"Hans"

The old wooden floor creaked underfoot as Brady made her way down the hall. The bags under her eyes drooped heavily and her achy bones barely got her up the stairs. She made it to her bed, however, and dropped onto the mattress. She engulfed herself in the silk sheets, and slowly drifted off into peaceful slumber.

There he was, lying still on top of a very small bed. The bedding was crisp and white, not bothered by this stiff body. Breaths and mutters filled the stuffy air. The man could barely move, but his eyes showed all of his emotions. They moved back and forth, up and down, worried and confused. He was still in his military uniform; He must have forgotten to take it off after his return from the hospital. Propped up on the bedside table was his army identification card. It read: "Hans Zimmer, Infantry Unit # 41". His body seemed so old and used. It looked like a child's toy that had been fooled around with for too many years. Underneath the creme bed sheets was a secret. A secret that Hans was hiding from his family, the world, but most of all, himself.

The sunlight shone through a crack in window blinds. Brady's eyes opened reluctantly as she turned her head to the clock. 7:41 AM. She sighed, pulled the duvet cover atop her head and relaxed once again.

Hans lifted his blankets hesitantly and peered at his feet. Foot, rather. There was only one. As soon as Hans saw this, it all started to come back to him. He began recalling the events he had undergone in the hours before. It was late afternoon and the rain was coming down hard. Big drops fell from the sky like hail, painful and icy cold. Hans had gotten too close to a small fire burning a small family home. The fire had traveled towards to kitchen appliances, and once interacting with the gas particles in the stove, there was an explosion. Hans shuddered at the thought. His vague memories are the only thing that connect him to the real world. He used to be a respected soldier with a high ranking, and now he has become a useless amputee carrying nothing but reminiscences. 

 Her body stretched out as she awoke slowly. Brady licked her lips and expanded her sore knuckles. Her sleep had been short and non-fulfilling, and she longed for a more serene rest. Perhaps the following evening would assure her more shut-eye. With positive thoughts in mind, Brady rose from her bed and smiled. Her beautiful April day had just begun.

What Do I Know to Be True?

1. Ms. Lewin's first name is Roxie.

2. My first name is Brady.

3. The Canucks are first in the NHL.
4. I have been to California.

5. I can't grow a beard.
6. I have eyebrows.

7. I'm wearing Keds shoes.

8. I attend King David High School.

9. I will wear sunglasses when I go outside.

10. I used to have braces.

Treatment of Women in "Death of a Salesman"

In this time, most women were working at home. Although first-wave feminism had come and gone, and many suffragettes fought for their rights years before, women continued to work in the home. So far, we have come across two different female figures in "Death of a Salesman". We have met Linda, Willy's wife, and "the woman", the female Willy is having an affair with. Linda is a homemaker who cooks, cleans, and raises her children. What is interesting is the way Linda is treated in her home. Willy believes it's okay to yell at and blame his wife for certain things, and when that does occur, Happy and Biff stand up for their mother. However, the kids aren't too kind to their mom all the time either. 

Something to note about the play is that the two women we have come across fit two completely different stereotypes in our world. One fits the "simple stay-at-home mother who's responsibility is to keep the home" stereotype, and the other fits the "cheap and suggestive sex-crazed slutty woman" stereotype. They may be polar opposite characters, however they can both be seen as objects used by men in different ways. Unfortunate? Yes.

"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" Production!

Assignment: In 300 - 500 words, describe how you would cast a production of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." What special effects, props, and set design would you use to achieve the tone of the poem?

 

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner: Discussion Questions

1. The accounts of the Wedding Guest's reactions in Parts I and VII serve as a kind of frame for the Mariner's tale by giving it a beginning and an end. To what extent does the presence of the Wedding Guest influence your own reactions to the poem?

It's strange; while reading "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", I seemed to have totally forgotten about the Wedding Guest's presence. The reader gets so caught up in the rising action of the story that they forget about the frame of the story. When the guest was mentioned, I quickly snapped back and remembered that he was listening to the Mariner's tale. As soon as the Mariner continued with his tale, however, I got right back into the flow of poem and the presence of the Mariner slipped my mind entirely. I like this aspect of the poem because it makes it seem very magical. It draws the reader in and engulfs them into the world of literature.

4. The Mariner is punished for his contempt of living things.

a) Which lines in Part IV show that he continues to despise or hate living creatures?

In Part IV,
b) At which point in the poem does his salvation or rebirth begin?

I think the Mariner's salvation begins in Part V when the rain comes. The rain symbolizes freshness and it is washing away his curse. It's interesting that he is a Mariner and it is water that sets him free.

c) How might the word unaware in line 285 suggest that the Mariner's salvation comes from heaven? What else might this word suggest about the sources of human motivation?

