Practice IOC: Munro- Royal Beatings

https://youtu.be/In6iA1rcydg

Practice IOC: Alice Munro- Passion

https://youtu.be/zQ2srX6-A18

Blog Post #27: Wallace's theory about education and Alice Munro.

Foster Wallace's theory about education presented in his commencement speech "This is Water" divulges the truest value of education and what it can develop for people. He reveals how the actual value of an education has nearly nothing to do with knowledge and academics rather the awareness of what is around us. This theory mostly focuses on the idea of emotional intelligence (EQ) and how an education which can make you more conscious would be more valuable as it can increase your empathy and EQ. The New York Times article "For Better Social Skills, Recommend a Little Chekhov" supports this as it frames results from a research study disclosing how literary fiction may be more beneficial and improve your EQ rather than popular fiction. One of the literary authors used in the research was Alice Munro, she and many other literary fiction authors managed to improve human capabilities in identifying emotion and many other things in a number of tests. This implied that some social skills were developed like empathy, improving their EQ. 

Literary fiction is defined as "symbolic or thematic fiction that critics consider to have "literary merit" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_fiction ). Munro encompasses this as she writes stories revolving around human experience while embracing underlining symbols and themes throughout. These themes and symbols communicate larger concepts about human behaviour, specifically, human relationships and interactions. Her writing allows for the readers to immerse them into the situation of the character and understand experiences that someone may never encounter. This is due to her writing style as well as the plot and character choices she makes. 

Humans can learn emotional intelligence from interaction with other people and experiences that they have in their life or other people's lives around them. Due to Munro's content, themes and symbols, she allows people an insight on new experiences and circumstances that they may have never considered or experienced previously. This insight provides the audience with a new found awareness of certain things which can improve their empathy and may prepare them for future situations or help understand current and past ones. She embeds a variety of themes and symbols which force the reader to analyse the moments featured in the story and make inquires which slowly establish an awareness that was absent before. 

This sort of literature is what can expand a person's mind emotionally which will extend socially. For Munro's work to be included in the schooling system provides students with a source of study which will extend and push their language and analyzation skills while making them more aware socially. It incorporates the academic aspect which a lot of schools and systems involve while subjecting young people to content which will make them grow as a person. Fulfilling the "valuable" education in which Wallace discusses due to its multiple uses which can allow a person to grow emotionally. 

Blog Post #26: Summer posts: Australian dialect

Visiting Australia is always an interesting experience which holds a lot in my heart considering that I have lived in the UAE longer than in my place of birth. My trip each year presents an abundance of experiences that i cherish but also make me encounter aspects of my own culture which can surprise me. There are simple things like self-check out, understanding of lay-by shopping or other "norms" of Australia that I simply don't understand due to my upbringing in Abu Dhabi. I continuously get confused with the Australian dialect, this does not include Australian accents. Even though I'm not surrounded by Australians, I'm still very capable of understanding harsh accents because much of my family have intense accents due to their childhood. If I had a more pom or posh family than it may have impaired my understanding. However it is the sayings, vocabulary or slang that I must learn while I'm there to have capable conversations. Going to Australia gives me a release as I can use the words I'm more comfortable with without being questioned but hearing those around me make me question certain words due to my ignorance.

A few things a came to understood from my recent visit:

Sus 
- Someone unemployed, someone considered "dodgy" or simply a bad person for some reason.
- To investigate or check something out.
Examples:
1. " He is such a sus."
2. " I'm going to sus it out"

Sticky Beak 
- Can be used to describe someone as a curious or noisy person.
- To investigate or check something out.
Examples:
1. " Don't be such a sticky beak"
2. "I'm going to go in coles and have a sticky beak."

What does that have to do with the price of rice?
- Used to question someone on the intention of what they are saying or their point, it questions why they are saying something as if to ask "What does that have to does with anything?"
Example: 
*conversation about politics*
Person 1- "I like potatoes"
Person 2- "What does that have to do with the price of rice"

Half your luck
- Can be used to express a want for someone's situation or luck, if someone has something you would like you would say it as if they could give you their luck.
Example: 
Person 1- "I'm going to eat cake when i get home."
Person 2- "Awwwww, half your luck"

Cotton on
- Can be used instead of "caught on" to describe if someone has caught on or began to understand a situation or subject.
Example: 
Person 1- "How did the prank call go?"
Person 2- "It didn't work, he cotton on."

Blog Post #25: Thesis and Essay Outline

Prompt: The personal history of an author can have a significant influence on the way meaning is constructed in his/her writing. Comment on specific instances of such influence in Things Fall Apart.

Thesis Statement: In Things Fall Apart, Achebe's critical colonised Nigerian perspective allows for his personal history to influence the construction of his writing as it moulds representations of religion and culture through the presentations of traditions, subplots and characters which educate Africans on the reality of their history.

Topic Sentence 1: Achebe uses foil characters in both Christianity and the Igbo culture to identify the differences and similarities between culture creating a social equilibrium, removing possible savage perceptions. 

Topic Sentence 2: Side characters in Things Fall Apart give the audience and understanding of traditions and actions within compositional context, establishing how someone's character may influence the perception of religion.

Topic Sentence 3: He has allowed his personal experiences and context to influences parts of the novel in the form of subplots or plot developments in order to create a sense of relatability in the audience.

Blog Post #24: Thesis Statement and Outline

Thesis Statement: In Achebe's novel " Things Fall Apart", an understanding of gender roles allows a comprehension of the Igbo culture which defines how Okonkwo's character identifies and differs with his customs, exaggerating the symbolism of his tragic hero archetype and death.

Topic Sentence #1: Sub-plots and side characters within the novel provide the readers with other perspective which create a further understanding of gender roles of the Igbo culture, unlike Okonkwo ideologies..

Topic Sentence #2: This understanding formed identifies how Okonkwo's hamartia created by the ideals of the culture prevents him from embodying certain aspects like duality of their customs.

Topic Sentence #3: The internal conflict Okonkwo has concerning his cultures deals exaggerates the symbolism of his death, the death of a product of the Igbo people.  

Blog Post #23: Thesis Statement

Prompt: With reference to Things Fall Apart, show how sub-plots or secondary characters contribute to the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the work as a whole. 

Thesis Statement: In Things Fall Apart, Achebe uses secondary characters such as Unoka, Ikemefuna and Nowye to expand on the culture of the Igbo people with various developments of the plot, this allows readers to acquire an understanding of the impact of the British colonisation of the compositional context.