My Reflections as a Learner:

In this class I have learned many useful things that help me understand people and their actions. Whether it was through Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird, or Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. If I could design my own ELA 11/12 class it would have no desks, instead it would have sofas, bean bag chairs, with a laptop to be used by each student, rather than the traditional paper and pencil method. I believe my strength as a learner is that I can understand things better if I can see them happen, meaning I am more of a visual learner. My biggest challenge in English has to be my writing as it is hard for me to put my thoughts onto paper. In my opinion I am best at learning how to study novels and analyze them.

My Reflections as a Reader:

Before this class, I knew that my reading was pretty good, however I never really liked it. Now I believe I am transitioning into a reader, but it is still a work in progress. In the future I want to be able to continue to read and be able to read more difficult texts. The reading genre I enjoy the most would probably be in the crime/action genre.

My Reflections as a Writer:

My writing skills are pretty weak, but I can see them improving slowly and I hope that by Grade 12 they will be better. I think I can get the ideas in my writing however the organization and style can be an issue for me as I am writing. In the future I would like to be able to write without any problems. Writing that I enjoyed was the essay we did on the Truman Show.

My Reflection as a Grade 10 Student:

My school year is going by very well and I happy to say academically there are not many challenges I am facing. For next semester I would like to be able to focus on being prepared for tests and having good habits when it comes to studying. My life in general is great.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird, is displayed to the audience through the eyes of Scout Finch, a child who has seen the prejudiced and discriminatory views that the people of Maycomb County, Alabama hold. She learns many things about human nature as the events of the story take place, thus transitioning her through her naivety into maturity. Her change of perspective is evident in the novel, as the events that take place force this change upon her. In To Kill a Mockingbird, author Harper Lee explores the idea of a perspective shift that maturates Scout caused by injustice, through the Tom Robinson case, her motherly figures, and her father Atticus Finch.

Scout’s perspective is changed by fear and the discrimination Tom Robinson faced. The entire Tom Robinson case not only affected Scout, but all of Maycomb County. She had learned from this case that much of the Caucasian population discriminate against the African-American people who are innocent most of the time. Mayella and Bob Ewell had falsely accused Tom Robinson of raping Mayella,and due to the perspective of the people, he was ultimately found guilty on basis of very weak evidence, which consisted of a few testimonials. This entire case was driven by fear, whether it was of society or of Bob Ewell. Through this entire event Scout had seen how mistreated all African-Americans were, and had experienced how evil society can be, despite being raised to consider others’ perspective.

Scout’s perspective is also affected through the respect she holds for her father. Atticus Finch is portrayed as a man who has never abandoned his morals, values, and beliefs. He is respected by everyone, especially the African-American population of Maycomb, due to the fact he defended Tom Robinson despite facing many obstacles while doing so. He had even taught the children to not fear Boo Radley and to instead respect him. Atticus’ impact on Scout’s mindset and point of view is major. Scout has been taught to never attack the innocent, see things from others’ perspective, to never underestimate a person’s power, and to respect everyone, while treating them all as equals. Many of his lessons are indirect through conversations, his actions, and the court case of Tom Robinson. Because of Atticus, Scout will have the morals and beliefs he held, giving her the power to succeed in life.

Scout’s mindset has been shifted furthermore through the children’s encounters with Arthur Radley, and their lesson on the idea of appearance versus reality. Arthur Radley is seen as a menacing figure who has plagued the town with crime. He is often times referred to as “Boo” and is thought to be mentally unstable. However, once the children begin to receive gifts from him, and get saved from Bob Ewell’s attack because of Arthur, they realize his true identity is not very frightening.

Scout’s shift in attitude towards the society of Maycomb can be seen as an awakening into the reality of the world. Because of the people surrounding her,she has changed from an innocent young girl who cannot control her emotions to a more experienced, more matured girl, who understands the society she lives in.

Dear Deebaj,

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is the book I had read over winter break. It has a very interesting concept dealing with the love of books, leading to a very unique plot dealing with the protagonist’s role model’s life, rather than the life of the protagonist himself. With a mixture of vengeance, hatred, and ultimately death, this book is very calm with the writing and was a very enjoyable book to read.

In the book, Daniel Sempere, the protagonist is conveyed as a curious child transitioning into a young man (much like Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird). He is curious about the life of an author whose book he has read which leads him to an adventure in discovering the past of his mentor (the author of the book) Julian Carax. Throughout the novel as Daniel grows and matures there is a loss of contact with his father as he falls in love with Bea. As their love story progresses, Carax’s nemesis Fumero holds Daniel hostage in order to get to Carax.

