The Great Gatsby- chapter 9.

• Time passing- after 2 years
• Personification of the report
• Imagery- alone, with Gatsby, the only one on his side.
• Nick is connected to all that has happened, and maybe feels partly responsible.
• Nick imagines Gatsby speaking to him, but he is dead, could this show loneliness and that he is missing Gatsby.
• The conversation through the telephone, the pace is slow as he is not getting any replies.
• Themes of outsiders, solidarity- against everyone else, Nick feels.
• Telephone fills in the businesses of Gatsby that we never learn before, all is revealed. As the telephone is always used, and Gatsby often mysteriously goes off to answer the phone calls.
• Recollections of Nick's past, showing how good his memory is, how detailed they are.
• Gatsby's dad's hands are 'trembling'- this tells the story as it links Gatsby to his father- character related actions.
• Repetition of the newspaper- The Chicago one.
• Gatsby's importance has gone with him.
• Another telephone conversation, with Klipspringer- he doesn't care about Gatsby's death, he just wants his shoes back- how ironic, he was a lodger.
• Paradox ( a paradox is a statement that is self contradictory because it often contains two statements that are both true, but in general, cannot both be true at the same time) Gatsby had nothing, he couldn't have Daisy, he only had money. It was only an illusion, the idea of love.
• Death brings out the truth, we learn Gatsby's background.
• Multi-voice narration, helping to tell the story.
• Weather- dark, the tone has changed, weather is often key for changes.
• His Dad is proud that his son is rich, he doesn't know that he has got all the money from wrong-doing and corruption.
• Touching irony- Gatsby's childhood schedule. Shows the innocence from a very young age, and that he was determined.
• 'Nobody came', to the funeral apart from 'Owl Eyes'.
• We are entering into his autobiographical state, memory Nick, romancing the past, it doesn't really relate to the rest of the novel, the structure changes. He realises none of the characters belong in the east, they are westerners.
• At the end when Tom says that Gatsby 'had it coming to him'. it relates back to the idea that there is lots of corruption and immoral things going on. They have all come to a stop: the illegal drinking at Gatsby's parties, Tom's mistress Myrtle, Daisy's fling with Gatsby, Gatsby's affairs. 
• Daisy and Tom use people and cause lots of problems and then retreat to their money,  they are as bad as Gatsby. The excitement of New York and the east in general is no longer thought of well- it brings back memories.
• Imagery- of the settlers, the Europeans  Unknown world. Brings the story back to the start, Nick is back alone and returns home.

The Great Gatsby- chapter 8

Focussing on how the story is told.

• Time- how a long amount of time has passed, he awakens at dawn.
• The imagery of the sea/ boat and how this makes his feel.

The story is told about time passing and the subtle imagery makes the audience think  that Nick feels uncomfortable and struggles to sleep.

• Dark , depressing scene, how they are searching for the cigarettes- as if it is a relief from the tragedy. It adds to the idea that they are really tired.

• Flashbacks, of the time when Daisy and Gatsby are together, in real time, their relationship seems to have finished, it's showing that it is the last time. The romance contrasting,... happiness and love.

1. The sense of time jumping, the change in pace, how they are rushing and on edge. This builds suspense- ' i couldn't sleep all night'. He builds the story, by putting in emotion, through the imagery. The tone is depressing, tired and slow. The search for cigarettes,and they turn out to be stale- dissapointment.
2. Gatsby's dialogue. Time jumps. The use of 'I'. Layers within the story.
3. Gatsby and Daisy's time apart. Seasonal/time imagery.
4. Foreboding ( Fearful apprehension; a feeling that something bad will happen).

Countdown, the hours going down. The story is pieced together, but Nick wasn't always there and still has very vivid memories, as though he is reading or writing these parts, how does he know all of this? The narrative is switched, he makes assumptions-  'I had an  idea'. The distance from events is reflective.  Metaphorical language- he has come to terms with real love- grotesque roses, are usually related with connotations of love and beauty. Ghostly imagery, relating to death, foreshadowing morbid imagery, something is going to happen.

The Great Gatsby- chapter 7.

This is the most important chapter in the novel. It is the longest chapter as it is the most significant. It is the most dramatic, so it couldn't be split up, it deserves more time. Nick cannot forget it, the way that it is written down is the way that the processes it in his mind and recalls what happened.

