T.Y.

Looking back over my experience of Transition year, I can say that it was without a doubt, the busiest year yet. Whether it be projects, dramas, competitions or group trips, we were always kept busy and our efforts certainly did not come without success :)

As a whole, the year group really did themselves proud, winning awards in Scifest, Mini-company, Drama and so much more. The highlight for me was definitely the Mini-company competition - after a rather stressful few months of carrying out market research, designing prototypes and contacting manufactures, our efforts eventually paid off when we came runner up in the regional final.

Through different activities and assignments throughout the year, it has enabled us to gain so much more confidence in ourselves, acquire new skills and break away from the typical academic work in school.

Whether it be group work within the school or conversing with other schools during the competitions, we have all become a lot closer as a year group and made a great deal of new friends, which perhaps, would not have been plausible otherwise.

All in all it was a great year, I have no regrets and I would recommend it to anyone interested in exploring something a bit different :)

- Emma

Geography Project - Links

Post 1 - http://emmaknox.blogspot.com/2011/04/geography-post-1.html

Post 2 - http://emmaknox.blogspot.com/2011/05/geography-post-2_05.html

Post 3 - http://emmaknox.blogspot.com/2011/05/geography-post-2.html

Post 4 - http://emmaknox.blogspot.com/2011/05/geography-post-4.html

Post 5 - http://emmaknox.blogspot.com/2011/05/geography-post-5.html

Book Report - My Sister's Keeper

The novel which I chose to read was "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult, a controversial yet engrossing tale of a family's fight for survival in the midst of both physical and emotional unrest.

At the mere age of two, Kate Fitzgerald is diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, a rare form of blood cancer with a survival rate of only 20-30%. After discovering that neither Sara, Brian (Kate’s parents), nor her brother, Jesse, were a match for Kate, Sara and Brian grasped at the only opportunity of prolonging Kate’s life – a genetically engineered child, who would be a perfect match for Kate, thus suitable for donating whatever necessary, such as cord blood, lymphocytes and most recently, a kidney.

Ultimately, the novel outlines the heartbreaking story of a family torn apart by the tormenting question of morality vs. legality. At the age of thirteen, valiant and incorruptible Anna files a lawsuit against her parents, seeking medical emancipation – the rights to her own body and the ability to make her own decisions regarding her medical well-being. With highly established solicitor, Campbell Alexander on her side, Anna embarks on a journey which would, through a series of unexpected twists and turns, alter the lives of her entire family in years to come. Sara, a former lawyer, decides to represent herself and her husband Brian in the trial and despite her best efforts, fails to convince her daughter to drop the lawsuit and succumb to her wishes. During the trial, the truth behind the formerly nebulous origin of the case was reluctantly offered - it was Kate's wish to die. The highly anticipated verdict of the case ruled in Anna’s favour, declared by Judge DeSalvo and Campbell is granted medical power of attorney for her until she reaches the age of eighteen.

The phrase “Even if we win, we do not win” which was adopted by Anna throughout the length of the lawsuit, proved truer than anybody had previously expected, when she was left brain dead following a collision en route to the hospital. The young girl who was finally free of obligations towards her sister, finally enabled to lead a life independent of her family, found herself once again saving Kate's life. It is at this point where the irony in the novel really shines through; after a life-long battle, striving to prolong Kate's deteriorating health, it is the wrong sister who's life has been stolen without consent, the wrong sister who was swallowed into the abyss. After the surgery, Kate remained in remission for eight years, while a once audacious and insolent, Jesse, graduated from police academy. The Fitzgerald's maintained their strength by thinking of Anna as a gleaming gold star, watching over them with proud eyes.

The book is set in modern day USA and is composed of various anecdotes, intertwined into the main plot. I thought that the book was very uniquely and effectively written in the sense that the chapters were divided up into the mindsets of the main characters – Anna, Sara, Brian, Jesse, Campbell and Julia (guardian ad litem in the case). The novel was structured like a spider's web; out from the main storyline of Kate's struggle with her illness, spun countless other predicaments, individual to each character, weaved together into a mesh of dishonesty, misunderstanding and animosity. One example of this would be Jesse's pyromania, perhaps because of his parents subconscious neglect, resulting in his unyielding need for affection. One other thread in the tangle I enjoyed was the love-hate relationship between Campbell and Julia. As the story progressed, we watched in anticipation as the feelings they had been repressing for so long, slowly unraveled and they relight an old flame; rekindle their love. This allowed us to delve completely into the personal lives of the characters and come to a better understanding as to the why they turned out the way they did. These episodes enabled us to develop relationships with the characters and although in most cases, unable to empathize, feel some semblance of sympathy for each one of the characters.

