IB English - the final two presentations... & some advice for the mock orals

Here is the presentation on Punishment, Justice & the Law:

And here is the presentation on Education & Tests:

The best way to revise for the orals is to choose what you consider to be some of the key extracts from Measure for Measure, and practice talking about them aloud (you could record yourself on your phone so that you could listen to it afterwards). Remember the basic structure we have talked about in class:

• Context (brief)
• Overview
• Thesis: why is this extract significant? What does it add to the play? (think in terms of characterisation, themes & its dramatic significance)
• Explore your thesis by looking at how language is used by Shakespeare as a means of developing character, themes & enhancing the drama. Remember that you need to be as specific as you can in your analysis - it's not enough to identify a metaphor, for example, you need to try and analyse how it works and what effect it has.

For some more advice & hints, click here; to see examples of some (very brave) students being filmed practising their commentaries, click here.

A2 LITERATURE - Machiavelli

Many critics consider Iago to be a Machiavellian character. To find out more about Machiavelli and how his theory of power has influenced society, click here.

A2 Comms - cw links

Camille - analyse how shamballa bracelets are sold to the public here; an article on the popularity of the bracelets here.
Mehmed - football is business, not a sport according to Assou-Ekotto: click here; money destroys football, according to one blogger - click here.
Laura & Sophie - how reality tv works -click here; why we like it - click here.
Candace & Priya - hiphop & materialism - click here.
Angel - on KK the brand, click here; on the 'fall' of the K brand - click here
Callum - on Bud & the American man, click here, and here, but scroll down to 'Beer advertisements'.
Cora - the ideology of Disney - click here; and here.
Danielle - celebrity representations of motherhood - click here and here.
Maya - watch this and this. NEW
Rochae - read this, this, this and this. NEW
Thato - one for you NEW
Paige - postcolonial reading of Nicki Minaj for you here NEW
Angel - one for you on KK here NEW
Medina - one for you here NEW
Shaquille - for you, click here, and here, and here. NEW
Robin - for you, click here and here. NEW

A2 LITERATURE- Othello

When Shakespeare was writing Othello, it's hard to imagine that he wasn't influenced by the visit to London of a delegation from Barbary in 1600/01, led by the Barbarian ambassador Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud. Apparently their dress and customs caused quite a stir in London at the time. Below is the official portrait of the ambassador from that visit - is this what Shakespeare imagined when he was creating his protagonist?

Abd el-Ouahed ben Messaoud ben Mohammed Anoun,
Moorish Ambassador to Queen Elizabeth (1600-1)

IB English: the significance of Shirley Temple

From page 12 of The Bluest Eye, Claudia explains Pecola & Frieda's fascination with Shirley Temple, a famous child actress who was extremely popular during the Depression in America. In contrast to their adoration, Claudia explains that 'I hated Shirley ... because she danced with Bojangles, who was my friend, my uncle, my daddy...' Bojangles was a famous black entertainer, who featured in a few films alongside Shirley Temple, playing her butler. An example of the type of film sequence Claudia objects to can be seen here:

'The Little Colonel' 1935

IB presentations: Balance, symmetry & antithesis

IB mock oral times

Here are the times for the mock orals:

Monday 6th February

Student:          Prep:          Oral:
Malik              10.30           10.50
Becky             10.40           11.00 
Markus            10.50           11.10
Jess                    11.00              11.20
Julianna          11.10           11.30
Martha            11.30           11.50
Charlotte A     11.40           12.00
Olivia             11.50           12.10
Emma             12.00           12.20
Claudia           12.10           12.30
Melissa            12.20           12.40
Antonia           12.30           12.50
Charlie P         12.40           1.00
Benedikt         12.50           1.10
Ale                  1.00            1.20

Tuesday 7th February
Student:          Prep:          Oral:
Freya              10.15          10.35
Nakul              10.25          10.45

I am still working on rooms! Will post them up here once sorted.