Monday 23 September 2013

Review

The movie i've chosen to review is called "The Impossible".  This movie is written by Sergio G. Sánchez and María Belón. It's directed by J. A. Bayona and stars Naomi Watts (Maria), Ewan McGregor (Henry), Tom Holland (Lucas), Samuel Joslin (Thomas), and Oaklee Pendergast (Simon). This movie is based on the true story of a Family's experiences when they encountered the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. It seemed like a perfect trip to Thailand for the Christmas holiday's until the tsunami hit.  Maria (Naomi Watts) and her eldest son Henry (Tom Holland) are swept away alone as Henry (Ewan McGregor) and the other two boys are swept away together. It becomes a story of survival and hope. This is a very powerful and emotional movie. Aside from telling the story of the family it also opens up your eyes to how great of a impact these disasters can cause. It makes you realize how lucky you are to be living in a safe place and that you shouldn't take anything for granted. This movie was nominated for numerous awards and also won a few. I really enjoyed this movie and would defiantly recommend it to others.



Tuesday 17 September 2013

Image Expressive




Photo 1: Canada Games



This is a photo from the closing ceremonies at Canada Games this past summer. It was an amazing experience that i will never forget. It was like a huge celebration with lots of fireworks and entertainment. I'm actually sitting on someones shoulders when I took this picture. I'm fairly short so it would have been hard to take a picture just standing on the ground. The whole week I spent at Canada Games was very enjoyable and this was a great way to end it. 


Photo 2: Boots


This is my dog boots. He's a dachshund that loves the sun as you can tell in this picture. Whenever it's sunny he always wants to go lay outside. He is 6 years old and will turn 7 later this year. I decided to share this photo because he means a lot to me. He is my first dog and is almost always by my side. Whenever I try to take pictures of him he always seems to pose to me so it's not hard to get a good picture of him. I have many pictures of him but this is one of my favourites. 

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Song Analysis

I Dreamed a Dream

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
Then it all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving
Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made and used and wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame

He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days with endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he'll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed.

This song starts off with two longer stanzas and all the other ones are 4 lines long. None of the stanzas repeat. They are all different although the phrase " I dreamed " and the word " dream " are used quite often. There doesn't seem to be a set rhyme scheme although a few of the words at the end of some lines rhyme. There also doesn't seem to be a set meter. 

The speaker of this song is a woman who is reflecting on a time in the past when she was happy and hopeful. She speaks about how she had dreams for the future but quickly realizes the reality of things and nothing turns out as she hoped. The tone of this song is sad. She had her dreams crushed. Throughout this song there are many different examples of poetic language. In the first verse/ stanza it says "There was a time when love was blind". This is an example of personification. Also in the first verse/ stanza there is an example of a metaphor. It says "And the world was a song".
The last stanza creates imagery. You can picture the terrible state that she is living in now from lines such as "from this hell i'm living".  The tigers that are mentioned in the third verse/stanza symbolize preying older men who seduce young women and get them pregnant and then abandon them. This symbolizes what happened in the past to the woman who's speaking. 

This song is from the movie Les Miserables and it is sung by the character Fantine. Fantine is singing about the heartbreak she suffers when all her dreams come crashing down. She has a child with a guy that seems perfect but it all changes when he leaves her and their child. The contents of this song is all about how Fantine thought the future would be wonderful but how nothing turns out as she had hoped. It is a very powerful song that expresses Fantines emotions. Everytime this song is sung the message is the same. Its very emotional and brings tears to peoples eyes quite often. I like this song because it is so strong and powerful but there is also something that i don't like. I don't like how she has completely given up on everything. The dream of a great future is only one dream. But when that doesn't turn out as she hoped she gives up on everything and this eventually leads to her death. 



Wednesday 4 September 2013

Introductions

My name is Nicole Chan and i'm from St. John's Newfoundland. This is my first year attending university and i'm excited but also nervous at the same time. I'm a very active person and i'm always on the go. I have been a figure skater since I was 4 and since last year I have also started coaching. So I spend quite some time at the rink. Aside from figure skating I also do track and field. My main events are the 100m and Long Jump. I recently represented NL at the Canada Summer Games. Since i'm so active I'm always hungry. My favourite foods are potatoes, chocolate milk and bananas. I hate sunflower seeds and even the thought of them makes me sick. I'm still not quite sure what program i'm interested in pursuing in the future. I'm kinda leaning towards something sports related but i'm still not sure. I'm hoping that after I complete a few courses at MUN i'll have a better idea as to what I like. Although I don't like English I have an open mind to learn and hope to learn lots. I hope to improve my writing skills and gain a better knowledge of poetry. I'm looking forward to a great semester!