Within this 3 terms, i have learned quite a lot of things. This blog post shall be for me to reflect on what i lave learned in Language Arts.
1) In term 1, I first learned about the story by Roald Dahl "Lamb to the slaughter". I learned about the ABC, SEE format. The ABC format is: Abstract, Body and Conclusion. The SEE format is: Subject, Example, Explanation. This 2 format is for me to write my answer down in a very simple, straightforward and clear method. The ABC format gives me the very basic structure of the way i should write my answer and the SEE format allows me to explain my answer in a very simple and clear way.
2) In Term 2, I learned about comprehension. I learned about the different types of question. There was the inference question, the factual question, the language question etc. Knowing these questions allow me to know how to answer them. I also learned how to annotate and summarize the paragraph. This allowed me to better understand the whole passage better. The last thing i learned in Term 2 is the summary. The summary needed me to get the points, paraphrase the points and put the paraphrased points together to make a smooth flowing paragraph.
3) In Term 3, I learned about poetry. I learned how to read and analyze a poem. The are 10 steps in analyzing a poem. These 10 steps allow me to fully understand a poem and answer the questions effectively. I also learned about the figurative language. There are a lot of figurative languages. Some examples are alliteration, irony, symbols, metaphor, simile etc. These figurative languages, allow me to understand what the hidden message is. These figurative languages also allow me to write a better poem.
These are the main points which i learned in these 3 Terms. Thank You for reading this post.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
a sample of the 10 steps analysis on a poem
Today i will be analyzing a poem called Walking Away:
It is eighteen years ago, almost to the day –
A sunny day with leaves just turning,
The touch-lines new-ruled – since I watched you play
Your first game of football, then, like a satellite
Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away
Behind a scatter of boys. I can see
You walking away from me towards the school
With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free
Into a wilderness, the gait of one
Who finds no path where the path should be.
That hesitant figure, eddying away
Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem,
Has something I never quite grasp to convey
About nature’s give-and-take – the small, the scorching
Ordeals which fire one’s irresolute clay.
I have had worse partings, but none that so
Gnaws at my mind still. Perhaps it is roughly
Saying what God alone could perfectly show –
How selfhood begins with a walking away,
And love is proved in the letting go.
from:http://www.cday-lewis.co.uk/#/walking-away/4525050890
1st step: Forget what the poem may or may not mean, or what it may be about.
So, forget everything about the poem, just imagine it is a bunch of black ink.
2nd step: Look at just the title and WRITE DOWN about half a dozen(which is 6) things that it suggests to you. Give literal meanings as well as other associations.
Here is what i guessed:
1) a person walking away
2) a person's shadow
3) how a person walks when leaving
4) the lost of a loved one
5) leaving your home
6) straying away from good
3rd step: Read the poem once quickly, and then several times more slowly. Try to hear the poem aloud in your head. DO NOT recite the poem aloud in class; if you must hear it aloud, read it quietly to yourself.
This step will allow you to have a better understanding of the poem. The first time is to catch the main ideas and the other times are to get the details.
4th step: WRITE DOWN a list of all those things in the poem that force their attention on you or which catch your interest for any particular reason. This includes unusual/odd/striking words, rhymes, or repetitions/patterns/contrasts, etc.
Here is what interest me:
1) "satellite drifting away"
2) "pathos of a half-fledged thing"
3) "scorching ordeals which fires one's irresolute clay"
4) "God"
5) "love in letting go"
6) "perfectly"
7) "Gnaw"
5th step: WRITE DOWN any features of figurative language in the poem: metaphors, similes, personification, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, symbolism, etc.
Here are some which i found:
1) "Your first game of football, then, like a satellite/ Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away" - simile
2) "That hesitant figure, eddying away/ Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem" - simile
3) "Who finds no path where the path should be" - irony
4) "irresolute clay" - symbol of a person's character
5) "You walking away from me towards the school/ With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free" - metaphor
6th step: WRITE DOWN groups of words that may be thematically similar (for example, that all similes make reference to animals/death/plants, etc., or all the first words of lines are conjunction words, etc.). Don't worry about whether your groups of words seem silly or improbable; look at what you have observed and ask yourself: what is its significance?
