Posted by kkimsa15 on Apr 30, 2012 in
Uncategorized The story of Romeo and Juliet – one of the world’s greatest love stories – ends in tragedy, but a tragedy that we knew of from the start. In the prologue it states, “…the fearful passage of their death-mark’d love…” explaining how both these characters, who some might grow to love through the course of the play, will die. It is mostly a series of unfortunate happenings which lead to their death, yet some characters could be more to blame than others. Of course, we cannot ignore the time frame in which the young lovers lived in: a society of powerful men, rich families, and a long strife between two households. Bad fortune first hits Romeo and Juliet after their first meeting with one another, where they separately find that their love belongs to the only family in Verona that their family furiously and passionately hates. The two children do not even think about confiding in their parents – telling them of their love – but know that they will only be able to stay together in secret. It is the fight between the Montagues and the Capulets which banishes Romeo from Verona which leads to a series of unfortunate events which land the two lovers dead on the floor of where all they Capulets lie. Not only the ongoing strife between the two powerful families, but the fact that Juliet had no right to say who she would marry and the shame she would have brought to her family if they had found out her terrible scheme with the Friar, gives us a sense of the time the characters were living in and how this affected their final outcome.
We cannot blame one person or one event for the death of Romeo and Juliet, yet I do believe that Friar Laurence played a huge part in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. The Friar agrees to marry the young lovers when Romeo first asks. Friar Laurence jokes with young Romeo of how he switched so quickly from Rosaline to Juliet, saying, “Young men’s love then lies not truly in their hearts but in their eyes.” (Act 2, Scene 3, 67-68). He acknowledges how easily Romeo can go from one girl to another, and remarks of how Romeo does not likely feel love but teenage lust. Even so, he consents to marry Romeo and his love. I do not think that the Friar, a man who is supposed to give wholesome advice and be a role model for the society, should have agreed so quickly with Romeo – he had no clue of how much he really loved Juliet but he did know the problems that might arise after they gave each other their vows. He must have known that something bad would have come from this situation: more blood-shed within the family when the news spread, or, if they kept it a secret, he surely would have known an arranged marriage would have been in the near future for Juliet. My guess is that the Friar’s motivation would have been to solve the problems and anger between the Capulets and the Montagues, joining the families as one by the love of Romeo and Juliet.
The Friar is also the one who, when Juliet comes to him for advice the night before she is supposed to marry Paris, concocts the master of plan to join the two lovers. He gives Juliet the potion which will make her seem dead when really she would be in a deep sleep. The Capulets would find their “dead” child and cancel the wedding with Paris; meanwhile, a messenger would be sent to Romeo informing him of their strategy to join the two adolescents at last. In my opinion, this plan has so many aspects that could go terribly wrong that it is way too risky. I think that the Friar Laurence could have given so much better advice to Juliet (i.e. escape from Verona to go see Romeo; try to find peace with her parents; learn to love Paris, etc.) Never mind the fact that Juliet is only a thirteen year old and following this plan would cut all ties with her family. Yet, I do believe that intentions of the Friar were all very well and he never intended for anyone to get hurt but his sneaking and planning, in my opinion, were the main forces behind the death of Romeo and Juliet.
Posted by kkimsa15 on Apr 24, 2012 in
Uncategorized On April 17, about 100 protestors arrived to city hall, disrupting a city council meeting, to protest Sequel 138. The developer proposed a six story building, which would take up 150 feet of frontage on Hastings Street where the derelict Pantages Theatre and a few other rundown businesses once stood, measure 425 square feet and will retail for less than $250,000 a person. A buyer would need an annual income of less than $63,000 to purchase one.
