Reflection on Romeo and Juliet Monologue Test

Today, I felt like I did not do as well as I'd hoped. A week before, I had thought that the monologue was due last monday, so I memorized it for that day. However, through out the week, I had forgotten to look at it again. So on Sunday night, I took out the monologue and reviewed it. The way I tried to memorize the monologue was split the monologue into groups of 5 lines each, and type it out again and again until I could type it out by heart, and then eventually, link up the whole monologue. So this morning, as other people were doing their 'test', I read along with them, but without the paper to prompt me. I realized that I could do it perfectly well when I was offstage. But when I got to the front of the classroom, it was like all that I have tried to memorize were just gone. I had a hard time remembering the lines that went next. I think next time how I could improve is by reciting it in front of a group of friends. Another mistake I made was that by practicing it by typing, I allow myself time to think and try to recall the lines. However, when I was in front of the class, I did not have this time, or else the lines would, as proven, not flow as well. So for next time, I would certainly practice it more in front of others.

Class Assignment - Quickwrite - Returning Home

If a person has been away from home for many years, his/her reaction may be one of joy. However, it would also depend on the circumstances. For example, if that person was home from fighting a war, that person would probably be happy to see his/her family again after a long time, and glad to be alive to come home. However, if the person came home after running away some years ago, that person would probably feel nervous upon the return. However, I do believe that one emotion always associated with returning home is 'relief'. Home is where someone belongs, and feels safe at. Everyone feels relieved when they go somewhere they feel safe about. In Odysseus's case, at first when he returns home, he was probably wary of all the suitors and the different situation within his own country. But as he is reunited with his wife, he feels joy, love, and relief to be home.

Difference Between The Odyssey Movie and Original Book- Cyclopes scene

Firstly, in the book, it had said that the Cyclops was carrying a load of dry boughs on his shoulder when he came in, however, in the movie, he was not carrying anything. In the book, as the story continues on, the Cyclops continues doing his chores until later when he lit the fire did he see the visitors, whereas in the movie, he immediately notices Odysseus and him men in his cave. In the book, Odysseus explains that they were from the battle of Troy and introduced which kingdom they were from, whereas in the movie, only the Cyclops introduced himself. In the book, Odysseus and his men waited until the next night to stab the Cyclops, and used the time in-between when the Cyclops was out to sharpen the mast. In the movie, Odysseus and his men fed him the wine first, then, on the same first day, stabbed him. In the book Odysseus gave him the wine the next day, which caused him to sleep, and then he used this opportunity to stab him. Then, the Cyclops calls for his brothers, who reply to his calls, whereas in the movie, the brothers do not reply anything. In the book, the men then tie themselves onto the sheep and wait until morning to escape, using the sheep as cover. In the movie, however, the Cyclops immediately rolls away the rock, and the men just slip by his feet, with the exception of one who covers himself with sheep skin. In the book, everyone who survived up until then doesn't die during the escape, whereas in the movie, the man who played the flute died. In the book, the men then take the sheep with them, whereas in the movie,  they just leave, and taunt Poseidon on the way (in the book Odysseus just calls out to taunt Polyphemus himself). Also, in the book, the story of the Cyclops ends at night, where Polyphemus "stretched his hands out in his darkness toward the sky of stars", and in the movie, it is seen as daylight.

Class Assignment - Quickwrite - The Odyssey, A Hero

A hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice himself in order to achieve good for others. Normally, heroes possess qualities that make them an example to others to follow, such as by teaching a moral lesson, or shows specific characteristics. However, although this is the 'default' definition of heroes, there are many 'heroes' that have proven otherwise. For example, there are heroes that boast of their powers and achievements, which is not exactly the best moral lesson to teach children. Moreover, although heroes are normally portrayed in myths and legends to appear 'out of the world', there are many everyday heroes. For example, many consider Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. a hero, since they both stood up for their own people and defied the prejudiced public. I think heroes should  be brave, selfless, and humble. The two traits, brave and selfless, are quite universal. However, humble is not necessarily universal. For example, many Greek heroes boast of their achievements and abilities (which many times arouse the anger of the gods, unfortunately).

