In the 1960s, a popular theme is frequently used by writers in their novels: heroism. More specifically, a hero is generally characterized by the attainment of superhuman powers suddenly and accidentally. He is one exceptional being among ordinary people. Moreover, the person is forced to use his powers for greater good. In the end, after numerous hardships and fights, the hero defeats the villain and saves the world. In the novel Dune, written by Frank Herbert in 1965, we see the birth of a savior. However, Paul Atreides, the hero in this story, is unlike the usual superhumans created in those years. He has not gained his godlike status spontaneously and, in that way, he shows how ordinary people can become great.
Although Paul has many differences with the typical hero, he is similar by his unfortunate circumstances forced upon him. From the beginning of the book, he realizes he will not live a normal life : «Paul felt that he had been infected with a terrible purpose. He did not know yet what the terrible purpose was.»(p.11) In these sentences, it is clearly shown how little power the character has on his future. The word «infected», signifying being contaminated or being invaded by an unwanted agent, refers to Paul’s awareness of slowly being forced to take on a horrible task without the possibility of backing out.
However, as it was mentioned before, he is not the usual superhero. He has gained his strength of mind, spirit and body by slow and painful personal progress : «But strongest in Paul so that he felt it with his entire body was training and the instinctual reaction mechanism that had been hammered into him day after day, hour after hour on the practice floor.»(p.301) This is the biggest dissimilarity betweem the main character and the heros of the 1960s. As we can see in this quotation, Paul has trained since infancy to develop his skills in combat and his mental capacities. They have not appeared out of thin air.
The previous paragraph demonstrates how the hero is not a unique individual. Hope blossoms in the readers after realizing how they too can become a superhero if they choose to work for it. The author finds it extremely important to show his fans that anyone can become strong, smart or skilled in any domain if they work hard enough and put some effort into it . A parallel with our time can be made with this quotation : « All of them, she thought, an entire culture trained to military order.» (p.288) In the book and in our world, the army has always been seen as a group of powerful and strong humans, capable of surviving extreme conditions. Also, all of the citizens know how they have gained such force. It is through long and hard training. The military is one case of exceptionally strong humans, but many more can be seen in more common and less physical domains. In other words, everyone who works hard can become a hero.
In conclusion, Paul Atreides is another superhuman character in a novel which follows the heroism trend of the 1960s. He is forced to free his people on his desert planet and, in the end, he defeats the evil Harkonnens. However, he differs from the stereotype when he gives hope to the people reading this book by showing them how an ordinary person can become exceptional. This is what makes him an outstanding hero and is one of the many elements that causes Dune to be the best-selling science fiction novel of all times.
Word count: 600
Friday, December 12, 2008
Friday, November 28, 2008
Sentence pattern 12, 13
S.P. 12 : Short, simple sentence for dramatic effect or relied used 1) after several long sentences. 2) to summarize what you just said. 3) to provide transition between 2 or more ideas.
ex: Well, I wonder.
ex: Minutes passed.
ex: It was magical.
ex: That's not my style.
ex: Perseverance pays.
ex: Everything changed.
Ex: But then it happened.
Ex: Just consider this.
Ex: And this is true.
S.P. 12 A : Short question for dramatic effect. used 1) to arouse interest. 2) as a topic sentence ( = main idea) in a paragraph. 3) in a paragraph for variety. 4) to end a text.
ex: What caused the change?
ex: Why did she?
ex: And why not?
ex: Well, who cares?
ex: What comes next?
ex: When ( or How) will it end?
S.P.13: A dependent clause as a subject, object or compliment using: Who, whom, which, that, what, why, where, when, how.
ex: How he could fail, is a mystery to me.
ex: Who assassinated JFK, is still debated. ( got assassinated himself.)
ex: My fellow Americans. ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
ex: Well, I wonder.
ex: Minutes passed.
ex: It was magical.
ex: That's not my style.
ex: Perseverance pays.
ex: Everything changed.
Ex: But then it happened.
Ex: Just consider this.
Ex: And this is true.
S.P. 12 A : Short question for dramatic effect. used 1) to arouse interest. 2) as a topic sentence ( = main idea) in a paragraph. 3) in a paragraph for variety. 4) to end a text.
ex: What caused the change?
ex: Why did she?
ex: And why not?
ex: Well, who cares?
ex: What comes next?
ex: When ( or How) will it end?
S.P.13: A dependent clause as a subject, object or compliment using: Who, whom, which, that, what, why, where, when, how.
ex: How he could fail, is a mystery to me.
ex: Who assassinated JFK, is still debated. ( got assassinated himself.)
ex: My fellow Americans. ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Formative work: Complete
course 1: Grammar practice exercise 1
Interest level: It was quite interesting. It helped me see what were my biggest difficulties.
Difficulty level: It wasn't very hard, even though I didn't get a great score. It was a perfect degree of difficulty to discover what are the things I have to improve, as I said at number 1.
What you learned ( examples) : I learned that I have to use "my" in front of the verb taking, as it's considered a noun in this specific context. I also learned that I have to use the adjective " fewer" if I can count the objects. In general, I learned that I have a lot of trouble with punctuation and no trouble at all with verbs. I still have some improvements to make on my use of adjectives, adverbs and pronouns. I also have to review the basic rules for capitalization.
Score: I got 77%, which is not bad for someone who hasn't worked on her english skills for the past 2 years and a half. But, I do wish to have at least 80% by the end of my exercices.
RATING: 6/10
course 2 : Grammar Skills 1: Using Punctuation in Sentences
Interest level : One of the things I liked less was that there were a lot of parts that had to be printed out to do the exercices. I don't think it was worth the trouble. The course was divided in five lessons and was very long to finish. Also, at the end of the lessons we don't get a score. In other words, I didn't officially finish the course.
Difficulty level : In general, it was much too easy for me. However, I did find it interesting to review some of the basic rules of punctuation. Still, I wouldn't recommend this particular course to anyone in this class.
What you learned ( examples) : I reviewed my capitalization rules, which was very useful. I also learned that a restrictive clause is not set off by commas, and a nonrestrictive clause is. I also realized that I am lacking the skills to use commas correctly in sentences. I will have to keep on working on that particular problem.
Score : As I said before, there isn't a score in this course; there are only numerous small exercices that are corrected right after you've finished them.
RATING: 3/10
Course 3: Fundamentals of Writing 4: Editing I
Interest level: Very interesting. There are different types of exercices. I would recommend this to the students who have problems writing coherent sentences. It teaches you how to watch out for common mistakes while writing.
Difficulty level: It wasn't very hard, but it helped me a lot. I wouldn't change for a harder course. It was a perfect difficulty level for me to start. I think I will try the next course for the next formative work.
What you learned ( examples) : I learned to watch out for run-on and run-together sentences, and I learned how to correct them. I learned that neither is always singular. I learned the importance of referring correctly to indefinite pronouns while writing. I learned a very easy trick to help me with pronoun case agreement.
Score: There isn't a score given at the end of this course.
RATING: 8/10
Course 4: Fundamentals of Writing Course Prompt: Persuasive 1
Interest level: It is interesting to see how much I can write in a short period of time. I think I lost a lot of points in the length of my text. It is not indicated how long our essay must be. I think we should be given a general idea of how many words we should write. Next time, I will write a longer essay and take more time in writing it.
Difficulty level: It takes time to write. I wrote quickly and did not review my text. It was easy for me because I did it very quickly, but I should have taken more time to write my essay and work harder on it.
