Saturday, October 16, 2010

The Stone Angel questions. Chapters 7-10

Chapter 7 Questions
Stone Angel Chapter 7 Questions

1.) How is the young girl Hagar sees on the beach like Hagar?
- The young girl  is like Hagar because she is demanding and controlling. She likes things to go her way.

2.) What famous poem is referred to?
-

3.) Why did Hagar object to John's and Lottie's daughter's marriage?
- Hagar objects to John and Arlene's marriage because they don't have money, not enough to be married anyways.
Hagar also objects because she doesn't believe that John is the right guy for Arlene.

4.) Who else plays house other than the children on the beach?
- Marvin and Doris play house.

5.) How do Hagar (and) Lottie plan to stop the marriage?
- Hagar and Lottie plan to separate Arlene and John. They send Arlene to the east to visit her cousin.
They hope she'll find a job there.

6.) What past incident does Lottie not remember?
-Lottie doesn't remember the "chicks" at the dump ground.

7.) When Hagar runs away, where does she stay
- When Hagar runs away she stays at Shadow Point

Chapter 8 Questions
Stone Angel Chapter 8 Questions


1.) What does Hagar put in her hair to decorate it?
- Hagar puts june bugs in her hair to decorate it.

2.) "A bird in the house means a ______ in the house."
- A bird in the house means a DEATH in the house.

3.) What type of bird does Hagar injure?
- Hagar injures a seagull.

4.) Who is the mysterious intruder? (Both names)
- Murray F Lees

5.) Who saved the intruder from the dogs?
- The dogs came across the injured bird which distracted them.

6.) What tragedy occurred in the intruder's family?
- The intruder lost his son.

7.) What beverage does the intruder offer Hagar?
- The intruder offers Hagar red wine.
-
8.) What does Hagar confide to the stranger?

9.) Who said, "You always bet on the wrong horse"?
- John said " You always bet on the wrong horse "

10.) How did John die? (Be specific)
- John died in a car accident. He made a bet that he could drive his truck over the trestle bridge.

11.) Who is Lazarus Tonnerre?
- Lazarus Tonnere is the man John made the bet against.

12.) Who else dies besides John?
- Arlene also dies besides John.

Chapter 9 Questions
Stone Angel Chapter 9 Questions

1.) Who takes Hagar away from Shadow point?
- Marvin and Doris take Hagar away from Shadow point.

2.) Who "saved" Hagar's life?
- Technically, Murray Lees saved her life, but so did Marvin.

3.) Where is Hagar taken to after her trip to Shadow point?
- Hagar is taken to the hospital.

4.) Who is the lady always singing?
- Mrs.Dobreiner is the lady always singing.

5.) Who is mistaken for Hagar's husband?
- John is mistaken for Hagars Husband.

6.) Who is Hagar's granddaughter?

Chapter 10 Questions
Stone Angel Chapter 10 Questions


1.) "The next room will be the smallest of them all " - What room is Hagar referring to?
- Hagar is referring to her coffin.

2.) Give two specific references made to birds in the closing chapters.
a.) John dies
b.) Hagar dies.

3.) Who is the girl placed in Hagar's room?
- Sandra Yong

4.) What "feat" did Hagar perform for this girl?
- Hagar gets out of bed when she's not supposed to, to get Sandra a bed pan.

5.) What is the lie that Hagar tells Marvin?
- The lie that Hagar tells Marvin, was that Marvin was never bad to her, that he was always a better son to her than John was.

6.) Who became the mayor of Manawaka?
- Marvin became the mayor of Manawaka

7.) What are the last two words of the book?
- The last two words of The Stone Angel are "And then"

8.) What do the last two words signify?
- "And Then" signifies the death of hagar.

9.) In approximately one page (double spaced), write your personal response to the novel. Examine the impact it had on you. Go beyond simply stating whether or not you liked the novel
- This is on a separate sheet of paper, please ask if you would like it handed in. 