I personally thought that this novel was not for me, but as the story went on I actually enjoyed it due to the level of action and suspense it had. I believe you will enjoy the book as well because you enjoyed books similar to this. As a closing note the book is very entertaining and I enjoyed it a lot.

Sincerely,

Rishi

Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck: 107 pages

To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee: 376 pages

The Innocent Man – John Grisham: 368 pages

The Eleventh Plague – Jeff Hirsch: 288 pages

The False Prince – Jennifer A. Nielsen: 342 pages

The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon: 512 pages

The Hobbit – J.R.R Tolkien: 320 pages

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – J.K Rowling: 320 pages

The Giver – Lois Lowry: 179 pages

Alex Rider: Stormbreaker – Anthony Horowitz: 288 pages

Alex Rider:Skeleton Key – Anthony Horowitz: 336 pages

The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins: 384 pages

Top 3 Books to date:

1. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

It is one my favourite books to date because of the way it uses imagery in order to tell most of the story. Also most of the characters are likeable especially Lenny, Crooks, and George. Lenny’s childish behaviour keeps the book humorous while it addresses many problems ranch workers faced during that time. All of these characters have legitimate issues in life and have many hardships as they struggle to live a better life. Such as George and Lenny’s dream of owning a ranch only to be crushed because of an unfortunate event. It tells the story of friendship and has a very depressing ending.

2. The Innocent Man by John Grisham

This non-fiction novel tells the story of Ron Williamson a high school baseball phenomenon whose life took a turn for the worst when he was cut from his D-League team. Now an alcoholic and drug addict who loves to sing, party and remember his baseball days, has been accused of multiple sexual assaults and a murder. The thing is is that he is innocent of all these accusations. He is mentally unstable, depressed, and had been imprisoned for 11 years for a crime he did not commit. This book tells the story of injustice and how once being accused of a crime leaves a permanent stamp on you forever.

3. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien

I love this book because of the message it gives that anything can happen to anyone. Bilbo Baggins was just another ordinary hobbit who who was chosen for an adventure. This book also has many likeable characters especially Gandalf  as this beloved and iconic character is a major part of the Lord of the Rings series also. Both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have become iconic films also.

Currently Reading: Divergent by Veronica Roth

Future Books I Will Read:

• The Gunslinger by Stephen King
• A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Romeo and Juliet has some very powerful ideas and motifs within the play. One motif that is evident throughout the entire play is the idea of revenge and the feud between Capulet and Montague and their families. Because of their the grudge between the two families, Romeo and Juliet’s love is forbidden, causing their eventual death in the conclusion. Vengeance is a topic seen in many of the books in the Alex Rider series also. In one of the books, Skeleton Key, General Alexei Sarov was once a ruler of the USSR. However his position was taken from him and the USSR was being run through capitalistic views rather than the socialistic perspectives it had been started with. Due to this General Sarov had murdered the president of Russia in present times and would have succeeded in ruling it once again and shaping to his ideals, if Alex Rider had not foiled his plans.

The ideas of order and chaos also appear in the play, subtly at times. It relates to revenge because the two families initiate chaos at every brawl that occurs because of them, as all of the citizens of Verona are involved. Order is only restored (for a limited amount of time) when the Prince must put an end to the fighting. It also appears when Tybalt is killed by Romeo, disturbing the peace between the families. Chaos relates to the Hunger Games because Katniss’s life is very orderly and orthodox for the people in her district however becomes chaotic once she saves her sister from the hunger games. This idea of order vs chaos can also apply to To Kill A Mockingbird as the Finch family are very peaceful and  are very respected by the people of Maycomb, however when Atticus decides to defend Tom Robinson, it causes an uproar within the town, due to the segregation of the black people.

Society plays a major role in Romeo and Juliet, as the people of Verona get involved in each of their brawls. Also in my opinion once the citizens become involved in the brawl, it fuels it rather than putting an end to it, impacting the plot of the play heavily. This can also relate to the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird, as the Tom robinson case is affected by societal ideals. Also in the novel, Scout is told by Aunt Alexandra, alongside many other characters, countless times to “behave like a lady”.

The play has many motifs that are connected and conveyed throughout much of modern literature.