Fatelessness Chapter 2 Analysis

The author wrote this piece to:  

Tell us how Gerge's life changes when his father has to leave to the labour camp. It shows us the transition from being a child without responsibilities to a man, who has to take charge of the family shop and take care of his stepmother. 

Characters:

Protagonist: Georg Koves.

Antagonist: Nazi Regime.

Static Characters: Mr Sütó.

Dynamic Characters: Georg, Annamarie. 

Did the author use any special literary devices in this selection? such as: personification, metaphor, simile, foreshadowing, suspense, flashback, imagery, humour, poetic sound devices such as rhyme, etc. List and give specific examples. Yes, he used flashback to introduce Annamarie to us. This device is use to show how Annamarie's life was before. What was the author's "tone" towards the subject/person/idea he/she wrote about? The author is using an objective tone, just discribing how everything was running in those hard days without Georg's father.

List the conflicts in this section (internal and/or external)

External: Georg and Annamarie's older sister, "Still, there was something in her line of thought that somehow exasperated me; in my opinion, it's all a lot simpler", they are discussing because they have different opinions about why people hate Jews, and why they're supposed to be different.

Holocaust Image analysis

1. What do you see in the picture? 

People searching for their salvation, forced to be somewhere, desperated, clearly a bad place.

2. Based on what you have observed, make three inferences.

a) People desperated.

b) Blood.

c) Horrorified from something trying to reach you so you can help them.

3. What questions does this image raise in your mind?

What is making them feel that desperated? Why is blood there? It's a metaphor to refer to jews?

4. Describe the mood of the image. 

Just bad feelings, no hope, just desperation, in one word, fateless.

5. What information do you already know about the Holocaust?

WWII, 1940's a period of time where millions of jews died.

Fatelessness Review

1. Which perspective (positive or negative) does the author of the review have towards Fatelessness? Provide evidence.

He takes a positive position after all since, the author seems to like the book, the way that the characters deal with their problems and everything, and mainly because he said: "In Fatelessness the writer elevates this form to another level".

2. According to the review, in which ways does Fatelessness make readers empathize with the main character of the story?

We would ask ourselves what we would do in a situation like this, to be forced to be somewhere you really dont wanna be with no chance of escaping, asking  what's gonna happen...

3. In the second paragraph of this review, we are presented the plot of the story. Is this enough information to engage you as a reader? Does it provide an effective invitation to read "Fatelessness"? Justify.

I think it gives way too much details, like telling how the book will end, that's just a way of making myself not able to enjoy a novel, as theres no adventure because you know how it'll end anyways.

Imre Kertész Interview

1. Before the interview, the presenter visits a monument to the Holocaust created by the American artist Peter Eiserman. Considering the shapes, architecture and general design, in what ways do you think he represents the reality in the concentration camps?

It gives hope, the hope of surviving jews had once in the camps.

2. Which is the paradox the presenter mentions regarding Imre Kertész and the place where he lives?

He feels safer in Berlin somehow, which is the capital of Germany, the country that wanted him dead.

3. Refer to antisemitism before and after Auschwitz according to Kertész.

Once the gas chambers were made in Auschwitz, antisemitists had an easier life while dealing with the jews, it was not a problem anymore since  were dying in 2 minutes in an unbeleiveable amount.

4. In what way do reminders of the past in historical books make us "much richer"?

We learn from our mistakes, so if we learn from our past we are learning how to deal with our future, that's why we're rich by knowing history.

5. Which metaphor does Imre use to exemplify the effect of Fatelessness on its readers?

he uses the metaphor "it continued to worry our souls and now knocked out of the cabinet".

Fatelessness Chapter 1 Analysis

1)  What characters are introduced in this chapter?

Georg Koves, Mr Sütó, Annamarie, Georg's Father, Mother and stepmother, Granparents, and other members of his family

2) Choose two characters and select a quote to describe them physically or psychologically.

Mr. Sutó: "Yellowish red light-spots were dancing like busting pustules all over his round, brownish-skinned features with the pencil mustache and the tiny gap between his two broad, white front teeth"(page 6)

 Uncle Fleischmann: "a diminutive man of immaculate appeareance, with white hair, ashen skin, owlish spectacles, and a perpetual slightly worried air on his face" (page 23)

3) What is the narrative technique?


Point of view: First person. "I didn't go to school today"

Narration:  Indirect  "We were already on the upper floor when it occurred to my stepmother that she had forgotten to redeem the bread coupon. I had to go back to the baker's."

Tense: Past (I didn't go to school today)

Speech: Reported The next sentence was again spoken by my father, with something about "goods" that "it would be best" if Mr. Suttó "were to take with him right away"

4) "Describe the setting of this chapter"

The story is set in Budapest, Hungary.

