Analyse how features of ONE important section made it particularly effective.

In Frank McCourts memoir, Angelas Ashes, an important section in the book that was particularly effective was Franks experience in the fever hospital at the age of 10. This section is effective as the story takes place in the 1930s and 1940s Ireland in the era of the Depression. This results in poverty, food scarcity and poor living conditions which steers the Irish to take their faith of Catholicism seriously, as they depended on the catholic church and God to have sympathy on their hard lives. this memoir also highlights the influence of catholic teachings and rituals in Franks life. Such ritual was the confirmation. After Franks confirmation, he gets a bloody nose, and fever and is diagnosed with typhoid and the important section is when he was taken to the fever hospital at the City Home.

One of the features used in this important section is the use of the Narrative style. This writing style is just like a story written in a childs perspective as he uses simple dialogue and he tells exactly what he sees due to lack of knowledge. When the nurses arrive by his bedside to set up the equipment, Frank describes the drip as "jars of red stuff that they hang from tall poles". This is written exactly as the 10 year old Franks point of view as he is unable to fully describe what a drip is and is rather perceiving what he knows to be similar by associating the blood with the 'red stuff'. The use of humour is also used to light up tragic scenes and also highlights the immaturity of the 10 year old Frank stating that he knew he would get better as  "a doctor would never fart in the presence of a dying boy". The use of this humour makes the reader admire his ability to see the bright side of the fact that he was ill in a fever hospital.

The characterisation of the nuns and nurses is also another feature of this important section. These nurses and nuns are characterised as wearing white with rosary beads showing their strict belief in the catholic faith. They are also shown as rigid, unfeeling and legalistic towards patients talking to each other. When Frank starts talking to another patient, Sister Rita forbids saying "Diptheria is never allowed to talk to Typhoid" According to her, Frank should spend his time "giving thanks and reading stories about saints and reciting the rosary by his bedside" because there is to be "NO talking between typhoid and diptheria". These legalistic attitudes shows that these nurses and nuns of authority only cares about following rules, even when the rules do not make sense as it is not possible to contract diptheria by talking across the ward and vice versa. Sister Rita also tries to stop Frank reading 'The Highwayman' and tells him off saying that he should "beg God's forgiveness for reciting a pagan poem". It seems to Frank that these nuns sees pleasure of any kind is associated with guilt. This shows the criticism of the restrictive and the strict moral rules enforced by the nature of the church. 

Franks love of literature is also another significant feature of this section. This is a significant feature because he developed his love confined to his bed with typhoid. Frank is grateful for his confined environnmnet as he states that "its lovely to know that the world can't interfere with the inside of your head". McCourt's love for shakespeare is evident as he continually recites "I do believe, induced by potent circumstances that, that thou art mine enemy", a phrase he does not understand but "its Shakespeare and its like having jewels in my mouth". This simile shows that the shakespearan words and phrases are like precious treasures to Frank, when he recites it. So despite the fact that Frank has typhoid so serious he was in hospital, reading books passes the time and it fulfills his education which later on is a ticket out of Ireland to America ("the land of opportunities").

To conclude, many features of the important section of Frank's admission to the fever hospital was particularly effective. The narrative style of writing in the perspective of the 10 year old Frank made it easy for the reader to connect to Franks thoughts and feelings and also the use of humour along with this narration made this section entertaining to read. The characterisation of nuns and nurses gives the reader a deeper insight to the strict attitudes imposed onto the patients and the discovery of literature in this section becomes an asset to Franks life later on.

Analyse how the author’s choice and presentation of setting helped develop a main theme

In Frank McCourt's memoir, Angela's Ashes, the reader is taken to places such as Ireland and America to gain an insight on his childhood experiences in the 1930s and 1940s. McCourt's presentation of his childhood family status, Poor Irish Catholic childhood and the social alcoholic status which his father Malachy could not resist helps develop significant themes in the memoir. This is done to develop the themes of poverty and hunger which plagues his family. However, the purpose of this autobiography is to convey the hardship of life in Ireland and why Limerick holds such an important place in McCourt's heart.

The anti-English sentiment was very strong in Ireland as most of the adult characters in the memoir condemn the history of the invasion of Ireland and the repression of the Irish by the English. Due to this fact, the McCourt family were seen as outsiders from America and were therefore treated with spite.With incredulity and disgust people keep asking Malachi and Angela (parents) if their children are Yankees. When Angela, Franks mum went to St Vincent de Paul society for charity, she was greeted with suspicion as to why a woman wearing an American coat was asking for charity. When she later confides of the miscarriage of her new born baby, she is then treated with sympathy and given a docket for groceries. The place where you lived in Ireland also had an effect as to how people treat you in terms of respect and exploitation of opportunity. When Frank's dad takes him to the church to be an altar boy, the door gets slammed on their face when the man takes one look at Frank. Angela, the mum later states "Tis class distinction. They don’t want boys from the lanes on the altar. … That’s what it is and ‘tis hard to hold onto the faith with the snobbery that’s in it" and this shows the rejection of opportunity because they are poor. So the 'Yankee' and the 'people from the lanes' status made life difficult for the McCourt's family as Frank was denied opportunities imposed by class divisions. These limitations deprived Frank of furthering his education as he was rejected as a poor boy dressed in rags and living in the lanes.

In the desperate need for food, money and shelter, the catholic church is the solace where confessions can be made, sins be forgiven and a place to plead for charity for better living conditions. McCourt narrates this childhood experience with humour and without self pity stating that "It was of course a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.” The repetition of 'miserable' emphasises the extent of his unhappiness as a child growing up. Raised in the slums of limerick, Angela, Franks mother barely has money to feed her children, therefore having to plead in humiliation and desperation for charity at the church. As Angela continues to have more children than she can feed and sometimes enduring starvation, the children wears rags for diapers and had to beg for a pigs head for Christmas dinner. Frank continues to endure poverty as himself, brothers and mother walk along the roadside to pick up coals from the ground to light a fire to warm their house, because their father is too 'grand' or is too full of pride to go looking for coal for his family. So even though the catholic people depended on the church, it only provided them with temporary relief such as dockets for food, shoes and clothing after humiliating them about their poverty and forcing them to beg. Due to this embarrassment forced upon the women begging for charity, Frank decides to steal rather than beg to survive.