This passionate crow was fighting against the developer’s plan to build a 97-unit apartment building in the 100 block of East Hastings. It got off to a rocky start when a few people had to be held back from the meeting room by a dozen police officers and some security guards. Most people who opposed the project – which would contain 79 units for sale to people of moderate incomes and 18 units of social housing – spoke their fears of seeing the area gentrified. The people who favored the project said that they were looking forward to becoming involved in Vancouver’s exorbitant real estate market. Downtown Eastside advocate Jean Swanson feared that the city’s housing plan for the “poorest neighborhood in Canada” would be subverted. While she was speaking, opponents yelled into the microphone and made threats of reprisal murders if the open drug trade on the block was disrupted. A member of the False Creek Residents Association stated that the people seek a balanced community “with a rich and tolerant mix of residents.” Much debate started when a woman noted that their “streets have been turned into mental health wards.” A heckler in the crowd called her a fascist. Clearly there were a lot of strong voices being presented in this meeting, something that the city of Vancouver has definitely seen before with regards to development plans. By press time, no decision had been made by the city’s three-person Development Person Board, as speakers continued to plead their opinions on the future of Seqeul 138.
Posted by kkimsa15 on Apr 24, 2012 in
Uncategorized Just ten minutes into War Horse, Nick Stafford’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s original novel, I found myself staring at the foal, Joey – the main title horse – as he flinched in reaction to his new owner, Albert’s quiet footsteps. Joey jumped backwards, ever so slightly; his head ducked causing his back to shoot up, and I swear I could see the slight muscles rippling. I could feel the hesitation in Joey’s hooves, his nervousness towards this new man who had ever so quickly appeared in his life.
Joey…well, Joey seemed real. Really real.
Yet the horse was still a young foal, and I could see the hands’ of his puppeteers, or perhaps, stable boys on his sides. The real shocking moment came when Joey transformed – literally – into a full grown horse right before our eyes. And in a flash, the stable boys no longer existed, and this horse, who still had those gentle and genuine mannerisms, did indeed appear to be real. A real horse at the Princess of Wales Theatre. And so, for the rest of the afternoon, I was taken away in the story of a horse in Great Britain, bought by a drunk, Ted Narracott, to upstage his older, more successful brother Arthur. The affairs of Joey are left to Albert – played by Alex Furber -, Ted’s sixteen year old son, who trains the young horse and develops an incredible and special bond. But the year is 1914, and WW1 quickly breaks out, causing Joey and Albert to be torn apart when Ted sells the horse to the army. Albert enlists, even though being underage, and embarks on a quest to be reunited with his beloved friend.
I found that the sheer magic of the story came from the lives Joey touched in his incredible journey in the trenches of WW1. Yes the true magic was how, ever so brilliantly, directors Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr, showed us a story with few enemies: Joey met German soldiers, and British soldiers, and French young girl and mother, yet we were only showed the raw will for survival of each man and woman. An incredible moment on the stage occurred on Christmas Eve., 1914, as Germans laid on one side and British on the other, both waving white flags, and unable to speak the others’ language, but both deciding to rescue Joey. No matter if you care for horses or not, this affecting scene will touch you for the rest of the night.
Patrick Galligan gives quite a star performance as Friedrich Muller, a soldier fighting with the German flag, who questions his morals and principals, and himself – of course, with Joey by his side. Another actor, Tamara Bernier-Evans, shines as Albert’s mother. She is realistic in her annoyance with her irresponsible husband, true in her love for her son, and strong as a loud, British mother in hard times. Adding sadness when needed, and humor when things got too sad, Bernier-Evans put up a good fight to steal the show for me!
Gunfire! Explosions! Blood! These incredible sound-effects and pictures, by Christopher Shutt, all echo in the background, bringing you onto the stage and into the trenches. The lighting, by Paule Constable, also helped bring the audience from pre-war times, which was lighter overall, to the dark times of war. I found the simple, cloud-shaped screen hanging on the back of the stage to be quite a brilliant set design by Rae Smith. It showed us the simple modesty of the Narracott home, to the rolling farm fields in rural Britain, to the blood-soaked soil in France. It was simple enough not distract from the performers, yet enough to give War Horse that much more power in its telling of a beautiful, sentimental and truthful story of WW1 – which happens to be a perfect backdrop to an untold memory of when cavalry first met machine guns. Some unfortunate coincidences (for Albert and Joey that is) delay the climax which lies in the heart of No-Man’s-Land, and will surely latch a rope around your heart and bring it to center stage.
