Gothic Project!

Name: _____________________________

Form: ______________________________

Year 9 Homework Project

Assessment

The final deadline for the project will be set by your teacher.

Final Deadline: _______________________________________

To ensure that you are completing the homework on a regular basis,

your teacher will also ask to check the project at 3 points throughout the

term.

1. Date____________ Teacher’s signature_________________

2. Date____________ Teacher’s signature_________________

3. Date____________ Teacher’s signature_________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: _____________________________

Year 9 Homework Project

Overall Skill Level Challenge Activity Level

Teacher’s comments:

Student’s comments:

Gothic Project

Your homework this term is a series of reading and writing activities based on the

Gothic genre.

You should be spending about 1 hour a week on your English homework. It is

important that you do regular homework and don’t leave it until the last minute.

Your teacher will ask to check the progress of your homework project three times

each term to make sure that you are working well.

For this project there are 8 different tasks but each task has more than one part to

it. You should complete each task to the best of your ability.

For this project:

You MUST complete 4 of the tasks

You SHOULD complete 6 of the tasks

You could complete all of the tasks.

Ask your teacher if there’s anything you don’t understand!

Keep working hard and enjoy!

Task 1: The Chamber

Read the following opening of the story called ‘The

Chamber’ then complete the following tasks.

Emily looked around her room, they certainly had made this old Victorian house into a beautiful hotel; she particularly liked the large, crimson, four poster bed that dominated the room. Hopefully, she would be warmer once in bed as she felt decidedly cold- somewhat irritating when she considered how much she had paid for the room. She looked around the room trying to decide where to place her jewellery. She saw a small, old-fashioned dressing table and placed her pearl choker carefully on the top, she didn't want it to get scratched as it was her most precious item- it belonged to her great, great grandmother and was a family heir loom. She fingered the pearls delicately; she loved the way the bulbous pearls always caught the light and always felt blood-warm to the touch. Tonight, however, she noticed that in fact the pearls felt cold and they had lost their lustre. 'How odd,' she whispered and, for some reason, she looked nervously around the room. She heard in the distance the clock tower announce that midnight had arrived and she realised that she ached for sleep. She had a busy day tomorrow as she would be meeting her fiancé’s parents for the first time. As Emily approached the bed she glanced at the ornate, gold-leaf mirror. What she saw reflected in the mirror made her blood freeze. She caught her breath. Her eyes widened. Her hand went instinctively to her throat.....

Answer the following questions. You may need a dictionary to help you. Write your answers in the gaps underneath each question. 1. What is an heir loom? 2. What time was it? 3. What does lustre mean? 4. What does bulbous mean? 5. The pearls are described as blood-warm to the touch. Why is the word blood so effective here?

6. Write down all the words associated with temperature. 7. Read paragraph two carefully. How does the author create dramatic tension? 8. Can you think of an old fashioned word for room?

Story continuation.... What do you think will happen next? Your task is to write the next part of the story.

Continue the story, trying to match the style of the opening of the story. Think

about how you are going to create a tense atmosphere for your reader. Are you

going to include a dramatic twist or ending? Think about the type of vocabulary

that would be appropriate and effective.

Plan your ideas on this page then write the continued story on the following pages

of lined paper.

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Task 2: New Moon by Stephanie Myers

Read the following extract and then answer the questions in

the spaces given.

The stone antechamber was not large. It opened quickly into a brighter, cavernous room, perfectly round like a huge castle turret …which was probably exactly what it was. Two stories up, long window slits threw thin rectangles of bright sunlight onto the stone floor below. There were no artificial lights. The only furniture in the room were several massive wooden chairs, like thrones, that were spaced unevenly, flush with the curving stone walls. In the very centre of the circle, in a slight depression, was another drain. I wondered if they used it as an exit, like the hole in the street. The room was not empty. A handful of people were convened in seemingly relaxed conversation. The murmur of low, smooth voices was a gentle hum in the air. As I watched, a pair of pale women in summer dresses paused in a patch of light, and, like prisms, their skin threw the light in rainbow sparkles against the sienna walls. The exquisite faces all turned toward our party as we entered the room. Most of the immortals were dressed in inconspicuous pants and shirts - things that wouldn’t stick out in the streets below. But the man who spoke first wore one of the long robes. It was pitch-black, and brushed against the floor. For a moment, I thought his long, jet-black hair was the hood of his cloak. “Jane, dear one, you’ve returned!” he cried in evident delight. His voice was just a soft sighing. He drifted forward, and the movement flowed with such surreal grace that I gawked, my mouth hanging open. Even Alice, whose every motion looked like dancing, could not compare. I was only more astonished as he floated closer and I could see his face. It was not like the unnaturally attractive faces that surrounded him (for he did not approach us alone; the entire group converged around him, some following, and some walking ahead of him with the alert manner of bodyguards). I couldn’t decide if his face was beautiful or not. I suppose the features were perfect. But he was as different from the vampires beside him as they were from me. His skin was translucently white, like onionskin, and it looked just as delicate-it stood in shocking contrast to the long black hair that framed his face. I felt a strange, horrifying urge to touch his cheek, to see if it was softer than Edward’s or Alice’s, or if it was powdery like chalk. His eyes were red, the same as the others around him, but the colour was clouded, milky; I wondered if his vision was affected by the haze. He glided to Jane, took her face in his papery hands, kissed her lightly on her full lips, and then floated back a step.

