1. Where has each of the above stories been set?
2. What time period has each of these stories been set in?
3.What clues do you get from the setting about the kind of the story it is going to turn out to be?
The Real Durwan by Jhumpa Lahiri
1)Boori Ma worked as a sweeper in a building since she had to go floor-by-floor to clean the room. She was most likely the refugee and was forced to work as slave.
2)The story was set in the morning, Boori Ma had to start to work.
3)Most likely Boori Ma will face the excruciating torture by the owner and the sad atmosphere would be created.
The Adventure of the Speckle Band by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
1)The author sets the story in Watson's house where a lady came to ask for his help.
2)The story was in 1883, a morning in the early April.
3)The story was most likely be very mysterious and there would be a detective to solve the suspicious case.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Auston
1)The story was set in a small town in England.
2)The story was in the early 19th century, the struggle for love happened
3) The romantic atmosphere of the story would be created, and the soothing effect of the story about the love was given to the readers.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Jim Crow's Laws
a. The term "Jim Crow's Laws" is sometimes referring to the song-and-dance caricature named "Jump Jim Crow" of African Americans performed by a white actor called Thomas D. Rice. As Rice became famous later, "Jim Crow" became an expresssion used to mean "African American".
b. The Jim Crow's Laws were state and local laws enforced by the United States of America between 1876 and 1965. The law is to restrict the rights of the African Americans. Their rights seemed to be equal to the white Americans' rights superficially but both of their rights were actually different due to this law.
c. Some Blacks such as Charles Sumner and Benjamin F. Butler thought that equal treatments were to be given to both white Americans and the Blacks. But this act had only little impact, the Supreme Court did not agree to this law by giving some non-existed reasons. And in year 1892, a African American called Homer Plessy bought a first-class railway ticket from New Orleans and sat in the "white-only" platform. He was later asked to leave the platform and went to the "coloured-only" platform. He refused to leave and he was arrested at once for challenging the Jim Crow's Law. The Blacks in New Orleans fought the case and stood on Plessy's side to support him in the Supreme Court. They losed in the court decision called "Plessy vs. Ferguson" alas.
d. The Jim Crow's Law appeared in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. This law affects the whole storyline in To Kill A Mockingbird very much especially during the trial of Tom Robinson who was accused of raping the white girl Mayella Ewell. Although he was proved to be the innocent one, but the jury claimed that he was guilty and he was arrested. Tom was killed in the jail as a result he tried to "flee" the prison, but most probably he was killed because he was a Black.
b. The Jim Crow's Laws were state and local laws enforced by the United States of America between 1876 and 1965. The law is to restrict the rights of the African Americans. Their rights seemed to be equal to the white Americans' rights superficially but both of their rights were actually different due to this law.
c. Some Blacks such as Charles Sumner and Benjamin F. Butler thought that equal treatments were to be given to both white Americans and the Blacks. But this act had only little impact, the Supreme Court did not agree to this law by giving some non-existed reasons. And in year 1892, a African American called Homer Plessy bought a first-class railway ticket from New Orleans and sat in the "white-only" platform. He was later asked to leave the platform and went to the "coloured-only" platform. He refused to leave and he was arrested at once for challenging the Jim Crow's Law. The Blacks in New Orleans fought the case and stood on Plessy's side to support him in the Supreme Court. They losed in the court decision called "Plessy vs. Ferguson" alas.
d. The Jim Crow's Law appeared in the novel To Kill A Mockingbird. This law affects the whole storyline in To Kill A Mockingbird very much especially during the trial of Tom Robinson who was accused of raping the white girl Mayella Ewell. Although he was proved to be the innocent one, but the jury claimed that he was guilty and he was arrested. Tom was killed in the jail as a result he tried to "flee" the prison, but most probably he was killed because he was a Black.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Discrimination
Discrimination based on personal preference
- based on Sexual orientation
- based on breast-feeding
- based on political preference
- against discrimination
- based on religion
Discrimination based on physical properties - based on sex/gender
- based on age
- based on pregnancy
- based on appearance
- based on skin-colour
- based on medical status
- based on disability
Discrimination based on background - based on family background
- based on parental status
- based on marital status
- based on race
- based on nationality
- based on economic status
- based on language
- based on intelligence
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Civil Rights Movement
a) The Civil Rights Movement was on Year 1955.
b)The Civil Rights Movement was to restore the voting rights of the African Americans. It was also to obliterate the racial discrimination based on races as the African Americans were always humiliated since their skin colour was black. They made protest to the government and became arrogance towards the government authorities and showed civil disobedience. They felt that thier privileges were much lower than the normal Americans.
c)On first of the December, 1955, the "mother" of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white American. She was then accused of her disorderly conduct. Some of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement organised riots to demand for a better bus transportation system.