Literal Devices

When we read any kind of text we can be facing any kind of literal device, such as metaphors, alliterations, etc. and it's important for us to understand them so we dont take everything literal.


1. Allegory: story or poem in which the characters, setting, and events stand for other people or events or for abstract ideas or qualities. Can be read for a literal meaning and on a second, symbolic meaning.

2. Alliteration: repetition of the same sound in a sequence of words, usually at the beginning of a word.

3. Allusion: a brief reference to a person,place, thing, event, or idea in history or literature
Wondering if a woman was beautiful enough to “launch a thousand ships” would be an allusion to Helen of Troy in the Odyssey. Also, “Old Scratch” in American literature refers to the Devil.

4. Climax: The point in the plot that creates the greatest intensity, suspense, or interest. After this point, nothing can remain the same; greatest turning point in the story.
The climax in THE SCARLET LETTER is when Dimmesdale finally confesses his sins to the crowd.

5. Connotation: Associations and implications that go beyond the written word
“Eagle” connotes liberty and freedom that have little to do with the word’s literal meaning of describing a bird. In PUDD’NHEAD WILSON, David Wilson is called a “pudd’nhead to connote his foolishness.

6. Denotation: dictionary definition of a word
“buying a ranch” denotes purchasing land on which to raise crops and livestock.

7. Flashback: scene that interrupts the normal chronological flow of events in a story to depict something that happened at an earlier time
When Hester remembers her early life with her family and her honeymoon with Chillingworth, it is a flashback.

8. Foreshadowing: use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in the story, often used to build suspense or tension in a story
Pudd’nhead’s repeated fingerprinting of Tom and Chambers foreshadows its later importance in the book.

9. Gothic: use of primitive, medieval, or mysterious elements in literature. Gothic writing often features dark and gloomy places and horrifying, supernatural events
Edgar Allan Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher” is a gothic story featuring a large, dark, gothic mansion.

10. Hero: a character whose actions are inspiring or noble. Tragic heroes are noble and inspiring but have a fault or make a mistake which leads to their downfall.
Some critics claim that Dimmesdale in TSL is a tragic hero who falls is society due to poor decisions.

11. Hyperbole: boldy exaggerated statement that adds emphasis without intending to be literally true.

12. Lyric poem: a melodic poem which describe an object or emotion.
“Heart, we will forget him” describes a woman trying to recover from heartbreak.

13. Metaphor: a lterary device in which a direct comparison is made between two things essentially unlike.

14. Narrative poem: a narrative poem tells a story in verse.

15. Onomatopoeia: use of words that imitate sounds.

16. Personification: a literary device in which human attributes are given to a non-human such as an animal, object, or concept

17. Plot: sequence of events in a story, usually involves characters and a conflict.

18. Point of view: the perspective or vantage point from which a story or poem is told. Three common points of view include: first-person, omniscient, and third person limited.

19. Setting: the time and place of the story or poem’s action, it helps to create the mood of the story

20. Simile: a literary device in which a direct comparison is made between two things essentially unlike using the words “like” or “as.”

21. Soliloquy: A long speech made by a character who is onstage alone and who reveals his/her private thoughts and feelings to the audience.
Romeo, as he is about to kill himself in ROMEO AND JULIET speaks to the audience.

22. Stanza: a group of lines in a poem that are considered to be a unit. They function like paragraphs do in prose writing.
The whiskey on your breath
Could make a small boy dizzy;
But I hung on like death:
Such waltzing was not easy.

23. Symbol: something that means more than what it is; an object, person, situation, or action that in addition to its literal meaning suggests other meanings as well.
The Liberty Bell is not only a bell but a symbol of freedom in the United States. Hester’s scarlet letter symbolized her sin of adultery.

24. Theme: an insight about human life that is revealed in a literary work
One of the themes if PUDD’NHEAD WILSON is that everyone suffers in some way in a society that condones slavery.

25. Thesis: the organizing thought of an entire essay or piece of writing and which contains a subject and an opinion
“Of the three scaffold scenes in TSL, the third one best encapsulates the theme that self-punishment is the harshest outcome of sin.”

26. Tone: the writer’s attitude toward the story, poem, characters, or audience. A writer’s tone may be formal or informal, friendly or anxious, personal, or arrogant, for example
“Hooray! I’m going to get married today!” (ecstatic tone)

27. Understatement/litote: literary device that says less than intended. Oppositive of hyperbole. Usually has an ironic effect, and sometimes may be used for comic purposes.

Woman Emancipation

1) What degrees of emancipation and/or conservative reinforcement of 18th-Century family values does Elizabeth Bennet's marriage to Mr. Darcy support?

Well she follows the ideology that she should marry a rich guy from a well known family, also getting married was one of the family values.

2) What attitudes to marriage does 'Pride and Prejudice' convey? What other options did Elizabeth Bennet have?

