The Blind side

Todays lesson: 
Write an article on how literature / or films can make you more aware of social inequality, past or present.
Use examples from two or more English-language texts and or films to illustrate your views. 

We have seen the movie "The blind side", directed by John Lee Hancock. The movie is based on a true story from 2006. Its about Michael Oher.

This movie points out a very important theme in todays society. Like the fact that not everybody have the same opportunities. It also point out how difficult it could be for a person that wants to get rid of their background and history, to attend to a school and a job and a place to live.

Even though the main theme in the book is a fight for Michael Oher to became a great student and to get rid of his bad childhood, the movie point out how a nice woman open her hose and heart to Michael. Because she sees the potential in him.

The title, The blind side, has a double meaning. In this movie the american football is very relevant, and its is the grads and tackles jobs to hold the field open for the runnings backs so they can run.
But in this movie is also can mean protect each other from getting hurt or get into trouble. An example from the movie is when Michael and Leigh Anne are walking in Michael`s hometown and Leigh Anne was frighten, he said: Don't worry,  I have your back

Michael promised to protect her from the things she could not predict from the back. Like a left tackle. Michael`s position at the field.

I think this movie gives us a great insight how hard it can be for a person to live in a ghetto, and try to get out from there. Michael`s "friends" from the ghetto said he never would manage it and that he belong here. I also think that, if a person like Michael meets resistance on his way out, is easier for him to just quit, than for a wealthy and successful teenager. The successful ones do most likely have great parents to help them through various obstacles.
On the other hand many of those peoples have gone through a lot and realise that if they manage the see what they have see, they would definitely manage to became a part of another society.
When Leigh Anne and her husband Sean decides to take him home for a bed and some food, I think many people think that was an amazing thing to do.
She helped him to better grades, and her son helped Michael became a great football player.
Leigh Anne was very obsessed by using examples from how to protect his teammates, like friends and family instead of yelling.

When you use examples from things you have seen or gone through, when you are talking about love, family, friends, security and safety you are more able to realize that this is important for you, or for your family.

To conclude I will like to say that this is a great movie, and I really recommend to to everybody. It has a great moral and story. And the fact that it is based on a true story makes it even better.

 Have you seen this movie? What do you think?

My reading of The Hunger Games

Theme: “In a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV shows is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called The Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed.	The theme in the book is all over the Hunger Games. I chose the paragraph at the cover of the book because it gives a short, simple and catching summary of the book.
Setting: “We’re on a flat, open stretch of ground. A plain of hard-packed dirt. Behind the tributes across from me, I can see nothing, indicating either a steep downwards slope or even a cliff. To my right lies a lake. To my left and back, sparse piney woods. This is where Haymich would want me to go. Immediately.”	I chose this paragraph to point out how the arena looks. This paragraph is from the very beginning and there is also a Cornucopia in the middle of all the tributes where they can find food, medicine and weapons. I would like to have a paragraph where Katniss describe the woods, but that was hard to find. Even though she said that it looks like the woods home, and she recognize some trees. I also think that this paragraph gives a great insight in how great the author writes. This section is important for the book because it gives the readers a nice view in how the arena looks like. That gives the readers the opportunity to make linguistic pictures.
Plot “The rules of the Hunger Games are simple. In punishment for the uprising, each of the twelve districts must provide one boy and one girl, called tributes to participate. The twenty-four tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors must fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins.	I think this section is a great paragraph to show the plot in the movie. The author describe who the tributes are, why they arrange the games, where the games take place, for how long the games are ought to take, and that there only can be one victor. This paragraph is significant for the book because it gives the readers a concrete, exiting and catching description about the plot. It also works good as a foreshadowed to find out who’s became the victor.
Character development “The news sinks in. Two tributes can win this year. If they’re from the same district. Both can live. Both of us can live. Before I can stop myself, I call out Peeta’s name.”	Katniss changes a lot trough the book. But there is also a lot whit her that I think will never change. One point of development that clearly is important for the book is that she goes from thinking about her participate in the games as a death sentence to actually think that she and Peeta will come home, alive. When Katniss finds her fellow tribute Peeta, they start to cooperate. That results in a kind of trust, safety and feeling she never had before.

