Anja's Online Journal

Crowded the streets are, filled to the brim with anticipation and excitement. The day is at its beginning. Children skip to the beat; their heads filled with ideas for the days ahead. Snow. It waits up above. Ready to fall and grant the children’s wishes. It arms the storefronts with all the latest colourful winter styles. Women gather in their long winter coats, searching out the new best perfume, fuelled by gossip. The resulting scent is a strong chemical like smell filling the air. It is soft and dreamlike. The men are different. They become a part of the surroundings; disappearing. Engaging in a game of hiding and seek to avoid being their girlfriend’s doll in which to play dress-up. The roads are the connections between the two worlds; a place where the world of money combines with those less fortunate. The bright, postered windows of professional looking stores connected to the tacky chalked windows of run-down stores. The outcasts of the city standing lonesome at the side. Children float around it, like unruly pets as they follow their parents. Deterred by the store and the man in its presence, they change direction; preserving their children’s safety along with their own. This particular family is not alone as many before them have done the same; Just as will generations to come.

Look. Look at everyone. As the clock ticks towards lunch, some drift away to fill their stomachs. Others have just made a start to their day, fuelled by excitement. The masses of people have started to thin; but their departure brings about the arrival of new, excited shoppers. Busses have made their deliveries, now becoming the exit channel for those heading home. But. With all the commotion, the man is practically obscure. An invisible line is a barrier around. It’s not a place to enter as it’s just as sickening as the surrounding objects. The tattered blanket. A worn-down building. Even just getting close sets up someone’s life to follow the same path. One semicircle is more of an inconvenience. Stepping around, it is precisely this. It’s just a rule that has to be obeyed. Families take it in their stride and are prepared. Cross here. Walk along here. Cross back here. The method intertwined in the minds of the world’s youth. A smart method. One that will keep them safe. A steady stream of all of these people falls into the streets. Their stomachs full and their day organised. Cold, damp weather that should bring about shivering was planned for. The countless layers of coats and warm clothing were looked forward to with the impending excitement of snow.

As the day draws to a close, only determined shoppers are brave enough to fight to get into the ever closing stores. Others are on the hunt for one of the brightly lit restaurants, one that is almost desolate, ensuring a seat. Through all the commotion, standard rules apply: income level means everything, no one else matters, and everyone is responsible for the way they live their life. These rules define everything on this street. The congregation of people outside the brightly lit, well-furnished restaurants is an indication of higher-income levels. While the dwindling stream of persistent shoppers is inundated with only a few that risk the dark and ominous cheaper shops. Shops only for those disgraced. They are dirty and are not a place for reasonable, functioning people. The sky connecting the two worlds is deceitful. This colour filled blanket above us is dotted with bright lights. It is a world of beauty in a place of darkness. Like only those who gleam and their worth is shown, are reflected in the sky above. This whole area is almost void of activity now. Anyone whose value would be displayed in the sky is missing. Only the misfits of society linger in the street. They are the ones who no doubt smoke and get into trouble time and time again. Replacing the empty silence is the low mumbled chatter. The man is just another one of them. Hat low and coat backwards. A movement to hide away and protect; a boundary between the man’s body hideous body and the world in which he doesn’t belong.

Listen. Listen to the sounds. The emptiness, the silence, the lack of people. A perfect street filled with peaceful silence. This place of perfection in ruins when passers-by dare to look down. The sounds of snivels from cold noses fill the air. The lone engine rumble of a single-car gives life to the road, one sound keeping insanity away. Familiar in a world of difference; One sound the same. A few lone strangers brave the streets; their voices hushed. Murmurs of those on the street can be detected leaving their mouths; no doubt filled with hatred and disrespect. Not one would consider asking for the man if he were to disappear. The man is an irritating rap song that you look to turn off; a stark difference to the classical music of the city.

Jealousy creeps through your lips as you see the life you dream. You will never be good enough for it. The snow everyone seeks, its cold hands slice through your thin blanket. You are isolated from society. If you were someone different, they wouldn’t be so ignorant. You were a normal human being until you no longer had a job. Now a nobody. The barrier that everyone chose to build around you is disheartening. You are a burden to everyone around and a disgrace to all. You are just another man on the street and no matter what you do; no matter what you say. You will always be known as the dirty scum living on the streets. One star that has already fallen.

Classism on the streets.

Time of year: Winter. cool breeze. Warm coats, boots and scarves. Spending time at home

Place and time: On the streets of Wellington. Wealthy area. Centre city. Busy with activity. Everyone is happy and engaged. Overview of the scene and then ‘zooms in’ to the stranger on the streets. Progresses from Day to Night. Lots of activity vs the quiet of the night.

Who is there: Wealthy businessmen. Curious children. Everyday shoppers. A lonely stranger on the street.

