Passion Project Reflection

 For my passion project, I researched the meaning of specific symbols in art. I had started by researching what common fruits, flowers and animals represented and made a list of the ones that I had liked best. During the research process, I had come across topics such as "How hell is depicted in Art" and had gotten distracted looking at different paintings from the 1300s to 1500s. 

My research was initially based around historical paintings but after a little research, I had come across Stained Glass art. From the beginning, I had thought of creating a piece of art to go along with what I had researched. I was going to recreate a painting from Michelangelo but I had come across the stained glass art by Louis. C Tiffany. As I had really liked his work, I decided to recreate one of his works on glass with paint and markers.

I really enjoyed recreating this piece because I really liked the artist works.  

English Scholarship Pathways Workshop

 Throughout the day, a group of students and I spent an hour with different English teachers and looked at different parts of literature. The topics we looked at are Narrative Theory, Rhetorical Theory, Philosophy, and Shakespeare. 

All of the topics that we looked at had amazing and interesting points that made me think or rethink what certain words really meant. Though all topics had interesting subjects; my personal favorite was Philosophy. During the topic, we discussed and played around with asking 'Why?' to statements and we were to ask as such until the other person can't think of an answer. I really enjoyed this because it made me think about many answers to a simple question. Doing this made me wonder how much I really knew.

Today was very interesting because all the workshops had different and interesting information to tell me. The workshop also showed me different perspectives of simple or 'logical' situations or circumstances.   

1.5 Persuasive Writing: Pathos, Logos and Ethos

Pathos, also known as the appeal to emotion, persuades the audience by evoking emotions that the author or creator uses to make the audience feel what they want them to feel. In literature, Pathos is used to set the mood or tone to make the audience feel a certain way towards different characters. Authors are known to use pathos to evoke sympathy from the audience; a common pathos used by creators is to draw pity from the audience. An example of Pathos is "You will never be satisfied in life if you don't seize this opportunity. Do you want to live the rest of your years yearning to know what would have happened if you just jumped when you had the chance?"

Logos, the appeal to logic, persuades the audience with logic, reason, facts, and figures. A creator uses logos by making logical and clear connections between ideas, showing reasonable thinking, and using facts and figures in their work. Logos is rational and logical arguments to show a point of view. Logos is found in literature when characters argue to try to convince one another of their point of view. An example of logos is from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird "It has relied instead upon the testimony of two witnesses whose evidence has not only been called into serious question on cross-examination but has been flatly contradicted by the defendant."

Ethos, 

Critical Literacy II Term 2

Text title: Red Queen

Text type: Book/Novel

Text Creator: Victoria Aveyard

Text purpose: To read 

Date: 2015

Who’s views are excluded or privileged in the text?

The novel ‘Red Queen’ is about the differences between people with red and silver blood. The silvers have undergone great evolution and their silver blood grants them the ability to control or do inhuman activities. The silvers, believing they are superior then the reds -who are just human- live noble lives while the reds live in small villages, slums etc. 

The royal family of the silvers priorities' silver lives over the reds, so the reds have to send out their children to fight in the war. The reds have always been looked down upon the silver, who take every moment to show the reds just how powerful they are and all the reds can do is suffer the unfair society ruled by power and greed. 

An example from the book is when two silvers fight in an arena built in one of the red villages. The arena was built for different reasons but the silver chose to show their power by battling in front of the reds.

Critical Literacy II Week 7

Text title:  Dracula (Chapter 2)

Text type: Novel, classics 

Text Creator: Bram Stoker

Text purpose: To read

Date: 1897

Why is the text written the way it is?

The second chapter of Bram Stokers Dracula is a journal entry, like the first. These chapters are written from Jonathan's perspective, which is showed through them being journal entries. One would assume the book is based on true events and the entries would have belonged to someone and is now being published.

The journal entries are actually to Jonathan's Fiance, who is still back home. These entries were written so he could tell her how he’s journey had been. 

