POEMS1. THE RIVER BY VALERIE

BLOOM2. MR NOBODY BY UNKNOWN

AUTHOR

LITERATUREFORM ONE

River is about the many faces of a river.

THE RIVER BY VALERIE BLOOM

The river is a wanderer where he moves all over the place.

He meanders.

He is also a winder where he twists and turns.

He does not sit still and is always in motion.

He is also a hoarder where he keeps things deep down in his river bed.

Sometimes, he is a baby when he is happily flowing along.

At times, he is a singer as seen through the happy sounds of the water.

Finally, he is also a monster and can devour trees (most probably referring to a flood).

MR NOBODY BY UNKNOWN AUTHOR

MR NOBODY Synopsis The poem talks about irresponsible behavior. The persona in the

poem is most probably a parent who wants to admonish the children for always running away from responsibility and for blaming others for the mischief that they have done. The message, though serious, is put in a light-hearted manner as a gentle reminder to children that they should not conveniently blame others for something that they could easily do themselves. It is irresponsible to claim ignorance for little misdeeds that occurs frequently in the house. The repetition of the reference to Mr Nobody emphasizes how conveniently we blame others for our indifference, negligence and irresponsibility. There is a tinge of humour and we can sense the poet chiding us for blaming others for our carelessness and misdeeds.

Flipping FantasticBy Jane Langford 

Synopsis

‘Flipping Fantastic’ by Jane Langford is a story about twin brothers and their mother. Tristan is an outstanding, brilliant and a capable boy but James is shy, nervous and lacks confidence. Both of them are about to finish their primary education at Peter Hill Primary soon and plan to begin their new school term in two different schools.

  Their mother decides to enrol James in Highfields and Tristan who is physically challenged and

wheelchair bound, in a special school (Chesterlea Grange). Both brothers are confused over the thought of being separated as they have never been apart from each other. Since they rely on each other, the twins are concerned about how they are going to cope in their new school environment.

  The mother wants the twins to be independent. She is confident that Tristan would be able

to cope well at Chesterlea Grange. However, she worries about James and wonders how he is going to manage all alone at Highfields. Tristan changes his mind about Chesterlea Grange, in order to be with James. Besides that, the school is far away from home and he would only be able to see James once a week. On the other hand, James manages to persuade him by reminding him of all the facilities and activities in his new school that Tristan dreamt of.

  Knowing James cannot cope himself alone, Tristan calls on their friend Kiara Jones to help James

in Highfields. The twins at last realise that they have made the right decision and their new school environment is flipping fantastic.

   

Elements

SETTINGPeter Hill Primary: Tristan and James are finishing their final

year in this primary school. They perform in a play entitled “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” which is the last activity in the school.

Chesterlea Grange: This is a residential school for students of special needs situated far away from Tristan’s home. Tristan looks forward to be enrolled in this special school which has all the facilities that he has dreamt of such as a drama studio, games room, swimming pool and a paddock. The school also has sports activities such as basketball tournament, archery contest, wheelchair games and so on.

Highfields: This is the school that James is going to be enrolled in when the new school term begins. At the end of the story, James feels excited about his new school as most of his schoolmates are there including Kiara Jones.

CHARACTERTristan and James : They are the main

characters in the story. They are twin brothers who are dependent on each other. Tristan is more confident and outstanding than James. James is shy, nervous and has a low self-esteem.

Mum: She is the mother of Tristan and James. She is determined to send her sons to different schools so that they would be independent and confident about their own abilities

 

THEMESFear of the unknown: James dreads being alone in Highfields

without the help of Tristan. Although Tristan feels excited about his new school, at times he feels confused at being alone and far away from home and his brother in the new school.

Motherly pride: Mum takes pride in her boys’ ability. She admires James’s courage to perform on stage despite being an introvert and appreciates Tristan’s great performance. as ‘Tom Sawyer’ in the school play.

Other themes/ sub-themes: a caring society, being independent, brotherly love.