What you learned: I learned that I have to take the time to write clearly. My sentence structure is weak. My use of punctuation is not very good either. I have a lot of work to do to be able to write clearly and coherently.
Score: 3/6
RATING: 5/10
Vocabulary and Spelling Course 1
-Interest level: I found it very interesting. I had a lot of fun doing this course. Even though it's long, I didn't see the time pass by and I really enjoyed it. I found it interesting to try to give the definition of words I already knew. I realized it was hard to explain a word even though I'm able to use it in a sentence.
-Difficulty level: It was the perfect difficulty level to start off. I knew most of the words in the course, but I still learned new ones and tricks to learn their meaning.
-What you learned: I learned how to separate a word into syllables. I learned the meaning of a great number of words like probate, bemoan, compulsory, psyche, slough and epitome.
-Score: There is no score at the end of this course
RATING: 9/10
Synonym & Antonym Practice Exercise 1
-Interest level: It was very interesting to find out for how many words I knew synonyms and antonyms. I realised it's harder to find the opposite of the meaning of the word than a replacement for it.
-Difficulty level: It was a little difficult. It made me look up definitions in the dictionary and take the time to see what I didn't know. I think the exercise is more worth doing if you check out your mistakes afterwards and look in the dictionary for what you didn't understand.
-What you learned (examples): I learned there are a lot of words I though I knew the meaning, but I only vaguely understood what they ment. I learned that placid means serene and calm, irascible means easily angered, impartial is to be without prejudice or bias, abate is to reduce in degree or intensity.
-Score: 75%
RATING: 8/10
Interest level: It was quite interesting. It helped me see what were my biggest difficulties.
Difficulty level: It wasn't very hard, even though I didn't get a great score. It was a perfect degree of difficulty to discover what are the things I have to improve, as I said at number 1.
What you learned ( examples) : I learned that I have to use "my" in front of the verb taking, as it's considered a noun in this specific context. I also learned that I have to use the adjective " fewer" if I can count the objects. In general, I learned that I have a lot of trouble with punctuation and no trouble at all with verbs. I still have some improvements to make on my use of adjectives, adverbs and pronouns. I also have to review the basic rules for capitalization.
Score: I got 77%, which is not bad for someone who hasn't worked on her english skills for the past 2 years and a half. But, I do wish to have at least 80% by the end of my exercices.
RATING: 6/10
course 2 : Grammar Skills 1: Using Punctuation in Sentences
Interest level : One of the things I liked less was that there were a lot of parts that had to be printed out to do the exercices. I don't think it was worth the trouble. The course was divided in five lessons and was very long to finish. Also, at the end of the lessons we don't get a score. In other words, I didn't officially finish the course.
Difficulty level : In general, it was much too easy for me. However, I did find it interesting to review some of the basic rules of punctuation. Still, I wouldn't recommend this particular course to anyone in this class.
What you learned ( examples) : I reviewed my capitalization rules, which was very useful. I also learned that a restrictive clause is not set off by commas, and a nonrestrictive clause is. I also realized that I am lacking the skills to use commas correctly in sentences. I will have to keep on working on that particular problem.
Score : As I said before, there isn't a score in this course; there are only numerous small exercices that are corrected right after you've finished them.
RATING: 3/10
Course 3: Fundamentals of Writing 4: Editing I
Interest level: Very interesting. There are different types of exercices. I would recommend this to the students who have problems writing coherent sentences. It teaches you how to watch out for common mistakes while writing.
Difficulty level: It wasn't very hard, but it helped me a lot. I wouldn't change for a harder course. It was a perfect difficulty level for me to start. I think I will try the next course for the next formative work.
What you learned ( examples) : I learned to watch out for run-on and run-together sentences, and I learned how to correct them. I learned that neither is always singular. I learned the importance of referring correctly to indefinite pronouns while writing. I learned a very easy trick to help me with pronoun case agreement.
Score: There isn't a score given at the end of this course.
RATING: 8/10
Course 4: Fundamentals of Writing Course Prompt: Persuasive 1
Interest level: It is interesting to see how much I can write in a short period of time. I think I lost a lot of points in the length of my text. It is not indicated how long our essay must be. I think we should be given a general idea of how many words we should write. Next time, I will write a longer essay and take more time in writing it.
Difficulty level: It takes time to write. I wrote quickly and did not review my text. It was easy for me because I did it very quickly, but I should have taken more time to write my essay and work harder on it.
What you learned: I learned that I have to take the time to write clearly. My sentence structure is weak. My use of punctuation is not very good either. I have a lot of work to do to be able to write clearly and coherently.
Score: 3/6
RATING: 5/10
Vocabulary and Spelling Course 1
-Interest level: I found it very interesting. I had a lot of fun doing this course. Even though it's long, I didn't see the time pass by and I really enjoyed it. I found it interesting to try to give the definition of words I already knew. I realized it was hard to explain a word even though I'm able to use it in a sentence.
-Difficulty level: It was the perfect difficulty level to start off. I knew most of the words in the course, but I still learned new ones and tricks to learn their meaning.
-What you learned: I learned how to separate a word into syllables. I learned the meaning of a great number of words like probate, bemoan, compulsory, psyche, slough and epitome.
-Score: There is no score at the end of this course
RATING: 9/10
Synonym & Antonym Practice Exercise 1
-Interest level: It was very interesting to find out for how many words I knew synonyms and antonyms. I realised it's harder to find the opposite of the meaning of the word than a replacement for it.
-Difficulty level: It was a little difficult. It made me look up definitions in the dictionary and take the time to see what I didn't know. I think the exercise is more worth doing if you check out your mistakes afterwards and look in the dictionary for what you didn't understand.
-What you learned (examples): I learned there are a lot of words I though I knew the meaning, but I only vaguely understood what they ment. I learned that placid means serene and calm, irascible means easily angered, impartial is to be without prejudice or bias, abate is to reduce in degree or intensity.
-Score: 75%
RATING: 8/10
Sentence pattern 10, 11
S.P. 10 : interrupting modifier between S and V using two : commas (,) , dashes (--), or parentheses ( () ).
Ex: American fast food is very popular and steakhouses ( not to mention McDo and KFC) are in most countries.
S.P. 10A: using a full sentence, -- or ( ) : a statement, question mark, or exclamation point.
Ex: Narcissus ignored Echo so completely( how could he?she was such a lovely nymph!) that she faded away.
* no capitalization within the parentheses and no period.
Ex: Narcissus ignored Echo so completely (he was pretty stupid) that she faded away.
S.P.11 : Introductory or concluding participles ( past = verb ends in ''ed'' or is irregular, present= verb ends in ''ing'')
Ex: The spotlight focused on Maggie walking on stage.
( bad = Walking on stage, the spotlight focused on Maggie.)
Ex: Going on an errand, I almost got my bike stolen by three boys.
( bad = The three boys tried to steal my bike going on an errand.)
Ex: Remove the pizza from the oven, when browned and bubbling.
( bad= When browned and bubbling, remove the pizza from the oven.)
Ex: American fast food is very popular and steakhouses ( not to mention McDo and KFC) are in most countries.
S.P. 10A: using a full sentence, -- or ( ) : a statement, question mark, or exclamation point.
Ex: Narcissus ignored Echo so completely( how could he?she was such a lovely nymph!) that she faded away.
* no capitalization within the parentheses and no period.
Ex: Narcissus ignored Echo so completely (he was pretty stupid) that she faded away.
