Contemporary responses to war: Chicks In the Line of Fire

1. How effective is the headline?

The headline of the article is quite effective as it draws people in because of the play on words it has used. The author has used the word “Chicks” to represent the Dixie Chicks. This attracts more audience because of the use of the informal language. Also the way that the author wrote the words “in the Line of Fire” represents the fact that the Dixie Chicks have been in a lot of trouble lately, but it also refers to that fact that the author is talking a bit about war.

2. The journalist has chosen not to include an extensive byline. Do you think this is a good decision? Explain your answer.

I think that this is a good idea, because some of the content within the article is quite confronting to some people. Also many people have had problems with the Dixie Chicks, so the author could become another person of attack if people know a lot about her.

3. How does the introductory paragraph help your understanding of what the article will be about?

It makes reference to the things that the Dixie Chicks said to get this whole incident started. It also give as brief introduction on the members of the Dixie Chicks, and there beliefs as well as what they stand for, as this is very important to know in order to understand the article.

4. What kind of tone do you think the journalist is trying to achieve? Provide examples to explain your answer.

The author has both a plain fact stating tone the same as a news reporter would have. But at times there is sympathy in her voice as she is trying to defend the Dixie Chicks. There is also a bit of anger when she is describing what people thought about the Dixie Chicks. For example when the author writes, “As proof, the first single from the Dixie Chicks' new album, Taking the Long Way (out May 23), is called Not Ready to Make Nice. It is, as one country radio programmer says, "a four-minute f___-you to the format and our listeners. I like the Chicks, and I won't play it." Few other stations are playing Not Ready to Make Nice, and while it has done well on iTunes, it's quite possible that in singing about their anger at people who were already livid with them and were once their target audience” you can see in this segment of the article that the author has some feelings of disgust towards the things that people were saying about the Dixie Chicks.

5. What do you think the journalist's purpose was in writing this article? Provide examples to help prove your answer.

I think that the writers purpose of writing this article was to defend and justify the things that the Dixie Chicks have been through. You can tell this because at the end of the article you feel like the Dixie Chicks were the good side whilst everyone else who was attacking them was wrong.

6. The journalist makes considerable use of direct quotations throughout the article. How does this affect your understanding of the article and influence your opinion of the band members? Use evidence to support your claims.

A lot of the quotations in the article make you feel like you were part of the argument as you heard all the sides and were witnessing everything. This effect influences the way you feel about the band members because you feel as though you know all the facts and then you decide that the Dixie Chicks were actually good and they were just standing up for what they believed in.

7. How effective do you think this article is in achieving the journalist's purpose? Explain your answer in full please.

I think that the writer was very successful in achieving her purpose because as I said before the purpose of the article was to defend and justify the actions of the Dixie Chicks. This purpose was achieved because at the end of the article I felt like the Dixie Chicks were in the wrong and that all those things that people did to them was disgusting behavior.

John McCrae

John McCrae:

John McCrae was born on the 30^th of November 1872 in Ontario, Canada. He died on the 28^th of January 1918 at the age of 45, in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. He developed an intrest in poetry at a young age, and wrote throughout his life. He was Canadian and was a Lieutenant Colonel. He died in the time of World War 1 and he was 45 at the age that he died, this was because he died of pneumonia, which was a common illness at the time.

He was writing about World War 1 as this was the war that he lived through and died during. World War 1 began on the 28^th of July 1914, and lasted until the 11^th of November 1918. It was predominantly called the ‘World War’ or the ‘Great War’ until World War 2. It involved all the world’s great powers. It was the world’s sixths-deadliest conflict in world history.

The most popular and famous poem John McCrae has written is ‘In Flanders Fields’. It was written during the First World War, and was inspired to be written on May the 3^rd, 1915, after his friend and fellow soldier, Alexis Helmer died. It is one of the most popular and most quoted poems from the war. Its reference to the red poppies that grew over the graves of fallen soldiers resulted in the remembrance poppy becoming one of the worlds most recognised memorial symbols for soldiers who have died in conflict.

Specs and Slims: An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

Specs and Slims: An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

Subject Matter:

The poem is about an airman that knows that he is going to die, however he is not scared and he is embracing it because he knows that it is his fate.

Purpose:

The purpose of this poem is to show how the author loves flying and that they would do it wherever because it is what they love, even if they have to do it in a warzone. Also that he is not afraid of death because he will be doing what he loves.

Emotion:

The emotion is a bit sad, as you know that he is going to die, but as you keep reading you realize that he has accepted it and he is okay with it and this makes you feel quite peaceful.

Craftsmanship:

The poet does this by creating an atmosphere where death is not feared but it is expected and inevitable and people just accept it.

Structure:

The poem is just in one large stanza.

Language:

The language in the poem is in older English, but it goes with the theme of the poem as it was written in a world war. The language also helps guide the emotion of the poem, as the language is not overly sad and it is more peaceful and calming.

Imagery:

There is an example of a metaphor in the line “My county is Kiltartan Cross,” this give a stronger connection to the word as you are saying that it is something.

The word fate has been used as a euphemism in the line “I KNOW that I shall meet my fate”, in this fate is used instead of the word death to give it a nicer meaning, but in a way that will still know what the poet is referring to.

