Category Archives: English 10

Racism: Have Things Changed?

Racism. Has it changed?  Yes, but not enough. We now live in a civilization where black people have the same rights a white person.  However, we still have racism in our world today.  Racism has changed with people believing in the equality of black people and having laws that treat black people equally.  Racism, in the past, wasn’t illegal, but it was normal, with white families owning slaves, and treating them horribly as well.  Even after the Civil War, the government and the white southerners had laws against black people, putting the white people above anyone else.  For example, The Jim Crows laws made it legal for racial segregation against black people. This took place in the southern US. They had separated white people and coloured people, using different sections for black people on buses and trains, and making them go to different schools. The segregation on the bus led to The Montgomery Bus Boycott. This action protested the government with the separation and the mistreatment of black people. Racism has changed over time.  Black people were given the same Human Rights and equality of treatment that white people had.  Martin Luther King was a huge activist for the black community and became a well-known leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Other people and groups like Malcom X and The Black Panther group fought against racism and segregation. However, even though laws have changed and some racist attitudes have changed over time, there is still racism and stereotyping in our world.  The treatment of black people and other non-white people still exists in our society today.

Sonnet 116 Analysis

Sonnet 116 Analysis

In Sonnet 116 by William Shakespeare, he talks about love and how it is everlasting. He brings forth this message through the literary devices of metaphor, personification and paradoxes. In his sonnet, he says “Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks” Here, he uses metaphor to tell us that love will not diminish over time. Even though we age, love will persist. He also uses personification when he says “Love is not love/which alters when it alteration finds, / Or bends with the remover to remove.” This quote shows that love “alters”, “bends”, and “removes”. This are human qualities which love cannot actually possess. A paradox Shakespeare uses is “Within his bending sickle’s compass come; /Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, / But bears it out even to the edge of doom.” This is an absurd statement that may actually turn out to be true. In real life, love may very well persist until death. In Shakespeare’s sonnet, he uses several devices to show how love is deep, rich and everlasting.

Character Sketch D

In the story Sam the Athlete, by Stuart Mclean, we are introduced to Sam as a nervous and anxious boy going into middle school but, we see that he grows into more of a confident person. The author describes Sam through his actions and what others and his dialogue are. He is a dynamic character in that he goes through change and makes a difference in the story. In the beginning I would describe Sam as a nervous person who is worried about school, teachers and fitting in. The narrator talks about the different sports Sam has tried and most of them failed. Like when he tried out for a soccer team, he tried to stay away from the ball and go where everyone else goes but he gets to tired and completely loses track of anything that’s happening. “He inevitably fell behind the pack…”Saying that Sam is not a good athlete. I would also describe Sam as a dreamer. I say that because he is left out of a lot of the sports and even when his mom bought him “fast” shoes and told him to go for a run he had his imagination think it was a gunshot starting a race. Sam could be described as accepting as well. When Sam’s dad walked I on Sam when he had the skirt on, Sam told his Dad that he had accepted just going with the skirt and he doesn’t care because he is a part of something. “Like it? I love it” said Sam.” In the end when Sam continued to play for the field hockey team, he gained a lot of confidence and being dressed like a girl.

House Response

In the story “House” by Jane rule, a family tried to be normal, but for some people being conventional is not in their life. Harry wants his family to move into a nice big house when his wife, Anna, and there two kids would like to have a boat but sacrifice a big house. When Harry gets Anna on board of buying a house he believes this is what he wants and, what is better for his family. Except that when he gets a mortgage and starts to be paying more bills, he gets depressed and realizes that this may not be best for him and his family. So he comes home one day and hears a thumping noise. Only to find out Anna and the kids are knocking down a wall. To Harry’s and the readers surprise, he takes a swing at the wall and started to love the idea. This is the moment when his epiphany about a new house turned back into what they used to live like. The family starts to think about what else they can bring down, getting back there old, unconventional life. Harry’s epiphany was a wake up of what his life should be.

 

Life is About Experiences- Zac Olstead

This is my descriptive paragraph about sailing in the Gulf Islands.

I woke up to the cool air and the sound of waves splashing upon the sail boat. I stood up on the creaking floor in the cabin and walked carefully to the top of the 37 foot vessel. As I got to the top, a blinding light from the sun shined bright on my eyes and I felt the heat envelop me like a blanket. I quickly grabbed my sunglasses and felt the immediate relief that came over my eyes. After my vision adjusted I could see my parents as well as my aunt and uncle sipping their coffee on the deck. I sat down next to them and saw the other boats anchored offshore, just like us, all in a formation. The shimmering blue ocean reflected on the hulls of the other boats. I took a deep breath and smelled the salt air all around me. Soon it was time to sail. I heard the loud hum of the boat engine used to get us out of the cove out into the open water of the Gulf Islands. Soon, the engine shut off and we pulled up the main sail “whoosh” as the sail filled with wind. I cranked the winch rapidly to tighten the sails. I heard the howling of the wind coming through the sails. I felt the excited rush of keeling over and thought that I would fall into the water as the sails pushed us forward. Later I heard my uncle, the captain, yell to tack. This brought the boom swinging across the boat, “thud”. Then the sails caught the westerly winds, “poof”. I looked over to an island as we were passing by and saw the fractured rock on the shoreline, and the swaying trees in the wind. As we smoothly sailed across the water I could see an orca breach in the distance and soon it was joined by other members of its pod. As we reached another port, we got ready to anchor. The sound of the chain clanged as it plunged into the depths of the ocean. As we settle into Poets Cove, the harbor itself was breathtaking. Upon first glance I noticed several beautiful cottages set up on a hill amongst the greenery of trees and forest. Walking paths wound through the forest and cottages. Exotic birds chirped in the distance. The air smelt fresh and vibrant across the channel I could see snow covered mountain peaks on Vancouver Island. An hour later, I saw the sun setting. The burgundy orange colours reflected onto the ocean. We live in such an astonishing beautiful province.