Lesson 1 Writing Portfolio

Agamemnon
I feel as if Agamemnon is very independent. I feel this because when he is offered a
purple or crimson red carpet to walk upon as he triumphantly leaves his chariot
and enters the palace he refuses to do so. I feel he is very independent because he
likes to make his own decisions and think for himself. Although, he can be
dependent too, as when he talks to Clytemnestra he agrees.
Cassandra
I feel as if Cassandras main purpose is to promote the theme of death because she
lives under a curse and is the cause of her death and Agamemnons death.
Clytemnestra
I feel as if Clytemnestra likes to do justice, but in her own way. As she kills
Cassandra and Agamemnon, she feels no wrong in doing so.

Lesson 4 Writing Portfolio

From my story, I would like the readers and listeners to learn about what I had to go
through, and what caused the downfall of my kingdom and family. I would like them
to learn from my story about what the true point of life really is. Why does It matter,
because in the end we will all end up as soil.
Lesson 5 Writing Portfolio

Introduction
Topic: The similarity between the three works, Hamlet, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, and
Agamemnon is in the fact that each of the primary characters share the commonality of
possessing a fatal flaw.
Thesis: A fatal flaw is both prevalent and vital in the telling of the plot in each of the primary
characters in William Shakespeares Hamlet, T.S Eliots The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock and
Aeschylus's Agamemnon.
Main Points:

Prufrocks inability to make decisions is what results in an eventual irrelevant life which only
served to pass time without accomplishing anything.
Agamemnons arrogance and lack of empathy is what leads to his death at the hands of his wife
Hamlets utter confusion and peculiar reaction to both his fathers death and his fathers ghost
was the catalyst for the bloody finale in the play.

First Point
Claim: Hamlets fatal flaw is his confusion; his extremely strange reaction to the events that he
experiences. On the contrary Agamemnons arrogance does not cause him to over think things,
but rather to be oblivious to his surroundings.
Evidence: Hamlets lack of trust leads him to possibly believe that the Ghost is a demon trying
to tempt him with false information regarding his fathers death a goblin damned (1.4.40).
"Things are now as they are; they will be fulfilled in what is fated; neither burnt sacrifice nor
libation of offerings without fire will soothe intense anger away" (67-71).
Significance:
Clytemnestras contempt towards Agamemnon is gone completely unnoticed by him as a result
of his arrogant nature
Hamlets procrastination toward his revenge is a direct result of his ultimate confusion towards
the entire situation

Second Point
Claim: Prufrock's passivity was a blend of both of these flaws; he was extremely aware, yet
failed to make any action towards his goals

Evidence: Passivity is a prominent theme within the poem; when Eliot mentions In the room
women come and go Talking of Michelangelo (13-14) he purposely does not describe the room,
in fact it can be presumed it was an effort to make this fact insignificant in the ultimate plot of
the poem.
Significance: His superficial mentality along with his passivity is what consumes his time on
earth and leads to his eventual downfall; a realization that his life had been rather meaningless.

Third Point
Claim: The desire for revenge is a theme that is prominent in both Agamemnon and Hamlet, but
can be vaguely related to The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.
Evidence: Hamlets lust for revenge is the central plot of the play.
Clytemnestras only focus is to avenge her daughter, and serves as a message that ones revenge
can ultimately consume an individual and their comrades.
Significance: Revenge is a recurring theme within both Hamlet and Agamemnon. Within The
Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock revenge is not an obvious theme within the poem by any means,
however it could be an unavoidable byproduct of leading a lifestyle similar to Prufrock.

Conclusion
Thesis Reworded: The fatal flaws of each of the characters within the works Agamemnon,
Hamlet, and The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock are essential to both the character development
and plot within these stories
Summary: Hamlets confusion towards the peculiar events which he experiences serves as the
catalyst for many of the major events within the play. Agamemnons ignorance towards his
wifes desire for revenge, and her emotional connection to her daughter, leads to his ultimate

demise. Prufrocks passivity towards life is what results in his realization of his uneventful and
unfulfilling years on earth
Significance: These protagonists are used to deliver a message to the audience, and more often
than not the message is synonymous with each of their respective fatal flaws. The innate issues
within human personality are portrayed through each of these characters, and the consequences
they receive serve as a warning for the future.

