Midway

We talk a lot about litter and what we can do as a school to stop people throwing their rubbish wherever they please. The video ‘Midway’ shows just how devastating litter can be.

The Midway film project is a powerful visual journey into the heart of an astonishingly symbolic environmental tragedy. On one of the remotest islands on our planet, tens of thousands of baby albatrosses lie dead on the ground, their bodies filled with plastic from the Pacific Garbage Patch. Returning to the island over several years, Chris Jordan and his film team witness the cycles of life and death of these birds and  record the epidemic of albatross death caused by ingestion of human waste. He asks, “Do we have the courage to face the realities of our time and allow ourselves to feel deeply enough that it transforms us and our future?”

When anarchy reigns, the sadistic thrive – The Kite Runner

This is a great introduction to the novel.

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, uses Afghanistan’s revered pastime to transport the reader to the romantic side of Kabul—a stark contrast to the horrors of the Taliban.

Blows of brutality for many readers, the most engaging part of Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner is the poignant, detailed descriptions of exotic Afghanistan. Amir’s early memories of the outskirts of Kabul offer fascinating snapshots of life in this amazing part of the world. We read of the annual buzkashi in which highly skilled horsemen collect a carcass at full speed and attempt to deposit the dead sheep or goat in a ‘‘scoring circle’’ while the opposition does everything in its power to stop him.

We discover ancient Persian literature, the Shahnamah, and the classic Afghan poets from Amir’s school days. But of course, the kite running that inspired the book’s title grasps our imagination the most.A national sport in Afghanistan, kite running is revered by children and adults alike. The rich description and colours that fill the winter’s sky transport us into Kabul’s romantic world: ‘‘red, blue, and yellow kites glided and spun in the sky’’.

But not all is well with young Amir and his Hazara servant, Hassan. Much is made of Amir’s obsession with gaining his father’s approval and love. Coupled with the young boy’s feeble attempts at sport and his love of literature rather than traditional machismo behaviour, Baba’s barely concealed contempt for his son leaves the young boy desperate to win respect.

Read the rest here.

Doggedly tackling life – Christopher

We have just started our study of Mark Haddon’s, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and we will start by looking at Christopher as a character. His condition is not named in the book but he is thought to have Asperger Syndrome. I have added part of an article from The Age that will help you understand the condition. Follow the link to read the whole thing.

FIFTEEN-year-old Christopher Boone has Asperger syndrome (AS) and although the style of the murder mystery he has written is at times idiosyncratic, if not peculiar, we come to see that The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time follows the trajectory of the classic hero’s journey.

In fact, high achievers such as W. B. Yeats, Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton are all speculated to have been affected by AS, while Bill Gates and Woody Allen also rate a mention on many of the internet’s Asperger support sites.

According to the Asperger Syndrome Support Network, AS is a complex brain disorder that lies within the autism spectrum.

“Common characteristics for sufferers can include a lack of empathy with others, difficulty forming relationships, engaging in one-sided conversations and often becoming intensely absorbed with a special interest.

“People with AS can participate in repetitive activities and are resistant to change, coping best when life is predictable. They may appear non-compliant as they have difficulty taking direction and coping with negative feedback.”

And yet Christopher’s creator, author Mark Haddon, is quick to point out that after several years working with adults and children with a variety of physical and mental challenges he firmly believes that “people with Asperger are as diverse a group as Belgians or trumpet players or train drivers”.

Read the rest here.

Amir as a narrator

We are just starting our study if The Kite Runner and a good place to start is looking at Amir as a narrator. I have posted a link to this article before but it is well worth reading.

Multi-layered and thematically rich, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner is especially intriguing for its treatment of the first-person narrator.

Towards the end of the novel, the older Amir indulges in some serious navel-gazing: ”You’re gutless. It’s how you were made. And that’s not such a bad thing because your saving grace is that you’ve never lied to yourself about it … But when a coward stops remembering who he is … God help him.’’

Self-flagellation is nothing new to our narrator, who emphasises throughout the course of the story his weakness and unworthiness. This is an unusual approach and readers would do well to raise their antennae. Does the narrator want our sympathy? Are we being manipulated? Is the story skewed?

Read the rest at The Age.

I Will Be A Hummingbird

In 2004 Wangari Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace. Maathai was from Kenya and just like the hummingbird in the video, she did her best.

In 1977 Wangai Maathai planted seven trees on Earth Day as a way to honour Kenyan women environmental leaders. Maathai believed that deforestation could be reversed if village women in Kenya became tree planters themselves. By doing this she launched the Green Belt Movement. She was laughed at for doing this, as many people thought that trained foresters were needed to successfully plant trees, but she would not give up and carried on with her work. Now, because of Wangari Maathai, village women Kenya planted 15 million trees. In a recent article in the Guardian, Prince Charles explains why he admired and loved Wangari Maathai.

Wangari Maathai had aspiration and she took action.

‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’: Working on the Spectrum

This is a video about the making of play version of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, an adaptation of Mark Haddon’s novel by Simon Stephens. The cast and crew talk about how they created the world of play for the stage.

Sonnet 130

We talked about this poem in class today, so here it is:

SONNET 130

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damask’d, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go;

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.

Highway Helper

Thomas Weller sows seeds of kindness on the freeways of San Diego, California. A mechanic by training, Weller stops to help stranded motorists with flat tires, overheated engines and other roadside crises. When people ask him why he does this, he hands them a card that reads: “Assisting you has been my pleasure. I ask for no payment other than for you to pass on the favour by helping someone else in distress that you may encounter.”

With a piece of chalk

The video is a short film called, ‘With a Piece of Chalk’ and it features a talented young break-dancer, Justen Beer. Inspirational stuff.

‘Schindler’s List’ – 20th Anniversary Of Steven Spielberg’s Masterpiece – Plus, How Does Krakow Remember?

It has been 20 years since Steven Spielberg brought ‘Schindler’s List’ to the screen, and the ‘children’s director’ proved that, not only was he very grown up, but could be trusted with the legacy of one of the world’s greatest human tragedies, as well as some singular heroism.

To mark the anniversary, his seven Oscar-winning epic about the real-life efforts of one man to stem Nazi atrocity in Austria and personally save thousands of lives has been re-mastered for fresh DVD release in high definition, with Spielberg personally supervising the meticulous reconstruction from the original film reel.

Read more at The Huffington Post.