The Kite Runner Essay

‘Analyse how the experiences of one or more characters were used for a particular purpose

“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime.”  In Khaled Hosseinis novel “The Kite Runner”, Amir, Baba and Hassan go through different experiences  throughout the novel to reinforce the main theme of the book, betrayal. In this essay, I will discuss the several events the characters went through, these include the actual betrayal of Hassan, Baba and Amir fleeing to America, then finally saving Hassan’s son back in Afghanistan.

Amir’s decision to leave his friend Hassan in the alley way twenty six years ago, still goes on to fill him with guilt years on and is the main theme of the book. “I ran, I ran because I was a coward… maybe that was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay to win Baba.” Not only does Amir abandon Hassan but he does so in a selfish way. Amir’s betrayal was a purposeful  sacrifice for a closer relationship with his father, to prove that he won the kite. That day, Amir made the choice to betray Hassan, as well as his loyalty and his right to live an innocent and happy life. Amir’s failure to deal with his guilt revealed his cowardness, which ended up being the cause to the end of Hassan and Amir’s friendship. His lack of self control led him to framing Hassan for stealing, which only resulted in others suffering.Ali and Hassan lost their jobs and home, meanwhile Baba lost his son and nephew because of Amirs reckless and once again selfish actions. The experience that Amir and Hassan went through during the betrayal, are very different, but both have a valid purpose in the novel. Hosseini included this significant event to take the reader on an emotional journey, where the reader is able to experience both of the friends emotions and views. More importantly, the reader is then left feeling sympathetic for Hassan, so will feel a common hatred towards Amir. 

Although there are several reasons why Amir and Baba moved to America, the most obvious one is Amir’s inability to deal with his guilt. As a consequence of Amir’s lack of courage, he and Baba had to move to America and restart their lives. When Amir framed Hassan, it further worsened the betrayal. It broke up their extended family, which meant Baba had no support, no friends, and no social status. However, like his son, Baba had also betrayed his best friend, Ali, by fathering Hassan with Ali’s wife. Their flee to America was a way for both of them to runaway from their guilt, their problems and a way to wash away the past. Because America is commonly known as the place where dreams are made to come true. When Amir first arrived he thought that, “America was a river…unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far.” Amir thinks that he has escaped his past, his guilt, the betrayal, he thinks that America is this amazing place where you become a different and new person. Whereas in reality, his sins and guilt from the betrayal will follow him no matter where he goes, until he recognises them and compensates for the damage he has caused. Hosseini has included this escape to America because it is something the reader can relate to. Everyone has something that they want to escape or forget about, therefore by including Amir and Baba’s experience, it makes the book partially relatable and engages the reader. 

Amir’s final experience is when he returns to Kabul after his father figure and family friend, Rahim Khan calls him to say, “There is a way to be good again”. During Amir’s journey from guilt to redemption over the twenty-six years, he has finally found a way to free himself from his sins and guilt. Once Amir arrives in Afghanistan he is made aware that his nephew Sohrab is in an orphanage and comes to a realisation that this is his opportunity to redeem himself and do something good. The betrayal had haunted Amir for a majority of his life and has caused him to do some outrages things. He has, at last, realised that ” true redemption is…when guilt leads to good.” Amir is after all satisfied with himself and the person he has become because he has stopped running away from his past. He confronted his guilt which has led him to do something valuable, such as caring, loving and looking after Hassan’s son. Amir’s final way of acknowledging the betrayal is by taking Sohrab outside to do kite flying. This was the activity that Amir and his brother once loved to do until the betrayal caused Amir to be reminded of his cowardliness act in the alleyway. Amir’s last experience is important because it highlights how he changed as a person from the betrayal. Before this event, he was a young boy who thought that he was more important than others and he had no loyalty. After the betrayal, as amir grew up he became more selfless, caring, kind and most importantly loyal. Through thes experiences the author gives the reader a message that good can come from the bad. We should all acknowledge our mistakes and be truthful about them because as Baba says, “It’s better to be hurt by the truth than confronted with a lie.”

