13EN+2013


 * // Can't stop thinking? //**

Save a copy of this document if you want to work with a digital version of the symbolism handout used in class in Week 2. Save your own copy of the document below for reflecting on your results from Term 3 and setting goals for revision.
 * Then you have come to the right place! **

Psst! Want some advice? If I were you, I would keep my eyes peeled for notices going up about English tutorials. They start in Term 1 and include workshops on crafting and editing creative writing, crafting and editing research reports, studying for exams, writing essays for Merit or Excellence and kicking a*se at close reading unfamiliar texts. Read the school notices from Week 4 Term 1...

CLOSE READING In Week 3 of Term One we will focus on the skills we have, and need to develop, to expertly close read unfamiliar texts. This is:


 * something highly useful when reading any type of text
 * something that you will rely on during each text study we do this year
 * something that is assessed throughout the year, including in the external NCEA examinations when attempting Achievement Standard 91474

Following are the documents that will be used in class during Week 3.

Billie Holliday (aka 'Lady Day') was a young black jazz singer that made the poem 'Strange Fruit' into an iconic song. Read the story of the poem, as song, here... An eerie version of 'Strange Fruit' as sung by Nina Simone, acompanied by some chilling photographs

3.4 'The Writing Portfolio' Read on for information on this internal assessment, starting with the student instructions document...

Chapter One The following reading task has been designed as a preparation for your first assessment task - creative writing. The full student instructions, with the guidelines of the task are here

The paragraph below is taken from this handout and explains the relevance of this reading task.

// In your Term 1 creative writing assessment, you will write the opening chapter for an original piece in a fiction genre you have chosen. The first chapter will establish the setting and atmosphere, introduces the main characters and initiates the plot. Before beginning your own writing, you will study the conventions of the opening chapter of four given novels, each representing a different fiction genre. Your study will focus on the structure, character, setting and language of the opening chapter. You will then choose a fiction genre that you wish to write in. //

By Wednesday 20th February (Week 4), you must read the following two texts (**__first chapters only__** – unless you get hooked!)


 * 1) __Chapter One__ of The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood HYPERLINK TO WHOLE TEXT ONLINE
 * 2) __Chapter One__ of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley HYPERLINK TO WHOLE TEXT ONLINE

During our P3 lesson on Wedneday 20th I will ask you Our work for the rest of Week 4 will be based on these first chapters, and it is my expectation you will be very familiar with them by that time.See you then!
 * which genre you think each of these first chapters are
 * why you have categorised them that way

**SCIENCE FICTION**

Science fiction, sometimes called SF (meaning Speculative Fiction), is a genre of fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component. This is a form of writing that is concerned with a world removed in some fundamental way from our own, whether in time, attitude or knowledge. Science Fiction genre novels are literature about the future, telling stories of the marvels we hope to see, or for our descendants to see tomorrow, in the next century, or in the limitless duration of time. It doesn't just have to be about science, though. It has been described quite suitably as: "A controlled way to think and dream about the future." It can be about people, ideas, and where the world is going. It can also be about where people have already been.

__13EN SHD’s TOP TIPS for BUDDING SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS__ In the first chapter of a Sci-Fi novel you should… In addition, you could…
 * Let the reader know the story is set in a time and/or place unlike their own.
 * Base descriptive details and development of setting on familiar concepts e.g: well-known social norms/recognizable protocols, but put in a twist to demonstrate that the story is set in an alternate reality.
 * Use ‘hybrid’ vocabulary to juxtapose familiar terms with unlikely counterparts, or to place familiar concepts in unlikely contexts
 * Allow the reader to puzzle a little over the details that seem ‘other worldly’ rather than being too obvious – write as if some knowledge of this world is assumed
 * Include the basics – Introduce central character, set the scene and create a tone or atmosphere
 * Introduce alternate technologies
 * Add unexpected gender roles
 * Use terms/titles with one accepted connotation for a completely opposing or alternate use
 * Introduce philosophies or social constructs that challenge the reader’s moral comfort zone
 * Develop a vision of a utopia or a dystopia

So that's Sci-Fi. How about a little ROMANCE? Open the documents below for a glimpse into the first chapter of a typical romance novel.

Loving the Right Brother: Her Favourite Holiday Gift:

__ **ROMANCE** __ "A romance is a work in which the plot centers around a love relationship. The plot line must be substantial enough for the reader to maintain interest from chapter to chapter. In other words, the reader must be able to say when reading the book, "I care about these people and what happens to them. I want the best for them, despite the personal and circumstantial obstacles that war to keep them apart."

The genre of Romantic Fiction has two strict criteria: The first is that the story must focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people. Secondly, the end of the story must be positive, leaving the reader believing that the protagonists' love and relationship will endure for the rest of their lives.