The chapter is written like this to show that his fiance had meant alot to him and he had wanted her to know all about his journey.

Kahui Information II Mohua

In Wananga we had to research our kahui to know and understand our Kahui. My kahui is Mohua and I had to research the Mohua bird.

1. What is Mohua? 

Also known as the Yellowhead they are small insectivorous passerine birds.

2. What does it look like?

 

3. Where is it found?

Small isolated populations in the South Island and Stewart Island.

4. Some of its traits? 

• Spend most of their time high in trees, searching for invertebrates.

• ‘They flit agilely from branch to branch but are surprisingly poor fliers when moving more than a few metres.’

• They consume invertebrates, mostly spiders and caterpillars.

5. Why do you think it's one of our Kahui?

Most probably due to their significance to the area.

6. Anything else? 

• There is only a small population left due to pest control.

• The bird is also in the New Zealand $100 note.

Critical Literacy II Week 6

Text title: Kiwi Battle Field, ‘EL Alamein’ first page

Text type: Book

Text Creator: Ron Palenski

Text purpose: to inform and read

Date: 2011

Why is the text written in the way it is?

This book is about the battles which have involved New Zealand. The El Alamein chapter is informing us of how the battle had taken place. What the key points were, who was involved and how the battle had taken place. 

This text is written this way because it is an informative book. The chapter is written in detail about what people had thought was going to happen and later on how it actually happened. It has different quotes from those involved as evidence to what people had thought. This text is written with a simple format to make the information easier to understand and keep up with. 

What views of the world and values does the author assume the reader holds? How do we know?

This text is about an event which had taken place during WWI and is mostly about how New Zealand was involved in it. The author would assume that those reading this will have an open world view, those who don't judge people off of their race, culture or religion.

This assumption would be made since people who read texts like this would be wanting to learn more about what happened during WWII or would be wanting to answer questions about the topic.

 

Critical Literacy ll Week 5

 Text title: A Court of Frost and Starlight (Chapter 21) 

Text type: Book/Novel

Text Creator: Sarah J. Maas

Text purpose: To read

Date: 02/03/21

How does the text construct a version of reality?

In chapter 21, we see Cassian losing control of his emotions. The little bits of sadness which grew larger the longer he tried to hide it. He felt conflicted, sad and anger towards how Nesta was.

She was being ‘difficult’ after what had happened during the battle, but Cassian had understood then, now he was angry because she was ignoring her sisters- who very much want her to stay with them. 

This chapter constructs reality through emotions and feelings. When people witness or undergo a traumatic event, they are more likely to hide how they are really feeling. In this, both Nesta and Cassian have bottled up emotions which are now uncontrollable. This is showing a sense of reality because it is the first response to anything we can't control.

Critical literacy ll Week 3

 Text title: Black Thorn, White Rose (chapter 1)

Text type: Novel

Text Creator: Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Text purpose: Sleeping beauty rewritten, to read.

Date: 18/02/21

Whose views are excluded or privileged in the text? 

In the first chapter, we read about a peasant woman who is imprisoned in a castle, and has to spindle straw into gold or die. When the Prince comes to tell her of what she has to do, her response falls into deaf ears. 

“.... I cannot spin straw into gold. No mortal could “. He only smiled, for of course he was not mortal. 

This is an example of the woman’s opinions and thoughts being ignored. 

With some help, the woman is able to spin straw into gold and instead of death, she is forced to marry the prince. She is against this but her opinions again fall into deaf ears. An example of this is: 

Three men came to hold me down. A woman forced a liquid, warm and tasting of pungent herbs, down my throat. 

This had happened when she spoke against the prince and fought against the prince. The woman's opinions obviously didn’t matter to the prince and no matter how hard she had tried, she would have to do things against her own will. 

The prince had most probably been raised to get whatever he wanted, however he wanted. And being the prince, made his views and thoughts the most privileged. The woman was a peasant so compared to the prince, her worlds held no power.