S.P.11 : Introductory or concluding participles ( past = verb ends in ''ed'' or is irregular, present= verb ends in ''ing'')
Ex: The spotlight focused on Maggie walking on stage.
( bad = Walking on stage, the spotlight focused on Maggie.)
Ex: Going on an errand, I almost got my bike stolen by three boys.
( bad = The three boys tried to steal my bike going on an errand.)
Ex: Remove the pizza from the oven, when browned and bubbling.
( bad= When browned and bubbling, remove the pizza from the oven.)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Writing Journal : November 21
The Lottery is a short story written by Shirley Jackson and that caused a lot of controversial reactions after its first publication in the magazine The New Yorker on June 26, 1948. Some citizens wanted to know where they could go to see this ritual while others felt targeted by the accusations in the story. Americans being model citizens, they were very mad at reading about something so cruel. In resume, the story is about a small village having an annual lottery which is in fact a barbaric ritual consisting of picking out a family in the community and then choosing one of the family members. The person having chosen the piece of paper with the black ink spot is stoned to death by all the other villagers. The purpose of this sacrifice being to assure the people of a good harvest for the coming year.
After reading this story, we were shocked to see that human beings could actually be voluntarily so cruel with each other. There were no words to express our astonishment of realizing that an event like the one presented in The Lottery could actually be true, that similar things like this did really happened. The author said that she inspired herself from her own village and that the meaning of this story was to show people a dramatization of general inhumanity and pointless violence in their own lives. She really did accomplish her goal, people couldn’t be insensitive before such violence. It shows us how tradition and rituals that have been implanted and practiced for decades can be, with an outside vision, completely immoral, but for someone used to it, totally normal.
A part of the story that was quite shocking was when the gentle Mrs. Delacroix picked up a huge stone and said to her neighbor: "'Come on,' ... 'Hurry up.'" before heading off after the victim. It is hard to imagine how people can consciously kill a friend by throwing stones at that person. What's even more horrible is that the kids joined in this event with enthusiasm. This allows us to understand how education is an important part in one's life. Having been brought up in this environment, these villagers do not realize the barbarism of their annual lottery. It is a fact that shocks the reader even more: they are not conscious of their actions. For the students reading this story, it is clear how wrong these people are behaving, but how can they change if they do not know they should? I think, having realized this, it brings us to a new understanding of the world and shows us how a bad education can lead to a wrong way of living.
Finally, the short-story The Lottery, with all the controversy around it, has become a classic in American’s literature. With the message of human cruelty and unconscious violence caused by ancestral traditions, Shirley Jackson has touched a contentious topic in American’s culture and really made a change in people’s mind.
teammate: Camille Michon
word count: 500
After reading this story, we were shocked to see that human beings could actually be voluntarily so cruel with each other. There were no words to express our astonishment of realizing that an event like the one presented in The Lottery could actually be true, that similar things like this did really happened. The author said that she inspired herself from her own village and that the meaning of this story was to show people a dramatization of general inhumanity and pointless violence in their own lives. She really did accomplish her goal, people couldn’t be insensitive before such violence. It shows us how tradition and rituals that have been implanted and practiced for decades can be, with an outside vision, completely immoral, but for someone used to it, totally normal.
A part of the story that was quite shocking was when the gentle Mrs. Delacroix picked up a huge stone and said to her neighbor: "'Come on,' ... 'Hurry up.'" before heading off after the victim. It is hard to imagine how people can consciously kill a friend by throwing stones at that person. What's even more horrible is that the kids joined in this event with enthusiasm. This allows us to understand how education is an important part in one's life. Having been brought up in this environment, these villagers do not realize the barbarism of their annual lottery. It is a fact that shocks the reader even more: they are not conscious of their actions. For the students reading this story, it is clear how wrong these people are behaving, but how can they change if they do not know they should? I think, having realized this, it brings us to a new understanding of the world and shows us how a bad education can lead to a wrong way of living.
Finally, the short-story The Lottery, with all the controversy around it, has become a classic in American’s literature. With the message of human cruelty and unconscious violence caused by ancestral traditions, Shirley Jackson has touched a contentious topic in American’s culture and really made a change in people’s mind.
teammate: Camille Michon
word count: 500
Formative work: November 28
Vocabulary and Spelling Course 1
-Interest level: I found it very interesting. I had a lot of fun doing this course. Even though it's long, I didn't see the time pass by and I really enjoyed it. I found it interesting to try to give the definition of words I already knew. I realized it was hard to explain a word even though I'm able to use it in a sentence.
-Difficulty level: It was the perfect difficulty level to start off. I knew most of the words in the course, but I still learned new ones and tricks to learn their meaning.
-What you learned: I learned how to separate a word into syllables. I learned the meaning of a great number of words like probate, bemoan, compulsory, psyche, slough and epitome.
-Score: There is no score at the end of this course
RATING: 9/10
Synonym & Antonym Practice Exercise 1
-Interest level: It was very interesting to find out for how many words I knew synonyms and antonyms. I realised it's harder to find the opposite of the meaning of the word than a replacement for it.
-Difficulty level: It was a little difficult. It made me look up definitions in the dictionary and take the time to see what I didn't know. I think the exercise is more worth doing if you check out your mistakes afterwards and look in the dictionary for what you didn't understand.
-What you learned (examples): I learned there are a lot of words I though I knew the meaning, but I only vaguely understood what they ment. I learned that placid means serene and calm, irascible means easily angered, impartial is to be without prejudice or bias, abate is to reduce in degree or intensity.
-Score: 75%
RATING: 8/10
-Interest level: I found it very interesting. I had a lot of fun doing this course. Even though it's long, I didn't see the time pass by and I really enjoyed it. I found it interesting to try to give the definition of words I already knew. I realized it was hard to explain a word even though I'm able to use it in a sentence.
-Difficulty level: It was the perfect difficulty level to start off. I knew most of the words in the course, but I still learned new ones and tricks to learn their meaning.
-What you learned: I learned how to separate a word into syllables. I learned the meaning of a great number of words like probate, bemoan, compulsory, psyche, slough and epitome.
-Score: There is no score at the end of this course
RATING: 9/10
Synonym & Antonym Practice Exercise 1
-Interest level: It was very interesting to find out for how many words I knew synonyms and antonyms. I realised it's harder to find the opposite of the meaning of the word than a replacement for it.
-Difficulty level: It was a little difficult. It made me look up definitions in the dictionary and take the time to see what I didn't know. I think the exercise is more worth doing if you check out your mistakes afterwards and look in the dictionary for what you didn't understand.
-What you learned (examples): I learned there are a lot of words I though I knew the meaning, but I only vaguely understood what they ment. I learned that placid means serene and calm, irascible means easily angered, impartial is to be without prejudice or bias, abate is to reduce in degree or intensity.
-Score: 75%
RATING: 8/10
Friday, November 7, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
''The Lottery''
1. It is the story of a small town having a barbaric ritual every 27th of June. It consists of drawing a paper for every family. The family with the black spot has to pick again for every member of the family. The person who gets the black spot gets killed with the stones thrown by the other people of the town.
2. The reception was controverse. Some people were disgusted and enraged by the story. The american reader felt accused. Others wanted to know where they could go to see this ritual in person.
3.Helen E. Nebeker's says every name in the story has a profound significance.For example, Martin derives from a word meaning ape or monkey. Peter Kosenko interprets '' The Lottery'' as a critique of capitalism, saying ''It is in human nature to kill and that is unfair.''
