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This blog started as a way to help 3 or 4 students actually learn something in a very rowdy class. Since 2017, it has been viewed over 40, 000 times in a variety of countries. Thanks for your support and again, let me know what you need to help! 

Frankenstein - Getting your knowledge set

Characters:

Victor Frankenstein - the guy that creates a creature

Elizabeth Lavenza - Victor's adopted sister/'cousin'

Alphonse Frankenstein - Victor's father 

Caroline Beaufort - Victor's mother
William Frankenstein - Victor's younger brother, is murdered 

Justine Moritz - servant to Frankenstein family after her mum dies, executed for 'murdering William'
Monster - gross looking creature created from dead bodies, just wants to be loved
Robert Walton - opener and closer of the novel, sails the sea, writes letters to his sister
Henry Clerval - Victor's best friend, studies with him, looks after Victor

Basic Plot:
Beginning (Letters): Story starts with Robert Walton writing a series of letters to his sister. These letters detail how Robert got to become a sailor of the seas and the obstacles he had to overcome. The last letter before the story starts even states, "I have resolved every night, when I am not imperatively occupied by my duties, to record, as nearly as possible in his own words, what he has related during the day." Robert Walton says this to his sister because he almost couldn't believe his own experiences. The rest of the story is written through the letter. This is called an epistolary novel and is a form of structuring. 

Beginning (Chapters): At the beginning, we received the necessary background needed to build Victor's character. We learn much about his childhood, his personality, and his family. After losing his mother, he starts contemplating life. He wants to figure out a cure for all disease so that human death only occurs from some sort of accident. However, after much deliberating, Victor decides to try and create human life by building a body. While creating his monster, he is comments on how attractive it is. The luscious hair, the black lips, the eyes, and how the blood vessels in his muscles are so graceful. The minute the monster comes to life, Victor realises his mistakes and abhors his creation for how ugly it is.

Middle: The monster runs away but Victor is put into emotional turmoil. He hopes that his monster has run off and died somewhere but can't shake the feeling that his creation has done something horrible. He returns home but keeps hearing of all these horrible accidents and can't help but to piece together the idea that his monster was somehow responsible. His brother is murdered, his cousin killed for justice, his friends die.

Around the middle, we also hear from the monsters side of things. He went on and observed a family which is how he learned to speak English. When he tried to introduce himself to the blind old man, he was interrupted by the son of the man and the monster is cast away, yet again. All the monster really wanted was to feel the sense of belonging and attachment to someone else. We also hear about how the monster stole Victor's brother (without realising it was Victor's brother) and how he had accidentally killed him. He allowed the cousin (Justine) to take the blame (funny how Justice is the root of Justine... Hmm..) for which she hung. Victor tries to run off but the monster promises to follow him to the ends of the earth. Victor finds an abandoned hut by the sea to create a companion for the monster but soon changes his mind. For this, the monster kills Victor's best friend.

End: Victor and Elizabeth get married and on their wedding night, the monster kills Elizabeth. Victor runs away, the monster follows. That's where this comes full circle. Victor climbs aboard a ship led by Robert Walton. Victor is so unwell, he can barely speak. Before he dies, the monster finds him, and tries to speak to him but Victor is unconscious but Robert allows the monster to talk with him. Victor dies, the monster vows to never be seen again, and Robert goes off having the weirdest sea trip he's ever had. 

Romeo and Juliet - Get to know your characters

The Capulets 
Juliet - young girl, barely 13, feisty, knows her worth, easily wooed, easy to manipulate, stubborn, and impatient.
Lord Capulet - Juliet's father. Kind and caring at first, wanting only what his daughter wants. As play progresses, he seems to think he knows what's best for his daughter.
Lady Capulet - Juliet's mother. Not a real crucial role for her in the play. Stands by her husband and is so so impressed that young Juliet will be getting married to such a great guy :) (read: sarcasm)
Tybalt - Prince of Cats. He is fire-tongued, good with words, and a fireball. He really just likes to fight. Dies because Romeo kills him for killing Mercutio.

The Montagues
Romeo - Easy lover, kind of depressing, is heartbroken over Rosaline but forgets her literally 3 hours later. Smooth talker, probably more of a lover than a fighter. Would probably write poetry and cry a lot. 
Lord Montague - Not a role we see often throughout the play.
Lady Montague - Same. We hear from her when she is upset that Romeo is sleeping too much and wandering around crying. 
Mercutio - Romeo's best friend. He's wild, unpredictable, and wants everyone to have fun. 
Benvolio - Inherently good. Hates fighting. Wants everyone to get along. 

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The Prince and the Friar are both neutral roles. They are on neither side. 

Romeo and Juliet Resources

Romeo and Juliet

by William Shakespeare

At this point, I feel it's important to point out that this is a play. This is not a short story. This is not a novel. This is a play. Please do not forget this. 

The Prologue

The chorus is the person who comes onto the stage and tells the audience what is going to happen. He says that two families (Romeo's and Juliet's) are part of a long war with each other. They will only stop fighting when the two teen's die. 

