Nolan Ramsden
After reading "Taken over by Satan" and "Children of Rwanda's Genocide", I believe the articles truly showed us the meaning of evil because of the difference between the two articles. I noticed many similarities in the imagery and setting but also some differences in the mood. Both authors describe very clearly the bloody and gruesome events that occurred especially in "taken over by Satan" the recollection and reality of the events is horrific. Also, quite obviously the setting in both articles is the same as they both take plac and are based around Rwanda. Although the two articles are similar, the mood the two give off are very different. In "Children of the Genocide", the mood is dark, but the article is looking towards the light, showing how it hopes to rebuild and start with the children to create a new future. "Taken over by Satan" on the other hand is extremely depressing, and in the opinion of this Hutu, will never be forgotten. In my opinion, it is this article that truly shows the evil of the genocide because it explains how evil can consume and make a person do things unimaginable.
Between "Taken over by Satan" and "Children of Rwanda's Genocide" we see two very different ways of using writing techniques to show the true evil of the genocide. "taken over by Satan" uses a very real and visual way to show what has happened whereas the other shows the evil in the aftermath of what happened. Although both are powerful, the visual imagery is what really impacted me the most. After seeing the movies and reading this article, I could really understand and see the brutality of what happened in Rwanda, as if i was there. To me, the use of machetes is what made this genocide that much more evil, not killing them, but leaving them dismembered and letting time do the rest.
The layers of evil in both articles is also very different but is very noticeable in both. Although "Children of Rwanda's Genocide" Seems to be the lighter of the two, because it is looking to the future and shows hope to rebuild. but it does show evil very strongly because even those who were not killed were left completely in ruins. Also, in this article we see the impact of evil on youth, and how difficult their lives are now after the genocide. There is also a deeper layer of evil in the article "Taken over by Satan", at first read this article shows how evil consumed the Hutu's and pushed them towards killing. But the true evil in this was the fact that these people they were killing were so defenseless, and even after everything this man had seen, he continued on with the genocide, to me, that is true evil.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Class blogging
So here are the pictures that we took of the class while we used the school laptops. Sorry for this being late, but here they are...
The Victims and Participants of the Genocide
What allows some individuals to take a stand against prejudice/oppression while others choose to participate in it?
In early 1994, the Hutus of Rwanda had begun a genocide where hundreds of thousands of people where brutally murdered. One of many articles that write about the horrible events that took place in Rwanda is "Children of Rwanda Genocide".
Within the article, the lives of the children that were in the genocide are described as traumatizing and very difficult. A survey that was taken by UNICEF showed that 96% of the children had witnessed the massacres and 80% had lost at least one family member. The statistics set a depressing mood to the article. These children are alone and do not have adults to look to for guidance. They must try and survive on their own.
An interesting thing that left an impact on me because I didn't really think about it, was how the genocide ruined the economy. With people fleeing and being murdered, there was no time to think about work. With so many people being mass murdered, the work force was depleted. Another thing that is mentioned in the article is the cause of the genocide and how it could have been prevented. It's said that the U.N was told about the genocide beforehand but had ignored the threat. If the U.N. had taken the threat more seriously and taken action towards it, many, many lives could have been saved.
Another article that I read about the Rwanda genocide is "'Taken over by Satan'". What is a little different about this article is that it tells the story of one of many who took part in the genocide. The story that is told is horrifying, with lots of gruesome imagery. Gitera Rwamuhuzi's tells his experience as traumatizing...
In early 1994, the Hutus of Rwanda had begun a genocide where hundreds of thousands of people where brutally murdered. One of many articles that write about the horrible events that took place in Rwanda is "Children of Rwanda Genocide".
Within the article, the lives of the children that were in the genocide are described as traumatizing and very difficult. A survey that was taken by UNICEF showed that 96% of the children had witnessed the massacres and 80% had lost at least one family member. The statistics set a depressing mood to the article. These children are alone and do not have adults to look to for guidance. They must try and survive on their own.
An interesting thing that left an impact on me because I didn't really think about it, was how the genocide ruined the economy. With people fleeing and being murdered, there was no time to think about work. With so many people being mass murdered, the work force was depleted. Another thing that is mentioned in the article is the cause of the genocide and how it could have been prevented. It's said that the U.N was told about the genocide beforehand but had ignored the threat. If the U.N. had taken the threat more seriously and taken action towards it, many, many lives could have been saved.
Another article that I read about the Rwanda genocide is "'Taken over by Satan'". What is a little different about this article is that it tells the story of one of many who took part in the genocide. The story that is told is horrifying, with lots of gruesome imagery. Gitera Rwamuhuzi's tells his experience as traumatizing...
Sunday, January 30, 2011
English 11 Formative Write
I Am Legend
Nolan Ramsden
January 17th
Based in New York City, A genetic breakthrough in science seems to have discovered a cure for Cancer. As thousands of people acquire the cure, things turn for the worst. The cure turns out to be an infection, which transforms the hosts into crazy cannibalistic Zombies and is highly contagious. Robert Neville, the protagonist, is a scientist immune to this nasty infection. As the city is being evacuated, Robert chooses to stay behind with his dog Sam and run tests on the zombies in hopes of discovering a cure and stopping the infection. As time progresses Robert begins to be more and more outnumbered by the zombies who lurk in the shadows and realizes that his time to discover the cure is running low. Eventually, in a last ditch attempt, Robert discovers the cure and hands it to two young survivors on their way to a safe zone, losing his life in the progresses but potentially saving mankind.
The film maker conveys evil and darkness by bringing many peoples fears to life in the setting. The fact that the zombies are only able to stay in the shadows or come out at night really brings the feeling of being scared of the dark to life. Also because of this, the majority of the actions scenes take place in the darkness, making for a very evil feel. Also he brings out feelings of evil through the characters, because in one specific scene when Sam is infected with the diseases Robert is forced to kill his only companion, showing how dark and evil the infection can be to take his only friend from him. This was also the scene that had the most impact on me for many reasons. First of all, Sam by attempting to save Robert which really impacted me because it shows that even if it was a valiant effort, good doesn’t always win, and in this case, evil was much more powerful. For me, the thought that evil is stronger than good scares me because we always have the feeling of safety knowing that good will prevail, but not in this case. I felt that in this movie it wasn’t exactly the characters that expressed darkness but the fear that they invoked and the pain and hopelessness they brought on Robert, for me that is true darkness.
I connected this film in many ways with almost every scary movie and their stereotypes that go with them. Like in almost every scary movie, the killer knows where his victims are but the victims don’t know the same. Much like these movies, Robert was always very unsure of the zombies because of the darkness which to me really expresses a dark feeling. Also like many scary movies, the victims are killed off slowly one by one until there is only one that remains. Although there were only two characters to begin with, Robert is left alone and overwhelmed by darkness, he reaches the brink of losing faith and giving up hope, showing that evil will prevail. Fortunately this is not the case in the movie and he is saved by other survivors. I also connected this film to the EQ, does evil or fear lead to the infliction of violence. This essential question can be easily connected to a scene near the end of the movie when Sam is killed and Robert seeks to take on all of the zombies. I believe he chose to fight all these zombies purely out of fear because he was scared to be alone any longer and was pretty much committing suicide. Robert knew going into the situation he would not have survived without the help of the two survivors but he chose to anyways because of fear.
I Am Legend
Nolan Ramsden
January 17th
Based in New York City, A genetic breakthrough in science seems to have discovered a cure for Cancer. As thousands of people acquire the cure, things turn for the worst. The cure turns out to be an infection, which transforms the hosts into crazy cannibalistic Zombies and is highly contagious. Robert Neville, the protagonist, is a scientist immune to this nasty infection. As the city is being evacuated, Robert chooses to stay behind with his dog Sam and run tests on the zombies in hopes of discovering a cure and stopping the infection. As time progresses Robert begins to be more and more outnumbered by the zombies who lurk in the shadows and realizes that his time to discover the cure is running low. Eventually, in a last ditch attempt, Robert discovers the cure and hands it to two young survivors on their way to a safe zone, losing his life in the progresses but potentially saving mankind.
The film maker conveys evil and darkness by bringing many peoples fears to life in the setting. The fact that the zombies are only able to stay in the shadows or come out at night really brings the feeling of being scared of the dark to life. Also because of this, the majority of the actions scenes take place in the darkness, making for a very evil feel. Also he brings out feelings of evil through the characters, because in one specific scene when Sam is infected with the diseases Robert is forced to kill his only companion, showing how dark and evil the infection can be to take his only friend from him. This was also the scene that had the most impact on me for many reasons. First of all, Sam by attempting to save Robert which really impacted me because it shows that even if it was a valiant effort, good doesn’t always win, and in this case, evil was much more powerful. For me, the thought that evil is stronger than good scares me because we always have the feeling of safety knowing that good will prevail, but not in this case. I felt that in this movie it wasn’t exactly the characters that expressed darkness but the fear that they invoked and the pain and hopelessness they brought on Robert, for me that is true darkness.