2. The reception was controverse. Some people were disgusted and enraged by the story. The american reader felt accused. Others wanted to know where they could go to see this ritual in person.
3.Helen E. Nebeker's says every name in the story has a profound significance.For example, Martin derives from a word meaning ape or monkey. Peter Kosenko interprets '' The Lottery'' as a critique of capitalism, saying ''It is in human nature to kill and that is unfair.''
Sentence Pattern 8, 9
S.P.8: Repetition of a key term using a dash -- or a comma , (using a phrase)
Ex: We all inhabit a mysterious world -- the inner world, the world of the mind.
Ex: In '' the lottery'' Jackson mocks community worship of outdated customs, customs that have no meaning, customs that are uncivilized and barbaric.
Ex: The cuban hurricane was devastating -- devastating for the people, devastating for the animals and the land.
S.P.9: Emphatic appositive at the end after a colon :
-----appositive-----
Ex: Metro thieves have a common target: the wallets or purses of old people.
Ex: The country elected (the obvious choice) ( a westerner) ( an unpopular man in Quebec) as PM: Stephan Harper.
Ex: I love to eat dessert: cheesecake, particularly after dinner. OR After dinner, I love to eat dessert: cheesecake.
Ex: We all inhabit a mysterious world -- the inner world, the world of the mind.
Ex: In '' the lottery'' Jackson mocks community worship of outdated customs, customs that have no meaning, customs that are uncivilized and barbaric.
Ex: The cuban hurricane was devastating -- devastating for the people, devastating for the animals and the land.
S.P.9: Emphatic appositive at the end after a colon :
-----appositive-----
Ex: Metro thieves have a common target: the wallets or purses of old people.
Ex: The country elected (the obvious choice) ( a westerner) ( an unpopular man in Quebec) as PM: Stephan Harper.
Ex: I love to eat dessert: cheesecake, particularly after dinner. OR After dinner, I love to eat dessert: cheesecake.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Poetic devices
-----------------------
applied to poetry, novels, etc.
- Connotation
-Denotation
-Figures of speech
---simile
---metaphor
---personification
---apostrophe
---hyperbole
---oxymoron
-imagery
-symbolism
-antithesis
-irony
-pun
-------------------------Sounds of language------------------
usually applied only to poetry
-euphony
-cacophony
-alliteration
-rhyme
-onomatopoeia
-assonance
-consonance
applied to poetry, novels, etc.
- Connotation
-Denotation
-Figures of speech
---simile
---metaphor
---personification
---apostrophe
---hyperbole
---oxymoron
-imagery
-symbolism
-antithesis
-irony
-pun
-------------------------Sounds of language------------------
usually applied only to poetry
-euphony
-cacophony
-alliteration
-rhyme
-onomatopoeia
-assonance
-consonance
Sentence Patterns : 6,7
S.P.6 : An internal series of appositives or modifiers using dashes -- -- or parentheses ( ) .
A dash gives a little more importance to the information. Parentheses give less important information.
ex: My favorite french wines -- merlot, chardonnay, cabernet, sauvignon-- are wonderful to savour.
ex: Many books students enjoy reading ( Emma, Little women, Jane Eyre ) show women in traditional roles in society.
ex: The movies I enjoy enormously (Rent, Hairspray, Ever After) are mostly musicals.
ex: My favorite desserts-- cheesecake, cinnamon rolls, vanilla cake-- taste even better when homemade.
S.P. 7 : Dependent clauses ( beginning with a subordinationg conjunction) in a pair or series ( beginning or end).
Very useful to use in you thesis statement in conclusion. You can bring all your ideas together.
Subordinating conjunctions:
time: when, since, after, before, while.
place: where, wherever. purpose: because, as.
contrast: although, though, even if.
condition: if, unless.
ex: Because it may seem typical at first, because it may sound awkward, because it creates long sentences, this pattern seems forbidden to writers, but it's easy; try it!
ex: Since he has little imagination and since he had even less talent, he wasn't hired for the job.
ex: Because she is small and because she has a child's voice, nobody takes Mary seriously.
A dash gives a little more importance to the information. Parentheses give less important information.
ex: My favorite french wines -- merlot, chardonnay, cabernet, sauvignon-- are wonderful to savour.
ex: Many books students enjoy reading ( Emma, Little women, Jane Eyre ) show women in traditional roles in society.
ex: The movies I enjoy enormously (Rent, Hairspray, Ever After) are mostly musicals.
ex: My favorite desserts-- cheesecake, cinnamon rolls, vanilla cake-- taste even better when homemade.
S.P. 7 : Dependent clauses ( beginning with a subordinationg conjunction) in a pair or series ( beginning or end).
Very useful to use in you thesis statement in conclusion. You can bring all your ideas together.
Subordinating conjunctions:
time: when, since, after, before, while.
place: where, wherever. purpose: because, as.
contrast: although, though, even if.
condition: if, unless.
ex: Because it may seem typical at first, because it may sound awkward, because it creates long sentences, this pattern seems forbidden to writers, but it's easy; try it!
ex: Since he has little imagination and since he had even less talent, he wasn't hired for the job.
ex: Because she is small and because she has a child's voice, nobody takes Mary seriously.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Mid-term writing test
1.Louise's opinion of marriage is negative. She feels that the woman is too submissive to her husband and cannot express herself freely. We can see this in the twelfth paragraph.
3. She is awaiting the future with great joy: no one to tell her how to behave or what to do. We can see her opinion clearly in the line '' There would be... ;she would live for herself.''
4. Richard and Josephine thought the Mallard's wedding was a beautiful one: Louise was a devoted, young, caring wife who loved her husband enormously. However, Richard loved Louise; therefore, her loss was his gain.
7. She is sad because her husband has died and dying is always something hard to accept. However, she feels joy because she did not really love him and it is more a liberation than a loss.
There are many instances of irony in the story ''The story of an hour''. Indeed, we can notice certain elements hinting towards an ironic atmosphere, while reading. We can see this in the message of the story which is we must not judge someone by his looks, and in the themes of marriage and relationships. For example, Richard is the husband’s friend, but enjoys Brently's death because he is also in love with Louise; so, he is very kind and considerate towards her, not because of her loss, but to use this situation to become more intimate with her.
Also, with the presence of irony in this context, we can deduce the message of the story as: things aren’t always what they seem. As explained before, Richard is supposedly sad for his best friend, but is rather happy for himself. We can feel how he exaggerates his sadness when he says he has to hasten '' in bearing the sad message''. The sad message is not at all sad in his case. Furthermore, the last sentence explains the cause of Louise's death: she died of happiness. However, we know, as the reader, that this is not the case. On the contrary, she was perfectly happy with her husband’s death and had a heart attack because she saw her horrible, repressing, submissive, unhappy life reappear in the form of the man she did not love. Moreover, the author explains to us what is truly marriage: the silent cage to a woman’s freedom. Indeed, it is silent because she cannot express her misery. The general feeling, outside the main character’s head, shows how the other characters think Louise happy in her perfect marriage. But it being not the case is the biggest irony of all. We can conclude that marriage is not seen as a wonderful thing by all of the concerned indivuals. This also demonstrates how the relationship between everyone is mostly shallow. Josephine does not understand the pain her sister must endure in being a wife and believes, like everyone else, that she died of happiness. Furthermore, Richard should be truly sad for his friend’s death, but in not being so we see that their friendship was not as strong as it seemed.
