Practice Paragraph Writing

11.   The setting of Chain of Hearts helps reinforce the idea that I can be hard to escape the past. Discuss. The setting in Chain of Hearts tells us that it can be hard to escape your past. This is shown mainly through the characters of Sophie and Fran. Throughout the story, Sophie and Fran are put in many situations that take them back to things that have happened in there past and these situations remind them of times in their life, some good and some bad. In the story Sophie is taken back to her aunts house and while she is there she meets lots of different people from her aunt Fran and her mother Geraldine’s younger years. This reminds Fran about the times when she was younger and the stories that Fran tells Sophie remind her of things that have gone on when she was younger. This story really represents the idea that its hard to escape from your past.

22.  The language choices that Maureen McCarthy makes throughout her novel, Chain of Hearts, help the reader to understand the emotions of the characters. Discuss. There are many language choices that Maureen McCarthy makes to show that the characters in the novel Chain of Hearts are being emotive. This is shown a lot when Sophie is telling Fran about when she was involved in the car crash that killed Mai, she uses emotive language to describe the fact that Sophie is very emotional when remembering this time. She describes Sophie crying, to show her emotions.  Maureen McCarthy uses statements like “her voice dropped away” and “she turned her head slightly so that I couldn’t see her face”. This gives us an image in our head that Sophie is upset about the incident that happened with Mai.

   3. The relationships between the characters in Maureen McCarthy’s novel, Chain of Hearts are reinforced to the reader by using of multiple voices. Discuss.  In the novel Chain of Hearts Maureen McCarthy uses multiple voices for the Characters. This gives the readers a sense of the different emotions and feelings that the characters have. It also lets us see the situation from a different point of view when a different character is talking. In the novel the start of the new chapter is a new characters voice, this gives us a clear idea of whose point of view we are hearing at the time. This is also good as it gives the readers a different prospective of the situation that is being spoken about in the novel.

Geraldine's Diary Entry

Dear Diary,

When I decided to send Sophie to live with my sister Fran for a while, it was because she’s impossible to deal with, and I mean impossible! I don’t have very many options anymore. She has adapted a lot of bad habits that Rob and I can’t control! I have never gotten along with Fran, we are both very different in our personalities and she was defiantly always the favorite between mum and dad. To be honest I have always been jealous of her. She did such a great job looking after dad when he was very sick. After Sophie was involved in that incident with some of her friends, she has given up. She doesn’t try anymore with her academics, she never has friends come round to the house and she has developed bad eating habits. I just don’t understand! I mean she has always been an excellent student in everything she does! I’m still really shocked that Fran agreed to have Sophie stay with her; she was our last option for Sophie! If she hadn’t agreed to have her we would have had to have Sophie but into hospital for a while. I mean its a lot for me to ask Fran to have Sophie as she is still recovering from the recent death of her husband so this is a big thing for her to take on. It’s kind of strange that this whole strange behavior all started not long after dad’s death.  Now that I think about it i probably should have gone and visited dad with Sophie and I should have helped out Fran and my other sister Monica with looking after dad. I haven’t spoken to Monica in a while either. I kind of feel like I have completely drifted from my sisters. I’m really hoping that Fran can get Sophie out of these terrible habits and help get her life back on track. Maybe she will help bring me closer to Fran.

Fran xx

Diary Entry

Pretend you are one of the characters in the story and write a journal/diary entry that challenges the representation of women that is found in the original story.

The fairytale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs represents women as objects rather than humans.

Dear Diary,

I am so sick of being treated like I’m nothing, I just wish people would know that I am human I have the same rights as everyone else. When the huntsman dumped me in the forest, I realised that I have been treated so unfairly. Its like they all want me to survive on my own, its like they don’t want me here anymore. My stepmother doesn’t support me much in this either. I’m scared that nothing will be the same again. The forest is so empty and I don’t think anyone ever comes here. I don’t think anyone should have to deal with this or have this happen to them ever in their life. It’s a horrible feeling, being left here alone in the cold at night, having to find your own way around. I’m only 7 years old, which makes matters more difficult and confusing. I have never been taught any ways to survive on my own, so I’m out here alone, clueless. I wish that I would soon find someone out here to help me and guide me to somewhere that I could stay.

Snow White xo

Homework Task 2

Mean Girls

1. What does the main female character look like? Pay particular attention to the question of whether she is considered beautiful.

 The main character Cady in the movie mean girls is not considered the most beautiful by the girls in the pink group, but at the same time she is considered beautiful to some of the boys in the film for example Aron Samuels.

2. How old is she?

In the movie, Cady is 16 years old. 

3. Is she in a position of power or not?

In the movie the group "the pinks" are considered to be in power as they rule where everyone sits at lunch and decide if Cady can sit with them or not, so in the movie Cady isn't in the position of power.

4. What does she do?

 As Cady is the new student to the school, she tries to make a good impression and she tries to find people to hang around with. She meats Janice and Damien who become her friends, but when she gets invited to have lunch with the pinks, she accepts the offer to find out information for Janice and Damien. 

5. What are her personal characteristics?

Cady's personal characteristics are nice, naive and friendly. This is shown in the movie when she is with Janice and Damien and they are purposely missing her maths class, she gets worried that she's doing the wrong thing, and trusts her friends.

6. What happens to her?

 In the end the whole of the pink group who are considered the most popular split up and Cady returns to being friends with Janice and Damien.

7. How do males react to her?

 In the movie most males like her personality and are automatically attracted to her, because of her friendly personality.

8. How do other females react to her?

 Females around her are usually nice to her, except when she joins the pink group other girls start to change their minds about her because a lot of the other females are in some ways scared of the pinks.

9. Is she punished or rewarded by the story? What is she punished or rewarded for?

She is rewarded in this story as in the end she becomes friendly with everyone and fits in nicely with the other students and has lots of friends. 

10. How is she punished or rewarded?

She makes lots of friends and everyone is nice to each other and respects others which was her goal.

English Homework Week 1

Same Love - Macklemore

1. Women are described in the text, through the lyrics as an important part of life and that the support they provide is important in the growth of family's, and that women's characteristics are important in families also.

2. Women's characteristics are important in the lyrics of this song, it describes how their characteristics are important and how no matter what you should always show respect towards women and that women shouldn't have to change, they should be able to be themselves.

3. The Males in the song, show the females that they are perfect the way they are and the males are trying to show other males to show respect towards all females because they are an important part of life.

4. The main message that is being portrayed to the audience is that, women and men should be respected equally no matter who they are or what their interests are because we are all human and we shouldn't have to change for anyone.