1. Using a dictionary find a definition for ‘antechamber’.

2. Using a thesaurus find 3 synonyms (words that mean the same) for ‘cavernous’.

3. Rewrite the following sentence in words of your own. ‘A handful of people were convened in seemingly relaxed conversation’.

4. What words are used to describe the speaking voices of the people in the room?

5. Which one word, from the text, best describes the man who ‘wore one of the long robes’?

6. A simile is used to describe the man’s skin. Can you identify the simile and say why you think it was chosen?

Answer the following questions on the ‘New Moon’ extract in

the spaces below.

Now have a go at writing the opening paragraph to your own vampire novel. Who are your characters going to be? How are you going to create the right atmosphere in the opening paragraph? Think about the language and description that you use.

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7. Choose 2 metaphors from the passage and explain their meanings.

8. How does the description of ‘the man’ compare with a stereotypical picture of a vampire?

Task 3: Vampires

Read the extract from a novel called ‘Dracula’ by Bram Stoker. Once you have read

the extract, complete the following activities.

8 May.--I began to fear as I wrote in this book that I was getting too diffuse. But now I am glad that I went into detail from the first, for there is something so strange about this place and all in it that I cannot but feel uneasy. I wish I were safe out of it, or that I had never come. It may be that this strange night existence is telling on me, but would that that were all! If there were any one to talk to I could bear it, but there is no one. I have only the Count to speak with, and he-- I fear I am myself the only living soul within the place. Let me be prosaic so far as facts can be. It will help me to bear up, and imagination must not run riot with me. If it does I am lost. Let me say at once how I stand, or seem to.

I only slept a few hours when I went to bed, and feeling that I could not sleep any more, got up. I had hung my shaving glass by the window, and was just beginning to shave. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder, and heard the Count's voice saying to me, "Good morning." I started, for it amazed me that I had not seen him, since the reflection of the glass covered the whole room behind me. In starting I had cut myself slightly, but did not notice it at the moment. Having answered the Count's salutation, I turned to the glass again to see how I had been mistaken. This time there could be no error, for the man was close to me, and I could see him over my shoulder. But there was no reflection of him in the mirror! The whole room behind me was displayed, but there was no sign of a man in it, except myself.

This was startling, and coming on the top of so many strange things, was beginning to increase that vague feeling of uneasiness which I always have when the Count is near. But at the instant I saw that the cut had bled a little, and the blood was trickling over my chin. I laid down the razor, turning as I did so half round to look for some sticking plaster. When the Count saw my face, his eyes blazed with a sort of demoniac fury, and he suddenly made a grab at my throat. I drew away and his hand touched the string of beads which held the crucifix. It made an instant change in him, for the fury passed so quickly that I could hardly believe that it was ever there.

"Take care," he said, "take care how you cut yourself. It is more dangerous that you think in this country." Then seizing the shaving glass, he went on, "And this is the wretched thing that has done the mischief. It is a foul bauble of man's vanity. Away with it!" And opening the window with one wrench of his terrible hand, he flung out the glass, which was shattered into a thousand pieces on the stones of the courtyard far below. Then he withdrew without a word. It is very annoying, for I do not see how I am to shave, unless in my watch-case or the bottom of the shaving pot, which is fortunately of metal.

When I went into the dining room, breakfast was prepared, but I could not find the Count anywhere. So I breakfasted alone. It is strange that as yet I have not seen the Count eat or drink. He must be a very peculiar man! After breakfast I did a little exploring in the castle. I went out on the stairs, and found a room looking towards the South.