Although unquestionably contrasting, all character's share one common quality - their need of a voice; their deep need of love. I found Jesse and Campbell to be the two most intriguing characters; both put up such a tough barrier and withdrew themselves entirely from the rest of society. Both men, whether unable to, or perhaps in order to preserve their pride, did not express this longing for affection and were perceived by those around them as delinquents, apathetic or simply insensitive to the feelings for others. In reality, all they ever wanted was to be given a chance, to not be judged, to be listened to. It has proved a sad truth that in the midst of leaving the inviolable cocoon of childhood, we get so caught up in our own problems that we become ignorant and oblivious to everything happening around us, we lose that zest for life that had once been so prominent. The majority of the time, children are treated as inferiors, seen as unintelligible or infantile, while in fact, it is them who hold the capacity to look at the bigger picture, to always remain optimistic & believe that anything is possible. "Kids think with their brains cracked wide open; becoming an adult, I’ve decided, is only a slow sewing shut" - Anna.

The novel emphasizes the reality that nobody comes without fault, that nobody is indefectible, that perfection is not attainable. Whether it be as simple as facing a lost-love and watching helpless as you are thrown back into the realm of the unknown, somewhere you never thought you'd return, or coming to terms with the death of a loved-one...behind every door, every fake smile, every confirmation of strength, is a person falling apart.

Geography Post #5

From Ireland, I moved on to Sweden, home on modern-day author, Stieg Larsson. I choose Stieg because I wanted to include an established writer of the modern era and his series have developed into a phenomenon today. Yeats can be directly linked to Sweden as it is where the Nobel Prize, which he won in 1923, originated.

Karl Stieg-Erland Larsson was born on the 15th August 1954 in Skelleftehamn, Sweden. Due to that fact that Stieg's parents both were too poor to raise him themselves, Stieg grew up in a small town with his grandparents. He looked up to his grandfather and admired his views regrading politics and morality. Severin (Stieg's grandfather) was strongly against fascism and was even imprisoned in a work camp in Storsien for rejecting the teachings of society and speaking out for equal rights and democracy. Stieg himself adopted these policies, angered and appalled by the treatment of his grandfather.

Stieg's real name is actually "Stig," however he changed the spelling to avoid confusion - his friend, also called Stieg, also had the hopes of becoming an established writer. However, both names are pronounced the same.

When he was only nine years old, Stieg moved back in with his parents & younger brother, following the death of his grandfather. It was soon after this, at the age of 12, when his passion for writing emerged. Stieg was given a present of a type-writer and stayed up till the early hours of the morning writing. At the beginning, his main interest lied with science-fiction and became chairman of the Scandinavian science fiction society. In 1971, he co-edited his first fanzine with Ruth Forsgren.

When Stieg was eighteen years old, he met Eva Gabrielsson at an anti-Vietnam War convention in Umea. Eva later went on to become his life-long partner until his death on the 9th November 2004 following a heart attack outside his apartment.

Both Stieg and his partner, Eva lived the last fifteen years of their lives under constant fear of attack. In 1999, a labor-union leader was murdered in his apartment by a group of Neo-Nazis, and the police found information about and photos of Stieg and Eva in the perpetrator's apartment. From then on, they never left their apartment together, removed mirrors in the hall and kept all their blinds down permanently.

It wasn't until after Stieg's death that he became an international icon. The Millenium Series - a series of three detective novels, that were completed but never published. Stieg wrote these novels after work, to relax and hoped to complete a total of ten novels, however never got to pursue this dream. The books are "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest."

Vasterbotten County is a province in the north of Sweden, bordering Angermanland, Lapland, Norrbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. With a population of 210,679, Vasterbotten was historically divided into two cities - Umea and Skelleftea - birthplace of Stieg Larsson.

Skelleftea is said to have been inhabited from around 100 AD by the Sami people and perhaps Finnish people, in parts. Today, Skelleftea has evolved into an industrial and mining city - for gold. As a result of this, the town is often referred to as "Goldtown."

Despite it's northern latitude, Sweden as a whole has a very much temperate climate, consisting of four distinct seasons and mild temperatures throughout the year. The South of Sweden has an oceanic climate, Central Sweden has a humid continental climate & the North has a subarctic climate. Overall, however, Sweden is much warmer & drier than most countries of similar latitudes.

"Nobody can avoid falling in love... They might want to deny it, but friendship is probably the most common form of love."

