The Narrative: Listening Comprehension

Illegal Immigrant

Listen to the audio as you read the passage on "1997: Illegal Immigrant".

Check your e-mail.

Answer the questions which follow.

Ian's Apocalypto Summary

Akilah do you believe Ian has captured the essence (beginning, middle and end) of Apocalypto in the summary below?

   

Two tribes fighting for the rights to rule the forest. When one man taught by his father to survive because it has been done by the generation before has done just so and rule the forest.

Being captured by the other tribe and was taken to another land to be sold or shed their blood to the land ,the one man who was taught by his father when it was his time to die a ring of fire came around the sun , and the chief of the land order that they be set free. Up on being set free they had to fight for their lives, the one man train by his father started to recall the thing his dad had taught him and also started to believe and fought his way back to the forest. He fought and kill and save the lives of his family. He had the option to go to another land as there were a few boats that came after all the fighting was over, but chose to stay in the forest to seek a new beginning.

 

Awaiting Akilah's response!

Ian, once Akilah has responded, it will be your job to critique her synopsis.

I will comment on the strengths and weaknesses (if any) of both of your responses.

Having done that sysnopsis of Apocalypto, I think the time is now ripe for you and Akilah to begin answering questions on story writing.
For the CXC exam, comprehension and story writing are crucial.
But first we will start with the comprehnsion of narratives and its elements.

Due Monday
Read the story on page 49 and answer the questions that follow on page 50.
Answer only questions on:

1) Setting
2) Characters
3) Problem and Resolution
4) Plot
5) Points of View

IAN'S RESPONSE

FOR SOME REASON YOUR STORY DID NOT END UP IN MY INBOX.

MY APOLOGIES.

 

GOOD SYNOPSIS OF THE BEST MAN!

I NEED TO WATCH THIS MOVIE.

 

IDENTIFY THE EXPOSITION, RISING ACTION,

FALLING ACTION, CLIMAX AND RESOLUTION

IN THE BEST MAN.

 

The best man whose name is Harper an author by profession. He had a good friend he met while doing there internship and introduce her to his superstar football friend name Lance.

He also had this very good childhood friend name Jordan, Harper and Jordan had this thing for each other but never materialized to nothing more than a kiss. One day while Lance was out playing football out of state and leaving his girlfriend home, the one who Harper had introduced him too left a few unresolved  issues at home seeking comfort she went to Harper's home where one thing lead to another and they end up having sex.

Harper being a book writer wrote about his life story including his friends using different names as his characters he thought no one who ever figure that out.
First to figure it out was Jordan she also being good friend with Lance's girlfriend who's name by the way is Mia confirm it.

All the other friends did too, except for Lance who was always busy since he was a football superstar, so Harper was hoping and praying that Lance wouldn't have time to read the book. With Lance and Mia planning to get married he had some time off so he got hold of a copy of the book, reading the book on the night of his bachelor party he figured it out. Under rage and alcohol he beat down the best man and called off the wedding. Lance never wanted to see Harper again, but with the encouragement from Harper's girlfriend she ask him to use divine intervention and he was able to get Lance to go ahead with the wedding. Harper being the best man at the reception gave a speech, righting his wrongs and asking his girlfriend to marry him .

NOW I WANT YOU TO WATCH APOCALYPTO AND
ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BELOW.
TRY AND DO SO BEFORE NEXT WEDNESDAY.
NADYN HAS THE MOVIE.

E-MAIL ME YOUR RESPONSE IF YOU HAVEN'T JOINED THE BLOG.
IT WILL BE THE FIRST GRADED ASSIGNMENT.

Elements of Narration (Part 3)

Watch the movie Apocalypto and identify the elements below.

Also write a synopsis of the plot.

Setting: Time, place, prevailing attitude. The author may use description within a narrative by describing the setting.

Characters: a person in a story; could also be an animal or thing that is the character. There are major and minor characters. A character can be a hero or protagonist or a villain or antagonist.

Theme: main or overall idea, central meaning of the story eg. A theme is not a subject. Drugs are a subject; that drugs can ruin your life if you don't learn to use them responsibly is a theme.

Theme is often defined as a main idea or matter, or the central meaning of a text. A theme is not a subject. Drugs are a subject; that drugs can ruin your life if you don't learn to use them responsibly is a theme.

Remember to write a synopsis or summary of the movie's plot.

Plot: A synopsis or outline of the story in chronological order.
It comprises 5 elements.

1)  exposition (background information, also called the beginning)

2)  rising action (what leads to the climax),

3)  climax (the most exciting or action-packed part of the story),

4)   falling action (what comes after the climax and leads to the resolution), and

5)   resolution (the end of the story).

