Monday 26 October 2015


THE RIGHT THING TO DO:  A QUICK REVISION

1. CHARACTERS AND CHARACTERISTICS

A. Rebecca, David and Patrick 
  •  Selfish-  as they do not know him, they  think that it s their responsibility to help the unconscious man
  • Irresponsible - they keep on pushing the responsibility to one another 
  • Insensitive - the unconscious man may be in great danger but they are not concerned  about the man at all
  • Claiming undeserved credit - they convinced themselves that they are  the only person responsible in saving the man's life. 
 B. Woman in blue
  • Responsible - without thinking twice she stops to help the unconscious man
  • Quick-thinking - she knows what needs to be done to help the unconscious man
  • Assertive - she is able to instruct three onlookers to bring water, call the ambulance and give the man his pills
  • Sensitive and observant - she realises that the pills is important and that the man is talking about the pills.
 C. Michael Scott ( the man lying on the street)
  • He is in poor health and collapses in the middle of the street due to his heart problem
  • He is a grateful and pleasant person  as he graciously thanks those who have helped him. 
 2. THEMES

 A. Responsibility and civic duty
  • Rebecca, David and Patrick stop and look at the unconscious man on the street but they do not bother to help him as they do not know the man. They do not think that it is their responsibility to help him. On the other hand, the woman in blue is a quick-thinking person and she quickly gives orders to the people at the scene to help the man as she considers it is her civic duty and responsibility to help the unconscious man.
B. Taking charge in a critical condition 
  • The woman in blue is able to take charge of the situation. She knows what needs to be done and gives orders to the three people who seem to be at lost. Without her, the man may still be lying unconscious on the street.
C. Helping others in need
  • Once Rebecca, David and Patrick know that the man is a famous person, they are glad that they have helped him and take the credit for helping him. In contrast, the woman in blue helps the man regardless his identity.   
3. MORAL VALUES 
  • We must help help other people regardless their race, religion or status. The woman in blue has no idea who the man is but she helps the man. She has a different attitudes from the three onlookers who are extremely happy when they learn that the man is a famous chef.
  • We must help with sincerity. We should not take credit for helping others and  expecting something else in return. The woman in blue illustrated  this as she quietly disappers from the scene once the man is all right. 
  • Taking credit when it is not deserved is wrong. The woman in blue disappears from the scene and the three people deny her role in saving the man. In fact, they say that she refuses to help in the first place and take all the credit.
4. TONE AND MOOD
  • The tone is serious as there was a man lying on the street. once the ambulance has taken the man to the hospital, the tone and mood becomes lighter and relieved as Rebecca, Patrick and David take the credit for saving the man.
5. STYLE AND LANGUAGE
  • The language used is fairly simple and easy to understand and the drama is acted out in chronological order and it is told in a dialogue.
  • The play has only one scene.
  • The author uses irony to convey the messages as the three people refuse to help the man in blue but after being instructed by the woman in blue they help the man. Thus, they deny her role in helping the man and take the credit themselves.
  • The play illustrates sheds light of the attitude of some people in our society.
   
MODEL QUESTION
1.      Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character you like/admire/your favourite character. Give reason for your choice.
2.      Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about the behavior of a character that you do not like/hate/dislike. Give reasons for your choice.
3.      Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character you think suffers a lot. Give reasons for your choice.
4.      Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character that you think is helpful. Give reasons for your choice.
5.      Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about characters that work together. Give examples of how they work together to support your answers.
6.      Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character you would or would not like to have as a friend. Give reasons for your choice.
7.   Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character you think is unkind/cruel/wicked/evil. Give reasons for your choice.
8.      Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character that shows responsibility in a danger  situation. Give reasons for your choice.
9.   Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character who is caring. Give reasons for your choice.
10.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a civic consious that you think is interesting. Give reasons for your choice.
11.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character that you sympathise with. Give reasons for your choice.
12.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character that is persistent and determined to help others. Give reasons for your choice.
13.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write how responsility influences a character’s decisions.
14.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a character who is kind. Give reasons for your choice.
15.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about two characters. Explain how they are similar and how they are different. Give reasons for your choice.
16.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, compare and contrast two characters. Support your answer by giving evidences from the drama.
17.  Based on the drama you have chosen, explain why you find it interesting. Give reasons for your answer.
18.  Do you like the drama you have studied? Explain why you like or dislike the drama.
19.  Based on the drama you have chosen write the theme of responsibility and caring. Give reasons for your choice.
20.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about the theme of the drama.
21.   Based on the drama The Right Things To Do by Martyn Ford , relate an incident about responsibility.
22.  Based on the drama you have chosen, write about a situation or event where good triumphs over evil.
23.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about a situation that you think is tense. Give reasons for your choice.
24.  Based on the drama that you have studied, write an event which made you happy. Give reasons for your answer.
25.  Based on the drama that you have learnt, write about an event that teaches you a valuable lesson. Give reasons for your choice.