In 1961 to 1962, some Civil Rights Movement activists had criticised the King personally. Therefore, the SLCC created a campaign and was assisted by the King to capture those activists. But the goals were not specific enough, and it was disrupted by a cunning local police chief.
In 1964, President Johnson signed a Civil Rights Act which banned other people for making racial discrimination based on races, religion, etc. And the law was enforced by Attorney General.
d)President Lyndon B.
e)The privileges of the African Americans were as equal as normal Americans' privileges.
f)The period in the novel was most probably before the era of the Civil Rights Movement as Tom was proved to be innocent clearly but still he was convicted and later killed. And the difference in privileges between normal Americans and African Americans was crystal clear.
b)The Civil Rights Movement was to restore the voting rights of the African Americans. It was also to obliterate the racial discrimination based on races as the African Americans were always humiliated since their skin colour was black. They made protest to the government and became arrogance towards the government authorities and showed civil disobedience. They felt that thier privileges were much lower than the normal Americans.
c)On first of the December, 1955, the "mother" of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white American. She was then accused of her disorderly conduct. Some of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement organised riots to demand for a better bus transportation system.
In 1961 to 1962, some Civil Rights Movement activists had criticised the King personally. Therefore, the SLCC created a campaign and was assisted by the King to capture those activists. But the goals were not specific enough, and it was disrupted by a cunning local police chief.
In 1964, President Johnson signed a Civil Rights Act which banned other people for making racial discrimination based on races, religion, etc. And the law was enforced by Attorney General.
d)President Lyndon B.
e)The privileges of the African Americans were as equal as normal Americans' privileges.
f)The period in the novel was most probably before the era of the Civil Rights Movement as Tom was proved to be innocent clearly but still he was convicted and later killed. And the difference in privileges between normal Americans and African Americans was crystal clear.
Monday, January 24, 2011
After You, My Dear Alphonse
Topic:Would you have treated Boyd or someone who is not of the same races as you differently? Why or why not?
Since there are many races in the world, we cannot humiliate others just because they are of the different races. If we treat other races unfairly, people of the different races will also treat us unfairly too. It is better to have a friend rather than have an enemy. People who treat other religions and races unfairly are known as racists, it sounds bad too if people call me racist. Just like in the passage, the stereotyping occurs frequently in our life as people always try to exaggerate their own race and make other races to be seemed worse. Therefore people tend to insult other races, and the vendetta among the people begins. So, I will not treat people of the other races such as Boyd differently as this is the nature of a person.
Since there are many races in the world, we cannot humiliate others just because they are of the different races. If we treat other races unfairly, people of the different races will also treat us unfairly too. It is better to have a friend rather than have an enemy. People who treat other religions and races unfairly are known as racists, it sounds bad too if people call me racist. Just like in the passage, the stereotyping occurs frequently in our life as people always try to exaggerate their own race and make other races to be seemed worse. Therefore people tend to insult other races, and the vendetta among the people begins. So, I will not treat people of the other races such as Boyd differently as this is the nature of a person.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Comic Strip: Protect the environment
My comic strip is about the conservation of the environment. We, as a part of the mother Earth, has the responsible to protect the Earth and the family in the Earth. Do not simply kill the animals as this will affect the food chain harshly. If done too often, endangered animals such as tiger in this comic strip will become extinct. Furthermore, our next generation will be unable to see these animals again. Also, some animals benefit us very much in either a direct way or an indirect way. Therefore, I create this comic strip to convey the message that we must stop killing animals and stop destroying plants for a better future to the next generation.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
A weird story I have been told
When I was small, my friends used to tell me that the dragon existed in this world. Due to my childishness and my enthusiasm towards this mysterious creature, I believed this rumour. And one of my friends noticed that I did not feel suspicious, he told me that the dragon had "teleported" to my school's abandoned backyard. Through this was ridiculous, I did not suspect anything. Thus, I tried to find some friends to go to the backyard since I was terrified.