• Personification of the cars-  ' drove sulkily away'.- cars are mentioned again, and they become the main part of this chapter. 
• The telephone conversations between Gatsby and Nick tell the story, it is the structure. The use of dialogue, through the phone, we find out that Gatsby has changed all his staff,so that no-one can gossip about Daisy coming round. Gatsby doesn't even trust his staff?
• Arrange to go to Daisy's house.
• The weather is not just boiling but 'broiling'.It is building up the mood for something to happen. Narrative expectation. Use of weather when something happens that is substantial to the novel's development. Setting up for drama.
• The repetition of 'hot'- to exaggerate.
• When Nick and Gatsby arrive, the women are lying on the sofas like they did in the first chapter.
• Gatsby is in awe of Daisy's house- he is love struck.
• Tom is again on the telephone, to the rumoured mistress, but it is Wilson. The atmosphere is tense, when Tom is in the room, but when he goes out Daisy tells Gatsby she loves him and kisses him in front of Nick and Jordan.
• Daisy's child shocks Gatsby.
• Weather present again- daisy is nearly crying.
• Daisy publicly gives Gatsby compliments, and this annoys Tom, he realises something is going on- weather reflects Tom's mood.
• The use of  the narrator pointing out that 'no one moved' and 'a pause' shows how slow time is going.
• Tom is sexist again.
• 'Her voice is full of money'- Daisy .
• Get into separate cars and go into town, Tom goes to see Wilson, with Gatsby's car.
• Wilson and his wife are planning to go away, more like Wilson is making Myrtle go, it makes Tom 'startled'. Wilson knows that Myrtle has been seeing someone but does not know it is Tom, how ironic!! Myrtle is locked in her house, her face is at the window.
• At the plaza hotel the genre changes to a tragedy, 'a moment of silence' from a romance.
• Tom questions Gatsby angrily, why does Gatsby call him 'old sport', the readers would have thought it was a friendly term, but they are not friends, and only Nick would be called that. Gatsby is keeping on the good side of Tom??
• Silence broken by music, 'a burst of jazz'. The world carries on, but their group are separate, in their little bubble. 
• The juxtaposition of Tom and Gatsby. 'snapped' and 'politely'
• Daisy tries to break the tension by getting alcohol.
• Argument between Tom, Daisy and Gatsby- who Daisy really loves/ did love.- Truth revealed. Gatsby is basically making Daisy say she doesn't love Tom.
• Sadness for Gatsby when Daisy says she loved both of them.
• In the middle of everything Nick remembers its his birthday- flash back to reality- maybe this is also why he remembers this day so well. 
• The sentence on its own sums up the whole chapter- ' So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight'.- reference to weather, it has changed again. It leads up the future.
• A shift dramatically after that sentence talking about a coffee shop owner- ' principal witness at the inquest' what happened???
• Myrtle was knocked down by a car- and  killed!!
• 'We saw three or four auto mobiles and the crowd'- reference to cars again, build up of the drama.
• At first tom is excited about the crash- cruel and arrogant.
• Changing genres- crime/ detective
• There is little imagery, Nick or Fitzgerald creates the dramatic sense, it has the biggest impact and it is straight to the point.
• Tom becomes authoritative he takes hold of the situation as Wilson is in shock, and clears his name- he is innocent, but they (Gatsby and Daisy) were driving his car.
• Tom cries- its a change in him, we saw a little bit of love before, and his voice breakswhen Daisy was talking about  love. Maybe he really loved Myrtle, but then he wouldn't care so much about the cars?!
• Nick has had enough of the group. He is a self- conscious narrator as seems to question himself for including Jordan . Realisation. 
• Colours - pink, and imagery of the suit under the moon.
• Next we hear Gatsby's story of the crash- story told through dialogue first hand not rumours. Flashbacks and story telling.
• The significance of names- Wilson, how ironic that Gatsby didn't know who she was or even check.
• Dramatic.
• Pink again the glow of Daisy's room. Gatsby and her are connected. 
• How vivid Nick's memory of the snapshot with Daisy and Tom sitting together, through the window, how Tom- ' his hand had fallen upon and covered her own'- very sad and sweet image,  forgiving almost. The most intimate they have been in the whole novel. How the bad things bring people together. It is a homely image- the chicken. Contrasting to the Plaza hotel that was too hot and uncomfortable.
• Gatsby is hiding in their garden hedge, he is very worried.
• Nick leaves Gatsby alone. Themes of loneliness, obsession.

