‘Crash’-Paul Haggis Initial Response

Your task is to answer the following questions, with evidence from the text

1. Write a brief plot overview
The film ‘Crash’ set in LA, shows elements of racism within different peoples lives. It begins at a crime scene where a black detective is investigating the incident of what seems to be a homicide. The film then goes back in time and is now ‘yesterday’. There are multiple characters with their own stories during the movie all of which show their own take on racism. Jean and her husband experience getting robbed by 2 coloured men at the beginning of the movie, Jean then is upset because she ‘knows’ that she should have walked away from 2 black people. She then goes to prejudge the man who is changing her locks as he’s Latino and has tattoos. This man, however, is the father of a child and lives a very ‘innocent’ life. Dorri and her father get treated appallingly in a gun shop due to their race and end up buying blank bullets instead of normal ones.

2. Discuss a character that was of interest to you and explain why
I took interest in Officer Hanson as no matter how hard he tried he was drawn back into the immediate racial judgements towards coloured people. During the film, he is portrayed as a young white male who is trying to treat those around him ‘fairly’ and with equal respect. He is mortified when he witnesses his partner physically touch and abuse a woman in front of her own husband. He attempts to show his good character and morals towards the ‘groups’ within his society which I found on his part was decent as he was living in a very racist city. What interested me the most with Officer Hanson was that although he tried and wanted to be fair towards all races his immediate instinct when put under pressure is to think the worst of them.

3. What do you believe the director’s intention was-explore this and the moments that allowed you to experience this
I think that Haggis’ intention was to show that even when you try to move away from those racial beliefs and try to treat everyone with equal respect there is always going to be an under-lying judgement within peoples minds whether they want it to be there or not. It shows how much society influences people.

4. How did Haggis use stereotypes to manipulate viewers?
He made the people who were getting targetted seem ‘extra’ innocent to give us the impression that nobody should be racially discriminated.

5. Discuss and research the setting of L.A. Why do you think it was set here and how did it influence the plot/interactions.
Post 911
Very racist

6. Was there any cinematography techniques that stood out to you? Choose one and discuss its effect (presenting directors intention, causing a viewer realisation)
The scene where the locksmith’s daughter supposedly gets shot used a lot of cinematography techniques to make the scene more intense for the audience. There was a mixture of slow-motion shots which made the scene last a lot longer so the audience could see exactly what was happening. The diabetic sound in this scene was a muted and non-diagetic sound was added. There was intense music that went with the slow-mo and made the scene more emotional.

First Impression Notes: Crash

Characters 1 and 2:
Professions
Man-Lawyer or some type of businessman
Woman-Fashion
Trustworthy or not
Woman-Yes
Man-No
Clothing
Man-Looks well dressed so possibly is used to dressing this way for his job
Woman-Hair and makeup done well and is wearing a fashionable outfit, wearing a necklace which indicates wealth
Personality
Man-Selfish, rich possibly unfaithful
Woman-Rich, spoilt, thinks she’s better than everyone else

Characters 3 and 4:
Professions:
Left:
Right: Fixes cars
Trustworthy:
I think both are trustworthy
Clothing
Left: Wearing basic clothes indicating he doesn’t have a lot of money?
Right: Same as left he’s wearing relaxed comfy clothes not dressing to impress
Personality
Left: I get the impression that this guy has had a tough upbringing possibly and puts up a front that he’s real tough when in reality he’s a nice guy.
Right: I feel like this guy works a lot to provide for himself or his family and is a strong tough guy

Character 5
Profession
9-5 kind of job possibly a doctor or lawyer
Trustworthy
Yes very
Clothing
She looks as if she’s just come home from a long hard day at work and is wearing whatever is comfortable. Indicates she lives a busy life possibly with kids.
Personality
I think she’s a very flustered and busy person but when you get the chance to speak to her she’s kind and understanding.

Character 6
Profession
A personal trainer or physio
Trustworthy
Yes kind of
Clothing
His clothes don’t look very formal and low key are like activewear. This could give an indication to his profession
Personality
A nice guy on the outside but could possibly be unfaithful


Character 7
Profession:
Drug dealer
Trustworthy
No
Clothing
Boujee kind of vibe
Personality
A guy who’s spent most of his life chasing money.

Character 8
Profession
Priest
Trustworthy
Yes
Clothing
Smart and well thought out. Indicates that he cares about what people think about him and his role is important
Personality
Caring to each individual but is deeply saddened on the inside

Character 9
Profession
Receptionist
Trustworthy
Possibly unless you’re on the wrong side of her
Clothing
Chilled clothing her job seems comfortable
Personality
Smart, tactical, insightful

Character 10
Profession
Therapist
Trustworthy
No
Clothing
Looks a bit too smart
Personality
Smart, unfaithful

Character 11
Profession
Student-looks kind of young possibly at university
Trustworthy
Yes
Clothing
Normal looking, blends in
Personality
Caring, protective, smart, loyal


English Essay-To Kill a Mockingbird


“I think there’s just one kind of folks. Folks” Scout Finch, the young protagonist of the novel ‘To kill a Mockingbird’. The author Harper Lee used different settings in the hometown, Maycomb, to portray the strong elements of prejudice. She did this to help the reader understand the effects it had on children in the 1930s. From the courtroom to the classroom and even in her own household, Scout witnessed different forms of racism, sexism and classism not only from within her strongly, prejudice, hometown Maycombs people, but within her own family too.