The music, which sounded like old folk songs, by Greg Pilska, John Tams and Adrian Sutton, were not particularly catchy or remember-able, and the script also did not steal the show, maybe because of what it was competing with. The real heart of this play lay with the puppeteers and the creators of these shockingly life-like animals. Not only the horses, but the birds who soar onto center stage from time to time, and the goose – who is every so creatively pushed like a lawnmower – who adds comic relief. This could be why War Horse is the winner of five Tony Awards! To say these puppeteers are brilliant would be an underestimate. The life that they bring to this play is something so unrecognizable and unseen that, if only to see the way they adapt to these animals, everyone must go see War Horse!
Posted by kkimsa15 on Apr 24, 2012 in
Uncategorized Today we saw the production of Romeo and Juliet at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. It was interesting, in just having seen the movie, to compare the two interpretations of the same script, and how the setting, lights, camera-work (in the case of the movie), and actors all add their own creative style to the entire piece. The theatre production consisted of nine performers who played all the roles and supplied the music. It was quite cool to see how the actors changed from character to character and, for the most part, made each of their characters quite believable.
The man, who played the narrator, the prince, and Mercutio, was by far my favourite, adding a large amount energy and humour to the stage. Even though the actors were speaking in old Shakespearean English, something incredibly difficult to understand, their actions and presentation really helped me to understand what was going on. I found that the man behind the mask of Mercutio did this especially well, and I forgot at some points that the same words he was speaking so clearly now were the ones in which I had puzzled over, on a piece of paper, a couple days ago. He really helped me see that the themes and humour experienced in Romeo and Juliet are the same found in Hollywood movies today – and even in our modern day lives – just spoken a little more formally.
Paris was a character who exemplified how each actor can take a character and make them their own. Paul Rudd, who plays Paris in the movie, makes him to be infatuated with Juliet and a little on the oblivious and self-centered side; meanwhile, the man who played Paris in the theatre production, was flamboyant and energetic. Yes, the words spoken from his mouth proved of his liking (I don’t know about love) towards Juliet, but mostly he was infatuated with himself. It was quite hilarious and added comic-relief to the sad piece, while Rudd’s did nothing of the sort.
Romeo seems lovesick, dramatic and maybe even immature in how he switches so quickly from one love to another, in the text and I did not get that feeling in the play. Romeo seemed grown-up, and mature in his love, not like a teenager switching from one girl to the other, and, even though the words he spoke were dramatic and grossly metaphorical, he did not image those words with his actions.
In the performance, the actor who played Mercutio – among others, of course – had a large wooden stick which he banged on the ground as a scene changer and as part of the music. I thought this was a very interesting idea. The play had the potential to get quite confusing seeing as the actors were playing so many different characters, but this helped to clean things up. A very memorable part for me was when Juliet lay upon her fake deathbed and Romeo drank the poison: the wooden stick was used as an instrument to hold a steady beat and gave the scene all the seriousness it needed. I thought that was a really cool effect which gave the scene the darkness it has in the original script.
Overall, I do think that the Toronto Centre for the Arts did a good impression of Shakespeare’s masterpiece, Romeo and Juliet. The actors gave it a modern twist with their actions and how they presented the script, but the themes and moods of the play were there. Bravo!
Posted by kkimsa15 on Mar 27, 2012 in
Uncategorized I have had an amazing past two weeks away! For the first week I went to Turks and Caicos with my mom, stepdad, brother and some of my friends. It was my first time there and I absolutely loved it. On the plane coming in I saw the stunning ocean which is the most brilliant turquoise and so clear that you can see all the life within it. For most of the days I swam, read, and hung out with my friends. I read some great books when away; my favourites were: The Descendants, The History of Love, The Other Side of the Bridge, and A Fine Balance.
At the beginning of the week that we had arrived, Turks and Caicos had just experienced a huge flood and minor hurricane, yet when we arrived you could barely see any damage. I thought this was pretty interesting. Houses had been blown off the roofs, people injured and crops ruined, a woman had told us, yet clearly they were fast about cleaning the mess seeing how it was non-existent. I went into the city a few times, which was very touristy, and got the chance to see the Turks and Caicos culture. I loved my trip and really hope that one day I will return!