In conclusion, ''The story of an hour'' can be described by the great presence of irony in its plot, characters, and themes: marriage and relationships seem harmonous on the outside, but are mostly shallow on the inside. It makes us requestion ourselves about the way we see one another: we must look deeper than what we only see with our eyes.
Word count: 434
3. She is awaiting the future with great joy: no one to tell her how to behave or what to do. We can see her opinion clearly in the line '' There would be... ;she would live for herself.''
4. Richard and Josephine thought the Mallard's wedding was a beautiful one: Louise was a devoted, young, caring wife who loved her husband enormously. However, Richard loved Louise; therefore, her loss was his gain.
7. She is sad because her husband has died and dying is always something hard to accept. However, she feels joy because she did not really love him and it is more a liberation than a loss.
There are many instances of irony in the story ''The story of an hour''. Indeed, we can notice certain elements hinting towards an ironic atmosphere, while reading. We can see this in the message of the story which is we must not judge someone by his looks, and in the themes of marriage and relationships. For example, Richard is the husband’s friend, but enjoys Brently's death because he is also in love with Louise; so, he is very kind and considerate towards her, not because of her loss, but to use this situation to become more intimate with her.
Also, with the presence of irony in this context, we can deduce the message of the story as: things aren’t always what they seem. As explained before, Richard is supposedly sad for his best friend, but is rather happy for himself. We can feel how he exaggerates his sadness when he says he has to hasten '' in bearing the sad message''. The sad message is not at all sad in his case. Furthermore, the last sentence explains the cause of Louise's death: she died of happiness. However, we know, as the reader, that this is not the case. On the contrary, she was perfectly happy with her husband’s death and had a heart attack because she saw her horrible, repressing, submissive, unhappy life reappear in the form of the man she did not love. Moreover, the author explains to us what is truly marriage: the silent cage to a woman’s freedom. Indeed, it is silent because she cannot express her misery. The general feeling, outside the main character’s head, shows how the other characters think Louise happy in her perfect marriage. But it being not the case is the biggest irony of all. We can conclude that marriage is not seen as a wonderful thing by all of the concerned indivuals. This also demonstrates how the relationship between everyone is mostly shallow. Josephine does not understand the pain her sister must endure in being a wife and believes, like everyone else, that she died of happiness. Furthermore, Richard should be truly sad for his friend’s death, but in not being so we see that their friendship was not as strong as it seemed.
In conclusion, ''The story of an hour'' can be described by the great presence of irony in its plot, characters, and themes: marriage and relationships seem harmonous on the outside, but are mostly shallow on the inside. It makes us requestion ourselves about the way we see one another: we must look deeper than what we only see with our eyes.
Word count: 434
Friday, October 3, 2008
Hills like white elephants
1. Introduction:
- Written in 1929
- Ingenious symbolism
- Powerful dialogue
- Iceburg theory
2. Plot summary:
- Jig is pregnant
- Takes place in Spain
- 40 mins
- The American and Jig are waiting for the train at the train station while drinking beer.
- Conversation quickly turns to an operation the American wants Jig to undergo.
- We comprehend that the operation is abortion because of certain sentences like :« But I don't want anybody but you»
- Jig tries to give arguments against the abortion, but the American stays impassive
- Jig finally consents with the argument that she doesn't care about herself and tries to drop the subject.
- The American still tries to convince Jig, because he is unsure that she is completely sure.
3.Themes and recurring elements:
- Abortion
- Alcohol
- Romantic relationships
- Responsibility vs Hedonism ( total pleasure)
- The beer symbolismes the disagreement between the two people, so they try to pass the time and the unease with drinking.
- The white elephant could mean for the American an unuseful and additional cost, while Jig can see it as a wonderful addition to her life.
- The white elephant could also mean the emotional neglect Jig is experiencing. She is the American's white elephant: useless, but there to boast his pride.
4.Symbolism and setting:
- Jig is a dance, slang for sex = object
- White elephant= baby for the man
- Number 2 = two felt pads, bags, drinks, tracks, people ( 3 is a crowd)
- White elephant: expense for American, tries to convince her abortion is best, will resolve all their problems and is very simple.
- Train station divides the fertile land and the barren land: Two choices in life, different understanding of the problem. Division between the couple.
- Jig means sexual intercourse, is her pet name : viewed as an object by the American , only a tool.
5. Dialogue:
- Indicates resentment and unease
- Jig is distant, submissive, the American is rational.
- tone and pattern indicates deeper problem than what we see on the surface.
Formative work: October 24
Course 3: Fundamentals of Writing 4: Editing I
- Interest level: Very interesting. There are different types of exercices. I would recommend this to the students who have problems writing coherent sentences. It teaches you how to watch out for common mistakes while writing.
- Difficulty level: It wasn't very hard, but it helped me a lot. I wouldn't change for a harder course. It was a perfect difficulty level for me to start. I think I will try the next course for the next formative work.
- What you learned ( examples) : I learned to watch out for run-on and run-together sentences, and I learned how to correct them. I learned that neither is always singular. I learned the importance of referring correctly to indefinite pronouns while writing. I learned a very easy trick to help me with pronoun case agreement.
- Score: There isn't a score given at the end of this course.
RATING: 8/10
Course 4: Fundamentals of Writing Course Prompt: Persuasive 1
- Interest level: It is interesting to see how much I can write in a short period of time. I think I lost a lot of points in the length of my text. It is not indicated how long our essay must be. I think we should be given a general idea of how many words we should write. Next time, I will write a longer essay and take more time in writing it.
- Difficulty level: It takes time to write. I wrote quickly and did not review my text. It was easy for me because I did it very quickly, but I should have taken more time to write my essay and work harder on it.
- What you learned: I learned that I have to take the time to write clearly. My sentence structure is weak. My use of punctuation is not very good either. I have a lot of work to do to be able to write clearly and coherently.
- Score: 3/6
RATING: 5/10
Cat on a hot tin roof: November 11,12,13
1. Where and when does the story take place? (setting: place and time (geographical and historical))
2. Who are the characters? ( characterization)
3. What's their relationship?
4. What is the mood of the scene? ( atmosphere, feeling, dramatic tension)
5. What and whom are they talking about? ( narrative, plot, dialogue)
Context: Write short answers.
-What kind of family did Tennessee Williams (TW) have?
-Where does his first name come from?
-What is the Pulitzer Prize? the top american award.
-How was the original play changed for both Broadway and the cinema?
-How did TW die?
-What was the new American drama that TW represented?
Plot Overview: Put the events in the correct order.
-Maggie confesses to making love with Skipper. _____
-The family gets together with Mama and talks of Big Daddy’s cancer._____
-Big Daddy asks Brick about his drinking problem. _____
-Maggie says the Brick’s brother and wife are plotting to take all the inheritance. _____
-Maggie announces that she’s pregnant. _____
-Maggie talks about Brick and Skipper’s love for each other. _____
-We learn that Brick injured his ankle. _____
-Big Daddy enters the room. _____
-Brick says that the relationship with Skipper was pure. _____
Character List: Write down all the adjectives used to describe each character. Find the definition of the words you don’t know.
Margaret (Maggie), cat: bitchy, lonely, hard, nervous, gorgeous
Brick: alcoholic, masculine, suppressed homosexual, broken
Big Daddy: Brick's father, Maggie's father-in-law, fat, brash ( aggressive), vulgar, redneck, rich
Big Mama: fat, crude ( vulgar), earnest(sincere), dedicated to her husband
Mae: Brick's sister-in-law, Gooper's wife, mean, agitated, scheming, (conspiring)
Gooper: Brick's older brother, successful, eldest son, less popular, resentful, ruthless
Reverend Tucker:
Doctor Baugh:
The children: 5
Analysis of Major Characters:
Why is Maggie the most interesting character?