Malachy, Franks father is an alcoholic who tend to use his wages for a 'pint' in the pub rather than catering for the basic needs of his family. Due to this selfish act his family are forced to beg and get help from friends and strangers, sometimes having to go without food leaving the children starved and driving Angela to retreat to staring in the dying ashes in the fireplace. Malachy's dependency on alcohol drove his family into deeper poverty leaving his children with diseases caused by weakness and malnutrition. Irritated by the lack of responsibility, Angela confronts Malachy stating “Where’s the money? The children are hungry. You mad oul bastard, did you drink the money again?”. Not only does this show desperation of money but also the different roles that husband and wife plays. We see that drinking is one of the ways to escape the hardships of Irish life, for example the death of baby Eugene. This drinking habit is encouraged by Franks grandmother who explains that the drinking is a medicine that eases his suffering. However the onslaught of poverty caused by excessive drinking has detrimental effect on the family and since they depended on the wages of the man, hunger and poverty continue to plague the family.

To conclude, McCourt's memoir of Angela's Ashes is mainly set in Limerick in the era of the great depression during the 1930s and 1940s. The family's poor Irish Yankee family status, the miserable Irish catholic childhood and the loquacious alcoholic father helped develop themes of extreme poverty and hunger. McCourt's purpose in writing this memoir is not only to reflect his childhood experiences, but also to make the reader aware of the difficulties his family faced. Despite all the odds, Limerick holds an important place in Frank McCourt's life as it was the place he grew up.  

What factors enabled a group to demonstrate a distinctive sense of identity in Nazi Germany? What characteristics made the group's sense of identity distinctive?

A distinctive sense of identity emerged in Nazi Germany during the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler after 1933. Several factors such as reactions to the Treaty of Versailles, the weak Weimar government , economic collapse and Anti-semitism contributed to the Nazi identity. This identity was comprised of a fascist dictatorship that used terror and propaganda through Anti democracy, Anti communism, Nationalism and through One fascist leader- Adolf Hitler.

Germany was accused for starting world war one, and therefore had to accept sole responsibility in 1919. The peace conference was held in Versailles where the allies (Lloyd George- Britain, Clemenceau-France, and Wilson-USA)  also known as the 'Big 3' presented their negotiations. Clemenceau, the prime minister of France, however wanted revenge and to punish the Germans bitterly for the damage they had caused in during the war. France won the argument in this peace conference, so therefore Germany lost 13 percent of their land, pay heavy reparations of £6,600 million and lost 10 percent of their industry, along with 15 percent of agriculture. Germany lost their overseas empire, the Rhineland was now occupied by the French and on top of that had to sign an embarrassing war guilt clause. The treaty of Versailles was signed with much protest that many promised to overthrow it and this brought about the identity of the Nazis. The Nazi gave Germany hope as they promised to regain power and honour by abolishing this treaty, and not abide by the punishments laid upon them like reoccupying Rhineland.

When Germany got rid of the Kaiser's system of government, a new constitution named as the Weimar Republic was formed. This constitution was an attempt to set up a democratic government but it encountered alot of problems like proportional representation. Proportional representation favored alot of small parties and therefore no party got a majority as each got  a small number of MPs. This meant that governments had to form coalitions and at times disagreed with each others views. This made the Weimar Republic very weak as it could never be a strong government. The constitution also gave the President, the states and the army too much power, whilst the proportional voting divided the Reichstag. Political crimes and violence escalated during this political instability and both the left and right wing political parties rioted and attacked the state. Nazi identity emerged by taking advantage of the weakness of the Weimar Republic to create their own fascist form of government. The Nazi promised to bring strength and stability, law and order and strong leadership against weak government. Hitler's strong personality and powerful ideas seemed to be just what Germany needed as the Weimar republic appeared indecisive and incompetent.

When the German government did not have enough money to pay for the reparations, the printed more and more money that the government did not have. This meant that the value of money was much less and prices rose higher. Hyperinflation occurred in 1923 which made living very hard as money became worthless and there were extreme poverty. The onset of the Great depression also put Germany in an economic slump. The American loans used to rebuild Germany's economy was now stopped. Taxes were raised, wages were cut and employment arose. People who had lost their jobs suffered poverty, hunger and homelessness. The people of Germany were now very desperate and would listen to any political figure who would promise them a better future. The economic collapse enabled the Nazis to demonstrate their distinctive sense of identity by providing an explanation or promise for every problem. For unemployment the Nazis promised to get people work on road-building and public works. He also promised to abolish reparations which was a burden that Germany could no longer afford to pay. This gave the people of Germany hope and therefore led to the rise of the Nazis. 

The Nazi's Racial Policy mostly affected the Jews living in Germany. Hitler believed that the Aryan people who were blue eyed, blond Germans were superior to other races. Hitler claimed that Germany's past problems were due to the fact that the country was not run by racially pure Aryans. Anti semitism was a factor that enabled the Nazis to demonstrate the distinctive sense of identity. The idea was to get rid of Jews especially the ones from positions of power and isolating them from pure Aryans. Jewish homes, shops and synagogues were destroyed all in the means of making Germany a united racially pure Aryan state. Many Jews were persecuted at concentration camps were mass genocide took place. The 'Night of the Broken Glass' is a good example of anti semitism in Germany. Hundreds of synagogues were burnt, and thousands of Jewish businesses were trashed and looted. Jewish people captured were killed as police stood and fire brigade stood by and did nothing. It was called the 'Night of the Broken glass' because of the shattered glasses that littered the streets. So in this identity Hitler and the Nazis used the Jews as a scapegoat because many Germans blamed them for Germany's defeat in World War One.