I connected this film in many ways with almost every scary movie and their stereotypes that go with them. Like in almost every scary movie, the killer knows where his victims are but the victims don’t know the same. Much like these movies, Robert was always very unsure of the zombies because of the darkness which to me really expresses a dark feeling. Also like many scary movies, the victims are killed off slowly one by one until there is only one that remains. Although there were only two characters to begin with, Robert is left alone and overwhelmed by darkness, he reaches the brink of losing faith and giving up hope, showing that evil will prevail. Fortunately this is not the case in the movie and he is saved by other survivors. I also connected this film to the EQ, does evil or fear lead to the infliction of violence. This essential question can be easily connected to a scene near the end of the movie when Sam is killed and Robert seeks to take on all of the zombies. I believe he chose to fight all these zombies purely out of fear because he was scared to be alone any longer and was pretty much committing suicide. Robert knew going into the situation he would not have survived without the help of the two survivors but he chose to anyways because of fear.
Non Fiction Critique for Mon Jan 31 The genocide
Articles on The Genocide
Non fiction critique
In class today you are to read any of the two articles linked below. I have hard copies for those who do not have acccess to the internet. Then, I would like for you to write on your blog or on paper and post or submit by the end of class how the articles address an EQ of your choosing. Please make sure that you support your answer with specific evidence that you explain. I also want you to think about the different layers exposed in the article to help you see the depth.
• Explain how the authors convey and integrate imagery, setting and work on mood.
• Think and explain the techniques the authors are using-are the articles similar or different?How are the authors conveying the sense/tone of evil? Eg word choice, images etc…What patterns in society or contexts contribute to the layers you are seeing?
• Remember to keep thinking about all the layers in the texts and how they are similar and/or different. Back up and explain your examples!!!!!!
• How do the authors convey the evil, darkness in humanity? Events, people, imagery,setting etc
• What impacted you the most and why?
BBC
Children of the Genocide
The Rwandan Girl Who Refused to Die
10-years-later-in-rwanda-the-dead-are-ever-present
Non fiction critique
In class today you are to read any of the two articles linked below. I have hard copies for those who do not have acccess to the internet. Then, I would like for you to write on your blog or on paper and post or submit by the end of class how the articles address an EQ of your choosing. Please make sure that you support your answer with specific evidence that you explain. I also want you to think about the different layers exposed in the article to help you see the depth.
• Explain how the authors convey and integrate imagery, setting and work on mood.
• Think and explain the techniques the authors are using-are the articles similar or different?How are the authors conveying the sense/tone of evil? Eg word choice, images etc…What patterns in society or contexts contribute to the layers you are seeing?
• Remember to keep thinking about all the layers in the texts and how they are similar and/or different. Back up and explain your examples!!!!!!
• How do the authors convey the evil, darkness in humanity? Events, people, imagery,setting etc
• What impacted you the most and why?
BBC
Children of the Genocide
The Rwandan Girl Who Refused to Die
10-years-later-in-rwanda-the-dead-are-ever-present
Link to articles
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/panorama/rwanda/default.stm
BBC site to obtain more info
BBC site to obtain more info
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Macbeth Essay Outline
How can Macbeth go from a noble and loyal soldier to become a power hungry, hated king? Macbeth was a noble and loyal soldier due to his sense of commitment, to King Duncan. He realized that he made an irreversible mistake when he becomes power hungry and kills King Duncan. He is a hated king and because of this he meets a tragic death. Therefore, he has a sense of commitment, realizes he has made an irreversible mistake and meets and tragic death.
Macbeth is a noble and loyal soldier. He is the thane of Glamis and then due to his nobility he is named thane of Cawdor. “All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Cawdor!’’ (II, iii, 51). He is brave soldier for fighting for King Duncan throughout the years. ‘’For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name’’ (I, ii, 16). King Duncan has a great trust in Macbeth, because of his loyalty and nobility.
Macbeth realized that he made an irreversible mistake when he killed King Duncan. He also realized that he made a terrible mistake having his best friend Banquo killed. Macbeth sees Banquo sitting at banquet table, so Macbeth doesn’t sit down because ‘’the tables full’’ (III, iv, 55), ‘’here is a place reserved, sir.’’ (III, iv, 56), ‘’where?’’ (III, iv, 56).
Macbeth is a hated king because he abuses his power over others, such as King Duncan, and Banquo. He is also a tragic hero because he meets a tragic death, and realizes he had made an irreversible mistake. His death was tragic because he was decapitated. He made many mistakes like, killing King Duncan and having Banquo killed. ‘’Those clamorous harbingers of blood and death.’’ (V, vi, 14-15). ’’To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, creeps in this petty pace from day to day, to the last syllable of recorded time; And all our yesterdays have lighted fools, the way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow’’ (V, v, 22-27)
Macbeth is a noble man who makes a mistake and meets a tragic death.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Movie Project Summative Piece- Gladiator
For our movie, we decided to do "Gladiator". In the movie, a Roman general named Maximus is appointed heir to the Roman throne, upsetting the real son of the Emperor, Commodus, who murders his father before it becomes official and claims his place atop the throne. He betrays Maximus and kills his family, while Maximus is captured and taken to Rome to fight in gladiator battles as entertainment. Commodus challenges Maximus to a duel and Maximus wins, becoming the new Emperor. He returns the power to the Roman Senate before he succumbs to his injuries during the fight. In the last scene, Maximus reunites with his family in the afterlife.
The first layer of the film shows how Commodus was driven by the greed of becoming Emperor and murders his own father to accomplish this. The next layer shows a murderous, revengeful side of Maximus, that causes him to kill everybody who stands in his way to Commodus. The third layer shows how the general population feeds off of the killing in the gladiator ring and resonates that throughout the movie with the cheers and cackles.
The filmmaker conveys darkness through the characters and the people. The greedy actions of Commodus causes Maximus to kill many innocent people just to have his revenge on him. The theme of this movie is the power of greed and revenge. The people show greed for the waste of human lives that they use as entertainment not even caring if the people who are killed had a name or a family. The expression of darkness that had the most impact on us was how the people cheered when the gladiators and animals are killed. It shows the savage and sadistic side of humans even at the height of the Roman Empire. A character can represent darkness through their personality or through their actions. I guess it would be through their personality more because the actions we take usually depend on our personality.
A connection to another movie would be Kill Bill.In the movie, Uma Thurman is betrayed by her hit squad and vows revenge against them. But to have her revenge, she must kill innocent people who stand in her way. It shares the same revenge and greed theme as Gladiator. They are both hurt by somebody and vows revenge. It becomes her life's mission and everything else is put aside until her revenge is complete. It is also king of like when a country goes to "total war". This means that all industry, science and technological advancements made contribute to the war effort. The US did this in World War 2.
EQ: How can a reader/viewer infer the author's intentions based on the text?
The movie connects to this EQ because it is through the characters that we must infer what the writer is talking about. In the movie, it is through the actions of Maximus that the intentions of the writer are based. Revenge is the true intention of the writer and he wanted to portray this to tell society of the savage and barbaric history of humans and not to go down the same path.
My movie connects to the movie by Miguel and Mitchell, the Dark Knight. In the movie, Harvey Dent seeks revenge on Batman because Batman failed to save his love and thinks that somehow it is Batman's fault. Throughout the last half of the movie, Harvey hunts down people who he knows are close to Batman and holds them hostage to make him suffer "like he suffered" when his girlfriend was killed. This is just like Maximus who hunts down people who are close to Commodus and feeds off of his suffering.
The first layer of the film shows how Commodus was driven by the greed of becoming Emperor and murders his own father to accomplish this. The next layer shows a murderous, revengeful side of Maximus, that causes him to kill everybody who stands in his way to Commodus. The third layer shows how the general population feeds off of the killing in the gladiator ring and resonates that throughout the movie with the cheers and cackles.
The filmmaker conveys darkness through the characters and the people. The greedy actions of Commodus causes Maximus to kill many innocent people just to have his revenge on him. The theme of this movie is the power of greed and revenge. The people show greed for the waste of human lives that they use as entertainment not even caring if the people who are killed had a name or a family. The expression of darkness that had the most impact on us was how the people cheered when the gladiators and animals are killed. It shows the savage and sadistic side of humans even at the height of the Roman Empire. A character can represent darkness through their personality or through their actions. I guess it would be through their personality more because the actions we take usually depend on our personality.