26.  Based on the drama you have chosen, write about an important place where many things happen. Give reasons for your choice.
27.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about the importance of having friends. Give reasons from the drama to support your answer.
28.  Based on the drama that you have studied, write about one thing that you have learned you should not do. Give reasons for your answer.
29.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about how people should behave towards each other. Give reasons for your answer.
30.  Based on the drama that you have chosen, write about one good lesson that you have learned from it. Give reasons for your answer.

MODEL QUESTION AND RESPONSE

 Short Stories - Tanjung Rhu (leaving No Footprint) by MinFong Ho
                       - Leaving (Changing their Skies) by M.G. Vassanji
Drama            - The Right Thing To Do (Five Short Plays) by Martyn Ford
Choose  one of the text  above  and answer the question below.
Write about the  moral values you have learnt from the text. Give your reasons with close reference to the text.  (15 marks)

Step 1: Read and understand the question
  •  moral values- more than one moral values
  • reasons - provide more than one reasons
Step 2: Introduction paragraph
  • state the text chosen and the author
  • write a short synopsis
Step 3: Body paragraph
  • Body 1 - reason 1
  • Body 2 - reason 2
  • Body 3 - reason 3
Step 4 : Conclusion
  • Write a suitable conclusion ( refer to the question asked)
 MODEL RESPONSE 

          I studied the drama The Right Thing To Do by Martyn Ford. The drama is about a  man  lying in the street. Three different people stop and look, but nobody helps him. After that a woman sees him and runs to help him. She orders the people that are looking to bring water and call an ambulance. After the man takes his pills the man he becomes better.  He is a famous chef. The people who are ordered by the woman, are very happy because they thought they had saved the chef. There are many moral values that we can learn from this drama.
          Firstly, we must help help other people regardless their race, religion or status. The woman in blue has no idea who the man is but she helps the man. She has a different attitudes from the three onlookers who are extremely happy when they learn that the man is a famous chef. 
          Secondly, we must help with sincerity. We should not take credit for helping others and  expecting something else in return. The woman in blue illustrated  this as she quietly disappears from the scene once the man is all right.  
          Lastly, taking credit when it is not deserved is wrong. The woman in blue disappears from the scene and the three people deny her role in saving the man. In fact, they say that she refuses to help in the first place and take all the credit.
          In a nutshell, we must help others who are in need. Just because something is not our our problem, it does not mean that we should not do anything. Being a civic conscious person is very beneficial.

          





WHAT IS A DRAMA
Drama comes from the Greek word dran which means to do or to act. A play is divided into a number of scenes made up of dialogues, speech, lines, stage an directions. Scenes are part of an act. An act may be made up of several scenes. The writer of a play is called a playwright. The cast consists of people who perform or the actors. Drama is a story that is told in front of an audience.
ELEMENTS OF A DRAMA
1.      Literary element
·         Script
·         Plot
·         Character
·         Setting
·         Dialogue/Monologue
·         Conflict
·         Symbols
·         Theme
2.      Technical element
·         Scenery (set)
·         Costumes
·         Props
·         Sound
·         Music
·         Make-up
3.      Performance
·         Acting
·         Speaking
·         Non-verbal expressions





