Friday, February 4, 2011
28th January 2011- Telephone Conversation by Wole Soyinka
Historical Background
a) Slavery in the southern state began in the 1600s.
c) The slaves were owned by whites, although some Native Americans and free blacks also held slaves.
d) Yes, there were laws.
e) Yes, it has told me that slaves were treated unfairly.
The Civil War
a) South Carolina
Mississippi
Florida
Alabama
Georgia
Louisiana
Texas
b) Abraham Lincoln
Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Lincoln responded by calling for a volunteer army from each state to recapture federal property. This led to declarations of secession by four more slave states. Both sides raised armies as the Union assumed control of the border states early in the war and established a naval blockade. In September 1862, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation made ending slavery in the South a war goal, and dissuaded the British from intervening.
The causes of the war, the reasons for its outcome, and even the name of the war itself are subjects of lingering contention today. Based on 1860 census figures, 8% of all white males aged 13 to 43 died in the war, including 6% in the North and 18% in the South. About 56,000 soldiers died in prisons during the Civil War.
Jump Jim Crow is a lengthy song that was a bonfire hit among Caucasian Americans in the early 19Th century. The lyrics of “Jump Jim Crow” express several racist sentiments. First, Jim Crow is satisfied with his lot as a slave. He is sexually promiscuous. Jim Crow is also ignorant, and the song is usually sung in “supposed” slave dialect.
b) The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.
Some examples of Jim Crow laws are the segregation of public schools, public places and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms, restaurants and drinking fountains for whites and blacks. The U.S. military was also segregated.
c) They were strongly against the law
d) It was when Jean Louise and her brother followed their care taker to the her church. Also when Tom Robinson was accused of raping Mayella Ewell.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Importance of Setting in a story
The Real Durwan by Jhumpa Lahiri
-It had been set at the stairwell.
The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan
- It has taken place in Sherlock Holmes house in Baker Street
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- the settinfg is in a rich man's house
2) What time period has each of these stories been set in?
The Real Durwan by Jhumpa Lahiri
- The story could have taken place in the present world
The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan
- The story took place in 1983
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- It could have taken place in the 80s
3) What clues do you get from the setting about the kind of story it is going to turn out to be?
The Real Durwan by Jhumpa Lahiri
The Adventure of the Speckled Band by Arthur Conan
- It is mentioned that Sherlock Holmes had solved many cases, thus meaning that it is about another detective story.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- It shows the dialogue of a husband and wife. This story could be about the story of them.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Discrimination
There are many types of discrimination, mainly-
-racial and ethnic discrimination
-age discrimination
-sex, gender, gender identity discrimination
-caste discrimination
-employment discrimination
-sexual orientation discrimination
-language discrimination
-disability discrimination
-religious discrimination
These discrimination can be classified as
involving the body:
-age discrimination
-sex, gender, gender identity discrimination
-disability discrimination
-sexual orientation discrimination
involving thoughts:
-employment discrimination
-caste discrimination
involving culture and tradition:
-racial and ethnic discrimination
-language discrimination
-religious discrimination
examples of the various types of discrimination
-racial and ethnic discrimination-people with dark skin will be looked downed and will be given less job opportunities.
-age discrimination-people with older age would not be given equal opportunity as the younger candidates
-sex, gender, gender identity discrimination- in the past, women are given less opportunities as men. Eg: girls in the past are not given the opportunity to study.
-caste discrimination-Hindus are classified into different categories and the lower class categories get less opportunity as the higher class
-employment discrimination-people with poorly paid jobs will not be well treated.Eg: road sweepers and cleaners.
-sexual orientation discrimination-a gay will be treated with less respect and would be sometimes laughed at or mocked at.
-language discrimination-people with slang of a particular race will be imitated so as to mock the person.
-disability discrimination- those with physical disabilities may be mocked at or may receive undesirable views.
-religious discrimination-people believing in certain religion will not be welcomed or well treated.
My favourite poem out of the three poems of Shel Silverstein
Literature and Life Shel Silverstein
The Little Boy and the Old Man
Q1) What is the underlying message that is being conveyed in this poem?
The message is the that the adults were too engrossed in what they are doing that they have forgotten what it felt to be a child and forgotten how their parents had treasured them, thus resulting in not giving enough love and attention to both the child and the old man. That is why both the old man and the child are feeling lonely and neglected.
Q2) Has Shel Silverstein used any particular poetic technique that brings out this message more clearly?
Yes, he did. Shel Silverstein had used poetic techniques like rhymes that makes it sound better. For example: "Sometimes I drop my spoon"..."I do that too". The rhymes shows how the situation of the old man and the little boy are similar. This point can be further emphasized with the writer describing the old man at the end of the poem as " little old man". Shel Silverstein had also used dialogue of the child and the old man. This has shown how similar their situations are too as the part of the child is the voice and that of the old man is the echo.
Messy Room
Q1) Can you say that the poem is humorous? If so why?
Yes, the poem is humorous. Shel Silverstien had used different elements to describe the messy room. For example," His underwear is hanging on the lamp." This sort of injects some humour into the poem. The entire poem talks about the room to be messy and in a disaster state. At the end of the poem it is stated that the room belongs to the narrator himself, making the poem humorous.
Q2) What aspect of the human character has been highlighted in this poem?
The human character of pointing and commenting on others before reflecting on oneself has been highlighted in the poem. Thus, the poem is trying to tell us that before criticizing others, we should look at ourselves first.
Cloony The Clown
Q1) Explain the irony in this poem.
Every time when Cloony the clown perform any tricks, nobody would find them funny. Thus, Cloony the clown felt very sad. Thus, he told the audience how he felt and why he felt so sad. However, instead of sympathising with Cloony, the audience began to laugh.
Q2) Does Shel Silverstein manage to convey some harsh realities in this poem?
Yes, he did. Shel Silverstein was probably trying to show that when one is upset and tries to get some sympathy, what he gets is not he wants. In other words, people do not feel for each other and do not understand each other.
Q3) What poetic devices has the poet used to effectively convey the message?
Almost all the lines of the poem have rhymes and had used metaphors to effectively convey his message. All these devices had made it easier for Shel Silverstein to convey to us that Cloony had failed to be a clown.