A connection to another movie would be Kill Bill.In the movie, Uma Thurman is betrayed by her hit squad and vows revenge against them. But to have her revenge, she must kill innocent people who stand in her way. It shares the same revenge and greed theme as Gladiator. They are both hurt by somebody and vows revenge. It becomes her life's mission and everything else is put aside until her revenge is complete. It is also king of like when a country goes to "total war". This means that all industry, science and technological advancements made contribute to the war effort. The US did this in World War 2.
EQ: How can a reader/viewer infer the author's intentions based on the text?
The movie connects to this EQ because it is through the characters that we must infer what the writer is talking about. In the movie, it is through the actions of Maximus that the intentions of the writer are based. Revenge is the true intention of the writer and he wanted to portray this to tell society of the savage and barbaric history of humans and not to go down the same path.
My movie connects to the movie by Miguel and Mitchell, the Dark Knight. In the movie, Harvey Dent seeks revenge on Batman because Batman failed to save his love and thinks that somehow it is Batman's fault. Throughout the last half of the movie, Harvey hunts down people who he knows are close to Batman and holds them hostage to make him suffer "like he suffered" when his girlfriend was killed. This is just like Maximus who hunts down people who are close to Commodus and feeds off of his suffering.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Movie Project - The Parent Trap :)
Synopsis:
Hallie and Annie are identical twins who were separated at birth after their parents divorce. One summer, they both meet at a camp and though they did not get along in the beginning, eventually due to a series of mishaps that they cause they are sent to an isolated cabin. For the rest of the summer, they get to know each other and eventually discover that they are long lost twin sisters. They soon devise a plan to switch places, and get their parents get back together.
Once camp has ended they go through with the plan and go to each other's houses without letting anyone know. However, they run into a problem with their second plan on getting their parents back together as Mr. Parker, Hallie's father, plans to marry a beautiful, yet sneaky woman who only wants his riches, by the end of the summer.Together, they scheme more plans to get their parents to eventually meet up, and switch them back.
What are the layers of context/setting in this film?First layer: There are clearly no signs of darkness or evil in this film just from looking at the first layer. The characters all seem relatively happy. They are having fun, and smiling. The setting is in a bright, sunny location with a variety of activities and the mood is very calming, peaceful and happy.
Second layer: There are many ways that one could depict evil, but I think that the one that is featured in this film, as well as many others, is most definitely the most common act that we can do as an act of darkness. It is how one acts towards people, but in reality have a different intentions.
In this movie there is a lot of scheming and devising going on. The twins switch places not only to meet their other parent, but also with the intention of getting them back together.
Also, Meredith, who is Mr. Parker's fiance, on the outside seems to be a very beautiful and sophisticated woman who really loves being with Mr. Parker, but in reality she only wants his money.
EQ: How does the media shape our view of the world/ ourselves?As wonderful as I believe technology is I think that for many people, how we view ourselves, as well is how we view the world is impacted media. Whether it be the internet, or television and even magazines, the media, more often than not, portray 'beauty' in a certain way. Girls must be skinny, and boys much must have muscles. Many people strive and thirst for that 'beauty' . However, I think that darkness plays a role, when people start to become obsessed and start harming themselves for this beauty, e.g. anorexia/bulimia.
Fortunately for us, besides the beeping out of swear words, or blurrying out certain/ underaged criminals, our news is what is really happening in the world. For those who actually watch the news, that is a good thing and helps people understand what is happening in the world, and how fortunate we are. However, I think that the evil represented in this is that not everyone watches the news, and are therefore oblivious to what else is happening in the world besides their own life.
Connections:T-T: In the movie, Mean Girls, the "plastics" act a certain way to to certain people to make more people like them, e.g. they would compliment certain people, when honestly they would think it was hideous. On the otherhand, Katy only acted nice to the "plastics" to get into their group and sabotage them.
T-S: When I first meet people, I usually act different than when I get to know them.
T-W: In politics, many politicians don't actually say what they mean, and only say certain things to lure voters in.
Dark Knight (Josh & Rigel) : I think that this movie is relateable to my movie because in the movie, Dark Knight, Batman hides behind a mask hiding who he truly is.
Hallie and Annie are identical twins who were separated at birth after their parents divorce. One summer, they both meet at a camp and though they did not get along in the beginning, eventually due to a series of mishaps that they cause they are sent to an isolated cabin. For the rest of the summer, they get to know each other and eventually discover that they are long lost twin sisters. They soon devise a plan to switch places, and get their parents get back together.
Once camp has ended they go through with the plan and go to each other's houses without letting anyone know. However, they run into a problem with their second plan on getting their parents back together as Mr. Parker, Hallie's father, plans to marry a beautiful, yet sneaky woman who only wants his riches, by the end of the summer.Together, they scheme more plans to get their parents to eventually meet up, and switch them back.
What are the layers of context/setting in this film?First layer: There are clearly no signs of darkness or evil in this film just from looking at the first layer. The characters all seem relatively happy. They are having fun, and smiling. The setting is in a bright, sunny location with a variety of activities and the mood is very calming, peaceful and happy.
Second layer: There are many ways that one could depict evil, but I think that the one that is featured in this film, as well as many others, is most definitely the most common act that we can do as an act of darkness. It is how one acts towards people, but in reality have a different intentions.
In this movie there is a lot of scheming and devising going on. The twins switch places not only to meet their other parent, but also with the intention of getting them back together.
Also, Meredith, who is Mr. Parker's fiance, on the outside seems to be a very beautiful and sophisticated woman who really loves being with Mr. Parker, but in reality she only wants his money.
EQ: How does the media shape our view of the world/ ourselves?As wonderful as I believe technology is I think that for many people, how we view ourselves, as well is how we view the world is impacted media. Whether it be the internet, or television and even magazines, the media, more often than not, portray 'beauty' in a certain way. Girls must be skinny, and boys much must have muscles. Many people strive and thirst for that 'beauty' . However, I think that darkness plays a role, when people start to become obsessed and start harming themselves for this beauty, e.g. anorexia/bulimia.
Fortunately for us, besides the beeping out of swear words, or blurrying out certain/ underaged criminals, our news is what is really happening in the world. For those who actually watch the news, that is a good thing and helps people understand what is happening in the world, and how fortunate we are. However, I think that the evil represented in this is that not everyone watches the news, and are therefore oblivious to what else is happening in the world besides their own life.
Connections:T-T: In the movie, Mean Girls, the "plastics" act a certain way to to certain people to make more people like them, e.g. they would compliment certain people, when honestly they would think it was hideous. On the otherhand, Katy only acted nice to the "plastics" to get into their group and sabotage them.
T-S: When I first meet people, I usually act different than when I get to know them.
T-W: In politics, many politicians don't actually say what they mean, and only say certain things to lure voters in.
Dark Knight (Josh & Rigel) : I think that this movie is relateable to my movie because in the movie, Dark Knight, Batman hides behind a mask hiding who he truly is.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Josh and Rigel's Movie Presentation: Dark Knight (Co-Post)
The Dark Knight
Synopsis:
A year after the events of Scarecrow, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent begins to clean up Gotham's streets until the appearance of a mysterious and psychopathic killer known only by the name of "Joker" comes to wreak new havoc upon Gotham's streets. Batman once more has to take up his mask to once again face evil, this time to the point of questioning everything he believes. The Joker has taken evil and darkness to greater heights, making this struggle of good and evil Batman's hardest trial.
What are the layers of context/setting in this film?
Synopsis:
A year after the events of Scarecrow, Lieutenant James Gordon, and new district attorney Harvey Dent begins to clean up Gotham's streets until the appearance of a mysterious and psychopathic killer known only by the name of "Joker" comes to wreak new havoc upon Gotham's streets. Batman once more has to take up his mask to once again face evil, this time to the point of questioning everything he believes. The Joker has taken evil and darkness to greater heights, making this struggle of good and evil Batman's hardest trial.
What are the layers of context/setting in this film?
- The mood portrayed throughout the story of darkness,confusion (The night time robberies, abductions,etc.)
- Way of presentation (Movie's picture contrast is very dark, a lot of dynamic explosions, intense music)
- Context of movie had many references to darkness and evil by way of imagery, symbolism, and satire ( ie: Dead victim dressed up as Batman, Bats, and moonlight, "Why So Serious?" in intense scenes.)
How does the filmmaker convey evil or darkness?
- The mind of the Joker is shared with the audience, and embraced by viewers, through blunt delivery of sensitive topics (ie: Bloody cut-up faces of dead victims in forms of smiles)
- Evil and darkness is conveyed by way of delivery by the filmmakers and how they have depicted it through scenes of violence, music, and scenery (Countless deaths, blown up hospitals, fast-paced music)
What expressions of darkness had the most impact on you and why?
