While Sarah does not have the ability to communicate the same way as others, I believe this acts as a very clear gateway into her as a character. Sarah's interactions with others show she is kind, compassionate, and helpful. She cannot speak the same way the other characters can but that does not stop her from going out of her way to communicate and help them in any way possible. Just in the first act it can be said that Sarah has a little bit of a crush on Manus. He is handling her with such care and attentiveness compared to how she has been treated in the past. This treatment has lead her to develop a crush on him, showing that while she tries to communicate with all characters, her interactions with Manus are motivated by something more.

• What are your initial impressions of each character, and how do you think they might develop as the play progresses?

At the beginning of the play Sarah is trying her very hardest to learn how to speak. She is not timid like someone with her disability might be, on the contrary she tries very hard to beat the hand she was dealt. This left the impression of a fighter, someone with drive and determination. She is able to understand the other characters and pick up on social cues very well which also shows that she has good social awareness and intelligence.

• Are there any contrasts between the characters that stand out to you, and what might these contrasts suggest about the play’s themes?

When Owen was introduced he was very loud, playful, and outgoing. While this does not seem like a negative thing at this point in the book it is in large contrast to his brother, Manus. Manus I observed, is more reserved and thoughtful, perferring to not speak to everyone at the same time, rather taking the time to personally speak with each person on a closer more intimate level. I think Owen could be representative of the British soldiers who are all about change and reform, while Manus could be a symbol of Ireland, wanting to stay classical and traditional.

This quotation, to me is representative of assimilation of a culture. The Irish language and traditions are being completely colonized. This quote uses the symbolism of soil so the reader can conjure up their own interpretation. What I thought when I read this quote was about the roots in soil being pulled out of the ground by the english, leaving behind loosely packed soil where they are able to sift through and put in their own culture in the place of another. "A new ownership asserted" to me is very clearly about the english soldiers in the novel coming and asserting themselves as the dominate powerful culture. The replacement of Irish placement by English is an erasal of culture and history which we know is a subject the play focuses on. I chose this quote with my partner because we both discussed how it represents assimilation in a truthful way, I think it is staying fairly impartial while acknowledging the damage the english has done to Irish 'soil"

At the same time, when the Irish and English characters cannot understand each other, but all nevertheless speak English, this, as Anthony Roche says, "gives a farcical tone from the audience's point of view to the mutual incomprehension of both sides."1

Thus far in the play I am able to appreciate the humour in it. Whether it be in the characters or the plot itself. When dealing with such a grave and horrendous topic, Friel uses comedic relief in his writing and characters so the audience does not have to feel such a heavy weight upon them while viewing the play. The quote I have selected above is discussing the fact that the miscommunication and misunderstanding between the Irish and the English and their language barrier comes off as extremely comedic to the audience. I believe this suggests to the audience that while both sides think they are right and believe the other is speaking gibberish, they both look silly on stage highlighting the stupidity in attempting to overpower ones culture and language with another.

It is, however, the schoolmaster Hugh who encapsulates the Greek and Latin learning ofthe hedge school, where he has taught for thirty-five years. Hugh can quote Greek and Latin authors-Sophocles, Euripides, Pliny the Younge

Latin is the basis of all languages. Everything stemmed from Latin. Closely tied with Latin, we have Greek. These two languages are considered the languages of knowledge. All math, english, and science were created and stemmed from these languages. Having the school master be the most educated (despite what Doalty might think) shows his looming intellectual power and class. Being educated shows status, one that the headmaster is at the very top of. We see early on in the play the effect the headmaster has on everyone. Whether it be everyone scrambling to get into positions when he enters a room, or trying their hardest in competition with each other to win his appraisal. He asserts himself as the leader both mentally and emotionally. This shows the key role Greek and Latin play and how the one who can use both languages the most is regarded with the most respect.

• Yolland practicing Irish

• The interaction with Manus

• Yolland saying he wants to move to Ireland

• The confusion with Owen's name

  
  

  
   - 4 characters (choose quotation that reflects characterization)

  
  

  Yolland- "I was passing a little girl yesterday and she spat at me" pg 43

  
  

  Owen- "Live on what? Potatoes? Buttermilk?" pg 45

  
  

  Manus- "Aren't they all at some level?" pg 56

  
  

  Hugh- "After all you dont dispose of the cow just because it has produced a magnificent calf do you?" pg 51

  
   - 3 literary/dramatic devices

• 
   - 2 quotations that illustrate 2 separate themes
   - question
  5. Choose an excerpt/dialogue which you consider to be pivotal to Act 2. discuss it with your group. as you discuss, annotate the excerpt. be prepared to discuss it with the class.