Reflection on Death of a Salesman Discussion

Society influences people to do lots of things. In our class discussion on Tuesday, we spoke about how Willy's society causes him to be a certain way. I think that Willy has a lot of pressure on him and feels that he must fulfill a certain expectation in order to please himself. After all, he does have a family to feed and a mortgage to pay. It's makes me sad to think about Willy's situation because this is something that everybody experiences at some point in life. People feel like they need to please others in order to please themselves, and it is not fair to judge someone until you understand exactly what situtation they are in. Although I do believe that Willy has gone a bit nuts, I feel bad for him.

For Study and Discussion: The World Is Too Much With Us

1. a) What does Wordsworth mean in this sonnet by "the world"?

When Wordsworth mentions "the world", he means the society of now. Wordsworth is referring to the materialistic and ungrateful society of humans that were living when this poem was written.

b) What does he mean by "Nature"?

By "Nature", Wordsworth means the beautiful natural world made by god that materialistic society does not appreciate. Nature is this wonderful, free piece of beauty in our world that people forget to appreciate because they have been so blinded by their wants in life. So unfortunately, the others cannot be as in touch with Nature is Wordsworth can.

c) With which aspects of Nature has "getting and spending" made us "out of tune"?

Society had become "out of tune" with Nature because they were so used to spending money on things. What is really important is how clueless people can be when they do not realize that the important things in life are free. The fact that people were so focused on material things in turn made them lose their connection with the natural world.

2. In the second part of this sonnet, Wordsworth expresses the need for a feeling of identity with the natural world that he thinks modern people lack. How do the concluding lines, which refer to the ancient pagan gods Proteus and Triton, express the more imaginative relation to nature that Wordsworth desires?

Wordsworth uses a reference to the pagan gods because of the line when he mentions "I'd rather be a Pagan suckled in a creed outworn." Wordsworth is saying he would rather be a pagan because then he would get a different outlook on Nature, such as the gods of Nature. He is just expanding on what Pagans may view as Nature.

For Study and Discussion: My Heart Leaps Up

1. In this poem, as in "Tintern Abbey," Wordsworth thinks of his life as existing in three phases, although here the phases are somewhat different. 

a) What are three phases in the poem?

The three phases in the poem are when he is young boy, when he is a middle-aged man, and when he is old. 

b) How does his response to the rainbow connect the three phases?

His response to the rainbow connects the three phases by it symbolizing his long life and it's stages. He is so impressed with the rainbow, as he is impressed by the parts of life he has experienced.

2. The exact meaning of Wordsworth's poems often depends on a very simple, yet very important choice of words or phrases. 
 

a) What is the significance of the shift in lines 3 - 5 from "So it was" to "So it is" to "So be it"? 

"So it was" refers to what has happened in his life, and "so it is" refers to what is happening to him at this moment. "So be it" is the furture he has yet to discover. 

b) What is the meaning of line 8: "And I could with my days to be" (as opposed to "And I am sure my days will be")?

The man does not know what his future holds for him. He is quite unsure of what may happen later on in life.

3. A statement such as line 7, "The Child is father of the Man" is called a paradox, because at first it seems self-contradictory and therefore untrue, but on further thought it is seen to contain an element of truth.

a) In what sense is a child the "father" of the man he eventually becomes?

The child becomes the "father" of the man because the experiences he had when he was young shaped him to become the adult that he did. Therefore, those young experiences he underwent were the father to who he eventually became.

b) What does Wordsworth imply about the ways in which people's early experiences influence their later lives?

What you experience when you are young helps shape you as a person as you grow older. What the person in the poem is saying is that he hopes that his lessons learned will help guide him through his future. How beautiful!

Being One With Nature

In the summer of 2007, I participated in a hike in the Strathcona region of Vancouver Island. The hike itself was a struggle. It was four hours of climbing rock upwards. However, as soon as the rock face came to an end, the breathtaking British Columbia snow-capped mountains were in view. There was a plethora of beautiful botany surrounding us. The air was fresh and clean. Not only did we get to see the picturesque mountain views, but we got to bathe in the glacier lake, nestled right in between the rolling hills. The exfoliation of the icy water was truly a freeing experience. The moisture seeped into my skin and left me feeling refreshed.

Hello, Ms. Lewin!

Hi! My name is Brady!

An interesting thing about me is that I have a celebrity crush on Jeff Bridges.

Three things you should probably know are...

I make really bad jokes.

I eat in class.

I never tie my shoelaces at school.

(I know he's a little elderly, but I mean, camaaaannnnnnn.)