THE SYNOPSIS
‘QWERTYUIOP’ by Vivien Alcock is about a young graduate named Lucy Beck who has just finished her ‘O’ levels at Belmont Secretarial College. Being a slow learner herself, she has no confidence that she will find a job. Fortunately, she is offered a job by Mr. Ross, the Manager of Ross and Bannister’s. During her first day, she encounters many peculiar incidents. Later, she finds out that there is a spirit lingering around the office who is adamant in holding on to her position as the company’s secretary. Towards the end of the story, Lucy tries to get rid of the spirit that has been haunting that place for many years by putting the spirit at peace.
THEMES
•The will to succeed is the road to success
•Letting go
•Opportunity knocks but once
MORAL VALUES
•If we want to be successful, we must work towards it.
•We must make good use of opportunities that come our way.
•We must know our limits and let go when the time is right.
CHARACTERS
•Main character : Lucy Beck
•Minor characters :
1.Harry Darke
2.Miss Broome
3.Lucy’s mother and uncle
4.Miss Price and Mr Ross
PLOT
•EXPOSITION – Lucy starts working in Ross and Bannister’s. Harry Darke gives her hints of the haunting of the typewriter by Miss Broome.
•CONFLICT – Lucy types her letter but she is bewildered that her letter has extraordinary words that are not typed by her.
•CLIMAX – Lucy retypes her letter but is challenged by Miss Broome who asks her to leave and even threatens her. Lucy battles woth it by using correcting liquid to clean off words typed by Miss Broome.
•FALLING ACTION – Lucy learns about Miss Broome and her haunting of the typewriter.
•RESOLUTION – Lucy types and talks to Miss Broome and convinces her to leave this world peacefully and go to other world. Lucy keeps her job in Ross and Bannister’s.
CHARACTERS
•Main characters
1.Anna, the narrator
2.David Amos, owner of Amos Cosmetics
•Minor characters
1.Narrator’s mother
2.Narrator’s Aunt Mimi
3.Waiter at restaurant
4.Sabina, David Amos’ girlfriend
5.Armstrong, the pizza delivery man
POINT OF VIEW
•First person point of view
TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE
•Light-hearted and humorous
•Comedic and entertaining
LANGUAGE AND STYLE
•Simple and easy to understand the language
Monday, April 4, 2011
IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP
SYNOPSIS
In this poem, the poet tells of the situation of a farmer and his family. They come back at dawn after being out in the floodwater for a day and night. They are looking for their albino buffalo. They come back wet and hurt but they do not show any despair. They have been born into a life of hardship and have never complained. Now, they are in the kitchen and they joke and talk while preparing to relax with a smoke.
STANZA 1
They returned home at dawn and headed for the stove. Their clothes were soaking wet and tattered. Their bodies were covered with scratches and wounds. Yet, they did not display any signs of being worried.
STANZA 2
They were out in the flood the whole day and night. They were surrounded by dead animals and parts of trees that had been destroyed by the flood. They searched desperately for their son’s albino buffalo but were unable to find it.
STANZA 3
They were born into poverty and difficulty, but they do not complain about their suffer. Instead, they sit in the kitchen, cracking jokes while smoking cigarettes.
SETTING
The setting of the poem is in the house.
THEMES
•Stoicism in life
•Family love
•Acceptance of way of life
MORAL VALUES
1.We should learn to accept problems in life with a positive outlook.
2.We must attempt to face and solve problems.
3.Failure is part of growing up.
4.Do not despair in the face of failure.
TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE
•Understanding and sympathetic
•Dismal
•Acceptance of situation
POINT OF VIEW
•Third person pint of view.
LANGUAGE & STYLE
•Language is simple and easy to understand.
•The style is simple with no rhyming scheme.
POETIC DEVICES
•Imagery – Gives picture of poet’s thoughts e.g ‘soaky clothes torn’ and ‘legs full of wounds’
•Alliteration – e.g. ‘but on their brows’
•Symbols – e.g. ‘horrendous flood’ and ‘bloating carcasses’
•Diction – e.g. ‘stove’ and ‘brows‘
In this poem, the poet tells of the situation of a farmer and his family. They come back at dawn after being out in the floodwater for a day and night. They are looking for their albino buffalo. They come back wet and hurt but they do not show any despair. They have been born into a life of hardship and have never complained. Now, they are in the kitchen and they joke and talk while preparing to relax with a smoke.
STANZA 1
They returned home at dawn and headed for the stove. Their clothes were soaking wet and tattered. Their bodies were covered with scratches and wounds. Yet, they did not display any signs of being worried.
