Structural features: introduction giving the context of the artistic work,the title,the author,director or artist
:description of the artistic work detailing key features
:summarising evaluation,perhaps including a recommendation
Language :use of the present tense
:descriptive adjectives and adverbs
:emotive verbs reflecting the author's judgment
Examples : a book/movie review
review of a website
Name: Rosalind J. Kantis
Class: Arts
Title of non-printed text: Spirited Away
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
1. How does the text relate to the theme of a journey?
Spirited away is a moving story about a 10-year old girl name Chihiro who trapped in a world where human were forbidden to enter. The town is full of mysteries and each discovery brings unexpected things that we could not imagine. Being a spoilt child, Chihiro felt the sense of security around her shatter into pieces when she realize that her parents had turn into pigs and she does not have anybody she could trust except one helpful boy name Haku. This movie is about the journey is searching the inner strength of Chihiro who at first used to be spoiled child. Innocent and the perspective of a child is portrayed in Chihiro character who felt helpless but at the same time the strength to live, the passion and her courage began to awaken. At first, Chihiro who felt her life is a plain world had changed into a high-spirited person as she struggled to live in the world she doesn’t know. The journey of her life in the mysterious world come to an end after she manage to break the spell and save her parent but her journey in her real life had only just begun as she changed into another person, bringing all the values she learn during her adventurous journey in the other world.
2. What is the main issue in the text?
The main issues in the text would be the love and courage to fight for our loved ones. Chihiro and her parents, stranded in the mysterious world experience unexpected things when Chihiro’s parents turn into pigs. As Chihiro wants to save her parents, she had to trade her name to Yarubaba, the ruler of the world where Gods come to rest. Chihiro struggle to cope with the life there, feeling lonely and despair realizing that suddenly everything counts on her own decision. Merely a child, Chihiro face all the obstacles with innocent courage and pure heart of love. She made some friends there and her attitude change the way people treat her. She even saved Haku from the evil Yarubaba, and because of her unconditional love Haku manage to remember his forgotten name. love and courage are portrayed in this story and manage to captured the soft spot of the audience by simply delivering the message through the story line and the character of Chihiro.
3. What quality do you admire or dislike in a character?
The main character in this story would be Chihiro and the quality which I admired in her is the courage and the determination she had to survive in the world where human is forbidden to enter. Being a child, Chihiro must be having her difficult time during her staying in the mysterious world. However the unconditional love towards her parents become her driving forces to survive. From time to time, Chihiro experience crisis and obstacles but with a courageous heart she face it all and manage to survive and save her parents. The emotion portrayed Chihiro is so pure that it can charm the viewers. The hope which bounds with Chihiro’s character makes all things possible and had helped her to cope with all the obstacles.
4. How does the text develop your understanding of the world?
Each of us from time to time will experience crisis from different life changing events and transitions, all unpredictable moments arriving when we are off guard. Sometimes situation ripped off our sense o security in ourselves which forces us to move beyond our comfort zone.
We did not ask for interference and we wonder why it has arrived bringing havoc and confusion in our life, but no matter what and why, it drives us to move across the boundaries, both leaving the past and each moments moves one step forward. The experience we encounter in life will make our life richer, changing us from one person to the better. We do learned from our mistakes but the journey of life will counts on how we cope with the learning process.
Reading Log
Name: Rosalind J. Kantis
Class: Arts
Title of narrative: Falling Leaves
Author: Adeline Yen Mah
1. How does the text relate to the theme of a journey?
The story of Falling Leaves captures the psychological journey of Adeline Yen Mah when she recalls her life story of determination to survive her enduring faith in family unity. Moving from one chapter to another brings different kinds of memory of unwanted daughter who yearns for acceptance, love and understanding from her father and her stepmother. Nobody could imagine that despite being a daughter of a wealthy businessman Joseph Yen and his Eurasian wife Jeanne Prosperri, Adeline had a horrendous moment in her life against the emotional abuses she suffered as a child. Her gripping story truly touch the heart of the audience and manage to elicit an emotional reaction along the journey of her life. Unearthing the past, Adeline recounts her story.
Adeline own passiveness and willingness to endure all the pain is at time heart-wrenchingly sad. In order to win her father’s love, Adeline would do anything to please them. As she continue her study and had her own career, she encounter lots of family crisis and conflict but she endure all the pain. As the memory comes with the sad realization that there is no unity among the family members, at last she was able to examine and accept her roots. With words beautifully expressing the complexity of the Chinese society, and family relationship, falling leaves is a memory of a girl’s journey into adulthood searching for love and acceptance.
