The Great Gatsby [Chapter nine]

Notes from chapter nine...

•  Why does Catherine pretend to not know anything?
• 'It rested there' -(page 104 reference)
• Nick seems connected to everything that happened so far.
• Why does it feel like Gatsby is talking?
• Nick and Gatsby have an unusual connection?
• Nick enters a place where he talks to Gatsby a lot, even though he isn't there anymore.
• Forcefully imagining Gatsby being there -Imagery.
• 'That's true' He said uncomfortably.. why?
• Gatsby's dad calls him 'Jimmy'.
• Why do people not attend his funeral? Did they just want him for materialistic things?
• The mayor seems to deeply care even after he has died.
• The mayor claims to have 'made him'.. How true is this?
• The father of Gatsby is reluctant to let him go, and accept what has happened.
• In the book Gatsby wrote in he claims 'be better to parents' -Did this ever happen? Why did he wish to be better? What was wrong before?
• Gatsby was always going to do well in life, so why did it turn bad?
• His funeral which was a no show to many people proves that people took advantage of him.
• Why is Jordan being such a stubborn bitch?

The Great Gatsby [Chapter 8]

Notes from chapter eight...

Interesting quotes from chapter 8 and the 8 phases.

• PHASE ONE- 'I couldn't sleep all night' 
• PHASE TWO- 'She thought i knew a lot because i knew different things from her'
• PHASE THREE- 'And all the time something within her was crying for a decision'
• PHASE FOUR- 'I don't think she ever loved him'
• PHASE FIVE- 'I fell asleep in my swivel chair'
• PHASES SIX- 'Abruptly we weren't talking any longer'
• PHASE SEVEN- 'The hard brown beetles kept thudding against the dull light'
• PHASE EIGHT- 'No telephone messages arrived'

Use of color 

• Golden and silver slippers
• Grey tea hour
• Rose petals

Extra notes

• Relates back to war
• Use of imagery; sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes -Beale street blues. -Orchastra's which set the rhythm of the year.
• Also relates to phonology, which helps to create the scene.

The Great Gatsby [Chapter six]

Notes from chapter six...

• Nick is a very judgemental character even though at the beginning he said he isn't.
• Gatsby doesn't tell anyone his past -Keeps many secrets - Why did Gatsby change his name?
• You learn that Gatsby came from a low background, although you assume he come from a well off family.
• Tom's character is Annoying-Racial-Hypocritical

All happens at the end of the party scene.

The Great Gatsby [Chapter five]

Notes from chapter five...

• The first sentence 'When i went home to West Egg that night i was afraid for a moment that my house was on fire' builds tension for the first half of the chapter.
• Gatsby's house description also relates to Daisy.
• The song isn't suited to the scene - everything is romantic and a political song just drops in.
• When she cries stormily -is she thinking of what she could of had?
• Daisy isn't shallow and threats all the money as a bonus.
• Could the shirts represent something from the past?
• The shirts are close and personal to him, does he want to be close like the shirts are.
• Are the shirts just a trigger to whatever she has been holding in?

SUMMARY:

• Pathetic fallacy - The weather linking the two halves.
• Use of emotive language.
• Time - The clock - Past of scene.
• The materials the Gatsby owns.
• The colors used.

The Great Gatsby [Chapter four]

Notes from chapter four...

• Jordan actually tells the story -her voice comes through.
• The description and role of the car -> car as having wings.
• Important chapter -Insight to everyone's lives.
• Very racial.
• Nick is developing as a character.
• Nick is getting used to his surroundings now and this is why his writing has developed throughout the novel.
• F. Scott Fitzgerald deliberately tells the story so Nick progresses.
• Start of chapter -listing all the people.
• Reserved and observant
• Nick is becoming more superficial?
• 'We' beginning to include himself now.
• Feelings towards Gatsby has changed.
• Always describes Gatsby's clothing as rich colors, e.g. Caramel suit.
• Nick's character has changed and he now wants to start doing things with his life.
• The use of names in the novel is very interesting.