The backyard of my school was believed to be haunted, so the school decided not to use it anymore because a prophet said that something bad would happen there. I was so eager to see the true form of the dragon as this creature was known as legendary creature. Despite fearness, I insisted on going there for further investigation. Finally, I managed to find a friend who shared the same opinion of me towards the existence of the dragon.
Upon reaching there, we could see the urine and the "chocolates" left by some creatures scattered over the ground. Although the smell was extremely disgusting, I decided to go further to get more secrets. There were bushes and trees everywhere. The sunlight had been blocked by the leaves and therefore it was very dark there. We proceeded in mortal dread. Finally we had reached the dead end. But unfortunately, there was nothing there.
to m
Suddenly, we heard eerie sounds everywhere. Then, I sensed something moving around the area and was covered entirely by the bush. We shrieked so loud until we made the situation even worse. The creature dashed out of the bushes behind us and tried to backstab us. Without hesitation, we rushed immediately and escaped the bakyard. We told this incident to our friends, I completely believed the existence of the dragon until the following year where the backyard was developed by the Housing Authority. I finally knew the truth.
The creature in the backyard was a tigress whose home was destroyed. It had to take care of its cub and therefore, it came to the backyard and made it as a shelter for both itself and its cub. But the cub died due to the inadequate supply and care from its mother. The tiger was then sent to the national zoo instead of kill this endagered animal.
After this incident, I had learned not to be so naive and gullible as this would make me very vulnerable to trickers. I also got some experiences about the mortal danger the endangered species faced and hence I learned a virtue to protect animals even though it was just a puny creature.
The backyard of my school was believed to be haunted, so the school decided not to use it anymore because a prophet said that something bad would happen there. I was so eager to see the true form of the dragon as this creature was known as legendary creature. Despite fearness, I insisted on going there for further investigation. Finally, I managed to find a friend who shared the same opinion of me towards the existence of the dragon.
Upon reaching there, we could see the urine and the "chocolates" left by some creatures scattered over the ground. Although the smell was extremely disgusting, I decided to go further to get more secrets. There were bushes and trees everywhere. The sunlight had been blocked by the leaves and therefore it was very dark there. We proceeded in mortal dread. Finally we had reached the dead end. But unfortunately, there was nothing there.
to m
Suddenly, we heard eerie sounds everywhere. Then, I sensed something moving around the area and was covered entirely by the bush. We shrieked so loud until we made the situation even worse. The creature dashed out of the bushes behind us and tried to backstab us. Without hesitation, we rushed immediately and escaped the bakyard. We told this incident to our friends, I completely believed the existence of the dragon until the following year where the backyard was developed by the Housing Authority. I finally knew the truth.
The creature in the backyard was a tigress whose home was destroyed. It had to take care of its cub and therefore, it came to the backyard and made it as a shelter for both itself and its cub. But the cub died due to the inadequate supply and care from its mother. The tiger was then sent to the national zoo instead of kill this endagered animal.
After this incident, I had learned not to be so naive and gullible as this would make me very vulnerable to trickers. I also got some experiences about the mortal danger the endangered species faced and hence I learned a virtue to protect animals even though it was just a puny creature.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Thoughts on the poem "Cloony the Clown"
This blog is written by Shel Silverstein who was a well-known poet because of his "tongue-in-check" humour.
Cloony The Clown
I'll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown
Who worked in a circus that came through town.
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
And every time he did a trick,
Everyone felt a little sick.
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke.
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue.
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, "Go back to bed!"
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep.
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.
One day he said, "I'll tell this town
How it feels to be an unfunny clown."
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With "Hah-Hah-Hahs" and "Hee-Hee-Hees."
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, 'cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT -
I'M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT."
And while the world laughed outside.
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.
Thoughts on this poem:
The irony in the poem really happens in our daily life frequently. Sometimes when I feel depressed, people may think I am emo-ing, trying to get others attentions, then they will take it as a lame joke. And sometimes I feel sympathy for something, people may think that it is humorous. But most of the times I cannot do anything about these things so that I will not be the person who people think is an idiot just because most of the people have the same idea but differ from mine.