This piece of creative writing is expressing the prejudice of everyday society using a structure-based of a prologue to a famous play by Dylan Thomas. This piece is based on the prejudice ideas of society that are viewed towards someone that is sitting on the street. We will be following the structure of Dylan Thomas’s piece as it will be showing a scene through a changing in time. I will be utilising this and showing a change of time from day to night. The streets of Wellington are my setting. I hope to use the people and the setting to enhance how different people are treated, just by their position on the street. Are they walking past with expensive bags, or looking long fully at the windows of shops, or will it be someone that is sitting with their belongings on the ground? I will use the type of people that are there, to convey the way in which people are judged by how they look. I hope to convey the busyness of the streets in the day and slowly bring in the character sitting on the streets as it moves towards a quieter night. To convey the loneliness, and how disregarded by the society he is. I hope to portray this and bring light to it, then bring in the voice of the character. The first part of the text is set to feel that the person on the streets in a burden and shouldn’t be there and is lower than them in class, while the last paragraph will be from his point of view and seeing how different the world looks and how hurtful our actions are to others. For the first four paragraphs this I want to build on the hatred society feels towards this man and build on the setting, then in the last paragraph, change the scene to be from his point of view. Using features such as using positive connotative language to describe the scene then negative connotative language when the man comes into view and anything about him is mentioned to help create the idea of him being disregarded by society.

Initial response

Brief plot overview:

A series of different characters with various backgrounds, whose stories all collide with a crash.

Discuss a character that was of interest to you and explain why?

The character that was of interest to me was Graham Waters. He interested me because of how he was treated. He tries to do everything for everyone and then gets blamed for his brother’s death. He is constantly working for everyone and no one notices. His mother even goes to say that she knows who caused her sons death “you did”, referring to Graham. He tried to help but he was so busy helping everyone else, then his mother tells him to blame himself for the death of Peter. Causing the death of someone can ruin anyone life but he was told that he was responsible for it from his mother, who he does so much for. This is important because this is the scene that helps to show how relatable he is. Graham is a very relatable character as many people work to do everything for everyone, but are not noticed for doing so. This is why Graham was of interest to me.

What do you believe the director’s intention was. Explore this and the moments that allowed you to experience this.

The director intended to portray the racism that is prevalent on the streets of L.A. and America in general. This was achieved through so of the scenes in the film. One of these moments was when Peter and Anthony were on the streets of L.A. and speaking about how they asked themselves ” Are we dressed like gang-bangers? Do we look threatening?” They would continue this and then put it down to being coloured. They are sharing how they feel unaccepted in society and the next crimes they commit are just what they are expected to do. If you doing expect anything higher of coloured citizens other than being thief’s and bad people, then many will not aspire to be anything more. Paul Haggis has effectively used the language used by Peter and Anthony to show the racism commonly found and affecting peoples lives.

How did Haggis use stereotypes to manipulate viewers

Paul Haggis effectively used stereotypes to manipulate viewers to think a certain way about the characters. This was used with Jean and Rick. Haggis used the stereotypes of rich people to create their characters. They were rich, well dressed, had a nice house and car, and were a target for thieves. This overview of the characters is perfectly lined up with the stereotypes of rich people in society nowadays. Having more money makes you a target, but for Jean and Rick, anyone in their home with less money than them will take their keys and sell them so others steal from there and they are paranoid about everything. This is using the stereotypes of the characters to get viewers to think of them as the victims and

Discuss and research the setting of L.A. Why do you think it was set here and how did it influence the plot/interactions? (911)

Placing the setting in L.A. was a bold but well-done choice. The scene shows how prevalent racism and classism are along with the sexism that is also found. These themes were common and important as they show…

Where there any cinematography techniques that stood out to you? Choose one and discuss it’s effect ( presenting directors intention, causing a viewer realisation.)

A Cinematography technique that stood out to me was when Farhad Golzari almost shot Lara. When this scene played out, there was quiet music then the screen was almost frozen. This was a clever cinematography technique that helps create the emphasis that leads the viewers to belive Lara has been shot. It stood out to me because of the way that you know Farhad Golzari will shoot Daniel Ruiz. A plot twist has already taken place when Lara comes out to help her daddy. The realization that Lara is still delayed and so it leads the viewers to believe that she could be dead as she is so still, but then the relief flows through their veins. This was accurately executed as the viewer’s reactions are in line with the director’s intention. It stood out to me by looking at the reactions of my family when they witnessed this scene. I straight away could see that their reactions were what the Director intended and this is why I think it is a clever scene and stood out to me.

How do you know we ain’t Negros… Well if we came out of the Old Testament it’s too long ago to remember.. but around here once you have a drop of Negro blood, that makes you all black. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, racism is a key theme that is reinforced in the setting. Her choice of the time era, the backstory of the novel, and the classism all present this. Harper Lee has made a clever choice of these aspects as they each are the building blocks that make up the setting of the novel. This overall builds up the idea of the racism that was a problem during the setting of the novel. Harper lee wrote the novel in the 1950s and so the racism would have been a defining factor in the decision of the novels setting.