- The numerous deeds shown within the course of the film,and the meanings taken from it, had the most impact on us due to the fact it showed us just how much evil we are all capable of
How can a character represent darkness?
- In this film, we learned that a character can represent darkness through their appearance,through their actions, and relationship with others. We learned by example of Harvey Dent, how one's whole identity may change by way of unforeseen events, and how even people who represent hope, through what they do, can simply change due to how they look, act and relate to others
A Connection: Text to World
- A connection we made through this film is that there is darkness and evil within all of us. As it is a part of humanity. Everybody has different feelings to one another whether it is positive or negative, and it is only through this diversity that our humanity can express both qualities of light and darkness
Essential Question: Does evil or fear lead one to the following: experience of violence, infliction of violence, and/or observation of violence?
- Based on what we both have learned through our observations in life, media, and most recently, the movie "Dark Knight", we both arrived to the conclusion that evil and fear spreads and leads to numerous other opportunities to do greater evil and cause greater fear. In the movie "Dark Knight" we see that fear of evil showed by the city of Gotham provoked the Joker to take advantage of the situation. The fear shown by Gotham lead to the violence produced by the Joker. For example, he would rob banks, take over hospitals, and wreak havoc in general. This infliction of violence was due to the fear of the city, and the evil within the Joker.
Movie Analysis Summative Piece
Silence of the Lambs
In this movie there is a serial killer named Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal is known as a devious and crafty killer who makes his name by killing a person, skinning them and then eating them. At the beginning Hannibal was locked up in a high security prison where the chance of escaping is high to none. Unfortunately for the prison guards, they have no idea what kind of twisted yet brilliant mind they are messing with. Hannibal has the power to get into people's minds and mess with their subconscious. Basically nobody wants to be within 10 miles of him. Hannibal escapes prison using a highly thought out and disgusting plan but at least it got him on the loose again. After this, he goes around town doing what he's best at...being a cannibal. The obvious part of this movie is that there is a cannibal killing and messing with people's minds. The story takes place in a prison and usually at night which in my opinion are 2 of the most ominous and creepy settings in a movie like this especially when there's a killer in the shadows. Being in a prison at night reminds me about the movie "Shutter Island" which takes place in an insane asylum. I don't know which is worse, being in an insane asylum at night with a bunch of lunatics or being even remotely close to one man who is capable of anything. Although when I look at Hannibal all I can see is an old frail man which is sort of ironic once you see how he outsmarts people into helping him with his plans even though they might be completely against him. Also I like how the filmmaker uses other characters to tell Hannibal's story. In this case it was the woman who was trying to help him but Hannibal ended up telling her his motives and eventually he got into her head. I do not think that Hannibal thinks that he's evil because in the movie you find out that Hannibal respects people who respect him. "Disrespect is unspeakably ugly to me," is what Hannibal said. So what this is saying is that if you don't respect Hannibal, you're dead. I believe that the filmmaker conveys darkness throughout the movie through the characters. Hannibal is given the most evil and twisted mind which makes the whole movie more disturbing. He also conveys darkness through the plot because all of Hannibal's actions make you think about how there are actually people in our world who are like this which gives us a sense of insecurity. The expression of darkness that had the most impact on me was when Hannibal killed a prison guard, cut off his face and put it on his own and then pretended to be the hurt prison guard. The other guard came rushing in and put Hannibal in an ambulance thinking he was a guard. Once in the ambulance he killed everyone and took off. This is very gruesome and scary seeing what some people will do for their freedom. When I see this movie I can relate it to the Saw series because both main characters have no respect for human life. Jigsaw, the main character in Saw, has a famous saying, "Let's play a game." Hannibal is basically doing the same thing with other people. He is playing mind games with them. I think that until these two menaces in society learn some respect for life, they will never be able to fix their own. The EQ that I was able to connect this movie to is how does the study of fiction and non fiction texts help individuals construct their understanding of reality? I chose this question because watching these types of movies has a negative effect on our minds. Our subconscious can't tell the difference between a horror movie and what is real. All this negative information that we take in on a regular basis does not help us be kinder gentler people. It makes us jumpy and more afraid of the evil that there is in our world. Unfortunately we can't help watch these movies because we need a sense of fear in our lives. So all we can do in the meantime is control the amount of darkness and evil we allow into our brains and try not to live our lives in constant fear.
I improved my piece by basically redoing it from scratch while taking a few main ideas from my last piece. I added more connections and a couple quotes so that the reader can better relate to what I'm trying to tell them.
In this movie there is a serial killer named Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal is known as a devious and crafty killer who makes his name by killing a person, skinning them and then eating them. At the beginning Hannibal was locked up in a high security prison where the chance of escaping is high to none. Unfortunately for the prison guards, they have no idea what kind of twisted yet brilliant mind they are messing with. Hannibal has the power to get into people's minds and mess with their subconscious. Basically nobody wants to be within 10 miles of him. Hannibal escapes prison using a highly thought out and disgusting plan but at least it got him on the loose again. After this, he goes around town doing what he's best at...being a cannibal. The obvious part of this movie is that there is a cannibal killing and messing with people's minds. The story takes place in a prison and usually at night which in my opinion are 2 of the most ominous and creepy settings in a movie like this especially when there's a killer in the shadows. Being in a prison at night reminds me about the movie "Shutter Island" which takes place in an insane asylum. I don't know which is worse, being in an insane asylum at night with a bunch of lunatics or being even remotely close to one man who is capable of anything. Although when I look at Hannibal all I can see is an old frail man which is sort of ironic once you see how he outsmarts people into helping him with his plans even though they might be completely against him. Also I like how the filmmaker uses other characters to tell Hannibal's story. In this case it was the woman who was trying to help him but Hannibal ended up telling her his motives and eventually he got into her head. I do not think that Hannibal thinks that he's evil because in the movie you find out that Hannibal respects people who respect him. "Disrespect is unspeakably ugly to me," is what Hannibal said. So what this is saying is that if you don't respect Hannibal, you're dead. I believe that the filmmaker conveys darkness throughout the movie through the characters. Hannibal is given the most evil and twisted mind which makes the whole movie more disturbing. He also conveys darkness through the plot because all of Hannibal's actions make you think about how there are actually people in our world who are like this which gives us a sense of insecurity. The expression of darkness that had the most impact on me was when Hannibal killed a prison guard, cut off his face and put it on his own and then pretended to be the hurt prison guard. The other guard came rushing in and put Hannibal in an ambulance thinking he was a guard. Once in the ambulance he killed everyone and took off. This is very gruesome and scary seeing what some people will do for their freedom. When I see this movie I can relate it to the Saw series because both main characters have no respect for human life. Jigsaw, the main character in Saw, has a famous saying, "Let's play a game." Hannibal is basically doing the same thing with other people. He is playing mind games with them. I think that until these two menaces in society learn some respect for life, they will never be able to fix their own. The EQ that I was able to connect this movie to is how does the study of fiction and non fiction texts help individuals construct their understanding of reality? I chose this question because watching these types of movies has a negative effect on our minds. Our subconscious can't tell the difference between a horror movie and what is real. All this negative information that we take in on a regular basis does not help us be kinder gentler people. It makes us jumpy and more afraid of the evil that there is in our world. Unfortunately we can't help watch these movies because we need a sense of fear in our lives. So all we can do in the meantime is control the amount of darkness and evil we allow into our brains and try not to live our lives in constant fear.
I improved my piece by basically redoing it from scratch while taking a few main ideas from my last piece. I added more connections and a couple quotes so that the reader can better relate to what I'm trying to tell them.
Movie Analysis Summative Rubric (Inception)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TuSJo4dZM
Synopsis:
Cobb is man that has done something really bad, or at least that's what the government of the United States thinks, and that is preventing him from going home to take care of his kids. Cobb has a very peculiar talent, he can break into people's dreams to steal information, but just when he's about to give up doing that an opportunity comes along. A very wealthy man wants to completely "clean" Cobb's past if he accepts to do one last task in someone's dream, only this time he's not suppose to extract information, he needs to do something much more complicated than that, he has to perform inception. Now Cobb has to assemble a team of specialists and face the greatest enemy of all: his own memories.
What are the layers of context/setting in this movie?
This is a great movie to talk about layers because it's something that is actually mentioned in the plot. For the movie we understand that "layers" of dreams happen when you have a dream inside another dream which is as hard to create as it is to understand. I believe when making an analysis of the movie the first layer would be reality, which makes you feel a little safer because everything still makes sense, laws of physics apply and you think you know who the characters are, but as they go deeper into the dreams they start learning the truth about Cobb and how his wife Mal, who is constantly trying to ruin their plans inside the dreams, died in the real world. It's not until the last layer, limbo, that we actually understand what happened with Mal and how her death was a direct consequence of Cobb's very first experience with inception, because one form of waking up from a dream is "dying" in the dream and in order to convince his wife to go back to reality when they got lost in this last mysterious layer he planted in her brain the idea that their world wasn't real and the only escape was suicide, trouble was she took that concept too far and ended up killing herself for real while trying to "awake" from reality. So as you can tell the deeper you go in the dreams the harder it is to hard secretes and thus the movie gets darker and darker.
