report it!

.. it took me TWO DAYS to remember my password, in the last hour it came to me.. pathetic I know.

Debate #1 (December 11th, 2008)
Judges: Seth Epps, Colton Bissonette, Logan Lubuk
Affirmative: Dawson Lybbert, Ben Cousins, Justin SC
Negative: Stephanie Boucher + MacDonald, Rebecca Ritchie
We were arguing that Shakespearean tragedy has more value than modern tragedies.
“Golden Oldies”
“Versatile Vintage”
“Original Classics”
Our Points Made:
- better fits Miller’s definition
- are originals, influencing all that followed
- use of language and themes in more sophisticated ways
- less predictable, more exciting
Theirs:
- .. newer is better?

Debate #2 (December 12th, 2008)
A Case of Lunacy?
On December 12th of 2008, two teams went head to head to discuss the inner workings of.. Hamlet’s head. At 8:30 that morning, Nick Leblond, Yanick Lee, and Jennifer Ross buckled up their belts to judge a sure to be well thought out debate. Affirmative arguers Mary Collins, Michaela Blaser, and Ilayda Williamson started of declaring Hamlet/”Paul’s” craziness through medical speak and backing up those symptoms with valid reasons judging by the plotline. However, our negative brains of Melissa Watson, Kelsey Campbell, and Jessica Barton stood up for themselves by simply stating that the other team was way off base with their accusations, being unable to understand what Hamlet has been through in the story. Continuing on throughout the debate these theories from either side were discussed and torn apart, with proof flying everywhere of just how much of the students’ time that had been put into these arguments. With a close tally at the end, it was decided that the negative team had won, being most successful at highlighting Hamlet’s sanity. Taking into account the “name rule” which had been set up for our main characters recognition (calling Hamlet Paul), it was an interesting decision for the audience, finally ending with staring at the teacher wide eyed, everyone trying to decide for themselves what state of sanity was currently present.




Debate #3 (December 15th, 2008)
Give A Dog a Bone
Many would say Rockland District High School is a place of education, where knowledge of all sorts floats freely, and on December 15th, even more words of wisdom were thrown out into that scholastic air. Megan Marshall, Jayme Bedell, and Stephanie Wilson were rulers over this debate, setting down the ground rules before any geniousness could be swapped. Topic of interest for today’s folks; betrayal. Did Gertrude betray her son and old husband in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet? Arguing that she had done no wrong in their eyes were Tyler Keith, Alex van der Mout, and Jon HK. These boys quickly attacked whatever was thrown at them from the affirmers; Matt BT, Adam Young, and Stuart Gendron. With the word and meaning of ’betrayal’ under manipulation, definitions were given round to suit all needs that may arise. Love was often brought into question, whether about Gertude’s love for herself, her family, or for the whole lifestyle. The debates defining moment peaked when TK got into a worked up monologue depicting the rights and wrongs of everything being stated, whle still being able to throw in a good punch or two at the opposing side. It was done in a classy manner, so it was obvious it had to be followed up by a class-less duel moments later. Physical victories being awarded to the negative side each time a saber was raised, the debate ended on a high note for Gertrude‘s honour. She was determined non-betraying towards her boys and perhaps was credited for being more intelligent and cunning of her actions then thought beforehand. Each of the all male teams survived betrayal nicely as observed by the ladies.

rhetoric device*

Tapinosis

--> language for ‘attacking or debasing someone or something.
(AKA, name calling)

Basically, tapinosis is when words or sayings are being thrown at a person/concept/object, to make it seem less good and make it less credible.

This can be helpful when it comes to debating, fights or just proving a point. It will bring the reader/audience onto the user’s side, seemingly strengthening the stand/ideas.

Some examples of this in action could be;

‘Stacey didn’t want to move, the new town was so small, boring and ugly. Not a cool place to live.’

Person A: “Let’s go hang out with Billy.”
Person B: “Billy is a loser.”
Person A: “You’re a loser.”

Another example could be;
Name calling is everywhere, sooo..

