Setting Assignment

Right now, just staring at the second hand ticking its way down was an emotional torture. It grew more immense. I was staring straight at the timetable. Right! I still got recess time. This successfully eased the never-ending troubles in my heart, but my heart longed for an affirmation, one which could solve everything.

What if...




Hello guys! So, this is my assignment for the week! Can you all guess what exactly am I going to write about this picture? Please post your answers accordingly in the comment box! I will reveal my original plot once everyone in my group has commented! So, for now, wait eagerly!

Telephone Conversation (Sorry for the late post)

1) This poem is full of colours not just that of skin, what do you think these colours signify?

The colours in this poem include black, white and red.

The first two is crudely used by the landlord to ask whether the person she was talking to was African. The final insult came when the landlord asked the African how darks she was. These two colours were also mentioned to show the contrast between the skin tone of the two, which plays a big part in the remarks made by the landlord.

The red colour mentioned in "Red booth", "Red pillar-box"and "Red double tiered" is probably words the African woman spurted out out of shock as her fears and assumption of the discrimination against the black were affirmed by the question asked by the landlord. Perhaps the colour red also signifies the anger of the African woman as she hears what the landlord has said.

2)What does the dialogue in this poem reveal about these two characters?

It strongly brings about the awareness of the reader that the landlord is an extremely racist and shallow person. This can be evidently found in the passage as her tone was rude and crude to the African, "HOW DARK... ARE YOU LIGHT OR VERY DARK?" This cynical question she asks, wanting to know the how black the African lady is, angered her. The African woman is a person who is not afraid to reveal her true identity as an African as seen from the fact that she tells the landlord that she is an African right at the very start. But we can also infer that she is someone who is angered by cynical racist comments, as she starts a "word war" with the landlord and ends it with an insult right smack at the landlord's face.

3) The poet dramatises a battle, who wins finally and why?

In the end, the African woman won the battle, or you can say, word battle. Initially, she was overcame by shock with the rude question asked by the landlord. But as the argument progresses, it begins to lean towards the African women side as she answers the question in a sarcastic way, saying that the colours of the different part of the body are all different, implying that the question is ridiculous. Finally, she ends crudely by asking whether the landlord would want to see the colour of her bottom herself.

Short Story!

Identity

The identity of one is defined as one’s personal character as a whole. It always seemed to me that one’s identity is heavily dependent on the group of friends he is in, but it suddenly came upon me at the age of 14, when it finally seemed otherwise.

“Hey, you there!” an unfamiliar voice echoed into my ears, I turned around instantaneously, just to see a group of four staring straight at me. “The name’s Joshua.” the tallest of the four spoke up and it all started from that very point of time. I am a 14 year old, been through most things ranging from the struggle to enter the prestigious school I am in now to making my name in school. My reputation rose to the high heavens in school, or should I say, stank to the high heavens a year back ago.

Just one year before, I entered this school of mine. Everything seemed so perfect, the facilities, the people, my classmates and my teachers, until my first term test of the year. I sought hard for materials to study, for information to work with, with the sole aim of achieving an A1. But when I achieved what I worked so hard for, it just seems that what I get was a paper with an “A1” and an endless stream of nonsensical comments I could not make up of. The minute I received my paper was the minute my world turned upside down. My “amiable” classmates turned upon me, expressing their utmost jealousy with never-ending chattering which I graciously took into my stride, but the most unforgettable thing was that I was never given a chance to be a friend to them again until I met “them”.

At that time, it all seemed that it was Joshua who pulled me back into this world, who allowed me to try to live my life out in this competitive environment I would be stuck in for the rest of my six years in school. It was apparent that I could no longer do it myself, to work as hard as I can to achieve results and at the same time maintain relationships with my classmates. The only light out of this tunnel for me was to turn to Joshua, who provided me a “clique”, who gave me shelter from hurtful comments.

Our fame hit star-high almost instantly, as soon as we came together as a group. Moving together as one, eating together during recess, I soon found myself immersed in “close” relationships with my friends. It did not take long for me to realize Joshua’s character; a courageous boy, never afraid to express his own views. I find myself laughing among them during the first week, but as the second started, something felt amiss.

The second week started with a tremendous bang, news of it shooting out from all directions, spreading straight into our eardrums and making everyone give out all types of reactions. From giggling to chagrin, I saw many rushing in excitement to confirm the headline news, but I felt wrong. The truth eventually unveiled itself from the lies of many, Joshua initiated a bully, and his gang was responsible for it. The timid mouse of our class was hopelessly pushed around like a rag doll for blocking Joshua’s way to the canteen, a small action like that caused her to lose a tooth. I was present at the scene, but took no part in it, as I watched helplessly from the corner, my heart started to bleed unknowingly.

