In our literature class we were assigned to answer a series of questions after reading the analysis of the poem «For my grandmother knitting. I did this assignment with Silvestre Braun. 

Sigue leyendo →

In our Literature class we are analyzing a new poem called «Tiger in the Menagerie» by Emma Jones. We were given an assignment in which we had to see some videos in our teacher’s blog, and then analyze the poem in our own blogs.

Background of Emma Jones:

• Born to an Australian mother and a British father
• Raised in Sydney
• After getting a degree in English, Emma Jones moved to the university of Cambridge where she recieved a Ph.d.
• Her first volume of poetry had the distinction of being published by Faber.

Analysis:

No one could say how the tiger got into the menagerie.
It was too flash, too blue, 
too much like the painting of a tiger.

At night the bars of the cage and the stripes of the tiger
looked into each other so long
that when it was time for those eyes to rock shut

the bars were the lashes of the stripes
the stripes were the lashes of the bars

and they walked together in their dreams so long
through the long colonnade 
that shed its fretwork to the Indian main

that when the sun rose they’d gone and the tiger was 
one clear orange eye that walked into the menagerie.

No one could say how the tiger got out in the menagerie.
It was too bright, too bare.
If the menagerie could, it would say ‘tiger’.

If the aviary could, it would lock its door.
Its heart began to beat in rows of rising birds 
when the tiger came inside to wait.

FIRST STANZA: «No one could say»: the first line in the poem suggests that the tiger’s presence is a mystery. And this already gives the idea that the tiger could be a symbol in the poem. Menagerie: a collection of wild animals kept in captivity. It can also be interpreted more widley to refer to a collection of people or things. Repetition of «too«. Simile: «Like the painting of a tiger» gives a hint that the tiger is the representation of something else.

SECOND STANZA: «Time for those eyes to rock shut» It signifies a loss of consciousness, and the word «rock» suggests it is a gentle process. The tiger is becoming one with the bars of the cage. 

THIRD STANZA:  In this stanza the tiger and the bars of the cage finally merge. 

FOURTH STANZA: «They walked together in their dreams so long» The tiger and the bars are know together and they have a dream. Fretwork: patterns or decoration on a surface made by cutting into or through the surface

FIFTH STANZA: «The sun» & «One clear orange eye» imagery on the sun and the eye. 

SIXTH STANZA: «No one could say» again there is mystery. «Too brigth, too bare» We don’t know if these adjectives refer to the tiger, the sun, or both. 

SEVENTH STANZA:  «Aviary» (It is an enclousure for keeping birds) maybe it symbolizes freedom. «It would lock its doors» Because the tiger is dangerous for the birds. «Its heart began to beat in rows of rising birds» there is alliteration. «The tiger came inside to wait» What is the tiger waiting for? Maybe for the chance to eat the birds. 

THEMES:

-Delusions of mankind

-Our true nature

-Violence

-The power of nature

-Violence inside civility.

TONE:

– Judgy

-Disquieting

-Violent and menacing (in the end)

Questions:

1. (p. 396/397) Sum up his boyhood thoughts, opinions and feelings.

2. What attitude does the father, Monsieur Andre Paulhan, have towards the Germans, the Resistance and to his son’s (Raoul) involvement in the war and resistance?

3. Describe his first meeting and emotions with the young girl when Raoul was 14/15 in 1940 and three years later at 17/18. (P. 399/400)

4. How do these lines reflect the Raoul’s feelings at the end of the story: “Someone       who, if suddenly no longer there, can leave a hole in your heart, and a feeling of doom       until the moment he or she reappears.”

5. p401 How involved in the Resistance does Raoul  think that the young girl and his   father are? What does the threat: “Try a nail or two” imply about the father?

6. (p402) What does Raoul do to bring the girl closer to him? How does his father react?

7. Describe Andre’s feelings about religion and about the Petain government. P403 and  elsewhere.

8. Finally the romance with Cecile Viala is in the open  with Raoul’s family p. 403/404    How would you describe their feelings for each other?

9.( p405)  What has prompted Raoul to sabotage the Gestapo officer’s inner tube?

10. What is the faint hope Raoul has for Cecile as she accepts the ride in the car?

11 . The story ends with a reluctant mood to shift with the times. Explain how this is true.

