TyroCity: Major English XI Notes

Friday Morning

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Friday Morning
by Val Gielgud

Summary of Friday Morning

This play is about some people who are on a plane from London to Paris. Halfway through the journey the place’s engines stop. The different people react in different ways to the realization that the plane will probably crash.

The first part of the play introduces the different characters. The most important of these are Basil and Shirley, a young couple planning to fly to Paris to get married. The other characters include a travelling salesman who drinks a lot of alcohol (McLaurin), two American (Hannah and Janet Seward), a rich and important businessman (Sir Edward Harwood) and an older married couple (Mr. and Mrs. Briars. Basil, Shirley, Hannah and Mr. and Mrs. Briars are flying in a plane for the first time and make them nervous. McLaurin and Harwood regularly fly.

Sir Edward Harwood borrows a newspaper from Basil, and they arrange to have lunch together when they get to Paris. The plane takes of Shirley is nervous. Basil is also nervous. He holds Shirley’s hand very tightly, but they also have fun looking at how small things on the ground look from the plane. One of the engines stops. Basil thinks up reasons why this does not mean anything is wrong, but the plane continues to lower than it should.
A Steward says they have to return to London and the engines completely stop working.

The next section of the play contains long speeches from all the characters. They are talking to themselves about what they are thinking.

Basil is drinking of ways he can save Shirley horn dying. Harwood is hopeful. He thinks the pilot may be able to save them, but he hopes no-one will panic. He says how much he liked Basil and Shirley.

Mr. Chapman is worried about his wife, Mrs. Chapman. He is also worried that his death will cause problems for his nephew. He does not seem to worried about his own death.
Mrs. Chapman is worried that Shirley will scream and that it will be embarrassing.

McLaurin wishes he had more alcohol to drink. He thinks about his wife. Hannah is worried she will be injured badly. She would prefer to die.

Janet is worried that the shock of the crash will kill the sister (Hannah’s mother. She is not on the plane.

Shirley is very frightened and wants to scream-but she doesn’t.
The next section is a conversation between a newspaper editor (Marriott) and a young journalist (Miss James). The editor is told a plane has crashed but no one was killed. He is disappointed by this and even more disappointed when he hears there were no famous people on board. The journalist wants to know if the story will be the top story on the front page, but the editor says news about the news is much more important.

Shirley and Basil go to France by train and ferry boat. They were two men talking about the crash, but one of them is more interested taking about football. The first man says he thinks it would be fun to be in a plane crash if you weren’t killed.

Note:
This play was written to be performed on the radio. In the text the words in italics are directions to the actors and the radio technicians.

An Insoluble Problem

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

An Insoluble Problem
by Josef Skvorecky

Summary of An Insoluble Problem

The story is about the writer’s brother, who is called Adolf. Adolf loved a film star and wrote letters to her. After that, he loved a girl named Freddie. She was a good choice to be his wife, but he learned that her father was a farm worker from America. This made Adolf’s father unhappy, and he wanted to know more about Freddie’s family background Freddie was white, but her father was a black man. When he discovered this, Adolf’s father began to read books about genetics. He wanted to know if it was possible that Freddie would have a baby who was black.

Adolf’s father told Adolf not to marry Freddie. The father said he would not care if Freddie was black, but he was afraid that, if Freddie had a baby that was black, other people would think the baby was not Adolf’s. They would think that an African student was the father of the baby.

The family found out that Freddie was pregnant Adolf’s mother told Freddie’s mother that Freddie should have an abortion (an operation to stop the baby from being born.) Freddie’s mother became very angry. Adolf’s family began to tell many bad stories about Freddie so that people would not think that Adolf was the father of Freddie’s child. Freddie ended her relationship with Adolf. She told Adolf that the people in her family were from many countries.

Freddie had twin babies. One was a girl and one was a boy. Both were white.

Dream Variations

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Dream Variations
by Langston Huges

Summary of Dream Variations

The poem Dream Variations by Langston Hughes is a nostalgic lyric which poignantly expresses the singer’s wish for a carefree life away from color persecution and racial discrimination. This poem is notable for its musical changes. In Hughes’s own words, his poetry is about “workers, roustabouts and singers, and job hunters… in New York, ….in Washington or… in Chicago- people up today and down tomorrow, working this week and fired the next, beaten and baffled, but determined not to be wholly beaten…”

The poet wants to enjoy different types of games in some sunny place. He likes to move and dance until the end of the happy day. Then in the evening he wants to rest under a tall tree until it is dark. This is his dream. But the reality is different. He has to work in spite of the hot sun. He keeps on working as if he were dancing and moving round. Because he is very busy, the day passes so quickly. He feels weak in the evening and wants to have a rest. But his desire to take a rest is incomplete. His desire to find a tall, slim tree remains incomplete in the city.