“Come on Jack! Join us! You are one of us!” That was the statement which impacted my mind heavily. My mind was in a whirl, the turbulence caused by this incident stirred my mind helplessly. I desperately sought for an answer to this but to no avail. As I lay on my bed in growing confusion that night, my mind seemed to be confined by a seemingly endless string of thoughts, “One of us… One of us… Am I really one of them?”

I could not answer it myself.

What seemed fun to Joshua and my “friends” seemed utterly despicable to me, what seemed right to them seemed wrong to me, it just seems like the way they act and respond to things was the complete opposite of what I would do. Yet, I would still do it, just like last week, when they laughed at Jim having no friends; I overcame my hesitation and mocked him along with them too. My identity seemed to be their identity too in the past week. It never seemed wrong to me till today. My thoughts yearned for a confirmation, and fortunately, it came in no longer than a day.

The next day proved my doubts wrong. Joshua has once again spotted another target. With menacing eyes of a hunter who has spotted his prey, he strutted towards Jane, the class genius. She was no pushover, but with Joshua around, she was nothing. Towering above her, he stretched out his hands and extorted her for her money. Just like any other prey, she resisted, but it was of no use. She clearly knew what ensued her resist; a beating, but she could not care less. Then it happened. The thoughts came pouring in again, I felt that what they were doing was wrong, it is wrong to extort classmates for their money. Yet again, I could do nothing, but this time, I was determined to make a difference, to discover myself again, to find my identity.

The struggle was hard, but gladly, I did it. Mustering whatever I had in me, I overcame the immense hesitation within me to stop them. Obviously, what followed was I being beaten up and getting kicked out of the group. It hurt, but only on the outside, deep inside, it was the greatest relief I ever felt in my life. It sure felt good, to truly know who I am. What followed after that incident was news of me helping Jane and my reputation of a good boy was “reinstated”. It was comforting to hear that, but the main thing I gained was the fact that I found myself amidst the darkness.

One’s identity is never tied to the group of friends he mixes with. Everyone is special in their own way, no matter how they cover it up, their own identities can never be submerged by their friends. I found that out myself, from thinking that I was one of my bad friends, to realizing my own identity through their wrong deeds, which I felt wrong and they felt right. From their wrongdoings, I found myself, even though I mixed with them, I was different, borne in a different light.

That is probably what shaped me to who I am today, my own identity; someone who is upright, holds justice and never afraid to be different. I am Jack Tan, fourteen this year, special in my own way.

The Importance of Setting in a story

Where has each of the above stories been set?

The Real Durwan --- It has been set in India, where the people were poor at that specific time.

The Adventure of the Speckled Band --- It has been set in the rich area of London, which is Central London,

Pride and Prejudice --- It has been set in the poor area of England, London, a town where the not so well-off people live as they cannot afford to live in the city area of London, where the standard of living is too expensive.

What time period has each of these stories been set in?

The Real Durwan --- It was set when India separated into three different parts, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Central India which led to many riots because of the assets lost in the midst of the moving; Hindus were moved to a particular part and Muslims were also moved to another particular part.

The Adventure of the Speckled Band --- It was set in 1983, as mentioned in the story.

Pride and Prejudice --- It was set in the 18th century, when girls had no rights to express their views and to choose their marriage partner. Their marriage partner was solely chosen by their parents, regardless of his age, looks and anything else, she had to marry him if her parents said so. She could not oppose or decline the marriage request as at that time, she had no rights to do
so.

What clues do you get from the setting about the kind of story it is going to turn out to be?

The Real Durwan --- The setting tells me about how poor the old lady is and what kind of predicament she is in right now. I think it tells me that it is going to turn out to be a sad story, where her predicament is explained through a flashback.

The Adventure of the Speckled Band --- The setting tells us that the case Sherlock Holmes is going to handle will be a unique one, as mentioned by his friend that it is unusual seeing someone coming to their house early in the morning.

Pride and Prejudice --- The setting tells me about how anxious a family is to marry off the daughters in it to a rich man. It tells me that it is heading to a conclusion where one lady gets the lucky chance to do so.

Research Work Part 2

Trials of a true Southern Belle and Southern Gentleman

In the eyes of many, a true Southern Belle must have skills such as cooking, needle work skills and sufficient ballroom dancing skills. A Southern Gentleman must always remember to respect a lady when he sees one and be honest in no matter what situations.

