Year 13 - English - Unfamiliar Text practice

Question: A lament is an expression of sadness. With close reference to the text, discuss the style used in the non-italicized section of the poem to convey this sadness.


The title and themes in this poem portray the strong feeling of grief and sadness as the person in the story communicates the emotional hardships they have gone through and the lasting emotional effects it has had on their life. This person has lost someone dear to them, and everything seems to remind them of the person who is lost at sea and isn’t coming back. The use of repetition in this poem reinforces the idea of stylistic sadness. Through the poem, every other stanza starts with the sentence “it does not matter” followed by something that either conveys an emotion or a lack of something dear to them. For example, in the 7th stanza, it opens with “it does not matter if I am happy” and in the 9th stanza, it opens with “it does not matter if I am sad.” This is a stark contrast between the two emotions and suggests that the loss of their significant other has caused the person to tell the story to lose all meaning or understanding for feeling emotion, and just feels empty inside, like a hollow shell, void of meaning. Following on with this, at the beginning of the 10th stanza, the person in the story says “it does not matter if he is gone” which tells us that they are trying to get over the person that they have lost, but is ultimately being consumed by their strong emotions of sadness. The use of repetition is linked with the use of similes because one seems to beget the other. Similes are used all throughout the poem, in both the italicized and non-italicized sessions of the poem. Normally following the opening sentence or is a part of the opening sentence, almost every stanza seems to contain a simile that supports the sad themes that come from losing a significant other portrayed in this poem. For example, in the 10th stanza, the poem reads “it does not matter if he is gone if the forest is short one ordinary tree, or if there is laughter missing from the night like one more gap in a row of teeth.” The use of this simile signifies that something is missing, specifically one thing is missing. One ordinary tree, one more gap. The source of this person’s sadness is coming off of the lack of one person, specifically Buck, the person who has been lost at sea while fishing. This person must have had a big impact on this person’s life and has lost all meaning in life without him.





Still a W.I.P

Year 13 - English - Staney Kubrick and Baz Luhrmann

1. How would you characterise Stanley Kubrick's style as a director?
Stanley Kubrick is a film director with a particular sense of style and is known for his use of multiple film techniques throughout his career. He has become a world-renowned director for his very abstract and serious themes in his films, and how he incorporates his film techniques to portray his artistic ideas and views. Kubrick's film often follows the same limited colour palette which reinforces an ominous, uneasy feel. His use of colours, camera shots and music creates aan abstract image.


2. Why would Luhrmann be called the anti-Kubrick?
   
   Luhrmann could be called the anti-Kubrick because the themes and ideas in his films are the opposite of what Kubrick includes in his films. Luhrmann's films quite often include a "Red Curtain" theme, which was coined from Luhrmann himself, is a film that includes a simple narrative in a highly theatric setting. Films like Moulin Rouge! and Romeo and Juliet are good examples of the Red Curtain theme in effect. The simple love story narrative implemented inside of a world of drama and theatrics is a trademark in most of his films. Kubrick, on the other hand, has a film sense that is contrary to Luhrmann. Kubrick's films are generally very serious and abstract, and have a dark underlying theme and have a constant feeling of dread behind them. Kubrick's films like The Shining, with its abstract ideas and serious tones, and Full Metal Jacket, with the film being as serious as can be to stay true to it's setting. Lurhmann's way of directing acts as a polar opposite to Kubrick, earning him the title of anti-Kubrick.

References: 

DuraSpace. (2016). The Auteurism of Baz Luhrmann
Retrieved from https://tamiu-ir.tdl.org/handle/2152.4/93

Year 13 - English - Character Strengths

My top three character strengths were Teamwork, Humour, and Judgement.

Teamwork:
- What is most gratifying to me about being a part of a team?
I am most grateful for the ability and the opportunity to work with a variety of people with different personalities and methods of thinking. It opens up different perspectives on a topic and enables you to come up with creative ideas.

- How do I feel and act if I carry more than my fair share of the weight for the team?
It's not often that you have to do more than you are tasked with. When I have to carry more, I just get the job done and move on.

- How does teamwork extend into your personal life; for example, parenting, family, partner, and friendship?
Being able to work well with other people teaches you valuable people skills which can help in social situations with friends and family.

Humour:
- How do you initiate playfulness, and how does that change from situation to situation?
I normally get to know the person and see how they initiate humour before I start, to avoid potentially offending people. The situation changes when I'm talking to different people who have different tastes and styles, so I like to take note of people's sense of humour to match theirs.