Lesson 6 Writing Portfolio

2. The motif labour is used a lot. This is used by the immigration labour that is being
done in Toronto at that time, and is evident throughout the book.
3. On page 116, Alices puppet show which is a metaphor of the migrant experience
in the book, which represents the impotence of those without a language. This is a
metaphor.
4. I believe this was the title chosen because the word lion shows power, braveness,
and strongness. By the term in the skin, I feel as if it means in the inside of a person
that would represent a lion (using the qualities I just mentioned)
Lesson 7 Writing Portfolio
Vocabulary Activity:
Activity:
Match the following words with the correct definitions!
Abattoir - A tunnel where air is pulled out to decrease pressure and to create a
suction.
Venturi tunnel - A small wooden or metal peg used to control the flow of air into,
and carbon dioxide out of, a cask of ale. Also used to take maple syrup from trees.
Aphid - Heavy material placed in such a way as to improve stability and balance, as
in the hull of a ship or the basket of an air balloon.
Creosote - A place where hides are removed from animals and turned into leather.
Kew Beach, Toronto - The Northern region of Greece that has, in various times of
history, been part of Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo and Serbia.

Detonator - A slaughterhouse.
Macedonia - An amusement park in Toronto between 1907 and 1925. By 1930s it
was turned into boardwalks and shops.
Spile - Small lice that live on plants, small green insects that live on leaves and
branches of plants.
Corrections:
Abattoir - A slaughterhouse.
Aphid - Small lice that live on plants, small green insects that live on leaves and
branches of plants.
Kew Beach, Toronto - An amusement park in Toronto between 1907 and 1925. By
1930s it was turned into boardwalks and shops.
Venturi tunnel - A tunnel where air is pulled out to decrease pressure and to create a
suction.
Detonator - a device used to trigger an explosive device.
Creosote - A tar-like substance that remains after burning wood or coal.
Ballast - Heavy material placed in such a way as to improve stability and balance,
as in the hull of a ship or the basket of an air balloon.
Macedonia - The Northern region of Greece that has, in various times of history,
been part of Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo and Serbia.
Tannery - A place where hides are removed from animals and turned into leather.
Spile - A small wooden or metal peg used to control the flow of air into, and carbon
dioxide out of, a cask of ale. Also used to take maple syrup from trees.

Cover Design

Newspaper Articles:
#1: http://collections.historymuseum.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?
irn=5062697
Keywords: Immigration, 1930s
#2: http://collections.historymuseum.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?
irn=5123605
Keywords: Foreign Relations, 1930s
#3: http://collections.historymuseum.ca/warclip/objects/common/webmedia.php?
irn=5065186
Keywords: Immigration, Foreign Relations
Letter

I created a mix and match game. Basically you match the definition to the word.
This will help the reader understand the novel more as it will explain some stuff
better and it will be easier to comprehend and follow along. The cover design
creates insight because it leaves the reader wondering and interested. It explains a
bit about the novel by the title, but on the image you only learn about the setting
and time period, not much more. It doesnt have to be non-fiction, it can be fiction
too. It helps the readers relate to the situation and characters while resembling a
real environment. I feel like I found the sources/newspaper articles activity hard to
complete just because it was tough looking for meaningful articles. I feel like the
first activity will, this is because the reader will have an understanding of whats
going on if they know the vocabulary. Or else theyd be clueless.
Lesson 9 Writing Portfolio
Dear Mom and Dad,
It has been a great adventure riding the trains in search of a new hope, a new life.
Although the mood is very unsettling because of all the children who are on the
same journey as me, it makes me happy to know that I am not the only one. I
sometimes have flashbacks of the day when father came home, telling me that I
had to leave. I could not understand it at that point, but I do understand now. I just
couldnt be afforded anymore. I was sent to find a new life, some work, to maybe
return back home someday to help everyone out. I also remember the day we heard
the schools were shutdown, how I felt when I knew I would not move on to the ninth
grade. When I was told I had to leave at the age of 14. After searching for many
days, I have finally found some work. So have other children. I have made a couple
friends. Children who were in the same boat as me, so it was very easy to connect
with them. I hope someday I will have enough to come back.
Sincerely,
Dave
Lesson 11 Writing Portfolio
Plastic Bag Journey
Created when selected from store
Bringing bag home
Using the bag
Forgetting about the bag

