Yr 10 Gothic Fiction essay

Hi All,

here is a copy of the notes from today's class:

Essay question - Discuss the use of language in Poe's The Tell Tale Heart, and its impact on audience response.

use of language = how it is written
                           = the language conventions used
                           eg. 1st person narration, vocabulary, sentence structure, characterization,  description of setting, imagery

impact on audience = how the reader responds
                                 = what the reader interprets
                                 = why we have a particular understanding
                                 = how meaning is created
                                 = why we react to character actions the way we do
                                  = what the meaning of the text is

Thesis statements:

1. It is through Poe's use of various language devices that creates the manic mind of the text's narrator.
2. Poe uses a series of language devices that allows the text to conform to gothic conventions.
3. It is through the descriptive language that the reader in emerged into a tense and menacing atmosphere.

Possible topic sentences for Thesis 1.

1. Poe writes The Tell Tale Heart in first person perspective which allows the reader direct insight into the narrators mind.
2. Furthermore, Poe's erratic use of sentence structure implies the erratic thought process of the narrator.
3. Similarly, it is through the unusual and descriptive vocabulary that gives the impression that the narrator is unusual.

Happy Planning. :)

Mrs P

Media 1C Non-traditional cinema

Hi All,

Here are some resources for those students who have joined the class late this term.

Indi films
Shorts
World Cinema

Happy filming.

Mrs P :)

Year 10 English Investigation

Hi All,

Here is a copy of the portfolio requirements.

Gothic Fiction investigation:

Section 1:

You are to choose a minimum of two activities from Column A and two from Column B to complete for marking.

The activities in Column A have a writing focus and the tasks in Column B are more visual and/or creative in focus.

Column A All activities a minimum of 500 words	Column B
Book review  on either The Tell Tale Heart or The Red Room	New book cover for any text extract.
Extended response – To what extent are the conventions of Gothic literature present in modern fiction texts like Twilight.	Story board/comic version of the extract from Dracula  or Frankenstein
A diary entry or letter from Rick’s point of view explaining his thoughts and feelings during the extract of The Walking Dead.	Design a comic book version of the Dracula extract.
Feature article on Vampires “Coming out the coffin” as spoken about in Dead Until Dark	Create a movie poster for the film version of A Tell Tale Heart.
A story OR journal entries written from Robert Neville’s perspective in I Am Legend.	Create/Design an infographic/poster on Dracula and/or vampires
Detailed description of a vampire, vampire lore, and their strengths and weaknesses.	Create a pamphlet on zombies and how to protect yourself from attack
Rewrite the ending to give another conclusion to the story of A Tell Tale Heart.	Create a board game based on The Red Room.
Write an interview with the character in The Tell Tale Heart OR an interview that asks people their opinion on gothic texts.	Create a collage on the themes and major ideas in A Tell Tale Heart.
Rewrite a section of Frankenstein imaging it was happening today, not last century.	Make a short film based on the novel or a section of it.

Section 2:

Complete the following activities relating to The Tell Tale Heart and The Red Room.

1.      Comparison chart of the main aspects of each story

2.      The Factors of Fear

3.      Language and Atmosphere

4.      Identifying gothic conventions in The Red Room

5.      Extended response Tell Tale Heart narrator.

We will be reading The Tell Tale Heart and The Red Room, early next week. But you are more than welcome to read them now to complete your selections.

Happy writing.

Miss F

Media 1CD Lego animations

Hi All,

Here is a little reminder of the steps you need to follow when completing your lego animations:

Step 1: Select scene - this will be a scene or trailer of a well known Hollywood film

Step 2: Annotate & get screen caps - this will help you determine shot duration as well as camera angles and shot sizes, as well as camera movements. See eg. below.

Step 3: Equipment request - this will include cameras, lego, lights etc. Everything you will need to "hire" from school resources"


Step 4: Character design: create a costume design for your minifigs. This may mean creating custom decals to stick on your minifigs. You can find a variety of custom decals by googling "Lego decals" or find tutorials by searching "how to create Lego minifigure decals."

