the sort of games Stanley played with his stuffed toys
at "Camp Fun and Games" in a way that suggests he was playing on his
own - the toys became his friends.
2. He is going to a boy's
prison work cam, but, instead of thinking about the horrors he might
face, he shows that he is hopeful and ready to make the best of things.
The following video provides another example. This time, it's based on the book "Of Mice and Men"
Using Quotations
When quoting from a text, remember to:
- Use quotation marks.
- Quote accurately.
- Quotes of three words or less can be used in the sentence you're writing - for example ...when the writer talks about the "futility of life" he means...
- Longer quotations need to be included on a line of their own and with a space before it (known as an indent).
- Short, well-chosen quotations are better than long, vague ones.
Remember
that certain words and phrases are helpful when you're explaining an
idea in some detail, especially if you are commenting on implicit
meaning. The following list shows some of those phrases.
- this implies
- this suggests
- which gives the impression that
- possibly
- perhaps
- this indicates that
- this shows
- obviously
Some
other words and phrases that may be useful are those that help move
your argument on. These are called connectives. Here are some examples:
- however
- therefore
- in contrast
- because
- but
- and
- furthermore
- also
- then
- at first
- later
- as well as
The Help
"The Help"
is one of the most thought-provoking and touching portraits of
African-American maids working in white households in Jackson,
Mississippi during the early 1960s.
Post your responses to the following activities in your blog.
2.
Do a simple online research about Jim Crow Laws. Identify what outcomes
- forced upon domestic workers - were present in "The Help".
3. Explore the themes in "The Help" and develop your ideas by continuing the following sentence:
"The
maids in The Help took a risk by telling their stories. Even though
they knew they could be shot to death in their front yards, they went
ahead with the project. If people are not willing to take risks..."
TKM part 2
1. 1o minutes to finish answering questions about "Purple Hibiscus"and the essay by the NIgerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Part II
Analysis Questions of chapters 12, 13 and 14
Ch. 12
1. Comment on Jem's and Scout's visit to First Purchase Church. What does Scout learn about how black people live?
2. Explain why Calpurnia speaks differently in the Finch household, and among her neighbours at church.
Ch. 13
3. Aunt Alexandra thinks Scout is "dull" (not clever). Why does she think this, and is she right?
4. How does Aunt Alexandra involve herself in Macomb's social life?
5. Comment on Aunt Alexandra's ideas about breeding and family, in contrast to Atticus' visions. Who's right, do you think? Why?
Ch. 14.
6. Comment on Atticus' definition of rape. How suitable is this definition as an answer to Scout?
Personal Recount - Written task
"Mixing with strangers"
Write
about your experiences of meeting people whose way of life was
different from your own - perhaps people from another country, or ethnic
group, or people whose first language is not the same as yours. Connect
your ideas to those present in Chapter 12 (Min. 100 words)
Friday, Aug 17
Ch. 15
1. What is the Ku Klux Klan? What do you think of Atticus' comment about it?
2. How does Jem react when Atticus tells him to go home, and why?
3. What persuades the lynching-party to give up their attempt on Tom's life?
Ch. 16
4. What sort of person is Dolphus Raymond and what is your opinion of him?
5. How does Reverend Sykes help the children see and hear the trial? Is he correct in doing so?
Ch. 17
6. Choose three quotes
from chapter 17. Explain the context of each, the characters involved,
and their relevance for the story, themes and overall message of the
novel.
Reading Test BONUS POINT (5 extra points in your score)
DEADLINE: Thursday, Aug 23
Write a script and record yourself by using voicethread presenting a short item on any part of Tom Robinson's trial for a news broadcast on an Alabama Station (keeping the social conventions and views of the historical context of the story)
Post the written script and the voicethread link in your BLOG.
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