Here is what i grouped:
1) Nature and God-they are not human
2) give and letting go-they are of opposite
3) ordeals and partings-they are both sufferings
4) satellite and orbit-the satellite drift in the orbit
7th step: Look at your lists, notes, and groups. Do you see any pattern taking shape? If so, WRITE DOWN this pattern.
This is the pattern i found: All the words used, phrases used, similes used, metaphor used are all words about leaving and sufferings.
8th step: Read the poem again and WRITE DOWN your intelligent guesses of what the poem may mean.
Here is what i figured:
In general, the poem is talking about a child "leaving away" from his/her parent.
In detail, the first half of the poem is talking about a 18 year old boy, growing to become a man, not needing the help of the parent anymore, becoming independent. The second half is about how painful it is for the parent to see their child growing up, how cruel nature and god could be. But at the same time, it is also saying how much the parents love the child.
9th step: # Answer the following questions:
1) Who is "speaking" in the poem? Is it the POET or a PERSONA?
2) Who is the poem "spoken" to? In other words, who is the audience for this poem? Is it to a particular person, to the poet himself (reflective) or to the public in general?
3) What is the speaker's attitude to this audience? Is it angry, sincere, joking, teasing, etc.?
4) What is the POET's attitude to this audience? (This may be different from the speaker.)
5) Why is the poem organized in the way that it is?
6) What is the EFFECT of all the things you have written down in Steps 2-8?
Here are my answers:
1) It is most likely the poet as the poem is for the child to read and understand about how the poet himself/herself feels.
2) I think it is to the child who is growing up to tell him about how much they loved him.I think it is also to the public to tell the public about how the parents feel about a child growing up.
3) I think the speaker's attitude towards the audience is emotional and angry.
4) I think the poet's attitude is the same as the speaker, emotional and angry.
5) It makes the reader read longer for each line to fully feel and understand what the persona is feeling.
6) It allows me to better understand the poem.
10th step: WRITE DOWN your guess at the poet's intent: what do you think the poet hoped to accomplish in writing this poem?
I think the poet wants the child to know how he/she feels about him growing up and also to let the audience know about the feelings of a parent watching his/her son growing up.
This is the end of my post thank you for reading it.
It is eighteen years ago, almost to the day –
A sunny day with leaves just turning,
The touch-lines new-ruled – since I watched you play
Your first game of football, then, like a satellite
Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away
Behind a scatter of boys. I can see
You walking away from me towards the school
With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free
Into a wilderness, the gait of one
Who finds no path where the path should be.
That hesitant figure, eddying away
Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem,
Has something I never quite grasp to convey
About nature’s give-and-take – the small, the scorching
Ordeals which fire one’s irresolute clay.
I have had worse partings, but none that so
Gnaws at my mind still. Perhaps it is roughly
Saying what God alone could perfectly show –
How selfhood begins with a walking away,
And love is proved in the letting go.
from:http://www.cday-lewis.co.uk/#/walking-away/4525050890
1st step: Forget what the poem may or may not mean, or what it may be about.
So, forget everything about the poem, just imagine it is a bunch of black ink.
2nd step: Look at just the title and WRITE DOWN about half a dozen(which is 6) things that it suggests to you. Give literal meanings as well as other associations.
Here is what i guessed:
1) a person walking away
2) a person's shadow
3) how a person walks when leaving
4) the lost of a loved one
5) leaving your home
6) straying away from good
3rd step: Read the poem once quickly, and then several times more slowly. Try to hear the poem aloud in your head. DO NOT recite the poem aloud in class; if you must hear it aloud, read it quietly to yourself.
This step will allow you to have a better understanding of the poem. The first time is to catch the main ideas and the other times are to get the details.
