Dreams

Do you remember your dreams? Do you have recurring dreams? Discuss the idea of symbols in dreams.

Yes, I do remember my dreams but only for a short period of time. I usually forget them after a few days after that I dreamt about it.

When I was still in junior school, I remember having a recurring dream. It seemed to have been a terrifying nightmare that haunted me for weeks. I remember waking in the middle of the night with an eerie feeling. It felt like something was coming after me and that it was watching my every move. It reminds me a bit of Joseph and the Running Man I guess. After a while, the dream disappeared and never came back again.

Dreams have always been a mystery to people. The reason why we dream is unknown. I personally think that dreams could be some kind of commentary on our ordinary everyday experiences or perhaps, the events that occur in our dreams could represent a psychological aspect of ourselves as a person.

Relation

How does the idea of "evolving from a cocoon" relate to an event in your life?

A time in my life I "evolved from a cocoon" was when I first came to Australia. Although I was born in Australia, a few months after my birth I was sent back to my home country - Taiwan. From there, I learnt Chinese as my first language. Eventually, I travelled back to Australia again to start kindergarten. I thought I "evolved from a cocoon" when I overcame the obstacle of being unable to communicate with any of the other toddlers. I started to learn english with my tutor at home and became more and more fluent at the language as time passed. Now, I came from knowing no english words to be able to talk fluently. I feel that this is a big achievement for me and that I evolved like a cocoon would.

Information about Silkworms

What are silkworms?

Silkworms are the larvae or caterpillars of a domesticated silkmoth. It is an important economic insect since it is the producer of silk. The silkworms have been used to make silk for over 4,000 years. The silk process first began in China, round about 2600 BC.

A silkworm's preferred food is white mulberry leaves, but it may also eat the leaves of the Osage Orange or the Tree of Heaven. It is entirely dependent on humans for its reproduction and no longer occurs naturally in the wild.

How do silkworms grow?

Life cycle: The eggs develop into the silkworm lava, grub or caterpillar. They eat for 20-30 days, consuming large amounts of mulberry leaves. The caterpillar moults through four changes of skin

The silkworm spins a cocoon for protection, to permit the development of the pupa or chrysalis. The cocoon takes about three days to be fully complete and is a similar size to a peanut shell.

The chrysalis emerges from the cocoon as a moth. In cultivated silk, the grub is terminated while still inside the cocoon so that the long filaments are maintained.

The moths mate and the female can lay more than 350 eggs before they die. In the wild, a silkworm's lifecycle his cycle occurs once a year, but with the help of scientific breeding it can occur up to three times in a year to produce silk.

"The Silkworms"

Poem:

The Silkworms

All their lives in a box! What generations, "What centuries of masters, not meaning to be cruel But needing their labour, taught these creatures such patience That now though sunlight strikes on the eye's dark jewel Or moonlight breathes on the wing they do not stir But like the ghosts of moths crouch silent there. Look it's a child's toy'. There is no lid even, They can climb, they can fly, and the whole world's their tree; But hush, they say in themselves, we are in prison. There is no word to tell them that they are free, And they are not; ancestral voices bind them In dream too deep for wind or word to find them. Even in the young, each like a little dragon Rampant and green upon his mulberry leaf, So full of life, it seems, the voice has spoken: They hide where there is food, where they are safe, And the voice whispers, 'Spin the cocoon, Sleep, sleep, you shall be wrapped in me soon.' Now is their hour, when they wake from that long swoon; Their pale curved wings are marked in a pattern of leaves, Shadowy for trees, white for the dance of the moon; And when on summer nights the buddleia gives Its nectar like lilac wine for insects mating They drink its fragrance and shiver, impatient with waiting, They stir, they think they will go. Then they remember It was forbidden, forbidden, ever to go out; The Hands are on guard outside like claps of thunder, The ancestral voice says Don't, and they do not. Still the night calls them to unimaginable bliss But there is terror around them, the vast, the abyss, And here is the tribe that they know, in their known place, They are gentle and kind together, they are safe for ever, And all shall be answered at last when they embrace. White moth moves closer to moth, lover to lover. There is that pang of joy on the edge of dying — Their soft wings whirr, they dream that they are flying. By Douglas Stewart

Twilight Commentary

New Moon, the sequel to the well-known film Twilight is coming out during this week (as you all would know). However, my expectations of the film are not very high although I have loved reading Stephanie Meyer's series about Edward and Bella. This is because after watching the first film, Twilight, personally I did not think that it was as good as the original book. I hope that this time the film would be of a much better quality with an action-packed storyline, drawing the viewers into the film immediately until the end.