__13EN SHD’s TOP TIPS for BUDDING ROMANCE WRITERS__ __In the first chapter of a romance novel you should…__ __In addition, you could…__
 * Include the basics – Introduce central character/protagonist, set the scene/create a tone or atmosphere.
 * Address the five Hs – introduce **h**eroine, their **h**ardship and the **h**ope they have to be ‘saved/rescued/escape’. You may wish to also bring the **h**ero/**h**eroine/saviour into the first chapter, but avoid the **h**appy ending (**h**int at it instead)!
 * Write the protagonist as a ‘modern woman’ character that could represent the reader in all their own ambitions, secret longings and __flaws__ - this demonstrates that //everyone// deserves some romance and a chance at a happy ending.
 * Build sympathy for the protagonist in their ‘hardship/hope’ (the wound that only true love will heal), but avoid making them too much of a victim – especially since modern readers are turned off by weakness or a sense of the pathetic
 * Think about who your reader is – if teenage, manipulate the details of the chapter to appeal to a teenaged reader. If a traditionalist/conservative romantic, then write with their sensibilities in mind.
 * Use the ‘slow burn’ and emotional/psychological romance; avoid graphic sexuality in the first chapter!
 * Use rich description, which will appeal to the romance readers need for sensual imagery – use language features to build up the readers’ knowledge of the central character
 * Include secondary character/s.
 * Choose an unlikely hero (go the geek!).
 * Introduce a rival for the hero, or a rival for the heroine – an element of romantic competition, which may //be// part of the protagonist’s hardship
 * End the chapter with a cliff-hanger.
 * Use dialogue to divulge details of plot/characters.

__ **THRILLER** __

Thriller is a genre of fiction in which tough, resourceful, but essentially ordinary heroes are pitted against villains determined to destroy them, their country, or the stability of the free world. Part of the allure of thrillers comes from not only what their stories are about, but also how they are told. High stakes, non-stop action, plot twists that both surprise and excite, settings that are both vibrant and exotic, and an intense pace that never lets up until the adrenalin packed climax. The Thriller fiction genre, sometimes called suspense fiction, is a genre of literature that typically entails fast-paced plots, numerous action scenes, and limited character development. One example is that: the hero, who may even be an ordinary citizen drawn into danger and intrigue by circumstances beyond their control faces danger alone or in the company of a small band of companions. The protagonist may be a law enforcement agent, a journalist, or a soldier, but typically he or she is cut off from the resources of "their" organization.

__** 13EN SHD’s TOP TIPS for BUDDING THRILLER FICTION WRITERS **__ In the first chapter of a thriller novel you should…
 * Include the basics – Introduce central character, set the scene and create a tone or atmosphere
 * Avoid jumping about in time/place or from one perspective to another (no ‘head hopping’)
 * Create a protagonist that is an ‘everyman’ - sketchy in specific details, but ordinary, domestic and mundane enough to represent the average reader
 * Put the protagonist in danger, isolated from resources. Placing them in an environment very alien to them will create a sense of ‘fish out of water’ - they will seem off balance, vulnerable and out of their depth
 * Present a setting in time that seems ‘present day’, perhaps including recognisable technology + language
 * Include events, ostensibly random, that hint at a greater conspiracy or plot that is as yet unknown
 * Introduce an antagonist/enemy that is large, well resourced, international and powerful (a David and Goliath scenario). This antagonist may be impersonal; concerned only with wealth and power as opposed to the central character whose motives are highly personal; the protection of the innocent/his loved ones/his own health + safety
 * Include dramatic, swift + unexpected changes in pace (‘shock tactics’ e.g. a sudden murder or attack)

In addition, you could…
 * Use an urban setting, to help create a sense of the face paced, sexy + sophisticated world of the thriller
 * Create a protagonist who has connections to law enforcement
 * Create an antagonist/enemy that demonstrates an inhuman/corrupt/heartless lack of scruples or concern for life
 * Use the catalyst of a death/significant loss to start the central character on their journey

__**THE WESTERN GENRE**__

**True Grit by Charles Portis** **Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry** The Western genre is a genre devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American ‘old west’. Most are set after the end of the American Civil War (1865). Westerns often portray how primitive and obsolete ways of life confronted modern technological or social changes. This may be depicted by showing conflict between natives and settlers or US Cavalry, or between cattle ranchers and farmers, or by showing ranchers being threatened by the onset of the Industrial Revolution.

The Western emphasizes the values of honor and sacrifice, and depicts a society organized around codes of honour and personal, direct or private justice (the feud, rather than any abstract law), in which persons have no social order larger than their immediate peers, family, or perhaps themselves alone. The Western typically takes these elements and uses them to tell simple morality tales.

Westerns often stress the harshness of the wilderness and frequently set the action in an arid, desolate landscape. Specific settings include isolated forts, ranches and homesteads; the Native American village; or the small frontier town with its saloon, general store, livery stable and jailhouse. Apart from the wilderness, it is usually the saloon that emphasizes that this is the " Wild West ": it is the place to go for music (raucous piano playing), women (often prostitutes), gambling, drinking, brawling and shooting. In some Westerns, where "civilization" has arrived, the town has a church and a school; in others, where frontier rules still hold sway, life has little or no value.