Conflicting events occur frequently in a courtroom situation, making it the perfect setting for Lee’s purpose of racism. She did this so that the reader was influenced by how black people were treated in the 1930s and how the colour of their skin instantly made them guilty. “It ain’t right, somehow it ain’t right to do ’em that way…” Was the immediate reaction of Dill when Tom Robinson was treated so differently compared to Bob Ewell and his daughter, who Tom was accused of raping. The behaviour towards Tom in the courtroom made the scene more powerful and more emotional for the audience. This is because the reader was able to get a view on how serious the matter was, and they were able to have a place in the courtroom to form their own opinions on the situation. The 1930s was a tough era for black people as they were not considered equals and white people were considered far more superior. Therefore Atticus, Scouts father, suffered a backlash from the people of Maycomb for accepting the chance to represent Tom Robinson. “He’s nothing but a nigger-lover!” was the term used to describe Atticus by Scouts cousin Francis. It showed the amount of hate those had for coloured people and for those who supported them. This was due to the Jim Crow laws which had a major effect on America, they were made to reduce physical contact between white people and coloured people. Therefore Scout was able to get a stronger understanding of the hatred toward coloured individuals within the courtroom. When she was present within the scene alongside Jem and Dill it portrayed how innocent and logical their ideas were as they were coming from a fresh and fair point of view. “Guilty…guilty…guilty…guilty…” Was the jury’s decision. This made the courtroom a place where the strong racist environment was exposed, as in a courtroom the jury is meant to be fair. Yet they were not. In this particular case, Tom Robinson is innocent and was purely being punished because of the colour of his skin. This demonstrated that even in such a serious, public matter, racism clouded peoples immediate judgement. Changes have been made over the years and we are now all given a fair chance. In our present-day, coloured people are not just locked away because of the colour of their skin. They are put through a fair trial like each and every other individual. This scene in the courtroom was important, as it portrayed to the reader the severity of racism within the town and how the colour of one’s skin could change peoples judgement in an instant, whether they were innocent or guilty.


School is where children learn. Especially about each other. Scout found herself prejudicing a classmate without knowing any better. “Why does he pay you like that” Scout had asked her father referring to the family of Cunninghams. She then learnt from Atticus that the great depression had affected many farm folk who ended up not being as fortunate as their own family was. This was how distinct classes were formed. Classism was best expressed in the school setting, where Scout explained to her new teacher Miss Caroline the ‘ways of Maycomb’. The school was the perfect environment for the theme as it helped to reinforce the idea of how children are capable of prejudizing at such a young age. “Miss Caroline, he’s a Cunningham,” Scout had said this as if it were an obvious statement. Within the classroom, everyone knew Walter was from a poor family except Miss Caroline and the reader. This made the School the perfect setting to teach both about the distinct groups of class and how their society functioned. Having all of the children present in this scene made the purpose so much stronger as nobody could contradict Scout as they all knew she was right. Without having this important aspect of the book set in a classroom the reader would not be able to understand that all children were knowing of the classism within their town. Scout was unaware that she was treating Walter Cunningham with disrespect as she assumed that because he had no money he didn’t mind being treated so disrespectfully. ‘He ain’t company, Cal, he’s just a cunningham-’ Scout retorted when Walter went for dinner at the Finches. Scout believed that those who were not as wealthy as her own family were not considered her company. This then showed that children at a young age were capable of prejudice without even knowing it. Introducing this prejudice within school made Lee’s point so much more powerful. It showed how influenced children of such a young age were from their society and own families. By beginning the involvement of Walter and his character in the school setting Lee was able to show the knowledge young children carried around with them on a daily basis and how peoples judgements were different due to their upbringing. Children are smart from a young age, which in a way makes them dangerous. They seem to know more than what they seem to know.