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Grammar Bytes

Grammar Bytes

During today's class, I tried many different activities and tried to complete as least one in each category. With this assignment I found Fragments and Irregular Verbs to give me the most difficulty but scored excellently on Word Choice and Commas. After doing each of this assignments and trying a second one in each category I found this assignment to be incredibly repetitive, but this helped me to fully understand the use of each comma, irregular verb, fragment etc.  
I believe that each and every assignment had its complications, and although i didn't score perfectly, i was able to do a fairly good job. I had my doubts and confusion with each assignment and some i found more frustrating than others (Fragments for example). I had the most luck with word choice, because i am able to accurately choose which word is to be used in a sentence. Pronoun case was also difficult, because i got confused as to which word was to be used and why. After completing two different assignments in the Pronoun case category i was doing much better and was able to score a decent mark.

This assignment in particular will be incredibly beneficial in the future due to how repetitive it is, you constantly make the same mistake, therefore after awhile you pick up what you were doing wrong and how to fix it. I liked this assignment, because although i scored fairly well, it helped me improve my grammar skills, which in the future will be much needed.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The Stone Angel. Questions 4,5&6

The Stone Angel
( Chapters 4,5&6 )
Chapter 4 Questions : 

1) Who is Lucifer ?                            
2) What did Bram read to "improve his mind" ?
- Bram read the Eaton's Catalogue to improve his mind.
3) How did Bram act in front of the threshing gang?
- Bram was in live in front of the threshing gang. He used to boast about his house and future plans for it. 
4) What did Bram do to disgrace the old Currie store?
- Bram peed on the stairs of the Currie store.
5) Why did Hagar drive herself to the hospital when giving birth to John?
- Hagar drove herself to the Hospital because she enjoyed how peaceful it was. 
6) What Currie heirloom does Hagar give to John?
- Hagar gave John the Currie plaid-pin.
7) What did Hagar do to earn more money?
- Hagar worked on a farm to earn money. She plucked chickens and did other farm jobs
8) Give TWO examples of how Hagar is like her father.
-
9) How old was Marvin when he joined the army?
- Marvin was 17 when he joined the army.
10) What war did marvin fight in?
- Marvin fought in the Vimy Ridge war.
11) What does Telford Simmons do for a living?
- Trelford Simmons was a bank manager. 
12) What humiliating thing does Hagar have to ask for at the General Store?
13) How did Hagar raise the money to leave Bram?

Chapter 5 Questions :
1) How old was John when he and his brother left Manawaka?
- John was probably about 6 or 7 when he left Manawaka.
2) What does Bram suggest Hagar take on the train to eat?
- Bram suggests that Hagar takes hard boiled eggs to eat on the train.
3) What did John do with the Currie heirloom?
- John firsts tells Hagar that he lost it, but then later tells them that he didn't lose it he traded it for a jacknife.
4) Where does Hagar run away to ?
- Hagar runs away to Shadow Point
5) What is Marvin's job?
- Marvin sells paint for a living.
6) Who does Hagar work for in Vancouver?
7) What lie does John tell Hagar regarding his friends?
- John tells Hagar that he has friends, this is a lie because John really doesn't have any friends.
8) Whose house is Hagar's employer similar to?
- Hagar's employers house is similar to the Currie house.

Chapter 6 Questions.

1) Why did John return to Manawaka?
- John returned to Manawaka because there wasn't any job opportunities therefore he wasn't making any money.
2) What had happened to the Prarie?
- The prairie was run down. It was in drought and looked really unkempt and dirty.
3) What did John do for Bram?
- John was the only person to take care of Bram. He would help him eat, bathe him and just look after him in general.
4) Who is John dating?
- John is dating Arlene Simmons. She is Trelford and Lottie's daughter.
5) How did Bram's sidekick die?
-  Bram's sidekick was drunk. He was outside and he froze to death.
6) What had happened to the Stone Angel?
- The Stone Angel was knocked over and the face was colored on with lipstick.  
7) Who was to blame ?
- They didn't know who was to blame, but it's believed that it was John and Arlene.
8) Where was Bram buried?
- Bram was buried at the Currie plot.


Monday, September 20, 2010

The Shining Houses

The Shining Houses


1) Explain what type of narration is used in this story.
- The types of narration used in this story, are present progressive narration and third person narration. The Shining Houses tells the whole novel and gives the reader an idea of whats going on without using Mary's opinion.  This story is also present progressive narration because the story is taking place in the present and the whole plot is what was going on at the time.


