Description of a beach

Fluffy white clouds drifted slowly across the horizon, while the sun reflected off the clear greenish-blue water, making it sparkle in the sunshine. The sand was a blinding white, and as I stood on the beach, enjoying the feeling of sand between my toes. At the shore, a small yellow boat was docked, while words on its side advertised it to tourists. I briefly considered renting it but decided to stay on the beach. As I gazed outwards, the water twinkled like a million stars, and it was so clear that I could clearly make out the bottom. Far into the distance, where the shallow green water gave way to deeper dark blue water, an island filled with trees gazed back at me. I looked upwards, staring at the startling blue of the sky. The exotic colours filled my senses, and I thought that I could stay there forever.

LA Essay Comic

I chose McDonalds as I frequently see youths working there, and I think that it is easier to express the plot than if John (cleaner) was working at a restaurant. I think that the dialogue shows how immature some people can be, which is the plot of the story, and I think that although the comic is rather simplistic, the plot shows through well.

Hope you enjoy it!

Historical Background of To Kill A Mockingbird

1)Why is it necessary to understand the historical and cultural context of the novel?

I feel that it is necessary because there was a large difference between the present and the past. For example, in To Kill A Mockingbird, looking down on blacks was seen as the right thing to do
as blacks were not of the same status as whites. We cannot assume that the past was like the present, where whites and blacks are equal, and say that the racists in To Kill A Mockingbird were callous and evil, as it was seen as the right thing to do at the time. Therefore, we must understand the context of the novel and approach it in an objective manner.

2) How does it help to understand the author's background? Is it necessary to learn about the author's background?

It helps to understand the authors background because it shows what the authors point of view is. The authors education, family, race, religion and even friends could have an impact on the authors point of view. Understanding the authors point of view would then allow us to identify themes in the story. I think that it is better to know about the authors background but not necessary as I have enjoyed many stories without understanding the author at all.

3) Is it possible to appreciate the text without pre-reading about the historical and cultural context of the novel / background of the novel?

Yes it is possible but only on a shallow level, as understanding the context/background of the novel would give a deeper understanding of the text, such as why blacks are looked down upon, and why Scout's father was shunned when he defended a black. I think that understanding these points would make the story more enjoyable as some of the themes (eg.racism) would become clearer to us.

Prejudice

1) What do I already know about prejudice?

Prejudice is the unfair treatment of an individual or a group of people or even an entire race. It can be expressed in many different ways, such as discrimination or stereotyping. An example of stereotyping is that all Americans are obese, loudmouthed and arrogant. This is definitely untrue. Discrimination could be seen in America in the past, where the whites looked down on blacks and saw them as inferior.

2) What do I want to know about prejudice?

I want to know more about what causes prejudice in people and how people express prejudice. There is not much prejudice in Singapore so it is difficult to have first hand experience of prejudice.

3) What have I learnt about prejudice

I learnt that prejudice affects people not only physically but also mentally. Because of prejudice, there are more cases of suicide, murder, abuse, assault and terrorism. I believe that prejudice is extremely unfair because all humans are the same, no matter what their skin color or beliefs. Prejudice still has a strong presence in the world, especially in stereotypes, against muslims, against asians, against americans etc. I hope that in the future prejudice will be a thing of the past and that everyone should learn to live with each other.


Generalisations about Prejudice:

1) Prejudice can hurt peoples feelings
2) Prejudice is a form of bias
3) Prejudice can be seen in many forms, including discrimination, bigotry and stereotyping
4) Prejudice is caused by differences in beliefs between people
5) Prejudice increases suicide, murder, abuse, and assault among people
6) Prejudice arises before people get a chance to understand each other

"The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls" by Harry Wadworth Longfellow

The tide rises, the tide falls,

The twilight darkens, the curlew calls,

Along the sea sands, damp and brown,

The traveller hastens towards the town,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

Darkness settles on roofs and walls,

But the sea, the sea in the darkness calls,

But little waves, with their soft, white hands,

Efface the footprints in the sands,

And the tide rises, the tide falls.

The morning breaks, the steeds in their stalls

Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls,

The day returns, but nevermore,

Returns the traveller to the shore,

And the tide rises, the tide falls

The most important message is man versus nature. In this case, man is the loser. The tide represents nature and the footprints in the sand represent mankind. The tide eventually erases all the footprints, showing that nature will always win and nothing man does is eternal. The tide will continue rising and falling while the man is forgotten.

Another theme is about our actions. The traveller is sure that getting to the town is worth more than the tide or nature. His deed is worth more than all of these to him, but the tide and nature wash him away easily, just as time can wash away our individual actions and render them null and void.

A third interpretation is that no matter what happened yesterday, today is a new day, and whatever is in the past remains there. The poet is trying to express that we must concentrate on the present, not the past or the future.

This poem left a deep impression on me because it struck me how true this poem is. No matter how great you are, in a couple thousand years, people do not even remember your name. Its as if you never even existed. It also showed how puny mankind is in the face of nature. Our lives, aspirations could be stripped away in an instant.

However, the poem also inspired me to not procrastinate. We should seize the day, because as the saying goes, "live for today for tomorrow never comes". We never know what will happen in the future, and so you should give your all into everything you do.

Even though you will eventually be forgotten, I feel that you should not be discouraged, whether you are rich or poor, young or old, I think that what matters is the present, and whether you have a small or large impact, what matters is that you try.

I really enjoyed this poem because i felt that it ran a lot deeper than most poems I have read and it was more relatable to me than most other types of poems (war poems, love poems etc). I would recommend others to read it and it is definitely one of my favorite poems.

Yay welcome to my LA blog! Hope you enjoy the posts :D