Sexism is a strong theme within the novel which still takes place in the current age today. Scout was introduced to sexism within the setting of her home town Maycomb but also within her household. In the 1930s it was a Woman’s job to cook, clean and look after the children. However, Scout did not have a mother. The only womanly influence Scout had in her household was her cook Calpurnia, therefore Scout did not suffer a lot of sexism in the early stages of her life. She lived with her father, Jem and Cal, all of whom were not there to judge her on how she dressed or acted. Calpurnia didn’t have a large amount of authority over Scout as she was the one working for her. Atticus certainly wasn’t one to press a role on an individual. This made her home environment a safe place from the outside world and their judgements of how she dressed. As she grew older Jem made harmless jokes towards Scout as if he was wanting a rise from her. “…I declare to the Lord you’re gettin’ more like a girl every day!” A remark like this was seen as an insult to Scout as being a girl was basically another word for ‘weak’ which Scout certainly was not. It also implied that she was not capable of the same tasks as a man as women do not work. Scout was influenced a lot by these comments especially as they were occurring in her household. Her home was where she learnt the most as she cared for what the people in it had to say. As Scout grew older she became more frightened of the idea of being a girl and acting like one. She was rough and hung out with Jem and Dill. “It’s time you started bein’ a girl and acting right!” Jem had remarked again another time he was annoyed with her. But how was Scout supposed to act a certain way in which she disagreed with? She had been brought up in a way where she could express herself in any way she had wanted. Women were not considered equals in the 1930s and throughout the novel, it is seen that no woman had a job, except for Calpurnia. The setting within her home environment made this scene powerful as the finch household was ‘free’ household. Her father Atticus allowed her to wear the clothing she pleased which were considered not ‘suitable’. But she was at an age where what she wore started to matter in society. It mattered so much that Aunt Alexander had moved. “We decided it is best for you to have some feminine influence” Having Aunt Alexander in Scouts household made Scout despise being a ‘girl’ even more. Having the pressures of being a girl pressed on Scout at home suffocated her as it was the only place where she wasn’t judged on what she wore or the way she spoke. Lee’s purpose of showing the sexism within Scouts household is important as most girls in the 1930s grew up all of their lives with a feminine influence upon them. They grew up not knowing any better, Scout, however, grew up in a household where she wasn’t forced into a role. This made her more resistant when it came to the pressures of becoming women as they clearly were not as superior as men. In our current world, both men and women work and neither are seen ‘weak’ or less superior. From the 1930s until now women had to take charge in their households otherwise where would we be today?

The courtroom, the classroom and the Finch household all helped the reader view and understand the elements of racism, classism and sexism more clearly. Lee chose these settings carefully and specifically to have the most impact on the reader. This was how she educated the audience on the strong prejudice town and how children were affected because of it. The settings helped to bring Lee’s purpose across more strongly. It showed that where you are and what you learn can have an impact on your judgement.

Speech

  • Blocks provide foot support which can give a sprinter more power off their start compared to a standing start
  • Demonstration: How to place your blocks and how to gain power from the blocks
  • Emotional connection
  • Why the audience should listen to me etc
  • How much work I put in etc
  • What blocks are

Placing your blocks: 

  • Have to have them with a distance apart that suits your legs
  • 1 ½ feet front block and 2 ½ feet back block
  • The front leg needs to be at a 90-degree angle
  • The back leg needs to be at a 135-degree angle
  • Example on powerpoint
  • Say my dominant leg etc

Getting into your blocks:

  • Hand placement
  • Weight onto hands 
  • Head down

Gaining power from blocks:

  • The first step needs to be big
  • Arm slightly bent
  • Drive out hard for first 10-15 metres 
  • Head down

How to have the most successful start from blocks

Do you want to win sprints at MAC athletics next year? Listen in, I won this year and it was all down to one crucial thing. My start. I have been training for athletics for 4 years now and I have a great passion and interest in it. So trust me when I say I know what I’m talking about.

The start is one of the most important parts of a sprinting race, the others are speed and endurance. There are a few principles you need to consider to have a good start. Slide 2 picture of blocks Here is a picture of some blocks. Now, most of you probably don’t even know what blocks are in the first place so choose not to use them. Usually, you would choose what we call a standing start. A standing start is useless. Blocks are a tool used to support a sprinter’s feet when competing so they can gain power and speed more quickly. But it is important to set your blocks up properly rather than just randomly chuck them in a random setting.

So the first step of using blocks is figuring out your positioning. By using your feet as measuring tools you can find the correct spacing needed for your start. Your most dominant foot goes at the front so you can get a strong push that lets you drive out quickly. It is important to figure out which foot is your most dominant foot for a more efficient start. My most dominant foot is my left foot which seems strange as I am right-handed. If your not sure which leg is most dominant try leaning forward and whichever foot stops you from falling is your most dominant. Like this Slide 3 Picture of me leaning forward demonstration. Whichever foot is your most dominant is your front foot in your blocks. A quick and easy way to get an idea of what block measurements suit you is to simply measure from the start line with your feet. You place 1 1/2 of your feet back to your first block on whichever side your dominant foot is on, as seen above in Slide 4 first block and for your second block 2 1/2 of your feet back on the other side as seen in Slide 5-second block. This lets the blocks be at a nice distance apart and gives you enough space so you aren’t cramped. Here is what it looks like when I’m done Slide 6 Finished blocks

On your marks. That’s the call to get into your blocks and brings us to the second step, body placement in the blocks. When getting into your blocks you need to check that your feet are resting comfortably on the blocks. After placing your feet make sure your hands are behind the lines and shoulder-width apart. You want to lean forward and put all of your weight on your hands so that when you are in set position your legs can power you out of your blocks smoothly. Slide 8 Hands shoulder width and leaning forward As you can see my hands are shoulder-width apart and I am putting my weight on my hands.