Answers

1. His father is his row model,  he looks up to him and he is proud of his family business. His mother died and he lacked through his childhood a row model of a mother. His business passed through the family and he was proud of it.
2. He hated the Germans but nevertheless it didn’t intervene in the business, he received clients, it didn’t mind if they were german or french. He was proud of his business.
3. The first meeting with the girl from the resistance was awkward and embarrassing one. It is clear they are new in dating because they act teenager-like at the moment.
4. She never actually reappears, and he feels he owes something to her, so he never remarried or had kids. He never gets over the guilt or her.
5. He never had the occurance that she might have been working for the resistance.
6. He throws in the street cement and soil for the girl not to be able to pass through.
7. His father hated catholics and was against Germans killing the jews. He was more protestant and he was tolerant of jews he didn’t acknowledge them.
8. They don’t mind about the Germans occupying France, being together was enough for them. They loved each other and that was what mattered.
9. He wanted to help the girl because he was in love with her, she was more important than the business.
10. That she wouldn’t die because he had sabotaged the car of the German officer.
11. Because everything turned up wrong, the love of his life died and he lost the passion to work in the  business.

In literature we have started to analyze a new poem we’ve started reading.

Song by Lady Mary Wroth

Vocabulary I used:

Craving: a powerful desire

Folly: the lack of good sense or  judgment

Wailing: a thin cry

Cozen: to decieve, to win over

Source I used to analyze: http://es.slideshare.net/mobile/AlinaClaps/song-by-lady-mary-wroth

Sigue leyendo →

Whit our teacher Pato in Lit we started reading an inspector calls but before starting it we investigated on Edwardian and Victoria eras so we could understand those times better

VICTORIAN ERA:

Class división ——-> etiquette

Only men could vote

Servants didn’t make eye contacto with upper classes

Scientific, medical, technological advances

Industrial revolution ———> Englan ——> the wealthiest Nation

Kids were ill-treated in factores and mines

Unemoloyment/ por working conditons

Victorian upper classes didn’t recognize lower classes existed

Cities were overcrowded

EDWARDIAN ERA:

Class division ———-> upper &lower classes

Social injustice

Change in the economic system

Women social & política Union was created

Number of servants decreased ———-> more social division

The characters:

• Gerald Croft–> Shelia’s Birling fiancée. He is a liar, since he told Sheila that he was very busy at work but he wasn’t. He is part of the upper class, so that’s the reason why Arthur wants him to marry her daughter, it meant more money.
• Arthur Birling that was the father. He believed businessman know better, that wars will end because nobody wants wars, that the world was progressing really fast and that WW1 wouldn’t even start
• Eric Birling –> son. Loves drinking. The black ship of the family.
• Shelia Birling –> daughter
• Sybill Birling–> mother
• Edna –> maid
• Inspector Goole 

The background of the story:

It was written in 1945, but the story takes place in 1912. Priestly was against Capitalism and in the story Arthur Birling is shown as a capitalist man. The story is set in the Edwardian Era, were there was prosperity for the middle class and industrialist. But also, the working class was discontent which led to strikes.

Activity on Act 1:

Gerald and Mr Birling are alone. Read their conversation ( p. 8-9-10-11 up to Edna speaking)

-What are they talking about?

• They are talking about mr birling trying to enter to the honours list as a Knighthood. Mr Birling says that he had some hints that he will be chosen and Gerald congratulates him.

-Whats Mr Birling hoping to get?

• A Knighthood in the next Honours list

-Mr birling vs Geralds mother. What is reveald in this conversation? How does Arthur Birling feel as regards the crofts?

• Its reveald that the Birlings have a secret that the knighthood honors list can’t find out.  He feels that he can trust them because he told Gerald.

-According to Mr Birling, whats a mans responsability? ( quote from the play)

• Acording to Mr Birling “a man has to make his own way – has to look after himself – and his family too, of course, when he has one- and so long as he does that he winr come to much harm. Bur the way some of these cranks talk and write now, you’d think everybody has to look up after everybody else, as iF we were all mixed up together like bees in a hive – community and all that nonsense

-They mention ” a scandal” , secrets that may affect characters in the future (literary device?)