One of the characteristics of Nazism was the belief of anti democracy. Democracy generally involves elected officials, fair elections, right to run for public office, freedom of expression and the right to form opposition groups. Hitler had no interest in democracy because so far the democratic system of the Weimar government had been a failure and believed that Germany will thrive under one leader only; himself, Adolf Hitler with his fascist ideas. After failing to gain power by force in 1923, the Nazis went on campaigning in a more democratic way and the people of Germany responded well to the intelligent and intimidating speeches of Hitler. As soon as Hitler was elected democratically in 1933, he succeeded in destroying democracy and replaced it with dictatorship. Hitler believed that what Germany needed was a dictator who knew what was best for Germany and this characteristic made the Nazis sense of identity distinctive as Hitler carried out decisions which everyone had to obey with loyalty and any form of opposition was dealt with by the SA, whom were Hitler's special police force.

The national leaders of the Nazis were masters of propaganda and trained local groups in propaganda skills. The Nazis claimed that communism was a threat to the well being of the nation because of its support for class divisions and hostility towards businessmen. An example of propaganda to extend fear and hatred towards communist is the Reichstag fire. On the night of February the Reichstag building was set on fire and inside police found a Dutch communist who was arrested and charged with arson. That same night Prussian police arrested and imprisoned thousands of communist leaders. The next day Hitler persuaded President Hindenburg to pass an emergency decree suspending all articles in constitution for personal liberty, freedom of speech, freedom of press and freedom of assembly were banned. So the anti communist characteristics of Nazism eliminated opposition to their idea of a true fascist state by means of propaganda.


Another characteristic of Nazism was Nationalism. The Nazis believed that Germans were of pure Aryan master race with features of blond hair, blue eyes and certain dimensions of the shape of head and skull. The Nazis wanted all racially pure Germans to feel they were part of the 'Volk' or the 'people's community'. To create this community, churches, political parties or any other organisation which might divert people's attention from being involved in the Volk was abolished by the Nazis. Hitler wanted to win the hearts and minds of the people to do what he wanted them to do. This characteristic made the Nazis distinctive as there was no room for free speech and Nazis made sure that any ideas that opposed Nazism was banished. As the 'master race' Germans were encouraged to have more children in the other means of Nationalism. Since more than a million men had been killed in the First World War, they encouraged the nation to have more children by giving medals such as gold, silver and bronze to the family with the most children. The other races living in Germany such as the Jews, however did not fit this idea of nationalism as they were considered 'pests' and taken to concentration camps. Life was a struggle and the German Aryans were believed to be physically and mentally healthy.

The distinctive sense of identity for the Nazis was successfully established through the harsh Treaty of Versailles, the incompetent Weimar government, the collapse of the economy that caused lots of hunger and poverty. Anti Semitism was also a factor as Hitler believed that the Jews were behind Germany's humiliating defeat in World War One.m Characteristics such as Anti democracy, Anti communism and Nationalism made the Nazis sense of identity distinctive as they used terror such as sending Jews to concentration camps and propaganda such as the Reichstag fire to eliminate communists.

Demonstrate the importance of the opening scenes/ sequences from your studied film in foreshadowing later elements of the whole work.

The opening scenes of the South African film Tsotsi, directed by Gavin Hood was very important in foreshadowing later elements in the work. The first scene is of Tsotsi and his gang (Boston, Butcher and Die Aap) in Tsotsi's shack. We see Butcher and Die Aap gambling with a dice whilst Tsotsi is standing by a window looking out into the night with his back on the camera so we do not see him at first glance. Then they leave the shack and make their way to the train station of Johannesburg, a place where they pick out vulnerable people for money.

The first shot is an extreme close up of two dice that has just been rolled by a hand. After this shot we see two men Die Aap and Butcher gambling in Tsotsi's shack. The symbolic meaning of the dice is of fate. This is important as in the game of life we do not know what will happen and that is evident, throughout the film when Tsotsi and his gang makes decisions solely based on luck. These young, uneducated gangsters do not take into consideration the consequences of  living on the edge and not knowing what is to happen to them as they gamble away their lives. When you roll a dice, it is the dice that is in control of what number it is to come up not you. In the same way in this film the fate of these gangsters are controlled by the decisions they make to do something. This scene foreshadows later elements of the film and some of Tsotsi's decisions. In the later parts of the film, Tsotsi is out on the rich suburbs as a rich woman gets out of her car to the gate to buzz her husband to open the gate. The woman seems to be having trouble buzzing her husband and Tsotsi takes this opportunity to steal the car. Luck is shown on Tsotsi's face as he silently approaches the car and gets ready to drive off. The woman stops buzzing the gate and she runs to her car screaming to stop Tsotsi. She opens the car door and Tsotsi shoots her. In less than a mile, after careless driving, a cry of a baby is heard and Tsotsi turns around to discover a little baby boy strapped on the backseat. The fate of the dice in this scenario is that Tsotsi saw luck in stealing a car but he never knew he would be in a position to shoot a mother, who happens to have a baby in the car.

During the opening scenes there is a close up of Butchers makeshift weapon tapping impatiently on  the table while gambling with Die Aap. This knife foreshadows later elements in the film as it is a common weapon found in the streets and often used as a preferred tool in killing as it causes little bleeding and is easy to stab into the skin. This knife was used by the provocative Butcher to kill an innocent vulnerable old man on the train. When the train reached its destination and stopped,all the commuters poured out undisturbed and into the platform to their separate ways. This shows the uncontrolled violence and crime that takes place in South Africa everyday and in a way for most people is seen as a normal way of life in every typical day as no-one stepped up to investigate what was going on. As one of the themes in this film is redemption, these acts of unjust violence is what Tsotsi later on aims to redeem himself from. The idea of change of heart is brought about when he stalks Morris, a man in a wheelchair who had assaulted Tsotsi by calling him "dog" after Tsotsi accidentally trips on him. Tsotsi decides to take revenge as he stalks Morris to an underground place. Feeling of unease is created by low rumbling sounds and the clatter of coins in a tin can. Tsotsi approaches him and asks "Why do you go on living like a dog?". Morris stuns Tsotsi with "Me, I like to feel the sun on the streets". With this Tsotsi comes in terms that you do not need power, status and wealth by means of violence to be happy or have a meaningful life.

 In the opening sequence, there is a long wide shot of Tsotsi's shack. in the mis en scene we see the silhouette of Tsotsi's back. As his back is on the viewer unlike the other gang members and he is set up as an outsider, someone who is different from the beginning. His status as a leader is shown when Die Aap asks "What are going to do today?", followed by the other gang members "yea Tsotsi what are we going to do?". This foreshadows later elements in the film as he makes the decisions and the gang does not function without him. As the leader and main character, he reveals to the audience his lost childhood, and by discovering the baby, he changes from a thug to a more humane person.