Organization Hoax - Berlin's Cannibalistic Restaurant

About a year and a half ago, the website for 'Flime' mentions the opening of a new restaurant. On the website, shockingly, there was a plea for consumers around to donate a part of their body for their 'upcoming menu' and offering to pay for the cost for any hospital costs. They also ask for any 'open-minded' surgeon. The restaurant cites its inspiration from an indigenous Brazilian tribe called Waricaca, which is a tribe engaged in cannibalism, often believing that eating the human parts of a dead friend or family shows a connection between the living and the dead and helps with the mourning. They even named a couple of dishes they were to serve at the upcoming-restaurant. Obviously, this organization and restaurant received countless criticism and public outcry on the disgustingness and outrage on the promotion of cannibalism. Moreover, this had coincided with the recent event of cannibalism in Germany whereby a technician had been eaten by a self-confessed cannibal. However, on the day the restaurant was due to open, the website admitted that it was a hoax. It was an attempt by a German Vegetarian organization to raise awareness about eating meat, and its parallelism with eating human flesh. They use the line: "Every piece of meat is a piece of mankind" to emphasize their point. Although this was only a means of raising awareness, Flime had attracted much criticism for this method being inappropriate. Many critics and government officials had stated that the publicity they got for the 'cannibalism' far out-weighed their attempt to raise awareness about vegetarianism. I think this was a good comparison between eating meat and eating human flesh. On the other hand, although they had made a good point, I don't think that they should have used this as a way to raise awareness, particularly since there is actually a little cannibalism going around Germany, so they shouldn't have left it out in the open like they are promoting it. But also because of this event, German police are now taking a little more time to investigate underground cannibalism that is going around Germany.

Class Assignment - Quickwrite - Appearances Can Be Deceiving

A lot of times, people are misled by the way others look. For example, when I was in Belgium, because I looked asian, most westerners directly assumed that I was Japanese, so would try to greet me in Japanese. Personally, I have many times assumed that a movie is bad just by watching the trailer. The same could be said about the saying: Don't judge a book by its cover. Many times the books appearance may be misleading. Though for me I'm not necessarily affected by the book's cover, most times I judge by the length of the book. Thicker books may put off people easier. However, I have discovered that the lengths of books don't make it slow or boring. For example, the "Chaos Walking" trilogy are three very thick books, however, the pace of the book moves very fast and there is almost always a twist at the end of every chapter. Other things that might be misleading to people is the appearance of someone. For example, if someone wore glasses and carried around a big bag full of books, the first impression people get of the person is that perhaps he is a nerd. They might not know that maybe he was born with near-sightedness, and was just carrying the books for his friend. People are often misled by their first impression. The modern mind is shaped by the media, and what we are taught. Through television and books, we are taught different stereotypes that are imprinted inside our heads, thus, giving us the image of the 'nerd'. Also, past experience may shape our way of thinking. Someone who has been through a hard life will definitely get different first impressions than those that have led a good life. But these first impressions are given to us through 'first glances', when we don't know fully well about the person or thing. In order to break this 'first impression', we must try to get to know the person or thing better. Often, people are surprised to see that their first thought of the person or thing is wrong. So we must learn not to make judgements too quickly, and to, instead, keep an open-mind until we know the person or thing fully.