 VALUES Independence, concern, gratefulness, appreciation,

consideration, helpfulness

Jules Verne was born in 1828 in France and died in 1905. He wrote over eighty books. His passion was Geography. He learned everything from reading and kept up with the emerging knowledge in many fields of Science. He was considered the “Father of Science Fiction”. Verne’s adventures and inventions were based on the then current Science knowledge which makes his work unique. He forecast with remarkable accuracy many scientific achievements of the 20th century. He anticipated flights into outer space, submarines, helicopters, air conditioning, guided missiles and motion pictures long before they were developed in his novel The Time Machine.

SYNOPSIS This graphic novel is adapted from a book of the same name. The story

is about the quest to the centre of the earth. The expedition is led by Professor Otto Lidenbrock and includes Axel and their Icelandic guide, Hans. Lidenbrock decodes a message written by an Icelandic alchemist, Arne Saknussemm, found in a 300-year-old book in Germany in 1862. In the message Arne writes that he has been to the centre of the earth. He goes on to describe how exactly he did it. So Professor Otto Lidenbrock, Axel, and Hans depart for Mt Sneffles, the point through which they gain access to the core of the earth. Throughout many stumbles and setbacks, this team discovers an underground sea and face several prehistoric creatures. They finally get blown out of the earth and land in Sicily, over 3,000 miles from where they started their adventure. After the journey, they return to Hamburg to great acclaim - Professor Lidenbrock is hailed as one of the greatest scientists of history, Axel reunites with his sweetheart, Gretchen. Hans eventually returns to Iceland.

   

PLOT SUMMARYChapter 1 – A Great DiscoveryHamburg, Germany, May 1862, Professor

Lidenbrock and his nephew, Axel, decoded a message written 300 years ago by a famous Icelandic explorer, Arne Saknussemm. In his coded message, Arne Saknussem wrote that he had been to the center of the earth and he went on to describe how he did it. Brushing aside the concerns of his nephew, the Professor insists that Axel accompany him on the expedition. Sadly, Axel takes his leave from his beloved Gretchen.

Chapter 2 – Our Journey BeginsProfessor Lindenbrock and Axel travel for

ten days by ship before reaching Iceland. Professor Lidenbrock employs, Hans Bjelke, as their guide on their adventure. Gathering supplies, the trio depart for Mt. Sneffels, the point through which they can gain access to the core of the earth. Ten days later, on Monday, June 29th, they reach the top of Mount Sneffel. The shadow of the afternoon sun shows which crater they should descend.

Chapter 3 – Into the EarthThe trio descend into the crater and they travel

downward until they reach the bottom of the pit. There are two tunnels and the Professor chooses the one on the right. After several days trekking underground and almost out of water, they have to retrace their steps because the path leads to a dead end. Finally returning to the beginning of the two tunnels, Axel collapses and assumes they will return to the surface. Although the Professor shows concern for Axel, he asks for one more day to find water before they abandon the journey. On Wednesday, July 8, they descend into the second tunnel and emerge into a chamber of clear white mica. The chamber resembles a giant diamond cavern.

Chapter 4 – LostHans finds an underground river and they

quench their thirst. On Thursday, July 9, they continue on with their journey. By the next evening the professor estimates their position to be 90 miles southeast of Mount Sneffels and eight miles deep. They come to an abyss and make their way down a naturally formed staircase. On Sunday, July 12, they climb down about 20 miles. Over the next two weeks they climb down deeper and deeper into the earth. On Thursday, August 6, Axel finds himself alone. In desperation he retraces his steps but becomes hopelessly lost.

Chapter 5 – The Great Sea It is only after much suffering that Axel is reunited with his uncle and Hans.