When Tsotsi and his gang left the shack, on their way to the train station in Johannesburg we get a more in depth analysis of the shantytown. There is a mid shot angle of Tsotsi walking in front of his gang, Die Aap on his right, Butcher on his left and Boston at the back. Tsotsi walk with an air of dominance as he looks straight ahead whilst his gang watch out for him on the sides and back. He wears a black leather jacket, a signature dress code which indicates how tough and rebellious he is as a gangster. This dress code foreshadows later elements in the film when he discovers self awareness. We know this as later in the film, after he had given the baby to its parents he was circled by police cars. He stood in the middle of the road with his arms raised signaling surrender. One of the things that stood out was his white shirt. the white shirt was now the indication of justice. All those times as a gangster with a black leather jacket committing unjust acts are over. With arms raised wearing a white shirt and standing alone in the middle of the road shows that he is willing to stand up for his actions and face up to consequences.

At the end of the opening sequence, there is an extreme long establishing shot of the inside of the train station. The station is vast, modern and clean. In this shot one of the major concern is to highlight the issue of AIDS. We know this because of the huge billboard display quoting "We are all affected by HIV/AIDS". The vast interior is also a place to scope out victims. This station is important in foreshadowing later elements in the film as it tells us how serious AIDS is in South Africa. Tsotsi lost his mother because of this disease and we know this through the flashback. There was a flashback of Tsotsi's mum laying sick in bed telling her son to come over to her. Tsotsi's dad comes into the room angry yelling at the mother that she is too sick and demanding Tsotsi to leave the room. Tsotsi hesitates between his mum wanting to show love to her son and his father wanting him to get out. When Tsotsi runs out of the room, he looks back to see his dad kick their dog, breaking its leg. this shows what an abusive and violent dad he had. this gives the viewer an understanding as to why Tsotsi chose the hard, aggressive, gangster way of life because he had grown up alone with no one for support.

To conclude, the opening sequence in the film Tsotsi is important and therefore foreshadows later elements in the whole work. Techniques such as camera shot, dialogue and mis en scene are used to help viewers understand the significant ideas portrayed. The elements at these opening scenes foreshadow the themes of redemption, self awareness and lost childhood in Tsotsi's journey of life. The issue of HIV/AIDS is also addressed in South Africa.

Analyse techniques used to establish the settings in a film and explain the importance of the setting as a whole.

The film 'Tsotsi' directed by Gavin Hood is set in Post Apartheid South Africa. This film focuses on areas such as the shantytowns and the Johannesburg suburbs. This is done to show the extent of the effect the Apartheid had had on the Blacks that were confined to the slums during the apartheid and the other significant amount of blacks that are now upper class and living in the suburbs. The issue of HIV/AIDS is also addressed.

Shot types and the mise en scene of the train station are used to establish the economic and social situation of the South African society. The establishing shot of the train station is extreme long shot, high angle and is focused on the inside of the station. This shot shows the vast interior and also both the rich and poor people in the same environment on their separate journey by train. The mise en scene emphasises how clean and modern the station is. We see a wide billboard hanging from the ceiling which states 'We are all affected by HIV and AIDS'. This sign educates outsiders the impact AIDS has on South Africa and the impact it has on people like Tsotsi, the main character in film. Tsotsi's parents passed away with AIDS leaving him orphaned at a very young age. Through these camera shots and mise en scene, the director helps educate viewers about AIDS in south africa and the social status of the poor and rich people.

Music and soundtrack are also important as they are used to help viewers understand a certain mood and/or culture of the poor in the Soweto shantytowns. At the early stages of the film, there is a scene of Tsotsi and his gang shuffling along in the street. The soundtrack of 'Mdlewembe' was associated with this scene. The director uses this particular music to build a sense of suspense. We know this because the tone of this soundtrack was very intense, full of bass, had very strong tempo and it was upbeat. Due to the adrenaline rush given off by the tone, we feel that this gang are up to no good. Also this music is an example of Kwaito music which is common on the streets of the shantytowns. The music is a way for these people to speak out about their hardship and this is noticeable as we see shacks piled on top of each other and rubbish strewn around everywhere.

The mise en scene is one of the most significant techniques used to contrast various settings in this film. This contrast is between the middle class or upper class suburbs and the shantytowns. We notice that the suburbs have well aligned streets, with streetlights. The suburbs are a clean area with lots of green and well groomed trees. Their buildings are made of cement and wood surrounded with security camera and electronic gates. At the shantytowns, the setting is very different. Their buildings are made of corrugated iron and bits of metals put together to form a shack. There are no streelights and the streets or walkways are covered in dirt and rubbish. The director usese this contrast to tell viewers that there are parts of south Africa that is rich and there are parts were shanty towns and slums still exist. It also highlights how in the suburbs, the need for security is much greater to keep away intruders or villains living at the back of their priced suburban area. According to history during the apartheid the black people of south africa were confined to the slums as a way of separating them from the whites which made them feel dehumanised. So the mise en scene in the shantytown points out that even though the apartheid is over, many blakcs are still extremely poor and have to live without clean runnning water and electricity.

In addition to the techniques already mentined, costume helps to establish the differece in the two class divisions. The two characters that emphasise this division is Miriam who lives in the shantytown and John, the upper classs black man who lives in the suburbs. The clothes Miriam wears are earthy coloured and traditionally patterned. It is not the kind of  clothes that has a brand on it and can be bought at a fashion retail outlet. It is the type of cloth that are sewed by hand and found in a tailors shop. Miriam also wears colourful head scarfs which are quite symbolic to African women as they show pride and strenght. John, the upper class man is seen wearing European style clothes which are modern and quite expensive. This style of clothing emphasise his status of wealth and his disregard towards his traditional costumes which he considers poor and out dated.

The importance of the setting to the film as a whole was to establish the issues such as the huge gap between the rich and the poor in south Africa and also the huge impact AIDS has on these people. Issues such as desperation for money, envy and resentment of the upper class's wealth, puts the shantytown dwellers in an economically segregated community which leads to the need of security for the upper class living in the suburbs.