Class Assignment - Quickwrite - "American History" Historical Moments

I remember two historical moments that really had profound effects on me. The first one was the volcanic eruption in Iceland, and the second one was the marriage between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Although these are not political historical events, they have both taught me a lesson. As it happens, both happened while I was in Europe. During the time of the volcanic eruption, a lot of people in my school were on break. I remember on the day of the eruption, our television didn't really work. We used satellite TV at the time, so there was something in the air that affected the satellite. I checked the news on the internet, and found out that a volcano had erupted in Iceland. At first I didn't think it was much of a big deal, however, after a few days, I saw that there was actually a lot of effect. For example, normally, outside my house, I can see the airplanes take off everyday behind the hills. However, those days, I remember it being really quiet, without any airplanes at all. This obviously had a big effect on a lot of people. There were friends of mine stranded all across the world. I had a friend in Florida, another in Estonia, and another somewhere in Asia. At school, we made a map showing where everyone in the school was stranded at. Also, one of my mom's friends had to stay over at our house because her flight was cancelled. I remember then that one day (it happened to be a school trip day at the beach), I looked up to the sky, and I saw the first of the airplanes take off. It was really a surprise to me after a couple of weeks of not seeing airplanes at all. This event made me realize how puny humans really are. A volcanic eruption was enough to strand people all across the world. Imagine what would happen if a bigger volcano erupted!

The other event, the royal wedding, was obviously a big deal in my school, because we were a British school. Weeks leading up to the wedding, almost every single news channel was playing something about the story of Kate Middleton and Prince William. I now know the story of the two off by heart; I knew the exact process of their relationship, their ups and downs, etc. It is actually quite maddening. However, this joyous event also brought to light topics of anti-monarchy. On the internet, not only could I find news of the wedding, but also a lot of news of protests going on about the British government and royal family. For geography class, we had to write an essay about a specific topic of the royal wedding. I chose to write about the anti-monarchy topic. I think a lot of their arguments made sense. Why should people have to pay so much tax just to pay for the Queen to wear a different designer dress every time in public? A lot of people argue that it is a waste of money that the hard-working citizens are making, while the pro-monarchists defend by saying that it is a proud tradition. Many think it is an old-fashioned way of thinking that has to go. It is only bringing the British economy down and is pretty useless. Through the event, I learned a lot about what different people thought of the topic of the royal wedding. I am glad to have been here to experience such a grandiose event. Throughout the day of the wedding, the live BBC footage was playing in the auditorium, and I remember our science teacher showing us the live clip on his computer. Most of the girls were just looking out for Kate Middleton's dress.

Class Assignment - Quickwrite - "How to Eat a Guava" Favorite Food

It is very hard to choose an 'absolute favorite food'. But if I asked myself: What food could I live off of for the rest of my life without getting sick of it? I choose potatoes. It is not everyone's first choice of favorite food, and it is generally quite 'broad', but I love everything potato-related. For me, everything tastes better with potato (the same way people argue the rules of bacon). You could literally put potatoes with anything. I have a life goal of being able to learn to cook, bake, fry, etc. potato in every way possible to learn. So far, I pride myself in being able to make more potato dishes than most (if not all) of my friends. My obsession with potato started in Belgium. In Europe, nobody eats rice, like people in Taiwan do. Instead, their staple food is mainly potato. Therefore, in cooking class, I learned many, many different ways to cook potato. In almost every country I visit in Europe, I was served potato in the restaurants. I like eating potatoes no matter which way its cooked. One of my fondest memories of Belgium is being hungry at night, and laying out sliced potato chips (after it's been boiled, of course) on a casserole dish, and pouring melted cheese on top of it. Then I put it in the oven and wait for it to be baked. The outcome is this hot, cheesy, golden, and crispy-on-the-outside combination of potato chips and cheese. It is the best thing to eat on winter nights. Another one of my favorites is mashed potato. I really enjoy eating soft, warm mashed potato with bacon and eggs. Some other of my favorite potato dishes include latkes, dauphines potatoes, hash browns, and, of course, the most popular potato chips and fries.