Step 5: Production schedule: this is so your team knows exactly when deadlines are for both shooting the scene and editing the final product

Step 6: Shoot - remember you will be taking approximately 15 shots per second of screen time. A minimum of 6 shots per second will be permitted, but this will make the animation look 'choppy'.

Step 7: Edit - organize which group members are editing which sequences, and bring together to form final submission.

Step 8: Reflection - complete the written reflection of the pre, during and post production process and evidence of contribution.

Step 9: Submit - place final film on to DVD or USB and submit your written components to Student services.

Happy shooting :)

Miss F

Year 10 English Gothic Fiction

Hi All,

Here are some important links and content for Gothic Fiction.

Conventions of the Gothic

Gothic elements include the following:

1. Setting in a castle. The action takes place in and around an old castle, sometimes seemingly abandoned, sometimes occupied. The castle often contains secret passages, trap doors, secret rooms, dark or hidden staircases, and possibly ruined sections. The castle may be near or connected to caves, which lend their own haunting flavour with their claustrophobia, and mystery.

2. An atmosphere of mystery and suspense. The work is pervaded by a threatening feeling, a fear enhanced by the unknown. Often the plot itself is built around a mystery, such as unknown parentage, a disappearance, or some other inexplicable event. Elements 3, 4, and 5 below contribute to this atmosphere.

3. An ancient prophecy is connected with the castle or its inhabitants (either former or present). The prophecy is usually obscure, partial, or confusing. "What could it mean?" In more watered down modern examples, this may amount to merely a legend: "It's said that the ghost of old man Krebs still wanders these halls."

4. Omens, portents, visions. A character may have a disturbing dream vision, or some phenomenon may be seen as a portent of coming events. For example, if the statue of the lord of the manor falls over, it may portend his death.

5. Supernatural or otherwise inexplicable events. Dramatic, amazing events occur, such as ghosts or giants walking, or inanimate objects (such as a suit of armour or painting) coming to life. In some works, the events are ultimately given a natural explanation, while in others the events are truly supernatural.

6. High, even overwrought emotion. The narration may be highly sentimental, and the characters are often overcome by anger, sorrow, surprise, and especially, terror. Characters suffer from raw nerves and a feeling of impending doom. Crying and emotional speeches are frequent. Breathlessness and panic are common.

7. Women in distress. As an appeal to the pathos and sympathy of the reader, the female characters often face events that leave them fainting, terrified, screaming, and/or sobbing. A lonely, pensive, and oppressed heroine is often the central figure of the novel, so her sufferings are even more pronounced and the focus of attention.

8. Women threatened by a powerful, impulsive, tyrannical male. One or more male characters has the power, as king, lord of the manor, father, or guardian, to demand that one or more of the female characters do something intolerable. The woman may be commanded to marry someone she does not love (it may even be the powerful male himself), or commit a crime.

9. The metonymy of gloom and horror. Metonymy is a subtype of metaphor, in which something (like rain) is used to stand for something else (like sorrow). For example, the film industry likes to use metonymy as a quick shorthand, so we often notice that it is raining in funeral scenes. Note that the following metonymies for "doom and gloom" all suggest some element of mystery, danger, or the supernatural.
 

wind, especially howling	rain, especially blowing
doors grating on rusty hinges	sighs, moans, howls, eerie sounds
footsteps approaching	clanking chains
lights in abandoned rooms	gusts of wind blowing out lights
characters trapped in a room	doors suddenly slamming shut
ruins of buildings	baying of distant dogs (or wolves?)
thunder and lightning	crazed laughter

10. The vocabulary of the Gothic. Here are some of the words (in several categories) that help make up the vocabulary of the Gothic 
 

Mystery	diabolical, enchantment, ghost, goblins, haunted, infernal, magic, magician, miracle, necromancer, omens, ominous, portent, preternatural, prodigy, prophecy, secret, sorcerer, spectre, spirits, strangeness, talisman, vision
Fear, Terror, or Sorrow	afflicted, affliction, agony, anguish, apprehensions, apprehensive, commiseration, concern, despair, dismal, dismay, dread, dreaded, dreading, fearing, frantic, fright, frightened, grief, hopeless, horrid, horror, lamentable, melancholy, miserable, mournfully, panic, sadly, scared, shrieks, sorrow, sympathy, tears, terrible, terrified, terror, unhappy, wretched
Surprise	alarm, amazement, astonished, astonishment, shocking, staring, surprise, surprised, thunderstruck, wonder
Haste	anxious, breathless, flight, frantic, hastened, hastily, impatience, impatient, impatiently, impetuosity, precipitately, running, sudden, suddenly
Anger	anger, angrily, choler, enraged, furious, fury, incense, incensed, provoked, rage, raving, resentment, temper, wrath, wrathful, wrathfully
Largeness	enormous, gigantic, giant, large, tremendous, vast