Movement:

There is a sound feature where the word tumult is used in the line “Drove to this tumult in the clouds;” this word is used to explain the sound of the rapid shooting that was going on in the air. It gives you a sense of movement as you can imagine the shots being fired to the rhythm that the poem is being read at.

Sound:

There is an example of alliteration in the line “I balanced all, brought all to mind”, this gives the effect of a rhythm when you are reading or saying the poem.

The poem also rhymes every second line, which gives you a rhythm as you read a long, which makes it a lot more enjoyable to read.

Summary:

This poem is very impacting as it is quite different from other war poems which show the element of death being scary or feared, however within this poem death is embraced as the poet knows that it is inevitable and that if he dies doing what he loves then it will be okay. This also occurs with the mood of the poem as it is quite sad at the beginning, but as people adjust to the fact that death is going to happen either way the poem becomes quite peaceful and calming. 

Specs and Slims: An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

Specs and Slims: An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

Subject Matter:

The poem is about an airman that knows that he is going to die, however he is not scared and he is embracing it because he knows that it is his fate.

Purpose:

The purpose of this poem is to show how the author loves flying and that they would do it wherever because it is what they love, even if they have to do it in a warzone. Also that he is not afraid of death because he will be doing what he loves.

Emotion:

The emotion is a bit sad, as you know that he is going to die, but as you keep reading you realize that he has accepted it and he is okay with it and this makes you feel quite peaceful.

Craftsmanship:

The poet does this by creating an atmosphere where death is not feared but it is expected and inevitable and people just accept it.

Structure:

The poem is just in one large stanza.

Language:

The language in the poem is in older English, but it goes with the theme of the poem as it was written in a world war. The language also helps guide the emotion of the poem, as the language is not overly sad and it is more peaceful and calming.

Imagery:

There is an example of a metaphor in the line “My county is Kiltartan Cross,” this give a stronger connection to the word as you are saying that it is something.

The word fate has been used as a euphemism in the line “I KNOW that I shall meet my fate”, in this fate is used instead of the word death to give it a nicer meaning, but in a way that will still know what the poet is referring to.

Movement:

There is a sound feature where the word tumult is used in the line “Drove to this tumult in the clouds;” this word is used to explain the sound of the rapid shooting that was going on in the air. It gives you a sense of movement as you can imagine the shots being fired to the rhythm that the poem is being read at.

Sound:

There is an example of alliteration in the line “I balanced all, brought all to mind”, this gives the effect of a rhythm when you are reading or saying the poem.

The poem also rhymes every second line, which gives you a rhythm as you read a long, which makes it a lot more enjoyable to read.

Summary:

This poem is very impacting as it is quite different from other war poems which show the element of death being scary or feared, however within this poem death is embraced as the poet knows that it is inevitable and that if he dies doing what he loves then it will be okay. This also occurs with the mood of the poem as it is quite sad at the beginning, but as people adjust to the fact that death is going to happen either way the poem becomes quite peaceful and calming. 

Maus Chapter Review

Chapter Summary: Book 2 Chapter 5

1. Give a general overview (description) of what happens in this chapter.

In this chapter everything is resolved and the end of both stories resolved. You find out what happened at the end of the war and Vladek and Anja finally found each other again. You also find out what happened to Vladek at the end of his life and what Artie does.

2. Identify which main themes are seen in this chapter.

The main themes within this chapter are love, survival, family and journey.

3. Tell us what we learn about the main characters in this chapter.

There is not many new things that we learn about the main characters as it is the final chapter of the book. However we do learn that Vladek is in fact getting a lot sicker and eventually his body can’t take it anymore and he dies. We learn that Artie starts to care a lot more about his dad and is there a lot to be with him through his final days. We learn that it took a long time for Anja and Vladek to find each other again, and we learnt how happy they were.

4. Explain what Art Speigelman is trying to tell us about the main themes in this chapter (what is his message?)

Love: The theme of love is giving us the message of the love that Anja and Vladek feel for each other. The love powerful enough to get them both through being separated for that long with the horrible situation going on around them. It is also giving us the message of how much Artie actually loves his father even though he doesn't always show it.

Survival: The theme of survival is conveying the message of that feeling of accomplishment and happiness that they made it through the war and all the violence that they were lucky enough to survive when so many didn’t.

Family: The feeling of family that comes when you get through an experience like the holocaust and you want to be with people and your family. Also the way that family looks after each other and supports one another.

Journey: The journey that Vadek and Anya had to go through and the summing up of the whole traumatic experience that they had to go through, was like the end of the journey that the book portrayed.

5. Identify the various techniques that Art Speigelman uses in this chapter to help us understand the themes and the characters.

·      Relationships/interactions between characters

·      Sequencing of events

6. Explain why/how these techniques are effective.

Speigelman uses the technique of relationships and the interaction between characters to help us understand the themes and characters in the book. The interaction between Anja and Vladek help us understand the themes of love and family and help us understand how much Vladek and Anja really love each other. Speigelman also uses the technique of sequencing of events as the constant flipping and changing of time periods helps sum up the journeys taken by the character and finishes both stories at once creating the sense of resolution.