For the second week of March Break, I went to Mont Tremblant with my dad, stepmom, four brothers, and both grandfathers. Prior to leaving, while I packed for the trip, I checked the weather to find that it was predicted to be around 20o for the entire week. They were wrong. It was around 27o the entire week. As we all know, that’s the exact type of temperature you want for skiing… I have been going to Mont Tremblant for the third week in March for the past ten years and I can safely say that I have never, ever experienced this kind of weather…hello Global Warming!
My father had quite a revelation on our first day and decided that, for the first time, he would buy us our snowboards instead of renting them like we had for the past ten years, seeing as it costs just as much to buy them as it is to rent for four days. What an intelligent man. It took the entire morning and part of the afternoon to complete this transaction and so we were so happy to finally hit the slopes later that day. Going up the gondola on March 19, 2012 will go down as one of the most depressing moments of my life. Ever. The once glistening hills blanketed in a rich coat of snow, where the glasses of the gondola fogged up, and when it hurt just from the cold when you had to take off your glove, were now completely gone. The hills were slush, practically water, when they weren’t just patches of dirt and grass; where there was snow, moguls had built up to the height of my waist, which aren’t exactly the best thing if you’re not an extreme skier; and over half the trails were closed. The skiers beside me were wearing shorts, t-shirts and even bathing suits at some points in time. I decided to follow the trend and started wearing shorts as well. What a sad moment it was when I longed for a sharp, cool breeze when coming down the hill on my snowboard. For the rest of the week, we rose early in the morning and did one or maybe two runs before the hills were completely ruined once more.
Next year we’re going to Whistler.
At times like these I find it hard to believe that some people still deny that Global Warming exists. Personally, I believe that it is just irresponsible and ignorant. The facts are clear so why pretend like it doesn’t exist. In all seriousness, it was pretty sad to see the state of Mont Tremblant, especially since I know what it’s been like for the past ten years. People need to become aware of the world around them, of the damage we’re doing to it and DO SOMETHING!!!
Some highs, some lows, but overall an amazing break!
Posted by kkimsa15 on Mar 2, 2012 in
Uncategorized Last week the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, after doing an investigation on the residential schools scandal, found that this extremely important topic is not being taught in most schools. It was seen as a let down from our educational system who has not be teaching students about a piece of Canada’s past the rocked the lives of many of our citizens. History can disruptive and has been abused before, yet the subject can also have one of the most positive of impacts on society. Canada’s government did something wrong, really wrong, starting over a century ago and only ending just over a decade ago. If we ignore what has been done and the harm that it caused so many Aboriginals, many whom are still alive today, all we are doing is creating divides within society. Young students who will soon be the leaders of our country, need to be aware of what was done so that they can sympathize with the people who suffered, try to heal all the scars, and also to make sure that something like residential schools will never happen again. Canada is still apologizing for this traumatizing event, as they should be, and, as a country, we all need to find a solution; a way of forgiveness so that everyone can move on. TRC has demanded of the full history of residential schools and aboriginal peoples to be taught to all students in Canada, calling the issue “clear, urgent, important, and persistent.”
All provinces do require the study of aboriginal history to be taught at some level, but the question is: how much of this is really happening, particularly at the high-school level? In the education system, the curriculum is more like a guideline and what actually gets taught comes down to the teachers. In history there are so many topics to cover that many get left behind; and it seems as though the study of residential schools is one of these issues that have been forgotten. Yet, this topic cannot just be glazed over in a swift PowerPoint or reading, with no discussion of its relevance, importance and ongoing effects today. No, TRC asks and challenges teachers to look at the subject of residential school in a meaningful way so that students can understand more about their country’s past and how we are still reaping the effects from those historical actions today.
And it goes beyond the classroom as well. During two weeks in February, former Prime Minister Paul Martin’s Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative joined Free the Children in promoting awareness of Aboriginal history. It is actions like these which hold promise that the future people of our country will not make same mistakes from the past, understand how the consequences from residential schools are still living on today, and continue the healing process which will help break the barriers in society that residential school created. TRC urges Canada’s educators to step-up to this challenge so that all can find the truths about our country.