In summary shot types, mise en scene, soundtrack and costume were the key techniques used to establish the setting in the film 'Tsotsi' directed by Gavin Hood. These settings were important to the film as a whole because it helps the viewers understand certain issues such as the social and economic segregation, poverty in the shantytowns and the serious issue of HIV/AIDS.

The Responsible

The never ending trail of life's symptoms
Some were responsible for the creases on her face

She is an owl
Some were responsible for the owlness in her
Eyes so empty it engulfs any light that ventures its path
As it looms back and forth
Left to right. Right to left

A lost duckling
Some were responsible for the genocide of her cries
Legs leading to the gaping cave with NO EXIT
Drenched tongue licking a piece of bone
On a silver platter

A life with no purpose
Some were responsible for her sunken heart
And as she craddle the stones on the pavement

We were all responsible for stepping on her

Analyze how symbols have been used to develop your understanding of ideas in TWO short written texts you have studied.

In the poems 'Valentine' by Carol Ann Duffy, symbol used to develop our understanding of the idea of love is 'an onion' and in 'This is love' by Karlo Mila, symbol used is 'a plant'. These symbols are extended metaphors used to express the reality of love.

In 'Valentine', the symbol of an onion is "a moon wrapped in brown paper". This tells us that in order to get to love, some work has to be done. If you take a look at an onion, it is first covered with brown coating. To get to the actual onion, you have to peel off this coating. The peeling off this coating, finally brings you to the actual onion, the kind where you can actually do something with it like eat it. You would not find anyone eating an onion with the brown skin still on, so in the same way a moon wrapped in brown paper is definitely worthless and dark. This is not to say that love is worthless and dark, but rather in order to get to it, you have to find a way of peeling that brown coating to get to the good part of it where you can actually embrace it with light.

However 'Valentine' also states "it will blind you with tears". With this quote Duffy is been absolute about the idea of love not been all happiness, joy and laughter but rather there are times when tears has to be shed. The little strong sting from an onion juice makes you cry in the same way, a little misconception with love can definitely blind you with tears. If you think about it more, when you cut a little slice or piece of an onion there are small amounts of onion juice. Now depending on the way you cut it, if you cut it mercilessly with careless attention then you will send bits of onion juice in the air, they will sting your eye and then with no control, your eyes starts watering. How does this connect to love? If you do not cut your love properly with a careful eye, respect and attention, then your love will be blinded fulled with uncontrollable tears.

In 'This is Love', the symbol of a plant is "seeds sown in the hopeful spring". In this case, the seeds been sown is the beginning of love in the hopeful spring. This gives us the impression that we plant love, hopeful that it grows. This emphasizes some kind of risk of doing something and just hoping that the end result is positive. This quote is also followed by "hiccups of hope". The 'hic' is the little unexpected moments of doubt, time spent wondering if the love (seeds) will blossom in the end. It could also mean little hints of flourishness and happiness, which is more on the positive side.

Mila also states that "love is the watering, the watching, the pruning, the tending, the providing of new buckets and the finding of new doorsteps". This metaphor is strongly linked to how we take care of plants. We water our plants so it does not die, we watch it to make sure no one comes and take it away and we prune it to make it look perfect. With love, we water or shower it with romance so it does not die, we watch it carefully to make sure we stay honest with each other, and that no one comes in between that bond and we also shape it in a way that we show that affection towards each other to obtain that perfect look. 'the providing of new buckets' is the adapting to changes and coming up with new solutions to mend it and 'the finding of new doorsteps' is the new stages we take on in life. Just like how a small plant outgrows its bucket, love grows and we need new buckets to put it into.

To conclude, in the poems 'Valentine' by Carol Ann Duffy and 'This is Love' by Karlo Mila, an idea they both discuss about is love. Symbols like 'an onion' is used in 'Valentine' and symbol of 'plant' is used in 'This is Love' as an extended metaphor to make us understand that love is something you work for and take care of with a careful eye.

The Pace Of Modern Living Destroys Happiness

I firmly agree that the pace of modern living destroys happiness. This is due to the increase amount of obesity through poor diet, introduction of social networking sites and increase demand of infrastructure. However, the introduction of technological advances in our modern society does make life a little easier.

Developed countries have a more modernised approach to living compared to developing countries. This is because they have been able to adapt to various changes to the environment, thus making it easy to predict that people living in developed countries are much happier. One of the factors that proves this wrong is the obesity.This medical condition is the result of excess fat been stored in your body which leads to reduced life expectancy. The increase in the amount of obesity is hardly surprising in this modern world where supermarkets, restaurants and fast food outlets seems to appear out of nowhere. This kind of modern lifestyle is inconvenient knowing that we can eat whatever and whenever we want. All it takes is to step into McDonald's, order our favourite burger and within minutes your heart thumps into the anticipation of that greasy yet delicious burger. The temptation of so many fast food outlets makes it so irresistible to stick to a more healthier traditional diet. This is a fact because in developing countries, obesity hardly exist. This is because people living in developing countries, tend to stick to staple diets such as foods high in starch and carbohydrates. People living in modernised easy-to-get-food often find themselves consuming food filled with chemical additives, preservatives and saturated fats.

The introduction of Social Networking sites has not only made socializing easier, but also a common playground for sexual predators and serial killers. In fact our modern way of life is going at a much faster pace, than we can catch up. Widows find comfort in chatting up strangers to make themselves feel better, strange men find these sites an opportunity to steal identity of other people and stalk them and teenagers find these sites a playground in which to play pranks on their fellow mates. How sad is it, that we are more willing to sit opposite a computer all day to simply make conversations to one another rather than meet up and chat like 'the good old times'. This way, you could have private interactions with one another without the fear of identity theft, hackers and sexual predators. Also sites like these encourage us to abandon the normal way of communication. Communication in a sense where we can hear each other laugh, see each other cry and are able to provide a shoulder to lean on when in need.