The view was magnificent, and from where I stood there was every opportunity of seeing it. The castle is on the very edge of a terrific precipice. A stone falling from the window would fall a thousand feet without touching anything! As far as the eye can reach is a sea of green tree tops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm. Here and there are silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests.

But I am not in heart to describe beauty, for when I had seen the view I explored further. Doors, doors, doors everywhere, and all locked and bolted. In no place save from the windows in the castle walls is there an available exit. The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!

Use a dictionary to find the definitions of the following words from the extract. If

there are any other words you’re not sure about, add them to your list too.

Word from extract Definition

Diffuse

salutation

Prosaic

Demoniac

Crucifix

Precipice

Chasm

Make a list of all the clues you can find that the Count might be a vampire. You

might need to ask a friend or relative for some advice on what traditionally makes a

vampire. Use evidence from the text to help you.

Clues Evidence

Couldn’t see the Count’s reflection

“I had hung my shaving glass by the window, and was just beginning to shave. Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder..”

Task 4: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Read the following extract from the novel and then colour code it with the list of features below.

Colour code the text with the following words and techniques.

●Horror ingredients/conventions

●Words which have a feeling of horror

●Words to show this was written in the 1800s

Words which show the character’s fear

●Words which show the mixed feelings the character has about his creation

●Words to describe the monster

It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that

almost amounted to agony, collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being

into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally

against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light,

I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite

pains and care I had endeavoured to form? His limbs were in proportion, and I had selected his features as

beautiful. Beautiful! -- Great God! His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries

beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances

only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun

white sockets in which they were set, his shrivelled complexion and straight black lips.

The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature. I had worked hard for

nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself

of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had

finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to

endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room, continued a long time traversing my

bed chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep.

Frankenstein Research Task Use the internet or books from the Resource Centre to research the following

information about the novel and its author.

Answer the questions on the following pages of lined paper. Add more if you need

to.

1. Who was Mary Shelley married to and why was he famous?

2. Who were Shelley’s parents and what were they famed for?

3. Who wrote ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’ and what was this narrative

about?

4. Who was Dante? What is he most famous for writing?

5. Who was Prometheus and what happened to him?

6. What was the first ‘gothic novel’? When was it published?

7. What are some of the conventions of the traditional Gothic novel?

8. What was the story behind the creation and writing of Frankenstein (e.g

where was Shelley, who was she with etc)?

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Frankenstein: The Setting

Draw this scene from chapter 5 and annotate your work with quotations.

It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that almost amounted to agony, collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs.

Task 5: Create your own monster

Re-read the passage where Mary Shelley’s monster comes to life to

remind yourself of the monster, Victor Frankenstein’s reaction to it and

the atmosphere that is created.

Now imagine that you, like Dr Frankenstein, have created a monster. Write a

description of the moment it woke up.

Try to include the following:

A spooky setting for your tale

Describe in detail what the monster looks, smells, feels and sounds like. Does it

speak to you? How does it move?

Describe your own feelings when you see the monster come to life.

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Draw a picture of your monster, labelling it with details of its features.

Task 6: The Phantom Hitch-Hiker

The Phantom Hitchhiker is an example of an urban myth. This is where stories are

told and passed on as though they are the truth, even though sometimes they are

made up. The person telling the story will often say that it’s happened to someone

they know; to give it a more truthful feel!

Read the opening of The Phantom Hitch-hiker and discuss with your friends and

family what you think happens next. Write down your idea about the ending and

then write down the ideas of at least 2 other people.

My idea…..

1st person’s idea Signed……………………………………….

2nd person' Signed…………………………………………..

A man was going home late one night to Birkenhead and he stops to give a

hitch-hiker a lift at the entrance of the Mersey Tunnel. The biker is a girl and,

seeing her shiver, the man lends her his jumper. She tells him her address in

Birkenhead, but then, as they emerge from the tunnel, he turns and the girl is

not there……….

You now need to write another two paragraphs to show a final version of the

story. Your version must include the following words:

elderly woman picture car accident

cemetery jumper grave

Try and make your version as strange and as frightening as you can!

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Once you have completed your ending of the story, turn to the back of this

project to see the ‘original’ ending. DON’T CHEAT AND READ IT FIRST!

●Now ask a friend, parent/carer, brother or sister to help you with the next task.

●In pairs prepare an interview between a policeman or a reporter and the

phantom hitch-hiker. One of you should play the role of the policeman or reporter,

and the other should be the phantom. Once you have decided on the questions

and answers, write up your interview and practise your finished role-play for

performance.