Overall the three experiences that Amir, Baba and Hassan go through are purposeful within the novel because they have key messages for the reader but importantly they all highlight the main theme. The betrayal is showcased through Hassan’s rape because Amir leaves his friend who has stood up for him his entire life and would do anything for Amir. Although Amir’s weaknesses got the better of him and he ends up running away. Amir and Baba’s flee to America, point out a different stage of betrayal because it shows how the father and son both try to escape their horrible pasts and they end up betraying their real image. In the final experience, betrayal is underlined through the concept of redemption. It shows how Amir’s guilt from the alleyway has built up and has caused him to change as a person and do something good. Khaled Hosseini has included these experience because he wants the reader to understand what the characters lives are like in Afghanistan. The novel “The Kite Runner” gives an insight to the reader into what it is really like living in a country where the economy is low and everyone is classed into social statuses. The people in Afghanistan don’t see Hassan and Amir’s experience as abnormal or shocking, because their culture is different to ours. This is why the reader is captured into reading the book because Amir’s behaviour is appalling and as the reader, we want to know more about what his consequences are and how this is going to affect their inclosed community.  

The Kite Runner Essay

In the novel, The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini uses the effective language feature of symbolism to help develop the themes of the book which are guilt and redemption. Kites, the sacrificial lamb and Hassan’s dream are the symbols used in this novel to showcase Amir’s life and just how he betrayed his best friend to then try and redeem himself as well as his relationship with Hassan. The first paragraph is about how the author uses Kite running as a symbol to represents Amir’s betrayal and how he later goes on and redeems himself from his guilt. Secondly,.Hassan’s dream  foreshadows what is to come in the future and highlights Amir’s true traits. Finally, the sacrificial lamb is a symbol of how Amir sacrificed Hassan for a better relationship with baba.

Throughout the novel, Khaled uses kite running to emphasise the themes of the book which is betrayal and redemption.When Amir and Hassan first enter the kite fighting competition towards the beginning of the novel it all seems very innocent and fun to the brothers. These happy memories soon change for Amir, when the kites become a constant reminder of how he let down his only friend and brother: Hassan, because of his cowardness. This scaring memory overwhelms the reason he betrayed Hassan in the ally 20 years ago;  he used the kite to try and prove himself to his father as well as earn his pride and love. Baba has always wanted a sporty, tough son; the opposite of Amir. Kite running was Amir’s opportunity to prove to his father his worthiness and show him that he is the son that he always wanted. “We won! We won!” was all I could say. This wasn’t happening. In a moment, I’d blink and rouse from this beautiful dream… Back to my old life. Then I saw Baba on our roof…pumping both of his fists. Hollering and clapping. And that right there was the single greatest moment of my twelve years of life, seeing Baba on that roof, proud of me at last.” This quote is after Amir made the sacrifice for a closer relationship with Baba that will only last for a brief amount of time. Instead of helping Hassan his only ‘friend’ who was getting rapped after he ran the kite. The choice Amir made that day to leave Hassan will go on to haunt him for the rest of his life. Another example of kite running as a symbolism is at the end of the book when Amir adopts his nephew and is on the road to redemption.“Do you want me to run that kite for you…For you, a thousand times over, I heard myself say. It was only a smile, nothing more… A tiny thing… But I’ll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting.” This quote is at the end of the novel after Hassan dies and his son becomes an orphan, Amir adopts him and takes him outside to do kite flying. At this point, Amir feels like he has redeemed himself because he couldn’t talk to Hassan and apologise to him, so instead, he did the activity Amir and his best friend once loved with his nephew. Therefore the kites are also a symbol for redemption throughout the novel, as they go through Amir’s journey of how innocent they both were at the start, how he lost Hassan and become filled with guilt, then at the end when Hassan is gone and Amir has once and for all redeemed himself.