• i did not analyse these pieces through the lens of just colonization while everyone else did so this conversation opened my eyes to a lot of different point of views

• if i were to go back and change anything if i had to I would look further into the "we walk softly on this earth" painting because i thought that it could symbolise a lot of different significant things and has a lot of different modes of interpretations

What I wanted to add

• i wanted to talk more about how I focused on the theme of regret but nobody else shared this similar theme or something close to this thematic statement so it was hard to integrate it bc nobody was looking to change the topic so I had to water down my argument to try to fit it into what everyone else was talking about

• very obvious flat out acts of resistance

• stark, jawdropping, sometimes unsettling

• calls to action on deeply political events

• in support of womens rights

The Bloody Chamber

• gender dynamics

• oppression of women

• danger

• rewriting fairytales

Connecting key concepts

Both texts explore fighting against the gender restrictions imposed on women in both modern day and the past. Both the Guerilla Girls and The Bloody Chamber appear to try and rewrite history, Guerilla girls by incorporating famous art pieces, and The Bloody Chamber by rewriting "fairytales"

During this unit I have developed my literary identification skills. At the beginning of the unit, when reading Translations, I found it difficult to annotate because I knew when something significant was happening, I was just unable to identify what it would fall under. I found myself highlighting large, unnecessary chunks of text because I could not narrow down my scope. By the end of the unit, and while writing Paper 1, I was able to look at a Monkman painting and come up with the literary and visual devices I would analyze. Looking back the growth in this area is a very big boost to my confidence as I often found myself discouraged when I did not have as many sticky tabs or annotations as my classmates.

• What challenges did you face in this unit, and how did you work through them? Provide specific examples. 

One of my biggest challenges throughout this unit was being concise with my wording. When writing our very first practice on Translations where we were given a template to fill in, my feedback was mostly directed at the generality of my thesis and how I needed to be more straight to the point in my analysis, focusing on the "why". I was able to work through this by asking for feedback on writing pieces and integrating that feedback.

• How does what you've learned connect with real-world events, news, or culture? Can you draw parallels between the texts and with something happening currently?

The play, Translations, opened my eyes and allowed me to look much deeper into the theme of cultural assimilation. Connecting this theme to the events that happened to Indigenous peoples allowed me to analyze and reflect on the same theme through different lenses.

• Describe a task, activity, or text that sparked your curiosity. Why was it meaningful or memorable to you? 

My favourite activity was the group annotation and paper 1 practice. I really enjoyed going around and annotating all the different Monkman paintings because I felt very engaged and interested and everyone in the group mutually benefitted from the ideas being shared

• If you had the opportunity to dive deeper into one of the topics or themes from this unit, what aspect would you choose to explore further and why

I would have enjoyed diving deeper into plays and how plays are written. We read Macbeth last year and I would have liked to looked into it with Translations and talk about the benefits and drawbacks of reading a play in comparison to an actual book.

Example

Reflection on Society

Relevancy

Female damsel in distress

Only the male can save them (true loves kiss)

Happily ever after

Fear in ugliness

Curses 

Absent parents

Wicked older women

beauty=goodness

The Guerrilla Girls are pointing out problems with sexism, racism, and the hold institutions have over art.

How did they confront those issues?

They allow their audiences to feel engaged with the issues, evoking a sense of responsibility. They achieve this by simply stating the facts. They called upon the problems that were plain and did so anonymously. Crazy in your face designs and headlines.

What aspects of their methods were successful?

Their methods of creating loud, captivating advertisements led to their success.

Reflecting on the past thirty years, what kinds of things have changed as a result of their work?

All over the world the Guerrilla Girls have continued to inspire and empower not only artists, but women all around the world. Because of their work people have recognized, and admitted to contributing to the problem without even realizing it. Teachers are teaching the Guerrilla Girls message, informing future generations.

The first one was the 1991 Anita Hill hearings, the second being underground feminist punk rock bands surfaced in “Riot Grrrl” groups.

What is intersectionality? Who coined this term? What is intersectional feminism?

In 1989, lawyer and theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw developed “intersectionality” to show how someone’s various identities. This theory led to “intersectional feminism,” that formed as a response to the multiple ways women are oppressed.

What is the “Year of the Woman” and why is it termed this?

Before the hearings, seven democratic women from the House of Representatives marched over to the Senate to demand a further investigation of the accusations against Thomas. The very next year, more women were elected to Congress on voting day than in any previous decade. That year became known as “The Year of the Woman,” and 27 women were elected to Congress.