Questions to answer: Why do you think the chorus tells the audience the entire story right at the beginning? Why does he tell the audience it will only last two hours? 

Act 1

A fight breaks out between the servants of the Montague family and the Capulet family. Benvolio (a Montague) and Tybalt (a Capulet) arrive. The Prince interrupts and says if there is anymore fighting between the families, they will be punished by death. The Capulet's talk about how sad Romeo has been lately. 

What is bothering Romeo? Is Benvolio a good friend? 

Benvolio finds out that Romeo is in love with a girl named Rosaline but she does not love him back. Benvolio tries to tell Romeo there are better girls out there. We find out that Paris wants to marry Juliet and that Juliet's father sets up a feast in order to get to know him better. Romeo and his friends intercept the invitations and decide to crash the party. 

Do you think Juliet is too young to be married? Why or why not?

She says she will listen to her parents advice. How do we know that she won't?

The Montagues go to the Capulet party. Romeo is worried about what might happen there. Romeo sees Juliet and it's love at first sight. Romeo is also seen by Tybalt and it is not love at first sight. Lord Capulet doesn't want bloodshed during his party so Tybalt lets Romeo off with a warning. Romeo and Juliet meet. 

Romeo went to see Rosaline but now he's fallen in love with Juliet. What do you think of him now? What do you think of his 'chat up' lines with Juliet? What words could be used to describe Tybalt? Can you guess what might happen between Tybalt and Romeo? 

Act 2

Romeo wants to be alone and has literally climbed a wall to escape his friends. He spies Juliet and eavesdrops on her conversation with herself. He reveals himself and that he is in love with her. They know this will bring trouble but they make plans to see Friar Laurence so that he can marry them. 

After this meeting with the Friar, Mercutio and Benvolio worry that Romeo is going to hav e fight with Tybalt. Juliet's Nurse gets teased by the Montague boys but tells Romeo that Juliet awaits his answers about the wedding. 

What do we think about the Nurse from this scene? 

Juliet waits impatiently for the Nurse. The Nurse teases Juliet by not telling her what she wants to know, but finally gives in and tells her about the plans. 

Juliet arrives at Friar Laurence's cell to be married to Romeo.

What words does the Nurse use to make Juliet impatient?

Why do you think the Nurse teases Juliet?

What type of relationship do they have? 

Act 3

Tybalt and Mercutio fight. Tybalt stabs and kills Mercutio. Mercutio says his famous line ("Ask for me tomorrow and you will find me a grave man" or "A PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"). Romeo is devastated and seeks revenge. He kills Tybalt but because he is the only one left alive after the fight, he fears being killed by the Prince and has to leave the city. 

What does this scene say about Romeo's behaviour?

Do you feel sorry for Mercutio? For Tybalt? 

The Prince arrives and Benvolio explains the situation. Juliet's mom wants Romeo killed but the Prince chooses the banish him. The Nurse returns to Juliet but she can't speak properly. Juliet learns of Tybalt's death and Romeo's banishment. Romeo managed to sneak to Friar Laurence's cell to hear his punishment. There is a chance Juliet and Romeo can see each other again but Romeo is so upset, he is talking about killing himself. The Nurse and Friar have to talk sense into him.

Do you agree that Romeo is acting silly?

Should he pull himself together and think himself lucky?

Is Friar Laurence right to promise Romeo that one day he will be able to return and everything will turn out right? 

Juliet's father wants to cheer everyone up with a wedding so he agrees to let Paris marry Juliet. Romeo and Juliet spend the night together. Juliet foreshadows by saying he looks "as one dead in the bottom of a tomb". What does this mean? 

Juliet is made aware that she has to marry Paris. Obviously, she is already married. LORD CAPULET DOES NOT KNOW THAT SHE IS ALREADY MARRIED TO ROMEO. I repeat, HE DOES NOT KNOW. He thinks he is doing something that will help cheer Juliet up, unaware of the real reason she is so upset. He is upset because she isn't thankful. Juliet plans to go to the Friar's for advice. If that doesn't work, she plans to kill herself. 

Act 4 

Paris thinks he will really marry Juliet. Friar Laurence cooks up a crazy plan that just might work! He tells Juliet to drink the equivalent of a sleeping pill or three so that she fakes death. She will sleep for 72 hours and wake up in the family tomb. Friar will write to Juliet and they will both wait for her to wake. 

Can you see how anything might go wrong with this plan? 

How would you describe Juliet? 

Juliet gets ready to drink her sleeping potion. She is alone and worried that it is poison. She is scared that she will wake up early and suffocate or go mad in the tomb. 

If you were Juliet, what would you be worried about right now? 

Early the next morning, Juliet is found dead. Only Friar Laurence and the audience know the truth. 

Act 5 

Romeo's servant goes to where Romeo is hiding and tells Romeo he has seen Juliet's funeral. He has no letters from the Friar (he was supposed to have had the one explaining the situation). Romeo plans to buy poison and kill himself. 