Posted by kkimsa15 on Feb 14, 2012 in
Uncategorized “Right. Left. Right. Left. Don’t slip! Ouch! Ok, get back up. Right. Left. Right. Left.” I heard crunching footsteps behind me and paused. The night was still, and liquid navy blue. I could see the outlines of great evergreen trees looming over the path and basking in the passionate, white light of the perfectly circular moon hanging in the sky. The air was cold, really cold and dry, and it burned when you took in a breath. My fingers were numb but just the right amount that pain did not get to me and I could feel the blood rushing up to my rosy cheeks. I was on a path about fifteen minutes away from the Ooch lodge and I was all by myself.
Well, not exactly.
“Zak, is that you.”
More crunching footsteps and a new figure appeared, almost like a shadow on the dark night. It was a Zak, a fellow classmate who was just behind me on our solo night walk, except I had been too slow and he caught up. Together we navigated on the curvy path which I thick and deep blanket of snow rested on. Sheets of ice were hidden by a mask of darkness and I gripped on to him for fear of falling. Within minutes we had caught up to four fellow peers (we could not figure out before if the dark shadows were actually people or just the night playing tricks on our eyes). Emma, Hannah, Edward and a few others were lying still in the middle of the path, fearing that they had taken a wrong turn. If they had, well, we all did but at least we were together. Not before long, other camp mates had arrived behind us; luckily one was bearing a flashlight so that we could more easily follow the icy trail before us. As more people arrived, the quietness died, slowly sinking and drowning right before us. The same quietness that blanketed me just ten minutes earlier as I dearly tried my best to stay on my feet, walking through the Canadian forest all alone, was completely lost.
As I packed my bag for the winter camping adventure, I thought of everything I had heard of it from pass campers: “Winter camping was the best week ever!” “OMG it was SO COLD!!!” “I almost DIED” “You are so luck you’re going! I wish I could go back!” So many different experiences and I evaluated that it would be your decision how much you would like this York School adventure. I could definitely go into it thinking that it would be terrible and I would have the worst three days of my life, or think that I’ll make the best of it and be open to the new experience. The attitude that you would bring is all that you would get out of it.
It turned out I was right.
After we arrived at the beautiful, snowy Ooch camp grounds and got our stuff settled, we embarked on our first activity of the trip: snowshoeing around Lake Donor. Four of us pulled plastic toboggans along the trail as well, unaware of their future uses. Snowshoeing was surprisingly tiring and I found it a little frightening when we had to jump off of higher ledges in the white grounds below. After around half an hour we took a rest and Mr. Reble and Mr. Berger talked with us a little about the Yukon Gold Rush. I was amazed at the determination of the men to support their families and find gold, how they climbed along the long, long trails with their extremely heavy luggage. Some of the men even needed to climb the Golden Stairs forty times to get their entire luggage to the top! To try and relive this unreal experience, we were asked to place ourselves into groups of five and pull one of our peers up the side of hill on a toboggan. I can tell that this was definitely difficult and the entire time I was thinking about how the men of my past carried something twenty times heavier, up a way more than twenty times longer path. How I felt a fraction of their pain. My group did indeed find this activity difficult and we had many a laughs as we eagerly tried to pull Jonathan and all fell to the ground under the weight. We made a team decision to replace Jonathan with me and hope that this round would be easier. I got the unique opportunity to watch how my classmates slowly worked together and then finally came up with a system to get me up the hill. It was so amazing to watch the thought process and see how people can work with one another to solve the most difficult of problems.