Human Journey
Giving Birth
Bringing baby home
Spending time with baby
Spending less time with child as child
grows up
Disposing of the bag
Children moving out of house
Finding a new location
Finding a new reason to live
I feel as it fits in because at first the bag sort of had a meaning, which was to stay
with his maker and make her happy and support her. But then when she disposed
of him, he had to make up his own destiny with free will, he had to find a new

meaning. Whether it be in the winds or in the water. Thats why I feel this fits in with
existentialism.
Lesson 12 Writing Portfolio
1960s
(Be as specific as possible!)

Today

Environmentalism
Example: People were not concerned at all
with their impact on the environment.
People wanted everything new. There was
no recycling, no concept of pollution being
anything other than a sign of progress. In
the picnic scene, the Draper family is
packing up and Don Draper crushes his
beer can and throws it into the lake.
Betty, his wife, flips over the picnic
blanket, casting garbage all over the
grass. They leave without attempting to
pick any of it up.

Example: People are very aware and

knowledgeable of environmental issues.
A family picnicking would probably
recycle their cans and make sure that all
waste was in its proper place before
leaving. There are even fines today for
littering in public places. This change is
due to the public education that has
happened to date on environmental
issues.

Health (smoking, alcohol, diet, etc.)

There werent many laws against smoking
back then. Not just for public spaces, but
smoking in general. The practice wasnt
really frowned upon on, because we did
not know much about the side effects.
Drinking alcohol is not discouraged upon
on because once again we did not have
enough medical research in the field to
know the side effects of it therefore it was
a common thing to do. The diet was
mainly focused on red meats, cheese,
eggs, fruits, vegetables, etc which was
healthy

Today, there are many laws against

smoking in public spaces and the
practice is generally discouraged as
tobacco is known to cause cancer.
Drinking alcohol, particularly high-proof
mixed drinks, is also frowned upon and
would never happen during a typical
office workers day as it could lead to
grogginess, inefficiencies, and lapses in
judgment, not to mention car accidents.
Our diet has moved increasingly away
from cheese, eggs, red meats, and
greasy or fried foods, as they can cause
cardiovascular disease when eaten at
every meal.

Womens roles in society

Women were not treated equally to men

Ideally, women today are treated as the

in the early 1900s, but as the years

progressed women got more rights.

equals of men. They are not confined to

the traditional roles of wife, mother,
secretary, or spinster. Legally, women are
entitled to all the rights and freedoms of
men at home and in the workplace.

Childhood and the family structure

Children did not have much freedom. This
could be blamed on technology but also
discipline. They did not speak back to
their parents.

Todays children have more rights and

freedoms than they once did. They are
not taught to blindly obey, without saying
a single word back to a parent or
authority figure. Parents are very
protective and tend to do anything to
ensure their children have the highest
quality opportunities, schooling, and
clothing/possessions.

Work ethic, conduct in the workplace

There was good work ethic and conduct in
the work place. There were many labor
intensive jobs.

From middle-managers on, down to the

lowest level, employees are held to strict
standards of productivity, attendance,
and sick leave. Nearly every employer
has a code of conduct that they are given
the first day they start work.

Religion
Religion was very central and a main part
of a lot of peoples lives. It played a huge
role in affecting how people acted and
behaved.