Global Warming is taking a serious toll on our universe. All of which mankind is to be blamed. Modernised way of living is to build grand mansions, fancy hotels and big industries which acquires trees to be chopped off. To grant the wish of such a living, trees are chopped off creating deforestation and putting native animals that naturally inhabits that area and putting them at risk of exposure. How selfish really can we be? The desires of such modern luxuries only makes us want more and more and in the end we put ourselves at risk of global warming. It might make us happy knowing that we can show off our industries and mansions, but does the face of our planet share that happiness with us? NO. It really is not worth sacrificing trees to reach high demands of such infrastructures. Surely Africans who still live in mud houses are perfectly content with themselves?

However the introduction of technological advances in our modern society does make life a little easier. Some of these technological advances are cellphones, wireless laptops, internet and GPS navigator in cars. The use of these products does makes us happy, but only if we can afford them! Using a cellphone does make life easier through the use of txt and pxt and we are able to connect to the internet without the hassle of wires using wireless laptops. Internet opens up the world to us in just one click and we can count on finding our way in a foreign country by relying on high tech GPS navigation in our cars.

To conclude, I stand by by my agreement that the pace of modern living destroys happiness. This is due to poor diet temptation leading to obesity and introduction of social networking sites that are a threat to our private lives. Increase in demand of infrastructure brings about deforestation causing the rise of global warming and the exposure of native animals been forced out of their natural habitat.

Describe how a character faced pressure and explain how he/she coped with it.

In the film 'Mean Creek', directed by Jacob Aaron Estes, a character that faced pressure was Clyde. He faced this pressure by accepting the fact that he is vulnerable to insults due to the fact that he has a homosexual father. He coped with this pressure by tolerating his friends calling him a 'faggot'.

Clyde is a shy, peaceful teenager who is vulnerable to insults such as been called a 'faggot' due to the fact that his father is homosexual. Marty, an angry and a violent boy who like shooting bottles whilst calling them names of real people, often uses this insult on Clyde. The first time the viewer hears of this word is in the beginning when they(Marty, Clyde, Rocky) were in a car near a waterfall and Marty held some kind of addictive drug for Clyde to try it. In a very agitated tone, Clyde said "... get it out of my face" and Marty responded with "faggot". Clyde always either look or walk away embarrassed and just never seems to attack anyone for insulting him through that word. This behaviour makes you question the kind of pressure teenagers with a homosexual parent has to go through.

The slang definition of a faggot is a male who is homosexual. Even though it is his dad that is homosexual, everyone takes it as an opportunity to say it to Clyde's face. The way Clyde condoned this pressure is very remarkable considering the fact that most teenagers will most likely take this kind of insult personally and stir up a fight. An example of when the average teenager; when put in Clyde's shoes will act in a provocative manner is when George said to Clyde "shut the fuck up, Clyde! You faggot!... skinny, butt-munching faggot!I hate you, you know that?... Because all you do is fucking prance around school, talking about your fucking faggoty, fairy fathers!...It makes me sick! And I... I fucking hope they fucking die of fag disease!". This is a great example of some of the situations where you would expect the victim, in this case Clyde, to fight George for been insulting but as usual, Clyde just stares in horror as he slowly digests what George just said to him about his dad and does nothing about it.

To conclude, the character that faced pressure was Clyde. He faced the pressure of having a homosexual dad, by accepting that fact that he is vulnerable. By accepting the fact that he is vulnerable, he coped with this pressure by condoning and looking the other way.

Is New Zealand really clean and green?

New Zealand is a clean and green country. New Zealand is a clean country due to its strict Bio-security, to ensure unwanted pests and diseases are not introduced to the country. It is also a green country as it protects its natural heritage through the use of national parks and protection of its native animals.

Bio-security is a set of preventive measures designed to reduce the risk of intentional removal (theft) of a valuable biological material. This simply means that in New Zealand, before you arrive into the country, you are checked at the airport for illegal or harmful objects that could endanger our flora and fauna. Been clean is all about making sure our country is free from harmful pests and diseases that could destroy our native plants and animals. The reason why bio-security is so important is that pests and diseases poses serious threat to our economy, environment, health and cultural identity. In fact many of the worst weeds and pests that are harmful in other countries can cause us serious damage. This could be because New Zealand is so isolated from the other countries and so has no immune to foreign pests and diseases. To help keep the country clean, bio-security measures are taken very seriously.

There are many national parks in New Zealand. One of the most significant ones are Tongariro national park, the first national park in New Zealand. This park is a place to explore as it ranges from tranquil lakes, plateaus and active volcanoes like Mount Ruapehu. The green image behind this, is that these parks are aimed at the recognition of Maori heritage, be it cultural and/or spiritual. The other green image of New Zealand is its sensitivity towards its native species. Many of them are found nowhere else in the world and a perfect example of this is the Kiwi. In fact New Zealand is so proud, they call themselves Kiwis! Safe from predatory mammals, native animals roam free on the ground and several species even lost use of their wings.

To conclude New Zealand is a clean and green country as it cares for its flora and fauna, through the use of bio-security and the recognition of Maori heritage through National parks.

Describe an important idea in the text. Explain how verbal and visual features of the text help you understand.

An important idea in the film 'Mean Creek' directed by Jacob Aaron Estes is revenge and its consequences. This idea is verbally conveyed through the use of music and silence. It is also visually conveyed through the use of lighting and camera angle to help paint the picture of what the film is about.

In the film, Sam, an introverted little boy is bullied by George when he messes with his video camera. George is an overweight annoying boy whose best friend is his precious little video camera. When Sam's older brother Rocky and his friends, Marty and Clyde hears of this, they plan a revenge along with Sam and his girlfriend, Millie to make him pay. A quote from Marty about the revenge plan is "we're planning on stripping him, throwing him in the river, and then we're gonna make him run home naked". The outcome of this revenge was that when George was accidentally pushed into the water, he drowned due to the fact that he could not swim. This consequence had a huge effect on the characters knowing that they had to deal with the fact that they are responsible for George's death. The significance of this idea is that revenge is never the solution to get even and that everything has its consequences.