The night comes painfully reminding him that he is black, not white; like the night which nobody likes. In this poem the poet longs for the freedom of a less complicated world. This nostalgic look at Africa was typical of the work of many writers at that time.

The first stanza describes the poet’s dream. He wishes for a carefree life away from color persecution and racial discrimination. In his dream even the nigh is not black: it is only dark. In the first dream he is not in the city. He is completely engrossed in the rural area. But in the second stanza, he dreams after the tiring day’s work. The dream to take a rest under a tree remains unfulfilled. The first stanza describes his nostalgic feelings which he enjoyed in the past. In the second one his dream is incomplete. There are different types of dreams described in the poem. That’s why the poem is entitled ‘Dream Variations’

In the first stanza, there are nine lines, but in the second one there are eight lines. In the first stanza we find twenty-two stressed syllables and in the second there are twenty-one stressed ones. In the first stanza mostly we find unstressed syllables between stressed ones, but in the second stanza we find two lines where there is not an unstressed syllable between the stressed syllables.” Dance! Whirl? Whirl! … A tall, slim, tree … “This quick tempo matches with the sense. To quote Alexander Pope, “The sound must seem an echo to the sense”.

Of Cocks and Men

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Of Cocks and Men
by Clifford Geertz

Summary of Of Cocks and Men

Men in Bali love cocks and cock-fighting. A lot of Balinese language refers to cocks. And Balinese men spend a lot of time taking care of their cocks. They get special food, baths with herbs and their feathers are brushed.

The Balinese people see animality (being like an animal) as the opposite of humanity (being like a person). They hate behavior that is like an animal. So children are not allowed to crawl on the ground and when children become adults their teeth are made smooth so that they do not look like an animal. Balinese people think that eating and going to the toilet are disgusting. So these actions are done very quickly and privately. Balinese people hate and are fascinated by the “Powers of Darkness“, the double nature of man being both animal and human. Cocks make Balinese men think of these things.

The Balinese use the cockfights as a way of calming evil demons. They are thought to be a form of sacrifice. Cockfights are held for natural disasters and religious festivals. The lights are very violent, and they always end in the death of one cock. The owner of the winning cock takes the body of the dead cock to his home. An owner who has a losing cock may become mad and curse the gods for his bad luck.

The Valvet Homgover

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

The Valvet Homgover
by Vaclav Have

Summary of The Valvet Homgover

In 1990 the Czech Republic became a democracy. Vaclav Havel was elected its President. It was an exciting time for the country because a new government system was being made. However, when Havel started working as President after the elections he didn‘t know what to do. He felt lost and tired. He was afraid he would not be good enough for the task of rebuilding his country.

Someone asked Havel to write a speech, but he found this difficult. He decided to write about fear and how it affected the Czech people. He wrote, “The people are afraid now as they face an uncertain future. They have won freedom, but fear it.” He also wrote, “Although life was difficult before, everyone understood the system. Now there are many questions. People who fear the past also fear the future. And people who fear the future also fear the past. Everyone must learn to be honest, because truth destroys fear.” Fear and negative feelings can also cause people to act in a good way. Havel ends his speech by asking people to look into the past, present and future with confidence, not fear.

In the speech Havel refers to four different types of fear:

fear of ourselves and our own ability,
fear of unknown things,
fear of the past present and future and
fear of lies and the truth.

Note
Velvet Revolution refers to a revolution in which there is no violence. In 1990 Czechoslovakia had a velvet revolution. A hangover is the feeling of illness caused by drinking too much alcohol. In this essay Havel describes his hangover like feeling after the velvet revolution.

Major English XI

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Mosaic: Family

Mosaic: Initiation

Mosaic: General Role

Mosaic: Identity

Mosaic: Class Conflict

Mosaic: Power

Alienation

O My Loves Like a Red, Red Rose

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

O My Loves Like a Red, Red Rose
by Robert Burns

Summary of O My Loves Like a Red, Red Rose

Stanza 1
O my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O my Luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.

Summary of Stanza 1
The speaker presents two similes, the first comparing his love to a rose and the second comparing his love to a melody. The speaker also uses repetition to echo his sentiments–my luve’s like in lines 1 and 3; that’s newly and that’s sweetly (pronoun, verb, and adverb combinations) in lines 2 and 4.

Stanza 2
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Summary of Stanza 2
The speaker addresses the young lady as bonnie (pretty). Bonnie is derived from the French word bon (good). In the last line of the stanza, a’means all and gang means go. This line introduces to the poem hyperbole, a figure of speech that exaggerates.