Reflection on Billy Collins Poem - Forgetfulness

I watched the animation for the poem 'forgetfulness'. I really liked this poem because I can relate to it a lot.  The poem was about how sometimes after we read a book, we would forget its contents, author, etc. That is very true in my case a lot of the times. On many occasions, I could vaguely remember a part of a plot, but won't be able to connect it with the rest of a book. I really like the metaphors Collins used in the poem, especially: "the memories you used to harbor/decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,/to a little fishing village where there are no phones." The descriptions used to describe how memeories slowly fade away were very clverely crafted, in my opinion. I thought that he did a good job on making us envision, and live through again, what it is like to be forgetting something we learned. I also thought this poem showed a lot of intelligence on Collin's part. I liked his allusions to Greek Mythology, with the 9 muses, the Lethe River (the river of forgetfullness in the underworld, which he mentioned in: "It has floated away down a dark mythological river,/whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall") But however, I noticed that as the poem goes on, it also drifts into forgetting not only books, but skills such as 'how to swim' and 'how to ride a bike'. Also, the animation itself was pretty cool, with the pictures disappearing, etc. to show 'forgetfullness'. It created a good visual effect. I thought this poem was very well-written and I enjoyed it.

Narrative Poem Research

A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story. Some examples of narrative poems are ballads, epics, and lays. I chose the poem, 'The Day Lady Died', by Frank O'Hara. The poem starts off with setting the scene (in New York, on a Friday in 1959) and very simple day-to-day tasks, with the narrator going to the bank, getting presents for his friends, etc. But the poem takes a turn as he enters the liquor store, and he sees a New York Post newspaper with 'her face' on it. The 'her' is referring to Billie Holiday, a singer who died that year, and the name of the poem is a play on a nickname: 'Lady Day'. O'Hara's style of writing is considered very 'detailed' and 'trivial'. In most of his poems, he writes in a way that is like a human mind thinks. The human mind thinks in details, taking in specific names and random thoughts. In this poem, there is a lot of names, such as Easthampton, 7:15, New World Writing, Miss Stillwagon, Verlaine, Bonnard, Park Lane, etc. Also, in between these details, there are also little commentaries that our minds tend to make on certain things. This is why in the poem, it starts off by listing off the trivial tasks of his daily life, and then, as he makes the extraordinary discovery of the death of Billie Holiday, the tone of the poem changes completely, and it focuses on how he feels: " and I am sweating a lot by now and thinking of leaning on the john door in the 5 spot while she whispered a song along the keyboard to Mal Waldron and everyone and I stopped breathing". This refers to the narrator's last memory of Billie Holiday, at possibly a jazz club with Holiday's accompanist, Mal Waldron. It is not a very long poem, and goes at quite a fast pace, as a human mind would. There is no rhyme scheme, and no particular number of syllables in each line. Also, there is no set number of lines in each stanza. Another thing worth noting is that there is hardly any punctuation; there does not seem to be any periods, and barely any commas, because as mentioned above, this poem is written like the human mind. The human mind does not stop, or pause, but instead, keeps going and thinking. There is no figure of speech and no imagery; in short, there is no descriptive language except at the very end, where it mentions: "she whispered the song along the keyboard", which is giving an image of of her singing as soft and delicate.

Extended Metaphor - Life is...

"In the rollar coaster of life, sometimes, we go too fast that we don't know we're on the downfall until we're actually on it, and we are too scared on the ride to realize that we actually enjoyed it."

This extended metaphor has two parts. The first part, 'we don't know we're on the downfall until we're acutally on it', shows that sometimes things can take you by surprise, because life is full of surprises, good or bad. The second part, 'we are too scared on the ride to realize that we actually enjoyed it', this shows that sometimes, when in the middle of the situation, we are thinking too much, and we don't actually enjoy the moment. For example, a lot of adults live to earn money for retirement so that they can enjoy it, however, after they retire, they realize that they are so busy working hard that they didn't get to enjoy life to its fullest. So basically, this metaphor is about 'surprises' and 'regets'.