I find the book quite exiting to read. The author writes in a very exiting way, and she always makes sure that you have to read the following chapter. Even though I find some of the chapter like “page-turners” there are some chapters I find quite heavy to read. Sometimes the author goes way to long whit the small events so you almost forget what you read about. That is definitely a minus.  On the other hand, all the good page-turners, the various language and her exceptional way to write and keep the excitement trough the book makes the book all over quite good.

I would recommend the book to boys and girls over twelve years old. 

Today lesson

Today at school we continued working at our in-depth project. I have wrote a paragraph about my self to the author page.  
I have also contineud on my question

In-depth project

Today, at school we started at a in-depth project. My class are going to write a book together and also try to give it out and sell it. We are going to write about using modern technology in class. 

Today I started on a question about how I think my english learning would look like if I could create it by myself. I wrote about how I think I would learn english better. 

This project sounds interesting and I look forward to continue on it.

Have you tried a big school project with the whole class before? 

Life of Pi

I have seen some commercials about this movie and heard a lot of very nice replies about it.
It seems to be a very strong and catching story. I have heard that is an amazing book and that it is the book of the year. 
There I chosen to read this book in class. I have 6 weeks to read the book. 

Have you read the book? What do you think about it?

Edward scissorhand

Edward scissorhands is movie from 1990. The main actors is Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder.
The film director is Tim Burton. He has also direct movies like Batman returns and Charlie and the chocolate factory. 

Short about the movie

Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 American romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film shows the story of an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands. Edward is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter Kim
The music is by Danny Elfman. It takes 105 minutes to watch the movie and the main language is english.

A topic in the movie: To be different ?
Why is it wrong to be different? What makes it hard to accept that its wrong to be different? 
 I think we bound different with wrong because people today are afraid to became stamped as strange, looser, psycho or just.. different. 
If there is a person i school class who sits alone during the break, he is automatically stamped as a looser. If there is one with different opinions than the other, he is stamped as freak before you even have blinked. And if there is one who use untypical clothes she may be exposed for hate, or they may love it. 
It is important to not be afraid to be different. You have to be yourself, even how crazy you may look. Even if you look like a freak you still have feelings and you deserve to be treated like a good person. 
I think we look like being different is bad thing because people not are able to think good about persons who not follow the "the right way"
And I think we have problems with accepting them because we are afraid of became stamped as a friend of "the freak"
To conclude I would like to say to everyone who not follows the mainstream way: You are amazing! Stand for what you are and what you mean, but make sure that you are able to see a case from two sides and reflect around questions. Don't let anyone tear you down!

Trafalgar Square Christmas tree

The tree from 2008

The Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is a tree donated from the city Oslo of Norway  to London, as a symbol of gratitude and support from the British people during the second world war.

The tree is sent every year since 1947. Twelfth night after Christmas the tree became recycled and composed. 

The tree gets gut down in the middle of November and sent to England by the sea. It is the mayor of Norway who cuts down the tree.  At the platform were you can see the tree, you can read these words:

This tree is given by the city of Oslo as a token of Norwegian gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940-45.

A tree has been given annually since 1947.

Lightning ceremony

From the ceremony in 2006

The tree lighting ceremony in Trafalgar Square takes place on the first Thursday in December and is attended by thousands of people. The ceremony, led by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, includes a band and choir followed by the lighting of the tree with the flick of a switch. 





History from second world war

This is a link to a page of BBC. Here you can find a lot of stories from soldiers and civilians.  

This is a link to the story i read. The story in the link above is about two British RAF pilots who take part in the bombing of Porsgrunn harbour. Their plane is shot down and they crash into a lake. They are saved by two Norwegian Farmers who take care of them.

Later the Germans find them and kill the Norwegians before the pilots are taken to prison. This operation was preformed in April 1945. Not long after the pilots where arrested the war ended and they were set free.