1 open-ended question, requiring a simple personal response
1.      PLOT
For the exam, you must be able to:
i.        Remember  the story and tell it in your own words
ii.      List the sequence of events as they occur in the story
How to  remember a story:
·         Remember the pattern of events
·         Remember the chapter titles
·         Create your own mental pictures
·         Ask WH-questions
2.      SETTING
There are two types of settings; social setting and physical setting.
For the exam, you must be able to:
·         Remember where and when a certain event takes place
·         Say why it is important in the story
3.      CHARACTERS
There are two main characters and minor characters.
For the exam, you must be able to:
·         Describe the main characters’ physical appearance and character traits
·         Describe minor characters and their qualities
·         Associate key words with characters
·         Compare and contrast characters
·         Understand the relationship between characters
·         Make conclusions about characters
·         Narrate the effects of a character’s actions
4.      THEMES
This element refers to the main idea or concern in a story.
For the exam, you must be able to:
·         Explain the themes in the story
·         Draw conclusions about the themes
·         Connect the themes in the story to specific characters in the novel
·         Discuss and relate these themes to your own life and society as a whole
5.      MORAL VALUES
Moral values refer to the lessons that we can learn from the story. It linked to the themes of the book.
For the exam, you must be able:
·         Draw values and lessons from the text
·         Discuss the values found in the story
·         Relate the values to your own life and society as a whole
6.      POINT OF VIEW
Point of view refer to the angle or perspective from which a story or event is seen. In order to understand this aspect, as yourself the following question: Who is telling the story?  The author or one more of the characters?
There are two main points of view; the first point  person of view and the third point person of view.
For the exam, you must be able to:
·         State the point of view in a story
·         Make inferences and draw conclusions about the author’s point of view.

Saturday 10 October 2015

FIVE SHORT PLAYS: THE RIGHT THING TO DO

 
Martyn Ford is a journalist, author and one of those lingiusturites who isn't afraid to make up new words. He is represented by Clare Wallace at the Darley Anderson Literary, TV and Film Agency who, in his experience, has some of the best literary tastes of any agent in all of the known universes. His debut novel, The Imagination Box, published by Faber & Faber, was released in May 2015.

During the daytime he works for the Bordon Herald where he reports on all the exciting things that occur in and around Whitehill and Bordon. It's quite simple really, he just writes down true things that happen and then it is printed in the newspaper.

He's done lots of things, but it started getting relevant in 2007 when his writing career began. He was fortunate enough to be employed as a reporter for the Post Gazette series of newspapers based in Alton, Hampshire. There he wrote for titles including the Hampshire Voice and the Alton Post Gazette.

Shortly after leaving that position he put together It Happened to Me; a true story book published by Summersdale.

Martyn is currently working on various bits and, indeed, bobs including some fiction suitable for adult humans as well as the next installment in the aforementioned imagination box series. He spends a lot of his time writing and/or thinking about writing. Sometimes he even thinks about thinking about writing, which is a special kind of procrastination.
( http://www.martyn-ford.com/about.html)
 SYNOPSIS

A man was lying in the street. Three different people stopped and looked, but nobody helped him. After that a woman saw him and ran to help him. She ordered the people that were looking to bring water and call an ambulance. The man said he needs pills. At that moment the woman looked for the pills in the man's jacket and she found the pills. When they gave him a pill the ambulance arrived, but the man is okay.  The doctor recognized him, he was a famous chef. The people who were ordered by the woman, were very happy because they thought they had saved the chef.
 LET'S LISTEN TO THE STORY

PATRICK What's the matter with him?
REBECCA 1 don't know.
PATRICK Is he dead?
REBECCA No, he's alive, 1 think.
PATRICK Are you going ta help him?
'15 he deed?'
WOMAN Oh, be quiet!
REBECCA (To the others) Did you hear that? She said, 'Be quiet!'
WOMAN Be quiet and help.
REBECCA She said it again!
WOMAN (To David) Go and call an ambulance.
DAVID Me?
WOMAN Yes, you. And be quick.
DAVID But-
WOMAN Be quick! (David gaes away.) Now you- (turning ta Rebecca) go and get some water.
REBECCA Where from?
WOMAN From that house over there. Don't look at me like
that. Go!
I\EBECCA l'm going. (Rebecca go es away.)
REBECCA Me? Why me?
PATRICK You were here first.
REBECCA Yes, 1 was, but-