- How do other people express playfulness, and what have I learnt from observing playfulness in others?
The more you talk to someone, the more you start to learn their style and their sense of humour. By observing someone else's sense of humour, I'm able to start conversations and get along with them more efficiently.

- In what situations has humour been a barrier for you connecting with others?
Humour has been a barrier in connecting with others when the person I'm talking to either don't have a keen sense of humour or the situation isn't suitable for humour. Since I try to include humour in a lot of my conversations, being in a situation that doesn't warrant any can be a challenge.

Judgement:
- How do you express judgement/critical thinking to others?
I express judgement/critical thinking when I'm making a decision by weighing all the options and considering all the benefits and consequences, then evaluating which option best suits me.

- When you are trying to make decisions, what leads you to lose perspective of the big picture?
When making decisions, I sometimes get caught up in looking at the benefits, rather than also considering the consequences of my actions, sometimes resulting in a Pyrrhic victory, where the consequences sometimes outweigh the benefits.

- With what people and in what circumstances is it difficult to for you to think rationally without being confused by strong emotions?
Sometimes, making decisions with close friends can make coming to a conclusion a bit difficult because they can either be a distraction and make choosing an outcome difficult, or they can influence my decision and cloud my judgement so I make a decision that might not be what I want.

Year 12 - Making Wider World Links

Making Wider World Links

1. When was this article published?

The article was published on July 29th, 2019 (wow)

2. What are the areas/people most affected?

North Africa, Medirterranean, and the Middle East. 

3. List 4 statistics and/or facts which stand out from this article. Order them from most significant to least.

• “U.N figures suggest that even before Thursday, some 423 migrants had been killed this year attempting to reach the Italian peninsula.”
• “No words are equal to Thursday’s news that some 150 migrants perished in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya.”
• “Around 140 others managed to survive and were rescued by fishermen and members of the Libyan Coast Nations.”
• “More than 70 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes as of 2018 - half of them children - which is more than double the number from 20 years ago.”

(wow)

4. How does this article relate to Children of Men?

Because the article is all about the refugee crisis around the world, just like how in Children of Men they have a huge refugee crisis because all the countries were torn apart.

5. Thinking about this article specifically, explain why is it worthwhile to study the film Children of Men.

Because the content of this article relates very heavily to many of the themes in children of men. Children of Men depicts an extreme version of the current refugee crisis, but also not too far off, because there is a problem in places like America where children and other refugees are being kept in cages. 

Year 12 - English - Unfamiliar Texts

Unfamiliar Texts

• Analyse the language features (break down the sentences, stanzas and structure and identify the language features used.)

• Identify the main ideas (look for the main ideas in the text, compare the ideas to the question, find the ones that are the easiest to answer in context with the questions.)

• Keep the paragraph structure simple and clear (keep the paragraph structure short and simple, introduction, 2-3 paragraphs, conclusion.)

• Answer the question(s) clear (create a statement/theory based on the big idea you have chosen from the text and then answering the question based on the thesis, also using answer structures like SEXXY)

• Explaining the language features (explaining the effect that the language feature(s) have on the audience)

AIKKE

Year 12 English - The Lifestyle Creed

The Lifestyle Creed

What does the word "creed" mean. Where else do we see this word being used?
Creed means: "A system of religious beliefs; a faith."
I see the word "creed" being used in other media, like movies and video games.

Look up any words you don’t know in this poem and then write an original sentence using the word to show that you understand its meaning.
Oleocanthal: A compound found in virgin olive oil. It is the compound responsible for the burning sensation in the back of our throat when you consume olive
Cruciferuos: Relating to or denoting plants of the cabbage.
Annals of Neurology: The Annals of Neurology is a medical journal covering neurology that was published in 2017.
Amyloid plaques: An amyloid plaque is a cell that destroys connections between cells, commonly found in the brains of patients suffering from Alzheimers.


Look up the Catholic Nicene Creed. What is it? Look up the words. Compare them to this poem. How are they similar? How are they different?
The Catholic Nicene Creed is a Catholic prayer. The Lifestyle Creed is a re-written version of the Nicene Creed, but with words that relate to the religion replaced with foods that is related to healthy eating. (e.g, "We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of all that is seen and unseen" is replaced with "We believe in brain boosters, vegetables, the Almighty, Makers of low cognitive decline of all that is seen and unseen.")

Why does the author use cut up bits of text? What effect does it have?
The author used different fonts and cut up texts in the poem because she made a collage of the Nicene Creed prayer with her adjustments over where words related to Catholic belief. In relation with the poem, The Lifestyle Creeed is also saying that God is the key to healthy living.