The Great Gatsby- chapter 6

The image of Gatsby changes as his real identity is revealed-he was James Gatz . He changed his name, to a English sounding name, to fit in. He was not rich as he worked as a fisherman. He was not an Oxford man at all.
Gatsby invites Daisy and Tom to one of his parties, it is very awkward between Tom and Gatsby, there is tension when Gatsby says' i know your wife'.  Tom is sexist, towards women. Daisy did not like the party, the repetition of 'appalled' . This makes Gatsby nervous and worried again. He denies the truth ' you can't live in the past' 'of course i can'. He holds onto the past as it was safer, and easier then.
We are reminded of the money and power and the young glamorous characters, their status  and how much social power Gatsby has, as everyone goes to the parties, even Tom now.
Flashback of when Daisy and Gatsby were lovers, told through Nick. This reminds us of the romance, that once was there.

The Great Gatsby- chapter 5.

Narrative elements:
The first sentence builds up the tension. Gatsby's dialogue is sporadic (Occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated), this is unusual.Emotive language- Gatsby's movements are sad/ upset. It shows his weakness. In contrast Daisy's musical voice shows her excitement. The repetition of Gatsby's hands in his pockets, he is nervous, awkward. The change of the weather from raining to sun, it shows the mood of this part in the novel because at first when Daisy and Gatsby meet they find it hard to talk to eachother and are embarrased, but by the time the sun comes out Daisy is crying with joy when Nick returns.  'there was a change in Gatsby that was simply confounding'. Gatsby has done so much for Daisy- the detailed descriptions of each room in his house, the reference to a palace. The use of lyrics ' the rich get richer and the poor get poorer'- shows irony of the wealthy house and the poor. Possibly Fitzgerald is trying to say something, maybe he disagrees with this contrast. he is saying what life is like, making a statement. Colours: pink and gold, the house glowed, romantic imagery. 
 Daisy cries into the shirts- could Daisy have wished for a life with Gatsby and wishes for the past? or could she have Gatsby now, as she knows Tom has a mistress?

Themes:
Time- how the clock falls of the mantle piece, shows how slow the time was going and the awkwardness. 
Weather- it links the two halves of the chapter together.
Opposites- Gatsby and Daisy. They both show a different, loving side. 
Materialism-  all the items in Gatsby's house.
Colour.
Authority- at the beginning of the chapter Nick is in charge as Gatsby is basically zoned out of fear. Then when Daisy and Gatsby have had their talk,Gatsby takes charge as he shows them to his house and is rather pushy actually, for example his lodger Klipspringer he demands for him to play piano for them, despite the lodgers complaints.

The Great Gatsby- Chapter 4

Chapter 4

• Gatsby and Nick have become good friends.
• Gatsby tells Nick about his life story, whilst on the way to lunch out. Nick at first does not believe Gatsby as he has heard so many rumours about his past. This is critical because we never really so far in the story have heard a story first hand from the actual person, there are just usually rumours or stories told by others about them. As readers we become interested in Gatsby's life, he mentions of a 'something very sad' that happened to him before. What happened? Is that why he is alone, why he feels he should create happiness for others by having parties?
• Gatsby has something that he wishes Nick to do for him, Nick is suspicious straight away, why should he be? He is also annoyed that Gatsby has been talking to Miss Baker/Jordan, and is affecting their evening out together
• Themes of wealth and materialism- Nick says as a hearse comes by 'i was glad that the sight of Gatsby's splendid car was included in their sombre holiday.' Quite rude and disrespectful and shows that sometimes objects are more important than people to him.
• Nick is being judgemental again, of Mr Wolfsheim.
• Tom comes into the story and Gatsby disappears, why??
• Jordan tells the story of when she first met Daisy. Daisy was very popular and Jordan looked up to her, Daisy at this point was with Gatsby, but often rumoured to be with many others, as Daisy grew up she becomes more responsible and eventually got engaged to Tom, the day before the wedding Daisy got a letter and become very upset, I guess this was from Gatsby. She still marries Tom thought the next day and they are very happy.
• Gatsby's character is revealed more. He loves Daisy, and has been waiting for her for about 5 years. Nick is part of the plan for them to meet up. 

