Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Much Ado About Nothing Summary)

Basically, what I have gathered from the book so far is that Leonato received a letter informing him that Don Peter of Arrogon was on his way from the war where they lost few men.
However, Beatrice was inquiring about the return of Signior Benedick of Padua who she later found out returned safely.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

William Shakespeare

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 of John Shakespeare, a glover and leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a landed heiress. William, according to the church register, was the third of eight. Shakespeare attended the free grammar school in Stratford, however he never proceeded to University schooling.

At the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway and had three children: Susanna, Hamnet and Judith.

By 1594, he was not only acting and writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men (called the King's Men after the ascension of James I in 1603).

Shakespeare's success is apparent when studied against other playwrights of this age. His company was the most successful in London in his day. He had plays published and sold in octavo editions, or "penny-copies" to the more literate of his audiences. It is noted that never before had a playwright enjoyed sufficient acclaim to see his works published and sold as popular literature in the midst of his career. While Shakespeare could not be accounted wealthy, by London standards, his success allowed him to purchase New House and retire in comfort to Stratford in 1611.

Shakespeare wrote his will in 1611, bequeathing his properties to his daughter Susanna (married in 1607 to Dr. John Hall). To his surviving daughter Judith, he left £300, and to his wife Anne left "my second best bed."

In 1623, two working companions of Shakespeare from the Lord Chamberlain's Men, John Heminges and Henry Condell, printed the First Folio edition of the Collected Works, of which half the plays contained therein were previously unpublished. The First Folio also contained Shakespeare's sonnets.


SOME PLAYS WRITTEN  BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

  • Hamlet
  • Macbeth
  • Julius Caesar
  • The Tempest
  • King Lear
  • Romeo and Juliet
  • Much Ado about Nothing


In addition, William Shakespeare is known as " The Greatest Play Writer" because his works have been a major influeence on subsequent theatre. In addition, he also transformed English theatre by expanding expectations about what could be accomplished through characterisation, plot, action, language and genre.































Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Jennings Village
St. Mary's Parish
Antigua
 
3rd November, 2010
The Editor
Antigua Sun
Coolidge, Antigua
 
Dear Sir/Madam,
                          I am writing this letter to express my feelings on the attack on Brother Man as well as my feelings towards rastafarianism.
      As it relates to the attack on Brother Man, I think that it was unjust. I say this because the people who were once looking to him ans asking him for healing when they themselves were sick or their loved ones, turned on him in less than a split second.
     Instead of going to Brother Man himself to find out exactly what took place, they ridiculed him even though he was innocent.
     Although he was accused of using counterfeit coins, committing murder and rape, he ignored those comments and still wished them "piece an' love".
     However, the people in the lane brutally beat him and a woman who tried to shield him with her own body.
    The accusations made were directed towards a man with dread locks and since Brother Man fits that description, so they were not going to listen to his excuses.
    In addition, as it relates to my feeling towards rastafarianism, I do not have anything against it. It is a Religion practiced by Rastafarians. Just as other religions, they have certain practices which they follow, they have leaders, followers and rules which are portrayed in the other religions. Therefore I do not seen the need t have anything negative to say about it.
    Concluding, I am still holding strong to my view that Brother Man's beating was totally unjust and also I have nothing against Rastafarianism.
 
 
Yours sincerely,
Laurencia John









Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Tutorials 29/09/2010


Roger Mais's Biography

 Born on 11 August 1905 was a Jamaican novelist, painter, poet and playwright by the name of Roger Mias. He belonged to a well-to-do middle class but had a lively social conscience that had a lifelong interest on the poorer class of his fellow  black countrymen. 
 His first novel,' The Hills Were Joyful Together' (1953), was written from personal experiences he faced.
 In 1978, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Jamaica for his integral role in the development of politics and cultural nationalism.
 He published two collections of stories and competed two unpublished novels.
 In addition, he published hundred of short stories.
 He won ten first prizes  in West Indian literary competitions by 1951.
 Some of his book include:
  • ' The Hills Were Joyful Together' (1953)
  • ' Brother Man' (1954)
  • ' Black Lightening' (1955)
















Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Literature Tutorials

Literary Terms


Forms of Prose Fiction

  • Novels- a long work of prose fiction especially one that is relatively realistic.
  • Novella- a work of prose fiction longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. (about 40-80 pages).
  • Short Story- a fictional narrative, usually a prose, rarely longer than 30 pages and often much briefer.

Elements of Prose Fiction


  • Narrative Techniques- the presentation of speech; the presentation of thought.
  • Point of view- this refers to the method of narrating a short story, novel, narrative poem or work of nonfiction.
  • Characterization- the presentation of a character whether by direct description, by showing the character in action, or by the presentation of other characters who halos to define each other.
  • Setting- the time and place of a story, play, or poem.
  • Theme- the main idea, or message, of an essay, paragraph, movie or book. The message may be about life, society or human nature.
  • Plot- the episodes in a narrative or dramatic work- that is what happens.
  • Style- the manner of expression, evident not only in the choice of certain words but also in the choice of certain kinds of sentence structures, characters, settings and themes.

Literary Devices

  • Imagery- words and phrases that create vivid, sensory experiences for the reader.
  • Symbol- a person, place, object or activity that stands for something beyond itself.
  • Irony- the contrast between what is said and what is meant.
  • Satire- this is a literary technique in which ideas, customs, behaviours or institutions are reticule for the purpose of improving society.
  • Allusion- this refers to a historical or fictional person, place, or event with which the reader is assumed to be familiar.

Structural Devices

  • Stream of consciousness- a style of fiction that takes as its subject, the flow of thought, the responses and sensation of one or more character.
  • Interior Monologue- this refers to when the character speaks his/her thoughts aloud.
  • Flashback- an account of conversation. an episode or event that happened before the beginning of a story.
  • Foreshadowing- a writers use of hints or clues that suggest what events will occur later in a narrative.
  • Time frame- the time in which a story, play or poem takes place, whether past, present or future.
  • Motif- a recurring word, phrase, image, object, idea or action in a work of literature.
  • Juxtaposition- the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side.

8 Types of Fiction

  1. Science fiction
  2. Realistic fiction
  3. Mystery
  4. Animal fiction
  5. Autobiography
  6. Humorous
  7. Fantasy
  8. Folktale
Literary Context

  • Social- this refers to the circumstances surrounding the story, situation; what happens in society of which the story takes place. 
  • Political- this reflects the environment in which something is produced indicating its purpose and agenda.
  • Historical- this reflects the time in which something takes place or was created and how that influences how you interpret it.
  • Cultural- this consists of the worlds of the texts or the circumstances which surface the plot and characters of the texts.