Furthermore, when I am poor at something but I am forced to do so, it can also ruin my reputation because people think that I am stupid. People always have an opinion: When most of the people are good at something, then supposedly others need to also be good at it too. Why? Because if so many persons can do it well, why the others cannot? If there is so many people good at it, then it must be extremely easy so the people who cannot do it well are reckoned as dumb.
In this poem, Cloony was a clown and he had to have funny actions and reactions all the time because this was his job. But when he was not good at it and he could not change his job so easily, he was stressed. He had to face the reality that people insulted him either directly or indirectly because he could not perform his profession well. Just like me, for example, I was chosen as a leader in a particular subject, and I did not do well. What people might think? They will comment me negatively and condemn me and grumbled at me and complained me and ...... There is no need to say about the end of me.
Well, from this poem, I learn that we must think on others' side and know what do they want, how do them feel, what are the stresses they will face, and more. That's why some people can have such excellent interrelationship between each other. Hence, if we want to make more friend, we need to have such virtue that can be learned in this poem which was the reason I liked this poem.
Cloony The Clown
I'll tell you the story of Cloony the Clown
Who worked in a circus that came through town.
His shoes were too big and his hat was too small,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
He had a trombone to play loud silly tunes,
He had a green dog and a thousand balloons.
He was floppy and sloppy and skinny and tall,
But he just wasn't, just wasn't funny at all.
And every time he did a trick,
Everyone felt a little sick.
And every time he told a joke,
Folks sighed as if their hearts were broke.
And every time he lost a shoe,
Everyone looked awfully blue.
And every time he stood on his head,
Everyone screamed, "Go back to bed!"
And every time he made a leap,
Everybody fell asleep.
And every time he ate his tie,
Everyone began to cry.
And Cloony could not make any money
Simply because he was not funny.
One day he said, "I'll tell this town
How it feels to be an unfunny clown."
And he told them all why he looked so sad,
And he told them all why he felt so bad.
He told of Pain and Rain and Cold,
He told of Darkness in his soul,
And after he finished his tale of woe,
Did everyone cry? Oh no, no, no,
They laughed until they shook the trees
With "Hah-Hah-Hahs" and "Hee-Hee-Hees."
They laughed with howls and yowls and shrieks,
They laughed all day, they laughed all week,
They laughed until they had a fit,
They laughed until their jackets split.
The laughter spread for miles around
To every city, every town,
Over mountains, 'cross the sea,
From Saint Tropez to Mun San Nee.
And soon the whole world rang with laughter,
Lasting till forever after,
While Cloony stood in the circus tent,
With his head drooped low and his shoulders bent.
And he said,"THAT IS NOT WHAT I MEANT -
I'M FUNNY JUST BY ACCIDENT."
And while the world laughed outside.
Cloony the Clown sat down and cried.
Thoughts on this poem:
The irony in the poem really happens in our daily life frequently. Sometimes when I feel depressed, people may think I am emo-ing, trying to get others attentions, then they will take it as a lame joke. And sometimes I feel sympathy for something, people may think that it is humorous. But most of the times I cannot do anything about these things so that I will not be the person who people think is an idiot just because most of the people have the same idea but differ from mine.
Furthermore, when I am poor at something but I am forced to do so, it can also ruin my reputation because people think that I am stupid. People always have an opinion: When most of the people are good at something, then supposedly others need to also be good at it too. Why? Because if so many persons can do it well, why the others cannot? If there is so many people good at it, then it must be extremely easy so the people who cannot do it well are reckoned as dumb.
In this poem, Cloony was a clown and he had to have funny actions and reactions all the time because this was his job. But when he was not good at it and he could not change his job so easily, he was stressed. He had to face the reality that people insulted him either directly or indirectly because he could not perform his profession well. Just like me, for example, I was chosen as a leader in a particular subject, and I did not do well. What people might think? They will comment me negatively and condemn me and grumbled at me and complained me and ...... There is no need to say about the end of me.
Well, from this poem, I learn that we must think on others' side and know what do they want, how do them feel, what are the stresses they will face, and more. That's why some people can have such excellent interrelationship between each other. Hence, if we want to make more friend, we need to have such virtue that can be learned in this poem which was the reason I liked this poem.
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