How does the filmmaker convey evil or darkness? Is it through the plot, imagery, characters or setting?
I think the central character representing darkness and evil is Mal, but if you look deeper she only exists as a product of Cobb's guilt, so all this darkness is actually inside himself growing and feeding on his hopelessness and inability to forgive himself. But is not only through characters that the filmmaker convey all of this negative energy, images as the buildings tumbling down in the layer called "limbo" and also the gray stormy skies in this same setting are great examples of what tells you right away that it's a bad place to be.
What can you connect your film to and why?
We can make a "text to text" connection with Freud, he tried many years ago to interpret people's dreams and what they represented, he even created manuals containing the most common dreams and their meanings. He believed that many times dreams would show us our own repressed desires and we can easily relate that with the way Cobb kept a "projection" of his dead wife locked up deep inside himself because he could not come to terms with the fact that he unintentionally caused her death and wouldn't be able to keep his promise of "growing old together".
What expressions of darkness had the most impact on you and why?
In this movie there is a place where you go to when you go to far inside someone's (could be your own) subconscious mind, it is called limbo and it is filled with all the things that are deep inside you even though sometimes you might not realize it. The main character of the movie, which is played by Leonardo DiCaprio has his personal limbo, and it is a world in ruins, a sad place full of crumbling buildings and cloudy gray skies, for me that was the expression of darkness that impacted me the most, because it is not just a dark place, is a representation of all the sadness and guilt that this character has been carrying around for years, and those are pretty strong negative feelings to keep to yourself.
EQ: How can a reader/viewer infer the author's intentions based on the text?
When we read a book or watch a movie, it's not so much about what we think, it's more about what we feel. In creative works emotion can be stronger than reason, but they may also be a starting point to a deeper analysis. If before you read/watch the story you decide to embrace it and make the most out of it, suspending what is plausible and just "believing" in the characters feelings and situations you will have a richer experience. If you allow yourself to feel sad for all the pain the characters have to face or feel happy and laugh from the ridiculous situations that they get into, you will have a clearer sense of what were the author's intentions with those lines, or setting, or images and may understand which tools he used to convey what he wanted you to feel.
Relation between my movie and another piece presented in class:
I have decided to relate my movie (Inception) with "District B13" (Noel and Ace's presentation) because I think they have a lot in common due to the fact that they are both actually meant to be action movies, but also have a little dark twist. I think in both movies an aspect that would just pop out in a comparison is, lying. In this movies lies play an important role in different ways. In Inception the main character Cobb, needs to complete a final task for a rich man that is powerful enough to "erase" some dark things from Cobb's past that are preventing him from going back to America and be a father to his kids. For that mission he will need a very experienced team, but he hides the truth in order to get those people to follow him, he didn't bother to tell them that if you die in a dream induced by strong sedatives your mind may get lost for ever and you will never wake up. In District B13 on the other hand, the liar is not the main character, who is completely oblivious about the fact that he is in a suicide mission to destroy a big "ghetto" that is causing trouble to the government. As you can see to complete different lies, but both very important, changing completely what happens in both movies from the point were the truth is revealed on.
Synopsis:
Cobb is man that has done something really bad, or at least that's what the government of the United States thinks, and that is preventing him from going home to take care of his kids. Cobb has a very peculiar talent, he can break into people's dreams to steal information, but just when he's about to give up doing that an opportunity comes along. A very wealthy man wants to completely "clean" Cobb's past if he accepts to do one last task in someone's dream, only this time he's not suppose to extract information, he needs to do something much more complicated than that, he has to perform inception. Now Cobb has to assemble a team of specialists and face the greatest enemy of all: his own memories.
What are the layers of context/setting in this movie?
This is a great movie to talk about layers because it's something that is actually mentioned in the plot. For the movie we understand that "layers" of dreams happen when you have a dream inside another dream which is as hard to create as it is to understand. I believe when making an analysis of the movie the first layer would be reality, which makes you feel a little safer because everything still makes sense, laws of physics apply and you think you know who the characters are, but as they go deeper into the dreams they start learning the truth about Cobb and how his wife Mal, who is constantly trying to ruin their plans inside the dreams, died in the real world. It's not until the last layer, limbo, that we actually understand what happened with Mal and how her death was a direct consequence of Cobb's very first experience with inception, because one form of waking up from a dream is "dying" in the dream and in order to convince his wife to go back to reality when they got lost in this last mysterious layer he planted in her brain the idea that their world wasn't real and the only escape was suicide, trouble was she took that concept too far and ended up killing herself for real while trying to "awake" from reality. So as you can tell the deeper you go in the dreams the harder it is to hard secretes and thus the movie gets darker and darker.
How does the filmmaker convey evil or darkness? Is it through the plot, imagery, characters or setting?
I think the central character representing darkness and evil is Mal, but if you look deeper she only exists as a product of Cobb's guilt, so all this darkness is actually inside himself growing and feeding on his hopelessness and inability to forgive himself. But is not only through characters that the filmmaker convey all of this negative energy, images as the buildings tumbling down in the layer called "limbo" and also the gray stormy skies in this same setting are great examples of what tells you right away that it's a bad place to be.
What can you connect your film to and why?
We can make a "text to text" connection with Freud, he tried many years ago to interpret people's dreams and what they represented, he even created manuals containing the most common dreams and their meanings. He believed that many times dreams would show us our own repressed desires and we can easily relate that with the way Cobb kept a "projection" of his dead wife locked up deep inside himself because he could not come to terms with the fact that he unintentionally caused her death and wouldn't be able to keep his promise of "growing old together".
What expressions of darkness had the most impact on you and why?
In this movie there is a place where you go to when you go to far inside someone's (could be your own) subconscious mind, it is called limbo and it is filled with all the things that are deep inside you even though sometimes you might not realize it. The main character of the movie, which is played by Leonardo DiCaprio has his personal limbo, and it is a world in ruins, a sad place full of crumbling buildings and cloudy gray skies, for me that was the expression of darkness that impacted me the most, because it is not just a dark place, is a representation of all the sadness and guilt that this character has been carrying around for years, and those are pretty strong negative feelings to keep to yourself.
EQ: How can a reader/viewer infer the author's intentions based on the text?
When we read a book or watch a movie, it's not so much about what we think, it's more about what we feel. In creative works emotion can be stronger than reason, but they may also be a starting point to a deeper analysis. If before you read/watch the story you decide to embrace it and make the most out of it, suspending what is plausible and just "believing" in the characters feelings and situations you will have a richer experience. If you allow yourself to feel sad for all the pain the characters have to face or feel happy and laugh from the ridiculous situations that they get into, you will have a clearer sense of what were the author's intentions with those lines, or setting, or images and may understand which tools he used to convey what he wanted you to feel.
Relation between my movie and another piece presented in class:
I have decided to relate my movie (Inception) with "District B13" (Noel and Ace's presentation) because I think they have a lot in common due to the fact that they are both actually meant to be action movies, but also have a little dark twist. I think in both movies an aspect that would just pop out in a comparison is, lying. In this movies lies play an important role in different ways. In Inception the main character Cobb, needs to complete a final task for a rich man that is powerful enough to "erase" some dark things from Cobb's past that are preventing him from going back to America and be a father to his kids. For that mission he will need a very experienced team, but he hides the truth in order to get those people to follow him, he didn't bother to tell them that if you die in a dream induced by strong sedatives your mind may get lost for ever and you will never wake up. In District B13 on the other hand, the liar is not the main character, who is completely oblivious about the fact that he is in a suicide mission to destroy a big "ghetto" that is causing trouble to the government. As you can see to complete different lies, but both very important, changing completely what happens in both movies from the point were the truth is revealed on.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Movie Project- The Lord of the Rings the Return of the King- Stephen and Jake D.
Plot
Frodo and Sam continue making their way to Mount Doom to destroy the Ring, with Gollum as their unreliable guide. Meanwhile, Aragorn assembles soldiers for the huge battle he knows is about to come. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimley visit the cave of the Army of the Dead(the ghosts), gain their loyalty and convince them into fighting for Gondor in return for being set free afterwards. In the meantime, Pippin and Gandalf go to Minas Tirith, the huge city set on the side of a mountain. A huge battle ensues as Mordor's army attacks, and all seems lost until Aragorn arrives with the dead army, who in turn win the battle for them. Aragorn sets the ghosts free following the battle. Around the same time, Frodo destroys the Ring after a struggle with Gollum. To end the movie, Aragorn is shown being crowned King of Gondor.
