Last Words

As of tomorrow at noon I will be done ENG3U e-Learning course!

        This is very exciting news, especially because I've put in a lot of time and effort over this past month. This was my second e-Learning course but this was by far harder than the one I completed last year. I was not surprised by the amount of work but rather how much time it took to finish everything. I never would  have thought that in less than three days I would read and analyse a novel, write 2 essays, answer reading questions, write a monologue, do theme analysis, vocab building and the list goes on and on. I can safely say that I kept on top of all my work during this course even though I didn't meet the guidelines set out by Mr D. precisely, I had my gown goal- To finish one unit per week. In order to do this I put in extra time on the weekends and I'm really glad I did because I would never have finished anything. Doing a month of school work in one week was crazy but it was well worth it!

       I think I have really improved in my reading and writing particularly throughout this course as every assignment relied on at least one of those skills. This independent learning style has also forced me to think deeper and to analyse on my own.

I await my final grade for this course but am confident in all my assignments. Even though this course has caused me lots of stress and sleepless nights, ENG4U is defiantly a possibility for next summer.

I also must add that it has been fun creating my own blog. This was the first time I had every done this and it turned out surprisingly well. I don't even know if people like what I post, let alone if they're reading it but blogger tells me I have over 700 page views? I don't know how legit that is but  it sounds good to me!

So long ENG3U Blog. It's been a long hard journey to get to this point, now I can enjoy my summer.

P.S. I will probably look back in a couple years time on all my posts and laugh so I would like to give a shoutout to my future self- I hope by now you have your plans figured out and you are on your way to something amazing, whatever it may be.
Katrina K.

Visual for The Road

"The cold and silence. The ashes of the late world carried on the bleak and temporal winds to and fro in the void. Carried forth and scattered and carried forth again, Everything uncoupled from its shoring. Unsupported in the ashen air. Sustained by a breath, trembling and brief. If only my heart were stone" (McCarthy, 11)

 Audience of the visual: Readers of the book- young adults

Purpose of the visual: To show setting and solemn mood

This visual is an appropriate choice for the novel because it shows, of course, the road but the road doesn't seem to lead anywhere. The reason for that is because they don't exactly know where they're going or what they're going to encounter. I drew this visual without colour because as the tone in the story suggest, everything is dark, solemn and covered in ash, only his dreams are in colour.

PS. I'm not an artist; I really do prefer working with numbers, not pencil crayons

Story Study: Activity 3 Assignment 1

Title of Story The Masque of the Red Death

Setting (tone. atmosphere, and place)
Prince Prospero’s palace: Big iron gates and tall walls protect the exterior. The interior has distinct colour-coordinated rooms symbolizing the cycle of life all the way to the black room where the clock is ticking down our time until we die. The ballroom has lots of fancy decorations and there is art hanging from the walls. The palace gives off a very rich image but with scary and mysterious tones like the black room and loud, scary clock.

Point of View Third Person Omniscient- follows plot and characters, accesses characters minds but doesn’t participate in the story. The narrator is like watching the scene unfold

Characters (details)
1. Prince Prospero- king of the fictional society of the story. He is materialistic and rich. He lives in ignorance from the red death and uses his wealth to secure his palace from the virus. He is creative, weird, eccentric but oddly intelligent. In this story, he hosts a masquerade in his fancy palace with a lot of dancing and music.
2. The red death. The read death is represented by a man in a long black cloak with a corpse-like mask o no one knows who he is. This character is an allegory for death because, in the end, he takes all of the people in the palace, including Prince Prospero.

Plot (main events)
In this fictional society, there is a deadly virus going around known as the Red death. Prince Prospero, the king of this place guards himself against the virus with elaborate and expensive protective equipment in order to keep the sick out and the healthy like himself in. He then hosts an elaborate masquerade ball with dancing, music and lots of food. For this event, he decorates rooms with specific colours from blue, purple, green, orange white, violet and finally the black room with a loud ominous clock. At midnight, an unknown guest appears and Prospero is immediately unhappy about his presence so he orders people to attack and hang the man. As Prospero comes closer, the Red Death kills him along with the rest of the guests.

Conflict
The Red Death has infiltrated Prince Prospero’s palace and will kill everyone.

Theme
There is no running from death; it will catch up to us soon enough and take us when it pleases. Even riches and gold cannot keep us protected from death.

Marketing the Novel- The Road

A novel is like any product in that once written, it must be marketed to an audience. Based on the first forty pages of the novel, if you were the author of one of our 3U novels consider:

• Who would be your intended audience?

Young Adult readers, critical thinkers looking for a powerful read

• How would you market your novel?

focus images on Post Apocalyptic theme, the relationship between father and son, long journey, 

• What advertising strategies do you think would be effective?

"Empathic" strategy- making people have an emotional reaction to an image/advertisement. Ex: a picture of an old man walking down a long road with burnt trees and darkness around him will make people feel sorry for that character. Slogans, images, bold text, quotation reviews from professionals

• What advertising strategies would you avoid?

Comparison strategy- I don't like when books compare to one another because I feel it is insulting to the author of the other book. Each book is distinct and shouldn't be put to compare to each other on an advertisement. 