The time era that was chosen by Harper lee was cleverly decided on as it helps to shape the readers view on the racism that was occurring. Her choice of time was during the 1930s. Setting the novel from 1933-1935 meant that the characters were dealing with the issues of the Jim Crow era, and the aftermath of the great depression. The Jim Crow era was the period in time in which the Jim Crow laws were in place, from 1877 to 1964. This was important as they segregated people by their colour. Doing this is a major part of the setting because it what sets apart Calpurnia from the Finch family, and why they sat in the “Coloured balcony” at the trial. Every day in Scouts life she saw the massive amount of segregation that occurred. She was surrounded by it and didn’t know life without it, as it had been in place long before she arrived, setting the scene for the novel. The depression created a problem with money in the area as jobs had been hard to come by as employers could not afford to pay them. Leading to Scout growing up with an increased concern for money. Economic issues present the setting and link to everyday life for the citizens in Maycomb. Money put them further up the class system. This led to increased problems with racism as the economic situation of the coloured citizens was a lot worse and the had to work a lot harder just to get enough oven to survive. Setting the novel in the 1930s the aftermath of the depression and the effects of the Jim Crow Laws were very much prevalent in society and were causing issues. Setting the scene for the racism that was very well known, and the building block of the storyline. When Harper Lee wrote the novel, this was just what she set out to show. The way of life back then. She executed it well because it catches the readers attention and gains their interest. It also helps the reader to understand the difference in life now against what life was like back then. Helping to show just how far we have come in regards to the racial views of society and what still needs working on.

Having a main family in the novel is part of the setting. The Finch family is a good portrayal of what the setting of the text is because of the racism that resides within them. Their family were the ones that founded Maycomb as it was their ancestor Simon Finch that found the area. The family was very stuck in their ways but Atticus, Scout and Jem all stand up to the racism that was occurring in society and within their own families. Aunt Alexandra was deeply racist and this was shown in the ways that she treated Calpurnia. She later even goes to say that she is not needed anymore as she herself will replace her, so they don’t have a coloured woman in the house. The Finch family represent the racism that was a huge factor in the novel is very important. It helps to show the racism that the Maycomb community showed to others based on the colour of their skin. Aunt Alexandra was very much part of the community and shared many of the same views with the other people she met up with. These prejudice thoughts were shared and were put into words when Mr Raymond was found out for drinking Coca-Cola out of a paper bag, which was always thought to be an alcoholic drink in the bag instead. He replied to this saying how “it ain’t honest but it’s mighty helpful to the folks. secretly, Miss Finch, I’m not much of a drinker, but you see they could never, never understand that I live like I do because that’s the way I want to live.” He was pretending to be an alcoholic so he had a reason to marry a coloured woman. Society, which includes the Finch family, would not be able to understand why he does it so he gives them a reason for having the life he has by pretending to be an alcoholic. The Finch families prejudice ideas are shared by the community that causes a man to pretend to be someone he is not just to still be accepted in society. Their family is representative of society as their ideas are the ones that are challenged and brought to light. The racism that is shown by the finch family shows the setting of the novel as their prejudice thoughts are shared by the community. Mr Raymond is a good example of that.

The amount of money your family as is reflected in the class you are put in. This is how classism works. In Maycomb, your class greatly affected the way you lived your life and the way you were thought of in society. The class system in Maycomb put the Finch family at the top of the ladder. They had more money and higher privileges than the Cunninghams that were below them, followed by the Ewells. The lowest of the low was the ones separated because of their skin colour or their connections. If Mr Raymond had not pretended to be drunk and therefore give a reason for marrying a coloured woman, then he would be put down in class just for that and would be as low as his wife. The class you belonged to defined what standard to were held in within society. The class system is a very important part of the setting of the novel as you were held to a different standard regarding your class. This made the racism of the time more prevalent and noticeable than ever. This whole idea is why Mayella “kissed a black man” and is brave because he is coloured and it will put her further down. The classism in Maycomb sets the scene for the novel because it helps to show what life was like, and the way you lived depending on your class. Similar to life today.

