Wednesday 24 April 2013

Poetry

In our last english lesson we had a class discussion on poetry, how and why we use it. The result of the discussion was that poetry is used for more open ended or emotional stories, and is often for expressing shorter stories. However, with shorter stories and less text, the vocabulary and structure of a poem can be questioned more.
I like poetry because of its simplicity but complexity at the same time. I think it is a good way of expressing stories in a more emotional or memorable maner. Poetry can be more open minded, with multiple meanings often found in one piece. It can often be read faster and more easily. When written correctly a poem can have a longer lasting impression than a prose story.
I don't think of myself as a poet, although I do attempt poetry sometimes, and still enjoy the challenge of conjuring a good poem from time to time. I prefer prose myself.

I think I can keep up with the lessons on poetry, and create good poems. So far I have found several things that I already knew about poetry and storytelling, along with new aspects that I have found easy enough to pick up and understand.

Sunday 21 April 2013

Nature

The things that come to mind when I think of 'nature' are often related to trees or rivers, although there are other aspects. When I lived in Hong Kong, we lived in a house on the sea, with a boat anchored not far off. The bay was outlined with a handful of mountains and hills, the more prominent one in my memory being 'Puppy Dog's Nose', the tallest of the lot. On a good weekend my family would take my dogs on the gritty hike to the peak of that mountain. The dogs could be let off their leads and allowed to roam the hilltops, and they would never be far from our heels, as the gentle stroll became a steep climb, but the view was very rewarding. Beaches and coves, stretches of sea on one side and more greenery on the other. Although Hong Kong was smoggy and polluted the air up there was crisp and clear.

Sunday 24 February 2013

What is the what: progress

Progress on what is the what.
So far I am finding what is the what a bit confusing, and hard to focus on. I find myself skimming through some parts and do not think that I am really catching on to the plot most of the time. The last I read was up to the very beginning of book two, and I haven't really picked up the book since about a week ago. Before that I was constantly reading a little a night and although I was falling often behind slightly I found myself able to keep up with most of the class' discussions on the book.
For me it's hard to determine a specific aspect of the book that I enjoy the most, but I do know that I mostly tune out a bit when reading when the book is constantly changing perspectives and when the story jumps from present to past. I often find myself having to just stop reading and think for a bit, or rest my mind and let it catch up with the book.
Despite all this I am often fine with reading more challenging books and think of myself as a relatively strong reader, although this book appears to be one of the exceptions. Maybe this has something to do with the fact that lately I have began to read less and less, last year I would read either every or every second night in bed, however this year my reading habits seem to have changed.

Sunday 3 February 2013

Blogging Pop Quiz

Blogging is not a useful component for English classes, because in my experience these classes are more designated to writing and reading, instead of blogging online. Students seem to get more out of reading and writing stories rather than blogging, and although blogging does have useful lessons to do with respect, space, and identity, it does not belong as a component in an English classroom. However, teachers, feel free to promote blogging but I cannot see any more benefit in practicing in class over outside of school. If anything, with less pressure and stress students will be more likely to blog about more, and also personalize their sites without the judgement and mentality of teachers constantly reading their blogs. English classes should be more focused on other components, while students are left to explore blogging more by themselves.

Writing about England


Make sure the name of the book is either deep, witty, or generally confusing (or all of the above), while the cover of the book should have anything from a Union Jack, to a concrete jungle, to a King Charles spaniel. Of course there is always the silhouetted man against the city approach. You will need a thought-provoking quote or line somewhere on the cover.
The traditional characters of a book about England would be: A tall man in an elegant suit or tuxedo 24/7; a detective who never goes anywhere without his pipe; a troubled old man with a felt cap and a woolen coat. No matter the character, they must curse and drink a lot to be more authentic.
Content depends on whereabouts you would like to set your book. In London, moustaches, top hats, pipes, and monocles should be included with major roles. In the country, farmhouses, sheep, and sheepdogs are all advised to be included in the story. However tea and biscuits should always be acknowledged.
The storyline must be dramatic and dark with many plot twists and alternate paths.

Thursday 31 January 2013

Visual Writing Prompts


The curtains parted and the Cookie Monster gazes out, eyebrows angled down, a frown on his face.
Wait.
And he returns inside the building. The man counts to thirty before crawling out of his hiding place behind the mailbox.
Quiet.
He ducks and sprints over to the front gates of the rundown estate, narrowly avoiding the gaze of a patrolling Muppet, sixty meters away. The gates are locked tight with a thick iron padlock, and there is no way in to the compound. Just as planned. The man turns from the gates, and walks to the rubbish bin beside wall.
Avoiding the Muppet with the shotgun not so far away, he begins to climb. Slowly he pulls himself on top of the sliver aluminium bin and prepares himself for another struggle. But then the plan changed.
“Who is it? Who’s there?”
The bin trembled. Another grunt and it shook once more. The man kept still, balancing his weight as equal as he could.
Oscar the Grouch was in that bin.



Not yet done.

Thursday 11 October 2012

Abnormal Relations

I was asked to choose someone from a book/game/movie, the character has to be abnormal, and I can only write about them if they relate to me. Picking a character to write about is proving to be difficult, taking a while.
Deciding upon character...
Decision complete.
I'm going to write about the species in the game Skyrim called the Khajiit. Let me start by saying that the Khajiit are cat-people (I don't know why i'd consider them abnormal, however).

Khajiit have a wide variety of cat features and looks. Some can look like simple domestic cats, whereas some can resemble more tigers or lions.
Often being discriminated against in the world of Skyrim, the Khajiit turn to thievery and stealth. This particular race is known to speak with a slur, almost as if purring, with traces of slyness on their tongue.

The Khajiit often share attributes with cats, not surprisingly, such as the stealth. Although this may not mean much to you, Khajiit begin in the game with higher levels in lock picking, pickpocket, and sneak. They also are more skilled in one handed weaponry than two handed, although the picture above may suggest otherwise. Khajiit usually wear lighter armor to allow themselves to move more swift.

Like the Khajiit I prefer to stay quiet; I prefer darker, more secluded areas than loud and busy. I am on the school cross country running team (even though i'm admittedly not the best of the lot) and am capable of swift movement. Although this is probably not to good to admit, if I could start again I think it would be interesting to attempt to live a lone, shadowy life.
In the game Skyrim my character is a Khajiit.