Extended Responses

1. Uncle Jimmy is integral to Sophie’s emotional recovery. What does he do that helps her rebuild her confidence and find happiness?

By helping Sophie through her emotional recovery, Jimmy pushes Sophie to gain her back her confidence and find happiness again. Everyone around Sophie is scared she is going to break so they are always so cautious and careful around her, but Jimmy argues with her and doesn't care if he over steps the boundaries because he is not afraid of tip toeing around her. “You aunt is a bloody artist. You should be able to paint or draw or do… something. Yeah, I shot back at him, I should be able to dance like my mother and paint like my aunt, play soccer like my brother and cut out cancer from people’s guts like Dad! But I can’t do any of it. Sorry!”(p.236). This quotation shows how Jimmy has pushed Sophie and tried to argue with her so that she steps out of her comfort zone and says what she is really feeling, which is what she does in this quotation. Jimmy is very important in Sophie’s recovery period as he allows and pushes her to let her feelings out instead of keeping them bundled in.

2. Describe the character of Raymond and the dynamic between him and Fran.

Raymond and Fran have a very dynamic relationship because of the way that Raymond is portrayed. In the novel, when you are first introduced to the character Raymond he is very rude and bad mannered. But for some reason Fran is in a relation ship with him, this makes you think Raymond might only be nice to Fran because he likes her but he is rude to everyone else. “Do you have any idea how very talented your friend is? He said loudly to Amy, then he turned to glare with narrowed eyes at Geraldine. Your sister?”(p.182). This quotation highlights the rude and snarky attitude Raymond has towards others, but his attitude changes to be much more sweet and calm when he is talking to Fran. Fran and Raymond’s relationship is dynamic because of the way that the character of Raymond interacts with Fran and others.

Practice Essay

Essay Question:

Geraldine and Fran had events from their past that ruined their relationship as sisters. Explain what unfolded between these two women that led to their hatred of each other (include direct quotations). In your essay response, you should also consider whether only one character was in the wrong or both were to blame. You should also think about whether Geraldine should forgive Fran or whether it is right that she has held a grudge for all these years.

Re-Written Question:

This question is asking me to highlight the events from Fran and Geraldine’s past and how these events triggered their hatred for one another. You have to decide if only one character has started this hatred or if both of them contributed. You should also decide if Geraldine should forgive Fran and if she should have held a grudge for all these years.

Essay Response:

In the novel Chain of Hearts by Maureen McCarthy Geraldine and Fran have un resolved issues from their past, which has led to their mutual hatred of each other. Looking back at these issues and how they have shaped the two sisters relationship will give us a better insight about how this hatred first started and if both of the sisters are to blame for their hatred and if they should finally forgive each other.

One of the ways that the mutual hatred between Geraldine and Fran began, could have been because of the environment they grew up in. When Geraldine was a small child her father was always very strict towards her. “He was a good father, but distant and stern. At least in those early years.”(p.289). However when Fran was born she was treated a lot better by her father. “Fran had delighted her father. It seemed that the more violent her outbursts, the further she diverged from his own political views, the more he was interested in what she had to say.”(p.290). These quotations show how Fran was treated a lot better than Geraldine when they were younger. This could have been why Geraldine started hating Fran, because she thought her dad liked Fran better. At this point Fran may not have even realized that anything was wrong between them. But she could have started hating Geraldine because Geraldine hated her. Therefore Fran would not have hated Geraldine, until Geraldine made her hatred known to Fran. The way that Geraldine and Fran were raised and the environment that they grew up in could have triggered their hatred of each other.

The hatred between Geraldine and Fran could have also been developed because of how what happened with Geraldine’s relationship. When Paul broke of the engagement to Geraldine the night before the wedding she was so upset. Fran was very sad for her and wanted to help her through it. “What could she do? What could anyone do? She sat listening to her sister cry, feeling the blunt sense of disappointment grow steadily inside as the news sank in.”(p.35). When Fran went back to the city and she saw Paul Healey and he told Fran her true feelings for Fran and why she couldn’t marry Geraldine. “Because at that moment I was looking at you and thinking, I wish it was Fran. She’s the one I really love. I wish I was marrying Fran.”(p.59). After hearing this news Fran did not do anything with Paul. But Geraldine probably thought that it was all Fran’s fault and that she broke up her marriage, even though she did not have any feelings for Paul and even if she did she didn’t act on them. This is also an instance that Fran has done nothing wrong but Geraldine is still very mad at her because she thinks that she is purposely trying to ruin her life. Geraldine’s hatred towards Fran was built up because of why her fiancée broke off the marriage.

Geraldine and Fran’s hatred of each other is because of the issues that Geraldine has with Fran because she blames Fran for the issues that have occurred in her life, like her engagement being broken off and how she was raised as a child. However Fran has not done anything wrong and she only started to hate Geraldine because she had so much hatred for her and she did not know why. Therefore this whole feud was not Fran’s fault, instead it was Geraldine’s, and she should finally forgive Fran. This hatred between the sisters is because of the unresolved issues that Geraldine has placed upon Fran’s responsibility when it was not.