Great Gatsby Chapter 3

Themes:
The party at Gatsby's house.
Characterisation- Nick meets Gatsby for the first time and re-meets Jordan.
Extravagance.

The image that stands out for me is the man 'owl eyes'  who is staying in the library during the party to stop him drinking.
Sound is constant chatter.
Colour is yellow, it is vibrant and because  F Scott Fitzgerald uses words like ' yellow bug', he talks about the lemons, 'yellow cocktail music' and 'bewitched to a dark gold' also shows wealth.

Gatsby is an observer like Nick.
Nick is still judgemental
He becomes closer to Jordan.

• Introduction to Gatsby- ' he smiled understandingly- much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life'. This description is very high quality and shows that Gatsby is important to Nick, he respects Gatsby. Contrasting totally to Tom.
• The opening paragraph- the extravagance of the party, the guests in the 'blue gardens' like royal blood is blue. They only come to the parties for the idea not because of Gatsby in any way, no-one actually knows who he is. The emphasis of little details such as the oranges and lemons.
• Nick the narrator could be creating an uneasiness with grey, contrasting to the bright. Dreamy 'floating'superficial, so perfect, what is under all this good? Lack of substance- all for show.
• How the characters do not know each other and most are not invited, how the crowd if formed easily. The distances between Nick and the other characters are easy to see.
• Time references- how he stays the whole night.
• The idea of loneliness and also the coming together of people. Jordan likes big parties as they are more intimate. Links to chapter 1 how Nick feels left out as he didn't fit into Daisy's house either.
• The car crash, how that brings everyone back to normality and reality- involving owl eyes.
• Gatsby has created this little community of fake, passive characters.
• How Nick describes his normal life and it has no relevance really, he picks out women and follows them home, he is lonely again, so he becomes fascinated by Jordan. How he casually talks about his affair he had with a woman and his work, it is not important to him, the parties are.
• Is he smug?? He feels alienated, should we trust his views? He finds it hard to trust others. Maybe he has made the wrong assumption of himself, he needs to learn about himself. Does whatever happens with Gatsby create anything different? He doesn't know what he wants.
• Jordan's character emerges, the golf player, she likes Nick and company. She is cautious she 'instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any.' She covers her emotions, Nick questions himself whether he loved her for a while but he has problems 'that tangle back home', his other girl, he doesn't let himself 'brakes on my desires' love.
• Gatsby is an anigma- there are rumours about him, he apparently killed someone, no-one knows who he is, so why do they come to his parties, are they curious or just materialistic based on status?
• New technology is key.

Story journals- The Great Gatsby 2

Chapter 2

Metaphors used such as the ‘valley of ashes’. Reference of time and date, its Sunday, he does not enjoy himself so time seems  to pass slower, Sunday is a slow moving day, it is the day that people usually go to church, it’s a restful day, but Tom is meeting his mistress and they are getting drunk at her house- ironic. We are introduced to his mistress- Mrs Wilson/Myrtle who Nick describes very harshly as ‘a thickish figure of a woman’ he is prejudging again. Tom is very rude; he mocks Mr Wilson/ George for his ignorance of his wife having an affair. He is described as ‘anaemic’ and ‘spiritless’ by Nick. They go back to Myrtles’ apartment and more characters are introduced: Catherine, Myrtles sister, Mr and Mrs Mckee, he is a photographer, not a very good one as Nick points out by the photo in Myrtles living room, that he could not place an image for. Every little thing that is mentioned about Gatsby attracts the reader’s attention, Catherine mentions that she went to a party of his, she tells Nick of the rumours that Gatsby became so rich because he is a relation of the ‘Kaiser Wilhelm’s’. Nick loses grasp of time, as he is drunk, and reality. He focusses on superficial things to describe. By being drunk is Nick a reliable source? We learn more about Daisy and Tom’s relationship through Catherine, as she talks about how Myrtle and Tom should get married and divorce their partners.  We rarely hear what they think of each other, as before Miss Baker tells Nick of Tom’s mistress in the first place- it interests me. The idea of hearing the truth from a different source. The most important parts are not described so detailed, this could be to give the shock factor- ‘Making a short deft hand movement, Tom Buchanan, broke her nose with his open hand’.  Tom clearly has a temper. At the end of the chapter Nick finds himself at the train station in the middle of nowhere and is confused about how he got there, again this is odd as he usually is so aware of his surroundings and the people as he is very observant, again we question the reliability, is this real side of Nick?