Celebrity strategy- I would not introduce any famous influence like sometimes when ads show celebrities using their product; to me, that is hard to believe as a consumer 

Reading Strategies

            Reading strategies are really important to help me comprehend complicated literature. I used multiple reading strategies while completing A Midsummer Night's Dream. For tricky parts in the text, like long monologues or speeches, I broke it into chunks and pinpointed the important ideas. Also, for many complicated words, I used the surrounding context to decipher the meaning or at least and idea of its importance. These two strategies were very important for Shakespeare's play because it is written in a different  literature style that makes it harder to understand. Another strategy I used to keep track of important events in each scene was to summarize as I read. The plot synopsis organizer helped with that so I could look back to get important themes and ideas without searching through the whole act.
            These reading strategies made my reading more efficient and effective and I will continue to use them as I go forward with the novel study of The Road. 





















taken from teachthought.com

Book Reveiws: Making a decision

Brave New World:

This review was very informative and conveys a very positive message about the book. I like how the author provides a brief summary of the novel and talks about central themes. "I think this book is really interesting as it explores the dangers of technology and what it can do to a whole world;” (A, Aiman) This review makes me want to read the book because it relates the message to our everyday lives and even gives what he thinks is a good audience for Brave New World.

A, Aiman. "Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Review." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 July 2016.

The Road:

I like this review especially because it goes in-depth about the messages and symbolism in the book without spoiling anything. It entices me to read the books with all of the underlining metaphors that this critique mentions. Alan Warmer also quotes the book frequently to prove his point specifically noting the bond between the father and the son. This review makes me want to read this novel as he says, “Set piece after set piece, you will read on, absolutely convinced, thrilled, mesmerised with disgust and the fascinating novelty of it all” (Warmer, Alan)

Warner, Alan. "Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 04 Nov. 2006. Web. 25 July 2016.

Frankenstein:

This review is the clearest and most straightforward from all that I have read. This author doesn’t dance around with a long and tedious summary of the novel nor does he explain the allegories. This author clearly states what he likes about the book like the different perspectives and relationships while critiquing certain things like Frankenstein’s narration. He explains how he felt reading the book like when he says, “More than anything else this is a sad book, when you think about what would have happened if the monster had not been so alone, and if every human had not spurned him in the way they did. I have been thinking about this ever since I turned the final page.” (Valentine) Overall, I think this is a very good review because it is short and to the point. The rating of 4/5 at the end is also helpful to wrap things up.

Valentine. "Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – Review." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 06 Aug. 2014. Web. 25 July 2016.

           I have made the decision to read The Road by Cormac McCarthy for Unit 4 novel study. Btoh reviews that I read from Independent UK Newspaper and The Guardian Magazine convinced me to choose this book because it has many allegories, symbolisms and messages that relate to our society today. The Independent review mentioned that The Road  makes the reader appreciate our world today while we have it because in the post-apocalyptic world that McCarthy has created, nothing is left. I also like the idea that there are only two main charactres who have a really strong bond, therefore, I will be able to really focus on the evolution of their charactres as the novel progresses. Im excited to start reading this novel! 

Unit 4 Activty 11: Considering a quotation-Family

Listen to me your father, O children; act accordingly, that you may be kept in safety. For the Lord honours a father above his children, and he confirms a mother’s right over her children. Those who honour their father atone for sins, and those who respect their mother are like those who lay up treasure. Those who honour their father will have joy in their own children, and when they pray they will be heard. Those who respect their father will have a long life, and those who honour their mother obey the Lord.

Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 3:1-6

          I really like this quote because it focuses on the connection in a family that runs deep in our lives and in our souls. The unconditional love between a mother, a father, and children is a very strong. Even in rough times, this relationship cannot be broken. This quote underlines the importance of respecting each other in the family specifically looking at the treatment of parents. This passage tells us that is it important to listen to our parents to keep safe and happy. Also, by obeying our mother and father we obey the Lord in turn because he is our ultimate father. This relates to the quote from John, "A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another." 13:34 Therefore the love that we share with our mom and dad transfers to God so our prayers will be heard. 

          This quote is easily applicable to my life. First of all, I don't always feel like listening to my parents but this quote reminds me that our parents say and do things in order to keep us safe and happy. Obeying our parents is for the greater good even though we may not see it right away. This quote also reminds me of the importance of showing your love through actions and words. Sometimes we get so caught up in work, school and other responsibilities that we forget to take a moment to spend with our family. It is important to realize all that out parents do for us; especially us teenagers because there's always something. Whether it's a ride to work or money for post-secondary education, our parents look out for us, have looked out for us for years and will continue to look out for us forever. It's also important to be grateful for the multiple families we have; not just our blood relatives that we live with.  Social families like a close group of friends, our parish family, school family and our Christian family because we are all brothers and sisters with God looking over us as our Father. 

Multi-media poster from my short story

Most successful work from Unit 3

Understanding Plot structures

 “The best plot structure is undoubtedly the open-ended type.  This is because it allows the reader to fully enter the story since he or she must supply the ending.”