- Stieg Larsson

Photo origin

Larsson Quotes

Youtube

Geography Post #4

From Paris, I ventured on to Dublin, Ireland, home of poet & playwright William Butler Yeats. Yeats soon became one of the primary figures of literature in the 19th Century, and remains so today.

Yeats was born on the 13th June 1865 in Sandymount, Co. Dublin, to John Butler Yeats and Susan Mary Pollexfen. John B. Yeats was an established lawyer, however his passion always remained with painting - portraits in particular, while Susan was the daughter of a wealthy family from Co. Sligo. Susan's father had very strong political views and wanted Ireland to remain under the control of the British crown, while her husband, John, expressed his sympathy for the nationalists and those in favour of Home Rule. Despite his "hostilities" toward the English, John moved the family to London to study art at Heatherly's Art School. Though immensely interested in all aspects of creativity and culture, it was in fact Susan who first introduced William & his two sisters (Susan Mary & Elizabeth Corbet) to the Irish folktales, that would later be reflected in his poetry.

While in England, Yeats attended the Godolphin School in Hammersmith, prior to moving back to Dublin. He was educated in both England & Ireland and spent his summers in the serene west coast of Ireland.

In 1884, Yeats enrolled in the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin and studied there for two years. It was during this time that some of his first poems were printed in the "Dublin University Review."

Throughout Yeats' early life, he was actively involved in movements to bring about an Irish literary revival and acquired a deep interest in religion, politics literature and art. Although generally shy in the presence of women, Yeats did develop close friendships with women such as Katharine Tynan, Madame Blavatsky and in particular, Maud Gonne; a poet, feminist & actress with whom Yeats fell madly in love, whoever it remained unrequited. After several failed proposals, Yeats also asked Maud's daughter Iseult, for her hand in marriage. Ultimately, Yeats ended up marrying Miss George Hyde-Lees.

In 1894 Yeats and developed a friendship with Lady Augusta Gregory and in 1899 founded the Irish Literary Theatre (now called The Abbey Theatre). Yeats' play "On Baile's Strand" was one of it's first productions and Yeats remained the leading playwright for the theatre until John Synge joined.

Yeats' plays are usually based around legends and reflect his interest in spiritualism and mysticism. The play "Deirdre" in 1907 would be one of his most famous plays. Yeats' poetry, however displays his deep love of nature, his unrequited love and political matters. Some would include:

-He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

-The Lake Isles of Inisfree

-The Wild Swans at Coole.

In December 1923, Yeats was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

Sandymount, Yeats' birthplace, is a coastal seaside suburb in Dublin 4 - on the Southside of Dublin. The town is situated approximately 3.5-5 kilometres south east of Dublin City and is served by the DART commuter rail system. The area contains many large Victorian style houses, as well as some more modern developments, mostly dating back from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Located next to the village is Sandymount Stand, which is a prominent part of the south side of Dublin Bay & expands to Merrion Gates.

Sandymount is also the birthplace of John S. Beckett and the home of Gay Byrne and Mary Harney.

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

- W.B. Yeats

Picture Origin

Yeats' Quotes

Youtube - Poetry Reading

Geography Post #3

The next country I visited was France, home of Voltaire. Voltaire was a very important enlightenment writer in the 18th century and encouraged an action that would go on to start a revolution spreading throughout the whole of Europe - the Reformation.

Francois-Marie Arouet, more commonly known as Voltaire was a French Enlightenment writer, born in Paris, France on the 21st November 1694. Voltaire began studying law, however much to his father's disgust; abandoned this to pursue his passion -writing. Although today, he is universally acclaimed for his writings in philosophy, religion & politics, Voltaire is also acknowledged for his tragedies and continued to write for the theatre all his life. In addition to this, Voltaire was a very much established poet, so much so in fact that every rising poet submitted their attempts to Voltaire, seeking advice.

Throughout the 18th century, Voltaire became a voice of reason amongst the heinous teachings and practices of the Church. By the time he was forty years old, he was a very well-known writer and a wealthy man. Using his wit, charm, intelligence and sound common sense, he set about to inspire the people of Europe and encourage them to rebel against the injustice in society - the overruling power of the Church. However, this courageous act did not come without consequence.

Voltaire lived most of his life in constant fear of being jailed for speaking out against and criticizing the way of the King and the Church - an action simply not tolerated in this period. He was imprisoned in the Bastille on two occasions for his "slanderous" teachings. It was when he was exiled to England in 1726, that his philosophical interests deepened.