Frodo and Sam continue making their way to Mount Doom to destroy the Ring, with Gollum as their unreliable guide. Meanwhile, Aragorn assembles soldiers for the huge battle he knows is about to come. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimley visit the cave of the Army of the Dead(the ghosts), gain their loyalty and convince them into fighting for Gondor in return for being set free afterwards. In the meantime, Pippin and Gandalf go to Minas Tirith, the huge city set on the side of a mountain. A huge battle ensues as Mordor's army attacks, and all seems lost until Aragorn arrives with the dead army, who in turn win the battle for them. Aragorn sets the ghosts free following the battle. Around the same time, Frodo destroys the Ring after a struggle with Gollum. To end the movie, Aragorn is shown being crowned King of Gondor.
Movie Trailer - Jessica and Mikaela
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTmpKgocyYg
In this specific movie, a clique of girls who dominate the school experience a different sort of friendship. Out of the four girls, three of the girls' names are Heather while the other girl is Veronica. Being the most popular girls at school comes with a lot of pressure, which is why Veronica wants out. Soon, her interest in a new boy, J.D. spikes as she sees potential in his bad boy rep to help her out of the group. Soon, she realizes that JD pushes her to the extremes, such to as killing her best friend and other acts she never thought she would have done.
The first layer of the story is what is obvious, Veronica being tricked to kill her friends, but then taking on a new persona with this new desire and letting it grow by itself. The next layer would be why Veronica wanted out of the clique and why Veronica wants JD to be the one to help her as she seeks for a response. This layer will include not only her own opinions, but the opinions of other people around her, who have an influencing factor on her. The third and final layer includes her history, how she was brought up and her place in society which has serious influence on Veronica and how she grew up. Even if none of these layers show any sign of darkness, darkness can always be conveyed through the characters. When Veronica use the fire of the explosion to light her cigarette, it revealed the dark nature of her as having the guts to cause an explosion that cost a life and using it to light her cigarette which revealed her cruel nature. Such an event perfectly conveys darkness in the movie.
In this specific movie, a clique of girls who dominate the school experience a different sort of friendship. Out of the four girls, three of the girls' names are Heather while the other girl is Veronica. Being the most popular girls at school comes with a lot of pressure, which is why Veronica wants out. Soon, her interest in a new boy, J.D. spikes as she sees potential in his bad boy rep to help her out of the group. Soon, she realizes that JD pushes her to the extremes, such to as killing her best friend and other acts she never thought she would have done.
The first layer of the story is what is obvious, Veronica being tricked to kill her friends, but then taking on a new persona with this new desire and letting it grow by itself. The next layer would be why Veronica wanted out of the clique and why Veronica wants JD to be the one to help her as she seeks for a response. This layer will include not only her own opinions, but the opinions of other people around her, who have an influencing factor on her. The third and final layer includes her history, how she was brought up and her place in society which has serious influence on Veronica and how she grew up. Even if none of these layers show any sign of darkness, darkness can always be conveyed through the characters. When Veronica use the fire of the explosion to light her cigarette, it revealed the dark nature of her as having the guts to cause an explosion that cost a life and using it to light her cigarette which revealed her cruel nature. Such an event perfectly conveys darkness in the movie.
Your summative rubric
It did not paste over in grid format): You will get the idea. Near the end is the task. The previous post is an explanation on layers.
4 3 2 1
Overall completion Responds to all parts of questions; detail/support accurate and explained
Responds to most parts of questions some detail/support Responds to questions or parts, minimal detail, support parts may be inaccurate.
Does not respond to all parts of questions; No or little detail/support Misinterprets issues and questions.
Movie analysis Movie choice conveys an insightful understanding of the concept, with rich multiple associations & examples Movie choice conveys a thoughtful understanding of the concept with several associations & examples Movie choice conveys a basic understanding of the concept with some associations and examples Movie choice conveys a basic understanding of the concept
Connections many connections between ideas are made & are clear and fully explained connections between ideas are made & are clearly explained limited, connections between ideas are made but are not always clear connections between ideas are not made and or supported
Connection to an EQ of choice Shows a thorough and insightful understanding of EQ how it is connected to central message. Is well supported with specific examples Shows a solid understanding of EQ how it is connected to central message.
Is well supported with specific examples Shows some understanding of EQ how it is connected to central message.
Limited support and or examples vague. Shows limited understanding of EQ how it is connected to central message. Support may be missing, examples not relevant
Movie Analysis Summative Rubric English 11
Please resubmit your formative rubric from your presentation. On your blog or on paper- please add the EQ piece. Also you can improve any parts where I made suggestions in your presentation-just let me know how and why you did. This piece of writing will be summative. Please make sure you address one of the two questions on the original assignment and include in your writing how your piece could relate to one you saw presented by a peers.
4 3 2 1
Overall completion Responds to all parts of questions; detail/support accurate and explained
Responds to most parts of questions some detail/support Responds to questions or parts, minimal detail, support parts may be inaccurate.
Does not respond to all parts of questions; No or little detail/support Misinterprets issues and questions.
Movie analysis Movie choice conveys an insightful understanding of the concept, with rich multiple associations & examples Movie choice conveys a thoughtful understanding of the concept with several associations & examples Movie choice conveys a basic understanding of the concept with some associations and examples Movie choice conveys a basic understanding of the concept
Connections many connections between ideas are made & are clear and fully explained connections between ideas are made & are clearly explained limited, connections between ideas are made but are not always clear connections between ideas are not made and or supported
Connection to an EQ of choice Shows a thorough and insightful understanding of EQ how it is connected to central message. Is well supported with specific examples Shows a solid understanding of EQ how it is connected to central message.
Is well supported with specific examples Shows some understanding of EQ how it is connected to central message.
Limited support and or examples vague. Shows limited understanding of EQ how it is connected to central message. Support may be missing, examples not relevant
Movie Analysis Summative Rubric English 11
Please resubmit your formative rubric from your presentation. On your blog or on paper- please add the EQ piece. Also you can improve any parts where I made suggestions in your presentation-just let me know how and why you did. This piece of writing will be summative. Please make sure you address one of the two questions on the original assignment and include in your writing how your piece could relate to one you saw presented by a peers.
WHAT DO I MEAN BY LAYERS?????
WHAT DO I MEAN BY LAYERS?????
The first layer is the obvious one the viewer/reader sees; setting, characters, plot etc.THe who who what where when and why)
The next layer would be to look at the text for author's/filmmakers technique such as imagery, rhetoric, figurative language,(look for symbolism) tone, what helps make the mood, narrative voice, descriptive detail etc.
For example: The names given to the characters eg think Malfoy in Harry Potter, Scar in the Lion King, Or Why is the Dark Knight called "Dark" Why in many films do scenes of "evil" happen in darkness.
Then we look at what motivates the characters and their beliefs- do they think what they are doing is evil for example?
How does the society at that time impact what is going on....
Make sure you explain your reasons with specific examples-from stories bring in quotes, from movies talk about the scene you are referring to.
The first layer is the obvious one the viewer/reader sees; setting, characters, plot etc.THe who who what where when and why)
The next layer would be to look at the text for author's/filmmakers technique such as imagery, rhetoric, figurative language,(look for symbolism) tone, what helps make the mood, narrative voice, descriptive detail etc.
For example: The names given to the characters eg think Malfoy in Harry Potter, Scar in the Lion King, Or Why is the Dark Knight called "Dark" Why in many films do scenes of "evil" happen in darkness.
Then we look at what motivates the characters and their beliefs- do they think what they are doing is evil for example?
How does the society at that time impact what is going on....
Make sure you explain your reasons with specific examples-from stories bring in quotes, from movies talk about the scene you are referring to.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Movie Project - District B13, Noel & Ace
In France, there is a place where there are no longer any schools or police stations, a place where gangs run the streets, a place called District B13. An armoured truck carrying a missile was intercepted in B13 by a very powerful gang. It was the mission of a cop and a prisoner who was from B13 to find the missile and disarm it with a code. The gang tried selling the missile back to the French government but they refused their demands. The cop and prisoner found the missile but it was odd to the prisoner that the government refused to buy the missile back. He then believed that the code was the code to detonate the missile instead of disarming it and when the timer hit 0, the missile remained intact. The cop and prisoner recovered the missile and brought it back to the government and secretly filmed them as they confronted their actions. The government admitted that the missile was purposely set up in B13 to destroy it since the place was so poor and everything the government said was broadcasted to all of France.
Questions:
The layers of context within this film revolve around the nature of District B13 and the French government's secret operation.