Set. Set is the call that is made when you stand up on your hands and get ready to go. When in the set position you raise your hips high enough so your front leg has a 90-degree angle. Like this Slide 9 Set position Most of your weight is on your hands since your leaning forward so your legs are ready for action.

Go. The third and final step of having a good start is putting everything together and powering out of your blocks. To gain power you need to have a strong first stride reaching about half a metre in front of the start line. In my demonstration, my foot is about to hit the ground at half a metre. Slide 10 First, stride half a metre in front To be able to reach this far your arms need to be slightly bent, you need to be looking down and your body needs to be low to the ground. You need to keep your head down and body low for at the least the first 10 metres as it makes you more aerodynamic off your start.

Now that you all know how to start come challenge me in athletics next year where I hope to see you all!

1.10 Reading logs

Butterfly-Novel

Written By Yusra Mardini

The novel Butterfly written by Yusra Mardini is an autobiography about Yusra’s life. She was a young swimmer who went through the tough times of the Syrian war. She survived almost drowning in the Mediterranean sea on her way to Europe but her swimming skills saved her. She had been swimming since she was young, coached by her father who also coached her older sister Sara. Yusra’s life conditions in Syria were not great while she was growing up. She survived many bombings, shootings, and attacks in her everyday life but still managed to grow into an outstanding olympian. 

The development of Yusra’s character was strongly built from the start until the end of the book. She is shown with determination at the beginning of the book when she shows great interest in the swimmer, Michael Phelps. She watched Phelps claim gold in the Athens 2004 Olympic games 100m butterfly final. Watching that race changed her original thoughts on swimming. She said “I never chose to be a swimmer. But from that moment on I was hooked”. That is when she decided she was going to try hard in training so she could follow  Phelps to the top, the Olympics. There were a few curves in her road onto becoming an Olympic swimmer but through her perseverance (that she showed right from the beginning) she succeeded. Yusra went on to make the Olympic refugee team in 2016 and won her 100m butterfly heat which is very impressive. By Yusra having this dream and connection to Michael Phelps it made me relate to her as I do a competitive sport too. It inspired me that maybe one day I will make an international team or even better an Olympic one. It made me think about the cheesy phrase ‘anything’s possible’. 

 The ‘wrong’ seen in this book from my perspective is the war going on in Syria and how many lives it took every day. The number of lives it effected is uncountable and is traumatizing what people had to witness during that time. The ‘right’ was those who chose to escape and flee just like Yusra. Once she fled her life was changed and she achieved great things, she didn’t let the Syrian war affect her life completely. 

 I thought that Yusra was brave during the tough times in her life and that the right vs wrong was shown very clearly in the text. It made me think about how tough her living conditions were and how hard it must have been to flee her country. As this book was written by Yusra herself, I was able to get a more realistic idea of what her life was like and had deeper connections with her. It gave me insight into what life can be like outside of New Zealand and made me realise how lucky we are compared to some countries around the world.

 Around the world, people view the butterfly as representing endurance, change, hope, and life. This is significant in the book as Yusra experiences all of these things throughout her story. Her life is changed and through all of her hope, she was able to achieve the things she did. At the very end of the book Yusra says “Whatever happens, I’ll get up. I’ll swim on. I’ll survive. I’ll emerge from the chrysalis as a butterfly”. This has a deeper meaning as she is referring to all of the bad and all of the challenges she has been through and still managed to emerge from all of that through achieving great things. 

I think the book ‘Butterfly’ is very educational and highly recommend it to all readers above the age of 12. I think it is a good influence on others and can inspire others to follow their dreams and goals. It is written in a descriptive way and is easily understood. I think it is an awesome story for readers who want to follow their dreams and is very inspirational. 

Hunger games-Movie

Directed by Gary Ross

During the movie ‘The Hunger Games’ there are many perspectives of right vs. wrong shown. The movie is based in the capital of Panem where it holds 12 districts which each year take part in a show called the Hunger Games. A boy and a girl are selected from each district to fight to the death in the show whilst the rest of the citizens watch. The winner is the last person alive. Katniss Everdeen is the main character of the movie, she is one of the 24 tributes who have to fight to the death. 