The next day we got ourselves packed up and went off to the winter camping grounds. I was nervous. I am not exactly a pee-in-the-woods, sleep-in-a-tent kind of girl and was really hoping that I would manage through. After dropping our bags by the tent that could almost seem like a small gingerbread house, lost in the woods, except for the material being a rough and worn canvas, and eating a quick lunch, we were given a tour of the grounds. It did not consist of much. Tent there, saw here, axe beside that, and out and beyond: the great Canadian wilderness. Hugh, our guide, brought us to where the trees sprouted and taught us how to cut down a tree. Honestly, never before would I have ever though that I would one day actually cut down a big, ol’ tree. And, honestly, it was kind of cool. He gave us the technique, told us what to look for in a tree, warned us of the “green trees” (wet) which could not be used, and reminded us not to kill any very alive trees. And so we set off.
That early afternoon started to go by really slowly. Quinn were wandering through the woods, a little discouraged from our earlier efforts to cut down trees because we could not find any dry wood. Eventually, though, we found a great tree for firewood and set to work. And from there, the rest of the day went by in a breeze. We sawed the wood in smaller pieces, axed the logs in halves in quarters, snacked on hummus and hot chocolate and, my biggest victory of the trip, went peeing the woods! We made dinner, slowly, because it takes a long time when you are preparing a meal for ten over a small fire in the outdoors. By the time we had finished our meal almost everyone had quickly piled into the tent, hopped into their sleeping bags, and became ready for good night’s sleep. It had been a long and tiring day, though very enjoyable. Before we went to sleep, Hugh, the guide, told us a little bit about his previous travels including going to the Arctic! He brought with him some magazines from the Yukon and novels about expeditions. My favourite part though was the walrus tusk that he brought to show us. I was completely fascinated with it and held on to it for a good twenty minutes while he drew out one of his adventures. Something about just really amazed me…The walrus tusk had once been a part of living, breathing animal who swam in the deep, chilled waters of the Arctic…I mean, how cool is that!
The tent was surprisingly very warm and I had pleasant twelve hour sleep. The next day we packed everything up, which was very time consuming and involved a lot of teamwork. Then dragging all the equipment back to the Ooch…well, that definitely was not a highlight. At all. But it did make me appreciate not having to pull and drag extremely, extremely heavy equipment and bags.
When we got back to Ooch, the thing that I wanted most in the world was a warm shower, clean clothes, and cleanliness in general. But I do have to say, that thinking back, even directly afterwards, I had no doubt that I did enjoy the experience. Even just as something I could bring up in the future, or say that I have done. But more than that: it was a true bonding experience with my classmates and I would not take it back for the world.
Posted by kkimsa15 on Feb 6, 2012 in
Uncategorized I believe that the adaptation of the story “Walk Well My Brother” by Farley Mowat into the movie “The Snow Walker” was a success. The directors really caught the meaning and theme of Mowats story: of survival, respect of other and new cultures, becoming open-minded of the land and all life in it, and discovery of yourself. Lavrey, a pilot who has been travelling from Yellowknife to different places in the Arctic Circle, is a young, greedy, and immature man. He goes off route one trip and meets some natives who beg of him to take a sick, Inuit woman, Konala, to a hospital in Yellowknife. Lavrey only agrees upon knowing that the men are willing to trade prized and valuable walrus tusks. On their way back, the plane crashes and Konala and Lavrey become stranded in the Arctic. Lavrey faces many struggles upon adapting to the lifestyle of Konala: her way of living seems to be the only way that they can survive in the cold, vast tundra. Lavrey, at first blind and ignorant, becomes aware of the plentiful resources the Arctic has and how rich in life it actually is.
There were many changes made in the film “Snow Walker” from Farley Mowat’s original story, “Walk Well My Brother.” Lavrey’s character is very aggressive, derogatory and greedy in the story. The audience cannot feel very much sympathy for the man because of his personality and the way that he treats others. “T.B…sooner or later al the Huskies got it…bound to the filthy way they lived. It would be no kindness to fly her out to the little hospital at Yellowknife already stuffed with dying Indians. She’s be better off to die at home…” This is how Lavrey responds when he first sees Konala, in the story. He only agrees to take her when her husband offers the prized and valuable walrus tusks. Although this is the same case in the movie, Lavrey is much kinder when saying no to taking the sick native and when he does eventually agree, is very gentle and kind with Konala. I think that the director wanted the audience to care for the main character Lavrey while he is deserted in the Arctic – wanted them to hope for his safe recovery, for refuge. If Lavrey’s character hadn’t been so likeable, the movie would not have had the same effect on the audience and they might have even said the he deserved what he got. The story then focuses on Lavrey’s change in perspective from a self-absorbed and arrogant man, to someone who can survive in the Arctic wilderness, knowledgeable of the natural world and respectful of other cultures. There is not this dramatic change in the movie but a part of his emotional journey is apparent.
