Personalised Passion Project Reflection

We planned our passion project last term; we brainstormed ideas of what we could do; we decided that we would create a sculpture that is inspired by a Japanese beast, we call our creation The Beast King. Additionally, we not only made a sculpture inspired by Japanese culture, but we also made it into a sustainable sculpture using environment-friendly materials such as cardboard and newspaper. Our group and I used adhesives such as glue, duct tape and wires to put the pieces together. 

This design embellished a complex design showcasing the history, culture and mythology of Japan. Our driving question was "How can we use sustainable materials (recycle), such as newspaper and cardboard to create art--life-size sculpture?"

The figure was constructed in a way in which is easily severed. Almost puzzle-like, the head, torso, lower body including the hair is detachable for easy access. How such body parts were built systematically and with an essence of a puzzle as well. Taking influence from the Japanese culture once more in the form of construction. "Miyadaiku" is a style of carpentry in which works by making joints in the woods and putting them concurrently; it doesn't use any glue, adhesives or nails. 

To conclude, our passion project was a success because of our hard work, as well as our teamwork. It was such a fun activity because we were able to unleash our creativity and modification. We did encounter some struggles. Which appeared in us needing to adjust and negotiate. However, we worked together and got through it triumphantly

Social Studies: The Gods of the Waters

 

English: The Red Sari by Apirana Taylor

 In English, we are starting a new topic called "The Red Sari" by Apirana Taylor.   

Story Link: https://tierafoy.weebly.com/uploads/2/0/3/5/20359387/the_red_sari_by_apirana_taylor.pdf

Key Words (From the story): 

Rupee - A rupee is a name for currency in some Asian countries, such as Indian, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and more.

Sahib - Sahib is a title or a form of address towards men.

Memsahib - A respectful way of addressing upper-class women or married white women by non-white people. 

Sari - A sari is a traditional women's garment worn in South East Asia. 

Waiata Ringa Ringa - It is an action song that displayed Polynesian practices that fortifies the movements of the arms and the actions of the hand.

In “The Red Sari,” the narrator experiences a very different world to NZ. What is a quote from this story which shows this? 

What do you think the author, Apirana Taylor, wanted us to understand about experiencing different cultures?  

In my opinion, Apirana Taylor showcased the difference of cultures between the Indians and the others. It shows. It exposes that cultural diversity. It also shows the comparison, as well as similarities to other countries, such as countries with less pollution, countries in which there weren't a lot of beggars. On the other hand, it shows countries that do suffer from poverty, countries that are poor and are asking people for money.

Does Apirana Taylor encourage us to appreciate people who are different to us? How so? Yes, in the text, Apirana Taylor said that the woman had beautiful skin and was wearing a beautiful sari. It is indicated that Apirana Taylor appreciates other cultures and that we are all different. He is showcasing cultural diversity.

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Find one MINOR SENTENCE (grammatically incorrect, partial sentence or fragment) in The Red Sari. Why do you think the author chose to write in this way? What is the effect of this on the reader?

"From beneath muds and dust, she looks in at the haves"

I think the author wrote this way to show the difference between the narrator and the woman in red clothing, to show that the narrator has something because of the word "haves", which we can assume that is means something you "have" or someone who has something. It shows that the narrator has money, not technically rich, but someone who is not a beggar. On the other hand, the woman didn't have anything, in fact, she was a beggar and she was asking for money from the man in the car. 

This sentence created an impact on the reader to show that people who live in poverty would do anything to get something, to earn something, like money, to be able to survive in this world. It shows the point of view of the man in the car (narrator), and how he felt during the event. 

“Kali -- goddess of destruction -- rules” is an example of an ALLUSION (a reference to mythology, another text, historical event or person). Why did the author include this allusion in his writing? What is the effect of this on the reader? Because it creates a deeper meaning and purpose in the story and compares it to another show or text with which some people may be familiar.

Find an example of REPETITION in the story. What is the effect of this? 

They are dirty, filthy beggars. Dirty filthy. Dirty filthy stinking beggars. 

The purpose of this was to emphasize a point or create an idea, on which the character is trapped on.

Music Reflection

What I enjoyed in Music last term was practising for our performance. I enjoyed it because I was grouped with my friends that made our practise fun. Whenever we make mistake, there wasn't any serious reaction, like someone getting mad or pissed, instead, it was hilarious. 

I didn't learn any skill last term but I did improve on performing, I wasn't really that comfortable performing in front of an audience nor someone watching me sing, unless it was my friend. But I built up courage and was able to take on the challenge, beside, the performance was gonna be marked in the report. 

My group were recorded on our performance because we didn't really have a lot of time to perform in front of an audience. My group performed "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley. Janel and I were the vocals, we would alternate on singing, while Shiela was doing the piano. 

This the video of our performance: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GmNIR10Rj8blWBThEM90XHpBVxYpkCeS/view?ts=6152390d

English: How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped

https://www.katherinemansfieldsociety.org/assets/KM-Stories/HOW-PEARL-BUTTON-WAS-KIDNAPPED-1912.pdf 

Post Reading Questions

Who were the main characters of the story? 

• Pearl Button - a little girl with curly blonde hair, and white teeth, had lots of layers of clothes, pinafore, petticoat, stockings, and shoes.
• Two dark-skinned fat women (Maori women), one was wearing a red dress, and the other wearing a yellow and green dress, bare-foot, and no stockings.
• Two small men wearing blue (Police)

What happened to Pearl Button in the story? 

Pearl was kidnapped by the two big Maori women, they took her to a log room full of other people who were the same skin as them. They gave Pearl Button a peach and she ate it, the juice running down her front, people laughing at her, they were amused at the little girl. After the funny event, Pearl was carried again but in a green cart with two ponies, red and black. They arrived quickly at their location which was the beach, warm sand, singing birds, and grass pushing against Pearl's pale feet. Suddenly, two little blue men came running towards, carried her back to the House of Boxes.

Pakeha vs Maori Living

The Māori of New Zealand lived in a more communal way than New Zealand’s Pākehā immigrants. Pākehā arrived in Aotearoa and immediately started sectioning up the space — from land down to living quarters. 

While European settlers lived in little houses, Māori people did not live like this. The pā can refer to any Māori village or defensive settlement, and is the centre of a Māori community, extending the concept of family out beyond the traditional nuclear family by European concept. Mansfield grew up alongside Māori pā culture and would have noted the differences.

Katherine Mansfield’s story ‘How Pearl Button Was Kidnapped’ (1910) can be considered as a paradigmatic example of the author’s use of family relations as a prism for examining a number of issues.

Pākehā vs. Māori, community, urban vs. rural, man vs. nature, conformity vs. freedom, order vs. chaos etc…

To convey these issues without being so literal, Mansfield uses allegory to hide these issues within her text.

Allegory: a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Symbolism

• Allegory can be hard to discern. 
• A great way to uncover it is to look for the symbolism hidden in the text.
• Symbolism is a literary device that uses symbols, be they words, people, marks, locations, or abstract ideas to represent something beyond the literal meaning.

What are some symbolism in the story?

Little men in blue coats - This means that they are polices 

Pearl Button swung on the little gate in front of the House of Boxes - Symbolism of the difference of living conditions between Pakeha's and Maori's.