Whilst watching the movie I thought Katniss a very interesting character. She was very intelligent, selfless and brave. She showed a lot of love towards her sister Primrose and Peter the other chosen from her district. “I volunteer as tribute” was the words Katniss spoke when her sister’s name got called as a tribute. This showed how much Katniss was willing to risk in order to take care of her sister. The love between the siblings is very strong and made me relate to the relationship I have with my older brother who cares about me a lot. Katniss was not only brave, intelligent and selfless but she also had skills. She was very good with a bow and arrow and she knew how to survive and take care of herself. I also found Rue very interesting and I was able to like her very easily. This was because she was a lot like Katniss and the pair soon became friends and allies. Although Rue was young she was brave, intelligent and kind which made me make predictions of what might happen in the future with her and Katniss.

From my perspective of the movie, fighting to the death is seen as wrong. Watching a group of kids who kill each other for entertainment is inhumane and a disgusting way of amusing others. It is killing innocent, randomly chosen children who had no choice but to kill others in order to survive. I thought that taking children away from their families and friends was wrong as they may never get to see them again. 

Katniss was seen as the person in the ‘right’ during the movie. She was obviously against the whole idea of ‘The Hunger Games’ but did what was necessary to survive. She only killed when she needed to, she never set out to hurt people or to kill people purposefully. When at last she and Peter were the last two standing she chose to give her life instead of killing Peter herself. Peter said “Together” as they both held the poisonous berries she had handed him and she then repeated back “Together”. This showed Katniss was selfless and proved that she was not out to harm others.

Katniss had to face many challenges during the movie. She faced environment changes when she was in the arena, where she suffered burns and other injuries. She was challenged on her survival instincts and how to stay well hidden away from the other tributes. She had to deal with the thoughts of maybe never seeing her family or friends ever again, and she also had to take care of Peter after he got hurt. However, all of these challenges didn’t stop Katniss from achieving all of the things she did. We do not face these challenges in our everyday life so I can imagine how hard katniss had to work to overcome them. 

The hunger games title is relevant to the movie as the children are not only fighting for their lives but for food as well. The winning district receives rewards such as food which most districts lacked in. Therefore they are fighting for the hunger of their districts. Since the fight is seen as a game due to the fact that someone has to ‘win’, the game’s part of the title is relevant. 

I think that the movie The Hunger Games is an incredible movie with many twists and turns that keeps the audience engaged. I would recommend the movie to anyone over the age of 13 as there is a bit of violence and murder involved that may be frightening for young audiences. 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets-Movie

Directed by Chris Columbus   

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a thrilling movie. Harry begins his year at Hogwarts with a  mysterious chain of events. There had been cases of petrified students around the school, in one case someone had written on a wall in the blood that the ‘Chamber of Secrets’ had been opened! After hearing the tales of Salazar Slytherin and his secret chamber hidden somewhere around the school Harry took action. It was up to Harry to stop the school from being closed down and to defeat the beast that lay in the chamber of secrets.

A character I found interesting was Tom Riddle. I found him interesting as he was actually the dark lords (Voldemorts) previous self. He was communicating with Harry through his diary as he wasn’t mortal he was just a ‘memory’ that had been contained in the diary. He said in the movie “Voldermort is my past, present and future” I found this very interesting as Harry had never been face to face with Voldermorts true self. I also found Ginny very interesting as she was the one who had been forced to do all of Tom riddle’s dirty work, such as writing on the walls in blood. Tom exposed Ginny by telling Harry “It was Ginny that opened the Chamber Of Secrets”. He had charmed her into doing everything he asked. I thought this was curious as it was Ginny’s first year at Hogwarts and Tom riddle chose her. 

The message I took from the movie was that sometimes you don’t know what you are capable of. First Harry had no idea that he was able to speak parseltongue (snake) which came as a surprise and was able to learn more about himself. Also, he had no idea what was waiting in that chamber and if he could defeat it or not. He did defeat the monster and was able to then become more confident in himself as he learnt more about what he was capable of. I can relate to Harry as sometimes I don’t know if I’m capable of doing something until I try it, for example when I train I doubt my ability to be able to run as fast as my coach predicts I will, but end up surprising myself and running better. This then increases my confidence and shows me what I really am able to do.

Harry had many challenges he had to face during the movie. He was challenged by Tom Riddle himself, his teachers and the ministry of magic. He was teased by the monster of the chamber of secrets when it whispered to him and when it finally came to fighting the beast he was facing one of the biggest challenges of his life. The beast (snake) had eyes that could petrify him with one glance, venomous fangs and was a whole lot bigger than Harry! I think that Harry brought the challenges onto himself but he did it for the good of Hogwarts which was important for him and his friends. 

The title is relevant as it is referring to another Harry Potter movie and the Chamber of Secrets is the main event of the movie. It also gets the audience guessing and asking themselves, ‘What is the chamber of secrets?’. It gives the audience insight into what the movies about and has an effective influence on the audience.

I recommend this movie to anyone over the age of 10, as some scenes may scare younger children, but I think it is okay for children as young as 10 as it is a fun adventure. Harry is young himself so it can relate to younger viewers. 