Story journals- The Great Gatsby 1

Overview of Chapter One:
We are introduced to the narrator, Nick. He talks about himself that he has been taught not to be judgemental; He is brought up in the proper way. He recently moved to the east of America. He is serious, an observer of people as he spends a lot of time doing this. He was called the politician- he is a good listener, he tries to get people to like. The first part of the chapter is very wordy. He is seen as an old man, he is wise. He was in the WW1  He tries not to be judging. He says that the east has gone against his morals. He is telling the story of the past autumn. This makes us think what happened? What was so significant that he writes it down for us to read, and why afterwards? His feelings for Gatsby are shown although he doesn't know him, but he knows that Gatsby stands for all that he doesn't agree with, what does that mean? Nick has come from a quite wealthy family, gone to a good university. He went to war and came back restless, so he moved to New York, the roaring twenties. He went into the bond business- shares. The story is foreshadowed about the unease that we feel made him move back home, why?? He has rented a house on the suburbs; he lives next door to Gatsby.

Part A: The narrative devise used is juxtaposition- the different eggs that represent social status and class. Foreshadowing that we will get to know Gatsby throughout the story. Imagery of wealth. Physical language to describe Tom, his cousin Daisy’s husband. Tom is stereotypical, looks physiognomy. A cruel character, arrogant. Themes of wealth.

 Part B: The party at Daisy’s. How he reads all the characters critically, the use of Tom’s second name, but just Daisy .Imagery ‘the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor’. Daisy is curious about how people see her. Tom shows off. The characters are created.

Part C: Speech directed. Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Very staged. Tom’s aggogance and racism, he is a brute. The atmosphere is bleak and boring.  Use of dashes -interruptions by Tom of everyone, power he has over Daisy, he shows off. He wants Nick to like him.

Part D: The light description, the changing of the mood linked in.  Tom belittles Daisy. Tom’s mistress is introduced. The use of ‘rose’ an empty emotion.

Part E:Light and colour described. Mid- summer ‘bright on his boots’ and ‘dull on the autumn-leaf yellow of her hair’. It sets the scene of dullness. Jordan introduced. The description of the darkness and light. We are left with the idea of mystery.

 From the story so far as a group we came up with the following: the difference between the East and West, the relationship between present and the past, to emphasise the New York atmosphere and where Nick lives, the quiet mysterious. A theme of opposites and contrast, Nick and the other characters. At the end the readers is drawn to Gatsby, why is he the title of the book, what makes him so great? Why is Nick interested in him?

Much Ado About Nothing Royal Shakespeare and Bollywood performance.

It was so good! It was very funny and the actors played their parts well.They used all the Shakespearian language, the setting was great. At first I did not think that Shakespeare and Bollywood could work but it did very well. It was entertaining. Possibly Hero was a bit louder and more confident than i imagined her. My favourite part of the play was when Benedick and Beatrice found out that they loved each other, when Benedick was swinging on the swing and being lovestruck, it was so funny  :D

Much Ado About Nothing Story journal last sections

Our summary of Act 1: Scene 2 in words
Shames   Confrontation   Misconstrued  Humiliation  Dramatic  Slander  Deciete Power Jilted Revenge Tension  Guilt   Tragedy  Betrayal Ashamed Love.

Quotes that summarise Act 1: Scene 2
'Do not live, Hero, do not open thine eyes'
'Kill Claudio'

 The quote 'Kill Claudio' is the turning point when Beatrice changes in the story as she has always joked all the way through the play and it is a very strong and powerful phrase. It changes from a comedy into a tragedy or dramatic play. We discussed that if Kill Claudio was the title of the play this would change the readers' perspective of Claudio. Claudio is not the main character, as Beatrice and Benedick are. But it could work because with all Shakespeare's play he uses a primary story and a second one that run along side each other, this could highlight the secondary story. I think that it would be good if it was called the Two Dons or Don John.