In the ‘Twilight’ series, whenever the werewolves and vampires are referring to one another.
Emmet: “blah blah.. those overgrown, smelly dogs.. blah blah.”
Jacob: “blah blah.. cold, blood-sucking murderers..blah.”

On a side note.. when double spaced.. my essays are totally of legit length, Sir.

:)

TEST essay.

A French Feminist Look at the 'Wizard of Oz'

Mr. P. Murray
ENG 4UE
Department of English
October 28th, 2008

From a French feminist’s point of view, endless objects, acts, and movements can be perceived differently. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the ideas themselves, it is apparent after explanation that some of their points are valid and worth checking out. In the movie ‘Wizard of Oz’ there are many possible underlying jabs at women and man-praising. Some examples of these can be found in the movie by; noting the shape and importance of the city of Oz, noting the fact that Dorothy must rely on the men surrounding her for help, and seeing how the good Witch of the North uses a wand for her powers.

The whole journey to Oz, to get help from the wizard, is top priority in the movie. It’s what Dorothy is aiming for and is relying on to get back home. Oz is the highest importance, needing to be achieved. Now, consider the appearance of the outside of the city with a critical eye, thinking the way a feminist might. The towers and protective wall are all extremely tall, slender, and pointy, getting wider at the base. This could be seen as a phallic form and therefore characterized as a man’s “area” so to say. With all the hype surrounding these GIANT penises, it seems Dorothy is intent on getting to the ‘man’, stopping at nothing for him and doing whatever it takes. Also, because the city is where everyone is trying to get to, it’s importance can relate to the idea of men and it can be assumed that the movie is portraying the idea that men are the greater, more important gender, with all the focus and hope lying on them. This is just some what theoretical of course, however, judging from the time the movie was made and the views of that time, women-men views were different and the male was still slightly more dominant in control and decisions. Is the movie saying Dorothy is striving for male genitalia? Who knows, but it would be in such a subtle way as to keep it innocent for the younger viewers, then unconsciously relating pointy objects to important power.

To continue on with the idea that ‘Wizard of Oz’ is displaying phallic objects and giving them more meaning, think of how Glinda, the good Witch, uses a slender, pointy wand as her tool and source of power, controlling things around her and solving problems with it. If the wand is also viewed as a male part, then all of the power and solutions are “coming” out the end of this object, to the happiness of all those around. This can be seen as another obvious form of male control, leaving Glinda herself actually at service of the wand and relying upon it for everything she needs. As back-up, the crown she is wearing also has the same general shapely idea behind it, with two big “poufs” on her dress to act as other parts, connecting the bigger picture. Concerning this good witch, one can go further into the French feminist idea and say, telling Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road is another way she is leading her into a man’s world, by allowing her to rely on the opposite sex and not by just helping her out on her own, which she was fully able to do.

Throughout Dorothy’s journey on the yellow brick road, she runs into 3 different men, gaining each as a friend and at one point or another seeking help or guidance from them in some way. In a French feminist state of mind, Dorothy should be fine doing this whole quest on her own, not needing to ask anything of the men, nor of anything from the wizard, who himself, is a man. The fact that all of the male characters have such big roles in the way things turn out for Dorothy and her goals, says something about the way things work in Oz and, it being an imaginary, ideal world, made up in her mind, the way Dorothy views the male sex in her own life and dreams. Having a man be the target solution to her problems in this dream land ‘over the rainbow’, signifies the importance of men and their powerful abilities and control they have over her. For example, the wizard said to get him a broom, she got him one, end of story, she obeyed his demands no matter how dangerous for herself. One contrary fact to this whole idea in this specific movie is the fact that her three friends; the scarecrow, tin man and cowardly lion, are all incomplete, missing parts therefore making them imperfect. This portrayal shows man as less than great and her as a little above them in a sense. She is not missing anything, only wanting to get home, not changing herself in any way.
Over all, the movie ‘Wizard of Oz’ has a morally good storyline and idea behind it. It is more the visual props and depictions that give different meanings. It could have been three female characters instead of her three old friends, though this might have lead to a negative portrayal on women (for example, saying the have no brain). In most ways, this movie depicts men as the greater sex, have an important role in life and the deciding factor when it comes to how to deal with problems that may arise. With the use of shapes and character personalities/roles, ‘Wizard of Oz’ gives Dorothy a chance to seek after the male gender for all of her answers and get her world back in order.

