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.

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.

Reading Log #3 The Intouchables (Complete)

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

Student Name:  Christina Lamb

Text Title: The Intouchables 

Author/Director:  Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano

Text Type (circle): Visual text

Date Finished: 24th May 

Based in Paris, a rich man with a disease that requires a live-in caretaker surprisingly hires a young man. Throughout the movie, they develop a close friendship even though they are complete opposites.

One of the two main themes addressed in this visual text is not to judge a book by its cover. Meaning that we shouldn’t judge a person by their looks because there is much more to them than what we see, people often show us what they want us to see they hide the bad and show off the good in most cases. In The Intouchables Philippe didn’t judge Driss by his looks when he first walked in for the interview, instead, he gave him a chance and offered him the job because he knew that Driss has more potential than what he could see in himself. Same goes for Driss, he didn’t see Philippe as an opportunity to improve the resume or a way to get easy money, instead, he saw that he needed a friend and that’s what he became… Philippe’s friend. The second theme is the things that can come out of risk-taking. For example, when Driss first walked in for the interview he didn’t sit down he came just to get the signature and intended on leaving and not getting the job, but Phillipe took a risk knowing that Driss had no experiences in caregiving after a handicapped person and wasn’t successful at his previous three jobs. At the end of the movie both of their risk-taking proved the good things that can come out of it, in this case, they formed a lifelong friendship.

This text connects with the rest of the world because it highlights the inequalities in our world. For example, there are scenes in the movie that show Driss’s lifestyle, his neighborhood is very poor and dark, his family is struggling to get food and many people live in the same place which is small, unattained, and rugged. Compared to Phillipe who lives in a huge mansion alone, with his paid caregivers and gardeners etc. These two compared scenes show that there is a race inequality in France as well as other places in the world such as America.

This text teaches us that society is unfair and we all need to stand up for ourselves, it’s a huge world and you’re on your own, you need to do things for you but also help those close to you as much as you can. An example of this is when Philipe’s neighbor kept parking their car in front of his driveway when there was a sign that said no parking. Instead of reporting it to the police again and waiting for action to be taken, Driss took matters into his own hands and went and talked to the neighbor.

This text connects to my viewpoint about not judging a book by its cover, I think that our modern society has become very quick to judge people on their looks especially with things like Instagram and Facebook where we can find out so much about a person before even physically meeting them or talking to them. Personally, I think this is very unhealthy because when you finally meet that person you have already made your mind up about them and it can be hard to change peoples opinions once they are made. The other theme of the text is risk-taking, and I’m totally all for risk-taking! I think it such a good thing for all of us to do every once in a while because you go into this new thing completely clueless and open minded which is really good for us to do and get out of our comfort zones. Becuase these days we are so comfortable in our everyday luxurious lives and most of us don’t take many risks so I think its good to now know whats coming sometimes when you take a leap of faith.

I would definitely recommend his text to others! It such a great movie although it is hard to understand because it is in French and you have to read the subtitles but it is definitely worth it. This movie can you teach you a lot if your open minded, It highlights some important issues in our modern society doing so with some humor. It will also make you appreciate how lucky we are that we have full movement and can do things like ski and play a sport or simply just get into the car alone. As well as for those that have restricted or no movement, things are still possible and this movie shows just that.

ESSAY PRACTISE

Analyse how language features were used to capture the reader’s imagination.

  • Amir’s narrative point of view 
  • Foreshadowing
  • First Language Words, Festival, and cultural references 
  • Symbolism- kites, lamb to the slaughter, the cleft palate

In this novel, The Kite Runner written by Khaled Hosseini uses numerous effective language features such as foreshadowing, and symbolism to help develop the main character, Amir. This character then goes on to help the reader understand the themes of the book betrayal and redemption. The author uses symbolism to represent

Thorugh out the novel, the author uses the language technique narrative point of view to tell the 

PARAGRAPH ONE: Narrative point of view- first person. Amir talks about cultural, religious, political, social events and issues.

PARAGRAPH TWO:  Foreshadowing- hints at events to come

PARAGRAPH THREE: Symbolism and themes- Kites, Cleft lip, family relationships, guilt, redemption, 

CONCLUSION:

Discuss how the author uses language techniques to develop a main character in the novel, and how this character helps you understand one or more themes/ideas. 

 LANGUAGE TECHNIQUE:

  • Foreshadowing
  • Symbolism

Foreshadowing:

it helps Develop Amir because from the glimpses that we got from the beginning of the book because the write foreshadows that Amir will later on become guilty for not helping Hassan.

As well as hinting that Mair’s life is going to change forever and that he is not as good as he may seem, but still buys into the society buy betraying Hassan since he is his servant.