The verbal technique used to show the idea of revenge and its consequences is the use of music and silence. After the death of George, when the group (Sam, Rocky, Millie, Clyde, excluding Marty) was in Sam and Rocky's bedroom, the background music was soft and slow indicating a very sad mood and dark atmosphere. The groups feeling of remorse hung heavily in the air as there was silence in the bedroom shadowed by the soft music in the background. A quote from Millie to George questioning about this incident is "... when we graduate high school, and go to college and become doctors and lawyers and all that, what do you think it'd be like?". This question makes the audience thinks about the effect this revenge is having on these characters.

Lighting and camera angle is used to visually make the idea of revenge and its consequences more understandable to the viewer. Before the revenge took place, the lighting of the riverside was bright portraying a beautiful day to go boating. The camera angle was mostly eye level, revealing the surroundings of the riverside and just giving it a peaceful tuning to it. The lighting changed from bright to dark when George fell into the water. We also got a close-up view of George under the water when he was struggling to come up for air, and then soon afterwards the camera was shaky giving us the feeling that we were looking directly from George's video camera. There was a loud 'pop' when his head hit the camera and there was blood in the water. Soon afterwards, the screen went black. The screen going black signifies death and for a moment makes the viewer feel sick inside knowing that these teenagers have to deal with the consequences of their prank.

An important idea in the film 'Mean Creek', directed by Jacob Aaron Estes, is the idea that revenge is never the solution to get even, and that everything thing we do has its consequences. This idea is verbally conveyed through the use of music and silence. The idea is also visually conveyed through the use of lighting and camera angle to help paint the picture of what the film is about.

The Drinking Age Should Be Raised To 21

I firmly support the idea for the drinking age to be raised to 21. The reasons why I think this is because of drink driving, binge drinking and vulnerability to other drugs and other behavioural pattern.

'If you drink then drive, you're a bloody idiot'. Does this sound familiar to you? This popular advertisement as seen on TV is to make teenagers aware of the dangers associated with drink driving. According to the New Zealand Land Transport Agency, drink driving killed 135 people on New Zealand roads in 2004. That is an outrageous amount of people who had to lose their lives to irresponsible teens who refuses to stay sober. The scientific fact behind this is once alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream, it is taken up by cells in your brain and other vital organs slowing your reactions. It over shadows your judgement, dulling your vision and impairing your ability to drive.

Binge drinking is when you have 6 or more drinks on one occasion. The worst that some people expect from a night of binge drinking is a blackout and a really bad hangover but what they do not know is that they can die from alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is associated with binge drinking and that is when parts of your brain shuts down, because there is too much alcohol in the blood. It can make the person very ill and sometimes fatal. The really absurd thing is fact that many teens do not think about the negative side of binge drinking, although they might have the idea of getting drunk and having less consideration of getting a hung-over. In fact there have been situations where people have choked on their own vomit, because as a result of binge drinking, their gag reflex are not working properly.

Research shows that teens under the age of 21 are more vulnerable in involving themselves in unsafe sexual behaviour, committing suicide, having a low self esteem and are also more tempted into taking drugs like marijuana and been drug addicted. All these have a long term effect of liver disease, increased risk of some cancers, heart disorder, hypertension, pancreatitis and cirrhosis. Fact is the younger the person is under the influence of alcohol, the greater the risk of these long term effects.

To conclude, I stand my ground on supporting the idea of raising the drinking age to 21. It is very absurd for any teenager to risk taking alcohol at the age when the brain is still developing and incurring short and long term effects that is totally avoidable.

Descibe an event that was a surprise and explain why this event is important.

In the novel Of Mice and Men' by John Steinberg, an event that was a shocking surprise was when George shot Lennie at the back of the head. This event is important as it marks the ending of a strong dynamic relationship between two best friends.

It was very unlikely for the reader to have predicted that George will ever have the nerve to put Lennie out of his misery by putting a bullet through his head. George was not mad at Lennie because he knew that deep down, Lennie was not capable of hurting anyone on purpose. George's last words to Lennie shortly before he pulled the trigger was "...I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know." This event was a shocking surprise as George's last words were so sympathetic and almost forgiving.

The setting of this event makes it very important. It was set in the late afternoon on the yellow sands of the Salinas River. Steinberg describes this scenery as 'already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun'. This description of the setting gives off a peaceful feeling to the place. When compared to the tragic event that took place, it contrasts the peaceful setting to the tragic event that took place making it very important.

This event is also important as it marks the end of a strong, dynamic friendship between two men. It was very unlikely to see two men working side by side, supporting each other at the time of the depression. A quote from Slim (another character in the novel) to support this is "Ain't many guys travel around together, I don't know why. Maybe ever'body in the whole damn world is scared of each other."

To conclude, the surprising event of George having to shoot Lennie makes it an important event as he did this to put Lennie out of his misery. The event also marks the ending of a long, strong and dynamic friendship between two hard working men; a relationship, unusual to find in the times of the Great depression.

Describe a character in the text and explain why he/she is important.

In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, an important character is George Milton. He is an important character as he helps to portray the central themes in the novel and is involved in the most important event in the story.

George is a small, lean, quick- witted, short tempered and caring man who travels with Lennie Small. He sometimes says to Lennie "I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn't have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl." He is always there for Lennie even though he often talks about how better his life will be without him. At times George might be snappy and impatient but he never failed to protect Lennie.

George Milton is an important character because of his prolonged relationship with Lennie which helps to convey the theme of friendship and the American Dream. A quote from George to support how strong their friendship was is "Guys like us that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place... With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us." Another quote from Lennie that supports this is "An' why? Because... because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you, and that's why." The American Dream was to live off the fat of the land. George is important in keeping this dream alive by ensuring Lennie "we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof..." Holding on to this dream made life a little bit easier knowing that they have something to aim for. George always made Lennie happy when he tells him that when they get the farm he will get to 'tend em rabbits'.

A key event that happened was when George shot Lennie after he accidentally killed Curley's wife. George did this out of mercy to prevent him from getting shot from one of the men on the ranch who would have killed him brutally. George is important in this event as we remember him foretelling Lennie about their dream to live the fat of the land. He did this because he knew this was the last time Lennie was ever going to hear about owning a farm and tending rabbits. A quote from George to show his feelings before he shot Lennie was "...I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know." George said this shortly before he pulled the trigger on the back of Lennie's head.