What does Brick’s injury represent?
Why does Maggie call Big Daddy a “redneck’?
What does Mama desperately want?
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols:
What was American society’s view of homosexuality at the time?
What are the two “lies” in the play?
What does the image of the “cat” represent?
What is Big Daddy’s narcissistic love for Brick?
What do the children represent?
Symbols:What do these three things symbolize?
- Bed
- Console
- Crutch
1. Cat Quiz: How’s your memory?
1. What is Gooper's occupation?
(A) He is a planter
(B) He is a defense attorney
-(C) He is a corporate lawyer
(D) He is a sports annoucer
2. What is the name of Skipper and Brick's pro football team?
(A) The Dixie Chicks
-(B) The Dixie Stars
(C) The Dixie Stripes
(D) The Dixie Cups
3. What happened to Big Daddy in Morocco?
(A) He was propositioned by a rent-boy
(B) He was fed to a man-eating plant
(C) He was eaten alive by a mob of street children
-(D) He was propositioned by a child prostitute
4. What body part do Mae's children apparently lack?
(A) Chins
(B) Eyes
-(C) Necks
(D) Legs
5. What did Maggie buy Big Daddy for his birthday?
(A) A clock
(B) A chandelier
(C) A tie
-(D) A robe
6. Who is described as a cat at some point in the play?
-(A) Maggie
(B) Mae
(C) Brick
(D) All of the above
7. Daddy believes that he suffers from which of the following?
(A) A ruptured spleen
-(B) A spastic colon
(C) Appendicitis
(D) Liver failure
8. What is the ostensible object of Brick's disgust?
-(A) Mendacity
(B) Time
(C) Women
(D) Children
9. Where did Maggie and Brick go to school?
(A) Emory
-(B) Old Miss
(C) Duke
(D) Notre Dame
10. How old is Big Daddy?
(A) Seventy-five
(B) Fifty-five
(C) Seventy
-(D) Sixty-five
11. Who was a cotton carnival queen?
(A) Maggie
(B) Big Mama
(C) Miss Sally
-(D) Mae
12. What do the children sing to Big Daddy?
-(A) Skinamarinka-dinka-dink
(B) My Heart Belongs to Daddy
(C) For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
(D) Yesterday Once More
13. What is Big Daddy's trademark word?
(A) Goddamn
(B) Shoot
(C) Darn
-(D) Crap
14. What is Big Mama's name?
(A) Polly
(B) Cornelia
(C) Sally
-(D) Ida
15. What were the names of the plantation's previous owners?
(A) Straw and Othello
-(B) Straw and Ochello
(C) Ochello and Sawyer
(D) Othello and Sawyer
16. How many official versions of Cat are in circulation?
(A) Two
-(B) Three
(C) Four
(D) One
17. Who directed the premiere of Cat?
(A) Burl Ives
(B) Richard Brooks
-(C) Elia Kazan
(D) Madeleine Sherwood
18. When did Brick start drinking?
-(A) When Skipper died
(B) When Maggie slept with Skipper
(C) When he injured his back
(D) When Big Daddy got sick
19. Who confronted Skipper on his love for Brick?
(A) Brick
(B) Big Daddy
(C) Gooper
-(D) Maggie
20. Who revealed this love to Brick?
(A) Maggie
(B) Big Daddy
-(C) Skipper
(D) Mae
21. How does Maggie get Brick to sleep with her?
(A) Big Mama convinces Brick to impregnate her
(B) Big Daddy commands Brick to do so
-(C) She locks up his liquor
(D) She tricks him into thinking she is Skipper
22. Who tells Big Daddy that he is dying?
(A) Gooper
(B) Big Mama
-(C) Brick
(D) Maggie
23.Who does Big Mama jostle in her lap?
(A) Big Daddy
(B) Mae
(C) Doctor Baugh
-(D) Reverend Tooker
24. Who keeps calling from Memphis?
(A) Cornelia
-(B) Sally
(C) Gladys
(D) Dixie
25. Who sleeps next to Maggie and Brick's room?
(A) Big Daddy and Big Mama
-(B) Mae and Gooper
(C) Mae and Gooper's children
(D) The servants
MENDACITY, mendacious
The doctor lies about Big Daddy's health.( to make Big Daddy happy)
Maggies lies about being pregnant. ( to make Big Daddy happy)
Mae and Gooper pretend to like Big Daddy. ( to get the plantation)
Big Mama pretends everything is all right.
Brick lies to himself about his feelings for Skipper.
The Reverend pretends that the party is fine.
2. Who are the characters? ( characterization)
3. What's their relationship?
4. What is the mood of the scene? ( atmosphere, feeling, dramatic tension)
5. What and whom are they talking about? ( narrative, plot, dialogue)
Context: Write short answers.
-What kind of family did Tennessee Williams (TW) have?
-Where does his first name come from?
-What is the Pulitzer Prize? the top american award.
-How was the original play changed for both Broadway and the cinema?
-How did TW die?
-What was the new American drama that TW represented?
Plot Overview: Put the events in the correct order.
-Maggie confesses to making love with Skipper. _____
-The family gets together with Mama and talks of Big Daddy’s cancer._____
-Big Daddy asks Brick about his drinking problem. _____
-Maggie says the Brick’s brother and wife are plotting to take all the inheritance. _____
-Maggie announces that she’s pregnant. _____
-Maggie talks about Brick and Skipper’s love for each other. _____
-We learn that Brick injured his ankle. _____
-Big Daddy enters the room. _____
-Brick says that the relationship with Skipper was pure. _____
Character List: Write down all the adjectives used to describe each character. Find the definition of the words you don’t know.
Margaret (Maggie), cat: bitchy, lonely, hard, nervous, gorgeous
Brick: alcoholic, masculine, suppressed homosexual, broken
Big Daddy: Brick's father, Maggie's father-in-law, fat, brash ( aggressive), vulgar, redneck, rich
Big Mama: fat, crude ( vulgar), earnest(sincere), dedicated to her husband
Mae: Brick's sister-in-law, Gooper's wife, mean, agitated, scheming, (conspiring)
Gooper: Brick's older brother, successful, eldest son, less popular, resentful, ruthless
Reverend Tucker:
Doctor Baugh:
The children: 5
Analysis of Major Characters:
Why is Maggie the most interesting character?
What does Brick’s injury represent?
Why does Maggie call Big Daddy a “redneck’?
What does Mama desperately want?
Themes, Motifs, and Symbols:
What was American society’s view of homosexuality at the time?
What are the two “lies” in the play?
What does the image of the “cat” represent?
What is Big Daddy’s narcissistic love for Brick?
What do the children represent?
Symbols:What do these three things symbolize?