2. What is the main issue in the text?
The main issue in the text is the struggle to be loved by a family that treated her cruelly and the unity of a family which Adeline wanted to believe that all of her siblings share together. Adeline wanted so much to please her father, to gain his acceptance and to be loved until she betrayed herself and went along with her father’s wishes. She struggle to do things in her best interest in order to gain acceptance and affection from her loved ones. Being helpful and understanding daughter to Niang at the last moment of her stepmother’s life, seeking for a chance to gain her Niang’s approval was very challenging for her. As she learned the truth that her own sister, Lydia actually keep sending letter to Niang, accusing her for disobedience, she realize that there is no unity in the family. Surely it’s not about money but it is about family and their common journey in search for a mother. Despite this realization, everyone of the Yen children remain to be on their own way rather than to confront the real issue in their family is a heart-wrenching story.
3. What quality do you admire or dislike in a character?
The quality which I admired so much in Adeline Yen Mah is she is a courageous person and she has a firm faith in family unity. Being emotionally and physically abused during her childhood, she endure all the pain as she thirst for love and acceptance from her father and to please her stepmother. Adeline had such a strong character in this story where she stand on her own credibility, trying her best in her study, keep good scores at her school and win the play-writing competition. Everything took her heart and mind to sacrifice her needs to be loved and cherished as a child, so that she can please her father. Thinking that by being good in study could somehow change he father’s attitude towards her makes her eager to pursue her study abroad together with her brothers. It took a lot of courage to face the world alone without full support from her family. Her endless love towards her parents and her faith in family unity had become the driving forces for her to become successful in her life and sustained her to continuously keep in touch with her family. Adeline is such a brave person, who recounts her memory of childhood until adulthood in a humanly perspective as she shows the character of survival to accept the life using the metaphor of falling leaves which everything will return to its roots.
4. How does the text develop your understanding of the world?
In this world where things are uncertain, people tends to rely on money in their life and think that money is everything and somehow posses some kind of power to control everything including ones life. However the true happiness cannot be bought in any means of money but in the way of acceptance and to love without condition. For someone who thirst for love and acceptance, money mean nothing, the most important thing is a family, someone who close to their heart. Only in the unity of a family they could fight against the bad party and by love and forgiveness will heal all the wounds of a broken heart.
Reading Log
Name: Rosalind J. Kantis
Class: Arts
Title of narrative: Dessert Flower
Author: Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
1. How does the text relate to the theme of a journey?
Dessert Flower is a story full of unexpected things, chances and opportunity. The story is about the journey of life of a nomad girl name Waris Dirie from Somalia. Her journey starts as she was running away from her father. She was thirteen at that time, living with her family, nomads in the Somalian desert. Her life had been build in nature, family and strong bond with the animals which kept them alive. The nomad life is the harsh one but also full of beauty. Her real journey began when her uncle who is an ambassador wants to hire a maid when his family moved to London. Waris got the chances and soon live in London with them. The reality is so real that Waris began to think about what is going to happen to her in the future. When the ambassador announced that they will be going back to Somalia, Waris refused to join them and decide to stay in London and soon her beauty was discovered by Terrence Donovan and began her life as a model. She was a nomad who comes with nothing but she struggle to learn English and soon help her a lot in her life. Chances and opportunity comes together with conflict which cause her a great deal in her life. Waris believe that God has a reason for everything happened in her life and soon found out that she could do something to give back what she had. Although she ran away from her homeland, she never forget her roots that mould her. This is a moving story of Waris’s life.
2. What is the main issue in the text?
The main issue in this text is the survival of life. It is a moving story of Waris who survive in her life despite all the horrendous experience she had in her life. To survive would be the hardest part in her life but she had no choice and it becomes the driving forces in her life to move on. As a nomad tribe in Somalia, Waris learned to survive in the traumatic condition living in the desert. However, running away from her family and moving on alone would take a lot of courage to survive in life. It is not easy for a person who simply had nothing but an innocent instinct to survive in the big city. Nobody could imagine how Waris could survive alone until she become somebody today. But through her firm faith she become optimistic about life and that what brings her to move on. Even though her life passages brings pain and grief, Waris learned to accept and to cherished all she had as she survive in her life.
3. What quality do you admire or dislike in a character?
Waris Dirie is a remarkable woman who survive in her challenging journey of life. She was a courageous person which I admired so much. She put all her faith to be optimistic in life. Instead of giving up and feeling despair on what she have gone through in her life, she learned to accept her destiny and move along with her life. Her determination to trace her experience and her culture showed that she is a courageous person who wanted nothing but to shared how God had helped her in so many ways regardless what people might criticize about her. Being proud on her own culture showed that she is a grateful person. Instead of being arrogant for who she is in present, she said that she wouldn’t trade the way she grew up because she treasured them most. She never forget her own root and culture but feel grateful that she had them as part of her life.
