I have commented on:
1) Nicholas - "Personal Response: Childhood Memories and Court Case"
2) Nathanael - "Childhood Memories"
3) Ivan - "Prejudice"
4) Glenn - "Prejudice - my experience"
5) Daniel - "Original Poems by Yours Truly"
6) Raphael - "1st Person POV or... 3rd Person POV? Hmm..."
7) Nicholas - "Prejudice.. What does it mean to me"
8) Nathan - "Practise What You Preach"
9) Gordon - "Personal Response (2)"
10) Raphael - "Blog Prompt 6! xD"
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Ending of To Kill a Mockingbird - Surprising?
Did the ending of the novel surprise you? If you were the author, would you have ended the story differently? Explain.
The ending of the novel did surprise me. The ending surprised me in two ways, the jury's decision and Bob Ewell's death.
Jury's Decision
To provide some important background information, the jury found Tom Robinson, an innocent black, guilty for raping Mayella Ewell, who is Bob Ewell's daughter. The Ewell family was in Maycomb County seen as poor white trash. Although they are completely healthy, they do not go to work and rely on money given by the government. In the court case, the jury found Tom Robinson guilty. I found this ending very shocking as I felt that Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson's defence lawyer (he is a white, by the way), very successful in his argument and his reasonings were very reasonable. However, because of prejudice against blacks, they decided that the defendant is guilty, causing his death.
Bob Ewell's Death
At the very end of the story, Bob Ewell tried to kill Atticus Finch's two children, Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) and Jean Louise Finch (Scout). However, the supposed antagonist in the story, Authur "Boo" Radley, saved them by killing Bob Ewell. This was surprising in three ways. Firstly, I did not expect Bob Ewell's hatred for Atticus Finch to be so deep such that he wanted to kill his children. Secondly, I did not Bob Ewell to be cruel enough to attack the young children Jem and Scout. Thirdly, I did not expect Arthur Radley to be so brave and courageous and kill others to help people whom he only met a few times. This ending was very shocking. I feel that most would agree with me.
Alternative Ending?
If I could change the ending, I would still remain with Bob Ewell's death. For doing so many bad things, he deserved such retribution in the end. However, I feel that his death could have been more dramatic as this would let readers hate Bob Ewell even more and identify with the story better. I would suggest that Arthur Radley not kill him so easily. There should be some struggle, with Arthur getting injured, which would make readers' impression on Arthur Radley have a big twist.
Another alternative I can think of is Mayella Ewell killing his own father because he was too abusive, with Mayella going to jail instead of a death sentence. This would make readers too hate Bob Ewell more and empathise with Mayella Ewell's tragic consequence.
The ending of the novel did surprise me. The ending surprised me in two ways, the jury's decision and Bob Ewell's death.
Jury's Decision
To provide some important background information, the jury found Tom Robinson, an innocent black, guilty for raping Mayella Ewell, who is Bob Ewell's daughter. The Ewell family was in Maycomb County seen as poor white trash. Although they are completely healthy, they do not go to work and rely on money given by the government. In the court case, the jury found Tom Robinson guilty. I found this ending very shocking as I felt that Atticus Finch, Tom Robinson's defence lawyer (he is a white, by the way), very successful in his argument and his reasonings were very reasonable. However, because of prejudice against blacks, they decided that the defendant is guilty, causing his death.
Bob Ewell's Death
At the very end of the story, Bob Ewell tried to kill Atticus Finch's two children, Jeremy Atticus Finch (Jem) and Jean Louise Finch (Scout). However, the supposed antagonist in the story, Authur "Boo" Radley, saved them by killing Bob Ewell. This was surprising in three ways. Firstly, I did not expect Bob Ewell's hatred for Atticus Finch to be so deep such that he wanted to kill his children. Secondly, I did not Bob Ewell to be cruel enough to attack the young children Jem and Scout. Thirdly, I did not expect Arthur Radley to be so brave and courageous and kill others to help people whom he only met a few times. This ending was very shocking. I feel that most would agree with me.
Alternative Ending?
If I could change the ending, I would still remain with Bob Ewell's death. For doing so many bad things, he deserved such retribution in the end. However, I feel that his death could have been more dramatic as this would let readers hate Bob Ewell even more and identify with the story better. I would suggest that Arthur Radley not kill him so easily. There should be some struggle, with Arthur getting injured, which would make readers' impression on Arthur Radley have a big twist.