4th step: WRITE DOWN a list of all those things in the poem that force their attention on you or which catch your interest for any particular reason. This includes unusual/odd/striking words, rhymes, or repetitions/patterns/contrasts, etc.
Here is what interest me:
1) "satellite drifting away"
2) "pathos of a half-fledged thing"
3) "scorching ordeals which fires one's irresolute clay"
4) "God"
5) "love in letting go"
6) "perfectly"
7) "Gnaw"
5th step: WRITE DOWN any features of figurative language in the poem: metaphors, similes, personification, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, symbolism, etc.
Here are some which i found:
1) "Your first game of football, then, like a satellite/ Wrenched from its orbit, go drifting away" - simile
2) "That hesitant figure, eddying away/ Like a winged seed loosened from its parent stem" - simile
3) "Who finds no path where the path should be" - irony
4) "irresolute clay" - symbol of a person's character
5) "You walking away from me towards the school/ With the pathos of a half-fledged thing set free" - metaphor
6th step: WRITE DOWN groups of words that may be thematically similar (for example, that all similes make reference to animals/death/plants, etc., or all the first words of lines are conjunction words, etc.). Don't worry about whether your groups of words seem silly or improbable; look at what you have observed and ask yourself: what is its significance?
Here is what i grouped:
1) Nature and God-they are not human
2) give and letting go-they are of opposite
3) ordeals and partings-they are both sufferings
4) satellite and orbit-the satellite drift in the orbit
7th step: Look at your lists, notes, and groups. Do you see any pattern taking shape? If so, WRITE DOWN this pattern.
This is the pattern i found: All the words used, phrases used, similes used, metaphor used are all words about leaving and sufferings.
8th step: Read the poem again and WRITE DOWN your intelligent guesses of what the poem may mean.
Here is what i figured:
In general, the poem is talking about a child "leaving away" from his/her parent.
In detail, the first half of the poem is talking about a 18 year old boy, growing to become a man, not needing the help of the parent anymore, becoming independent. The second half is about how painful it is for the parent to see their child growing up, how cruel nature and god could be. But at the same time, it is also saying how much the parents love the child.
9th step: # Answer the following questions:
1) Who is "speaking" in the poem? Is it the POET or a PERSONA?
2) Who is the poem "spoken" to? In other words, who is the audience for this poem? Is it to a particular person, to the poet himself (reflective) or to the public in general?
3) What is the speaker's attitude to this audience? Is it angry, sincere, joking, teasing, etc.?
4) What is the POET's attitude to this audience? (This may be different from the speaker.)
5) Why is the poem organized in the way that it is?
6) What is the EFFECT of all the things you have written down in Steps 2-8?
Here are my answers:
1) It is most likely the poet as the poem is for the child to read and understand about how the poet himself/herself feels.
2) I think it is to the child who is growing up to tell him about how much they loved him.I think it is also to the public to tell the public about how the parents feel about a child growing up.
3) I think the speaker's attitude towards the audience is emotional and angry.
4) I think the poet's attitude is the same as the speaker, emotional and angry.
5) It makes the reader read longer for each line to fully feel and understand what the persona is feeling.
6) It allows me to better understand the poem.
10th step: WRITE DOWN your guess at the poet's intent: what do you think the poet hoped to accomplish in writing this poem?
I think the poet wants the child to know how he/she feels about him growing up and also to let the audience know about the feelings of a parent watching his/her son growing up.
This is the end of my post thank you for reading it.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Poem using Metaphor
This is a poem on "life is a wrestling match"(metaphor)
Life is a wrestling match
like a punch is a failure
and a kick is a lost
but in the end we must stand
and live on.