The Great Gatsby [Chapter three]

Notes from chapter three..

• First time Nick meets Gatsby they plan to meet the next day to take a ride in the hydroplane.
• Jordan is at the party.
• Ends on the big car crash (significance back to cars and machinery).

IMAGERY:

• Isolated at the party. The feeling of being in a crowded room with people around you, yet you're still and feel as if no one is there. (Nick)

KEY NOTES:

• Nick seems to come out his shell and change character when he see's the car crash.
• Nick seem to get very angry about the 'committing suicide' situation.
• He called the stranger a 'rotten driver'.
• 'I hate careless people, that's why i like you'

The Great Gatsby [Chapter one/two]

Quick summary and refresher notes of chapter one...

• Gatsby resembles a cat?
• Daisy has short dark 'bob' shape hair.
• Nick guesses that it is Gatsby walking towards him.
• Sound is used within the language.
• Cars and mechanical objects have a great significance in the story.
• Sound is used alongside light e.g. 'Bright night, with wings beating in the tree's'.
• The first time we meet Gatsby in the novel and he has a strong secure appearance.
• Trembling after seeming so secure.. why?
• 'Unquiet darkness' - The use of the word 'unquiet' suggests his loneliness however he is not alone, and it is not quiet.

SUMMARY:

• Mystery
• Nick has moved and you sense the unease to the new surroundings.
• The great connection between the past and the present.
• What is so great about Gatsby?

Notes from chapter two...

USE OF:

• Imagery
• Metaphor
• Time
• Dialogue
• Characterization

This is what we've looked at so far.

The Great Gatsby [Chapter One]

Notes from chapter one...

•  The mid-west is a very quiet place. Often people in the mid-west are known for living in a sleepy town.
• The story will show how they are outsiders when coming to New York

 BEGINNING SPEECH.

• The narrator of the novel (Nick) says how he is 'inclined to reserve all judgement'
• Nick was also in WW1.
• At unease when going from the Mid-West to the big city New York.
• Nick seems to be around 29 going on 30 however he speaks with wisdom like and old man who has a very experienced life.
• Daisy is his 2nd cousin.
• In the 1920's everyone lost a lot of money.
• He moved to New York in 1992.
• Supposedly rented a shabby place next to Gatsby himself.
• Narrative device of juxtaposition is used.
•  Foreshadowing that Gatsby will be around later in the story.
•  The imagery that is used can be associated to wealth and power.
•  Physiognomy of Tom
•  Depth to show the setting where they live.
•  Tom is called by his full name. Whereas Daisy is just spoken about as 'Daisy'.
•  Question why is Daisy sad?
•  Tom and Daisy's relationship stands out with the way they interact with eachother.
• Showing the power that he has over Daisy.
• The atmosphere is low. (maybe why Daisy is sad?) (Whats causing this?
• Why has Nick remembered that when Gatsby was walking towards him that he resembled a cat?
• Also, why is Nick so sure when making the assumption that it is even Gatsby walking? He hasn't met Gatsby to no who he is?
• Cars and mechanical objects appear a lot and are a significance in the story.
• Sound is used along with light: 'Bright night, with wings beating in the tree's'.
• The first time we meet Gatsby in the Novel and he has a strong and secure appearence.
• Question why is Gatsby trembling after seeming to sure of himself when walking over.
• When Nick is left in the 'unquiet darkness'. This is unusual wording, which makes you wonder about when your alone and that you dont always feel alone after time, you feel presence among the sounds around you.

Much Ado About Nothing -Reading Journal

Some questions i asked myself...

• How is the romance developed?
• To what extent do the characters have authority in the play?
• Why is Don John such a 'bastard' bastard?
• What is going to happen next?
• Will the characters change?
• Why do the characters have a cover/mask? What are they hiding?
• Why is it called 'Much Ado About Nothing'?
• Why is Don Pedro so concerned about them getting together?
• Why is Don John such an appealing character?