Another symbol that Khaled uses to outline the themes is Hassan’s very memorable and vivid dream.Hassan’s dream foreshadows the betrayal that is to come as well as revealing the real Amir and his weakness to stand up for what is right because he is outspoken. Hassan told Amir the next day that they: “were at Gharga Lake, you, me Father, Agha sahib, Rahim Khan and thousands of other people… no one was swimming because they said a monster had come to the lake. It was swimming at the bottom, waiting… And before I can stop you, you dive in and I follow you and we’re both swimming away… We make it to the middle of the lake and we stop swimming. We turn toward the shore and wave to people. They look small like ants but we can hear them clapping. There is no monster, just water.” Hassan had this dream on the night before the famous kite running competition which tells us there is something significant to come. When Amir dives into the lake to show he is not afraid of the monster Hassan follows and then goes onto say “Don’t worry there is not a monster waiting for you in the streets of Kabul”.This symbolises Assef as he is the one that raped Hassan, he says that there isn’t a monster waiting for Amir because its instead waiting for him. Like in the dream when Hassan followed Amir into the lake the lake is just like the alley way but this time Amir doesn’t have the same loyalty for Hassan so therefore doesn’t stand up to Assef to help his friend and doesn’t follow Hassan into the ‘lake’.  The symbols of Hassan’s dream helps the reader understand what kind of friendship the boys have.It shows that they don’t have a loyal friendship because when Amir dived in to the lake Hassan followed Amir to rescue him from the ‘monster’, whereas in reality when Hassan dived into the water ( water being the ally way) Amir didn’t follow and instead left Hassan with the monster.The clapping and cheering in Hassan’s dream when both of the boys swim out to the middle of the lake also symbolises what should be Amir and Hassan winning the kite running competition and the people of Kabul celebrating their victory. Instead the reality is Amir is on the top of the lake taking in the glory and pride of his victory meanwhile Hassan is underwater fighting with the monster. This just shows that Hassan’s dream is his perspective of their friendship and the loyalty they have for eachother for example they both get acknowledged in the dream but later on Hassan realises that their friendship wasn’t loyal and his dream was in fact a dream and not reality like he had hoped.

The use of the sacrificial lamb is a symbol of Hassan and Amir’s relationship and how Amir betrayed Hassan. While retrieving the kite, Hassan refused to give up the kite for his best friend and as a consequence he got raped by Assef. During this part in the novel Hosseini made a reference to the sacrificial lamb saying : “I had seen it before. It was the look of the lamb.” In this quote Amir is referring to the look in Hassan’s eyes like when he saw the lamb being slaughtered, he could tell that Hassan was being selflessly sacrificed for his friendship and loyalty with Amir. Instead of being a good loyal friend and standing up for Hassan, Amir stood there and allowed his only friend to sacrifice his innocence for him. He left him there because he was weak and wanted the victory of the kite running all to himself. Amir then realised that: “Hassan was the price I had to pay, the lamb I had to slay, to win Baba.” This quote explains that Amir allowed for this to happen because he wanted to please baba and make him happy, if he had helped Hassan he wouldn’t have had to go through all those years of guilt and as a consequence of that he wouldn’t have had a successful relationship with baba. During this moment Amir realised that he couldn’t do both and he had to choose between a better relationship with Baba or proving his loyalty to his friend Hassan. The decision that Amir made that day shows who he is as a character and that he values living up to baba’s expectations rather than having a solid friendship. The sacrifice that Amir made that day was successful in mending his relationship, although it was only temporary because baba was filled with his own guilt about not telling Amir that him and Hassan are brothers. Once Amir was made aware of their family relation it filled Amir with even more guilt.