How did the Guerrilla Girls and Riot Grrrl Movement challenge and disrupt traditional norms in art, music, and feminism?

The Guerrilla Girls used anonymous activism to expose sexism and racism in the art world. The Riot Grrrl Movement disrupted punk with raw, feminist music and DIY culture. Both challenged patriarchal norms through bold, inclusive actions.

If i had the chance to further explore one of the themes from our Bloody Chamber unit, I would look into why the wolf is a reoccurring, symbolic figure throughout the book. I would want to do this as it had intiially sparked my interest and was one of the potential topics we could have chosen for our essay, but I decided to stick with what I knew rather than risk pursuing something I didn't completely understand. If I had more time, I would have liked to have done an analysis on the wolf and the role it plays in old folk tales, specifically the original fairytales. Doing this would have given me a deeper understanding and appreciation of the stories with wolves.

• When have you demonstrated a mastery/progression of these skills during the unit?

One of the skills I believe I have had immense progression in is my analysis. Working through the Bloody Chamber gave me an opportunity to explore the deeper meaning of certain aspects of the text, which overall enhanced my reading experience. Throughout this unit I was also able to identify a range of literary and stylistic devices. Prior to this unit, this was something that challenged me as I found it hard to understand what each device was and how it was significant to the story. Because of all the annotating and group discussion I was able to effectively identify these devices with ease and confidence. This not only helped with my understanding of the stories, but became a very integral part of my essay writing.

a) Physical Description (3 Quotations, 3 adjectives)

• Quotations:

  1. "He was around thirty years old, but they looked younger, with a square-built face and golden eyes like a falcon."

  2. "He looked like a fairy-tale prince."

  3. "He had the waist of a bullfighter, golden eyes, and a skin slowly roasted by saltpeter."

• Adjectives: Charismatic, wealthy, confident

b) Why does he want to marry Angela?

• Sees her and immediately decides she is the one ("When I wake up, remind me that I'm going to marry her.")

• More about possession than love

• Enjoys challenges and getting what he wants

c) Actions that reveal his character (3 actions)

• Wins Angela over with wealth and charm

• Buys the widower Xius’ house by outbidding his love for his deceased wife’s memory

• Returns Angela immediately after discovering she is not a virgin

2. Characterize Angela Vicario:

a) How does she feel about Bayardo (before the wedding)?

• Uninterested, pressured by family ("I detested conceited men, and I'd never seen one so stuck-up.")

• Feels powerless, no real choice

• Later, grows to love him after he leaves

b) Town's and family's expectations of her?

• Must be a virgin and a dutiful wife

• Marriage arranged for family honor

• Expected to be passive and obedient

3. What does the episode with the widower Xius reveal about Bayardo San Román?

• Uses wealth to get what he wants ("Widower Xius wept with rage, but he sold it.")

• No sentimental attachments, values material over emotional connections

• Persistent—keeps raising the offer until Xius gives in

4. Describe the wedding festivities. How do they contrast with the Vicario house?

• Festivities:

  • Extravagant, expensive, and excessive ("The wedding was a public event, with music, alcohol, and revelry.")

• Vicario house:

  • Simple, conservative, and strict ("The house was in mourning, dark and solemn.")

• Significance:

  • Shows the gap between appearance and reality—public celebration vs. private shame

5. What does the beating of Angela tell you about Pura Vicario? What does it tell you about the role of women?

• Pura Vicario:

  • Enforces societal expectations with violence ("She beat her with such strength that she almost destroyed her.")

  • Values family honor over daughter’s well-being

• Role of Women:

  • Expected to uphold purity and obedience

  • Punished for defying societal norms

6. How have the Vicario sisters been raised? What does the narrator’s mother note is particularly unusual and virtuous about them?

• Raised to be submissive, domestic, and obedient ("They had been raised to get married.")

• Taught embroidery, cooking, and housework

• Narrator’s mother’s observation:

  • They accept their fates without complaint

7. What do Angela Vicario's confidantes explain to her about a woman’s “honor”?

• Honor is not personal but social ("They’re all the same. Love can be learned too.")