It doesnt really give any good attitude from marriage, just the normal ones that were seen in XVIII century, getting married was the only option, otherwise you wouldn't have any pride.


3) How does the introduction made by Vivien Jones affect your reading and approach to the novel?

It let us know more about the context of production and giving us enough information to "hook" us into the novel.

4) How could the social circumstances and contexts of 'Pride and   apply to different cultures and contexts today?

It could apply on certain cultures such as the Musulman culture which the woman is technically seen as an object, just like marriage in those times.

Using quotations

Quotations are important while writing as they are needed for the Evidence part of the P.E.E structure, if we dont use quotes our thesis isn't that valid as it'd be with quotes, as it supports your idea and clarifies any doubt the reader can have.

7 Pillars of Judaism

Me, having a jew family can tell that Judaism is a religion that needs it's sacrifice, the traditions and everything must be done, but now a days the religion cant be taken that seriously because of the conflicts with neighbour countries and territorial issues.


Mezuzah: 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" (Wikipedia)

Tefillin:small black leather case with Hebrew Scriptures worn (on the forehead and left arm) by Jewish men during morning prayer.

Shofar: a ram's horn played by ancient Hebrews during ceremonies. Now played in the synagogue during Rosh  Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Hanukkah: it's a Jewish eight-day festival that conmemorates a past important victory of the Jews.

Kosher: it's a word that means that the object that we are talking about is fit to the dietary words. Kosher meat, for example, means that that meat can be eaten according to the Jewish religious laws.
Tzedakah: it's the religious obligation to perform charity.

Sabbath: it's the weekly day of resting for the Jews in the whole world.

Narrative Techniques

Narrative techniques are really important when writing a novel, this is because with the use of them we can explain the past of a character, his ideas, memories and alot more! The most commons ones are:


Point of view: The point of view, is related with the person that tells the story, it can be in first, second or third person.

Narration: It answers the question "who is he talking to?". It may be a direct (directly to the reader), Frame (Narrator talks about someone else) and Indirect (Not referring to the reader).

Speech: it answers to the question "how do the narrator and/or characters of a story speak?", It may be direct (Dialogue),  Reported (Narrator summarizes or paraphrases what happened) or Free Indirect (Character's thoughts).

Tense: It may be past (narrator can choose to focus on important events, because it already happened), present (narrator is just as surprised as the reader) or future (the story is  something that will happen).

Writting an opposite sex character

Writing a character of the opposite sex is quite a challenge, but its one of the most exhilarating parts of writing, and as we can see Jane Austen's never wrote about the internal life of a male.

But why is so complicated to write about the opposite gender? Well easy we're completely different and we rarely get together, lets say, we just have different opinions and racionality, that's why writing a fresh character from an opposite gender is a challenge.

So why do writers try to accomplish this challenge when writing a book? 

It's a way of expressing their ideology about the opposite gender, so that way people can give their opinions about what they think of  genders.

Holocaust timeline

Atonement's context of production

The war set on Atonement is based on real facts, Robbie went to war and he died on the famous "Dunkirk Evacuation", this was a retirement made on Dunkirk, , because Germans managed to get to them.

Just as we saw in the movie millions of people had to evacuate france so they could survive.

Atonement

Last week we saw a great part of the movie "Atonement" which main topic is love, relationships, etc. This Iac Mcewan's movie was really fun and entertaining to watch. The main topic of the movie is the atonement, Briony is misunderstanding everything in the relationship between Cecilia and Robbie, which finally ended on an accusation of rape to Robbie, forcing him to go to war and fight for his country, after all they both die. And that's why the title is Atonement, because Briony wanted to change what she did so after all she makes a novel on which Cecilia and Robbie get united. After this we had to answer to 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 it's inhabitants?

Well the house in my opinion represents loneliness, it's so dark and big that you may feel it cold, with no feelings, heart of stone, i dont know how to express it clearly, but clearly it's not a nice feeling. As well the house represents the economic difference between Cecilia and Robbie, which is a problem on their relationship.

2) A passion of order, a lively imagination, and a desire of attention seem to be Briony's strongest traits, in what ways is she still a child?

She's a child in almost every way, her narcisism makes her really inmature, the idea that any other thinking or theories are not correct is just an inmature thinking, also her imagination makes her a child still.

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, in part, on an impulce of malice, revenge, or self-importance?

Well Briony is still a child, her imagination and the way she looks at her enviorment are just not right, the narcisism and everything make her stick to her version, maybe she wanted that to happen, and hated Robbie.

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?

Well she grew up and accepted another theories, that maybe they had loved each other and that Robbie wasn't really abusing of Cecilia, and that her, as a woman, understanded how they were feeling.