The Fault in our Stars-Novel

Written By John Green

The Fault in Our Stars is a tragic love story about a 16-year-old girl called Hazel. Hazel had been diagnosed with lung cancer since she was 13 years old and had to live with the challenges for 3 years. Her mother convinced her to join a cancer support group to help with her sadness where she then met Augustus, who was a bone cancer survivor and was clear of cancer. It wasn’t long before Hazel and Augustus fell in love with each other and went on many adventures.   

The characters I found most interesting in the fault in our stars were Augustus and Hazel. They are the main characters of this novel and share many interesting qualities. Throughout the book, they are both concerned with dying and death as they both have or had cancer. Augustus takes an immediate interest in Hazel and just moments after they meet properly makes the comment “Because you’re beautiful. I enjoy looking at beautiful people,” after Hazel asks why he is staring at her. This immediate ‘shine’ that Augustus took to Hazel turned into something real and soon enough Hazel was feeling the same way. It was very difficult for Hazel to let Augustus into her life as she was afraid of getting too close to people. This is because she knew that whoever she met she would likely be dead a lot sooner than them. She didn’t want people to suffer a huge loss when she died so she distanced herself from others. But after she had fallen for Augustus there was no going back and as she quoted “I fell in love like you would fall asleep: slowly and then all at once”. The two characters changed each other through the book and made them change their perspectives on life and how incredibly short it is, but even shorter for them. 

The messages I took from the text were that life is short, so rather than thinking of all the bad things and what could go wrong, think of the good things and live your life to the fullest. Both Hazel and Augustus had trouble coming to terms with death. Augustus was afraid that when he died no one would care and no one would remember him as he says in the support groups meeting “I fear oblivion”. Hazel, on the other hand, was more selfless and was worried about causing her loved ones great distress when she finally died. They were both afraid but got through their worries together. In the end, they both made sense of the things they were anxious about and were able to live the short amount of time they had left happy. 

Both Hazel and Augustus had the challenges of cancer. Hazel had thyroid cancer where she had to take a bag with an oxygen tank everywhere with her. Augustus had cancer but was supposedly cured, he had lost his leg due to bone cancer. Both of their lives were a daily struggle. Hazel, who knew she was going to die very soon had the challenging thoughts of death. What was it going to be like, when will it happen? Will my family be able to get through it? The pair both had the challenge of trying to meet Hazels favourite author, which included Hazel getting on a plane with her oxygen tank! Although both Hazel and Augustus were challenged mentally and physically they both helped one another due to the love they had for each other.

‘The fault in our stars’ title is very relevant to the book as it outlines the fact that both Augustus and Hazel have a fault in their stars. The title comes from the quote “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, for we are underlings.” Written by William Shakespeare. This title was appropriate to the faults in Hazel and Augustus’s lives where they both gained cancer which shortened their lives. 

I would recommend this book to anyone over the age of 13. It is quite an emotional and advanced book which is why it is more suited for older age groups. It would also be a good book to read for those who may have cancer and might help them come to terms with death. 

Dalilah Muhammad Wants More Than World Records

-The New York Times Article by Scott Cacciola

The article written by Scott Cacciola is about superstar hurdler Dalilah Muhammad. Muhammad has broken two world records in less than a year for 400m hurdles, but the first time she broke it she was left “unsure of what to do next”. She was left tired and confused as to what she could achieve in life and it was at this point where she then had many losses. After getting her priorities right and with the help of her hurdles coach Lawrence Johnson, Muhammad hurdled her way to victory at the Doha 2019 World Athletics Championships and broke the record once again. 

I took interest in this article due to Dalilah Muhammad herself. I am very passionate about athletics and have followed Muhammad to where she is now. She has inspired me as she was able to pick herself up out of a rough patch in her life and achieve great things. The way she bounced back from her losses in the diamond league made me relate to my own present experiences with athletics. I have just bounced back from an injury and have managed to improve some of my own personal bests in training sessions. The way that Daililah spoke about the whole scenario made me make personal responses to the text. 

The messages I took from the text were that there is always something new to strive for and that although being in the best possible physical state for competitions is important so is being in the best possible mental state. After her first claim of the world record in the ‘Diamond League’, Muhammad lost sight in what she wanted to achieve. Her coach explained “It was like dragging someone to the start line” in her next big competition the ‘Diamond League final’. Muhammad placed third in this race. I thought this was very interesting and made me think more deeply into the situation. Muhammad had broken the world record and now she had no time to beat or nothing to strive for. She explained after winning the world record for the first time “What’s next? But more so on the negative side: What am I going to find to push me now?” After a mental check of what she could strive for in the future, Muhammad settled on breaking the record even more. This showed that even if you have achieved the best you can achieve even more. Her losses after claiming the record indicated that her mental state was not focussed or motivated. After having a check-in with herself and deciding what was next for her she brought herself back together and won the IAAF World Championships in Doha this year.