‘Mrs. Dalloway’ Essay
Stephanie MacDonald
ENG 4UE
Mr. P. Murray


“Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself.” (Woolf 1)
With just the opening line of the book, one can already assume a little about Mrs. Dalloway as a character. She comes off an independent woman, or at least able to get what she needs on her own. Not to mention, with flowers being her current objective, it sets her up as proper or lady-like. These are one’s impressions of that sentence, none of it is directly pointed out or written, but it can still be taken away based off of whatever the reader takes away. The novel ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ highlights some different angles of impressionism through; the way the characters see each other, the way the reader feels about said characters, and the general appearance of the book itself.

The numerous characters in Virginia Woolf’s novel each have very diverse personalities, thoughts and opinions. This leaves plenty of room for each person to form further personal opinions on characters other than themselves. These individually formed impressions from character to character are right in their own sense but, pertaining to that character, may be completely different from their truth. On the other hand, it’s possible that what is being perceived is exactly what’s happening. An example of how these impressions are perceived is between Peter Walsh and his allusion of Septimus and Lucrezia as a couple in that first introduction in Regent’s Park.

“And that is being young, Peter Walsh thought as he passed them. To be having an awful scene – the poor girl looked absolutely desperate - in the middle of the morning. But what was it about, he wondered; what had the young man in the overcoat been saying to her to make her look like that; what awful fix had they got themselves into, both to look so desperate as that on a fine summer morning?” (Woolf 77)

In this case Peter has been given the impression that Lucrezia, the ‘poor girl’, is absolutely desperate involving whatever terrible situation she and her young lover are in.

“He dropped her hand. Their marriage was over, he thought, with agony, with relief. The rope was cut; he mounted; he was free, as it was decreed that he, Septimus, the lord of men, should be free; alone (since
his wife had thrown away her wedding ring; since she had left him)..” (Woolf 73-74)

“She could stand it no longer. She would go back.” (Woolf 73)

Seemingly, Peter has seen through what was going on, Lucrezia is in a desperate mood, wanting to go back. Septimus himself has recognized their situation as an ‘awful fix’, desperately searching for truth and seeing the despair in his marriage. Impressionism can also be considered when dealing with the view of a person from different times in their life, or relationship. Peter again has input of significance on this angle, when he comes to judging Clarissa (Mrs. Dalloway). When he thinks or refers to Clarissa he always first see’s her as his former love, remembering how they were together and how she had acted at a previous time. He uses these same impressions when first beginning to re-interact with her. Comparing his former impression of her soul, it’s workings and thoughts, to how she is presently acting, and those changed impressions he gets from her. It is a slight difference, taking into reason how he knew a different side of her at both times. Impressions in these character to character scenarios are biased, totally based on the person’s guided view.

The characters in ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ are also giving off impressions to a different audience.. the reader. The reader theoretically has less to go on than the other characters in the book because they’re just being introduced and have no prior knowledge of that person’s characteristics. The reader will have to base their opinions on what they think of the characters. This can be based off their personal experiences and how they relate to that specific situation or personality. For example, if the reader has been in a passionate relationship and been heartbroken, they might relate to Peter and be able to better see his side of the story as things move along. The reader may also be swayed into thinking different things about a person based on how the author has portrayed a “mood”. Their impressions might differ after reading an excerpt where a character is in one mood, thinking certain things, than when they’re doing/thinking something different. Here is a quote from Septimus, going on about human nature and in particular, about Bradshaw.

“Once you fall, Septimus repeated to himself, human nature is on you. Holmes and Bradshaw are on you. They scour the desert. They fly screaming into wilderness. The rack and the thumbscrew are applied. Human nature is remorseless. “ (Woolf 107)

After reading that one might think that Septimus is depressed, and disappointed or spiteful towards humans and their actions. From these points a reader may get a negative feel from the character and refer to that feeling later on while reading about them, therefore influencing their impression.