Why does the author use two different font styles? Compare the way they look. Why did the author do this? What do each of the font styles represent?
The author of the poem used two different font styles in her poem because she wanted the poem to look good, and to flow well. The first font looks like it is used when a word relates to the overall theme of healthy eating (e.g, brain boosters, low cognitive, olive oil, enzymes, etc.) which also are the words that have replaced the ones related to religious belief in the Nicene Creed.

Why do you think the author has juxtaposed the Nicene Creed with words such as “brain boosters”, “antioxidants”, and “good cholesterol”? What meaning is she trying to convey? Is this effective? What effect does it have on the reader?
I think that she has replaced religious words with food and chemicals that are healthy for you because the Nicene Creed talks about how God is good for a healthy lifestyle. The Lifestyle Creed simply conveys the same message but replaces words with religious background with healthy food items. This can also be conveyed as that the author of the Lifestyle Creed is saying that believing in a healthy diet is, in a similiar sense, believing in a religion.

What is the overall purpose of the poem?
I think that the overall purpose of the poem The Lifestyle Creed is to convey the message that the key to a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle is God and a healthy diet consisting of food and chemicals that are good for cognitive and brain functions.

What is the overall tone of the poem? I think that there is an overall positive tone in the poem The Lifestyle Creed. I think this because the poem discusses how to achieve a healthy lifestyle by believing in a healthy and nutritious lifestyle. The Lifestyle Creed borrows many of it's features and themes from the Catholic Nicene Creed, which discusses how to achieve a healthly lifestyle by believing in religion, and then linking the two themes together in a positive way.

What ideas do the last two lines suggest?
I think that the two lines at the end allude that following a healthy lifestyle will lead to a healthier future with better cholesterol.

Do I like the poem? Why/Why not?
It's eh.

Year 12 English - Children of Men

Children of Men Discussion Questions

• Appoint a group leader. The leader is responsible for keeping the group on task and completing the activity in the allotted time.

• Appoint a group scribe. The scribe is responsible for recording the group’s answers and sharing the Doc to the rest of the group.

• Discuss the following questions in your group.

Post the shared work on your blogs (everyone needs to post something).

1. What message does this film relay about immigration and xenophobia
   The government in Britain feel that immigrants are terrorists, because they are coming from ruined countries. They want to protect their country from the immigrants as Britain is the only stable country in the world after global corruption.
2. What effect does Cuarón’s use of long takes have in the scenes where this filming technique is used?
   These long shots show baron land, presenting to the audience how ruined and deserted the world really is.
   
3. How plausible is the future world depicted in Children of Men?
   The world probably won’t go infertile unless a new disease breaks out causing this. But there is a possibility of something else occuring which can cause global corruption, like war.
   
4. How has the lack of children changed society?
   The lack of children in society has caused worldwide depression. It has taken the joy out of the world, and it has made people go crazy out of fear of the world ending as soon there will be no people left on Earth.
   
5. What role does religion play in the film?
   Religion wasn’t very prominent in the film. Although it is not very projected in the film, but in the real world it plays a large role. The film hints at some sort of religion as the devil is mention in a few scenes but it doesn’t have a heavy presence.
   
6. Luke is consistently portrayed as the "bad guy" throughout the film. Is he sincerely a bad person? Why or why not?
   Luke isn’t a bad guy, he is just trying to help get the world back to how it was before infertility and corruption. He wants to create an uprising, and so he is doing it in a way that he thinks is suitable.
   
7. How was a totalitarian government able to emerge in the wake of the infertility crisis in Britain?They were able to control immigration because everyone is scared of the end of the world, and therefore they will believe anything the government says. The government calls immigrants terrorists, and so citizens believe they are immigrants too.
   
8. How does Kee develop over the course of the film?
   Kee becomes braver as the film progresses. Her mother instincts kick in, as all she starts to worry about is her baby and her safety. She becomes more trusting of Theo and relies on him compared to when they first met and she was very standoffish towards him. She was more reserved at the start of the film because she didn’t know a lot about pregnancy and so she was afraid.
   
9. How does Theo develop over the course of the film?
   At the start of the film he isn't very compassionate or motivated as he had nothing to live for, as he has lost his parents, his wife and his son. Meeting Kee gave him hope, hope that the world might go back to the way it was. Meeting Kee and helping her get to safety reignites his activist mindset. Seeing two of his loved ones be taken away from him made him want to accomplish his quest with Kee and do it for them.