Another alternative I can think of is Mayella Ewell killing his own father because he was too abusive, with Mayella going to jail instead of a death sentence. This would make readers too hate Bob Ewell more and empathise with Mayella Ewell's tragic consequence.
Mississippi Burning - Like it?
1. Did you like the movie? Why or why not?
I'm going to show two perspective to look at the movie. Then, I would provide a conclusion.
1) Why I liked it
I liked it as it showed me the problems in the 1960s in the United States of America, especially the Southern parts. Through different scenes, the movie showed the serious problem of racism. Also, it was fair as it not only showed the Ku Klax Klan (KKK) terrorising the blacks, but it also showed some whites also empathised with the blacks. In addition, there was a happy ending, in my opinion, where people from the KKK were caught and sentenced to jail. There was too successful characterisation through showing different personalities of the two FBI agents. Moreover, the last scene of the people singing is, in my view, a very powerful scene. Althought I do not really know what it means, I can see that it showed how some whites did not mind the blacks and sang together with them.
2) Why I disliked it
There were certain parts of the show which I disliked. For instance, the many scenes of the KKK terrorising the blacks were scenes which I hated. They were extremely violent and cruel, which I found hard to accept. I did not expect the problem of racism to be so serious then. However, I know that this was the motive of the movie in the first place, therefore, I just tried to imagine the scenes into words. This made the scenes not as scary as they were shown on the screen. This movie was rated R because of its adult language, adult situation and violence. I feel that the violence was really too much for us 14-year-olds to accept. Even some adults cannot accept too much violence suddenly. My next point would be about the adult language and situation. In my opinion, some of the scenes relating to the men's groin were inappropriate to show to 14-year-olds, especially those immature ones. Some people may make a joke out of it, which I feel should not be the case as we should understand why the director had certain scenes. One reason I can think of is to develop the characters and to show the distinct differences between the two FBI agents.
Overall, I did not enjoy myself watching the film, but I have indeed learned much. I do know that the violent scenes were essential to show the main idea of the director, therefore, I understand the uses of it. In conclusion, I like the film and would definitely recommend it to people who have at least some maturity.
I'm going to show two perspective to look at the movie. Then, I would provide a conclusion.
1) Why I liked it
I liked it as it showed me the problems in the 1960s in the United States of America, especially the Southern parts. Through different scenes, the movie showed the serious problem of racism. Also, it was fair as it not only showed the Ku Klax Klan (KKK) terrorising the blacks, but it also showed some whites also empathised with the blacks. In addition, there was a happy ending, in my opinion, where people from the KKK were caught and sentenced to jail. There was too successful characterisation through showing different personalities of the two FBI agents. Moreover, the last scene of the people singing is, in my view, a very powerful scene. Althought I do not really know what it means, I can see that it showed how some whites did not mind the blacks and sang together with them.
2) Why I disliked it
There were certain parts of the show which I disliked. For instance, the many scenes of the KKK terrorising the blacks were scenes which I hated. They were extremely violent and cruel, which I found hard to accept. I did not expect the problem of racism to be so serious then. However, I know that this was the motive of the movie in the first place, therefore, I just tried to imagine the scenes into words. This made the scenes not as scary as they were shown on the screen. This movie was rated R because of its adult language, adult situation and violence. I feel that the violence was really too much for us 14-year-olds to accept. Even some adults cannot accept too much violence suddenly. My next point would be about the adult language and situation. In my opinion, some of the scenes relating to the men's groin were inappropriate to show to 14-year-olds, especially those immature ones. Some people may make a joke out of it, which I feel should not be the case as we should understand why the director had certain scenes. One reason I can think of is to develop the characters and to show the distinct differences between the two FBI agents.
Overall, I did not enjoy myself watching the film, but I have indeed learned much. I do know that the violent scenes were essential to show the main idea of the director, therefore, I understand the uses of it. In conclusion, I like the film and would definitely recommend it to people who have at least some maturity.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Superstitions
Superstitions are formed because people do not understand what are happening around them and they form such superstitions in order to "protect themselves against the unknown". (Quoted from http://hubpages.com/hub/Superstitions--Some-Famous-Ones) Below are some superstitions that I have found on the web.
Superstitions
Sources:
1) http://hubpages.com/hub/Superstitions--Some-Famous-Ones
2) http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_commonly_believed_superstitions
Having bad luck...