They can hear the sound of waves. In fact, the three have arrived at a vast underground body of water which is given the name Lidenbrock Sea. Exploring the area around the sea, the travellers find what looks like a forest of giant mushrooms. They also see ferns as tall as trees and a mastodon skeleton. On Tuesday, August 11, the Professor decides that they must cross the ocean. Hans builds a raft from giant reeds and a sail from a sleeping rug. On Thursday, August 13, they push out to sea leaving behind the shore which they named Port Gretchen. The raft moves quickly and they travel about 75 miles in 24 hours. On Friday, August 14, Hans drops a hook and soon a fish is caught. It is an ancient species long extinct in the world above and they cook it for their meal. The professor wants to learn the depth of the sea so Hans attaches a pickaxe to a long rope and throws it overboard. When Hans retrieves the pickaxe it bears marks that look like teeth. On Tuesday, August 18, two huge sea monsters surface, battle, and almost swamp the raft. On Friday, August 21, a storm hits them. The raft is eventually cast up on a rocky shore in the midst of the storm and Hans carries Axel to safety. As the storm dies down they find, to their dismay, that they have been carried back to the same shore from which they left.

Chapter 6 – The Boiling Tunnel Exploring an area which is farther along the shore than their starting point, the

Professor and Axel find a huge field of bones. The Professor is delighted when they find a human skull. Continuing their exploration they come across a vast forest of prehistoric plants. They spot gigantic mastodons and in the distance see a twelve-foot tall human being. Afraid of confrontation, they leave the area. Going back to the shore they find a huge rock, with the initials A. S. carved on it, beside the entrance to a dark tunnel. With evidence that Arne Saknussemm has traveled this way, they enter the passage only to discover that it is blocked by a big boulder. They decide to blast the boulder using gunpowder. They set the charge and retreat to the raft. The explosion opens a deep hole that lets in the underground sea. They and their raft are swept along with the rushing waters. They head up the tunnel at an amazing speed. They ascend swiftly as the waters push up the raft along a narrow shaft. Axel worries about the rising temperature. The trio soon discover that the water beneath the raft is boiling hot. Finally Axel sees a tiny circle of light above. The professor realizes that they are inside an erupting volcano which leads out to the earth’s surface. They land outside the volcano. While making their way down, they learn from a young shepherd that they are on the island of Stromboli in Italy. They have entered the earth by one volcano and come out by another, over 3,000 miles apart. Four months after discovering Arne Saknussemm’s coded message they return to Hamburg where the trio are treated like heroes and the Professor's achievements are recognized.

SETTINGThis adventure story is set in 1862 when

there were no modern facilities. The story starts in Hamburg, Germany and the journey takes Lidenbrock and Axel to Iceland where they meet Hans and together they go below the earth’s surface. After four months, they get blown out of the center earth in Sicily before they finally make their way back to Hamburg, Germany.

CHARACTERSProfessor Otto Lidenbrock - An intelligent,

determined and adventurous scientistAxel Lidenbrock - A faithful and loyal

nephew. He is young and easily scared.Hans Bjelke - A brave Danish

guide. He is very quiet but is always on hand to

save the other two explorers. Gretchen - A young woman who

loves Axel.

THEMES 1. Seeking knowledge Professor Otto Lidenbrock went on a journey to the center of the earth to seek

knowledge.     2. The spirit of adventure The trio went on an adventure and experienced wondrous sights.   3. Explorations To explore unknown places where humans have not gone before.   4. The wonders of the human mind The human mind is forever seeking new knowledge and the mind of Professor

Lidenbrock is a good example of this.   5. The wonders of Science There is still so much that we do not know. We have to be brave to discover new

wonders of Science.

VALUES Some values found in this graphic novel are: 1. When we really want something, we should persevere. Uncle Lidenbrock refused to listen to Axel’s excuses on why they should not go on

the journey.   2. We should not endanger others because of our passion for something. Otto Lidenbrock put Axel, Hans and himself in danger by going to the center of the

earth.   3. We must dare to take risks. Otto Lidenbrock dared to go on an adventure to the center of the earth.   4. We should take the opportunity to discover the wonders of Science. The trio were willing to go down into the center of the earth to find out more about

the earth beneath their feet   5. It is important to be courageous. It took a lot of courage on their part to go into the enter of the earth.