The service leadership workshop today was quite great. I had a chance to explore the service process in detail by answering questions related to the process, along with my peers. It was also quite helpful to be able to explore the process in depth by looking at it from our peers’ perspective. The talk from the guest speaker was also quite inspirational.

Later, we also had a chance to compare our ideas about the service process with the service department’s, which was quite nice. However, I do wish that next year we have the opportunity to volunteer at an organisation for this time, instead of participating in a workshop. Although the workshop was excellent, I think we would be able to learn more about service from our time volunteering and the information provided today could be provided at the start of our college/local service etc…

After getting paper 4/6 back, i feel like i should focus more on getting key words integrated into my answer and also focus more on method writing. I feel like this,  because i lost a lot of marks in the exam because of making mistakes in the method writing and not mentioning key words in my answers.

 

Looking forward, i wish to be mindful of these things as well as practice more past papers. This time i did not practice a lot of past papers but maybe th

NYAA long post

 

I could be best described as a person who loves adventures, is spontaneous and  dependable. My goal for the future is to develop my cooking skills, participate in additional dance activities and read more. These goals have formed because of the experiences that i’ve had in the past.

Reading is something that I’ve enjoyed since a fairly long time. I had always been mesmerised by the multitudinous characters that different authors have created and their life stories. Reading books is something that I wish to continue throughout my life. Reading about different places has also led me to want to see every corner of the world. It is certain that i will not be able to see every corner of the world, but i wish to see as many places as i can. During the trips that i have taken in the past, i have come across various cultures, all of which i have found to be very riveting, in particular the cuisine and the dances. Through these experiences, i have also developed my love for dance and cooking.

Going forward, my plan to achieve my goal is to divide it in smaller parts. My ultimate goal is just to continue these activities alongside academics.  I aim to participate in at least 2 dance events , learn to cook at least 5 new dishes and read 20 books by the end of Grade 10. To achieve these goals i will sign up for 2 dance events in Grade 10. I will learn to cook new dishes either from a cookbook or the internet, once in at least 3 months. Alongside, to attain my goal of reading 20 books in the successive grade, i would strive to read at least 1 1/2 or 2 books in a month. As for travelling, i do not have any set goals in mind that i wish to attain.

To conclude, i feel that the goals that i have set for myself to complete in Grade 10 are quite achievable. I would like to enter Grade 10 with a positive mindset and adequate resources and time to attain these goals. That could be ensured by updating my journals and booklets in each of my subjects now, so that i do not struggle to achieve these goals because of bad time management/academic pressure.

 

Thank You

 

“What thou art promised; yet do i fear thy nature, It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness.” ( Act 1 Scene 5, lines 14 to 15 ). Lady Macbeth uses a metaphor to apprise the audience of Macbeth’s fair nature, where he would not play false to gain anything. This quote is a classic instance of dramatic irony as we discover later, the quote also presents the maniupulative nature of Lady Macbeth and how she is ready to play false to gain the throne.” Your hand, your tongue; look like th’innocent flower, But be the serpent under’t.” ( Act 1, Scene 5, lines 63 to 64). Lady Macbeth tells Macbeth that he should act like a flower, sweet and innocent, but be a serpent in reality. She uses a simile to further emphasize on these thoughts. This quote informs the audience of Lady’s Macbeth’s cunning nature and menacing intentions. ” ” Some holy angel, fly to the court of England.” ( Act 3, Scene 6, Lines 46 to 47) Lennox uses a metaphor to tell the lord that he does not trust Macbeth and he wants Scotland to be peaceful again.

Differentiate between the direct and indirect characterisation Shakespeare uses in order to construct his characters.

In Act 1 of Macbeth, Shakespeare uses a lot of direct as well as indirect characterisation to construct his characters. We see an example of indirect characterisation when an injured Captain tells King Duncan about Macbeth’s contribution in their side winning the war and his heroics in the battlefield (1.2.16). This event leads to Macbeth being given the title of “Thane of Cawdor” by King Duncan. This is an example of indirect characterisation as the audience has been influenced by the captain’s words and believes that Macbeth is a valiant man, but is he ?

 

An example of direct characterisation would be when Macbeth tells Banquo that his children shall be kings, as prophecised  by the witches. This shows the audience that Macbeth believes people easily and is curious about things that concern him ( like the witches’ prophecies, which he takes seriously unlike Banquo)(1.3.67-83). Another example of direct charcterisation would be when Macbeth is in his aside, ( A dramatic function wherein the character speaks to the audience but is unheard by other characters.) where he thinks that he would be king as that would be after he became the ‘Thane of Cawdor” ( which he did) as the witches had prophecised. The audience understands that he is quite ambitious and disloyal after listening to his murderous thoughts(1.3.26-141).

 

We understand that even though Macbeth is ambitious he would not play false to win and is full of kindness, by Lady Macbeth’s indirect characterisation of him (1.5.17-19). Shakespeare again uses direct characterisation by showing Macbeth’s soliloquy,( A dramatic device wherein the main character is alone on stage, revealing his/her innermost thoughts.) where he contemplates whether he should kill Duncan or not, “To kill or not to kill?” and tries to talk himself out of it in fear of the consequences of doing so. By listening to this, the audience comprehends that Macbeth, even though disloyal, will not kill the king as he is afraid to be caught and somewhat respects the king for his good work and virtues(1.7.1-25).