Story plot continued.
Dogberry and the other policemen, Verges and Sexton and the Watch have captured Borachio and Comrad, Don John has fled.
Leonato and Antonio talk about the grief that Leonato is feeling for Hero, the plan of her death is taking place. Leonato angrily tells Claudio and Don Pedro that they have killed Hero. They feel no sympathy.
Benedick confronts Claudio and challenges him to a fight.
All Dogberry, Verges, Watch and Comrade and Borachio are brought against Claudio and Don Pedro. Claudio realises what he has done and feels really bad.
In the evening they all mourn Hero by her tomb.
Leonato, Claudio and Don Pedro meet in the morning. Claudio is made to agree to marry Antonio's daughter that is an exact copy of Hero, as a punishment!? Claudio is fickle, he does not love Hero fully.
They get married the next day and Hero is revealed. Benedick and Beatrice get together.

Much Ado About Nothing part 3

Dogberry, Verges, the First and Second Watchman- policemen discussing who is to keep Leonato's house safe for the night.
Conrade and Borachio are overheard talking about the crime Borachio has commited for Don John. The First and Second Watchmen arrest them.
The Wedding day of Hero and Claudio
Dogberry and his men come to meet Leonato. They talk about capturing a criminal but never say that it is Don John, Dogberry is stupid and mixes his words so never says what he is meant to say, this is comical. This could change the whole plot from this point on.
Claudio jilts Hero at the alter. He has a planned speech, that is written in verse. He says this to have the biggest impact he can and shame Hero in front of everyone. Why has he not thought to question whether Hero might be innocent or where she was last night? He trusts Don John. He uses language that is romantic and speaks from the heart.Hero does not say anything to defend herself and faints.Why does she not argue?
All the men have believed the visual that they saw. No-one has checked. Hero cannot say anything against the men, she has no power because she is a woman. Why has Claudio chosen to make a big statement instead of just asking her? What is their relationship really like- they have only met about a week ago, she is a possession for him, appearances are key and power play. Surely Claudio would not believe that Hero would sin? The men leave.
Leonato is ashamed and says that it is best if Hero is dead to restore her innocence again. Why does he not question Hero? She has brought shame on the family and herself. Friar sees sense- he believes Hero is innocent, the only man possibly who does. He comes up with the idea to pretend Hero is dead to redeem her reputation and make Claudio feel bad. Link between Romeo and Juliet- the friar comes up with the plan for them to pretend to be dead. Why the friar he is not suspected, he is respected and his idea agreed to. From tragedy comes love with Beatrice and Benedick as they announce their love for each other, Beatrice uses Benedick, that if he loves her he will kill Claudio. The comedy has gone.

Much Ado About Nothing - Reading Journal Part 2

Why is Don John so bitter?
He is easy to understand but not to the people in the play. He is a strong character but not the main character, how far can he go to become the main character, does this change?
Why does Beatrice hate Benedick?
How the love is definitive in Shakespeare's plays, how love develops between Beatrice and Benedick.
The interest in Don John- who he is? why is he a bastard?
The characters with authority, how shown in the play
How does the play conclude, how it happens,  the structure, change?
Why do the characters not show their true identity- why use a mask?
Atmosphere- playful banter, will this change?
Why is the play called Much Ado about Nothing?
Why is Don Pedro so into getting Claudio and Hero together?
Confusion- could this be deliberate, the readers work the story out before the characters do. Dramatic irony.
Standard characters- the villain, the hero, prince and princess.
Beatrice and Hero, why are they such different characters- to show that how strong minded Beatrice is compared to Hero, who rarely speaks. Lacks a voice.
Powerful role of women in the play.
 Hero and Claudio are the typical lovers, courting,  but Beatrice and Benedick are put together instead.
Hero- an object to the men. She is so quiet, what is she thinking about getting married to Claudio? does she have a secret?
There are no mother figures, Beatrice is a mother to Hero.
Through the others Benedick and Beatrice are set up.
Don John has just told Don Pedro and Claudio of Hero being unfaithful on the night before their wedding. Claudio is horrified, IF she has been then he will jilt her at the alter.