(by Yu Xiang)
About the poem
This poem is about life, about life being like a wrestling match. It is like a wrestling match because it is tough. The next 2 lines further explains why life is like a wrestling match. In life, we will meet many challenges, so, these challenges are like a punch and a kick, which explains the next 2 lines, "like a punch is a failure/ and a kick is a lost" where failure and lost are the challenges. Like every wrestling match, after getting punched,kicked, we must stand up and continue. This is like embracing the challenges and completing these challenges and continue moving on. The last line is to emphasize on the "live on" where it is not a metaphor but its about life itself. The last line is telling us not to stop and die but continue and live. The audience for this poem would be for everyone, telling them to continue and live no matter what challenges they face. This would be the second poem i wrote in my secondary school life.
Thanks for reading this post.
Life is a wrestling match
like a punch is a failure
and a kick is a lost
but in the end we must stand
and live on.
(by Yu Xiang)
About the poem
This poem is about life, about life being like a wrestling match. It is like a wrestling match because it is tough. The next 2 lines further explains why life is like a wrestling match. In life, we will meet many challenges, so, these challenges are like a punch and a kick, which explains the next 2 lines, "like a punch is a failure/ and a kick is a lost" where failure and lost are the challenges. Like every wrestling match, after getting punched,kicked, we must stand up and continue. This is like embracing the challenges and completing these challenges and continue moving on. The last line is to emphasize on the "live on" where it is not a metaphor but its about life itself. The last line is telling us not to stop and die but continue and live. The audience for this poem would be for everyone, telling them to continue and live no matter what challenges they face. This would be the second poem i wrote in my secondary school life.
Thanks for reading this post.
Monday, May 24, 2010
My own poem
Primary school days by Tan Yu Xiang
During my primary school days,
we had fun making fun of friends.
One time we had so much fun,
making fun of friends,
that we dropped to the floor,
and fiddled around.
I had a special friend,
his name's Fred,
and he always got straight F's.
Fred is the guy,
who looks for friends,
to become his fan.
That is my funny primary school days,
where we had fun making fun of friends.
About the poem
I wrote this poem to my friends to talk about the fun we had during our primary school days. I also wrote this poem to the audience to tell them about how we had fun during my primary school days. I made use of alliteration on most of the lines, all focusing on F. This is to emphasize on the words with the 'f' and to give it some rhythm. I want the emphasize on the words with the 'f' because, I want the reader to know that it is for audience is my friends(a word with the letter 'f') and i want the reader to know that this poem is about the fun(another word that starts with 'f') we had. This poem is talking about the fun I had during my primary school days, about how we had fun making fum of friends. This would be the first poem i wrote in my secondary school life.
During my primary school days,
we had fun making fun of friends.
One time we had so much fun,
making fun of friends,
that we dropped to the floor,
and fiddled around.
I had a special friend,
his name's Fred,
and he always got straight F's.
Fred is the guy,
who looks for friends,
to become his fan.
That is my funny primary school days,
where we had fun making fun of friends.
About the poem
I wrote this poem to my friends to talk about the fun we had during our primary school days. I also wrote this poem to the audience to tell them about how we had fun during my primary school days. I made use of alliteration on most of the lines, all focusing on F. This is to emphasize on the words with the 'f' and to give it some rhythm. I want the emphasize on the words with the 'f' because, I want the reader to know that it is for audience is my friends(a word with the letter 'f') and i want the reader to know that this poem is about the fun(another word that starts with 'f') we had. This poem is talking about the fun I had during my primary school days, about how we had fun making fum of friends. This would be the first poem i wrote in my secondary school life.
A poem that i like
This poem is used for homework only.
If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda
I want you to know
one thing.
You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.
Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.
If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.
If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.
But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine
1) On the first stanza, she used a metaphor. She said that everything is like little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for her and the little boats is the metaphor of everything. I think she used this metaphor as she is on an island and "yours" is on another island and the only way to travel to that island is by boat so she used the metaphor of a boat to show that she wants to reach that island of "yours".
2) I like this poem because this poem is very emotional. It talks about the poet loving another but separated and how much the poet loved the other one. She made used of the figurative language to exaggerate her love towards the other one and she made use of figurative language to show how much she wants to be together with him. Therefore I like this poem.