In conclusion, in The Kite Runner the author of the novel  Khaled Hosseini uses symbolism to emphasise the main themes of the books which are guilt, betrayal, and redemption. The use of kite running throughout the novel highlights Amir’s path from the betrayal to the guilt and then finally the redemption. The second symbol used in the novel was Hassan’s dream, this gave the reader an insight into what was to come in the novel and how we knew a betrayal was about to come. Finally, the sacrificial lamb is a representation of how Amir betrayed Hassan and their friendship for a better relationship with his father. Overall the novel has many symbols that give us an insight into the character’s personalities as well as foreshadowing what is to come. The author used symbolism as a language technique in The Kite runner to keep the reader intrigued and interested.

Reading log #6 All the Difference In The world  (Complete)

Student Name: Christina Lamb

Text Title:  All The difference In The world

Author/Director:  Unkown

Text Type :  Short Story

Date Finished:  18th October

A brief outline of the plot (2-3 sentences):  

Jack’s mother creates paper animals to communicate with her son. But when he grows up he stops talking to her as she cant converse english. After a loss, he goes on to discover her story and her hidden messages. 

What theme/s are addressed in the text? How is the theme explored in this text? Use specific examples/quotes

How does this text connect with the rest of the world (socially, culturally, politically, historically) Use specific examples/quotes

How/What does this text teach us/you about society and the world we live in (setting/themes/characters/plot) Use specific examples/quotes

How/does this text connect to your personal experiences or viewpoints?

Explain why you would recommend this text (writing style/ideas/structure/language features used) Use specific examples/quotes

Reading Log #5 The Dress Maker ( Complete)

Student Name: Christina Lamb

Text Title: The Dress Maker 

Author/Director:  Jocelyn Moorhouse

Text Type : Visual Text

Date Finished: 26th August

Accused of being a murderer a 10, Tilly returns to her Australian hometown to get revenge on the people that did her wrong.

The main theme that is shown through out the film is revenge, Tilly comes back to her hometown to uncover the secrets of the ‘murder’ and get revenge back on the town people that picked her and her ‘mad’ mother. When Tilly first arrives in Dunnage she steps of the train and says: “I’m back, you bastards.” this quote sets the mood for the movie, it tells us that she’s only there for one thing and she is not going to be understanding or gentle.

This text can be connected with the rest of the world because when Tilly was little she was bullied by most of the school kids and this had a massive impact on her whole life and future. She got sent away for ‘murdering’ a boy who was bullying her physically and mentally every day. This connects to our social world because so many children are still being bullied in school. People may not realise but bullying can have a massive impact on a person’s wellbeing and this can be seen in this film. During the flashbacks, we can see that Tilly is never smiling, she is always running away from the other kids in fear, and she is very quiet and shy. An example of this is when Tilly is standing outside and the kids are playing soccer then one of the children picks up the soccer ball and kicks it away then blames it on Tilly who was just innocently standing there doing nothing. Of course, the kids get angry and start to bully Tilly physically and mentally.

This film teaches us that society is unfair, cruel, mean and unsympathetic. It shows that you can’t trust many people and need to stand up for yourself rathe than wait for others to take action. It also highlights the issue of bullying in school and the effects it can have on a child life. In Tilly’s case, she became a much stronger person from her experience as a young child, because when she returns 20 years later she becomes like the society she grew up in. Although she’s not cruel or unfair, she is unsympathetic, she doesn’t care what others think of her anymore and she is much stronger and  smarter than her fellow class ‘mates’

My viewpoints can relate to this film because I find it very inspiring how Tilly managed to change her attitude and come back to her hometown which caused her so much pain to show them how much stronger she has become, and how much more successful she is compared to everyone else in the town that is still the same as they were 20 years ago.

I would recommend this film because it is quite empowering how Tilly makes so much out of her self when everyone told he that she was worthless and treated her like crap. Now that everyone is older, the town people try to become friends with her to look glamorous and beautiful like Tilly, because this town just competes with its self to be the best and better than everyone else. 