Much Ado About Nothing- Reading journal part 1

The play starts with the men returning from war.
A hierarchy between the Prince and the anonymuous messenger, Comrad:'My Lord' power play.
The conflict, banter- Benedick and Beatrice mutual dislike- why?
Stock character stereotypes- the bastard Don John- he is disadvantaged and jealous. Issue that Don John does not get the wealth that Don Pedro(his half brother) will get.  He is an outcast and he thinks he is too even though he is accepted within the group. Why is he so upset, he doesn't have much to be sad about. His speech written in blank verse-' I' repeated shows arrogant, he does not care that he is a bastard he'd rather be bad then in his brothers' shadow. Only has two followers
Don Pedro sense of verse.
The war may be over but there is a war of wit and spite- Beatrice and Benedick
Narrative pace- the change.
Wearing masks- to cover true selves apart from Don John, he does not care who he is and causes trouble.
Don Pedro has wooed Hero for Claudio- very happy, love is in the air. A marriage on the way.
Beatrice and Benedick were together they had a history,Beatrice makes light of how he treated her badly- with the jest. Possibly cheated.

The Pied Piper of Hamelin evaluation.

Browning tells the story of the poem with rhyming to make it seem child friendly  as it is 'A child's story'. This makes it easy to read and fun. This poem is very different from all of Browning's other poems because they are all dramatic monologues, whereas this poem is about the moral of the story, to which you should keep your promises.
Browning uses very vivid imagery by using very strong, powerful words such as ' fought, bit, ate, licked' so that it is easy to imagine. These words are actions so you can picture someone doing this in your mind. This is effective because your understanding of the poem increases within understanding what the poem is saying through pictures.
The poem is structured in stanzas. This is as if they are each a chapter in a story, this adds to the storytelling affect that it is being read to you be someone else, and this engages the reader because you become emotionally connected.
Browning uses the council, as represented by animalism words and the repetition of vermin, which is not actually said to be a rat until later could show Browning's  views on the difference between the rich and poor and his views on authority. He just covers them up well so that a younger audience will be still interested in the story. It is surprising that this story is written for children, but not so as all his poems are about showing that what culture was like in the past and the difference of society today and the irony of what really happened but possibly not what was known happened, children are innocent compared to before so this could be still aimed at children, but from a different era.

Comparing Robert Browning's Poems

Throughout all the poems there is a mention of God. In Porphyria's Lover at the end Browning says ' And yet God has not said a word' . He expects God to judge him for killing his lover, but as God has not said anything he assures himself that he has done nothing wrong, so it was right for him to keep her in purity safe for himself and preserve her in the way, in body she is. Also in Fra Lippo Lippi this occurs again, Fra Lippo Lippi has grown up in a church as a monk, but this time disagrees with the ideas of the church because he is their painter and wants to paint people in the 'flesh' instead of in the soul. He contradicts Porphyria's lover as shown with the quote 'They with their Latin? So I  swallow my rage'. He totally disagrees with the church as he doesn't believe in the church and he wants to see people as in life. Again in The Laboratory Browning  'Empty church, to pray God in, for them!- I am here.' shows that the female voice of the poem believes in God as she prays to have her man and that by doing so the poisoning of the girlfriend, she prays that all will go well for her. Lastly My Last Duchess lots of religious words are used such as ' passion' 'joy'.

All of Brownings Poems are dramatic monologues and generally about death in some way whether it is The Patriot, about someone who has sinned, in the eyes of others and is sentenced to death, or Porphyria's Lover, where her lover kills her, or the Laboratory, where someone is poisoned to death. However my last duchess is about a man's last lovers, that could have died but I think that they have just been and gone, so to speak.

Also throughout Browning's poems he covers the themes that would not happen at the time that these poems were set. He does this to show how society has changed or possibly small parts of society that were not accepted but to show that these things did happen.

The Labatory

Analysing the Laboratory.