After returning to France in 1728, Voltaire composed the poem "La Henriade" which became very popular. However, other tirades regarding religious prejudice and the political system, such as "Lettres philosophiques" in 1734, were not so well received; they were considered offensive and caused great havoc in the community.

In 1754, after spending time in both Berlin and Geneva; he settled in Switzerland and went on to write other tales such as "Zadig", "Micromégas" and "Candide."

Voltaire died on the 30th May 1778, aged 83.

Paris is the capital and largest city in France and is located on the River Seine in Northern France. With a population of about 2,193,031, today Paris is one of the worlds most influential and leading business & cultural centres, focusing in on politics, education, entertainment, fashion, media, science & the arts. In both 2009 and 2010, Paris was named one of the three most influential and important cities in Europe.

The city includes two islands; the Ile Saint-Louis and the Ile de la Cité. These island together form the oldest part of the city. Consisting of most flat land, Paris does contain several hills such as Montmarte - which means "mountain of the martyr."

Paris has an oceanic climate - mild and moderately wet; generally Paris does not suffer from extreme heat of extreme cold.

Paris is one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with around 24,448 inhabitants per square kilometre.

"Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices." - Francois-Marie Arouet.

Picture Origin

Voltaire Quotes

Geography Post #2

My next destination was England; home of William Shakespeare, a playwright and poet born in the 16th Century. I choose Shakespeare as my next person of interest as he is universally regarded as one of the greatest vernacular writers - all of his poems, sonnets & plays are written in English.

The exact date of Shakespeare's birth is unknown, although it has been confirmed that he was baptized on the 26 April 1564 in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church - where he was later buried. He was born and raised in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire to John & Mary (Arden), and attended a local grammar school there, studying subjects such as: Latin rhetoric, logic and literature.

In 1582, when Shakespeare was only eighteen years old, he married Anne Hathaway, who was 26 at the time. Just six months after their marriage, their first daughter, Susanna was born, followed by twins Judith & Hamnet in 1585. Hamnet, unfortunately died in 1596, at the mere age of 11.

There is a great deal of uncertainty as to happenings in Shakespeare's life between his early life and his move to London; this period is often referred to as the "dark years." It is reckoned that he left school at the age of 15 and sought employment in a local company - perhaps working for his father.

Soon after his marriage to Anne, Shakespeare moved to London to pursue a career in acting and writing. There was a mass of theatres in London, as the Queen, Elizabeth I, loved drama. When Shakespeare began his successful career with A London theatrical company, he also learnt to sing & dance and perhaps even played the parts of women - who were forbidden from performing in this era. It is believed that Shakespeare wrote & acted in "Pembroke's Men" and "Strange's Men."

When the plague struck in 1592, all the theatres in London closed down and Shakespeare began writing book-length poetry and sonnets to fill up his time. Some of his most famous poetry includes "Venus and Andonis" and "The Rape of Lucrece." During this two-year span, he also began writing sonnets, totaling to 150. According to some records, his sonnets are dedicated to a mysterious "dark lady" - whom was not actually his wife, however other speculation indicated that his sonnets were more signs of the time's fashion rather than confessions of his own love. In 1594, the theatres re-opened and Shakespeare reverted to composing plays & published no more poems. His plays are very popular today as they deal with personal problems such as love, hatred & jealousy. Some of his most famous would include "Romeo & Juliet" "Hamlet" and "The Merchant of Venice."

In 1599, Shakespeare founded the Globe Theatre, built by a group of established actors, known as The Chamberlain's Men. Shakespeare later purchased another theatre, called the "Blackfriars Gatehouse." The Globe bruned down around 1613 and he moved back to Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Shakespeare died on the 23rd April 1616 and although never short of money - never found much fame until after this date.

Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in the south of Warwickshire, England and lies on the River Avon. This river served as a trade route for the town. It is both the largest and most populous town (25,505) in the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which consists of four wards: Alveston, Avenue and New Town, Mount Pleasant and Guild and Hathaway. The town of Stratford is in close proximity to Cotswolds, which was a major sheep-producing area up until the late 19th century & regarded Stratford as one of it's main centres for the slaughter, marketing & distribution of sheep and wool. As a result of this, the town also became an important centre for tanning (process of making leather which will not decompose) during the 15th-17th century.

The town experiences a temperate maritime climate, much like Ireland, where sunshine is scarce and rain widespread & evenly distributed. The highest temperature recording for the town is 35.7 degrees Celsius.

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

- William Shakespeare

Picture Origin

Shakespeare Quotes