Class Assignment - Quickwrite - Disrespect

Many situations rise in which disrespect cause conflict. Disrepect can be cause by things such as rascism, sexism, etc. Basically, it is usually caused by discrimination. A lot of the times, discrimination already exists, prior to the situation. For example, during the time of Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were being discriminated. They were forced to sit at the back of the bus, take different schools, etc. In their positions they probably feel sad, and mad, that they have to live in this situation. If I were put into similar situation, I would feel mad and offended. But at the same time, I would also feel embarrassed, because obviously, I've done something wrong that makes the other person feel like I deserve to be treated as less than the person I am. It is wrong to disrespect someone and make them feel like they are less than who they really are. 'Disrespecting' someone is like thinking you are higher than them in some way. That is both mean and offensive. But disrespect happens all over the world. That is why we should fight against discimination.

Imagery and Analysis - A Blessing

In 'A Blessing' by James Wright, he expresses his love and passion for ponies. It starts off with the setting, which is on a highway, 'just off Rochester, Minnesota', the time is at twilight, which 'bounds softly forth on the grass'. He looks at two Indian ponies, whose eyes are 'darken with kindness'. The ponies come welcome the speaker and his friend, as the speaker and his friend steps over the barbed wire into the pasture. 'They have been grazing, alone' implies that these horses were abandoned here, and probably do not have as much contact with humans. The horses are described to be happy that they are visited, and they 'ripple tensely, they can hardly contain the happiness that we have come'. It is also stated here that they love eachother. The speaker approaches the slenderer one, which is black and white, as the pony nuzzles his hand. The pony's mane 'fails wild on her forehead'. The speaker is moved by the 'light wind' to caress the pony's long ears. The speaker describes the feeling of the pony's ears to be as soft as the skin on a girl's wrist, which means it is delicate and soft. The last line is perhaps an indication that he suddenly bursts out of the trance and comes back to reality, where he realizes that if he were not as he is now, he would probably 'break into blossom', meaning be carried away even more by this trance. Perhaps he means that if he continued staying he would break into something more wonderful, and less sinister, then the human soul. This whole poem has a feeling of idleness, tranquility, and as if in trance.

Imagery from 'Starfish'

'The quartz and jasper sand'
'created terrariums with their bodies'
'adding sprigs of seaweed, seashells, white feathers, eel bones, miniature Mussels, a fish jaw'
'Thousands of baby stars'
'Surprised to find them soft, pliant, almost living in their attitudes'
'Form seascapes, geodesics'
'hundreds of thousands of flawless five-fingered specimens sprawled Along the beach as far as we could see, all massed together'
'so many splayed hands'
'the tide shovelled in'

Class Assignment - Quickwrite - A Blessing

When I close my eyes, and someone says the word 'nature', the first thing that comes to mind for me are fields. In Belgium, we lived in a house right by the fields. Everyday when I went home, I would either sit inside or on the fence, and look at the fields. The patches of green and yellow and orange overlap and roll on to eachother. Trees growed in four's and five's around the fields, and little houses poked out from random places. Belgium is known for its plains and flat geography. And I lived right beside it. Occasionally, I see rabbits chasing eachother and disappearing into invisible burrows. The image looked like it had been cut by half, one half the field, and one half the sky. The sky was the most vibrant blue, with white, fluffy clouds playing tag across the sky. In spring, the trees in our garden blossomed into different colors, while in autumn, everything turns brown, orange, and yellow, as leaves blow across the whole land. And in winter, everything was white. Whenever I think about this, I feel a strong sense of nostalgia. It makes me think back to the days when I could stare out the window, and my eyes could see far, far landscape. Now, when I look out my window, all I can see is the next building four meters away. I kind of feel trapped in a city, and  somehow, along with the city, my mind feels trapped, too. In Belgium, like what I see, my mind can go as far as it can. In general, thinking about this just makes me feel nostalgic and makes me reminisce my life in Belgium.