• Virginity is the measure of worth

• Society prioritizes appearances over truth

8. Find 3 quotes about or by the narrator that reveal his un/reliability.

1. "Many of those who could have testified to the truth let themselves be convinced that it had never happened." (Unreliable—narrator relies on fragmented memories)

2. "We returned home trying to put together the broken mirror of memory." (Admits memory is imperfect)

3. "No matter how much I scrubbed with soap and rags, I couldn't get rid of the smell." (Subjective, emotional reactions influence his account)

the article describes this opening line as it establishes a pattern of "frustrated expectancy." The article argues that Santiago is unknowingly walking towards his death in tandem with the town anticipating it. everyone but santiago seems to be aware of his impending murder. this highlights a form of passive deception, as the town does not lie outright, but their silence ensures Santiago stays oblivious, restricting him from escaping his fate.

“He won’t even get off the boat... He’ll give an obligatory blessing, as always, and go back the way he came. He hates this town.”

this quote is connected to the church's indifference in the article. this highlights the contribution institutions have to the conceazlment of truth. The bishop, rather than being a fugire of moral guidance, only reinforces the town's isolation and abandonment. His empty gestures are parallel to the town feigning innocent. The town pretends to be innocent, when in reality, they could have prevented Santiago's death. This connection suggests that concealment is not always an intentional lie but can be a result of neglect or apathy.

“The image of the fig leaf also evokes the act of concealment in a narrative in which the role of the unspoken is paramount.”

the fig tree in Santiago's dream is interpretted in the article as an allusion to Adam and Eve, who used fig leaves to hgide their nakedness. The idea of "covering up" mirrors how the town supresses uncomfortable truths. Whether these truths are about Santiago's innocence, Angela Viacrio's lost virginity, or the mositivations behind the crime is unknown. The article also references psychoanalysis which suggess that many characters' unspoken emotions and subconcious desires shape the events that occur throughout the novel. This solidifies the idea that truth is not just concealed by external forces, but also by characters' unwillingness to confront their own hidden motives.

Global Issues Statement

The conflict between individual identity and societal expectations in traditional cultures

Quote 

“‘I knew what they were up to,’ she told me, ‘and I didn’t only agree, I never would have married him if he hadn’t done what he did.’”

Within this novel, Marquez uses irony, character perspective, and cultural context to explore how the GI of traditional societies forcing individuals to prioritize collective honour can result in catastrophe. In this quote, Angel Vicario expresses her approval of her brothers’ act of murder, not out of hatred for Santiago, but for fulfilling the family’s expectations of restoring honour. The author uses Angela’s voice, who once victimized herself to add an ironic twist. Instead of condemning the violence, she deems it as necessary, revealing how deeply ingrained religious and cultural guilt shape individuals beliefs. The phrase “I never would have married him if he hadn’t done what he did” highlights the transactional nature of relationships in this society, where personal worth and respectability are based on conformity to honor codes. Through this Global Issue, Márquez offers a critique of the way traditional communities can strip individuals of autonomy, even manipulating moral frameworks to justify inhumane actions, such as murder. He suggests that when collective identity is shaped around rigid gender and religious honor expectations, morality is often sacrificed. When looking back in the book, when a member of the society reveals she thought the twins had already killed Santiago, it flows so comfortably as if there is no wrong to his murder. This further supports the idea that the honour of his murder outweighs the horrendous crime itself.

Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul?

I know you will, I know you will, I know that you will

Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful?

In the chosen still from Black Swan, Nina is seen applying makeup before she goes back on stage for the finale where the white swan commits suicide. Nina is breaking down in tears because she realizes she has completely lost herself within the role and her own mind, and ended up fatally stabbing herself in her stomach. The second text I chose are song lyrics from Lana Del Ray’s Young and Beautiful. Both the film and the song explore what happens when we put our self worth in other peoples hands, allowing them to have complete control over our feelings and life. Both texts explore what it feels like to never be enough and be riddled with self doubt and hatred. While the song is a written medium, it is slightly easier to interpret compared to the visual still. This is because without watching the movie, the still does not reveal much, only a woman crying as she applies heavy stage makeup. The lyrics however, explicitly depict how the person is feeling, questioning herself and the man in her life, allowing him to dictate her self worth. I believe that the written text is more effective in conveying the theme because it is much easier to interpret in comparison to the still. Looking at the film as a whole, the lyrics are still easier to understand as the film is a psychological thriller, which leaves almost everything up to interpretation. The lyrics depict a girl not only questioning herself, but questioning her lover throughout the song. She is not sure if she will still be loved by herself or him if she is no longer young and beautiful. In Black Swan Nina is constantly questioning herself and struggling with determining the line between reality and her own mental game. Overall, the lyrics are much more effective in conveying these themes as they are easier to interpret and understand, offering the audience a more comprehensive understanding.