__**13EN SHD’s TOP TIPS for BUDDING WESTERN WRITERS **__ In the first chapter of a Western novel you should…


 * Include references to the life in a frontier town, in a frontier age (cowboys, Indians, slaves/freed slaves, guns, marshals and sheriffs, saloons, bar-room brawls, horses, cattle, farms, settlers).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Introduce the reader to a time and place where the infrastructure of law and order was barely established and women and men had very clearly defined and traditional roles
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Include the basics – Introduce central character/protagonist/hero, set the scene/create a tone or atmosphere (a hard life in the company of hard men/settlers making their own destiny/justice etc).
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Manipulate the vocabulary and dialogue of the characters to include genre specific jargon and develop a sense of laconic, blunt men of action, rather than words.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In addition, you could…


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Include secondary character/s that rely upon the protagonist for survival, will provide protection for the protagonist or are out to manipulate their vulnerability.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Include the fallout of the civil war and conflict for land with indigenous tribes.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">I n the first chapter of a western novel you should:
 * Include references to the life in a frontier town, in a frontier age, which may include terms such as county, night watchman, Arkansas, Texas, Mustang ponies, cowboys, sheriff, bareback, papa, gallant, slicker, Marshall, shoat, Mexicans, Indians, natives, Henry (gun), raiding, bandits, rustlers, cattle, coloured man, perseuth,
 * Manipulate the vocabulary and dialogue of the characters to include genre specific jargon such as Mustang ponies, cowboys, sheriff, bareback, papa, gallant, slicker, Marshall, shoat, Mexicans, Indians, natives, Henry (gun), raiding, bandits, rustlers, cattle, coloured man, perseuth, county, night watchman, Arkansas, Texas,
 * Introduce the reader to a time and place women and men had very clearly defined and traditional roles; the women were not as well educated, the book keepers, houseworkers, whereas men were … Ranchers, hard-working, tradesmen, defenders, the ones to go out and be involved in things.


 * //Open the following document to see how your first draft feedback will be formatted: use this as a 'checklist' for your first draft before you submit it for feedback//**.



One of the types of texts we focus on in Term 1 is poetry, specifically the sonnets of William Shakespeare.Following are the documents and websites we will be working with during our study of Shakespeare's Sonnets: [|No Fear Shakespeare] Analysing Shakespeare's Sonnets Shakespeare's Sonnets - a website to help with analysis

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare ``It's Greek to me'', you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger; if your wish is farther to the thought; if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise -why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare.
 * On Quoting Shakespeare **

Bernard Levin []

Our class notes on THEME, MOTIF and SYMBOLISM in sonnets 18 + 57

Short Txt Messages.... 2013 Level 3 Literature Research Assessment Task



<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">In this assessment you will be required to respond critically to significant connections across a range of at least four short texts within a genre and by a single author. Part of your English programme will have focused on Shakespearean Sonnets. Using sonnets studied in class as a starting point, you complete your own analysis and evaluation of a range of Shakespeare's sonnets from his 154 sonnet sequence.Your teacher will introduce you to the assessment task and the reader response requirements using student instructions and a reader response template, during Term 1. You will complete work in class and for homework, adhering to deadlines in Terms 1 and 2 as you progress. Your research will be due for teacher feedback in Week 8 Term 3, and presented as a comparison essay, due on final day of Term 3 (Fri 27th Sept.)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Below are documents we will be discussing in class, and using as templates, as we work on this assessment task. Save your own copies as you need them. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">

Below is the list of steps to take when 'becoming familiar' with an unfamiliar text, in order to answer analysis questions about that text. These same steps can be used for 'figuring out' (reading, for comprehension and inferrence) all written texts - sonnets for example!



Full Script of the Film. Goodnight, and Good Luck directed by George Clooney Joseph McCarthy and The Red Scare Edward R. Murrow vs Senator McCarthy McCarthyism in 10 minutes [|The Patriot Act for Dummies] [|The Patriot Act vs McCarthyism] [|YouTube Clip 2]
 * [[image:shdenglish-atfhs/GNGL_2.jpg align="center" link="@http://vsx.onstreammedia.com/vsx/newshour/search/NHPlayer?assetId=85366&ccstart=2839994&pt=0"]] ||
 * Click to watch an interview with director, George Clooney ||
 * [[image:shdenglish-atfhs/GNGL_3.jpg]] ||
 * Click to watch the trailer for the film ||
 * [[image:shdenglish-atfhs/GNGL_1.jpg align="center" link="@http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQQaX2h1plo&feature=related"]] ||
 * Click to watch a short documentary on Murrow vs McCarthy ||