“Septimus was one of the first to volunteer. He went to France to save an England which consisted almost entirely of Shakespeare’s plays and Miss Isabel Pole in the green dress walking in the square.” (Woolf 94)

Now in contrast, after reading this part, it seems like Septimus is a kind man, eager to help his fellow men and save lives. This impression is much more positive and can leave the reader feeling connected to Septimus because of his human compassion. These ideas that the reader has perceived are totally based off of how they can relate to the personality of that character and their actions.

With impressionism being a major theme throughout this story, it is understandable that the presentation of the book itself has a little bit of impressionistic thought behind it. One way Virginia Woolf and her publishers have used this is through the look of the cover on the novel. It’s an abstract picture, made up of many little shapes and smudges. When one first glances at this picture, they may just see the variety of colourful shapes and a woman’s face, with her bright red lips. Taking into consideration the title and content of the novel, it can be assumed that this prominently displayed woman is Clarissa Dalloway, as if to show that she is the focus of the book, with the storyline revolving around her. A deeper look at the cover image and it becomes apparent there are other people and objects in the background, some more defined than others. Using the same train of though as used on the bold woman, it’s assumed that all of these background pictures have a role in the story, perhaps as characters, slightly less obvious than Mrs. Dalloway but have just as much effect on the story. Without one of these background characters, the shapes and colours wouldn’t have the same pattern, ruining a part of the picture, just like the lack of a character would destroy parts of the novel content itself. The content of the novel is also foreshadowed by the teaser on the back of the book. It mentions the party, Clarissa, her past, unnamed friends, and Septimus. By only mentioning these two main characters, it gives the impressions of what the story will revolve around yet again. If you relate those two characters, after knowing more about them from reading the book, it’s almost as if the teaser was only mentioning those two because they are on the opposite ends of the spectrum in the book, having completely different views and positions, and never quite intertwining, unlike the rest of the characters, who in at least some small way interacted with each.

Overall, this novel could be taken numerous ways, all depending upon how the reader interacted with the story and what impressions they were able to grasp from it. After seeing how the characters views of each other were achieved, how easily their own opinions were swayed, and how the book’s first impression was, it’s obvious that a persons impression dictates the way a story is read and understood.




References
Novel:
Woolf, Virginia. Mrs. Dalloway. England: Penguin Books, 1992.

'small' essay outline.

tree-ree-ree;

The novel ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ highlights the different angles of impressionism through; the way the characters see each other, the way the reader feels about said characters, and the general presentation of the book itself.

r#1/ The way the characters see each other.

e1 - relaying how each character views the other characters around them, based only on their take on what that specific character does, says, and through assuming, feels [whether those are really that characters true feelings/intent] and contrasting that to what thecharacter might be thinking/narratingabout the same points andhow they differ.

e2 - relating how past interactions and experiences have influenced the characters feel towards another, based solely on what was felt then, without a chance to change those impressions with present acts. *using Peter + Clarissa//Sally + Peter//quotes.

r#2/ The way the reader feels about the characters.

e1 - showing how each reader's impression of the characters can be different based off one's own experiences and how they relate, makingup how they came to their impression [using examples in specific scenarios].

e2 - comparing two quotes in the book, involving the same character, and discussing how each one swayed the reader's opinions on that same person/situation, just by taking a different approach to it. *using views on Septimus and his ideas.

r#3/ The general presentation of the book itself.

e1 - discussing the coverpage of the novel, the artsy-painting portion [based off the book I borrowed from the library, not any other original/remade cover].

e2 - talking about the title and "teaser" on the back of the book, and how they right from the start give impressions on what the story will be like.

"small" ISU thesis.

For the novel 'Mrs. Dalloway' by Virginia Woolf..

The novel ‘Mrs. Dalloway’ highlights the different angles of impressionism-based views through; the way the characters see each other, the way the reader feels about said characters, and the overall outlook of the book itself.