Anne Frank's diary

Before reading "Fatelessness" it'd be a great idea to understand the context first, so we started investigating about the Holocaust in 1940s, but we couldn't let this opportunity go, Anne frank was a jew girl of about 12 years old who was hiding with her family in the attic of a building, but some day the Gestapo (german police, same as Gope here in Chile) came in and took them to different concentration camps, within the time she was there Anne took the time to write her famous diary on which she detailed how jew life was, we had the awesome time to read the book in spanish.

History and Context: Pride and Prejudice

Today in class we spent some time watching different kind of trailers from the movie "Pride and prejudice". This exercise was to challenge ourselves and see how does the context affect us, the viewers. After that we had to answer some questions.

1) Why do you think pride and prejudice continues to be a referent of modern tales?

Well the issues presented in the novel, although the time is set in 1700's, are mainly about love and economic issues, which now, and forever will be problems in our society, that's why Pride and prejudice is still a referent of modern tales, because the issues presented are still issues at these days.

2) What do you think it's the effect that these different authors want to achieve in today's audience?

I think they're trying to make the movies for this days, let's say, adjust them to this time issues so we could entertain ourselves more watching the movie, as we would feel identified with the movie and the protagonists.

3) If you had to choose one of the previous versions to analyze, which one would you analyze and why?

Well I would go obviously for the one made in 2005 because it keeps the idea of the novel, and at the same time making it newer. So we could say it's the most decent.

PEE, What is it?

When we start writing any kind of text we must be organized, everything has it owns steps and we're supposed to follow them, so if we follow that way we can achieve a better reading and understanding of the text. This structure it's called PEE, point, evidence and explanation.


Point: The first thing we do, make our thesis clear about the topic we're discussing about.

Evidence: This is our main argument, lets say that the evidence will make the reader accept our theory or thesis, it's our proof that will prove that what we're saying is true.

Explanation: It's the conclusion on which we explain why, how and what those our evidence supports.

Boo Radley's secret diary

Day 1: Today as I woke up I saw that the 'Finches' and a random guy I've never seen before were playing, they seem to be so interested on meeting me and making me go out to the world, i just cant... I mean its so hard to go out and face people again after what my father has done with me, what would people think about me? i've wasted a lot of years just being here in my house doing nothing. Today they also tried to lure me out, haha they had a rod and they putted it on the window, after some time i had to scare them.

Day 2: Today i was able to saw a huge thing going on, and i hate to say it but i enjoyed it, long time i didnt saw something impressing, Ms. Maudie's house burned down and I had to run outside and cover 'Lil' Scout with a blanket so she wouldn't get burnt, well im glad everything went well and no one got harmed, im still feeling bad for poor Ms. Maudie, pheraps wasnt that angry, or sad.

Day 3: Today it was a nice day here in Maycomb, i could see lots of kids running thru' the streets on costumes, such as hams, everything haha, it just makes me think of the good old days, when i was just a kid, a happy one, before the incident with my father, i just hate to lose everything just for some mistakes I've made, i would like to go out and enjoy but i cant.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Part 2 Questions #2

1. What is the Ku Klux Klan? What do you think of Atticus' comment about it?

The 'KKK' is a extremely racist clan which took racism to the extreme, ending it up as murder, several injuries, etc. Atticus thinks that they dont really matter as long as they dont come back.

2. How does Jem react when Atticus tells him to go home, and why?

Well he didnt reacted at all, he just stayed there trying to protect hes father, because defending a negroe may give bad results to a white.

3. What persuades the lynching-party to give up their attempt on Tom's life?

The innocense of the children made him give up, mainly Scout, this is why Harper chosed an innocent main character such as Scout.

4. What sort of person is Dolphus Raymond and what is your opinion of him?

I think he's not a real character, i mean that he's just false, prettending to make people think that he's drunk so they wont bother him for hangin' out with some negroes... thats just false, not like Atticus who even defends negroes, going against politics.

5. How does Reverend Sykes help the children see and hear the trial? Is he correct in doing so?

He helped the childs understand how prestigeable is the job their father, Atticus, he was very helpful to them, guiding them and giving an space on the balcony so they could see what his father is doing.

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.

-"There have been a request that this courtroom be cleared of spectators, or at least of women and children, a request that will be denied for the time being" This is a crucial momment on the trial, because it was important to Jem and Scout to watch the trial so they could see what such of a father they have, otherwise if the jury had approved this all the Reverend Sykes would've been unuseful.

-"Didn't call a doctor?" - Atticus
"No sir," repeated Mr Tate.

After that we can see that theres no real proof to get this mockingbird to jail, if they didnt call a doctor how could they say that he was the real raper in this case? It's impossible, refuting every charge said to Tom.

-"No, I don't recollect if he hit me. I mean yes I do, he hit me" - Mayella.