To conclude, George plays an important role in keeping alive the friendship and the American dream with Lennie. He is also an important character as he accepts the relationship between him and Lennie as a father and his son relationship.

Social Networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook are endangering NZ teenagers

Social Networking sites such as Myspace and Facebook has truly transformed the way we interact and communicate with each other. The claims of these social networking sites is to build communities of people who share common interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of the other. In my opinion it is not a safe virtual meeting place for NZ teenagers to hang out. I firmly believe that they are endangering NZ teenagers because of identity theft, cyberstalking and sexual predators.

'Identity theft'. Myspace and Facebook requires or gives you the option to give out your personal details like your name, where you live and your email address. In real life, you would not give out these details to people you do not know, so why do it on the net? This is when identity theft comes in. As a virtual public meeting place, anyone can view your profile and pretend to be you. Someone can copy down your information and pretend to be 'you' when taking part in illegal activities like crime, theft and so on. When legal authorities like the police gets involved and investigate the source of the illegal activity, they will find your name and all your other personal details and track you down. This is why I find social networking sites a dangerous playground to hang out.

'Cyberstalking'. Cyberstalking is the use of electronic communication like pagers, cellphones, emails and the internet to bully, harass, threaten and intimidate a victim. Whether it is done in person or over a computer, the effects of being stalked can be very devastating to anyone who endures it. Cyberstalking is a real and fast increasing global problem with most of its victims targeted at young and females. How this is associated with social networking sites? When you post your profile on facebook and myspace, it helps you to connect with your friends more easily as well as making you vulnerable to these cyber predators. The difference between cyberstalking and identity theft is that cyberstalking does evolve into physical stalking, unlike identity theft where you never get to meet the person or see the person. Cyberstalkers also search for their victims by using search engines, online forums, discussion boards and chat rooms. The scary thing about being cyberstalked is that most of the victims never know that they are being followed.

'Sexual predators'. Myspace is in the spotlight today after revealing that 90,000 registered sex offenders have been kicked off its site in the past two years! This is a ridiculously huge amount of low lifes who would do whatever it takes to crush the freedom of others. Again, letting out your details and posting your pictures on these sites makes you vulnerable to these sick people. There is a true story about a 13 year old girl who got murdered by an internet sexual predator. She was just like any other teenager, a good student and co-captain of her Catholic school cheerleading team. Christina Long lead a double life online, pretending to be a tough girl who boasted that she was ready to face anything. She was strangled by a married restaurant worker, who she met in the chat room. The name of this sexual predator is Saul Dos Reis, 25 years of age and an undocumented immigrant from Brazil.

Social networking sites really are a threat to NZ teenagers. What teenagers like Christina Long tend to forget, is that "little drops of water makes a mighty ocean". What this means is that every little piece of information you leak out in facebook or myspace makes you the more vulnerable to the world of cyber crime. So Beware!

The Internet Should Be banned

I firmly disagree with the fact that the internet should be banned. The reasons why I think this is because it is an easier way of researching information, reuniting with relatives through cheap communication and shopping online.

This 21st century is a whole new world of technology. It is a virtual era where knowledge is always power and can be easily obtained through the internet. It provides search engines such as Google, dictionary.com, ask.com, Google maps and Wikipedia. Google is one of the biggest search engine on the net, providing access to a wide range of information ranging from the latest flu epidemic occurring in another country to watching the latest movie online. Another example of researching information is through Wikipedia a very effective online encyclopedia. I personally find it very helpful in doing my history assignments because it has got all the chronological dates and events in one place.

The internet has given the word 'communication' a whole different meaning. Talk is cheap online because the net enables instantaneous contact with people all over the world without spending a dime. Examples of this is emails and skype. Email is basically an electronic way of sending messages or letters. It is extremely fast and inexpensive and there are no long distant bills for you to pay. Another example of cheap communication is through skype. Skype is quite similar to emails. It is a software that allows its users to make person-to-person calls over the internet. I find skype very useful and cheap when contacting my relatives in Ghana. Other than calling them though skype, the only other option I have is to buy a calling card which costs me 10 dollars, an amount of money I can use to buy fish and chips. I would rather much prefer the easier, cheaper, simpler way through skype over the internet.

Shopping.Shopping.Shopping. Shopping could not get anymore convenient. Why? Well because you can shop 24/7 from the comfort of your own home within a few clicks browsing a whole range of stores and shop whenever you want. If you want to buy a new Alexander McQueen smoke jacquard dress at 3a.m you can! Another reason why it is so effective is because of privacy. There are times when privacy really matters especially when you need to buy condoms, tampons or Viagra. Many of us will be too embarassed to buy these things in a store where we would have to make some eye contact with at least one other person who knows what we are buying. So when we buy these kind of things online, that embarrassment is very, very minimised.

However, as the saying goes, 'for every positive, there will be an equal and balancing negative'. Hackers, sexual predators and cyber bullying are all problems associated with the internet. Any program that is communicating over the internet, can be tricked into downloading and installing unwanted programs on your computer. Chatting programs, surfing programs and even the program that enables us to connect to our internet provider fall victims to hackers. A way this problem can be solved is by downloading the latest security service pack for your windows version. I highly recommend ZoneAlarm. This software is a seriously good firewall and it actually works. When you connect your computer to the internet it prevents hackers from getting into your system at all.

To conclude, the positives such as researching information, reuniting with relatives through cheap communication and shopping online definitely outweighs the negatives such as been worried of your system getting hacked into, cyber bulling and sexual predators. After all, just like anything in this world, you have to take precautions. on the net, you have to make sure you do not give out your private details and you have to make sure you have downloaded or installed some kind of trusted firewall to ensure security.

Shattered Dreams

There's a point in life,
sorta like an opportunity
to climb the ladder
sometimes its a ladder leading to our dreams
other times, its just plain fantasy

in times of the great depression
they seek out this ladder
to drown out the recession

keeping alive the dream
of a farm fullo- dem rabbits
gave life a lil bit of flavour
with sugar and cream

but unknownst to its seekers
is what lies at the very end of this ladder

cos lennie never got to climb this ladder
and he never got to tend 'em rabbits.