The main focus of this film would be on Jacob and Bella's relationship. Despite the fact that I do not expect a lot from this film I am still very interested in how Jacob and Bella's relationship together would unravel as the film progresses. I am also looking foward to see how the film producers protray the character of Jacob Black, especially when he transforms into a mythical creature - the werewolf.

Wide Reading Review for Term 4

"Shauna looked stricken, but no-one except Della was looking at her. They were all looking at Greg, who had gone a dull red from his neck to his hairline... Shauna felt as though she was hearing Della's voice from a long distance. She couldn't take her eyes off Greg. He wouldn't look at her. Fear engulfed her. Her stomach twisted in knots. Della was right ..."

During Term 4 I began reading the novel "Divided Loyalties" By Patricia Scanlan. This fictional story is told from three different characters who all come from the same family but experiences very diverse problems. These three unique characters are Shauna, Carrie and Bobby.

Shauna is having trouble to overcome all the obstacles life throws at her. Her marriage is under pressure because she wants another baby while Greg (her husband) strongly disagrees. Her obnoxious in-laws named Eddie and Della (who are also known as the Freeloaders, being people who arrive at her home at the drop of a hat, always staying as long as they like and relaxes there, not even lifting a finger to do any work) also gets on her nerves.

Carrie, Shauna's sister is fed up about how life is always so demanding. She carries the burden of looking after her elderly father who freaks out at little health problems such as headaches, always negatively thinking that he will die. Even though Carrie is the oldest of the three siblings she does not like the fact that her younger sister and brother both held grudges against their father, forcing Carrie to do all the chores their father asks.

The only son in their family, Bobby, has a bad relationship with their father who blames Bobby to be the cause of his wife's death. According to their father, Bobby does not follow God's rules since he has always been the one who troubled their family during the time of his childhood, being a child who had a playful and optimistic personality from when he was born.

How will these people overcome their own individual problems? Will Shauna be free of the "Freeloaders" at last? Or will she stay in their evil clutches all through her lifetime? What about Carrie? Would she stand up for herself for once? And last, but not least, Bobby. Will his father and himself sort out their differences? Or are their problems too deep to overcome now? If you want any of these questions answered read the book to find out and I promise you will not regret it.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book, learning about situations that just might happen in real life someday. The author had done a good job on creating interesting characters and making them seem so realistic. I could imagine the tension between Della and Shauna, feel the love and passion between Dan (Carrie's husband) and Carrie and finally, the happiness of the children when they were playing on the beach, enjoying some family time together. Because of the author's powerful writing I identified absolutely no weaknesses throughout the book. It can truly be described as a heart warming book for a cold winter's night.

This is why I would definitely rate the book 5 out of 5 and would recommend it to everyone!

Female Heroine Task

Imagine being a young girl in war-torn Afghanistan, living a life under the rule of the Taliban, with no freedom, where women are forced to cover themselves from head to foot.

The character I chose for my female heroine assignment was Parvana from the book of the same name by Deboarh Ellis.

Pictures of My Chosen Heroine:

The True Qualities of My Character:
Parvana:
- Challenging accepts conventions/social norms, irrespective of the consequences
- Helps others
- Is independent

Examples on How Parvana Shows Each of the Qualities Listed Above:
Parvana demonstrates her capable ability of challenging accepted conventions by risking her own life just to provide her family with food. She did this by cutting her long, beautiful hair and disguising herself as a boy so that she could move about her town freely although there are many consequences for Parvana if she makes a single mistake. Parvana, being the responsible heroine, stayed firmly where she was, she even went to work during the day and brought home her salary to support her family.

Helping others is another one of the most important qualities a female heroine must have. Parvana displays this criteria by rescueing a woman whom she found crying in the streets. She kindly gave the woman a share of her food and even invited her to her house although the woman was a stranger. Enduring the pain, the torture and the harsh environment was not easy for her. But despite her own worries she is still one who cares about another, stranger or friend.

Independence is a word that is used to describe someone who acts freely from external control. Parvana demonstrates her independence when she takes on her father’s responsibility of going to the market and selling goods to earn money for her family’s support.

Quote that Illustrates How Parvana Can Be Classified as a Female Heroine:
“Parvana whirled around to see a Taliban glaring at her, anger in his eyes and a stick in his hand. The soldier raised his arm and brought his stick down on Parvana’s shoulder” (p.57).


Parvana is truly one who is worthy of obtaining an honourable place in the Literary Heroines Hall of Fame. She has been through so much, yet she doesn’t let her guard down and displays so many heroic qualities. Beyond doubt she is the bravest, most independent and faithful person anyone has ever met. This is why Parvana deserves the respectable position of an honourable place in the Literary Heroines Hall of Fame.