Well its pretty obvious, she was confused and probably accused the wrong person, maybe just a lie to win the trial and avoid looking stupid in front of the perfect society they had in those times... I dont really know, its just suspicious and I'd had supported Tom all the way as the proposition had no real evidence to accuse him of rape.

To Kill a Mockingbird: Part 2

1. Comment on Jem's and Scout's visit to First Purchase Church. What does Scout learn about how black people live?

They first noticed that Calpurnia changed the way of speaking to a "Ebonic" english, they were confused and didn't knew why she would do that, she explained that if she would talk as a white she would look bad at his community, also they noticed how poor they were.

2. Explain why Calpurnia speaks differently in the Finch household, and among her neighbours at church.

Well as I said before thats the Ebonics, how she speaks in her society, otherwise she would lose her respect and be looked as white maid or something.+

3. Aunt Alexandra thinks Scout is "dull" (not clever). Why does she think this, and is she right?

Well aunt Alexandra says this because she thinks that Scout is not a lady at all because of how she dresses, again more pre-judges and ignorance.

4. How does Aunt Alexandra involve herself in Macomb's social life?

She earned her respect and gained some friends quickly, you could say she had a decent life-style on Maycomb, she got used to drink tea and talk with her friends.

5. Comment on Aunt Alexandra's ideas about breeding and family, in contrast to Atticus' visions. Who's right, do you think? Why?

Atticus all the way, at the end they go against, while Atticus thinks that she raised a good girl, Alexandra says she's not behaving as a Finch should and that Atticus hasn't made a good job, I think that Atticus gave his child's a good vision of the society and that negroes should not be abused.

6. Comment on Atticus' definition of rape. How suitable is this definition as an answer to Scout?

Atticus said rape is "Carnal knowledge of a female by force and without concern". Which is completely right and direct, and thats just how Atticus teach his kids.

The Help Analysis

1. In your own words, write what was meant by "separate but equal." How did people in Jackson, Mississippi - including the ladies of the Junior League in "The Help" - try to apply this principle?

Well its just a very true phrase, blacks and whites are separate but equal as they are all humans, but they are separated because of the pre-judges and all. Of course they cant be together because in thos times there was a huge problem in the society so if you were seen with a negro, good bye reputation.

2. Do a simple online research about Jim Crow Laws. Identify what outcomes - forced upon domestic workers - were present in "The Help".

Jim Crow Laws may be appreciated through all the movie. As this laws was working between 1876 and 1965, the times of the movie include some of their commands. Which made blacks look like slaves.

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, they will never solve their problems".

To kill a mockingbird part 1.

1. What is the reason for the author's choice of a young narrator?In my opinion Harper Lee used an "innocent character" like a young girl so she could explain in a better way why its a sin to kill a mockingbird, expressed as a metaphor of how the society is killing negroes for no reason but prejudges and ignorance.2. How does Jem and Scout's views of Boo Radley change during  part 1 of the book?At the start they had a lot of questions of this Boo Radley, it just seemed so scary, a guy who never goes out, with a not really great past, living in a house with his brother, was just mysterious for them and of course they had a lot of questions about him, why?, how?, etc. It's that why they have a lot of interest with him in the first chapters, but with time they lost the interest because of many facts such as the burn of the house of their neighbor and such.

3. Atticus tells the children several times that they need to walk in someone else's shoes before judging the person. Describe times when Atticus, Scout or Jem walk in someone else's shoes. How does this change how they view the situations? What role does this advice play in sympathy and compassion? 

Well I think that Atticus is always trying to teach his kids not to be a racist and prejudging people, thats why he gives them lots of advice so they don't become a part of the crazy society they we're having on those times, thats why he teaches them how to behave well and respect Negroes. This changes a lot of things in the way of thinking from Scout and Jem, as well the sin he told them  helps them understand why the society is being damaged by the society itself and what kind of world they're living in.

4. How do you think Atticus managed his role as a single parent? 

I think he did a good job raising his child's, giving them good moral lessons, good education. such as writing, reading, etc. and gave them a good sustain in the economic way.

5. Discuss race issues in part 1 of the book.

Well of course there was a lot of rational issues in the book, mainly because of the context of production, thats why it shows a lots of issues such as Calpurnia, Tom Robinson, etc. I think it was a real issue in those days but it wasn't an issue for white people then, still they were damaging the society.

6. From your reading of part 1, What does To Kill a Mockingbird teach us about how people cope with issues of race and class? Do you classify people in your world as different "folks?" Do you see those sort of distinctions 

The title thing is all a metaphor of how we damage the society, using the Mockingbirds in comparison to Black people, of how we're killing people slowly, damaging them with no reason but pre-judges. I always thought that theres different class of people, Asians, Jews, Christians, Rich, Poor, and infinite number of examples, but if we look through the skin we all have the same, a heart, a brain, etc. we're all equal after all.