STANZA 2
They were out in the flood the whole day and night. They were surrounded by dead animals and parts of trees that had been destroyed by the flood. They searched desperately for their son’s albino buffalo but were unable to find it.
STANZA 3
They were born into poverty and difficulty, but they do not complain about their suffer. Instead, they sit in the kitchen, cracking jokes while smoking cigarettes.
SETTING
The setting of the poem is in the house.
THEMES
•Stoicism in life
•Family love
•Acceptance of way of life
MORAL VALUES
1.We should learn to accept problems in life with a positive outlook.
2.We must attempt to face and solve problems.
3.Failure is part of growing up.
4.Do not despair in the face of failure.
TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE
•Understanding and sympathetic
•Dismal
•Acceptance of situation
POINT OF VIEW
•Third person pint of view.
LANGUAGE & STYLE
•Language is simple and easy to understand.
•The style is simple with no rhyming scheme.
POETIC DEVICES
•Imagery – Gives picture of poet’s thoughts e.g ‘soaky clothes torn’ and ‘legs full of wounds’
•Alliteration – e.g. ‘but on their brows’
•Symbols – e.g. ‘horrendous flood’ and ‘bloating carcasses’
•Diction – e.g. ‘stove’ and ‘brows‘
HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES
SYNOPSIS
The poem is about a persona, a lady who fell for the wrong man. She was fascinated with his ‘quiet eyes’ and believed that his eyes showed his true emotion and feelings for her. The man’s eyes had the power to charm her and made her believe him and be nice to him.
However, the man was actually a ‘pleasure seeking man’, a flirt. As the lady was truly fascinated and charmed by the man, she did not listen or did not want to listen to any advice concerning the man’s true behaviour. In the end, she realized her error and was broken hearted.
THEME
•Betrayal of love
•Personal experiences
•Relationships that are meaningful
MORAL VALUES
•Don’t be naive and believe everything we are told especially in matters of the heart.
•We must be careful when choosing friends.
•Falling in love is normal but one should be careful.
•We must learn from the experience of other people.
TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE
•Reflective
•Sad and happy
•Sympathetic
POINT OF VIEW
•Second and third person points of view
LANGUAGE & STYLE
•Simple and easy to understand
•Simple style with rhyming scheme
POETIC DEVICES
•Imagery – e.g. ‘pools of lies’, ‘layered in thinnest ice’
•Symbol – e.g ‘quiet eyes’, ‘dice’
•Alliteration – e.g ‘lies layered’
•Personification – e.g The eyes were ‘breathing the desolate sighs’ as though he was talking charmingly to her.
The poem is about a persona, a lady who fell for the wrong man. She was fascinated with his ‘quiet eyes’ and believed that his eyes showed his true emotion and feelings for her. The man’s eyes had the power to charm her and made her believe him and be nice to him.
However, the man was actually a ‘pleasure seeking man’, a flirt. As the lady was truly fascinated and charmed by the man, she did not listen or did not want to listen to any advice concerning the man’s true behaviour. In the end, she realized her error and was broken hearted.
THEME
•Betrayal of love
•Personal experiences
•Relationships that are meaningful
MORAL VALUES
•Don’t be naive and believe everything we are told especially in matters of the heart.
•We must be careful when choosing friends.
•Falling in love is normal but one should be careful.
•We must learn from the experience of other people.
TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE
•Reflective
•Sad and happy
•Sympathetic
POINT OF VIEW
•Second and third person points of view
LANGUAGE & STYLE
•Simple and easy to understand
•Simple style with rhyming scheme
POETIC DEVICES
•Imagery – e.g. ‘pools of lies’, ‘layered in thinnest ice’
•Symbol – e.g ‘quiet eyes’, ‘dice’
•Alliteration – e.g ‘lies layered’
•Personification – e.g The eyes were ‘breathing the desolate sighs’ as though he was talking charmingly to her.
Friday, January 7, 2011
WELCOME BACK.......2011
ATTENTION TO 2C, 2 G AND 4T
We will be doing literature next week. Please read up on the first poem:
1. 'I wonder' for Form 2
2. 'In the midst of hardship' for Form 4
We will be doing literature next week. Please read up on the first poem:
1. 'I wonder' for Form 2
2. 'In the midst of hardship' for Form 4
Monday, November 1, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
A Virtual Journey
Go on a virtual journey into the center of the Earth. check out this site...
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/journey/journey.htm
http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~braile/edumod/journey/journey.htm
Journey to the center of the Earth
Another graphic novel for your reading pleasure...
http://www.tkinter.smig.net/ClassicsIllustrated/JourneyCenterEarth/05.htm
http://www.tkinter.smig.net/ClassicsIllustrated/JourneyCenterEarth/05.htm
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