Elements of Narration (Part 2)

-Action/dynamic verbs: Verbs that show what a subject does eg. yawns, collapses, jumps, 

-Foreshadowing, hinting at events to occur later. In Romeo & Juliet the two main characters   both state early on that they would rather die than not be together.

--Flashback is a technique to go back in time to the previous events that led up to the climax of the story. Not all stories start in a natural sequence in which the events occur in a chronological order. Think of a movie that begins with the ending.

-Plot twist/Situational Irony: is a change ("twist") in the direction or expected outcome of the plot of a film or novel.

-Suspense or tension is the feeling of uncertainty and interest about the outcome of certain actions -- most often referring to an audience's perceptions in a dramatic work.

-Dialogue is a conversation between two or more persons
"Alex," my mother asked, "What were your activities and pursuits at your middle school today?"
"I had a full day of activities, Mother. My teachers were stimulating, and my English class was especially delightful."

Style is how story is written. Writers have their own style; their own way of writing that is unique to them. A writer's style is made up of a number of elements including, narrative point of view, sentence structure, paragraph structure, dialogue, form, language and literary techniques/devices, tone, and symbolism.

-Point of View: A story can be told in many ways, for every narrator will see things from a different point of view. The narrator is the entity within a story that tells the story to the reader.                                                                                  

              First-person narrative: In a first person narrative, the narrator is a character in the story. This type of narrator is usually noticeable for its use of the first-person pronoun, "I". For example. "I could picture it. 

             Second-person narrative: In this case, the narrator is supposedly the reader, and refers to itself with the second person pronoun, 'You.' This is the rarest of the points of view. 

             Third-person narrative:  There are two types of this third-person narrators. The third-person, limited uses the third person pronouns (he, she it). The plot centers around a protagonist and covers only that with which the character is involved.

               Third person, omniscient: The third person, omniscient narrator is very similar to the third person, limited narrator. This narrator is also disembodied, takes no actions, casts no judgments, expresses no opinions and has no physical form in or out of the story. 

But, being omniscient, it witnesses all events happening to all characters, and events that no characters witness. It is privy to all things past and present as well as the thoughts of all characters. Some people compare this omniscient narrator to God.

Identify the points of  view on the following pages in A Comprehensive English Course CXC English A

 pages 39,  26, 34, 40

 Click on comments below and post your answer. 

Justify your answer. State why.

Akilah's Response

Movie: Title: the Lion King

Exposition: where the  exposition of the story reveals that the setting is in Africa and the main characters are King Mufasa  , Queen Sarabi  , uncle Scar , Zazu the guard , the spiritual guide Rafiki , Prince Simba .

Rising Action : Nala chases Pumbaa for food and Simba defends him until finally they realize that its them. Nala begs Simba to come back saying Scar destroyed everything. Simba refused until Rafiki convinces him to go back.

Climax : he (  prince Simba fights  uncle Scar , Simba wins then reclaims his title as King

Falling Action : Prince Simba and Scar fights , just when Scar thinks he’s won , he confesses to murdering Mufasa.  Simba  then leaps in a surge of anger calling his uncle a “MURDERER“ while Scar begs for his life 

Resolution: Simba forces Scar to admit to the murder but he blames it on the hyenas which gets them hyped up. Simba tosses Scar off the cliff and surrounded by flames with no escape as the hyenas tear him to pieces.

The plot of the Lion King : A lion prince samba, born in Africa and the animals of the Pride Lands pay tribute. Later samba is told by his father, king Mufasa , that when mufasa dies Simbba will become king of the pride lands. Simba’s uncle Scar would have been king after Mufasa had a child. Fuelled by rage, Scar plots to kill mufasa ans Simna so he will never be able to take the throne. He uses the hyenas to cause a stampede through the canyon where Mufasa and Simba are, and personally ensures Mufasa falls to his dath. 

Simba survives so Scar implies that the stampede was Simba’s fault and that the pride will blame him. Simba leave the Pride lands meaning never to return home. Simba is found, collapsed with exhaustion, by Timone the Meerka, and Pumba the warthog and the trio becomes fast friends, Nala, hunting beyond the Pride lands  that herds had deserted under Scar’s mismanagement  stumbles upon Simba’s new home, shocked to find him alive, she begs him to return to the Pride Lands, where Scar had reigned as king for years, and ruined everything. All the animals will starve if Simba does not return. 

Simba eventually agreed to fight for his kingdom. Simba battles Scar, and learns that his father’s death was caused by his uncle Scar and not his own. Simba prevails and, in time, has his own son, mirroring “ THE CIRCLE OF LIFE“.

Excellent job Akilah! Spot on with the climax and other elements. It seems as if you are ready for the next level. Now let's look at the other devices before we go to story writing.