Links to the text extracts:

Dracula: Dracula Chapter 1
Frankenstein: Frankenstein Chapter 5
Twilight: Twilight extracts
Dead Until Dark: Southern vampires
I am Legend: I am legend
Interview with the Vampire: Vampire Chronicles
The Walking Dead: Walking Dead
The Red Room & The Tell Tale Heart: Wells & Poe

These text extracts are intended for educational use only.

Happy reading

Miss F

Year 11 Novel essays

Hi All,

Here are the whiteboard notes taken from today's tutoring session:

Intro:

1.  
2.  
3.  
4.  
5.                  , Christopher often challenges the stereotype of people with disabilities. (thesis)

Body Para 1:

1. Christopher is a character that demonstrates savantism. 
2. able to use intellect in a superior manner
   ability to do things a typical person could not
3. EG. able to solve complex math problems mentally eg. p#
4. even people without a disability would not be able to do this, let alone a person with a mental disability (or a developmental disorder)
5. if Chris was to conform to a/the stereotype, this attribute would not be present

Body Para 2:

1. Unlike other characters with disabilities, Christopher does not rely on others constantly.
2. characters like Charlie in The Black Balloon
3. eg. travels to London independently
4. even though he hasn't done it before he is successful
5. this achievement highlights his high functioning nature, not typical of people (or other characters) who are labeled disabled

Body Para 3:

1. Although Christopher is able to interact and function in society, he does present some unusual character traits
2. people with Autism often display certain characteristics and behaviours which are rational in their minds, but irrational to others
3. eg. doesn't like yellow or brown
4. the irrational obsession conforms to the criteria of an ASD diagnosis
5. this criteria highlights how Chris fits Autism, but this trait is not specific to other disabilities.

Conclusion

1. reword thesis
2. reword topic sentences
3.  
4.  

NB.This is by no means the only way of responding or necessarily the right way of responding to the essay question. This is more a place of departure for those of you who are really stuck and unsure on how to use the framework.

Happy writing.

Miss F.

Year 10 Documentary essays

Hi All,

Here is a copy of our whiteboard notes from today's session:

Intro:

1. Can we really present the reality in an un-bias way?
2. Texts are often used to persuade viewers to take on particular perspectives on various issues.
3. Documentary films are texts which attempt to present themes and issues in a realistic way. They do not want viewers to feel they are bias.
4. Documentaries such as Bowling for Columbine, Supersize Me, and Once Upon A Time in Cabramatta deliver a specific perspective on topics
5. THESIS: Therefore, filmmakers use a variety of techniques in order for the audience to believe they are watching reality.

Body Para 1:

1. Filmmakers use a variety of techniques in order for the audience to believe they are watching reality.
2. emerge the viewer in action
3. quote or example - Morgan spewing
4. we share the experience and empathize.
   relate it back to our own experiences
5. by making the viewer relate it adds to persuasive effect

Body Para 2:

1. Similarly, filmmakers often use interviews to give the notion of an unbias perspective.
2. more personal and appears less constructed
3. quote or example - Cabramatta - families
4. filmmakers edit sections of interview to use
5. editing process manipulates the content

Body Para 3:

1. Furthermore, filmmakers intentionally omit certain elements to create a bias towards a subject matter
2. limits the scope on a subject matter.
   see topic in a specific way
3. quote or example - Bowling for Columbine - focused on anti-guns and mass shootings
4. creates a negative POV towards America and gun control
   doesn't show any positives
5. by limiting scope viewers are forced to see one POV

Conclusion:

1. reword thesis
2. reword topic sentences
3.   
4. 
   

Happy writing

Miss F.