Romeo says, 'I dreamt my lady came and found me dead.' What does that tell you about what might happen? 'Get me ink and paper.' What do you think Romeo is going to do now? 

Romeo did not get the letter explaining that Juliet is faking her death. Paris and his servant go to the tomb. Romeo arrives and kills Paris. Romeo breaks into the tomb, drinks his poison, and kills himself. 

What does Paris think Romeo is going to do in the tomb?

Read again 'Death that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath

Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty:

Thou art not conquer'd. Beauty's ensign yet

Is crimson in they lips and in thy cheeks.'

What has Romeo not realised? 

Friar Laurence arrives at the tomb. Juliet wake sup only to be told by the Friar that Romeo and Paris are dead. The Friar goes and Juliet kills herself. 

Why is the Friar so eager to get away?

What do you think of Juliet's reaction?

The three of them are found dead. Friar tells the story as he knows it. Romeo's letters to his father confirms it. The families make peace and statues will be made of the two star cross'd lovers. 

Poetry Annotation Help - year 11

This is a found resource that you are welcome to use to get a basic understanding of poetry. This goes through the basic annotations that you need to help you understand and analyse the poems deeper.


Do not just copy these annotations and expect to understand the poem. You need to apply what you have learned and make your own annotations of what you think the poems are about!

Click here to find the poetry annotations

Reminder: this is not the work of Miss Harasen. It was not done by a teacher at our school, simply a resource found online that would be able to help you.

Revision Flashcards

Good afternoon,

I've created a group of flashcards that can be accessed on any device by downloading the app "Quizlet"

Not only is this tool great for revising your language devices, but it also has a wide variety of flashcards for any subject you need.

To find the language devices flashcard set, click here.

As mentioned, Quizlet can be accessed on your phone, tablet, or even your laptop.

Happy revising!

Jekyll and Hyde - A Brief Overview

Again, brief. This is to help with understanding the most basic information about Jekyll and Hyde.
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Context
The novel was written by Robert Stevenson. He was born in Scotland in 1850. His family background included scientists, engineers, and a religious priests. When we discuss this idea of religion vs science throughout the novel, you can see that this was reflected in Stevenson's life. In 1859, Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species which made it impossible to believe that God created the world in seven days. This made many people see it as an attack on religion. Darwin's theory came at a time of divide between the scientific community and religious community. Many thought that you had to choose between the two. There was no way you could believe in both. Many members of the religious community viewed science and scientists as meddling in matters only God should meddle in. This is essentially what Dr. Jekyll does in the novel. 
This novel also came at a time when Victorians viewed people as having a dual nature. That means that people were viewed as being both good and evil. It just depended on what we let people see. 

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Plot
Here's the deal. I'm going to break down the plot for you, chapter by chapter, in one sentence. (Side note: there is a belief that if you can't explain something in one sentence, you don't really know it, so do with that what you will).
Chapter 1 - Story of the Door
Enfield and Utterson pass a door which reminds Enfield about a story he heard about a strange man named Mr. Hyde that trampled a girl then paid off the family after entering the door and coming out with a check for a large amount of money.
Chapter 2 - Search for Mr. Hyde
Utterson has heard the name of this man before and starts to investigate it because the name is also on his friend, Dr Jekyll's, will and Utterson is worried Hyde wants to kill Jekyll to benefit from the will.
Chapter 3 - Dr Jekyll was Quite at Ease
Utterson speaks to Jekyll about his worries which Jekyll brushes off while assuring Utterson that he can be rid of Hyde any moment he chooses.
Chapter 4 - The Carew Murder Case
An elderly man is murdered by Hyde using half of a walking stick given to Jekyll from Utterson years earlier but there is and has not been any sign of Hyde for two months (though there are witnesses to state he was indeed the one to murder the old man).
Chapter 5 - Incident of the Letter
Jekyll assures Utterson that Hyde will never been seen or heard of again because of a letter that Hyde had written but when the letter is compared to Jekyll's own handwriting, Utterson is forced to believe that Jekyll forged the letter to cover up for Hyde.
Chapter 6 - Remarkable Incident of Dr Lanyon
Lanyon is on his deathbed (he blames Jekyll) but hands Utterson a letter that he says will explain everything (including his own sickness) but not to open it until Jekyll is missing or dead and then Lanyon dies.
Chapter 7 - Incident at the Window
Utterson and Enfield spot Jekyll in a window looking like a prisoner but Jekyll's expression changes to absolute terror, so much so that it "froze the very blood" of the two below.
Chapter 8 - The Last Night
Utterson breaks into Jekyll's lab to find a body that may or may not be his on the floor near a will that has crossed out Hyde's name and has put Utterson instead.
Chapter 9 - Dr Lanyon's Narrative
Lanyon's letter that was given to Utterson is read and describes how a small looking man took a potion and turned into Jekyll before his eyes, causing Lanyon to become ill.
Chapter 10 - Henry Jekyll's Full Statement of the Case
Jekyll tells the story of how he turned into Hyde and how he became addicted to his dark side and how it was so powerful it overtook him.