- Bed
- Console
- Crutch
1. Cat Quiz: How’s your memory?
1. What is Gooper's occupation?
(A) He is a planter
(B) He is a defense attorney
-(C) He is a corporate lawyer
(D) He is a sports annoucer
2. What is the name of Skipper and Brick's pro football team?
(A) The Dixie Chicks
-(B) The Dixie Stars
(C) The Dixie Stripes
(D) The Dixie Cups
3. What happened to Big Daddy in Morocco?
(A) He was propositioned by a rent-boy
(B) He was fed to a man-eating plant
(C) He was eaten alive by a mob of street children
-(D) He was propositioned by a child prostitute
4. What body part do Mae's children apparently lack?
(A) Chins
(B) Eyes
-(C) Necks
(D) Legs
5. What did Maggie buy Big Daddy for his birthday?
(A) A clock
(B) A chandelier
(C) A tie
-(D) A robe
6. Who is described as a cat at some point in the play?
-(A) Maggie
(B) Mae
(C) Brick
(D) All of the above
7. Daddy believes that he suffers from which of the following?
(A) A ruptured spleen
-(B) A spastic colon
(C) Appendicitis
(D) Liver failure
8. What is the ostensible object of Brick's disgust?
-(A) Mendacity
(B) Time
(C) Women
(D) Children
9. Where did Maggie and Brick go to school?
(A) Emory
-(B) Old Miss
(C) Duke
(D) Notre Dame
10. How old is Big Daddy?
(A) Seventy-five
(B) Fifty-five
(C) Seventy
-(D) Sixty-five
11. Who was a cotton carnival queen?
(A) Maggie
(B) Big Mama
(C) Miss Sally
-(D) Mae
12. What do the children sing to Big Daddy?
-(A) Skinamarinka-dinka-dink
(B) My Heart Belongs to Daddy
(C) For He's a Jolly Good Fellow
(D) Yesterday Once More
13. What is Big Daddy's trademark word?
(A) Goddamn
(B) Shoot
(C) Darn
-(D) Crap
14. What is Big Mama's name?
(A) Polly
(B) Cornelia
(C) Sally
-(D) Ida
15. What were the names of the plantation's previous owners?
(A) Straw and Othello
-(B) Straw and Ochello
(C) Ochello and Sawyer
(D) Othello and Sawyer
16. How many official versions of Cat are in circulation?
(A) Two
-(B) Three
(C) Four
(D) One
17. Who directed the premiere of Cat?
(A) Burl Ives
(B) Richard Brooks
-(C) Elia Kazan
(D) Madeleine Sherwood
18. When did Brick start drinking?
-(A) When Skipper died
(B) When Maggie slept with Skipper
(C) When he injured his back
(D) When Big Daddy got sick
19. Who confronted Skipper on his love for Brick?
(A) Brick
(B) Big Daddy
(C) Gooper
-(D) Maggie
20. Who revealed this love to Brick?
(A) Maggie
(B) Big Daddy
-(C) Skipper
(D) Mae
21. How does Maggie get Brick to sleep with her?
(A) Big Mama convinces Brick to impregnate her
(B) Big Daddy commands Brick to do so
-(C) She locks up his liquor
(D) She tricks him into thinking she is Skipper
22. Who tells Big Daddy that he is dying?
(A) Gooper
(B) Big Mama
-(C) Brick
(D) Maggie
23.Who does Big Mama jostle in her lap?
(A) Big Daddy
(B) Mae
(C) Doctor Baugh
-(D) Reverend Tooker
24. Who keeps calling from Memphis?
(A) Cornelia
-(B) Sally
(C) Gladys
(D) Dixie
25. Who sleeps next to Maggie and Brick's room?
(A) Big Daddy and Big Mama
-(B) Mae and Gooper
(C) Mae and Gooper's children
(D) The servants
MENDACITY, mendacious
The doctor lies about Big Daddy's health.( to make Big Daddy happy)
Maggies lies about being pregnant. ( to make Big Daddy happy)
Mae and Gooper pretend to like Big Daddy. ( to get the plantation)
Big Mama pretends everything is all right.
Brick lies to himself about his feelings for Skipper.
The Reverend pretends that the party is fine.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Sentence patterns ( SP4, SP5)
SP4: A series of balanced pairs
Ex: «God is day and night, winter and summer, war and peace, surfeit and hunger» Heraclitus
Ex: «Michael Clayton» is a story of money and power, passion and obsession, love and hate, good and evil.
SP5: Introductory series of appositives, with dash -- and summarizing subject. ( Each, all, these, what, many, etc.)
Ex: The Mona Lisa, Michaleangelo's David, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel-- such are the wonders of Renaissance Italy.
Ex: Ham and eggs, coffee and fruit, toast and jam -- all are typical canadian breakfasts.
Ex: «God is day and night, winter and summer, war and peace, surfeit and hunger» Heraclitus
Ex: «Michael Clayton» is a story of money and power, passion and obsession, love and hate, good and evil.
SP5: Introductory series of appositives, with dash -- and summarizing subject. ( Each, all, these, what, many, etc.)
Ex: The Mona Lisa, Michaleangelo's David, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel-- such are the wonders of Renaissance Italy.
Ex: Ham and eggs, coffee and fruit, toast and jam -- all are typical canadian breakfasts.
Writing journal 1
After reading «The Lady and the Tiger?», by Tom Stockton, I realized how hard it is to be good sometimes. In the story, the king creates a unique way of judging his people. The accused enters a stadium and has to choose between two doors: one holds a maiden to be wed to the man and the other has a starving, ferocious tiger waiting for its next meal. One day, the king discovers his daughter has a lover and condemns him to be judged in the stadium. The princess, having discovered what door holds what, signals her lover what door to choose. And the story ends with the reader wondering if the princess killed him or made him live happily ever after with another woman.
Personally, if I had to answer quickly, I would certainly choose the door with the maiden. But, after thinking about it, what would I honestly do? I don’t know. It’s true my love for him would push me to keep him alive, but he wouldn’t be mine to love anymore. Would that be worth the pain? Being human, therefore selfish, I would be tempted to choose his death to assure me of his love for eternity. However, in both cases, I would lose him by death or marriage. In conclusion, I would probably let him live, because I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt of having killed someone, and if I really and truly loved him, I’d want his happiness before mine, no?
Personally, if I had to answer quickly, I would certainly choose the door with the maiden. But, after thinking about it, what would I honestly do? I don’t know. It’s true my love for him would push me to keep him alive, but he wouldn’t be mine to love anymore. Would that be worth the pain? Being human, therefore selfish, I would be tempted to choose his death to assure me of his love for eternity. However, in both cases, I would lose him by death or marriage. In conclusion, I would probably let him live, because I wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt of having killed someone, and if I really and truly loved him, I’d want his happiness before mine, no?
Friday, September 19, 2008
Sentence ( 2 , 3)
2. compound ( 2 ICs), :colon / gives an explanation/ genreal to specific
S V DO S V
ex: Darwin's ''The origen of species'' stated a harsh truth : Only the fittest survive.
(-----------general statement---------------------) (-specific statement----)
ex: Obama made an important annoucement: Hillary will not be my vice-president.
ex: Shaw told a writer there are three things I dislike about your story: they are the beginning, the middle, and the end.
ex: There is one key rule in my life: Keep on smiling whatever happens.
3. A series ( adjectives, nouns, modifiers) without a conjunction
ex: With passion, determination, purpose, Lincoln condemned slavery.
ex: Mr. B enjoys three sports: swimming, biking, running.
S V DO S V
ex: Darwin's ''The origen of species'' stated a harsh truth : Only the fittest survive.
(-----------general statement---------------------) (-specific statement----)
ex: Obama made an important annoucement: Hillary will not be my vice-president.
ex: Shaw told a writer there are three things I dislike about your story: they are the beginning, the middle, and the end.
ex: There is one key rule in my life: Keep on smiling whatever happens.