Class Assignment - Quickwrite - Turning Point

Perhaps the biggest turning point in my life was my decision to move to Belgium. 2 years ago, before the start of grade 7, our family moved to Belgium. Moving there changed my life completely. If I haven't moved there, I would be a lot dumber. This is because, in Belgium, my school was a lot bigger. There were people from 70 different countries, and through this oppurtunity, I got to learn and interact with a lot of different cultures. Also, since it is a large school, there was also a huge library. Every week, I would go to the library atleast twice. I got to read a lot of books, and a lot of classics. In our school, there is also a huge variety of different sports. I chose to concentrate on netball, and because of it, I learned to like basketball a lot, which led to me playing basketball now. Also, when I moved to Belgium, I thought the math levels between Taiwan and Belgium would be a big gap, so in the two years, I read ahead a lot of math stuff. Turns out, when I came back, it wasn't that bad, so my math was slightly advanced. If I hadn't moved to Belgium, I wouldn't have been able to learn about so many cultures, read so many books, be playing basketball now, and be slightly ahead in math. On the other hand, because the homework load in Belgium is much lighter, it took me some time to adjust to the situation in Taiwan. I think I would be a completely different person had I chose to stay in Taiwan.

Class Assignment - Quickwrite - Selfless Sacrifice

I remember once, when I had to make the choice between choosing to stay at a movie theater with a friend, or go home sooner. A couple of months ago, I was meeting up with some of my old friends from another city, who came to visit. We were at the movie theater, and when the movie ended, only me and one of the friends was left. She said she had to wait for her parents for about 45 minutes. At that point, it was pretty late at night, and my mother had set a curfew for me. I had to take the taxi home, because my mother was busy, and she told me to be at home by 10, which was about 20 minutes from that time. Since it was kind of late, I didn't think I should leave my friend alone, so I decided to wait with her. At that point, I was extremely tired, and wanted to go back home, and knew that if I didn't, I was sure to be scolded at home. But at the same time, I couldn't just leave her. So I decided to stay. We spent the 45 minutes huddled up in the cold, and chatted about old times. When I got home, sure enough, I got told off by my mother. But as I explained the situation to her, she softened up slightly. Looking back now, I thought that I had made the right decision. It is important not to leave your friends by themselves, especially so late at night. I think that making these kind of decisions, we need to weigh in the consequences, and decide which had a more risky and dangerous consequence. I'm glad I helped my friend, and I'm sure she would have helped me if I was in the same situation.

Universal Education

Universal education is available education for all children, at an affordable or no charge. Mostly, this involves education up to elementary and sometimes secondary school. Normally this is inforced by law. Universal education is important for all because with education, people get a chance at better jobs. Many poor country in the world now do not have many educated or literate men. Most children in these poor places rarely, or do not, go to school, and instead, has to work in order to bring another source of income to the family. A lot of the times, it is because the family can not afford to send the kid to school. However, what a lot of them do not understand is that, with education, there is fairly bigger chance of getting a better job, thus, better income. Universal education has not been entirely achieved yet. In many of the poorer countries, children do not get the most basic education, sometimes because there is no schooling provided there. The 8 Millenium Development Goals have stated, in its Goal 2, to 'achieve universal primary education' by 2015. The progress of this goal has been staggered depending on country. Some countries have achieved this, while some others haven't. Reaching this goal is hard, because it will require a lot of funding and man-power. There needs to be training programs for teachers, construction of school buildings, and a number of laws that should be enforced to protect education. Some of these laws should force children into school, because many parents have traditional thinking that as long as they have a person to help on the farm, they will be fine. So more than just the basic facilities and staff should be provided; the thinking of the older generation should also be changed. Moreover, many of these fundings should also be used to provide financial aid and scholarships to more disadvantaged and underprivilaged families. If this goal is achieved, it would improve a lot of many country's economic standings, and improve the next generation.