________________________________________________________________

Personally during the play i found that Beatrice was a character that reached out to me. She seemed important to me when understanding the play and in my opinion was a very important character. Beatrice is Leonato's niece, Hero's cousin, and the sworn enemy however true love of Benedick. In my opinion she seemed to always steal the show, with her wit attitude combined with her vulnerability. This arguably makes her the most fleshed out character.

When first reading the play i was confused at to what role Beatrice was trying to typecast herself into,however is became very clear that she is the jester in the play. Beatrice is very wise, this is shown throughout the play because she often sees the absurdity in life and often chooses to laugh at it. On the other hand, when her serious nature is needed she seems to be the first to deliver passion for example during Hero's wedding day. When Beatrice's attitude changed throughout the play from her playful Jester to a serious and angry women, i wasn't shocked. Because as the reader, i know that she feels deeply, is very smart and will always be able to transfer her feeling into their appropriate scene whether good humor or anger.

One of the male characters who influenced my interest was Don John. His character was always influencing the actions of the play. Even though he has very few speaking lines for a main character. Don John operates as a plot-device more then a fully fleshed out character, like Beatrice. He is extremely interesting how he never gives you a 'bad man' speech or describes loving how he is labelled as being the bad character. Don John intrigues me because we never find out his motives or even his reaction to all of the chaos he has caused.In the end all we know is that he has run off, he has run off before he can be punished. He has run off before he is able to maybe have a change-of-heart scene. Shakespeare has made Don John a very compelling and complex villain.
Overall, Don John is a reminder to me the reader that the play isn't supposed to be a tragedy, and really isn't supposed to analyze evil at all.

Pied Piper Of Hamelin

Hamelin town's in Brunswick,
By famous Hanover city;
The River Weser, deep and wide,
Washes its wall on the southern side;
A pleasanter spot you never spied;
But, when begins my ditty,
Almost five hundred years ago,
To see townsfolk suffer so
From vermin, was a pity.

Rats!
They fought the dogs, and killed the cats,
And bit the babies in the cradles,
And ate the cheeses out of the vats,
And licked the soup from the cook's own ladles,
Split open the kegs of salted sprats,
Made nests inside men's Sunday hats,
And even spoiled the women's chats,
By drowning their speaking
With shrieking and squeaking
In fifty different sharps and flats.

At last the people in a body
To the Town Hall came flocking:
"'Tis clear," cried they, "our Mayor's a noddy;
And as for our Corporation -- shocking
To think we buy gowns lined with ermine
For dolts that can't or won't determine
What's best to rid us of our vermin!
You hope, because you're old and obese,
To find in the furry civic robe ease?
Rouse up, sirs! Give your brains a racking
To find the remedy we're lacking,
Or, sure as fate, we'll send you packing!"
At this the Mayor and Corporation
Quaked with a mighty consternation.

An hour they sate in council,
At length the Mayor broke silence:
"For a guilder I'd my ermine gown sell,
I wish I were a mile hence!
It's easy to bid one rack one's brain --
I'm sure my poor head aches again
I've scratched it so, and all in vain.
Oh for a trap, a trap, a trap!"
Just as he said this, what should hap
At the chamber-door but a gentle tap?
"Bless us," cried the Mayor, "What's that?"
(With the Corporation as he sat,
Looking little though wondrous fat;
Nor brighter was his eye, nor moister
Than a too-long-opened oyster,
Save when at noon his paunch grew mutinous
For a plate of turtle, green and glutinous.)
"Only a scraping of shoes on the mat?
Anything like the sound of a rat
Makes my heart go pit-a-pat!" 

Browning tells the story with a hidden message. Browning talks about the Pied Piper, however he also entwines a message about the government. The two stories match well as he compares the 'Rats!' to the government. Also, in sighting that they are liars. Therefore you read the story knowing that Browning's message is that the government are lying rats as well as actual rats. The metaphor with the rat comparison to the government (mayor) is continuous throughout the poem. 'From vermin, was a pitty' This is where he also refers to the government again, as vermin.