Stanza 3
Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

Summary of Stanza 3
The speaker links the first line of the third stanza with the last line of the second stanza by repetition. The speaker continues hyperbole in the second and fourth lines. He also again relies on repetition in the third line by repeating the third line of the second stanza.

Stanza 4
And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve,
And fare-thee-weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ ’twere ten thousand mile!

Summary of Stanza 4
The speaker again addresses his beloved, noting that though he must leave her for a while he will return for her even if he must travel ten thousand miles. Repetition occurs in the first and second lines, and hyperbole occurs in the last line. Fare-thee-weel means fare thee well.

When Icicles Hang by the Wall

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

When Icicles Hang by the Wall
by W. Shakespeare

Summary and Critical Analysis of When Icicles Hang by the Wall

In winter the dipping water freezes and hangs; the shepherd breathes his finger-nails to warm them; Tom carries wood to the fireplace; milk is frozen in the bucket while taking it home; people feel biting cold and the roads are muddy because of rain. At night the owl stares and sings a happy song. And the cook prepares steaming soup to keep the family members warm. The blowing of the wind can be heard everywhere. When the priest starts preaching, his voice cannot be heard because of the cough. In the snow birds protect their young by covering them with their wings. Marian has to clean her nose continuously. So it has turned red. In the kitchen small sour apples are being roasted to make jelly, and the owl sings a happy song at night.

At the conclusions of Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost are two songs, one in praise of spring, one of winter. The pleasure of spring is the obvious ones of the outdoors. As in a debate, in the second poem, “When Icicles Hang by the Wall,” the second speaker presents the claim for winter. He is willing to concede the disadvantages of winter-its cold, its muddy roads, its wind, the throat and nasal discomforts we all endure-nut his plea for winter is a subtle one. The poet presents the harshness of winter without using words like “cold” or “unpleasant”.

For this he uses the following expressions: ‘blow his nail’, ‘blood is nipped’, ‘ways be foul’, ‘all aloud the wind doth blow’, ‘coughing drowns’, ‘nose looks red and row’. All these represent the harshness of winter-its cold, its muddy roads, its wind, the throat and nasal discomforts. He arranges each stanza to move us indoors, for there we experience the pleasures of his season. Roasted crab apples sizzling in hot cider, steaming soup tended by a perspiring maid, a warm room: these are pleasures all the keener for the cold we know is just outside.

Two false approaches often taken to poetry can be avoided: the first is that approach which always looks for a moral or a lesson, and the second that which expects to find poetry always beautiful. This poem has no moral, nor is it beautiful. Poetry may deal with common colds and greasy kitchen maids as legitimately as with sunsets and flowers, and give no message or noble truth about life, and still continue to be a favorite among readers for nearly four centuries.

Child Care in China

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Child Care in China
by Bruce Dollar

Summary of Child Care in China

In this essay, the author tells us what he thinks about the way the Chinese care for children before they go to school, His views are based on 2 visits he made to China when he travelled 2500 miles and visited many places.

The Chinese care for young children in several different ways. When their mothers are working the children are often left with grandparents, friends or neighbors. Young children are also looked after in pre-schools and kindergartens.

The way children are looked after is not the same in all places. For example the way children are cared for in villages is different from the way it is in cities. However, there are many similarities between the different places. Children usually play in groups. They are encouraged to share things and help each other.

The author is interested in the way teachers deal with improper behavior. The Chinese teachers he met prefer to control children by talking to them and persuading them to behave properly. They said they did not use punishment. The author also watched the way the children played, and he was impressed at the way the teachers join in with the games.

Children in China are often looked after by several women at the same time. The author calls this multiple mothering. The most important thing is that the women who look after children are constant warm and giving.

Although most women in China work away from the home, this has not had a bad effect on Chinese family life. The family is still very important and men are often seen looking after their children Finally the author says that Chinese people are happy when they are helping to make China a better place.

The Elephant

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

The Elephant
by Slawomir Mrozek

Summary of The Elephant

The director of the zoo did not care about the animals that lived there. The zoo had many small animals like rabbits but it did not have an elephant. The news came that the zoo could buy an elephant if it wanted to. The director thought an elephant was too expensive, so he decided to make an elephant out of rubber and blow it up like a big balloon. The rubber elephant was made and two zoo workers were told to breathe air into it to blow it up. This was too difficult for them. So they decided fill the rubber elephant from the gas pipe instead.

The next day the rubber elephant full of gas was put into the zoo. In front of the elephant was a notice that said, “Particularly sluggish Hardly moves.” Some children and their teacher were looking at it. Suddenly the elephant rose up off the ground and floated away. The children who saw the elephant stopped believing their teacher and started to drink a lot of alcohol.