The filmmaker conveys a layer of evil and darkness through rural settings and gang violence. As unkempt and coarse the nature of District B13 is, the hidden agenda of the French government strikes to be even more corrupt, with their plans to destroy District B13.
The idea of the government planning to destroy a district within their own borders is very alarming. This expression of darkness had the most impact on us as a government is meant to manage and protect its people, and not to harm them.
In the movie, the government is the character of darkness. The government is shown to betray its people and to eliminate District B13 instead of solving the problems that it has.
Connection:
T-W: There is corruption in many different governments today, possibly even our own, we just don’t know about it.
T-T: In the book “The Forbidden City”, the government killed protestors to hide their conspiracy.
T-S: Being under a government, I have the potential of being a victim of a corrupt government.
Movie Project- Mulan
Mulan is a surprisingly dark movie. What impacted me the most was the scene where General Shang left Mulan, wounded, to die on a mountainside just because he'd found out she was a woman. Even after she'd fought alongside them in battle, no less. General Shang was supposed to be a hero, on the good side of the story. The betrayal of someone who we thought was supposed to help the protagonist makes the scene that much darker.
***Jan 18***
What are the layers of context/setting in this film?
A layer of the setting that shows darkness would be that the story takes place in war. It directly shows us that people are dying. (In the avalanche scene for example.) The characters also show us darkness, like the Huns who are China's enemy in the story. The film-maker shows us that the Huns' motives are evil and dark. A deeper layer could be the irony in that by breaking the rules, lying, and running away from home, Mulan ended up being one of China's greatest heroes. This layer shows that darkness does have an ending with light, and I think that is what the film-maker is trying to portray. This is how the film-maker portrays darkness.
How can a character represent darkness?
A character can represent dakness and evil when others fear them (like when the Huns first invaded China they spread fear and panic among the villagers.)
As well as when one character betrays another. (Like General Shang when he left Mulan on a mountainside to die.)
A connection I can make is between Mulan and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Mulan and Harry once lived fairly normal lives, until the darkness and evil around them forced them to become the heroes they were led to become.
Connection to EQ
What does power have to do with fairness and justice?
The main example in Mulan that displays power having an affect on fairness and justice was when General Shang left Mulan to die on the mountainside. The power that he believed he had, because he was a man and the leader of an army, made him believe that leaving an injured woman to die was a fair punishment for what she'd done (illegally joining the army).
His power blinded him and so he ended up making Mulan's punishment much more severe than what it should have been.
***Jan 18***
What are the layers of context/setting in this film?
A layer of the setting that shows darkness would be that the story takes place in war. It directly shows us that people are dying. (In the avalanche scene for example.) The characters also show us darkness, like the Huns who are China's enemy in the story. The film-maker shows us that the Huns' motives are evil and dark. A deeper layer could be the irony in that by breaking the rules, lying, and running away from home, Mulan ended up being one of China's greatest heroes. This layer shows that darkness does have an ending with light, and I think that is what the film-maker is trying to portray. This is how the film-maker portrays darkness.
How can a character represent darkness?
A character can represent dakness and evil when others fear them (like when the Huns first invaded China they spread fear and panic among the villagers.)
As well as when one character betrays another. (Like General Shang when he left Mulan on a mountainside to die.)
A connection I can make is between Mulan and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Mulan and Harry once lived fairly normal lives, until the darkness and evil around them forced them to become the heroes they were led to become.
Connection to EQ
What does power have to do with fairness and justice?
The main example in Mulan that displays power having an affect on fairness and justice was when General Shang left Mulan to die on the mountainside. The power that he believed he had, because he was a man and the leader of an army, made him believe that leaving an injured woman to die was a fair punishment for what she'd done (illegally joining the army).
His power blinded him and so he ended up making Mulan's punishment much more severe than what it should have been.
Movie Project
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWCAf-xLV2k
Silence of the lambs is one of the most gruesome horror movies of all time. The main character, Hannibal Lecter, is devious, sick-minded and a genius. The main plot in the movie is Hannibal gets locked up in jail and escapes with a nasty yet incredibly smart plan. He is a criminal because he likes to eat people which most people frown upon. The entire movie is creepy watching his plans unfurl but yet you are astonished about the depth and thought put into all of his plans. This mood is created by the suspense and hatred in every scene. The film maker conveys darkness through the character because he kills people like they were ants. He has absolutely no respect for human life and so he is not accepted into society. The expression of darkness that had the most impact on me was when he escaped the jail by killing the guard and doing some pretty terrible things to trick the other guards into actually taking him out of the jail themselves. I will not mention these details because they are really nasty. A character can represent darkness through their actions and thoughts. Hannibal thought of an evil scheme and he acted on it. It's as simple as that. I can connect this movie to the saw series. Both main characters in these movies play games with peoples minds as if they were lab rats in an experiment. I find this terrible because you can't go through your whole life screwing with other people's. There's something called karma and it usually does take effect. These character's, Hannibal and Jigsaw, need to learn the value of human life and until then they will never be able to fix their own.
Silence of the lambs is one of the most gruesome horror movies of all time. The main character, Hannibal Lecter, is devious, sick-minded and a genius. The main plot in the movie is Hannibal gets locked up in jail and escapes with a nasty yet incredibly smart plan. He is a criminal because he likes to eat people which most people frown upon. The entire movie is creepy watching his plans unfurl but yet you are astonished about the depth and thought put into all of his plans. This mood is created by the suspense and hatred in every scene. The film maker conveys darkness through the character because he kills people like they were ants. He has absolutely no respect for human life and so he is not accepted into society. The expression of darkness that had the most impact on me was when he escaped the jail by killing the guard and doing some pretty terrible things to trick the other guards into actually taking him out of the jail themselves. I will not mention these details because they are really nasty. A character can represent darkness through their actions and thoughts. Hannibal thought of an evil scheme and he acted on it. It's as simple as that. I can connect this movie to the saw series. Both main characters in these movies play games with peoples minds as if they were lab rats in an experiment. I find this terrible because you can't go through your whole life screwing with other people's. There's something called karma and it usually does take effect. These character's, Hannibal and Jigsaw, need to learn the value of human life and until then they will never be able to fix their own.
Movie Project: Nick Seeley and Jordan Cronier
Gladiator Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvTT29cavKo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvTT29cavKo
Movie Project: Miguel & Mitchell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxKJgOZXEho
The movie we have picked is "The Dark Knight" because it is a movie that everyone is familiar to and is also a great movie with many examples of darkness. Batman is a man/hero that tries to eliminate evil and the darkness that is alive everyday in his city. This movie had so many aspects of darkness starting with the main villain, The Joker, who in my opinion made the movie. The way he acted and laughed made him look ruthless and demonic. The way he made Batman choose between people's deaths was the raw darkness that we were looking for. We think choosing between one person's death and another person's death would be one of the hardest things to do. The Joker would turn horrible events into a game. Another component that makes this movie the definition of darkness because most scenes are filmed at night adding an extra effect of death and darkness. Every decision the Joker made impacted me making me see The Joker as a man who really has no soul and is capable of doing anything. In the movie he is so demonic that he looks and acts like a man who should go to a mental facility. He would do things that a normal human would even think of doing because it was just savage and wrong. The trailer we chose shows what we are talking about and shows the examples we have written about. enjoy.
By: migy10 and mitch
The movie we have picked is "The Dark Knight" because it is a movie that everyone is familiar to and is also a great movie with many examples of darkness. Batman is a man/hero that tries to eliminate evil and the darkness that is alive everyday in his city. This movie had so many aspects of darkness starting with the main villain, The Joker, who in my opinion made the movie. The way he acted and laughed made him look ruthless and demonic. The way he made Batman choose between people's deaths was the raw darkness that we were looking for. We think choosing between one person's death and another person's death would be one of the hardest things to do. The Joker would turn horrible events into a game. Another component that makes this movie the definition of darkness because most scenes are filmed at night adding an extra effect of death and darkness. Every decision the Joker made impacted me making me see The Joker as a man who really has no soul and is capable of doing anything. In the movie he is so demonic that he looks and acts like a man who should go to a mental facility. He would do things that a normal human would even think of doing because it was just savage and wrong. The trailer we chose shows what we are talking about and shows the examples we have written about. enjoy.
By: migy10 and mitch
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Why does darkness exist in society?