The director added a whole other plot to the movie – Lavrey’s life at home, his job and friends, and the search for him after he does not return to Yellowknife, all of which did not exist in the Mowat’s story. Lavrey had a girlfriend who loved him very much, friends that cared a lot for the young and rowdy man, and a boss who truly admired him as well. They also introduced a man who did not like Lavrey at all, who worked in the same environment as him, and was not completely upset that Lavrey “died.” We watch as his friends and colleagues suspicion turns into dread when they realized that, at first, Lavrey must have crashed his plane not just have been delayed by the weather, and that he was probably dead. We even got to see the funeral which was held for the lost man in Yellowknife and watched the agony in the eyes of all those who had loved him. I think that the directors decided to add this to the movie because it would have gotten pretty boring to watch jus Konala and Lavrey struggling and learning from the Arctic land for two and half hours.
In the story, Konala is a constantly cheerful, positive and wise young native woman. She cares for Lavrey even when he yells at her to go away, and when she finds and treats Lavrey back to recovery after he deserts her, it almost seems spiritually mysterious and wise. In the movie, Konala does not have this same appearance. She looks young, innocent and reserved. Although she does try to care for Lavrey, she is does not show any emotions of happiness and seems more hurt when he denies her care. I think her youth makes her seem not as spiritually wise, and it is not as believable when she finds unconscious Lavrey. As Lavrey’s tone and manner softens, throughout the movie, Konala becomes more joyful and opens herself up. The, when he collapses into his fits of rage, she is once more reserved.
I think that both the film and the story have a rich sense of place and really discover the land of “the north.” In the movie, a variety of wide and long shots are used to show the vastness of the tundra. They change the shots depending on the feelings and mood of Lavrey: when he is feeling helpless and is being ignorant of the land, the long shots show nothing of the land just wide, open, quiet, space, yet when Konala starts teaching him of the value the land holds, the wide shots show the abundance of life; the caribou, the fish, the medicinal and edible plants, and the rocks and wood for shelter. In the story, Mowat also elegantly describes the change that Lavrey undergoes; how his view of the land changes. “What had seemed to him a lifeless desert was in fact a land generous in its support of those who knew its nature.” I think that both the movie and the story really create a picture of “the north:” the land itself, the plants and animals that live on it, and how to survive.
Posted by kkimsa15 on Feb 2, 2012 in
Uncategorized This Sunday afternoon the fate was decided of the Shafia family members who were convicted for first degree murder 31 months ago. Mohammad Shafia, Tooba Mohammad Yahya, and Hamed Shafia were charged with the murder of their family members: three daughters (sisters to Tooba Yahya) and the stepmother of these young girls. On June 30, 2009, the family’s second-hand Nissan Sentra was found submerged in a lock at Kingston Mills. It was later discovered that four people were floating inside. The murder had been planned by the family members – there had even been evidence to see they that had searched on the internet subjects as “where to commit murder” and sought out for the perfect location. They succeeded in their horrific goal, but now must face 25 years in prison before eligibility for parole.