4. How does the text develop your understanding of the world?
The world may full of challenges but when one travels the road of life, the survival will be determined by the strength of one’s will. In reality, most people would given up their life when obstacles come along in their life. However, it makes me understand that everything happen for a reason. Being grateful and accepting with open heart is the most important thing as we move on in this life. After all, life is a journey, a continuous experience which cannot be bought by any means. Waris shared the reality of her life as a nomad in Somalia, the reality of becoming a model, the perspective of her about the difference in culture, and I realize that it open up my minds to think in a wider view, to enrich life’s experience because there are lots to discover in this life despite all the challenges that we encounter. Opportunity will always come and it is not the chances we take will make the difference but the decision we make. Everything that happens emotionally and physically makes us a human and we should be grateful for God is there to sustain us to move on. The world may bring us to the darkest hour, shatter our faith until we become defenceless but it is the moment where we will find out the inner strength in ourselves.
Reading Log
Name: Rosalind J. Kantis
Class: Arts
Title of narrative: Boy Tales of Childhood
Author: Roald Dahl
Reading Log
Name: Rosalind J. Kantis
Class: Arts
Title of narrative: Boy Tales of Childhood
Author: Roald Dahl
1. How does the text relate to the theme of a journey?
This is the story of Roald Dahl throughout his young days at school and number of things happened to him which he recounts back to share his journey of childhood memories, from his kindergarten, his primary school until he finish his study and start working at a very young age. It is a moving story of a journey to trace back the background of his family and recall back the conflict and the struggle in his family after his father died. Despite telling all the sorrow he had and the bad times during his childhood, Roald manage to recounts such an interesting journey of his childhood. Roald share his experience and the perspective of a young boy who feel that everything in his life is a tremendously exciting which probably the only things a young boy could imagine. His life is a journey of a boy into adulthood as he recalls back the year between his kindergarten until he finish his study. Through his journey of childhood, Roald elicit the sense of humour and lesson as he told his story about the Great Mouse Plot and his experience of being away from family and his view on beating pupils at school. His experience taught him that beating is not the proper way to give lesson to the pupils. This story showed how little Roald spend his live with her mother yet he showed her that he cared eventhough he does not have the love from his father, Roald knew that by the love from his family, he will be just fine. The story trailed until he start working and he enjoyed his adventure in Africa and learned how to survive. Eventhough each year passed as he grew up, the time is his companion that goes with him on a journey. It reminds Roald to cherish each moments, because it will never come again as another story is waiting in his life, one after another.
2. What is the main issue in the text?
The main issue in the story is the unity of a family through bad and good times. As the story start with the crisis that happen in the family, it can be noted that through the unity of the family, Roald mother manage to survive and continuously support the family and take the responsibility as the head of the family. Eventhough they move from one place to another, the family stick together eventhough it was difficult for them to move on with their life. Wherever the family goes during the holidays, the will go together and the most exciting about it is, they stick together as a big family and they do not forget their own culture where they belong. Respect to the elders are clearly shown in this story and because of Roald great love to his mother he keeps on sending letter just to inform her how he get along with his new environment. As his mother cared for all the well being of her children, Roald mother wanted the best for her children so she wants all of her children get a proper study and their need are taken care well. Once again the story showed that family had a great deal in ones life as the whole family comes down to London to send Roald away. Although he went away, his mother did not show a bit of distress but shared the joy together. Thus, love from a family is so great that it can sustain us to move on in this life.
3. What quality do you admire or dislike in a character?
The character which I admired in this story is Roald Dahl, who shared his story about his childhood memories. It is difficult for ones to admit what they do in the past but Roald shared his story which is true and amusing. Eventhough some of his childhood memory are sad and painful, Roald accept it as part of his life and everything happened gives him a new experience. Roald shared his openness in the way of telling his view about certain things through his story. In fact, Roald is a gentle person who respect and loved her mother in his own way. By continuously sending letter to her mother showed that he cared his family. No matter where he go, he never forget to write letter to his mother. Roald is certainly a grateful person for he never complains about the life he had but cherished it as a precious possession. Through the story it can be noted that he was a simple person who took life as a journey and there is no doubt in moving on in everything that happened whether it is bad or not. In his experience during his school days, eventhough it was difficult and painful, he move on with it and use his best interest until he become one of the most successful student in his school. Thus, all the quality which he shown that the simplicity is the best and everybody can achieve what they want as long as they had the will’s to do so.
4. How does the text develop your understanding of the world?
Everyone has their own childhood memories. Some of it may be about pleasant things, but some may be painful and it can cause a great deal in our life as we move on from time to time. This strory had revealed that the experience we had since our childhood until we grow up is important for us to have a better understanding about what life means. Life is not about what family we had, what experience we had, what we had encounter in life, who we met and what score we get in school, but life is about whom we love, how we feel about ourself, sticking up for our loved ones, building up confidence and touch someone’s life in a way we could never know. There may be days that we feel miserable and full of doubt but as we took it simply by an open heart and mind we can go through all of it until nothing seems to be impossible. In fact all the experience is the best teacher for us to keep on learning new things. It makes me realized that the good and bad memories are both essential for me to move on in this unpredictable life.