Each plot style is unique and has advantages and disadvantages for the type of short story that the author is writing and what message, tone, and style they want to share. Firstly, with the chronological or linear plot structure, the reader is given a full explanation of the character’s introduction, conflict and resolution after the complications. This style provides assurance for the reader by giving a final solution in the denouement. This option is good for stories who want to convey a specific message because the author is able to direct the reader to the purpose from start to finish with little assumptions. The disadvantage to this format would be that there isn’t much in-depth details or background information and the reader doesn’t have as much of a chance to ponder or reflect on the ending because it is already given.

The second plot structure that I analysed; being the parallel structure, relies on flashbacks and background information along with memories to establish significance leading up to the climax. This format is very effective if the author wants to underline importance for a certain theme or if the narrator is sharing memories like in Maternal Ties. The disadvantage to this is that the reader isn’t given details of the rising action up to the climax. Instead the reader is put into that scene in the beginning then transported back to another time period. This can also be a source of confusion for the reader because you can easily lose your sense of time in the story if the author is not precise.

Lastly, there is the open-ended plot structure ending only with the climax leaving the story as a “cliff-hanger”. This format is very effective if the author wants the reader to ponder and reflect on the ending like in The Lady or the Tiger. I find personally, that when there is no resolution or denouement, the reader must go back and analyse critical details to figure it out themselves. This is an advantage because it leaves the reader thinking. The author is forcing the reader to reflect upon the unanswered question.

Looking at the advantages and disadvantages of each plot structure, I can conclude that the open-ended format is the most effective of all three therefore I do agreed with the comment above. This option makes the reader really think instead of just being given the ending. For critical thinkers and advanced readers this is great because it allows us to look deeper into the story as well. Open-ended plots can sometimes be frustrating because there is no resolution to the conflict but then again, I like finishing a story with questions and an opportunity to really think. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My Plot Outline

Exposition: Paisley is introduced- teenage girl unhappy with her life. She is very smart but quiet and loves to read. She does her homework in her room and starts pondering the idea of a party that was mentioned at school but shuts it down and thinks that she isn’t’ popular or pretty enough to attend. Once she is done her homework she goes for a walk to the library to clear her head and there she reaches up for a hardcover novel on the top shelf, it slips and hits head and she blacks out.

Complications Paisley wakes up to a bunch of girls around her. The popular girls from school actually, Emily, Rachel, Katie and Maddie all crow around her and make sure she’s okay. They all walk back to Paisley’s house with her Once paisley gets home, she is very confused because in place of her small bungalow at 22 garden St. There is a huge mansion. She realizes that this is her new house and loves it! Tall ceilings, designer furniture, and huge chandeliers hand form the ceiling- she goes to bed that night very confused but happy. The next morning she sleeps in and is mad at her mom for not waking her up but her mom doesn’t care, it’s okay to be late. Her mom also tells Paisley that she can take her car to school All day at school Paisley is surprised at the change in her friends- they skip class but she doesn’t want to, they eat lunch at the popular table and invite her to the party that night.

Climax: the night of the party Paisley goes to the party with Emily Rachel and Katie and had a great time- she’s drinking and dancing and having fun. Then, she can’t find any of them- they left! She’s all alone and walks home Paisley is very upset and her parents are confused as to why she came home so early, they tell her she’s a loser and needs to live a little, she should have stayed over. Paisley has a breakdown and wishes she had her normal parents and life back and goes to bed

Dénouement: Paisley wakes up with the librarian shaking her. Paisley is released and runs homes. She sees that her parents are back in their regular home and things returned to normal.

Reflection on Unit 3

Reflecting on Unit 3- Short Stories

Katrina K

Oral	Reading	Writing	Media
Strengths: There wasn’t a very big oral component for this unit but by reading, interpreting and writing dialogue I learned how tonal expression is important for short stories.	Strengths: Reading the content of the lesson really made me aware of what I was searching for in the stories ahead. Focuses on individual elements of shorts stories made it easier to comprehend.	Strengths: I think my overall writing has improved with the help of each planning stage. Building my short story’s different elements at the end of each activity helped me to break down important things. Once I was ready to put it all together, bringing all these elements was easier, therefore, it came together nicer.	Strengths: My multi-media poster directly reflects the main character, themes, and details in my story. I have pictures of how I imagined Paisley and what she represents in the story. Also, I put a Paisley design on the poster which is a connection people won’t make until they read the book.
Areas for Improvement What I found most difficult with the oral component of this unit was actually writing dialogue. Where to put spaces, commas and quotations is something that I need to continue to work on.	Areas for Improvement For some short stories, I found it difficult to interpret the allegory, symbolism or message coded in the text. To improve on this, I can read between the lines and determine the theme of the short story.	Areas for Improvement I found writing my short story mildly challenging because I had never written one before. I didn’t realize how long it was going to   be until I got going. Following my plot outline really helped.	Areas for Improvement Making the multi-media poster of my short story was a learning curve for me because I wanted to include enough about the story without actually giving it away which was a challenging. I had to remember also that tit was an advertisement.