Remember:

●The policeman or reporter will want to find out as much as possible about the

phantom.

●The phantom will need to think carefully about her story and her feelings towards

being a ghost.

Write up your interview in the box below and get someone to sign to show that

you’ve completed the interview and that you’ve performed it!

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Writing a newspaper report The Phantom Hitch-Hiker

1. Name

First decide on the name of your newspaper. Will it be a tabloid or a broadsheet? If you

choose a tabloid, remember to make your story sensational and even unbelievable. If you are

writing or a broadsheet, your report will need to be more serious and realistic. Once you have

decided, choose a name-this can be a real newspaper name, or one you have made up.

2. Logo

Design a small logo for your newspaper, and decide on the price and date.

3. Headline

Write a headline. Remember- this needs to be in large print, and should be short and snappy.

E.g. GHOSTLY GOINGS-ON!

4. Sub-heading

Write a sub-heading. This needs to explain a little more about the contents of the article. E.g.

Phantom reveals all

5. Photograph

Draw a photograph relating to the story, with an explanation of what is happening in the

picture.

6. The story

Now decide on 6 paragraphs which tell your version of the phantom’s story. For two of the

paragraphs, select a quote from your interview which backs up the story.

Remember!

•The first paragraph should be a dramatic beginning to the story.

For example: “The case of the phantom hitch-hiker developed bizarrely on Wednesday

evening.”

•The last paragraph should finish the story in a powerful or mysterious way.

For example: “Is this the last we will see of the phantom hitch-hiker?”

Complete your newspaper front page on separate paper and attach it to your

project. You can complete it on the computer if you wish.

Task 7: Susan Hill The Woman in Black

Read the following passage and show your understanding by answering the

questions in as much detail as you can. Remember to write in full sentences.

In this passage the narrator is in an overgrown graveyard on a lonely marsh when - for the

second time - he sees a ghostly woman in black.

In the greyness of the fading light, her face had the sheen and pallor not of flesh so much as

of bone itself. Earlier, when I had looked at her, although admittedly it had been scarcely

more than a swift glance each time, I had not noticed any particular expression on her

ravaged face, but then I had, after all, been entirely taken with the look of extreme illness.

Now, however, as I stared at her, stared until my eyes ached in their sockets, stared in

surprise and bewilderment at her presence, now I saw her face did wear an expression. It

was one of what I can only describe - and the words seem hopelessly inadequate to express

what I saw - as a desperate, yearning malevolence; it was as though she were searching for

something she wanted, needed - must have, more than life itself, and which had been taken

from her. And, towards whoever had taken it she directed the purest evil and hatred and

loathing, with all the force that was available to her. Her face, in its extreme pallor, her eyes,

sunken but unnaturally bright, were burning with the concentration of passionate emotion

which was within her and which streamed from her. Whether or not this hatred and

malevolence was directed towards me I had no means of telling - I had no reason at all to

suppose that it could possibly have been, but at that moment I was far from able to base my

reactions upon reason and logic. For the combination of the peculiar, isolated place and the

sudden appearance of the woman and the dreadfulness of her expression began to fill me

with fear. Indeed, I had never in my life been so possessed by it, never known my knees to

tremble and my flesh to creep, and then to turn cold as stone, never known my heart to give

a great lurch, as if it would almost leap up into my dry mouth and then begin pounding in my

chest like a hammer on an anvil, never known myself gripped and held fast by such dread

and horror and apprehension of evil.

1) Which three words does the narrator use to describe the expression on

the woman’s face?

2) Re-read the third sentence (“Now, however” to “…an expression”).

How does the way that sentence is written build up tension?

Explain one way.

3) The woman’s face suggests a contrast between death and illness, and fierce

energy.

a) Choose from the text two groups of words which show this contrast. Use no

more than four words in each box.

Death/illness

Fierce energy

b) Explain why you think the contrast is effective.

4) In the whole text, how does the writer’s use of language show the narrator’s

growing fear?

You should comment on how the writer:

- uses descriptions

- suggests the narrator’s feelings

- creates a dramatic mood

Task 8: Write a Gothic Story

Your task is to now write your own Gothic story using some of the ideas you’ve

gained throughout this project. Your story should be no more than 2 sides of A4

paper.

How to write an effective Gothic Story!

Setting the scene

Begin your story with two paragraphs setting the scene. What

exactly is frightening about the place your character is spending

the night? Remember that the setting is usually isolated and the

main character is alone.

