The Merchant of Venice: Shakespeare study

Act One, Scene One

Antonio is depressed without knowing why. What two possible reasons do his friends suggest?
That he's worried his ships will get lost/sink, or he is lovesick.

Do you think Gratiano’s contributions help Antonio’s mood?
Somewhat, although Bassanio wasn't impressed with Gratiano's speech.

What are your first impressions of Bassanio?
He seems very kind and anxious about ruining his friendship with Antonio.

Is he in love?
Yes, he is in love with Portia.

Why does he need to borrow money again now?
He wants to go and woo Portia, but he doesn't have the money to do so.

Act One, Scene Two

How do Portia’s first words compare with Antonio’s?
Antonio is sad, while Portia is just done with everything.

What is the reason for her mood?
She hates all of her suitors.
Do you think Nerissa is a help to her?
Kind of. She ups Portia's spirits but can be annoying sometimes.
Sum up, in a word or a short phrase, Portia’s attitude to her suitors so far.
Disappointed.

Bullroarer

This week at Wood Tech we made bullroarers, a device that Australian Aborigines used to frighten the enemy before a battle. It makes a haunting sound that gets higher-pitched the more the edges are tapered.

We used a belt sander to shape our wood, which I don't know the dimensions of. We marked the hole for the string 15mm down from the top of our wood. A can was used for a smooth, accurate curve. After we sanded down the sides and drilled a hole, nylon string was tied through the hole. This bullroarer isn't mine, it's Nishnit's. Mine is on the roof because my string came undone...

WONDER Essay

Do you have a little sibling that you love, but always outshines you? If your answer is yes, in Wonder by R.J. Palacio, you can empathise with Olivia Pullman, August’s older sister. The readers really admire Via, and her character helped us to understand the book as a whole. This essay will be explaining how Via is a kind but ignored person in the story that wants to outshine her brother, just once.

Via is a kind and understanding teenager but is constantly underestimated and ignored by her parents. She really loves her family, but she takes things that they do out of context to make it sound like they don’t love her back. This is seen in the play incident where Via snaps at her parents after stating that she doesn’t want August to go to the play she’s performing in. This helped develop the character of Via from someone who just sits back and lets August control everything to someone who will take control of a situation so she gets to spend more time with her mother. We admire her in this situation because it shows her relationship with her family is rocky, but she knows her family loves her and would do anything to make her happy. This situation is reversed when August snaps at Via and his mother about the play. This doesn't mean Via is before her brother, though.

In her parent's list of priorities, August is far beyond Via. She does, however, get the attention she needs from her boyfriend, Justin. Justin started dating Via while they were doing a play together. Justin cares for Via a lot. An example is by stating that she's not an awful person when she says she is in the chapter of Justin's part named 'Bird'. This shows that even though Via doesn't get much love from her family, she still gets love from Justin when she needs it and it develops her character more. An incident later in their relationship that makes us admire them more is after Our Town when Isabelle and Nate, her parents, were congratulating them and Justin complimented her performance.

In Our Town, Miranda was meant to be the actor of Emily, not Via. Miranda and Via had a very rocky relationship with each other since the start of high school, but they both wanted to fix them. Via described Miranda and her other friend Ella leaving her as them 'blasting off'. Miranda and Ella jumped ship to the popular group while Via was left behind. When Miranda got back from summer camp, she made plans with Ella, but not Via. This upset Via. Some of us can relate to Via here, as we watch our friends abandon us for glory. However, they make amends by Via and her parents insisting she come over for dinner.

Via is a very nice character but doesn't get the recognition she deserves. We can understand the book better by reading her version of events and see what it's like to be the sibling of someone who is different.

Pita Pockets!

In Home Economics, we made pita pockets. We used pita bread, grated carrots, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, chicken, onion, and spring onion(Although I'm the only one that used spring onion!). 

A few of us also used sauces, like mayonnaise and barbecue sauce.

Term 2 Week 2: Word Vomit

“He looks like an escaped mental asylum patient.” I burst into laughter at Kara’s comment. I look at the man they’re pointing to and he honestly does. A suit, long grey beard, monocle, top hat. I look back at Kara, who’s still holding back laughter. The man’s face looks calming, somewhat. “Wait, isn’t that Shirley Campbell?” I look at Kara. “Cam… pebell’s!” Kara laughs, quoting a Vine. I hold back laughter again. I look back over at Shirley. He looks confused, like everything he knew has changed. I wouldn’t be surprised, he’s been missing for 20-odd years. I can’t help but look at him. Something about him just draws me in. Maybe it’s his confused yet happy look. Maybe it’s his clothes. I don’t know. But I feel the urge to help him. I go to stand up, but Kara grabs my arm. “Dude, no! I don’t need another one of my roommates going insane! Seriously, Jay!” We both laugh and I sit back down. I hope he’ll do alright.

Word Count: 170

WONDER: Venn Diagram

Left: Book, right: Movie

What am I learning?
I'm learning to be able to compare two versions of the same story.

How does this work show my learning?
By showing that I can see the differences and similarities between two stories.

What am I wondering?
What subtle similarities does each of the versions have?

Matariki

Matariki is a celebration commemorating the Maori new year. It is also a time for harvesting, mourning and feasting.

Celebrations for Matariki started before the Europeans came and carried on, but soon died down, one of the last recorded Matariki celebrations being recorded in 1940. They regained popularity in the early 21st century, around 2001.

Mataariki - Eyes of the Ariki - is said to be made of the eyes/tears of the god of the winds, Tawhirimatea. Other stories say that the largest star is the mother star while the other six are its sisters. One story I heard is that the seven sisters came in the form of beautiful women and enchanted Maui’s brothers. The brothers practically served the maidens. Maui soon picked up on this and sent the seven maidens into the sky, turning them into stars.

The celebrations of Matariki were originally made the night the seven stars disappeared. The people would harvest their crops and put them in their storage houses. The next day, on the new moon, the people would celebrate and feast on their successful crops and hunts. They would also pray for the people who had died the previous year, who they believe had turned into stars.

Today, people celebrate Matariki with concerts, cultural performances, craft workshops and other celebratory activities. People gather with their families and look at the past. They harvest any plants they’d planted then replant them the next day. Plenty of celebratory preparations are in place for Matariki.