Reading Log #4 Safe Haven (Complete)

Student Name: Christina Lamb

Text Title: Safe Haven

Author/Director: Nicholas Sparks

Text Type : Written Text (Novel)

Date Finished:  24th August 

Brief outline of plot (2-3 sentences):   

A mysterious woman with a big secret named Katie arrives in a small town in North Carolina. Reluctant to making any real connections or getting close to people because she’s on the run, unsurprisingly she falls in love with Alex and has a genuine connection with him which causes her to stay.

What theme/s are addressed in the text? How is the theme explored in this text? Use specific examples/quotes

There are two main themes that are developed throughout the novel, one of them being perseverance and the other in relationships. The theme of perseverance is shown through Katie’s determination of not being caught. She has one goal, which is to keep moving and run away from her past whilst not making any genuine connections that may keep her in the place. Although Katie has been through a lot with her abusive husband, she never stopped believing. she always had hope that he would change and that their marriage would get better but when he snapped and nearly killed her, she decided that she’s had enough and had the courage to run away even though her husband was a policeman. When Katie moved she had hardly any money but she found a job and worked really hard to gain that money and buy a small cottage. The second theme that is addressed through this books is relationships. The novel highlights the healthy and healthy relationships we should have and shouldn’t have in our lives. For example, Katie’s relationship with Kevin is unhealthy because it is one-sided and he has full control over her and abuses her. When Katie moves to the new town she falls in love with Alex, and they form a strong positive relationship, as well as Katie, gains the trust from Alex’s kids and they become a very happy family once again since their birth mothers death.

How does this text connect with the rest of the world (socially, culturally, politically, historically) Use specific examples/quotes

Socially this text highlights that there are many woman in the world that are being abused by their partner and majority of them can not get out of the relationship, mainly because of fear. Safe Haven has a more positive approach to this global situation, it shows Katie moving on and getting into a healthy relationship. The novel proves and encourages those struggling in the real world that their is a way out of this, as well as there is someone out there that will treat you with respect and love you. By sharing this message through the novel it will hopefully help women break away from their unhealthy abusive relationships and move on to a better part of their life.

How/What does this text teach us/you about society and the world we live in (setting/themes/characters/plot) Use specific examples/quotes

As above, this text teaches us, especially young people, that we need to be careful with who we trust and the relationships we get ourselves into. In the text, Katie was young when she married Kevin and was clueless, which unfortunately many young girls get themselves into abusive relationships because they don’t know better. It just shows us that the world we live in is not all perfect and wonderful and we do need to be aware and make the best decisions possible.

How/does this text connect to your personal experiences or viewpoints?

This text connects to my viewpoints because I believe that everyone has the right to being in a  positive and a healthy relationship, no one should be abused and everyone should be happy.

Explain why you would recommend this text (writing style/ideas/structure/language features used) Use specific examples/quotes

I would recommend this text to others because it is a very captivating novel that hooks you and makes you want to keep reading.

Creative Writing…

Statement of Intent: This Creative writing is written as part of the standard AS91101. It includes figurative language to capture the readers attention and to describe a coastal place in Canada. 

Slowly sinking rays make their way down the smooth rugged bank. Small, green lanterns sprouting from engraved branches gleam from the fading light. Glowing, the rock face is turned into a luminous show highlighting the assorted leafy colors. Spiky like a pineapple top, staggering larch trees climb up the rock face, running from the Beaufort Sea. Birds’ silhouettes flutter across the peachy sky, slicing heaven with their delicate wings as they fly. They scatter a stream of flowing tunes that dance around dressing the air with a summer ballad, soon to be consumed by the darkness of tomorrow as dawn looms.

Concrete-like layers of sun-kissed charcoal crepes, reach for the citrus Canadian sky, almost falling off the never-ending azure platter. Blemished, bites, brush away, plunging into the infinite rippled sheets of sequins. The rock crepes slowly eroding, like the precious memories of today. Soon to be nothing left but a deserted plate with colossal crumbs, sinking to the bottom.