A Christmas Carol films comparison

The two different films portray Scrooge differently. In the 1999 version, starring Patrick Stweart, Scrooge seems more sure of himself, and just plain hostile and cheap, whereas in the 2009 animated version, Scrooge seems more like a shrivelled up old man, but just as hostile and cheap. At the beginning of both films, they show Jacob Marley in his coffin in what appears to be a cemetary office. However, after, the animated version shows a panaromic view of the city, and different scenes during Christmas Eve. Both films show the elapse of the 7-year period of time with the sign of ‘Scrooge and Marley’ decaying and breaking down. In the office, the positioning of Scrooge and his clerk, Bob Cratchit are also different. In the Patrick Stewart version, Bob Cratchit is located near the window, with Scrooge at the back, while this is reversed in the animated version. Both films follow and use the dialogues from the book directly. In both films, in the entrance of the two charitable men, the word ‘liberality’ is replaced with ‘generosity’. In the animated version, it shows Bob Cratchit going home, and the christmas spirit, while the Patrick Stewart version skips directly to Scrooge going home. Also, the house of Scrooge looks different in the two films. The effect of Jacob Marley’s face on the doorknob seems to have a greater impact on Scrooge in the animated version than in the Patrick Stewart version. Moreover, the animated version skipped the part with Marley’s face appearing on the tiles at the fireplace, while the Patrick Stewart version did not. In the animated version Marley’s ghost appears more ghost-like than in the Patrick Stewart version, floating and with elongated words. Also, the ghost appears to be dragged down with just heavy boxes, but with no books as in the Patrick Stewart version. The ghost also appears to be in more pain and frustration in the animated version. There is more comedy in the animated version than the Patrick Stewart version. The first ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Part, appeared more like a man in the 1999 version, while in the animated version the ghost seemed more like a spirit and a candle. In the animated version, the characters fly through space and time, while in the Patrick Stewart version, the background and space changes while the characters remain standing.  At the school, Scrooge ages in the boarding school at the second scene with his sister visiting in the animated version while in the Patrick Stewart version Scrooge appears to be the same age. In the two films, Scrooge’s breakup with Belle is set in different places, in the park in the 1999 version and in Scrooge’s office in the 2009 version. Both films skip the scene with Belle and her future family. In the animated version, it looks like the room is moving with the Ghost of Christmas Present while in the Patrick Stewart version the scene changes around them. Moreover, in the 1999 version the Ghost of Christmas Present put little sprinkly stuff in the food of the christmas shoppers, while in the 2009 version the ghost didn’t. In the animated version Martha looks much taller than in the 1999 version. Also, in the animated version, it skips the games in the house of Scrooge’s nephew and only shows the guessing game. The animated version also skips the scenes of christmas in the prisons and at the lighthouse. Also, the two representations of ‘ignorace’ and ‘want’ change in age and talks to Scrooge. Also in the animated version, Scrooge is chased by a carriage driven by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, and is shows all the different ghosts and poor of the city, and changes in size. In the Patrick Stewart version, Scrooge does not have a housekeeper while in the animated version he does. The transformations between the ghosts in the two films are different in both films.

Cherished Item

If my house was burning on fire, and I could only save one thing from it, it would be my flute. Obviously, if such a thing did happen, I would grab as much as possible, but in this scenario, my one choice would be my flute. Although my flute is relatively new, I have grown to love it. I've always had a special connection with my musical instruments. For example, I also love my piano a lot, but obviously, it is a little too heavy for me to carry out. Since I was young, I've always loved music. My mom thought I would try to grow up to be a concert pianist, but that changed after I grew older, realizing that the reality of being a musician is actually really hard. You're either famous, in which case you make a lot of money, or you're not famous, in which case you'll be forced to switch jobs later. So now, I treat performing music as a hobby. But it's still more than a hobby to me. So about my flute. It is a silver flute, and it sounds absolutely wonderful, to me. I think I might actually be emotionally attached to my flute. Everytime I play it, I can feel a connection. It's like I'm singing the notes, but through my flute. I love playing my flute and playing classical pieces. Many people may say, 'you could always get another one!', but for me, this is not the case. The reason I chose my flute to be my 'cherished item' is because it is more than 'just a flute' to me. Sure, I can play well on other flutes, but with this particular flute, I feel more confident. This flute is going to accompany me through the rest of my life, probably. I could obviously replace it with a better one, but still, I think that each individual flute produces its own individual sense of sound.
As much as I love my flute, it is still a hard decision. If I could take other things with me, I would probably take my books (I can't bear to watch books burn in fire, especially my collection of classics and my big, fat The Complete Sherlock Holmes book that looks like, and is, my personal bible), my perfume collection ( from Province, the south of France. It also has a special meaning to me), my framed poster of the Cologne Cathedral (which is drawn by little music notes), my collection of seashells (the ocean means a lot to me for some reason), a poster of pictures of me and my friends from Belgium (my friends from Belgium gave it to me as a leaving present), a few of my dresses, and many, many other things. I think this is a very hard decision to make, and hope that I would never have to be forced to make any such decisions.