A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the beach

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the beach

by Richard Snider

To Poetry “A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach” When you first read Richard Snyders narrative poem, “A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach”, it may be perceived that the poem is indeed about a child, happily gathering shells upon the shore. However, if we closely consider the diction and connotations that Synder uses, we can speculate that the meaning of the poem depicts a deeper and darker theme. The title itself gives us an idea from the beginning. The word Mongoloid, as identified in Websters New World Dictionary, is an early term for Down’s Syndrome, a state of mental retardation. Therefore, I believe that the poem represents the child as an outcast from the norm of society. There are several words in the text that refer to the child that we usually wouldn’t associate with youth. An early clue would again be found in the title, “A Mongoloid Child Handling Shells on the Beach”. Notice that Snyder used the word “handling” instead of playing or collecting, words which we might think of while envisioning a young girl investigating sea shells. Snyder also uses the word ‘slow’ to describe the child on more than one occasion, as we see in line one and line eight : “She turns them over in her slow hands/ …hums back to it its slow vowels.” Yet another example could be in line four, which reads: ” they are the calmest things on this sand.” Calm is yet another word that we would not most likely used to portray a young child. It very well could be that the author is trying to paint a picture of her impairment and symbolize her condition through her actions. Considering Snyder depicted the ocean as “.the margarine maze,” instead of simply stating that it is the “deep blue sea”, it is easy to speculate that the ocean represents life itself. Her being outside of the water while all the other children are swimming is a key example of her being isolated. The way that she is presented, which is slow and rather solemn, contrasts with the other children who are “rough as surf, gay as their nesting towels.”. I feel that this kind of symbolism is repeated throughout the remainder of the poem. The sea shells, for instance, are another important representation of her isolation. It reads in line three: ” broken bits from a margarine maze,”. If we look at the margarine maze as being life, and the shells are broken bits of it washed ashore, it becomes clear that the girl is swept out of the regular society, much as the shells were swept out of the sea. It is even more comprehensible when we consider the line “The unbroken children splash and shout,”. What Snyder meant by “unbroken children” is that they are not broken off from life, much like the child. They are not broken off of the sea, much like the shells. The child and the shells seem to have a valuable bond in portraying the girls solitude form society. This idea becomes even more graspable if we look at lines seven and eight: “But she plays soberly with the sea’s small change…”. Websters New World Dictionary defines the phrase small change as ” petty or unimportant”. It may very well be that the child is seen as less important by people of the society. She is the only one who plays with the shells, perhaps the only one who can truly appreciate them. Perhaps it is that the other children ignored the shells on the beach, and were tantalized by the water instead, and maybe this is a foreshadow of her life-to-be, being ignored and pushed out by others. It is unmistakable that this poem describes a child on the margin of society. Yet even though she does not enjoy the beach as the other children do, I feel that she does not resent them, but rather takes pleasure in the small and insignificant things, much like herself. Snyder uses a cacophony of symbolic imagery and carefully chosen words to convey a message about the girl’s life as it is, and perhaps how it will become.

Pandora’s Box

Major English XI Notes — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 05:41:42 +0000

Pandora’s Box
by Rosalind Vallance

Summary of Pandora’s Box

In this play only The Chorus and The Leader of the Chorus speak. The Chorus is made up of l2 people. Normally they all speak at the same time. Sometimes only 6 of them speak-this is called The Semi-Chorus.

The other characters are Pandora (a girl). Epimetheus(a boy) and Hermes(a god). They do not speak. They only mime. The chorus and the stage directions describe what they do.
Pandora enters first alone and plays with an imaginary ball. Epimetheus enters and they throw the ball to each other. They are playing. They are happy.

The Leader of the Chorus is worried. Then Hermes enters and The Leader thinks he has come to bless the children. Hermes is carrying an imaginary box. Pandora is fascinated by the box. Hermes warns her, then smiles and leaves.

Pandora and Epimetheus begin to play again but Pandora is still fascinated by the box. She hears a voice coming from it. She lifts the box up and then opens it. The Troubles escape from the box and begin to attack her. Epimetheus and Pandora manage to beat The Troubles away.

The Chorus explains that Pandora has let evil out of me box and it is impossible to put it back again. Pandora hears another voice from the box. She listens carefully and, even though she is frightened she opens the box again. This time, Hope flies out.

Explanation

At the beginning of the play the world is trouble-free. It is a perfect world where children can play safely. The Troubles of the world are trapped in the box. Hermes brought the box with The Troubles inside and left it near Pandora. The god did not open the box; a human being opened the box. In other words, The Troubles would not have been released into the world unless a human being (Pandora) had not been curious.

When the box was opened, The Troubles came out into the world. This was the worst situation, because there was no hope. However, when the box was opened a second time, Hope was released. This explains the world as it is today. There are troubles, but there is also hope.