If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda
I want you to know
one thing.
You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.
Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.
If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.
If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.
But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine
1) On the first stanza, she used a metaphor. She said that everything is like little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for her and the little boats is the metaphor of everything. I think she used this metaphor as she is on an island and "yours" is on another island and the only way to travel to that island is by boat so she used the metaphor of a boat to show that she wants to reach that island of "yours".
2) I like this poem because this poem is very emotional. It talks about the poet loving another but separated and how much the poet loved the other one. She made used of the figurative language to exaggerate her love towards the other one and she made use of figurative language to show how much she wants to be together with him. Therefore I like this poem.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Interviw with Hari from Village by the Sea
This is the 4th blog post for the online lesson on term 2 week 4. (Linguistic)
c)Interview transcript:
Me: Hello Hari. How was life at Bombay? Is it better as compared to life at Thul.
Hari: Umm... Life at Bombay was tough but as compared to life at Thul, it was much better.
Me: Then, did you go to Bombay to support that the factories should not be built or did you go to Bombay to get a job.
Hari: Erm... At first I went to Bombay to support the factories should not be built but afterwards when I found out I could not do much, I decided to get a job and earn some money before going back.
Me: Then, when you learnt that your mother's illness got worse and your dog was dead why did you leave Thul and go to Bombay, leaving your sisters to settle everything at home?
Hari: (went silent for a moment)... I do not wish to answer that question.
Me: Sorry, but I got 1 last question for you. What do you intend to do if your plan for the future failed.
Hari: I will try and try again until I manage to succeed.
Me: Okay that is all. Thank You.
Hari: Thank you too.
c)Interview transcript:
Me: Hello Hari. How was life at Bombay? Is it better as compared to life at Thul.
Hari: Umm... Life at Bombay was tough but as compared to life at Thul, it was much better.
Me: Then, did you go to Bombay to support that the factories should not be built or did you go to Bombay to get a job.
Hari: Erm... At first I went to Bombay to support the factories should not be built but afterwards when I found out I could not do much, I decided to get a job and earn some money before going back.
Me: Then, when you learnt that your mother's illness got worse and your dog was dead why did you leave Thul and go to Bombay, leaving your sisters to settle everything at home?
Hari: (went silent for a moment)... I do not wish to answer that question.
Me: Sorry, but I got 1 last question for you. What do you intend to do if your plan for the future failed.
Hari: I will try and try again until I manage to succeed.
Me: Okay that is all. Thank You.
Hari: Thank you too.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Pictures of Lila in Different scene
This blog entry is the 3rd one for the online lesson in Term 2 week 4 (Bodily/Kinesthetic)
a)
Sources:clipart
I chose this picture as it matches the scene of which a girl is offering flowers to a rock. The girl represents Lila who is praying when offering flowers to the rock.
b)
sources:forum.prisonplanet.com,commons.wikimedia.org
I chose this picture because it shows a girl begging to a afghan man. The girl represent Lila and the afghan man represents the medicine man.
c)
sources:http://life-as-a-spectator-sport.com/archives/2006_02_01_spectatorsport_archive.html, http://www.sdims.com/site/crying/crying-female.htm
I chose this picture because it matches the scene. The girl represents Lila and the dog represents Pinto.
a)
Sources:clipart
I chose this picture as it matches the scene of which a girl is offering flowers to a rock. The girl represents Lila who is praying when offering flowers to the rock.
b)
sources:forum.prisonplanet.com,commons.wikimedia.org
I chose this picture because it shows a girl begging to a afghan man. The girl represent Lila and the afghan man represents the medicine man.
c)
sources:http://life-as-a-spectator-sport.com/archives/2006_02_01_spectatorsport_archive.html, http://www.sdims.com/site/crying/crying-female.htm
I chose this picture because it matches the scene. The girl represents Lila and the dog represents Pinto.
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