The spooky characters

Include a description of the place’s reputation. Why does it strike fear

into people? Something evil is lurking. Is the place haunted by ghosts,

the home of a vampire, the lair of a werewolf?

The character’s feelings

Describe how your character feels at the beginning of the story. Nervous? Excited?

Brave? What happens to suddenly frighten them? Write about how his or her

feelings change because of the events that take place.

Build up suspense

Use short sentences and drag out the events in the last couple of paragraphs.

The end

Your ending should be strong. Think about whether you will reveal all, or leave your

readers to guess about the true nature of the Gothic place. You could end your

story with a cliff-hanger or a twist in the tale.

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This is an optional task if you want to really push yourself in English!

Here is a reading list of books of the Gothic Genre. Have a go at reading as many of

them as you like. If you want to know more about them, ask your English teacher or

one of the members of staff in the Resource Centre.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Morganville Vampire Series by Rachel Caine

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

The Last Vampire Series by Christopher Pike

Nightworld Series by L.G Smith

Twighlight series by Stephanie Myers

It by Stephen King

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Keep a reading journal whilst reading and show your

English teacher when you have finished. Some of these

books are quite a challenge but have a go and enjoy!

This is an optional task if you want to really push yourself in English!

Verbal/Linguistic

Visual/ Spatial

Logical/numerical

Musical/Rhythmic

Interpersonal Naturalistic

These tasks utilise Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences. Different

people have preferred ways of learning, and these tasks help will

help you to use different parts of your brain using your preferred

learning style.

Decide which of these best describes the way you like to learn.

Verbal /Linguistic: I like activities with reading and learning new

words, and looking for symbols in what I read.

Visual/Spatial: I like activities where I can be expressive in artistic

ways.

Logical/Numerical: I like activities which have a definite outcome, I

like problem solving, and seeing patterns in things.

Musical/Rhythmic: I like activities that I can use music with. I like

to create music, or can see the rhythmic patterns to things.

Interpersonal: I like activities where I can talk to others to find out

what they think, and discuss the answers they come up with.

Naturalistic: I like activities where I am outside and can use things

from the nature to help my learning.

1. Find a verse or two of song lyrics that you like that can be linked to the Gothic

Genre. Investigate and find out what they mean or are about. If you can’t find out,

draw your own conclusions. Play the song/read the lyrics to your teacher, friends or

family. Explain what they are about and why you have chosen them.

2. Watch a modern Gothic film like ‘The Crow’ or ‘Sleepy Hollow’ and analyse what

elements make it Gothic. Discuss your findings with your teacher, friends or family

looking at what we would expect to see and what is new and innovative in the film.

3.Create a powerpoint presentation for the creation of a successful Gothic text.

What exactly needs to be included to make the writing Gothic?

4.Edgar Allen Poe’s poem, ‘The Raven’ is a famous Gothic poem. Find a copy of the

poem and then construct a cartoon or series of images which best represent the

first eight stanzas.

5.Find a Pre-Raphaelite painting that you like and print it out. Annotate the

painting for all its symbols and use of colour. Find out the background and meaning

to the painting.

6.Choose a poem that you know or like from the Gothic Genre. Familiarise yourself

with it, think about the musical beat or rhythm and perform the poem as a song or

a rap.

7.Interview someone about their favourite Gothic monster from film or literature.

Think of at least 10 open questions that you can use, and write it up as a magazine

interview. You may also wish to conduct a survey of people to see which Gothic

monster is the most popular.

8.Write a poem about the Gothic environment where in each line, instead of the

written word, you actually have the object stuck in instead of the word (eg: feather,

leaf, bark etc).

The Phantom Hitch-Hiker- the full story!

A man going home late at night to Birkenhead stops to give a

hitch-hiker a life at the entrance to the Mersey Tunnel. The hiker

is a girl and, seeing her shiver, he lends her a sweater. She tells him

her address in Birkenhead, but then, as they emerge from the

Tunnel, he turns and the girl is not there.

In great bewilderment he calls at the address. An elderly woman

answers the door and he tells her his tale. As he does so he notices that

she is crying. She goes in and returns with a picture of the girl. It is her

daughter who was killed in a car accident in the Mersey Tunnel. The

man is incredulous until she tells him the address of the cemetery

where the girl has been buried.

He walks among the graves until he sees one with a sweater draped over

it. It is his sweater. He bends down to read the writing on the grave and

it is the girl’s grave.