 

In the case of Macbeth, we see that most of the indirect characterisation done for him is not true barring Lady Macbeth’s. This reveals that Lady Macbeth is the only person who truly understands Macbeth. Macbeth acts as a ” serpent under the flower” for everyone else. As discerned by Lady Macbeth, even though Macbeth does not lack ambition, he does not false play and is kind. The use of direct and indirect characterisation adds a unique dimension to the play and as always Shakespeare produces magic out of his pen.

 

Thank You

 

Creating a better home for the Refugees.

“But in our camp, his story was everyone’s story, a single tale of dispossession, of being stripped to the bones of one’s humanity, of being dumped like rubbish into refugee camps unfit for rats.”

by Susan Abulhawa

 

Refugees are people forced to leave their countries due to war, violence, or in fear of persecution. The only way they can survive is if they go to these refugee camps and relocate to another country. The process of relocation can take weeks or even last a lifetime. Until they are relocated, these camps are like homes for them. They wish to leave these camps soon, because of the pathetic state of these camps and in search of a better life.

A photograph of France’s refugee camps. The photograph shows the unsightly and the unhygienic conditions that refugees live in.

The refugees live in ghastly conditions. Some camps lack electricity and water. Imagine having no water or electricity in your home, would you be able to survive? Diseases spread easily in these camps and one camp was even infested with rodents . Tuberculosis is rampant in such areas. It was also reported that a camp’s water had been contaminated with faeces. The conditions that these refugees live in are inhumane and they are at a higher risk of having mental breakdowns.

This state of living affects the health of refugees in an unpleasant way and takes a toll on their mental health as well. The future of these refugees is unsettled to begin with and because of these conditions, their present also becomes agonising. Many refugees have mental illnesses and many of them have tried to suicide as well. In addition to suicide, there exists high levels of anxiety, depression and PTSD in these camps.

To ameliorate this situation and make life better for the refugees, we must strive to improve their living conditions. Before opening borders, we should open our hearts and help these refugees as much as we can. If their living conditions improve, there will be less cases of suicide, depression etc.. in these camps.Their trauma will certainly not be completely gone ( as they have left their home countries ) but will lessen quite a bit and they wouldn’t feel as suicidal.

Some organisations like the UNHCR or the UN refugee agency, succour refugees by providing tents, disseminating  plastic sheeting and developing emergency strategies, tools and guidelines and rushing in emergency aid to those who need it most. Another organisation called refugee support provides toiletries, clothing, food security etc…. Their aim is to offer humanitarian aid with dignity to the refugees, while also supporting the local economy.

Nevertheless, first and foremost, we should clinch that they have access to clean water and electricity. The government could provide essential help to them and the quantity of food that is rationed could also be increased to ensure that no one remains malnourished. We could also do some voluntary work to help them. If these factors are improved upon, the camps would become an actual refuge for refugees and not just a place that is unhygienic and the abode of diseases.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY-

Cnet. See France’s refugee camps for yourself. Photograph. www.google.com/search?q=refugee+camps&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_56KWnbbgAhWUfn. ( Photograph)

 

Coletta, Olivia. “Refugee Camps: Poor Living Conditions and Their Effects on Mental Health.” Refugee Mental Health, 28 Mar. 2018, sites.duke.edu/refugeementalhealth/2018/03/27/refugee-camps-poor-living-conditions-and-their-effects-on-mental-health/.

 

“What is a Refugee? Definition and Meaning | USA for UNHCR.” How to Help Refugees — Aid, Relief and Donations | USA for UNHCR, www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/what-is-a-refugee/.

 

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. “Refugees.” UNHCR, www.unhcr.org/refugees.html.

 

Refugee Support, www.refugeesupport.eu/.

 

Through my partner’s presentation- Qixi, i was able to identify various examples of how that particular story had been retold in children’s books, songs and revisioned in movies and TV serials. The story has been an inspiration for 2 festivals in Japan and Korea.The story has also been alluded to in jewellery. The characters are also often represented by birds.

The story is quite significant in China’s culture. It is not losing its significance as it has been revisioned in various popular formats. This story is also significant in Japan and Korea. In a lot of modern versions of the story, there are minor changes as to who has written the plot, who plays the characters, features of the characters etc…

Unfortunately, stories like these are losing the place they once held in society. These stories were also very prevalent around the world but are becoming less prevalent nowadays.Therefore, these stories are sometimes revisioned and retold in various forms to entertain people but convey their message at the same time while also ensuring that important aspects of a culture are not lost in today’s world.

My partner’s presentation-

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1j6BARX2V7DJ4EX0uEKyqPUZ-74DnaYSXLM7XduyfJ5Y/edit?ts=5c049004#slide=id.g487ec6fb57_0_50

Thank you…