Also,within the stanza's there is enjambment, however even with the break in the stanza's which there is no need for, simply because they all join. The story is continuous throughout the poem. 

BBC News at ten.

BBC News at ten,

here's the story on Ben,

'Just let me have some fun'

'Oh mum, I'm only young'

BBC News at ten,

here we go again

'You're just a little boy'

'What happened to your toy?'

BBC News at ten,

that's the story on Ben.

This poem was written when thinking in the mind of the protective parent. How you will forever and always see your child as young and vulnerable. The style of this poem is very childish, which i believe suited the message and story hidden within the poem itself. The poem is written as if you are hearing half of the argument and then flashing back and forth to how he has ended up on the news. The poem is very sad, how ever it proves that a over protective parent isn't always a bad one.

Porphria's Lover

How is the story told in 'Porphyria's Lover'?

The story is told in first person and also written in Iambic Tetrameter.
Robert Browning has wrote the poem with a middle twist, this twist is where Porphyria has changed from being a loving male to a murderer to his lover. Browning has used Pathetic Fallacy and random rhyming, which helps with the flow of the poem.

The title of the Poem, 'Porphyria's Lover' doesn't suit the type of poem you begin to read. I believe that Brownig has used this type of title to declare Porphyria's innocence. Also, the last line of the poem reads; 'And yet God has not said a word!' Some may see this as Porphyria is waiting to be punished. However, i see it as he is reminding himself that if what he done was wrong, God would have punished him by now. So, overall Porphyria feels he has not done wrong, even in Gods eyes.
I also believe that the reason for his actions, where to gain power and lust. The start of the poem seems that Porphyria's Lover has power over Porphyria. This is shown; 'And made her smooth white shoulder bare'. The fact that the Lover has given her shoulder instead of the usual dominat man giving his, prooves that Porphyria is blinded by her. Also, 'white' shoulder may mean that she has a high class status as people who where generally light skinned where not workers out in the sun all day. This automatically gave me the impression that the situation could be she is uupper class and he is maybe lower. That's why God agree's with the situation as muder is the only way they can be together. After she has been murdered Porphyria says 'Only, this time my shoulder bore'. I believe he enjoys the sense of power he now has over her body, although not her.
At the end they are both peaceful 'not stirr'd' when sleeping together, both methophorical and literal.
So overall, i read the poem leaving satisfied as i do not find it creepy or disturbing the levels he went to to make them both happy. I find it very pretty that love has so much power and the lengths that people will go too to prove it to everyone.

Once

'Once I was living in an orphanage in the mountains and I shouldn't have been and I almost caused a riot' 

This extract is taken from the book 'Once' who's author is Morris Glietzman. I come across this book in my year 8 class at school. Once is a book that has taken me from being ignorant towards literature, too a girl who now enjoys a cheeky book from time to time. 

I have chosen this line because I found it very intriguing as it aroused my curiosity and interest to read on. The line has been written with no comma's and many 'and' which automatically makes me assume it is being said by a very poor alliterated child. To back up my theory of the child I also notice that he/she is very unsure of why they are at the orphanage, as they believe they shouldn't be. 

This then led me to think about why the writer has included the mountains. I began too question how significant the mountains are? Could it be that the Orphanage is in the middle of nowhere, very isolated, in the mountains? And also, why is the child there?

Overall, this very first opening line puzzled me which is why I was very eager to read on and chose it as my a good piece of writing to analyse.

This was the first main book I have ever read front to back, and I highly recommend. It will keep you on your toes!!

Once is a 2005 children's novel by Morris Gleitzman. It is about a Jewish boy named Felix, who lived in Poland. Although Once is a work of fiction, Gleitzman was inspired by the story of Janusz Korczak, the events of World War II, and Hitler's attempt to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe. The sequel to the book is called Then.