1) When one get up from the wrong side of the bed
2) For seven years for accidentally breaking a mirror
3) When one walks under open ladders
4) When one opens an umbrella inside
Get good luck when you...
1) Hang horseshoes on the door
2) "Touch wood"
3) Find a penny heads-up
4) Find a four-leaf clover
Unlucky dates:
1) Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is when the 13th of a month falls on a Friday. It is believed to be an extremely unlucky day.
When you wish, you...
1) Wish on a new moon
2) Cross your fingers
Marriage Customs like...
1) Having marriage in June
2) Wearing rings
3) Showering rice
4) Wearing diamonds
Animals with special powers, like...
1) Dogs. When they howl, it is a sign of death
2) Black cats. They are unlucky.
The above superstitions are only just some superstitions out of the many outside there. All have stories behind them. (Please comment if you want to see the stories behind them) In my opinion, superstitions are not true, but many still believe in them as they give them a sense of comfort, comfort that they can avoid bad luck or have good luck when they do or do not do certain acts. I follow certain superstitions, such as Friday the 13th, as it was rather fun when I was still in Primary school. It was a very popular common topic among classmates and friends. I would say my own story of my experience with Friday the 13th.
When I was in Primary 5, I was introduced to Friday the 13th. It sounded fun and so, I joined in the fun of talking about how unlucky things would happen. In the end, something unlucky really happened. On that day, we had computer lessons. Then, while the teacher was teaching, there was lightning and thunder, and the computer suddenly switched off, so did the lights. Then, my classmates and I started talking about how it was Friday the 13th. Now, I still follow it, but I do not really believe that it would cause unlucky events.
Superstitions
Sources:
1) http://hubpages.com/hub/Superstitions--Some-Famous-Ones
2) http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_some_commonly_believed_superstitions
Having bad luck...
1) When one get up from the wrong side of the bed
2) For seven years for accidentally breaking a mirror
3) When one walks under open ladders
4) When one opens an umbrella inside
Get good luck when you...
1) Hang horseshoes on the door
2) "Touch wood"
3) Find a penny heads-up
4) Find a four-leaf clover
Unlucky dates:
1) Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th is when the 13th of a month falls on a Friday. It is believed to be an extremely unlucky day.
When you wish, you...
1) Wish on a new moon
2) Cross your fingers
Marriage Customs like...
1) Having marriage in June
2) Wearing rings
3) Showering rice
4) Wearing diamonds
Animals with special powers, like...
1) Dogs. When they howl, it is a sign of death
2) Black cats. They are unlucky.
The above superstitions are only just some superstitions out of the many outside there. All have stories behind them. (Please comment if you want to see the stories behind them) In my opinion, superstitions are not true, but many still believe in them as they give them a sense of comfort, comfort that they can avoid bad luck or have good luck when they do or do not do certain acts. I follow certain superstitions, such as Friday the 13th, as it was rather fun when I was still in Primary school. It was a very popular common topic among classmates and friends. I would say my own story of my experience with Friday the 13th.
When I was in Primary 5, I was introduced to Friday the 13th. It sounded fun and so, I joined in the fun of talking about how unlucky things would happen. In the end, something unlucky really happened. On that day, we had computer lessons. Then, while the teacher was teaching, there was lightning and thunder, and the computer suddenly switched off, so did the lights. Then, my classmates and I started talking about how it was Friday the 13th. Now, I still follow it, but I do not really believe that it would cause unlucky events.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Putting Yourself in Another Person's Shoes
Focus Activity
1) What does it mean to "put yourself in another person's shoes"? What personal qualities are necessary to be able to see things as someone else does?
To me, it means to understand situations from another person's perspective, and to look at things differently, from other's point of view. I feel that in order to do so, we need to understand the person as a whole in order to think from his/her perspective. Also, I feel that we need to be critical thinkers before we are able to see things as someone else does. If we do not think critically, we would not be able to know how something can affect that person and consider his/her feelings and thoughts of the event.
2) What makes it possible to adopt a different perspective? What is difficult about the experience?
I feel that it is possible to adopt a different perspective when we understand the situation and analyse it critically. Thinking from different points of views of people who may be affected by the event or decision is how we can adopt a different perspective. For example, as a student, playing is enjoyable, but they may spend too much time on playing. If we look from a parent's perspective, playing too much is not good for the child. This is how we can adopt a different perspective. What is difficult is that some people may not have the maturity or the ability to think in others' shoes. Also, some people are really hard to comprehend. Therefore, putting ourselves in their shoes can be a challenge for many.