To Kill a Mockingbirds setting backs up the idea of racism. The setting includes the time, the background, and the classism that was prevalent. This backs up the racism because each of these three aspects shows part of the racism of the time and they all tie in together. The time that it was set in was the 1930’s. Tying into classism as your race put you down further along with the money you had. If you were coloured, there was no way you would have a decent amount of money so you would always be at the bottom. In the 1930s, classism was a big deal and your whole life was dictated by it. If you were lower in class, you wouldn’t even attend school as you were needed to work. This is different from now as, even if the family doesn’t have a lot of money, children are still expected to go to school. The background of the novel, the Finch family, is an important part as they are at the top of the pyramid regarding their class and the history surrounding their family. The setting of the novel has a noticeable difference in modern-day life as the 1930s was a very different time. An example of this is that classism is still prevalent but it is less of a problem. If you have a different skin colour, you will not be asked to go to a different church or area and it no longer defines what you can do. Times have changed for the better. Living as life for Scout and Jem in the novel would not be acceptable now and the racism that was a big issue is now less prevalent. Harper Lee chose the setting very well as it illustrated her intention to show that life was very different back then and the move we have made to try and get rid of the racist thoughts that some have.

‘Analyse how setting was used to reinforce an idea in the written text.’

The written text is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and the idea is the racism that takes place in 1930’s America.

The setting of To Kill A Mockingbird is in the Fictional town of Maycomb Alabama in 1930’s America. During this era, the town of Maycomb has just come out of a Depression and the Jim Crow rule was in place.

Paragraph 1: Time Period (1933-1935)

Paragraph 2: The Finch family (the founding family of Maycomb Alabama)

Paragraph 3: Classism (How the classism of the 1930’s made up the setting)

The scenery is unfamiliar territory; looming up ahead me and ready to take me into a place I don’t belong. Trees beckon me towards my uncertain fate in this new world, and I feel the hard ground beneath my feet. Cool to the touch. The atmosphere seems: strange, uninviting, and mysterious. Strange faces guide my way in as all the new children, like me, gather in groups. I walk in lonely. Chattering comes from among those groups; rising above the other voices. Overpowering, unsettling and capturing my hearing. Clusters of buildings make up our surroundings. A playground in the midst. Yellow and green fields surround us, waiting to be used again. One tree seems to beckon someone to climb up and be above the world. Standing just to the left of the playground; it’s leaves bright green. Welcoming. Deceiving. My attention is broken as the adults gather us together, as equals, on the deck to show us our place. Their command only shows us how different we all are. How were are individuals in this big new place. How we will have to strive to be a group.

We are all separated, and gathered into our rooms. I do not fit in. I do not speak up. I do not belong. My book is all that pulls me through the day; a hard lump in my bag. Welcoming and Inviting. It engages me through the first two hours, but still cannot ease my panic for break. When our break eventually comes I sneak outside; trapped among the other children racing to find the best place to sit with their friends. Where can I sit? Where can I go? Are my thoughts as I stand in the doorway. There is only place no one else has gone, the deck. Sitting on it is like sitting on rough sandpaper that is crumpled with use, but where else can I go. All I am is a mouse surrounded by elephants, so close to being trampled. I sit alone, but not truly alone, because I cannot be truly alone when I have a book to read. My book is one object that can take me away from this world. Where all I can feel is that I am: lonely, scared, frightened, unloved, and unworthy of anything that I receive. Including attention. My books can take me to places I will never explore, and experience thing I never would. Like true friendship. It can also take me to a place where I belong. Unfortunately stories do not last forever, so soon I am pulled back to reality. Back to my normal place. The place where I am just a chameleon. Blending in but not belonging.

The scene around me is welcoming. It is grand and amazing but also scary. People around me are now as familiar to me as my most visited location. One path that I follow is warm to the touch thanks to receiving help from the sun. Trees are no longer threats and the atmosphere seems light and easy. Hiding a secret. The children around me are now teenagers, and just as much trouble. An important thing to notice is that I am no longer alone. Yes I am alone while walking to the place were we meet, but I will no longer be sitting alone during the day and reading. Now I can sit among friends. Feel involved. Feel liked. I am not surrounded by endless chatter anymore but it is replaced by silence with the occasional whisper. A detour via the tree tells me that it is not so inviting, and that the green leaves that used to envelop its arms are now bare. I can also see the empty space where buildings used to stand tall and proud and the newly filled spaces where they perch. After a walk up the grass covered bank, I see the room where all of us meet, and my friends be soon. Already, I have made note on my way up here that the adults are far less controlling then they used to be. Most of them anyway.

Even though it has been four years, I still do not speak up. My book is still inviting, but I now have more reasons to come back up from it. Still reading during interval and lunch but now sitting in the bright green quad that is home to many growing trees. We sit there and talk, read and work on our homework. The grass that we sit on during breaks feels like soft, green, fluffy carpet. Feeling more at home here than ever before and it is no longer unfamiliar scenery. It is now the place that I spend most of my time visiting, from Monday to Friday, the place that I first had real friends. Friends that I can chat to and read with. Friends that are like my family. Friends that I can connect with and have my back. I am still lonely and self-conscious sometimes, but they can be a great encouragement though those times. I am glad that I can finally have friends, even though there are fights that are going on around me. There is still one thing that still sets me apart and has evolved with time. I am still a chameleon. Blending in but not comfortable in my own skin. Belonging in this place.