The Victorian Workhouse

A workhouse is a building which provided work, lodging, and food to the impoverished and destitute.  Sometimes the workhouses would form unions, which resulted in the widely used term 'Union Workhouses'. Workhouses were a result of the Poor Law Amendment Act and the Workhouse Test Act of 1723 in England. The government used it as a way of clearing out the poor and homeless among the streets. Workhouses generally include a central building surrounded by extensions of the building and courtyards. The conditions in the Victorian workhouses were bad, because it is meant to be a way of eliminating the destitue from the able-bodied men. The conditions were so desperate and harsh that the able-bodied would try to find work elsewhere. So the workhouses were reserved for people who were poor and old, and single mothers and orphaned children. As a result, many children were born into workhouses, with no choice but to work there and be 'imprisoned' their whole life. The 'inmates', as they were called, were underpaid, and normally worked long hours. Many were 'rented' out to other factories to work in. The food there was dreary, and normally only consists of gruel, broth, bread and cheese. The workers were practically imprisoned there, though they are allowed time out, with a reasonable excuse, for normally around 3 hours. Although the workhouses provided education, the teachers were normally poorly trained, and had to mange large classes of unruly children. Another problem at the workhouse was the matrons. They were normally abusive to the workers, and often whipped the inmates. I think that Scrooge would not understand the horrors of the workhouse. He has had a privelaged life, compared to many others. He was sent to boarding school, had a proper education, and was even apprenticed. Many of the poor and destitute had not such advantages. They were denied many basic needs. Scrooge then continued on and made money, and didn't have to worry and food and lodging, while the poor had to work under these terrible conditions just to get a piece of bread each day.

Which Ghost Affected Scrooge the Most?

I think that all three affected Scrooge in a different way. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed Scrooge the happiness he had as a child and the transformation, which made Scrooge reflect on himself. The Ghost of Christmas Present showed him the situation now, and what other people thought of him. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come showed him the future situation if things don't change. I think that the third ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, affected Scrooge the most. It made him sympathetic about Tiny Tim's death, and it made him sad. Also, I think that 'death' makes people think more because people tend to fear it. Moreover, when he saw that the name on the grave was his own, it really shocked him. He also saw what other people thought about him after his death, where they didn't even care that he's dead, and some people even stole his stuff to sell. He saw that he had to change, not just for his own sake, but also for the Cratchit family's.

Themes for 'Liberty' and 'Exile'

'Liberty' and 'Exile' are two pieces of writing by Julia Alvarez. However, 'Liberty' is written as a short story while 'Exile' was written as a poem. Both share a story (and subject) of political exile. A common theme for both stories would be that the reality of political exile could often be too complicated and dangerous for children to understand, so the way they perceive it would be different, but somehow also true to horror of exile. However, differently, in 'Liberty', the main character knows that the family is leaving, and is sad to leave her most prized possession, Liberty the dog, behind. The theme for 'Liberty' would be that sometimes facing tough situations require sacrifices, but for the purpose of a greater, more symbolic need. On the other hand, for 'Exile', the main character was kept in the dark about the purpose of their 'family trip' although she could sense something wrong. In the poem, the main character's family is all fleeing to America, but when they get there, although they found freedom, they were not truly happy. The theme for 'Exile' would be leaving your homeland is diificult, but sometimes necessary, no matter the challenges you will face.