Forshadowing

In Literature class we finished act ! of «An Inspector Calls» and we answered in different groups answers that are at the end of the book.

this were the questions my group had to answer (Juana P Muñiz, Chivy Correa, Elena Persic and me):

This were Other groups’s questions:

1 to 5:

3 to 7:

6 to 10:

9 to 14:

12 to 17:

19 to 23:

24 to 27:

Arthur Birling

• He is proud of his achievements and tries to impress the Inspector with his local standing and his influential friends.» He was an old friend of mine», here Birling is showing that he knows very well the Chief Constable.
• He is aware of people who are his social superiors. » It’s exactly the same port your father gets». Birling is trying to
  impress Gerald.
• He claims the party only because Sheila will be happy, but a merger with Crofts Limited will be good for his business. “Crofts and Birlings are no longer competing but are working together”
• He is optimistic for the future and confident that there will not be a war. “Peace and prosperity and rapid progress everywhere”
• He is selfish, he wants to protect himself and his family, and protect his reputation. “There’ll be a public scandal”

Mrs.Sybil Birling

• She is very aware of the differences between social classes. “[…] why the girl committed suicide. Girls of that class–”
• She has least respect for the Inspector. “(Inspector) you’re not telling me the truth. (Mrs B) I beg your pardon!”
• She doesn’t want to believe Eric’s drinking and Gerald’s affair with Eva. “I don’t believe it… I won’t beleive it…”
• She admits she was prejudiced against the girls who applied to her committee. “She was giving herself ridiculous airs”
• She refuses to believe that she did anything wrong. “But I accept no blame for it All”

Sheila Birling

• She has had suspicions about Gerald. “Yes, exept for sll last summer, when you never came near me, and I wondered what had happened to you”
• She shows her compassion immediately she hears of her father’s treatment of Eva Smith. “Oh! – how horrible! Was it an accident?”
• She feels full of guilt “Yes and it was I who had the girl turned out of jer job at Milwards”
• She is very perceptive “Let’s hope not. But i’m beginning to wonder”
• She is curious, becoming more mature. “In some odd way, I rather respect you more than i’ve ever done before”
• She is angry with her parents “Now you’re beginning All over again to pretende that nothing much has happened-
• At the end of the play she is much wiser “It didn’t end tragically, then thay’s lucky for us”

Eric Birling

• He seems embarrassed and awkward. “Oh my god! How stupid it all is!”
• He is a hardened drinker “could i have a drink first? “
• He supports the worker’s cause “He could’ve kept jer on instead of throwing her out.”
• He feels guilt and frustration with himself over his relationship with the girl. “My god- I’m not likely to forget”
• He had some innate sense of responsibility “I’m ashamed of you as well- yes both of you”.
• He is appolled by his parents        (Same qoutation^)
• He is fully aware of his social responsability. 

Gerald Croft

• He is an aristocrat «(Birling) … Yourself socially»
• He is not as willing to admit his part in the girl’s death «Perhaps i’d feel better about it»
• He is very moved when he hears of her death «… I’ve suddenly realized … That she is dead»
• He tries to come up with as much evidence as possible to prove that the Inspector is a fake «… I asked him about inspector goole and described tje chap carefully…»
• He seems to throw his energies into ‘protecting’ himself rather than changing himself. «No i passed it off by saying i’d been having am argument with someone»

Inspector Goole

• He works very systematically «i’m not asking if you believed it. I want to know what she said»
• He is a figure of authority «don’t stsmmer and yammer at me again man»
• He seems to know and understand an extraodinary amount «… She wanted to keep this youngester out of any more trouble – isn’t that so?»
• He knows the hisotry of Eva Smith and the Birling´s involvement 
• He knows things are going to happen
• He is in a great hurry towards the end of the play
• His final speech is like a sermon or a politician’s «there are millions and millions of Eva Smiths and john Smiths still left with us […] we are responsable for each other […]»

Eva Smith 

• She was working class «she used to work in my factory[…]»
• The first women created in the Bible. 

this is the analysis of the lost woman a peom we read in literature
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1x8Ys6wY5drh0gHfYOfRFQKAJqG_EQKFrwns2vmSpH-U/edit#slide=id.gd8f5732b4_0_30