2) How is "The Shining Houses" structured? Why do you suppose Munro structured the narrative this way?
- The Shining Houses in structured in a way that you get to learn about the characters before they tell give you any information about whats going on. First, you learn about Mrs.Fullerton and what her house is like and her personality traits and then you learn about Mary and the other people that live in town. I think he structured it this way so you have more sympathy and understanding for Mrs.Fullerton and Mary. It gives you a better idea of whats going on.


3) Discuss irony in the story with respect to the title
- The irony of this novel is that the houses we're not actually shining but far from it. The author used irony to show the difference between the characters and explain just how different they were. Mrs.Fullertons house is the prime example , the author uses irony to describe just how different her house was from everybody else and what exactly made it different.


4) What distinction does the story highlight in terms of the difference between legal and moral?
- The story highlights that although the house may be dangerous or out of place, Mary didn't believe it was right to get rid of or fix. Although the others wanted to do something about Mrs.Fullerton's house Mary was thinking about what was right or wrong.

5) Sketch Mary's character. (note: this doesn't mean draw her, rather it means to describe her in terms of the definition above)  
- Mary is a gentle, affectionate and helpful lady. Mary cares about her community and the people in it, but she refused to sign when it came to Mrs.Fullerton , while no one else cared Mary stepped in and supported her, it shows that she's kind hearted and respectful. 
 


Saturday, September 18, 2010

Mrs.Brill -- Questions & Answers

Mrs.Brill



1) Describe the narration used in "Miss Brill"
I believe that there is a few different types of narration used in " Miss Brill " , these types of narration include Limited narration and unreliable narration. I believe these are the two types of narration because the story is often jumbled and you are often not sure if the events in the story are actually taking place because " Mrs Brill" is perceived as senile or somewhat crazy. The naration was unreliable because to me, the story was very misleading and i was never quite sure as to what exactly was going on.

2) How reliable is the narration in "Miss Brill"? What are some clues that the actual events in the story are somewhat different than the narrator's version?
The narration in " Miss Brill " is very unreliable. The story is often mixed up and no one really knows what is happening. One clue which seems like the actual event is different then the narrators version, is in the end when it says " But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying " , i believe this is different because Mrs.Brill doesn't seem like she's in the right sense of mind so she could've thought she heard something crying when it was actually her.
Ps - My answers may not be correct, i found this story rather confusing.

The Destructors

 The Destructors


1.) Which character is most dynamic? static ?  
In my opinion, Trevor is most dynamic and Blackie is most static. I believe that Trevor is most dynamic because he starts off as just a member of the group but works his way up to being the leader by showing his determination and reliability to the group. He goes through many changes in the story and many of his character traits change, he becomes much more determined and independent.  Although Blackie is a main character, i believe he is most static because his character doesn't really change, it stays the same throughout the whole story after he no longer is considered the " leader "


2.) What elements of Trevor's character make him well suited for leading the gang on the Bank holiday?
Some of the elements of Trevor's character make him well suited for being the group leader because he is determined , he shows initiative , he also has the best ideas as to how they will "destruct" Old Misery's house. He pays the closest attention to detail which makes him the best suited for the group.


4.) Explain why you think the story is called "The Destructors" rather than "The Destroyers"
I believe the story is called " The Destructors " rather than " The Destroyers" because the word "destruct" sends a more vivid picture to the reader, the word destruct is more harsh and makes me visualize something completely ruined rather then just destroyed. The title is more effective and gives the reader a better understanding of the story , it shows more emotion rather then just a dull title like " The Destructors " 


3.) Discuss the ways in which the author manages to cloud morality in the story.

Interesting Quotation, Jess.

What's the source? Is it yours? Is there a reason you decided to go all lower case?

Oh, and just so you know, I can't see your "Miss Brill" responses yet because you have them saved but not published. If they are ready to go, would you please open up that post (by choosing "edit post") and then selecting "Publish Post"?

Thanks,

Don't forget, you can ask questions at any time about how to do this.