A Streetcar Named Desire - Scene One

Hello year 12s,


We have had some brilliant discussions surrounding the introduction of the main characters this week. We discussed the contrast between Blanche and Stella, and I was pleasantly surprised to find my sympathy for Blanche fluctuating as we dissected her interactions with Stella and you convinced me of some of the more interesting layers to her character.
We also looked at the reasons for Williams' lengthy stage directions and physical descriptions of the characters and considered the possibility of the setting as a 'character' because of it's huge importance to the plot and its apparent 'life'.
You can find a link to the PowerPoint I have been using in lessons below. You are completing the extended writing task for homework - due next week.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByjTQpSbakfiX1FDRGZEbGk0Y2M/view?usp=sharing


You can also find the link to the PowerPoint I used for 'Hamlet' here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByjTQpSbakfiSXFWUzBsaUJxNlk/view?usp=sharing

The Handmaid's Tale - Reading Group One

Hello year 12s,

Although it was a shame Ms Boyle couldn't make our reading group today, I really enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the novel so far. I was particularly interested to hear your criticisms of the plot and narrative structure, and I was impressed by your mature approach to considering the sensitive issues the author raises around identity and sexuality.
Here are a few of the things we discussed:

• A few of you were frustrated with the non-linear structure of the narrative. We spoke about the confusing nature of Offred's flashbacks.
• We were all concerned about Luke's welfare and are eager to learn more about Offred's past, and what has happened to her child and Luke.
• We discussed the dark humour surrounding the ceremony and birthing day. We did this sensitively with an understanding of the complex emotions experienced by the wives and handmaids.
• Most of you found the commander (Fred) to be a likeable character. We found his desire to form an emotional attachment to Offred endearing and are curious about where their relationship will go.
• We understood Offred's decision to decline the doctor's offer of help, and admired her courage in wanting to 'survive' without complying completely to the new regulations of Gilead. 
• We wondered what had become of Moira and discussed her possible role in the plot.
• We considered the conditions in the colonies, what it meant to be an 'unwoman' and whether it was better to be a handmaid, a wife, a martha, or an econowife. 
• We discussed the significance of the handmaids' uniform, with the religious connotations and the irony of their role. We also thought about the associations of menstruation, communism and lust with the colour red.
• We hope that Offred survives, that Luke comes back to save her (or possibly Moira). 
• We aren't sure of the significance of Nick's character yet, although we recognised the risks he is taking to flirt with Offred.
• I was also impressed by the links you were able to draw between the novel and the political landscape of the 1980s. You recognised a fear of communism and support for the feminist movement in Atwood's text. 

Thank you for your enthusiasm so far; please make sure you have read up to page 267 for our next meeting in two weeks time.

Miss Ryall 

'A Streetcar Named Desire' - Young Vic Production

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/0B03INY9QozOhNkpMVmhEQXYzU0U?_e_pi_=7%2CPAGE_ID10%2C4634361845

So, why isn't Hamlet the king?

Hello year 12s,


I've done a bit of research around the question we were asking ourselves this week about why Prince Hamlet did not become king when his father died.


It was not common at that time in Denmark to pass the throne on to the son of the previous king. It was the norm to select a new king from the eldest and most respectable of the monarch's family. This would be Claudius (remember that no one suspected him of foul play until the ghost turns up and accuses him of murder).


Here is the website I looked at - you might find it interesting: https://hamletdramaturgy.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/why-isnt-prince-hamlet-king-of-denmark/


I enjoyed seeing your models of key speeches from Act 1 this week. I have put the photos below to remind you of your good work.
Miss Ryall

'Eat Me' by Patience Agbabi (Aamilah)

Out of the several poems we have studied so far form Poems of the Decade, my favourite has to be "Eat Me". I view it as a poem which is highly relatable to the society in which we live in now, and reflects trends and norms we see in our generation today. Using an extended metaphor to represent an abusive relationship, an eating disorder even, leaves for wide interpretation and made it interesting to discuss everyone's perspective of the meaning behind the poem. The hidden techniques in the poem make for an even intriguing read as going through the poem, you discover hidden thoughts of the persona and it generates sympathy, empathy also for some, of her situation and dilemma. I think that abusive relationships and eating disorders are huge issues which are not directly addressed in our society but should be predominantly spoken about, and this poem does a good job at confronting them. Furthermore, nearing the end of the poem, the way the persona in the narrative seems to defeat this issue sends a message to people at any age, as the extent to which her relationship was deranged seemed too far gone for her to overcome it however she conquers and got rid of the toxicity in her life, and this sends a valid reminder to readers that they too can do the same.