7. Who is your favorite character from part 1 and why?

I think that Scout its my favorite, she is just too innocent and makes everything so easy, but Atticus is also important because she does what Atticus says and learns from him, so without Atticus theres no real Scout, these both characters are really important for the book and they both complement themselves.

"To Kill a Mockingbird": Contexts of Production.

Historical Context:

-Economic Depression: After the great 1920s, US went through a hard and long crisis. Many people went to live away from the cities because they didn't have money. This quickly traduced in unemployment and poverty in the country, which of course, ended up in a Economic Depression.

-The Dust Bowl: It was an ecological disaster caused by drought and wind, which made most of the crops in the US to disease, which was one of the facts that started the huge economic problems of USA  in those years.

-Racial Segregation: In the past, US people made great differences between black and white people. Blacks were discriminated and had less rights. A great example of this are the Jim Crow Laws, which ruled in the US between 1876 and 1965, this was a great issue in the country, as many people in there were afro-american and all we're treated as slaves or so.

Harper Lee's Biography:
Nelle Harper Lee, the youngest of four children of Amasa Coleman Lee and Frances Cunningham Finch, was raised in Monroeville, Alabama. Nelle, her first name, was "Ellen", her grandmother's name, spelled backward. Her mother was a homemaker; her father, a former newspaper editor and proprietor, practiced law and served in the Alabama State Legislature from 1926 to 1938. Before A.C. Lee became a title lawyer, he once defended two black men accused of murdering a white storekeeper. Both clients, a father and son, were hanged.

What is context

Context is one of the things that we should always be aware of while reading a text, why? well its important because in that way we can understand the main idea tried to be given by the author, so we could say that there's two contexts the one that the author had when he/she wrote the book, and the one we have while reading it, each one, respectively is the context of production and the context of reception.

Context of production: This context makes references to the circumstances that surrounded the writer of the text when he wrote it. 

Context of Reception: This type of contexts refers to the conditions that surround the reader when he reads a text. 

The context varies in time and it can go to extreme cases.

A Language without limits analyze

I totally support the whole idea of this text because it's completely right according to myself, by the fact that it uses the language variations as a 'sign of resilency and creativity'. It take into concideration a lot of examples of Arabizi's and Hindi's which most are from Canada, but more further than the examples of the variations the author is trying to tell us how the language is changing within' time thanks to people that speak english as a second language, the combination of their first language wether it's chinese, spanish, arabic, japanese, it will     make some changes on their english, pronounciation, grammar mistakes and even new words, thats why language is changing along with the time. However there will always be ignorant people, close-minded that will think that this variations are bad, but as the sociolinguistics say it's an improve.

The author is using an objective tone, giving clear example of the language variations seen in Canada, this text is non-fiction published by Toronto Star.

Ebonics and language variation

Ebonics

This class we saw the ebonics which was a Language variation used by afro-american people, this was based on different pronounciation, words not being finished and the implemention of new words. The word ebonic comes from Ebony (term used to refer to afro-americans) and Phonics -> Ebonics,

The ebonics were implemented for 1 year on the Oakland School, but it didn't worked so after a year they took the ebonics out from school (they were learning ebonics).

Language Variation

In my opinion language variation is very important, why? well because it's the way that other communities express themselves with a second language they use which can provide certain variations, mispronunciations, etc. for example ebonics, as english is the 'world wide' language it's pretty important to know it well, but it's a hard task to do perfectly so the variations will always be present.

Online Communities

1.- What is the issue with identity on the Internet?

Well the main issue is that people can stole your identity and make you look bad to the rest of the world, or friends, for example someones uses your name on facebook and this guy sends message's to your friends saying stupidity's or whatever.

2.- Can you be anyone you want on the Internet?

Technically you can, you can pretend to be anything even an animal if you want (i know it sounds stupid but it's true.) however people can identify where do you come from by the way you speak, with the Language variations.

3.- Can you be identified by your use of Language?

Yes, you can usually people say you're "mexican" if you have some misspells on your writting or on your pronunciation, but they will never know who you're unless that person is a hacker.

Reading comprehension activity: Chicano english and Spanglish.

This class we had to analyse a text given by Miss Veronica, in which we had to tell the Theme, Topic, Main Idea, Source, Target Audience, Author's Purpouse, Genre, Tone, Register, Jargon & Argot. This was a preparation for our test we had on friday 25, it was a hard activity which involved a lot of reading of course and critical thinking, the theme was language itself, the topic was indian's english, and the main idea is how their english is helping the english community, the target audience was everyone interested on the topic, the purpouse of the authors was to inform, the genre was non fiction, the tone i think it was Objective but i wasn't sure, the register was formal. This activity made the test a really easy one, in my opinion it helped us alot along with the help of Sir Alfredo and Miss Veronica.