Religion is not very central in todays

world. According to the 2001 Canadian
census, only 77 percent of the population
identified itself as Christian. In a 2005
Gallup poll, only 28% of Canadians
consider religion to be "very important"
and this number has been declining in
subsequent polls.

Fashion
There wasnt a lot of freedom in the past,
as you can see from the Mad Men

Today we have much more freedom in

what we wear. Only the most traditional

including when they were at home.

Women did not have much freedom either
and were restricted.

professions (investment bankers or Bay

Street lawyers) dress anything at all like
the Mad Men and even these
employees dress casually at home and
when out relaxing. Women can choose to
wear anything ranging from traditional
garments covering the body fully, to
pants, to unisex or androgynous clothing,
without much notice.

Marriage and sex

There have been more babies (the boom)
and also women and men get married at
an very early age. Although the topic is
not discussed upon in schools a lot.

Statistics Canada shows that in 2003, the

age of first marriage in Canada was 28.5
for women and 30.6 for men. In 1973, it
was 22.8 and 25.2. The age of first
motherhood has similarly gone up from
23.4 in 1976 to 28.0 in 2003. Sex
education and the discussion of sexual
topics has gone from a nearly taboo
subject in the late 1950s to something
taught in most primary schools.

Technology
Although there are many breakthroughs
and technology advancements, it is still
not at the point where it would be in the
present.

Advertising

Cars today tend to be conservative

looking and relatively small. Starting in
the1990s, the most obvious technological
changes are related to the Internets
domination of broadcast media,
advertising, communications, and datagathering. Today, the average tablet or
smartphone can supply us with a
seemingly endless quantity of
personalized advertising, audio, video,
news, information, and communication
options.

Without the use of much media (aside of

radios), there were a lot of
advertisements through posters and
banners.

Now that the old broadcasters like radio,

TV, magazines, and newspapers are less
dominant, their ads must be short and
tend to be loud, outrageous, or very
unusual to even get noticed. An everincreasing number of advertising dollars
are spent each year on targeted ads
that are tailored to match the needs,
desires, and aspirations of each person
who experiences them on an Internet
device.

Lesson 13 Writing Portfolio

Terms:
Irony, playfulness, black humor, pastiche, detective fiction, science fiction, and war
fiction, songs, pop culture references, and well-known, obscure, fictional history,
and intertextuality.
Song:
Every Day is a Winding Road - Cheryl Crow
Lyrics with analysis:
"Jump in let's go. Lay back, enjoy the show. Everybody gets high, everybody gets
low, these are the days when anything goes. Ever day is winding road... I get a little
bit closer... Every day is a faded sign." Over here, the author is capturing the view of
life, which is postmodernist. This is because the author is saying this is a place
where the signs are faded, where you get closer everyday but you never get to your
destination in reality. "He's got a daughter he calls Easter, she was born on a
Tuesday night. I'm just wondering why I feel so all alone; why I'm a stranger in my
own life... I've been swimming in a sea of anarchy. I've been living on coffee and
nicotine. I've been wondering if all the things I've seen were ever real; were ever
really happening..." In this piece of lyrics, it is shown that there is a woman who
feels that she is isolated. She is talking to a man about his daughter and she starts
to suddenly feel, why is she so alone. Probably because he is talking about his
family and she has none.
Task 8:

Movie uses a narrator

which is the main
protagonist in the film
which is postmodernist

Post Modernism

Fight Club

Intertextuality: the ikea

sequence. Graphics
destory the realism of
the text
Confusion over time
and space: When we
find out Tyler never
existed, it makes us go
back and think again

Lesson 14 Writing Portfolio

I believe that this short story was modernist. The reason I believe this is because
the author Katherine Mansfield focused a lot on females in her short story. This short
story took in the time when there werent many rights for women. The main
character Laura is a modernist in many ways throughout the short story, which is
why I personally believe this short story was modernist.
Lesson 15 Writing Portfolio
I chose to read Mister Pip and The Kite Runner. I chose to read both of these books
because I feel like they symbolize the same meaning. By this I mean, both are very
directed toward the characters homelands and then the characters are forced to
leave because of certain events/circumstances.
Culture has shaped the person I am today. This is because our culture teaches us
different types of things, and this is what we basically learn from our parents. From
this, we will be different from other people because our cultures are different so we
learn different things.
Time has shaped the person I am today. This is because, in the day and age of now,
we are very advanced in technology. So therefore, I can be very lazy in terms of
getting from one place to another and adopt the habit of being lazy when back then
there were no cars people would have to walk/run very long distances and adopt
the idea of being active.

