If you follow this link you will find a user profile on Youtube that contains the film version of Of Mice and Men in eleven parts.
http://www.youtube.com/user/OneTreeHill915
Wednesday 9 March 2011
Tuesday 1 March 2011
Past Questions
To support you in your studies towards the exam in May I am going to post some past paper questions.
Each week you should prepare an essay plan for the posted title which references Metamorphosis, Of Mice and Men and The Awakening.
We are going to do this exercise four times; we will compare responses in class.
It is compulsory.
Images of sickness, both real and metaphorical, can reflect corruption in individuals and/or society. To what degree and to what effect is this evident in at least two of the works you have studied?
(For Of Mice and Men consider Crooks and Candy's Dog)
Each week you should prepare an essay plan for the posted title which references Metamorphosis, Of Mice and Men and The Awakening.
We are going to do this exercise four times; we will compare responses in class.
It is compulsory.
Images of sickness, both real and metaphorical, can reflect corruption in individuals and/or society. To what degree and to what effect is this evident in at least two of the works you have studied?
(For Of Mice and Men consider Crooks and Candy's Dog)
Helpful Link
Here is a link to a useful corner of Blogger.com where our fellow bloggers have created us a very friendly resource on Of Mice and Men...go blogosphere!
http://ofmanandmice.blogspot.com/2008/11/animal-imagery-in-of-mice-and-men.html
http://ofmanandmice.blogspot.com/2008/11/animal-imagery-in-of-mice-and-men.html
Thursday 24 February 2011
Mice And Men - Language and Symbolism
Language and Symbolism
The language of the narrative is fairly simple; most vocabulary is of an everyday kind, except for names of items of farm equipment to which Steinbeck refers. In the dialogue, Steinbeck uses slang and non-standard terms (“would of”, “brang” and so on) to convey an authentic sense of the speaking voice.Apart from the symbolism in the title, we should note the symbolic function of the killing of Candy's old dog. At various points in the novel shooting is mentioned as a way out of trouble (as when George says he would shoot himself if he were related to Lennie). The killing of the dog parallels the shooting of Lennie: both are depicted as merciful, in both cases the shot is in the same place (base of the skull) and Slim approves both killings.
Where else in the text can you identify animal parallells?
They could be simile's, metaphors or straightforward references.
Wednesday 9 February 2011
Site Test
Sharing the workload is always a good thing.
Everone should find one helpful website that relates to Metamorphosis and our recent studies.
Post the weblink and write a few notes on what is to be found on the site.
View each other's links! That's the point!
Everone should find one helpful website that relates to Metamorphosis and our recent studies.
Post the weblink and write a few notes on what is to be found on the site.
View each other's links! That's the point!
Tuesday 1 February 2011
A Simple One
Character and relationships are important to any IB exam answer.
An understanding of how characters interrelate, how their relationships develop and ultimately what they represent will improve any exam answer.
So...
Write a brief account, including reference to action (but not necessarily quotation), of the relationship between Gregor and Grete.
Make reference to how the character's actions show this relationship.
Make a brief comment on what you think the relationship represents when considering a symbolic reading of the text.
An understanding of how characters interrelate, how their relationships develop and ultimately what they represent will improve any exam answer.
So...
Write a brief account, including reference to action (but not necessarily quotation), of the relationship between Gregor and Grete.
Make reference to how the character's actions show this relationship.
Make a brief comment on what you think the relationship represents when considering a symbolic reading of the text.
Tuesday 25 January 2011
Read and Review
This link will take you to a written piece on Metamorphosis.
We must always be careful with our sources. The interweb is now so vast and contradictory that we must learn to rely on certain sources and treat new ones with caution.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3023065
Post a response to this article.
Include: Some quotations from the article and your thoughts on them.
A comment on how you view the reliability of material from the BBS website.
We must always be careful with our sources. The interweb is now so vast and contradictory that we must learn to rely on certain sources and treat new ones with caution.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3023065
Post a response to this article.
Include: Some quotations from the article and your thoughts on them.
A comment on how you view the reliability of material from the BBS website.
Wednesday 19 January 2011
Age is a state of mind...
Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.
- Franz Kafka
Write a short discussion of this quotation relating it to the content and themes of Metamorphosis.
Tuesday 11 January 2011
Kafka on Literature
"Books are a narcotic"
How does Kafka's writing style operate on the reader to engage them with the narrative and the thematic content?
How does Kafka make the reader want to read and understand his work?
Is it fair to say that Metamorphosis has a dream-like quality to the writing?
Provide your thoughts on this quotation and these questions.
Tuesday 4 January 2011
Contextualising a Text
Metapmorphosis was published in 1915.
Some would say that it is impossible to fully appreciate the text without understanding something of the historical context in which it was written.
Complete some elementary research into the period. Look into the year it was written and the preceding few years. Remember that Kafka lived and worked in Prague.
It may be helpful to consider...
Art
Literature
World Affairs
War
Travel and Transport
Invention and Scientific Progress
Post some findings
Some would say that it is impossible to fully appreciate the text without understanding something of the historical context in which it was written.
Complete some elementary research into the period. Look into the year it was written and the preceding few years. Remember that Kafka lived and worked in Prague.
It may be helpful to consider...
Art
Literature
World Affairs
War
Travel and Transport
Invention and Scientific Progress
Post some findings
Critical Perspectives One
As we have discussed in class, texts can be viewed from many different critical perspectives. How a text is read will depend on who is reading it, where and when.
To begin with I would like you to complete some research into Sigmund Freud and Karl Gustav Jung.
What do you think a Freudian or Jungian reading of a text would involve? What angle / perspective would one approach the text from?
To begin with I would like you to complete some research into Sigmund Freud and Karl Gustav Jung.
What do you think a Freudian or Jungian reading of a text would involve? What angle / perspective would one approach the text from?
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