The word "darkness" represents several different things. It can mean the night sky or the inside of a closed-up bag. But the darkness that Miss Caldwell's English class is touching upon is the evil kind. Why does darkness exist in society? I think I know the answer. We all know that good exists, and both evil and good exist is nearly every person. But without a choice to do evil i.e. have a dark side to yourself, nobody would have the choice to be good. And without choice, nobody would be truly good. I think that is why darkness exists in society.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Movie Project Trailer Braden M and Brandon A
Shutter Island Trailer
The setting alone of the movie Shutter Island would make anyone believe this is a dark movie. A prison for the criminally insane is a place most people would be afraid of to even see. The context of the story makes this film many times more dark. The setting is a lonely, cold island surrounded by dark waters. On the actual island there is basically a metal prison for the criminally insane, the deeper down you go into the prison, the more dangerous and the more insane the patients are. The sense of the darkness in this film originates from the fear of the unknown, the darkness, the dangerous and the corrupted. The context of this movie is confusing, yet dark at the same time. The fact that a patient vanished from a locked room is creepy itself, to find out that she is in a cave and herself, along with many other patients are fearful of the scientists and the workers on the island make the plot even more mysterious. Later we find out that the scientists have been performing experiments on the patients here, and the main character, has been a subject to these experiments since he got on the island. The main character eventually becomes changed into somebody he is not, and we do not even get to find out what happens to him and everyone on the island, even more mysterious, and in turn, more darker.
The setting alone of the movie Shutter Island would make anyone believe this is a dark movie. A prison for the criminally insane is a place most people would be afraid of to even see. The context of the story makes this film many times more dark. The setting is a lonely, cold island surrounded by dark waters. On the actual island there is basically a metal prison for the criminally insane, the deeper down you go into the prison, the more dangerous and the more insane the patients are. The sense of the darkness in this film originates from the fear of the unknown, the darkness, the dangerous and the corrupted. The context of this movie is confusing, yet dark at the same time. The fact that a patient vanished from a locked room is creepy itself, to find out that she is in a cave and herself, along with many other patients are fearful of the scientists and the workers on the island make the plot even more mysterious. Later we find out that the scientists have been performing experiments on the patients here, and the main character, has been a subject to these experiments since he got on the island. The main character eventually becomes changed into somebody he is not, and we do not even get to find out what happens to him and everyone on the island, even more mysterious, and in turn, more darker.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Movie Project
Homework
Individually or with a partner find a movie on “evil” or “darkness” and share a short (5min) presentation (formative).
1.A brief synopsis of the plot
2.A discussion of the following questions:
What are the layers of context/setting in this film?
How does the filmmaker convey evil or darkness? Is it through the plot, imagery, characters, setting? What expressions of darkness had the most impact on you and why?
How can a character represent darkness?
3. A connection-What can you connect your film to and why-please be sure to explain in detail. (T-T, T-S, T-W)
If you can find a quick clip of the movie, please post it on the class blog.
On the class blog please post in writing your thoughts to one of the questions below. It may be a comment to another’s movie posting. It can be your reaction, your opinion, your thoughts on the way the media has tackled our EQ’s. You may have seen something else in their movie and may want to enrich it.
What are the layers of context/setting in this film that reveal the sense of darkness?
What expressions of darkness had the most impact on you and why?
Individually or with a partner find a movie on “evil” or “darkness” and share a short (5min) presentation (formative).
1.A brief synopsis of the plot
2.A discussion of the following questions:
What are the layers of context/setting in this film?
How does the filmmaker convey evil or darkness? Is it through the plot, imagery, characters, setting? What expressions of darkness had the most impact on you and why?
How can a character represent darkness?
3. A connection-What can you connect your film to and why-please be sure to explain in detail. (T-T, T-S, T-W)
If you can find a quick clip of the movie, please post it on the class blog.
On the class blog please post in writing your thoughts to one of the questions below. It may be a comment to another’s movie posting. It can be your reaction, your opinion, your thoughts on the way the media has tackled our EQ’s. You may have seen something else in their movie and may want to enrich it.
What are the layers of context/setting in this film that reveal the sense of darkness?
What expressions of darkness had the most impact on you and why?
Monday, January 10, 2011
Short stories-Tues class
The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe
Above is a short story you can listen to online.
Below is a short story you can read. If you can find a version where it is read on line-please post it.
http://www.sangam.org/articles/view/?id=183
I also have some poems you can listen to. PLease listen to at least one poem.
Poem Emily Dickinson "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"
Death John Donne
Above is a short story you can listen to online.
Below is a short story you can read. If you can find a version where it is read on line-please post it.
http://www.sangam.org/articles/view/?id=183
I also have some poems you can listen to. PLease listen to at least one poem.
Poem Emily Dickinson "Because I Could Not Stop for Death"
Death John Donne
Saturday, January 8, 2011
I have posted links to the songs we heard in class and the EU's/EQS
Our Essential questions for the unit
Does evil or fear lead one to the following; experience of violence, infliction of violence and/or observation of violence?
Why is it important for people and cultures to construct narratives about their experiences?
What does power have to do with fairness and justice?
Are we implicated in injustice and what can we do about it?
What allows some individuals to take a stand against prejudice/oppression while others choose to participate in it?
How can a reader/viewer infer the author’s intentions based on the text?
In what ways are narratives influenced by bias and perspective?
What is the relevance of studying multi texts?
How does the media shape our view of the world/ ourselves?
How does the study of fiction and nonfiction texts help individuals construct their understanding of reality?
Enduring Understandings for the Unit
Our perceptions around evil, war, and violence are influenced by our contexts and our experiences.
People and cultures construct narratives about their experiences.
What we create is a representation of what we think and believe; our representations of meaning can be constructed consciously or unconsciously.
A good thinker uses interpretations, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation to deepen and enhance understanding.
(This is also one of your learning outcomes for this unit).
I am going to link the 3 video clips I showed in class to start our unit. This way you can see them at home.
Good Bye Earl good bye earl
Angel Sarah McLachlan Angel by Sarah McLachlan
We didn't Start the Fire Billy Joel We didn't start the Fire
Billy Joel Good Bye Saigon
The Saddest Song Annie Lennox The Saddest Song
How are evil, violence, war, darkness demonstrated in society?
How are they influenced, supported, and manifested in society?
Why do they exist?
Does evil or fear lead one to the following; experience of violence, infliction of violence and/or observation of violence?
Why is it important for people and cultures to construct narratives about their experiences?
What does power have to do with fairness and justice?
Are we implicated in injustice and what can we do about it?
What allows some individuals to take a stand against prejudice/oppression while others choose to participate in it?
How can a reader/viewer infer the author’s intentions based on the text?
In what ways are narratives influenced by bias and perspective?
What is the relevance of studying multi texts?
How does the media shape our view of the world/ ourselves?
How does the study of fiction and nonfiction texts help individuals construct their understanding of reality?
Enduring Understandings for the Unit
Our perceptions around evil, war, and violence are influenced by our contexts and our experiences.
People and cultures construct narratives about their experiences.
What we create is a representation of what we think and believe; our representations of meaning can be constructed consciously or unconsciously.
A good thinker uses interpretations, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation to deepen and enhance understanding.
(This is also one of your learning outcomes for this unit).
I am going to link the 3 video clips I showed in class to start our unit. This way you can see them at home.
Good Bye Earl good bye earl
Angel Sarah McLachlan Angel by Sarah McLachlan
We didn't Start the Fire Billy Joel We didn't start the Fire
Billy Joel Good Bye Saigon
The Saddest Song Annie Lennox The Saddest Song
How are evil, violence, war, darkness demonstrated in society?
How are they influenced, supported, and manifested in society?
Why do they exist?
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Questions from todays class
Short stories
Here are the questions. These are similar to the ones on your handout. These are directed more to the short story (not the film. they are the same, the order is just a bit different.(The layers come at the end.)
You only need to read one short story and you only need to have answered the first 3 set of questions on the handout.
As you read make note of how the authors convey and integrate imagery, setting and work on mood.
What techniques are the authors using?
How is the setting developed?
How is the author conveying the sense/tone of evil? Eg word choice, images etc…
Is it the character that is the symbol/representation of evil?
What factors contributed to the characters actions?
What patterns in society or contexts help and/or hinder the characters behaviours?
What are the roots of this persons behaviours?
Think about layers…
Is the evil, darkness conveyed through;
plot
imagery
characters
setting
What impacted you the most and why?
Here are the questions. These are similar to the ones on your handout. These are directed more to the short story (not the film. they are the same, the order is just a bit different.(The layers come at the end.)
You only need to read one short story and you only need to have answered the first 3 set of questions on the handout.
As you read make note of how the authors convey and integrate imagery, setting and work on mood.
What techniques are the authors using?
How is the setting developed?
How is the author conveying the sense/tone of evil? Eg word choice, images etc…
Is it the character that is the symbol/representation of evil?
What factors contributed to the characters actions?
What patterns in society or contexts help and/or hinder the characters behaviours?
What are the roots of this persons behaviours?
Think about layers…
Is the evil, darkness conveyed through;
plot
imagery
characters
setting
What impacted you the most and why?
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