“If we remain alive one night or one year, we have no tension in our hearts, (thinking that) our daughter is in the arms of this or that boy, in the arms of this or that man. God curse their graduation! Curse of God on both of them, on their kind. God’s curses on them for a generation,” could be heard from the screaming mouth of Shafia. It was an honour killing – the father, mother and brother of the girls felt they the victims were destroying the Shafia name and reputation. In the case of Shafia’s first wife, she was completely despised by Hamed Shafia. This disgusting killing seems like the most “honourless” thing of all. The Afghani family believed in the domination and control of woman – a notion which should not belong in modern society. To Shafia, if a man cannot control his own household, and especially if he cannot control the female members, he cannot be trusted for any other matters. His daughters had disobeyed him and his “honour,” the family’s honour, and the situation could only be handled by the shedding of blood. The young girls (only thirteen, seventeen, and eighteen) yearned for more freedom and wanted to have the same privileges as their Canadian peers. Inside their house was the most disturbing of chaos, and the girls had reported abuse to their teachers and police. Zainab had run away to a woman’s shelter, Sahar had tried to kill herself after an argument with Tooba, and Geeti had requested to be sent to a foster home. The girls reportedly wore provocative dress wear and the eldest daughters had secret boyfriends, all things completely against their family’s values. But enough to be killed? Absolutely not.
Unfortunately, honour killings are not uncommon around the world. As many as 5,000 women and girls are murdered every year under these circumstances according to a 2000 United Nations Population Fund report. The take place primarily in the Middle East, North Africa and parts of South Asia. But don’t be mistaken – there have been numerous reports from America and Canada alone. The scary part is, though, that in many of these countries, the honour killings are excused or given light sentences since the family’s “dishonour” is taken into account. How can any society today, any court of law from any country around the world, actually excuse the slaughter of women for breaking or even coming close to breaking the barriers of domination men swarm around them. How can something so heinous, gruesome, and shameful be justified?
Here in Canada, these honour killings are not taken lightly at all. Even so, in all courts in our country, every defendant, no matter how disgustingly guilty, has the right to a fair trial which was what the murders got. Yet, justice was brought to light and the killers were sent to their cells where they belong. It really was a huge wake-up call for our entire nation and we have banded together with other countries, where this grotesque slaughter is taking place, to say “never again.” A sad aspect is that the daughters and Shafia’s first wife, did receive threats from the family before but did not know where to run. It is our duty as a country to create an environment where women and girls have the knowledge they need to get help when they need it the most. They did try desperately to talk to officials, such as school counselors, yet these individuals did not grasp the extent of their peril. Canadian authorities are currently brainstorming ways to address situations like these in the future and make sure that what happened to these women and girls will never take place again.
Posted by kkimsa15 on Jan 16, 2012 in
Uncategorized Early Wednesday, two decapitated bodies were found inside a burning SUV at the entrance to one of Mexico’s high-end and luxurious malls. The drug violence, thought before to have remained along the US border and in outlying states, has reached, what was once thought a haven from Mexico’s violence, the sprawling capital of Mexico City and, more specifically, the Santa Fe district. Known to be the financial district, it houses the headquarters of major Mexican corporations, including Hewlett Packard and IBM, and, one of Mexico’s top private schools, Iberoamerican University. Wealthy Mexicans and upper-class foreigners rest in the heavily-guarded, modern high-rises which cover the hilly landscape. For more than a year now, gangs have been fighting over the increasingly dangerous and lucrative drug market, mainly in the capital’s working class outer neighborhoods and suburbs.
The charred car, which was found at the Centro Santa Fe mall was reported to have a note written on hot pink paper, signed by the drug gang Mano con Ojos, or Hand with Eyes. Mexican police stated that the gang had been weakened by the arrest of its leader, Oscar Osvaldo Garcia, in August, yet clearly were still able to act on highly dangerous and gruesome measures. The victims included a man and a woman, both in their 30’s, who had not been identified.
The extremely gruesome dump scene was cleaned up so quickly that shoppers weren’t even aware that anything had happened. But you have to think: shouldn’t the people know all of the violence that surrounds them. I’m sure they are aware of the drug trade that has been surrounding them the past decade and may even know people who have lost their lives, but, if the violence is entering this high-end district of the capital and those people think that they’re safe in their enclosed haven, something needs to be done.
Hours after the body had been retrieved, the government released a drug war body count recording more than 47,500 victims in five years, marking the highest death toll yet. Quickly reading over, it may just seem like a number: 47,500, when in actuality, those are all precious lives; real people. People who could have been still alive today except somehow they got wrapped up in extremely perilous and terrifying drug trade, or war, rather. Because at this high number of mortalities, it really does seem like a war.
