Learning Log 3

The lesson on Act 1 Scene 2 is a lot more complicated and tougher than I thought. Some of the phrases in the original text of the Macbeth script seem almost completely different than the modern text. To me, it is difficult figuring out some words and phrases. I think this may also be the reason why the original text was used for the exam. This is probably to test our skills of interpreting the text. In some parts of the text, objects are used to express certain things. For example, "spring" is used to show success or victory of a war while "shipwracking storms" and "direful thunders" describe the dreadful problems they would face. "Two spent swimmers that do cling and choke their art..." literally means two exhausted swimmers trying to hold onto each other for survival to avoid drowning. This can also be used to describe the armies fighting in such a way it was impossible to tell which side was winning.

The class of 40 (39 were present), was divided into groups of three. The problem was that one of us had to do a one-man play, or rather a monologue. I don't think I can wait to see it. He would have to switch voices each time he plays a different role. I hope that he can do a good job on this one. Anyway, in a group of three, each of us would have to be one of the witches, speaking with whatever tone or pitch we would like to use. My idea is that the witches' voices would be high-, medium- and low-pitched - never mind its simplicity. It would be funny if some of the boys spoke in a high-pitched voice and the girls in a low-pitched voice.

We discussed about the 5 sentences each of us came up with. My group of 4 exchanged one another's comic strips with the sentences and decided to choose Chung Seng's sentences, since they were neatly written and had a good summary of Act 1 Scene 2. Drawing out the scenes described by the sentences is the hardest part but few of us can draw well. I would still like to see all of the different drawings and sentences in the comic grids each of us made. I think that this lesson was very interesting and I look forward to doing something like this again.

Literature Learning Log 2

So far, I have learnt interesting things. For example, I have learnt interesting things. For example, I have learnt how to voice characters with the appropriate tone to give more feeling in the speech. It also helps people to be able to differentiate between characters or roles when watching an act. However, there are many different kinds of voices suitable for certain characters. For example, witches do not necessarily need to have high-pitched voices, but can have old croaky voices, which also sound like an old woman.

One of my favourite topics is superstition. There are various types of superstitions, each with strange but interesting facts. In some cases, events are caused by a certain deed, such as a can of paint falling on one's head when one walks under a ladder. To some people, they think the superstition they believe in is true just because of coincidences.

I think the actors of Act 1 Scene 1 have to try to speak loud and clear for everyone to be able to hear. They should also be able to use the right tone of voice for the characters. For the superstition topic, the top 5 superstitions should be summarised into short sentences so that everyone can understand easily without having to listen to the long tedious explanation. They can save time and allow more groups to present their top 5 superstitions.

Literature Learning Log 1

I have now learnt what a cinquain is and how to create one. A cinquain is a poem made up of 5 lines, each one describing the subject. I think that making a cinquain is fun because of its simplicity. However, it can get difficult when our vocabulary runs short on certain words. I think it also helps in developing one's creativity. Overall, I feel the cinquains are important to Literature because they may help in some topics of Literature.