Delprøve 1

When we meet next time around, I would like for you to complete one more delprøve 1. In this case one from Maj 2007. You can find it here (venstre side ned finder I eksamenstekster- klik her, og gå ind under HF B, 2007 maj del 1), or you can email me if it does not work (st@randershfvuc.dk) - I will send you a copy then.

In the Shadow of War

When reading this story I would like for you to focus on Omovo and the relationship to his father.
I would also like for you to find places in the text which you find interesting or simply odd, basically I want you to come up with questions to the text. Why? Why? Why?

The Bonfire

Picture from Google

Questions to ponder about:

1) Describe the villagers - what do they believe in?
- What happens to Alee and how does the story end?
2) Characterise Nedam, why is he killed?
3) Characterise the narrator, and describe the role the narrator has been given.
4) Comment on the title.
5) What is the main conflict in the story?
6) Could you please google Ken Saro-Wiwa? Is there any information about him which we can use to understand the story in an altered way?

Organ Donation

The task A is not much different than B, however, we are dealing with non-fiction and thus there are some things you need to keep in mind.

Summary

Is basically the same, but always introduce with the title followed by the writer, and then what the focus is with the article. In this case organ donation. Again, this is an objective piece and you should therefore not include your own opinion.

Outline

Now this is the tricky part as you need to include all articles and take out the essence. You can do this in different ways, but what is important is that you only take out the most relevant pieces of information. Here you should be able to contrast them: one is for (Why is that?), another is against (why is that?). A good idea is to make an introduction in which you describe the topic (something general), however, you need to keep in mind that you should be objective - not include "I think...". Quotes are more than welcome, just remember that they should be accounted for.

Comment

Is subjective, what do you think?

Discussion

The same as in the B assignment.

N.B. Do I need say you should use your own words, unless we are talking about quotes, which you should put in quotation marks.

Labour Pains

1. What is the genre? Is this indeed a short story?
2. Why has the author chosen this particular setting for her story?
3. Describe the characters in the story?
4. Describe the composition of the story.
5. Discuss the point of view, who is the narrator? and what does the author wish to achieve with this?
6. Why is it called Labour Pains?

Who is Who?

Just to clear things here on the blog. It is actually me, Sara who is discussing with you here on the blog when debating the themes "Clash of Cultures" and "Stories from Africa". I can understand it is nice to know who you are actually discussing with, hence I have changed it and you can now see who is who;)

But you got some great discussions going on here, and a post will follow Tuesday on Labour pains. Furthermore on how to write the outline for the Organ Donation assignment.

Sara

Text 3: I'm donating my kidney to a stranger

Hi all
Here is the missing text 3 for your written assignment. I still cannot do all the fancy stuff - but hope you can use it anyway. Wish you all a lovely weekend :)
- Chanett

I’m donating my kidney to a stranger
Paula MacKinnon, thought to be Scotland’s first altruistic organ donor, insists her decision is no big deal
Richard Wilson

Paula MacKinnon is surrounded by scepticism. Her elderly parents oppose her and many of her friends insist she is being foolish. Yet she is unrepentant. “I just don’t see it as a big deal,” she says, shrugging her narrow shoulders. “Y’know, welcome to my kidney. I want to donate it.”
Sitting in the kitchen of her modest home in a Glasgow cul-de-sac, she appears perfectly conventional. But her decision to donate a kidney to a total stranger makes her a first in Scotland.
It began when her 68-year-old mother, Katherine, suffered kidney failure last year. MacKinnon put herself forward as a potential donor, only to find that their blood groups were not compatible. Instead of stopping there, however, she decided to donate one of her kidneys to whoever might need it.
It is called altruistic donation and it was made possible by the introduction of the Human Tissue Act in September 2006. Previously, living donors were only allowed to give their organs to those who were genetically or emotionally related, such as family or spouses. Now, under the control of the Human Tissue Authority, donors can provide organs to people they do not know. As far as MacKinnon is aware, only 11 people in the UK have donated kidneys in this way, none of them from Scotland.
“There’s this huge thing about organ donation, that it still seems unusual,” she says. “If it becomes more acceptable in society, what I’m doing won’t be so shocking. There’s still a terrible shortage of organs. That’s what got me riled. In some ways, it’s a simple thing to do, to donate an organ, but it can make a huge difference to people’s lives.”
She is puzzled that her mother, who still needs a kidney transplant, is opposed. Her father, Kenneth, a minister, has also tried to talk her out of her plans. “Determined” is the word MacKinnon reaches for when she considers her own response, but she understands their anxiety.
“It’s because my parents care. I’m their daughter and I’m going through an operation I don’t have to go through,” she says. “I think, ultimately they think what I’m doing is good, but like any parent they’re concerned. They’ve given up , because it’s something I really want to do.”
Sitting quietly in the living room next door, listening to music, is Paula’s husband, Colin. Perhaps more than anybody else, he knows how the grain of his wife’s character runs. “He’s supportive,” says MacKinnon. “You can ask him.”
He understands, because it is not the first selfless act that she has undertaken. Both are BBC journalists and when he worked on a programme about orphaned children in Ukraine two years ago, his wife was moved to take 12 months’ unpaid leave and self-fund a three-month trip to the country to help.
So when asked what her motivation is for undergoing invasive surgery that requires a general anaesthetic, the insertion of a urinary catheter and a drip, and is followed by at least three or four days in hospital, her reasoning is succinct.
“It’s completely simple. It’s just something that I can do to help somebody else,” she says. “I’d got into the mindset of doing it for my mother. When I realised I couldn’t do it for her, I started to think I could do it for somebody else. So I researched it. They call it altruistic, but I am quite selfish. I wouldn’t do it if there was any harm to myself. The risks involved seem minimal compared to what I can give to somebody.”
(…)

The Guilt

Questions to be answered and then discussed..

1. What themes does the story deal with?
2. Where does the story take place? What is the importance of the settings?
3. Characterise Lilian Thurgood.
4. Pick a quote from the text, which you describe and interpret in your comment.

The Mark of Vishnu

We were quite in a hurry when finishing the text, however, we did make it clear that the story deals with the conflicting values of the traditional India versus the modern India. Here we also talked about Gunga Ram being a symbol of belief, of acceptance, of the old traditional values existing in India. Whereas the teacher is a symbol of the modern westernised India, which is governed by science and questioning the traditional ways of living. One of the main points of the story is that Kala Nag (nature) cannot be controlled, not by religion, nor by science.

But now I am wondering what are the boys a symbol of?

Stories from Africa

The Guilt, Rayda Jacobs (November 16)

Labour Pains, Normavenda Mathiane (November 23)

The Bonfire, Ken Saro- Wiwa (November 30)

In the Shadow of War, Ben Okri (December 7, when we meet again)

Hand in assignment: Organ Donation + Delprøve 1, Maj 2007 (November 23) to either Chanett or Sara.

Adjectives

Hey.

Just found a great page for exercising your grammar skills - here's a bit on adjectives...

Chanett

Ps. I'm not good at linking, but hope you find it.

The Mark of Vishnu

We meet again Tuesday the 9th of November, 5.30 to discuss the theme Class of Cultures. You have to read The Mark of Vishnu and find suitable quotes. By this I mean you need to find at least three quotes in the text of which you find interesting, and you consider to have symbolic implications in some sort of way.