Language and Knowledge

This class we had to make an oral presentation, my presentation, our group choosed the courtroom, me as the accused of multiple murder, Rodrigo Jeria as the lawyer1, Javier Elgueta as lawyer2 and Matias Weitz as the Judge, it was a really fun activity to do but I must say that some groups didnt really take it seriously and their presentation was made for making us laugh which made it even a funnier class. Our presentation was good it said that I had a evil twin and that I didnt commit any murder because i was helping the Haiti chilean's army, it was a complex situation haha.

Language and Cultural Context

Does the language pronunciation change in the cultural context?

Yes it does for example a person from the south will use different kind of words to express themselves than someone from the north, like for example the word "cuca" which refers to a cop's car, but here we just say "paco" or whatever, it is concidered slang. However this depends on the social context, but there's also the keywords which are used in different ways likeon scientific language.

British weeks and Holidays

Before going to the holidays we had the british week on our school with multiple activities such as Valparaiso trip which i was not able to go because I experimented that experience last year, it's really fun and people that haven't went to the trip should go, also there were some competitions such as the stapplecheese, public speaking which was really fun and a nice activity to see our speaking skills. Aswell the half of our english level went to the new zealand trip so the class was really calmed and made listening easier.

Our holidays were great and now we're back on working as we have to.

11 Languages Speaker

This class we saw a video about a guy who spoke 11 languages and we answered some questions.

1) How many Languages does Alex Speak?
Alex Speaks 11 languages including: spanish, greek, french, russian, hesbrew, afrikann, english, dutch, german, serbic and some more.

2) Does context help in the process of acquiring a new Language?
Yes, because he travels alot and learns more from listening than writting.

3) Are there any languages that have similar pronunciation?
Yes, such as spanish and italian, russian and serbic, afrikann and greek and spanish and greek.

4) Which of the languages spoken by Alex seems more Colloquial?
English, because is the world's most used language and it's spoken in england but we dont see someone speaking Afrikann everyday.

5) Is class a more important factor in language variation than geography?
I totally disagree with this question, geography is the most important factor on language variation because it determines how we are going to pronunciate each word. and class would make the difference bettween jargon and slang.

6) Do you think the ability to learn a language is innate or learned?
Language is learned because we can listen to other languages frequently but if someone doesnt tell us what a word mean we wont have an idea.

7) According to you, are some languages more or less difficult to learn than others? Talk about your own experience.
Yes, think about this if we know spanish learning english is going down a stair but learning chinese is going up a stair (harder)

Slang & Jargon

When people communicate they usually use some special language to refer for certain things, the most common example is Doctors why? well because when they talk about work they will use technical words that talk about diseases, etc. This is called Jargon this type of Language is accepted by the society because it inquires high culture, there are three specific Jargon Language: Language in Sports, Scientific Language and Legal Language.

But theres also the Slang which is informal and it's used by communities on informal cases such as Twitter and Facebook chats, a good example of slang would be the word Swag which is used by Gangsters, rappers, etc. It talks about putting your "bling" on.

Debate!: eBooks vs Paper books

Some weeks ago we had to debate about the books, in my case I had to support the motion on eBooks with Matias Urzua, the problem was that we were the last group in debating so our debate was cut because of the bell.

My first two arguments were: "More ecological way of reading" and "Easier to find and get the eBooks".

the debate developed very well, we totally agreed that we need paper books because of the price of them, but we also need an easier way of reading which would be reading on the iPad, Tablet, etc. And it's more ecological because we dont have to cut trees off. Aswell we just need Internet connection and we can get them without leaving our chair.

The against motion said: the following counter arguments, eBooks need internet so they can be stollen, and if you go camping and ran out of battery you'll not be able to read, also that you can plant trees on forests, and that the gobernment buys books not eBooks.

Well the debate was really good and developed well but sadly we weren't able to finish next class.

Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking is a very useful Skill, according to "The Critical Thinking Community" the definition is:


"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and
skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or
evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation,
experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief

and action."


I think this definition is really good because it talks about critical Thinking itself about how we do it, what skills are needed to do it. But the most important thing is too look deeper in the text and not for what it is said on it,
for example looking at the context and what the author is trying to express or tell us about, factors of the authors life that inspired him to make the book, all these factors are important to be a critical thinkers.

Analysing Images

This image is pretty deep, we can see how famine has evolved in Africa and how they need our help, but it's not an easy task to do, people are starving to death and theres still problems in Somalia with the militia,   although ONU is trying hard along with many internet pages that ask for donations which are used for helping however this isn't enough as we can see but is helping still, a the biggest drought on Africa is taking place these days which is making the plantation of crops super-hard and making the base of African's food die which is a big problem these days, but recently we have seen a new character "Joseph Kony" which is abusing, killing innocent people. But this image can reflect the comparison of white and black people, which we've been affecting within time, racism has always being a problem to razes such as the black people with the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Nazi's, etc.