The narrative perspective is from a woman's point of view, she is jealous of another woman that is in a relationship with her man. In the poem she creates a poison to kill her and claim the man she wants. The narrator is a very brutal woman as she states 'Grind away, moisten and mash up thy paste' this is what she wants to do to the opposing woman.  We know that the narrator is rich with references of ' dance at the King's' or 'Now, take all my jewels, gorge gold to your mouth' she does not feel that her status is as important to her if she can have her man by saying for her jewels to be taken she does not care for her possessions. She obviously feels very strong hatred for the other woman and wants her to suffer 'Not that I bid you spare her the pain'. The female is very excited about what she is about to do, from her frequent use of the exclamation marks used in every stanza. The writer uses very rich language such as ‘oozing’ and ‘exquisite blue’ to express her excitement and pure joy of the making of the poison and that when this is completed she can claim her man and kill her rival woman.

The iambic tetrameters of this poem and rhyming AABB pattern give it a happy feel which covers the sinister murder story that it is really about. The layout of the poem is split up into four sentence stanzas like a recipe it is very formal. The rhythm of the poem is very fast due to the tetrameters and makes you read it faster and expresses the woman’s haste to get rid of the other woman.

Robert Browning- Porphyria's lover

At the start of the poem the words ' sullen' , 'tore' and 'spite'  (used to describe the outside) give off negative connotations. This is foreshadowing for the ending as the narrator kills his lover, so it makes you expect something bad is going to happen.When the narrators' lover turns up at his cottage the mood changes immediately 'She shut the cold out and the storm'. I think that this is used as a metaphor , so therefore if Porphyria goes outside she will be exposed to the the bad things in life . The narrator does not want her to lose her purity and innocence, stressed by the repetition of 'little' so he keeps his distance and is reluctant to show any affection back to her '....call'd me.When no voice replied, She put my arm around her waist'. After the narrator realises that his Porphyria is in love with him he is surprised and needs to sort out what he can do to end this relationship for her sake. The thought of it surprises him, but his 'heart swell(ed)' and he understood that 'she was mine, mine' and needed to preserve her innocence and who she was at that moment forever so that he would not forget. He believes that to end her life it is the right way to save her from herself and himself too. The narrative tone changes from the moment he strangles her with her own hair, that he once loved. I picture that now she is dead he feels in control of her as the poet cleverly refers back  to the previous phrase when she proppped her head upon his shoulder; this time he puts her head on his shoulder it shows even  more so that he is dominant now. He feels no regret about murdering his lover  ' ...yet God has not said a word!' the final line of the poem is very powerful as at the time period when this poem was written religion was very important and to go against God was a crime in itself let alone committing murder.

The poet uses enjambement throughout the poem to create a sense of a quick pace and short amount of time. This could also be used to represent how short the narrators lover's life was. Iambic tetrameter, where four stresses are used in each line of the poem can also to link with the time and pace of the poem. The genre of this poem is romantic tragedy. This is dramatic monologue.

I recommend Malorie Blackman's books. I love Boys Don't Cry, Noughts and Crosses series.

Private Peaceful quote

I chose the book Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo. I love many of his books. The quote i chose was ' I find myself suddenly on my knees and I don't know why. There is blood pouring down my face and my head is wracked with a sudden burning pain so terrible i feel it must burst. I feel myself falling out of my dream down into a world of swirling darkness. I am being beckoned into a world I have never been to before where it is warm and comforting and all-enveloping. I know I am dying my own death and I welcome it.'

I love this quote because it is so desperate that he wishes for death to come (he was in the trenches of WW1). He left his quiet little village to escape the fact that he was in love with his sisters girlfriend, he went to war to forget it all. 

When i woke up the knife was still there.

In class earlier this week we were given this short story: 'When I woke up the knife was still there'.
From this we discussed what this story made us think about, here are some bullet points that I came up with from our discussion:

• The use of 'I' evolves the reader as it is personal, it is stronger than you or we
• The' knife' sets the mood/atmosphere- for me this made me think of a tragedy and something dark
• As readers we begin to fill in the gaps of the story and make it our own
• The readers personality and tastes in genres shows the idea of what the story is about
• We generally thought that the narrator was male
• The 'knife' could be metaphorical for a problem, a cover of something worse
• Connotations with the knife of violence
• No resolution
• Little narrative time.