A perfect peach, floating on the surface is cut in half by the edge of the horizon, scattering splashes of tangerine, coral, and bronze onto the blue-royal canvas. Scrambling for the rocks, the clouds are like cotton candy, blushing from the touch of warmness, oozing out of the star in all shades pink and orange, turning the atmosphere into a festive show of vibrant colors. Sinking, the orb of amber leaves behind a trail of frail rays, that gradually fade into the background. Disappearing, like the grains of time falling to the bottom in an hourglass. Remaining threads of light slice the gritty sea. Broken, shattered, like a  mirror, a merged painting of today’s moments is left abandoned on the rough glass.

Rows of rustling, prickly, pine trees, release a delightful scent of freshness that brings back precious memories of the cold-white festive season. Christmas. Sweet and luscious, the perfume of maples,  swirling around the emptiness like a kite gliding through a clear day. Overwhelmed by the aroma of trees, the seas salty tanginess, mingles through the forest developing an interesting smell, that sends shivers into the wind. Sweeping away into the rock side, the breeze picks up wrinkles of water from the surface that skims onto the shore,  erupting into a silver spray of moonlight.

In the distance, a pearl coloured yacht is blown along by the gentle wind from yesterday’s whispers; chasing the never-ending horizon and its days to follow. Its enormous sails as divine as the neatly, carved, dove petals on a rose, capturing the vanished words of the soothing gust. Its solid oak ripping through the water, separating the sea like a zip being undone. The yacht lets out a boisterous sigh, that echoes its harmonies through the thick emptiness, stretching for miles over the lonely shores.

As today’s colorful hues fade way, tomorrow awaits to see the blues of the day. Waiting, for its time to shine as bright as the stars, that scatter across the night skies. As the hours fade by and seasons flow in, the months will keep rolling like tides coming in.

Speech

INTRODUCTION:

Today I want to bring your attention to the issue of Plastic… one of the most ignored problems of our generation. So What is plastic? Is it a chemical? A useful resource, pollution, a material? Or is it just an everyday item that has become normal for us? But what do we actually know about it? Can our generation survive without plastic? Or have we become so addicted to it that we find unexplainable excuses to keep producing an enormous amount of plastic every day. So how did we manage to get ourselves in this mess?  How did this all begin? Plastic was first made from organic cellulose in 1862 by Alexander Parkes, he demonstrated Parkesine which could be heated, molded then cooled to keep its form. In the 1960’s plastic became very popular and very quickly became very useful and was every manufactures need for their product. The demand for plastic is constantly growing and so is the amount being produced but the amount being washed into our oceans and seas is not decreasing, it’s only increasing and it’s getting worse. Plastic is a huge topic and affects so many aspects of the world and our lives but more specifically today I want to focus on how it affects the marine life and look at the perspectives of environmentalists and manufacturers as well as fishermen.  Have you ever thought about where your plastic actually ends up? Or what effects it has on our environment? When you throw a plastic bottle out your window or even if you put it in the been, that bottle that you bought isn’t gone, it’s going to end up in either the landfill or the ocean. Now either way that’s not good for the environment is it? If it goes to sea then a bird or a fish or some form of living organisms could end up digesting it, or it could end up floating at the top of the surface adding to the other thousands of plastic bottles in the ocean, although if the bottle ends up in the landfill there is a high chance that some living organism will digest it or it will add to the thousandths of other plastic bottles in the ground. So either way it’s not being disposed of properly and it’s impacting the environment negatively. But then there is recycling… which is such a great idea but 91% of plastic is NOT recycled for example 899 tonnes of plastic PET bottles were recycled, but more than double that wasn’t. This leads me to our households and the amount of waste we produce, more than 60% of what we put in our bin can be recycled but isn’t that is around 40kg’s of recycled plastic being thrown away in the average household yearly. If these recyclable plastics didn’t end up in the ocean, we could save 60% of the energy that is put into manufacturing these plastic items and save the marine life. In a 2006 report, Greenpeace stated that at least 267 different animal species are known to have suffered from entanglement and ingestion of plastic debris. According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, plastic debris kills an estimated 100,000 marine mammals annually, as well as millions of birds and fishes, And this is all because of us. Humans. For example look at this (picture) whale that was found dead after it had swallowed around 29 kilograms of plastic. It was killed by a gastric shock to its stomach and intestines due to the debris consumed.