The Catcher in the rye Analysis

In class we saw an extract from the catcher in the rye which we analysed:

"Boy, when you're dead, they really fix you up. I hope to hell when I do die somebody has sense enough to just dump me in the river or something. Anything except sticking me in a goddam cemetery. People coming and putting a bunch of flowers on your stomach on Sunday, and all that crap. Who wants flowers when you're dead?

The most of us agreed with the extract because it's a really stupid habit we have, probably because we dont want to make the person at the graveyard feel forgotten or banished like a Leaf with the wind, Holden didn't want to be like normal people he's just phony and tries to be different by doing this kinds of acts, or maybe thats the way he thinks, however he always have a different thought of other peoples habits or the things that are normal on the society, he's such a character i've never seen before, so complete and interesting. But this extract really makes us think about that habit, is it really necessary? why do we do it? is it part of our belief? I think those factors make Holden think how he does.

Pactical Criticism

You fit into me

You fit into me

like a hook into an eye

A fish hook

An open eye.

1.- What is the relationship between the title and the rest of the poem?
The title is saying a clear statement (that she/he fits into he/her)


2.- What words, if any, need to be defined?
Hook, because its the most important word which is used as a metaphor, about hooking with him.


3.- What relations do you see among any words in the poem?
Theres a relation between Hook and eye, which both are used in a metaphorical way as I explained in question 2.


4.- What are the various connotative meaning of the words in the poem? Do you see various shades of meaning help establish relationships or patterns in the text?
Theres different meanings for Hook and eye, I think she used hook meaning that the persona is engaged with  her, and eye to mean that he's hooked on her eyes.

5.- What symbols, images or figures of speech are used? What is the relationship between them?
Theres a change in the meaning of the of the poem in between the two first verses and the last two, because it uses the key words in different ways (hook and eye).

6.- What elements of rhyme, meter or pattern can you discuss?
Free verse poem, no pattern.


7.- What is the tone of the poem?
With some certain Angryness which we dont know where it comes from.

8.- From what point of view is the content of the poem being told?
The author probably tried to express her life, a failed love which started good and there was no Happy ending this time.


9.- What tensions, ambiguities or paradoxes arise within the poem?
Theres a change in the meaning of the poem as we can see the words hook and eye can express different things according to the context, as the start it's expressing love and affection but at the end some kind of angryness and hate.


10.- What do you believe the chief paradox or irony is in the text?

To express the fury the persona had to her crush

11.- How do all of the elements of the poem support and develop the primary paradox or irony?

Everything supports the ideas i said before.

a hook and an eye, probably the persona didnt meant a real eye, as we can see in the image the knot on the left is trying to scape and the one on the right wont let it go.

How we study Literature?

1. From all the approaches we studied today, with which one do you feel more comfortable? Which one was the most difficult to understand?.
-I feel more comfortable with the Marxism (Marxism: All texts have subtexts that are related, in some way, with something that happens it the real world), because it talks about the real world.


2. Think you will teach one of the approaches to a 6th grader. How would you make it easier for him to understand? How would you teach it? Pick the one approach you like the most.
Well according to the marxism I would explain it with bunnies!, or whatever to catch up his attention then I would say that from that bunnie more bunnies appear wich would be his childs and that marxism tries to explain almost the same, that from one text you can get more sub-texts.

Oral Presentation: "What is culture"?

Today we had to choose a Topic related to what we saw in class and me and Mr. Jeria decided to talk about "what is culture", a pretty hard topic, because even the definitions of culture may vary between one culture and another, so we took information from different sources.

We decided to make an Oral Presentation as neither he or me are good at acting haha, I presented 3 differents definition of culture:
-Excellence in fine arts and humanities (high culture).
-An integratted pattern of human thought, belief and behaviour that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning.
-The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization, or group.

In my opinion I really enjoyed this activity because I learnt alot i didnt knew about Culture and what my classmates presented. I think our topic was really good because culture these days is being debated alot.

What is Literature?

We all think that we know what literature is, and if we ask what it is people will probably laugh, but cmon' do we really know what literature is?... people have different ideas of what it is some of them say that is everything Written, others say that it is related to novels, poems... there's an extended list of people thoughts about Literature but according to Wikipedia Literature is:


-"the art of written work, and is not confined to published sources (although, under some circumstances, unpublished sources can also be exempt). The word literature literally means "acquaintance with letters"


And according to Dictionary.com:


-"writings in which expression and form, in connection withideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristicor essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography,and essays".


But what about Oral Literuature, because if we're presenting about any topic we are talking about the "universal interest" that Dictonary mentioned, is Oral Literature the same than Literature? No, they're differents expressions of Literature but Literature is defined as the art of Writting.