Hello Students,

I know that there is a problem posting the audio documents. I have to imbed an MP3 player into the blog, which I haven't quite figured out how to do yet.
The homework for the blog is canceled, but your presentations are still necessary!

Mrs. Buckley

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, January nineteen, eighty nine is a poet, novelist, short story writer, literary critic, playwright and American publisher and one of the leading figures of American romanticism. Known for his tales he is considered the inventor of the detective story. Edgar Allan Poe, in his early childhood, loses his parents, David Poe and Elizabeth Arnold;

  he is taken in by John and Frances Allan.

After a brief stint at the University of Virginia and military career Poe attempts Allan leaves.

His literary career began humbly by the anonymous publication of a book of poems.

  twenty-six, he married his cousin Virginia Clemm, then aged twelve  years.

In January eighty forty five , Poe published The Raven, which was an immediate success.

  But two years later, his wife Virginia died of tuberculosis twenty January eighty forty seven.

   On October seven, January eighty forty nine  , Poe died at the age of forty in Baltimore.

This is the summary that we wrote in class for the Hunger Games.

This document is an extract from the Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins in 2008. This novel is a dystopian novel which talks about people in power and the powerless. It could be a totalitarian regime or a dictatorship.

The main character is a girl, and she is 16 years old. She lives in District 12, we can think that numbers are used for neighborhoods because it is a dehumanizing classification.

The extract begins with the main character who wakes up, gets dressed and goes outside.

Next we are introduced to district 12, which is nicknamed the Seam. The inhabitants seem unhealthy and function like robots. The life of District 12 is described and the people live like prisoners. Nevertheless, she crawled into the wood, and retrieved her weapons. We learn that she sells animals she hunted on the black market. She is reminded of her father's tragic death. She still wakes up from nightmares.

She then reflects on District 12's rules and that the people are too frightened to make weapons like her father. We see that the people are angry and powerless and they feel like they are under constant surveillance.

When she was young she scared her mother by talking about the government, but she learned to hide her emotions because she is scared her sister might repeat what she says.

Here is the address for the Oxford Online Pronunciation Dictionary.

http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/about/pronunciation_english

Use it often and enjoy working on your pronunciation.

Written expression

Now that I have the right to say everything I want, let me tell you how it was, in 1984.

First, our lives were unbearable. We lived in a complete dystopia. None of us was free, there wasn't enough food, we were almost starving. Plus, there were posters everywhere! There were showing us a man, wih a heavy mustache, and beneath there was a text saying: "Big Brother is watching you", while cameras were filming every single thing that was in front of it. Nobody dared to go out of their houses. Our city looked like a wasteland. Everywhere we went, we felt stalked, or Under constant surveillance. We couldn't do what we wanted to, the government was telling us everything. It looked like a real totalitarism regime.

Secondly, we all had to wear an ugly blue uniform. And every week, we had to go in a big rooom to watch a film, which was showing us Big Brother ideology, and what he wanted us to do, or to act. We all were part of his regime, the 'ingsoc" as he called it. For him, war was peace, freedom was slavery, and ignorance was strenght. Loads of us were feeling trap. We couldn't go anywhere, or do what we wanted..  We were like toys that he was playing with. Fortunately for me, one day I found a corner of a room that was out of the cameras vision. So everyday I went in that corner, and I wrote in my diary everything I was feeling or thinking. It kind of prevent me from losing my mind.

I truly hope that you will never have to live what I've been through, or know a totalitarism regime like that. We all deserve to be free, and live in a wonderful utopia, not in that kind of dystopia.


(Julie R.)

Written Expression

  The place was crowded. Many journalists stared at me, am I a freak? One of them, a tall man with long hair, was smoking in the corner of the room.
- Sit down! Mr. Smith will answer your questions in one minute! Screamed a man.
  I tried my best to sit but my leg injury reminded me. I smiled.
- Mister Smith, can you explain your story for the public?
- Call me Winston please. I have lived in London since I was born. I don't know any other version of London.
- Any version?
- A version without Big Brother, a version where you're not afraid of thinking, a version where nobody talked to you with a telescreen. I was scrutinized since always like a laboratory rat. We all were under surveillance! Big Brother turned us into slaves...
- It's your impression of the former politic regime?
- Of course. Tell me, do you know any other country where posters of the leaders are everywhere? Do you know another country where you're not able to speak out loud? Personally, I don't know any other. The former regime, our former regime was a dictatorship!
  The tall man looked me in the eyes. A small smile at his face. He was interested by what I said. Probably...
- We had a normal life before! Exclaimed a women.
- No we didn't! It seemed normal but it wasn't. The place, the odors seemed normal but what about Big Brother? What about the constant voice in our telescreen? It was an illusion! An illusion of normality.
- Are you saying that we lived in a world of lies?
  A silence. I didn't know what to answer. The truth will be like a bomb. I took a big breathe...
- Yes, we did. We were traped. Afraid to speak. Big Brother was everywhere; in the uniforms, in the posters... Like the Ministry of Truth. Or I had better say the Ministry of Lies!
  Some people laughed with me.
- The Minitrue will be destroyed. One word about that?
- It's good news! We will never be trapped. We will live in peace. We will hear the sound of birds and we'll see happiness in the street. It will be a better world, a world without oppression. And I hope that our children will be happy...
- One last word Winston? Asked me the man with long hair.
  I looked him in the eyes with seriousness.
- Peace, freedom and strength.
  I smiled. Yes, this will be a better world...

written expression

      I was sitting in front of an old man. He had white hair and black eyes. I was nervous. Many people were looking at me, waiting for my words. The man held a paper on his hands and started speak to me.

Journalist: So Winston, you are here today to talk about your experience in this totalitarian regime. I asked myself, how was it ?

Winston: Well, when I was at my apartment, there were always the same odors, the same normal things that everyone in this world sees. But, when I wanted to go outside, I passed by the hallway and I started to hear this horrible voice on the telescreen. She always repeated the same things and never shut up. The posters of Big Brother were everywhere: when I wanted to go to work or to the baker. It was like I was watched all the time by something following me, like a stalker. There was no liberty. I had to be carefull of any words and any moove I made.

 Journalist: You were under surveillance all the time ?

Winston: Yes, always ! Big brother was watching us like the posters said. This horrible face was in my nightmares. I dreamt of a perfect world where I could be free. Free to make anything I wanted, say anything I wanted to say. A world where everyone is equal. I'd live in these perfect world for a moment but after I woke up and I realized I lived here. Every morning I hoped that "Big Brother" let us live in peace and every morning I saw it's not.

Journalist: What are the elements that show you that you are in this totalitarian regime ?

Winston: Like I said: the propaganda with the posters everywhere, a fruity voice that I heard all the time, the impression that I was under constant surveillance. I don't know how I could work everyday, day after day, week after week, years after years whitout becoming crazy. The food was rationned by the government. I don't eat what ever I wanted. It was very awful and tiring.

Journalist; What happed next ?

Winston: A revolution. I was so happy and excited by that ! We are finally be free ! But it was not beautiful. Many people died. Houses were destroyed. The streets were on fire. It was... well there are no words to describe it. After, the government fell and a new rebublican one arrived. It's not perfect but now I can speak freely with you. I can eat anything and I feel free. It's not a perfect world but I still dream that one day we will live in the world I imagine, a better world where there is no more Big Brother.