 

Everyone has different perspectives on this global issue and Greenpeace is a worldwide environmental  organization that uses a “non-violent creative action to pave the way towards a greener, more peaceful world, and to confront the systems that threaten our environment.” From a report written last year, they wrote that “humanity’s footprint is very clear,” and that the Antarctic is not just wilderness as we may think or have seen on the television.  This organization along with many others and individuals wants to make a positive difference in our consumption of plastic and the out of hand pollution produced. Take the information form an environmentalist, his perspective is that  “Plastic is not a bad material…it saves lives in hospitals. If used for the right application it’s wonderful for our civilization, but using a material that is designed to last forever for single-use, throwaway products is nonsense,” he says. In my opinion, I totally agree, plastic is so useful and makes our lives easier but I think that we do need to rethink how we use it and how we dispose of it because if we don’t, the generations to come won’t have a home or place to live in. However the manufacturer’s perspective is a wide range, some think it’s not their problem how consumers dispose of their product, meanwhile, lots of companies are planning to change the way their product is sold weather that’s reducing the amount of plastic in their product or making their products recyclable and more sustainable. For insistence, Mcdonalds has spoken out and has said that they want to be “part of the solution, not the problem” by making their packaging worldwide more sustainable by 2025. This means that all straws, bags, packaging, and cups will come from recyclable or renewable resources. This is just one of many companies that have signed to help reduce plastic waste, other companies include Nestle, Countdown, Loreal, Coca-Cola, New Zealand Post, and many others.

 

CONCLUSION:

(notes)Teach kids about plastic what it does and educate them about the impact because they are the ones that will be affected, more people need to be aware and educated, we proved that we can live without we survived for ….. Years  

Imagine if u were one the people that lived in a village with plastic and litter everywhere how would u feel? We are lucky to live here but is it really fair that we get to experience such a beautiful environment meanwhile there are people suffering from our pollution somewhere else in the world?

The primary issue that influences our marine life and ocean health is the extensive production of plastic. The large-scale extent to which “plastic” is being used for almost anything, is spoiling our clean oceans and creating a sea of unobtainable waste.  The perspectives of environmentalists and manufacturers influence how each of you (audience) embrace this issue. Single-use plastic or cardboard items such as coffee cups, juice bottles, and straws are some of the largest contributors to the well-being of our ocean.

Reading Log # 1 Hard Rock (complete)

AS 90854 Reading Record Sheet – Draft Ideas 2018 ‘Highly Recommended’

Student Name: Christina Lamb

Text Title: Hard Rock Returns to Prison from the Hospital for the Criminal Insane

Author/Director:  Etheridge Knight

Text Type (circle): Other Written Text

Date Finished:  13th February 

 A crazy prisoner: Hard Rock got brain surgery to be tamed. The other prisoners describe what he was like and how he got treated. He was the only one fighting the system.

The author is trying to give us an insight into what actually happens, how they get treated.”Like a freshly gelded stallion.” The author also describes the slave’s fears and how it is a hard system to get out of. “The fears of years, like a biting whip had cut deep bloody grooves.” This represents how the years of slavery will forever haunt them and will always be a part of them physically and mentally.

 This text connects to the world because it makes us realize that we live in a very isolated but safe environment compared to America. It also connects to the recent events that happened in America when the white policemen were shooting black people. This just shows that although slavery is history, America is still not an equal country and black people aren’t safe compared to other parts of the world.

This text doesn’t really connect with my personal experiences but I think it is unfair how people are treated because of their race. America has proved to be the worst nation at accepting everyone, it is very shocking and upsetting reading headlines of white policemen shooting black people for no valid reason, this is not a problem that the world can avoid as everyone should have the right to be who they are and everyone should be accepted.