Five Short Plays

David cornes in.
DAVID What's the matter with him?
PATRICK We don't know.
DAVID He looks ill.
REBECCA His eyes are closed. Look!
DAVID Perhaps he's asleep.
REBECCA Asleep? ln the street?
PATRICK Wake him up then.
DAVID Why me? You do it.
PATRICK (To Rebecca) What about you?
REBECCA Me?
PATRICK Yes. You were here first.
REBECCA Yes, but it's not my problem.
DAVID And it's not my problem!
A woman in blue cornes in. She kneels down at once to help the man.
REBECCA Hey, what are you doing?
WOMAN l'm helping this man, of course!
DAVID Are you a doctor?
WOMAN No, l'm not, but he needs help.
REBECCA Do you know him?
WOMAN No, 1 don't.
REBECCA Then he's not your problem.
Five Short Plays
WOMAN (To Patrick) Feel his pulse.
PATRICK But 1-
WOMAN Go on! Feel his pulse.
PATRICK (Kneeling down and taking the man's pulse) WeIl, he's still alive. He's saying something!
WOMAN What is he saying?
PATRICK He said, 'Pills,' 1 think.
WOMAN (Ta Patrick) Pills? Look in his pocket.
PATRICK 1 can't do thar!
WOMAN Look in his pocket!
Patrick looks in the man's coat pocket.
PATRICK There's a bottle with sorne writing on it.
WOMAN What does it say? Read it!
PATRICK Ir says, 'For the heart. If you feel ill, take one of these pills.'


Five Short Plays

Rebecca comes back with a glass of water.
REBECCA l've got the water.
WOMAN Good. (To Patrick) Give him one of the pills with sorne water.
Patrick helps the man to sit up. He gives him a pill and some water.
MAN (Very quietly) Thank you, thank you!
PATRICK How do you feel?
MAN A little better now.
The u/ornan in blue goes away. The others do not see this. David comes running back.
DAVID The ambulance is coming.
PATRICK Good.
DAVID How is he?
REBECCA He's feeling a little better.
A doctor and a nurse come in. Patrick stands up.
OOCTOR (Kneeling down by the man) What's the matter?
MAN 1 was ill. It was my heart. That man gave me one of my pills. l'm ail right now.
The doctor and the nurse help him to stand up.
NURSE What's your narne?
MAN Scott. Michael Scott.
DOCTOR Michael Scott, the farnous TV chef?
MAN Yes, that's right.
NURSE Come with us, Mr Scott. We'd like to take you to hospital.
MAN But 1 feeI better now.
NURSE Perhaps, but you must go to hospital.
MAN AlI right. (Turning to the others) WeIl, thank you very much, everybody.
DAVID That's aIl right.
REBECCA We're happy to help.
PATRICK Get weIl soon.
MAN Thank you again. Goodbye!


Five Short Plays

The doctor and the nurse help Scott to walk away.
REBECCA He's alive, and he's going to be OK.
PATRICK He's alive because we were here.
DA VID Michael Scott-
REBECCA The famous TV chef!
PATRICK We can aIl feel very pleased, 1 think.
REBECCA Oh yes, we cano
DAVID What about the woman?
REBECCA Which woman?
DAVID The woman who helped. Where is she?
PATRICK Oh, her! 1 remember. She didn't help us.
DAVID 'Do this, do that,' she said. 'Be quick!'
REBECCA She said, 'Be quiet,' to me.
PATRICK That's right. 1 didn't like her. Did you?
REBECCA No, 1 didn't. Where is she now?
PATRICK She walked away.
DAVID That's right - she just walked away. She didn't want to heIp.
REBECCA We did everything.
DAVID Yeah. Everything.
PATRICK Today was an important day for us.
DAVID It was. We helped someone famous.
REBECCA Because of us he didn't die.
DAVID We were there for him.
PATRICK It was the right thing ta do.
REBECCA Yes, it was. WeIl done, everybody!
DAVID (To Rebecca) And weIl done to you-
PATRICK WeIl done to aIl of us!