In the novel, Atticus is a true Southern Gentleman, as he respects Calpurnia and all the other ladies no matter how they act. An example is Mrs Dubose, even when she insults Atticus, he takes it into his own stride and even encourages his son to go read books to her.
Bob Ewell is not a true Southern Gentleman, he does not act like one as he rapes Mary Ewell, which is not an act of respect for her.
Miss Maudie is a true Southern Belle as she knows how to bake and we can infer from her actions that she acts like a true Southern Belle too.

Harper Lee

Nelle Harper Lee, born on April 28, 1926, is an American Author, who is famously known for her novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird", which discuPrsses many issues about racism. She developed an interest in English literature in high school and further developed it, which finally led to the many books she wrote.

Other than "To Kill a Mockingbird", she wrote many other books, including, "Love-In Other Words", "Christmas to Me", "When Children Discover America" and "Romance and High Adventure".

She received the Pulitzer Prize in 1960 for her famous novel, "To Kill a Mockingbird" and also the Presidential Medal of Freedom of the United States in 2007 because of that book as well.

The book, "To Kill a Mockingbird", is significant to her as this was her first published book and was the book that helped her to receive the prizes that she received. This book also raised the awareness of racism issues and bring about an impact to a certain extent in the literature world.

Research Work

Slavery

Blacks became slaves in the American Colonies during the 1600's. People were getting more slaves in the South where large plantations grew cotton and other crops. These plantations needed many workers to take care of the farms. People in the North didn't need slaves because they didn't have as many large farms as the South did.

U.S. slaves came from West Africa, mainly Nigeria, Ghana, Angola, Senegambia, and Congo.

Plantation owners were mainly the ones who bought the slaves and owned them. The region then was dominated by plantations and there was a need for workers to help in the workforce required in those plantations.

There were laws the slaves had to abide to. Slaves could not marry the whites or else they would be fined. Also, runaway slaves who refused to be arrested might be lawfully killed. Slaves were forbidden to carry arms, offensive or defensive, or to go off the plantations of their masters without a written pass, or to lift a hand against a Christian, even in self-defense.

Civil Wars

The southern states of America: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, south Carolina, north Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, Washington D.C., Maryland, and Delaware.

The president who proclaimed war against the south was Abraham Lincoln.

The civil war was fought because the southern states seceded from the union as they did not want to abolish slavery and the government saw that as a rebellion, thus the civil war started.

The war was fought from April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865

In the end slavery was abolished in the southern states and the slaves all freed from slavery.

The civil rights movement began on December 1, 1955

The civil rights movement was a mass protest movement against racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United States.

In December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man, which lead to her arrest and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In another incident, to pressure the government and Congress to act more quickly on the civil rights agenda, a massive march on the nation's capital was planned, scheduled, and carried out on August 28th, 1963. According to estimates, over 250,000 participated in the peaceful demonstration which culminated in the speech given by Reverend Martin Luther King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott and Scottsboro trials

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was sparked off by the ruling of the court, which issued a fine to a Negro woman, just because she was unwilling to give up her seat to a white woman on the bus. Rosa Parks, who was the victim, appealed, but failed to receive any satisfactory answer. The crowd then began the boycott and was successful. This trial held great significance as because of this, the Alabama and Montgomery laws which required racially segregated bus was abandoned.

The Scottsboro trial made history as it was the first time a Negro was not issued a death penalty although he was convicted of rape. It was also the first time a Negro received a fair trail, impartial juries and decisions not made out of racial discrimination.

In the novel, Tom Robinson is also convicted of rape although he did not commit this offence, somewhat similar to the Scottsboro Boys case when the boy was also convicted of rape and they tried to fight to prove their innocence. The Tom Robinson case also made a “mark of history” as it was the first time a Negro rape-related case took so much time to come to a verdict. As stated in the book, one of the jury fought for Tom Robinson’s innocence, just like the Scottsboro Boys case which was the first case to receive a fair verdict. Both lost the case at the first attempt, but the appeals both made was successful.

Jim Crow's Laws

The Jim Crow's law states that African Americans are inferior to the white Americans and declares a wide racial segregation to be put in place, for example on buses, where people of different races are segregated and would be punished if they did not follow the segregation.

They were angry and tried to fight for their equality that they felt that they deserved.

An example of Jim Crow's law that was evidently shown in the novel was the Tom Robinson case. He was treated unfairly by all the members of the jury except one just because he is a Negro. He did not receive a fair judgement and this is also because of the Jim Crow's Laws.