Explain why you would recommend this text (writing style/ideas/structure/language features used) Use specific examples/quotes:

I would recommend this text because it is eye opening and makes you realise that not everything is as good as it may seem, there are people out there that have gone through much worse things than us people in Wanaka losing a phone or falling over skiing, we live in such an isolated place and this text will definitely make you realise that we are very privileged and lucky unlike most people.

Reading Log #2 Book Thief (complete)

AS 90854 Reading Record Sheet – Draft Ideas 2018  ‘Highly Recommended’

Student Name: Christina Lamb

Text Title: The Book Thief

Author/Director: Markus Zusak

Text Type (circle): Written Text

Date Finished:  13th April

 In 1993 a young girl called Liesel is adopted by a German couple who end up hiding a Jewish refugee, Max. After being taught to read Liesel discovers her love for books and ends up secretly ‘borrowing’ books to read to Max during World War 2.

The main theme is that words are the most powerful way to how people connect with one another.  The novel clearly establishes that words are the main source of ideas and power. At the beginning, Leisel doesn’t know how to read and is made fun of in school. As the novel goes on she gets taught how to read by Hans, and this improves their bond because they can both relate to something. As her thirst for reading more books and improving her vocabulary grows she begins to steal books. Max asks her: “if your eyes could speak, what would they say?” this is a great example of how powerful words can be, by Max saying this Liesel learns how to make the words hers and give an accurate description. Max also writes a story for Liesel in which he writes that words are the most powerful thing and are the key to life as that’s the main difference between us and a tree he compares. He also goes on to say that Hitler used words to persuade people and gain his power, not guns nor money. A very significant quote is “ Words started not to mean just something, but everything.” This defines just how powerful and diverse words can be. At the beginning of the text, words were just there to fill in the silence, the blanks, they were something as well as meaning nothing, but towards the end when she develops her knowledge for words, she understands that they can mean everything and anything. She also discovers how powerful they can be and can mean nothing to someone but everything to someone else.

 This text connects with the world because it gives us an insight of the stress, fear and worries people had to go through during World War ||. It also has a historical connection since the novel is based in Germany during the first year of World War ||. More importantly, the theme of the novel which is the power of words can be very easily socially related to the modern day. The theme is about how powerful words can be and currently, words have been such a big thing in the media and in high schools. Words such as “ugly” and “fat” are just a small portion of the negative words that are so damaging because these days like it or not everyone is self-conscious of something and have even the slightest worry of how they appear to others. So when we hear such horrible words, they are very powerful especially for vulnerable teenagers, words can be more harmful than knives and can lead people to do the most insane things such as suicide which is a major current issue. Words are also very powerful because we vividly remember the negatives rather than positives, if someone says to a girl they are “ugly”, that girl will remember that much more vividly compared to someone saying shes “beautiful”. This is because in human nature we have evolved to access the dangers and competition, so when someone says negative words like that we think that we are not worthy enough and try to make ourselves better and more ‘perfect’. So the next day the girl would have woke up earlier just to apply that extra bit of makeup and spend more time on her hair just to make herself feel less ugly. This is powerful because one word has made this girl very self-conscious and go to the trouble of making herself feel more worthy of trying to fit more into the ‘ideal body image’. Words can also be powerful in a negative as well as a positive way.

This text connects with my viewpoints because I believe that words can be very powerful and more harmful than weapons. Words affect us mentally, we remember how words make us feel and we often don’t forget what people say about us. This book definitely signifies that words are important through the idea of books. 

I would recommend this book because it is not only informative about World War two and what people had to go through but it also carries a very effective topic of words and books which can be very easily interpreted into our everyday modern lives. It makes you realise the effect of words in a subtle way an example of this is the quote: “ Words started not to mean just something, but everything.” It signifies that to different people that word could mean a diverse range of things and influence them negatively or positively.