The place we grow up in also shapes us as people. For example, someone that grew
up in a poor community would not have all the advantages such as having a local
sports team, amusement parks, etc. This would affect the persons personality.
Lesson 16 Writing Portfolio
Reading Journal
Mister Pip
First section
-

There have been a lot of symbols of war present in this section. Wondering
why he married a native, and risking it. Wondering why Dolores expresses
hatred against Mr. Watts. More symbols of war present as the soldiers burn
everything down.

Second section
-

More symbols of war. Learning about why Mr. Watts married his wife and
stayed at the island. Main character also realizes this. Wondering if she will
take the chance and leave her mother. More symbols of war as the soldiers
come back.

Third section
-

Killed Mr. Watts, wondering what will happen to her mother. Wondering what
Matilda will do now as everyone she loved is dead. I dont really think shell
die. Why did she go to Australia? I realize Mr. Watts was like a savior to
Matilda to reunite her with her father and send her off to a good life. Its good
she goes on teaching about Mr. Watt and his ways.

The Kite Runner

First Section
-

Learned about Amir, who is the son of a wealthy business man and his best
friend Hassan. I noticed that they are like brothers to each other. Amir did not
help Hassan when he was being raped and feels very guilty. Amir planted the
money and lied I believe this is because he wanted to get rid of the guilt
or even Hassan. Baba was sleeping with his business partners wife. He feels
guilty too.

Second Section
-

Amir has grown up and is in America now. Amir wants to repent and save his
best friends son I feel this is sort of a way, for asking forgiveness. What

happened to Hassan is now happening to his son by the same person. I feel
like Amir will save him.
Third Section
-

Amir brings the son back to America with him. The son hasnt spoken and is
very quiet, I think this is because the loss of his family but Im not too sure.
This is the first time I heard about him smiling.

Character Map
Mister Pip
Section

What aspects influence

character?

One

Time: The time that

Matilda was born really
affects her life

Place: Where she Is born

really affects her life

Two

Decisions: Matilda has to

make the decision of
whether she wants to
escape or not

What influence does this

aspect of this character
have on their story?
- This affects her life
because of the war
going on
- This changes how
she will be grown
up, what she will be
taught, etc
- She meets Mr.
Watts because of
this
- She is born at a
place which is in the
middle of a war
- She basically has to
grow up with the
thought of war, she
has seen things in
her childhood which
most children dont
- This affects her
future as a person
- This really impacts
her story because
she will have to
leave her mother if
she leaves
- Or she will have to
stay in the war zone

Three

Courage: When everyone

she loves has died around
her, she still has courage

Reflecting on the past:

She reflects on her past
and preaches

if she doesnt want

to leave
Had she not come
out of the water
and escaped she
would/could have
been dead, this
impacts her as a
person because she
visions of Mr. Watts
and he affects her
life
She learns from her
past, reflects on it,
and goes on to
teach about Mr.
Watt and about
literature and how it
can affect
someones life
This shows that in
the end she has
grown as a person
and has learned a
lot from her past
experiences

The Kite Runner

Section

What aspects influence

character?