The challenges Dalilah had to face the second time breaking the world record was the second-fastest 400m hurdler in the world ever, Sydney McLaughlin. McLaughlin, 20 years of age was her biggest rival heading into the competition after winning the diamond league final. Having a high-performance athlete just as good as herself, Muhammad was challenged in the Doha 2019 400m hurdles final. McLaughlin challenged Muhammad in a positive way as she then broke the world record and her own personal best. Muhammad was also faced with the challenges of pulling herself back together to achieve the things she could. Without the challenges I don’t think Dalilah Muhammad would have been able to have broken both world records.

The title of the article ‘Dalilah Muhammad wants more than world records’ had me think deeper into the story. She didn’t want to just claim world records but she also wanted to get the best out of herself. She was constantly thinking about her future and what it might hold including a possible career. Overall she didn’t want the world record to brand her as that is not the only thing she wants out of life. 

I recommend this article to those who are fascinated by athletics and want to get a real insight into a professional athletes life. It is so interesting finding out what they are thinking after achieving great things and what their future goals are. I think it could inspire others to push themselves harder through whatever they want to achieve and even if they achieve it to push as hard as ever to achieve more.

A Dog called homeless

Written by Cathy Cassidy

A dog called homeless is a very heartwarming novel about a young girl Cally who had lost her mother in a terrible car accident. Cally had started to see her mother as a ghost and a large dog which she then realised was real. She took her school’s charity event to not speak for a whole day way too far and chose to not speak for 31 days! She spoke to no one, not even her own brother or father. In that time Cally made friends with a deaf and blind boy called sam and they become instant friends even without speaking to each other. Cally still found this dog mysterious as if it somehow connected to her, but if she wanted to keep it she would have to speak up.

Cally was a thoughtful and loving character. She was the only one left in her family that wanted to speak about her mother and act as if things were normal. Her dad and brother made this very difficult for her and refuse to ever talk about her. I understood why Cally didn’t want to speak to anyone as no one understood her. She would seem crazy if she told people about seeing her mother but she knew she wasn’t. She was extremely loving towards her new friend Sam and the dog homeless. Before Sam went for an operation Cally said “Before your operation, I’ll take you, and we’ll swim together”-she was referring to the nearby lake. This shows how much love Cally had for Sam and how much she cared about his happiness. It was Sams lifelong wish to go swimming. I thought Cally’s dad was an interesting character as well as he was choosing to forget the memory of his wife. I think this is because he was grieving and could not deal with his feelings. I could relate as when I lose someone close to me I choose to eliminate their memory from my mind so I don’t go through emotions instead of embracing and celebrating the times I had with them. I think he was quite rough on Cally as she was the one trying to keep her mothers memory alive.

The messages I took from the text were a lot to do with communication. I think it is really important for not only for children to communicate with their parents but for the parents to communicate with the children. In this book, it shows that very strongly as Cally wants to talk about her mum and keep photos of her whereas her dad doesn’t want to speak about her at all. Because of this Cally then isolates herself by not speaking, therefore, causing problems for herself. If her dad had chosen to speak with her about her mother and his feelings maybe Cally wouldn’t have had to stop herself from speaking to others. The final chapter also involves communication as Sam would have not survived without Cally using her voice. She shrieked “DAD!” at the top of her voice to save her best friend. This is a representation of how important it is and is a strong theme in the book.

Cally had to deal with the challenge of not speaking which was not hard as she didn’t want to speak in the first place. She also had her father and brothers cold shoulders to deal with and the lack of love in her life. The death of her mother was a major event and made lots of changes to her and her family. It really dimmed the light in their home as she was such a vibrant person to be around as described in the text. Her father had to come to terms with the death of his wife which was very hard for him. He was also lost on what he should do and didn’t realise his daughter was suffering as well as him. Sam had the everyday challenges of a blind and deaf person. When he finally takes the plunge and goes swimming he also faced a lot of difficulties.  

The title was relevant as the whole book is based around the dog. Its name was homeless as it had no home although Jed the homeless man looked after him. The dog turns out to be a very important character as it is was a gift that Cally’s mother was bringing home the day she died. That is why Cally has such a strong connection with him. The title was clever as it gives us the indication that it’s a story about a dog without giving the whole plot away.

I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I read this book way back when I was 10 and loved it, I recently re-read it again and still loved it. It is an easy book to understand and makes you feel many emotions as it is so beautifully written.  

English Internal 1.4

1st person: I… Internal conflict-Inside characters head

The decision must involve 2nd character

Based around 2nd character
Conflict must be about the second character Must affect the second character in some way

  • At least 350 words no more than 800
  • Develop and structure your ideas
  • Use appropriate language features
  • Check for errors

Ideas:

  • Trying to stop someone
  • Not wanting to do something that someone else wants you to do
  • Friend pressuring you
  • Trying to help someone

She wasn’t always that reckless. We could have died that night and it was all down to another one of her silly mistakes. The choice I made was the hardest decision of my life. 