That would be all for now. Do look forward for future posts.
1) What does it mean to "put yourself in another person's shoes"? What personal qualities are necessary to be able to see things as someone else does?
To me, it means to understand situations from another person's perspective, and to look at things differently, from other's point of view. I feel that in order to do so, we need to understand the person as a whole in order to think from his/her perspective. Also, I feel that we need to be critical thinkers before we are able to see things as someone else does. If we do not think critically, we would not be able to know how something can affect that person and consider his/her feelings and thoughts of the event.
2) What makes it possible to adopt a different perspective? What is difficult about the experience?
I feel that it is possible to adopt a different perspective when we understand the situation and analyse it critically. Thinking from different points of views of people who may be affected by the event or decision is how we can adopt a different perspective. For example, as a student, playing is enjoyable, but they may spend too much time on playing. If we look from a parent's perspective, playing too much is not good for the child. This is how we can adopt a different perspective. What is difficult is that some people may not have the maturity or the ability to think in others' shoes. Also, some people are really hard to comprehend. Therefore, putting ourselves in their shoes can be a challenge for many.
That would be all for now. Do look forward for future posts.
Childhood Memories and Court Case
Personal Response
1) What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read about Scout's experiences?
When I was Primary 2, my classmates introduced me to a haunted place in the school, which was actually a quite deserted sand pit. They told me about how hands would rise from it at night and how people with green eyes would appear too. Claiming that people had actually seen it, I started believing what they said, but with some suspiscion. I did not believe in such things, but it just seemed too real. This was like how Scout believes in what Jem and other poeple say about The Radley's Place.
2) As you followed the action in the courtroom, which character did you empathize with most? least? Explain.
In the scenes played in the courtroom, there were three main characters related to the rape case: Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell and Bob Ewell. I put their names in such an order because this is the order shows the empathy level for them, in decreasing order.
I empathized most with Tom Robinson. He was questioned and accused by the lawyer, Mayella and Bob Ewell, although he had not done anything wrong. Just because he was a black, the jury also made him guilty although he did not commit the crime. I feel that it is very unfair for him and thus, I empathized with him.
I also empathized with Mayella Ewell. She was the victim of the rape case, and still had to protect the real culprit. Therefore, she accused Tom Robinson. I can see that she did not feel too good about it, but that was her only choice. She was also questioned very severely by Atticus Finch and she still had to protect the culprit. In addition, she was abused by her father at home when he drank too much beer. Therefore, she is also worthy of empathy.
I empathized least with Bob Ewell. I could not even empathise with him! He kept lying during the trial and made Mayella lie too. I feel that the behaviour is very incorrect and untolerable. Therefore, I empathized with him the least.
1) What memories of your own childhood come to mind as you read about Scout's experiences?
When I was Primary 2, my classmates introduced me to a haunted place in the school, which was actually a quite deserted sand pit. They told me about how hands would rise from it at night and how people with green eyes would appear too. Claiming that people had actually seen it, I started believing what they said, but with some suspiscion. I did not believe in such things, but it just seemed too real. This was like how Scout believes in what Jem and other poeple say about The Radley's Place.
2) As you followed the action in the courtroom, which character did you empathize with most? least? Explain.
In the scenes played in the courtroom, there were three main characters related to the rape case: Tom Robinson, Mayella Ewell and Bob Ewell. I put their names in such an order because this is the order shows the empathy level for them, in decreasing order.
I empathized most with Tom Robinson. He was questioned and accused by the lawyer, Mayella and Bob Ewell, although he had not done anything wrong. Just because he was a black, the jury also made him guilty although he did not commit the crime. I feel that it is very unfair for him and thus, I empathized with him.
I also empathized with Mayella Ewell. She was the victim of the rape case, and still had to protect the real culprit. Therefore, she accused Tom Robinson. I can see that she did not feel too good about it, but that was her only choice. She was also questioned very severely by Atticus Finch and she still had to protect the culprit. In addition, she was abused by her father at home when he drank too much beer. Therefore, she is also worthy of empathy.
I empathized least with Bob Ewell. I could not even empathise with him! He kept lying during the trial and made Mayella lie too. I feel that the behaviour is very incorrect and untolerable. Therefore, I empathized with him the least.
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