Version vom 12. März 2009, 09:04 Uhr

Homework

The Hobbit

Talks

• Talks on "The Hobbit"

Reading Tasks

• 11c 2008 09/Old Reading Tasks

• New Reading Task

For Monday 16th March: Read chapter XII! - Start now!

Work in pairs! Collect all your information on Smaug from chapter XI and XII in a characterizations of Smaug on the appropriate sub-page of the Wiki: Your user page (To get there, click on your user-name at the top of the page)! ==> Electronic NOTES in one of your Wiki pages!

Cf. Dragon as a Symbol (don't waste time on second part of page: "Dragon Traditions of Myth")

• What is the function of the dragon (as a character and as a symbol) in the Hobbit? (Paper-)NOTES! ...

For Tuesday 17th March: Read chapter XIII!

• Look at pp. 271-272:

- What makes the text sound old-fashioned? NOTES!

Findings

Goblins/Orcs - a characterization

• ugly, stinky
• live in the mountains
• rude creatures
• untidy and dirty
• eat everything they find, e.g. ponies, horses etc.
• rough, horrible stony voices
• evil, cruel, wicked, clever, bad hearted
• can tunnel and mine well
• are able to manufacture weapons and torture instruments, e.g. hammers, axes, swords, daggers, pickaxes
• hate everybody/everything
• can smell footsteps, see well in the dark
• hate the sun, only live in the dark
• are afraid of eagles
• hate woodmen
• are not afraid of fire

Function and Effects of Fairy Tales

The Hobbit - a Fairy Tale?

• The Effect of Classic Fairy Tales on Readers and Society by Kenny Fong.

Yes:

• Comniscient narrator that comments on charcters and speaks directly to the reader
• typical setting (dark wood)
• talking animals, dwarves, wizards and hobbits as main characters
• hope that the heroes will survive the adventure, hero must overcome many obstacles
• theme of good against bad/ heroes against villains
• magical devices (swords, the ring)

Fairy Tales ...

help to educate the children

• learning by good and bad examples/models
• -> consequences of good and bad actions
• children shouldn´t trust everyone
• don´t give up your dream and work for it
• learn how to face and handle problems
• unselfishness will be rewarded
• learn about bad and good

Educating children helps ...

• to form a better peaceful society
• to help friends in bad situations

entertain us

helps you to escape from your world

Development of the atmosphere on pages 158 - 162

• How is this effect achieved?
• There were no more deer
• Shadow of a great bear
• don't leave the path
• they were in despaire
• forest was waiting for them like a black and frowning wall
• turned from the light ... into the forest
• now began the most dangerous part of all the journey
• that depends on your luck
• and with a tremendous slice of luck you may come out one day
• there are no safe paths in this part of the world
• Gandalf leaves them
• Grey Mountains, and orcs of the worst description.

Looking at Narrative Texts

Setting

Basically the setting of a novel/story is the time, place and background that the narrator creates. The setting influences the readers' expectations, especially at the beginning of novels / chapters, and it helps to create a certain atmosphere (adjectives, characters, symbols, connotations of words that are used also contribute to atmosphere)

Characterization

Vocabulary and How-to ....

• Vocabulary for characterization: Physical features
• How to write a characterization

Flat vs. round characters

E.M. Forster. Aspects of the Novel, Harmondsworth 1976 (11927), pp. 72 and 80

"We may divide characters into flat and round. Flat characters … are sometimes called types, and sometimes caricatures. In their purest form, they are constructed round a single idea or quality: when there is more than one factor in them, we get the beginning of the curve towards the round. The real flat character can be expressed in one sentence …. The test of a round character is whether it is capable of surprising in a convincing way. "

This clearly shows the differences between

Flat Character:

• lack of a realistic personality
• description might be detailed, but reveals no complex personality
• "flat" is not negative, but simply says the character can be summed up in one sentence
• shows little or no development.

Round character:

• complex and realistic
• represents a fully developed, complex personality
• often shows good and bad traits, interior conflicts, may react unexpectedly
• usually true for main characters
• clear development throughout the story

To do list 11c 2008: What is English good for - what should we practise/know?

The pupils collected the following list:

What will you need or would you like to use your English for after and outside school?

• English in everyday (German) language
• for travelling
• in the internet
• on the job / for my application
• necessary to speak it because it’s the world language.
• communication/understanding between cultures.
• movies/books in English.

What should you know / learn to do in English for the English Grundkurs, LK or Abitur in the next two years?

• vocabulary
• grammar
• text comprehension
• writing compositions / answer
• give talks / speak freely
• think in/ be fluent in English

Mr. T came up with these lists .... rather similar!

Programme English: 11c – 2009

1. What we will have to do … </span>

a) … for the Lk/Gk and the Abitur:

• reading, understanding texts (fictional and non-fictional)
• describing and analyzing cartoons done
• working with a dictionary
• characterization done
• building up topical vocabulary + techniques
• writing comments (paragraph, introduction, argument) at it ...!
• explaining effect of rhetorical devices, point of view, plot at it ...!
• translating (general skills, special difficulties)
• presenting a short speech/talk in front of class
• listening comprehension

b) … due to the curriculum

• read a complete novel + a short story
• read some poems
• analyze some adverts

c) … due to school regulations:

• 3 more tests (1 x fictional text → fable 19th January)

(1 x translation E → G)

Possible Novels:

• Tolkien: The Hobbit
• Hornby: About a boy
• McCourt: Angela's Ashes
• Orwell: 1984
• Golding: Lord of the Flies
• Lodge: Changing Places
• Haddon: The curious incident of the dog in the night
• Sachaar: Holes

US Politics

• Vocabulary MindMap "US-Politics

• Searching the internet
• Who votes for Obama and McCain
• Campaign 2008 in Cartoons - Now with vocabulary MindMap!
• The role of the media in the presidential campaign
• Lobbyism

Speeches

• Mindmap "A good speech"

Conditional Clauses

• Conditional - Information and Exercises I
• Conditional - Information and Exercises II