Clouds invaded the starry sky as the cool breeze tickled my skin. As I glanced over, her eyes met mine and her mouth flashed me a brave smile. Her jaw was clenched. My heart thudded as I gulped in the fresh salty air, gazing at the sloshing water that lay a few meters away from me.

 “You don’t have to do this Rachel” I cried, as I watched the storm clouds cluster up above.

 She tossed her hair and giggled. Taking one last breath she shrieked and strode towards the edge. Plummeting towards the rolling waves with her mouth hanging open my heart stopped. Scrambling to the edge I scanned the water, trying to catch a glimpse of her golden hair. Nothing. The dry dirt crumbled beneath my feet as my curiosity leaned me over the cliff.  Hairs on the back of my neck rose and my whole body stiffened. I saw her. Trapped. She was enclosed in endless strands of gooey seaweed, weakening by the second. 

A quick,  logical plan was needed. If I jumped in and tried to save her my life could be at risk, but if I called the police and waited it could be too late. The rate of which she was sinking was very distressing and if I didn’t act fast she would drown. My brain swelled with the enormity of thoughts that entered it. Should I pick her life over mine? I reflected back on all of the memories we had together. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. I would’ve done anything for that girl. Darkness overcame me as I remembered what Rachel had turned into. All of the things she said and did to me suddenly surfaced.  I had stuck by her through each one of her phases hoping she would eventually find herself, but now I was over it. She got herself into this mess, she can get herself out of it. I was the one always dragging her out of trouble—shrieking filled my ears as I shook myself out of my daydream. More of Rachels body was disappearing into the sea. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t leave my best friend tangled like a fly in a web, it had already started to rain. She’d won me over once again. Unbuckling my belt, I prepared for the jump.

Water rushed up my nose and flooded my eye sockets. My lungs were bursting as I reached the surface. Gasping, and through foggy eyes, I scoped out my rescue plan.  My ears filled with water so no sound could reach them, I imagined the sound of the waves as I saw them. Although my senses were altered, I managed to find her through the spray of the waves. Thrashing my arms through the sea, I paddled hard and finally brushed against a smooth slimy surface. Clutching her tanned arm and grasping my last ounce of strength, I yanked hard.

“Come on Rach” I panted.

Groaning, her other hand snaked out from behind her and wound behind my neck.

“Help me” she whispered.

Grinding my teeth, I dragged her like a doll through the torrential rain. My breath escaped my mouth, and like a vacuum cleaner, I sucked the salty water down my throat. I came to a halt wheezing and spluttering on the nasty taste. As I treaded the water I caught sight of car lights shining on the cliff. Crying out in joy I propelled Rachel through the dark sandy water until finally, my toe grazed the rocky bottom. I washed her up onto the beach as my limbs gave way underneath me.

“I’m sorry” Rachel whispered.

I collapsed into the ocean on my back with a sigh of relief. At least she knew how stupid she had been. Floating like a lilypad in a pond, my head hovered, as I let the rain fall through me. She was safe and that was all that mattered.

By Abby Fisher

The Race

No W

Stepping up to the line I take a deep breath through my nose. My heart is beating hard beneath my shirt as the moisture on my skin starts to creep down my back. BANG. The gun fires, and before I can think my legs have taken off. Pumping my arms hard I frolick down the path like a gazelle running from a lion’s hungry belly.

No R

The ponies lined up side by side all set to compete. Puffing loudly and waiting on the signal the jockeys shuddered.

No E

CLAP. I start running into shrub and bush. My foot hits muddy ground and sinks almost fully. I look up. Lost. I can’t

Tenses

“Nothing there!’ said Peter, as they all trooped out again-all except Lucy. She stayed behind because she thought it would be worthwhile trying the door of the wardrobe, even though she felt almost sure that it would be locked. Surprising her, it opened quite easily, and two mothballs dropped out.

  1. Turning right the high hedge curves into us. Our interests around the table sharpens palpably: some are stiff, others are fidgeting, as we all gazed at snape and Voldemort.
  2. This morning, I run my usual route to the store. As I turn the corner, I come across a disturbing scene.

Characterization

Appearance

Actions

Thoughts/feelings

Opinions

Opening my eyes, I woke in my nice warm bed. I pulled myself up and staggered down the hallway to get breakfast. The smell of bacon, eggs, and sausages made my mouth water as they were all my favorite foods.

Staggering across the broken bark, pine needles, and leaves, I spy for anything that seems even remotely familiar. The wind whips my hair into a flurry, also stinging my eyes intensely. Shaky footsteps turn into a brisk run in darkness as trees bow under the rushing air. I cry out for someone, something, but nothing. Crack. Hearing sticks behind me break sends shivers through me. Was this the end?