Symbolism:

On the Day of the kite fishing Hassan had a dream about a monster being in a lake, Amir walk into the lake and Hassan follows, Hassan 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, Hassan says that there isn’t a monster waiting for Amir because its instead waiting for him, (Assesf) Like in the dream when Hassan followed Amir into the lake the lake is just like the alleyway 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 dream helps the reader understand what kind of friend Amir is to Hassan.

Kite running is another symbol that is used throughout the novel At the beginning of the novel the Amir and Hassan first enter the kite fighting competition it all seems very innocent and fun to both of them, But later on, kites become that constant reminder for Amir on how his betrayal that day in the alley. The kites are also a symbol for Amir to get his father to love him, and make Baba proud of him. 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 apologies to him 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 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 going and Amir has once and for all redeemed himself.

The actual Kite its self-symbolizes Amirs life, the

Amir helping reader understands theme:

  • Redemption
  • Betrayal

CHAPTER 1 TO 11

The importance of setting

Explain the importance of the setting (historic, social, cultural, political) and its influence on how the narrator (Amir) tells his story.

Social Castes :

  • Amir (high caste, Pashtun)
  • Hassan (low caste, Hagara)

Historical:

  • Just before the Russian invasion

Cultural:

  • Islamic Country

Political:

  • Baba was a powerful figure in Kabul society

The first three chapters of the novel tell us the basic facts of the story such as who the major characters are, their backgrounds, and what their relationships with each other are like. The section also establishes a context for the information: Amir, our narrator, is an adult living in the United States and looking back on his childhood years in Afghanistan. In fact, history is an important theme in the novel, and looking back on the past is a recurring motif. That’s because, for Amir, the past is not over. He believes it to be a fundamental part of who he is, and no matter how far he is in time or location from his childhood in Afghanistan, the events of that period are always with him, he feels a tremendous sense of guilt about those events, and he believes they shaped him into who he is. This guilt, informs the entire narrative.

“Almost two years had passed since we arrived in the U.S., and I was still marveling at the size of this country, its vastness. Beyond every freeway lay another freeway, beyond every city another city, hills beyond mountains and mountains beyond hills, and, beyond these, more cities and more people.

Long before the Roussi army marched into Afghanistan, long before villages were burned and schools destroyed, long before mines were planted like seeds of death and children buried in rock-piled graves, Kabul had become a city of ghosts for me. A city of harelipped ghosts.

America was different, America was a river, roaring along, unmindful of the past. I could wade into this river, let my sins drown to the bottom, let the waters carry me someplace far. Someplace with no ghosts, no memories, and no sins.

If for nothing else, for that, I embraced America.”

What language techniques does Hosseini employ in this passage?

What is the effect of his use of these language techniques?

Explain the importance of the setting and its influence on how the narrator tells his story.

The setting of Kabul, Afghanistan is hugely socially, politically and culturally important in the novel The Kite Runner. The story is told from the point of view of Amir, retelling the years he was growing up in Kabul and events that influenced his life, and his long journey from guilt to redemption.

Because the story is set in Afghanistan and told from the point of view of a local boy, we learn aspects of a different society – Islamic religion, the different classes in Afghani society, local festivals and activities – specifically the sport of kite running. We are also exposed to numerous Farsi (Afghani) and Islamic words and phrases, which add cultural depth and authenticity to Amir’s voice.

We also see life in Kabul disrupted by the overthrow of the monarchy, then the Russian invasion which eventually leads to Baba and Amir having to flee Afghanistan and move to America as refugees. As Amir tells us:

“For me, America was a place to bury my memories. For Baba, a place to mourn his.”

AMIR STITCHES UP HASSAN

Forgive? But theft was the one unforgivable sin, the common denominator of all sins. When you kill a man, you steal a life. You steal his wife’s right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone’s right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. There is no act more wretched than stealing. Hadn’t Baba sat me on his lap and said those words to me? Then how could he just forgive Hassan? And if Baba could forgive that, then why couldn’t he forgive me for not being the son he’d always wanted? Why –

Amir decides “one of us has to go” – Why?

Amir says this because every-time he sees Hassan he gets reminded of his own guilt and his cowerdness from the day he witnessed Hasan get raped. Amir needs one of them to go so he can get  closure and doesn’t have to put up with the awkwardness looming in the air.

Amir then says “Then I understand: this was Hassan’s final sacrifice for em” -Explain… 

Hassan is so loyal to Amir that he will do anything to protect him. Everyone knows that Hassan would never lie so they believe him

Hassan says that he did steal the watch- Why?

Why was Baba so upset that he cried?