One

Decisions: Amir has to

make a decision which will
shape his whole life

Two

Remorse: Amir feels regret

for what he did to Hassan

What influence does this

aspect of this character
have on their story?
- When hassan is
being raped, he has
to make a decision
as to whether he
wants to save him
or not
- He chooses not to,
which leaves him
dealing with guilt all
of his life
- He does this when
all of his past

Three

Forgiveness: Amir feels

forgiven when he saves
his son

comes back to him,

he then learns
about his son
He goes back to
save his son, sort of
like a good deed to
destroy the bad
deed
When Amir saves
his son and brings
him back to
America, he knows
that he has done a
good deed
He feels forgiven by
Hassan
He also feels that
he can forgive
himself now for
whatever he did to
Hassan, he is a
better person

Lesson 17 Writing Portfolio

The two books I read were Mister Pip and The Kite Runner.
Task 1:
Unity
The theme of Unity is in the novel Mister Pip and it results to a great ending. Matilda lost
her father when he went to go work abroad and during the novel she could not see him or speak
to him. Unity leads to a great ending because when Matilda manages to escape and go to
Australia, she does find her father there. This also reunites her with a family member, because
she lost her mother. So Unity is clearly portrayed in Mister Pip and leads to a great ending. The
theme of Unity is also in The Kite Runner, because Amir moves away from his best friend
Hassan when they were little because of what happened to Hassan. Then when Amir and Hassan
get older, and Amir goes back to Afghanistan to get Hassans son, it is sort of Amir uniting with
Hassan. This leads to a great ending.
Resolution

The theme of resolution is also portrayed in Mister Pip. When Matilda moves to Australia
she does not forget about her past and especially about Mr. Watts. When she moves to Australia
and becomes successful, she becomes a teacher and doesnt let the story of Mr. Watts to
disappear and also teaches about it. This is resolution because the readers feel that his story isnt
worthless and he helped Matilda so now she is giving back once shes moved to Australia.
Resolution also leads to a great ending in The Kite Runner because Amir felt really guilty for not
helping Hassan after what had happened to him when they were little. But by the end of the
novel, Amir repays him back by getting his son out of Afghanistan and taking him to the US to
live with him and adopting him. This leads to a great ending in the novel because Amir knows he
repaid and helped Hassan, which he didnt do when they were little.
Character Growth
Matilda in Mister Pip grows a lot as a character. As a teenager, she has to face a lot of
problems (the war) and her mother worrying about Mr. Watts. I feel as if she has grown as a
character by the end of the book because at one point she had fallen weak when her mother and
Mr. Watts had died, but then when she moved to Australia to reunite with her father at the end
she becomes successful and brings her life back up. I feel as if this is character growth because
she definitely does give up, but then by the end of the novel comes back up. In The Kite Runner,
I feel as if Amir grows as a character throughout the novel which leads to a great ending. This is
because when he was little he ran away from Hassan whom was basically running away from his
fears, but when he was told in Pakistan that Hassan had died and his son was at an orphanage and
he should go get him, he agreed. I feel as if this means he grew as a character because he learned
to face his fears, and this lead to a great ending. Otherwise, if he had rejected, it would not have
been a great ending.
Recurrent Symbols or Themes
I feel like violence/war was a huge symbol/theme in Mister Pip. It is talked about a lot
throughout the novel and is definitely evident. There are a lot of scenes about murders, soldiers,
rebels, etc. Although I feel as in the ending when Matilda moves to Australia this theme
disappears because now she is safe with her father. Therefore, this theme does lead to a good
ending because at first the theme is all about violence but once Matilda escapes, the theme turns
into something else. I believe the theme of friendship is recurrent in The Kite Runner, and it
leads to a great ending. This is because Hassan saved Amir at the starting, and even though he
was his servants son he was still friends with him. Then when Amir helped Hassans son, he was
doing it out of friendship. This lead to a great ending.
Task 2:
I believe I did good reading these novels. It was a great experience, because they were
good stories to learn from, and at the same time was entertaining to read. I felt as if I could relate
with some of the events happening in the novels to events that have happened in my own life,

and this just made me connect more with the novels. I believe I had an in depth understanding of
the novels and its themes, and what the authors were trying to portray. I would recommend both
books to other readers, they have very important lessons that they teach and both are great stories
that keep you entertained and wanting to know what would happen next.