 

RSC's 'Hamlet'

Hello year 12s,


Thank you for spending your morning in the library with us today to watch the live broadcast of 'Hamlet' from the Royal Shakespeare Company. I hope it gave you a different perspective on the text and helped you to understand the relationships and themes being portrayed. I was particularly impressed by those of you who read along for the entire performance and asked for clarification when things got confusing. Well done! I thought the choice of setting to enhance the theme of the supernatural was particularly interesting and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the production in our lessons next week.

Have a nice weekend,


Miss Ryall

The War Correspondent - Ciaran Carson (Hiba)

This poem gives the reader a detailed insight of the Crimean War, 1854-1856 as well as the Dardanelles campaign, 1915-1916. Carson especially uses sensory language to depict these periods of war.

The first section within this poem- Gallipoli focuses on the Dardanelles Campaign where allied forces tried to seize Constantinople. Within this first section, there’s a repetition of the word ‘take’ which gives the impression of these allied forces being intrusive, forcing an unwelcomed appearance.

‘Take sheds and stalls from Billingsgate...’

‘Take an Irish landlord’s ruinous estate…’

‘Take a dirty gutter from a back street in Boulogne…’

‘Take the garlic-oregano-tainted arcades of Bologna…’

The first 4 stanzas start with these 4 lines. The continuous use of the phrase ‘take’ is almost meddlesome and in a sense, presumptuous as these allies aren’t taking any consideration of these regions but only for their resources – to benefit them.

As well as the repetition, the entire first part has no full stops until the last stanza which suggests that it is almost overflowing – either with the descriptive language or in a more figurative manner, overflowing with the many people who have congregated to take on the role of soldiers. The first few stanzas of section one practically describes the different ethnicities, nationalities and backgrounds of these individuals in a sense that they are nothing.

‘Then populate this slum with Cypriot and Turk,

Armenians and Arabs, British riflemen

And French Zouaves, camel-drivers, officers and sailors…’

 

This stanza describes the many different individuals that are taken in to fight. The phrase ‘slum’ represents displacement and discomfort. Carson’s writing conveys these entities to barely be significant although their entire lives are being ripped apart. In the First World War, Britain fought with Turkey, whereas in the Crimean war Britain fought against Turkey which can be a reference of disloyalty in correlation to the poem.

The last 3 stanzas of part 1 foreshadows the aftermath of the war. These people that have been taken in to fight are now just seen as rotting bodies. Carson symbolises rotting food which reflects the image of rotting bodies, the use of rich sensory detail helps to depict this perception of human bodies- rotting, putrid and nauseating. ‘let the staple diet be green cantaloupes swarming with flies washed down with sour wine…’, this description is already hard to picture just with food let alone actual decomposing bodies.

 

Up until the last stanza of the first part of the poem – Gallipoli, there isn’t any use of full stops. This reveals the continuity of war.

 

Section 4 of the poem – Balaklava presents a positive display of war which is juxtaposed as a usual effect of war would be tragedy. ‘…like a bed of flowers scattered over the valley floor.’ Although this description is aesthetically pleasing, the true meaning is that the ‘scattered flowers’ are the dead bodies that aren’t buried or taken account of. Furthermore, the full-stop in that first stanza signifies the end of a soldier’s life. Carson uses names of different plants which implies the different ethnicities of the soldiers however mid-stanza 2, the phrase ‘and countless other plants whose names I lack’ suggests that the soldiers are barely acknowledged. This gives the impression of ‘not belonging’, these soldiers had lost their lives for the cause of war however they are not recognised.

 

‘Phalanxes of rank grass, marking the mounds’ is contrast to the first two stanzas and a more literal description of dead bodies. ‘Tatters of scarlet cloth hanging to the bones of his arms…’ is an oxymoron which shows the desperation of identity. The image of cloth hanging mirrors an image of eagerness. Moreover, the last stanza further reflects the notion of lack of acknowledgement and a sense of ignorance.

 ‘All the buttons had been cut off the jacket.’

‘…our fellow men-at-arms under the noon sun in out buttoned-up jackets.’

There’s a definite contrast between these two lines. The deceased soldiers aren’t significant for their own sake but only for the advantage of the soldiers that are still living. A literal explanation of the saying, “the dead has benefitted the living.”