3. A series ( adjectives, nouns, modifiers) without a conjunction
ex: With passion, determination, purpose, Lincoln condemned slavery.
ex: Mr. B enjoys three sports: swimming, biking, running.
Friday, September 12, 2008
The sentence ( 1, 1A, 1B)
Sentence = complete idea.
Phrase = no verb, not a complete idea.
Clause : 1. independent clause (IC) = subject, verb, complete idea.
2. dependent clause (DC) = verb, not a complete idea.
compound sentence = 2 IC.
simple sentence = 1 IC.
- S = subject
- V = verb
- C = connector
- P = preposition
- M = modifier
- DO = direct object
- IO = indirect object (I gave it : to who? to what?)
- SC = subject complement ( ex: I am a teacher. teacher = SC)
S V M DO P
ex: Cegep SL has talented students in different programs, which are interesting.
(-------Independent clause---)(------phrase--------)( --dependent clause-)
Sentence pattern
SP 1: Compound ( 2 ICs), semicolon ; no conjunction.
C
ex: Cegep SL has 3150 students; many are smart and talented (; some are lazy.)
-alternative is putting a . at the end of first sentence and capital letter on the last.
-using a , is not ok = run-on.
SP 1 A: Compound, semicolon with a conjunctive adverb.
S V C CA S V
ex: Cegep SL has 3150 students; however, some will drop out.
'' '' ; therefore, it is not that crowded.
- other CA : thus, then ( usually no comma after then)
SP 1 B: Compound, semicolon, coordinating conjunction
S V C (---pattern 1---------) CC
ex: Cegep SL has 3150 students; many are taking music, but some are studying danse.
-other CC: and, yet, so, or.
Practice:
Sentence Pattern 1, 1a, and 1b:
Complete the sentences: (Sentence Pattern 1)
1. Last week, I went back to Gatineau; the city was deserted and burning.
2. The old man slowly got into bed ; we heard him snoring shortly after .
3. The cat's tail began to switch back and forth ; it was growing impatient.
Complete each sentence using an appropriate conjunctive adverb: (Sentence Pattern 1a)
4. The crisis had passed; however, we decided to wait until help arrived.
5. Robert would never admit; however, he was definitely guilty.
6. Jean was older than Grace ; thus his knowledge of the world was more reliable.
Complete each sentence using an appropriate subordinating conjunction: (Sentence Pattern 1b)
7. Edgar Allan Poe was primarily an author of horror stories , but he also wrote detective stories.
8. The Silence of the Lambs is one of the most macabre movies ever produced, but the special effects cannot be compared with the one's in horror movies created these days.
9. The "Tell-Tale Heart" is a short-story written by Edgar Allan Poe, and '' Politician'' is the only drama he ever wrote.
Writing a thesis statement
- A thesis is a sentence that gives your opinion on a story and explains the ways used to prove it.
- It encourages the reader to ask questions like "How?" or Why?"
- The language used is specific. For example, there are no «it seems».
- The thesis is also specific. It has to captivate the reader's interest with a clear and strong subject.
- It should not use the first person. No «I».
- It is located usually at the end of the introduction.
- The thesis is not stated as a question.
- It's important to do research to have a good and strong thesis.
- It's written in 1 sentence and is not a fact. It is an opinion.
- It should be controversial and/or provocative.
- We must be able to defend the text through the text or outside the text * through the biography).
Thesis statement for Poe's «Tell-tale heart»
Ex 1: Edgar Allan Poe recognized himself in the narrrator.
- Paint a portrait of the narrator (use the text).
-Paint the portrait of the author ( research).
- Related to the character.
Ex 2: Poe uses the «vulture eye» as the main symbol in the story.
- Show eye = paranoia
Friday, September 5, 2008
Formative work 1: September 26
- course 1: Grammar practice exercise 1
- Interest level: It was quite interesting. It helped me see what were my biggest difficulties.
- Difficulty level: It wasn't very hard, even though I didn't get a great score. It was a perfect degree of difficulty to discover what are the things I have to improve, as I said at number 1.
- What you learned ( examples) : I learned that I have to use "my" in front of the verb taking, as it's considered a noun in this specific context. I also learned that I have to use the adjective " fewer" if I can count the objects. In general, I learned that I have a lot of trouble with punctuation and no trouble at all with verbs. I still have some improvements to make on my use of adjectives, adverbs and pronouns. I also have to review the basic rules for capitalization.
- Score: I got 77%, which is not bad for someone who hasn't worked on her english skills for the past 2 years and a half. But, I do wish to have at least 80% by the end of my exercices.
RATING: 6/10
- course 2 : Grammar Skills 1: Using Punctuation in Sentences
- Interest level : One of the things I liked less was that there were a lot of parts that had to be printed out to do the exercices. I don't think it was worth the trouble. The course was divided in five lessons and was very long to finish. Also, at the end of the lessons we don't get a score. In other words, I didn't officially finish the course.
- Difficulty level : In general, it was much too easy for me. However, I did find it interesting to review some of the basic rules of punctuation. Still, I wouldn't recommend this particular course to anyone in this class.
- What you learned ( examples) : I reviewed my capitalization rules, which was very useful. I also learned that a restrictive clause is not set off by commas, and a nonrestrictive clause is. I also realized that I am lacking the skills to use commas correctly in sentences. I will have to keep on working on that particular problem.
- Score : As I said before, there isn't a score in this course; there are only numerous small exercices that are corrected right after you've finished them.
RATING: 3/10
Friday, August 29, 2008
Gain's profile of Roxanne
Roxanne's short-term goal is to pass her term with good marks. Her mid-term goal is to finish her double-dec in dance and social sciences in less than three years and a half. Her long-term goal is to finish learning italian and then study in Italy in criminology. She has quite an interest for the criminal mind and wants to deepen her knowledge of it by pushing her studies further in that subject. She wants to study in Italy because her experience there was unforgetable and she wants to discover more about that beautiful place.
Her biggest achievements are that she passed her Bourse 3 audition, kept contact with her friends from highschool and learned italian on her own. This happened when she was sent in her step-mother's family to meet them and work there. So she learned by drawing pictures and asking around what things were. One of her first words was chocoleto meaning chocolate.
One of Roxanne's interests is drinking coca-cola. She says it's a very important part of her life. She also loves to dance. Dancing takes up the biggest part of her life. She passes up to 20 hours a week practicing and learning about her passion.
Her network of friends is very varied. She has family in Italy, Quebec city, an uncle in Brazil, friends from highschool and cegep.
Two of her many skills are dancing and playing music. She's a natural when it comes to playing the oboe. Her teacher recommended her to go to the conservatory but she wasn't interested in learning all that came with playing.
Her biggest achievements are that she passed her Bourse 3 audition, kept contact with her friends from highschool and learned italian on her own. This happened when she was sent in her step-mother's family to meet them and work there. So she learned by drawing pictures and asking around what things were. One of her first words was chocoleto meaning chocolate.
One of Roxanne's interests is drinking coca-cola. She says it's a very important part of her life. She also loves to dance. Dancing takes up the biggest part of her life. She passes up to 20 hours a week practicing and learning about her passion.
Her network of friends is very varied. She has family in Italy, Quebec city, an uncle in Brazil, friends from highschool and cegep.
Two of her many skills are dancing and playing music. She's a natural when it comes to playing the oboe. Her teacher recommended her to go to the conservatory but she wasn't interested in learning all that came with playing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)