The version of childhood constructed in A.A Milne's classic children's story, Winnie the Pooh, is both complex and contradictory. This can be clearly seen when analyzing Chapter Nine from the book.

Childhood is portrayed in Chapter 9 of A.A Milne's children's story, Winnie the Pooh, as both complex and contradictory. The version of childhood created is that childhood is a time for playing with friends (developing social skills), learning to problem solve and learning to become independent and brave. Childhood is a time when the child is illiterate thus can not speak, read or write well. Contradicting an element of childhood, as the child can show elements of problem solving, being independent and brave however at the same time the child is basically illiterate. The cultural assumption that underpins the story is that childhood is a time for curiosity, adventure and friendship. Children are not expected to have perfect grammar, this is evident when Pooh receives a "missage",illiterate, Pooh has to ask for help from someone "older" and literate to read it. Milne uses the contrast of mature characters such as Roo and Owl in order for the audience to distinctly understand the version of childhood that he constructs. These characters are important as they almost act as the parents, creating that sense of hierarchy within the text. Narrations are used and relied on to position the audience help them understand that a story is being told, as children are often find it hard to understand what is going on in from basic dialogue. Milne relies on repetition to emphasise the extremity of the rain "It rained and it rained and it rained. Piglet told himself that never in all his life..." The use of repetition of words such as 'rained' and 'days' creates a sense of drama for the audience. Also for children repetition is such a useful tool in helping them comprehend exactly how much it rained. As it is often when children are explaining something they say the important things over and over agin just so that you understand the importance of what happened.
Milne makes reference to the self-involved behaviour that children display. " The letter is a 'P', and so is that, and so is that, and 'P' means 'Pooh', so it is a very important Missage to me, and I can't read it." Pooh cannot read, however he is able to grasp the idea that Pooh starts with P so everything that is P is his or for him. There is a cultural assumption within this idea, that early childhood is a time when you are very self-invloved, as you don't do have that awareness of other people. As Pooh doesn't realise that 'P' could also stand for Piglet. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, creates implicit representations of childhood. Through the use cultural assumptions, childhood becomes a time when children learn how to make friends, a time for play, learning to problem solve, becoming independent and brave. It is also a time when being illiterate and a time when the child is self-involved.

Barbie Vs Barbie

The Old One

In this version of the Barbie add, it is evident that Barbie embodies the cultural assumptions and expectations of women in that era. As Barbie is portrayed as a beautiful, poised and elegant woman, strongly demonstrating the cultural expectations and assumptions of women. It is obvious that during that time women had to be poised, elegant and beautiful. Within the add it is explicit that every girl should want to aspire to be like Barbie, this is evident in the lines "Some day I'm going to be exactly like you..." and the line "I'll make them think I'm you..." these lines position the audience to see Barbie as a positive role model. However Barbie is not seen as a career woman or even help instil mothering skills, which seems odd for that time. This

New One

In this version of the Barbie add she is given a sense of empowerment as the opening line is "I can be...". The slogan positions the audience to believe that they can be anything and creates that cultural assumption that women can be anything. Instilling in the Barbie buyers that (often young children) they can do anything. Barbie then becomes almost a feminist symbol as Barbie is portrayed as a women that has a jobs that men can have. However in this advertisement Barbie instils more mother qualities than the previous one as she is constantly looking after kelly.

Reputation

In his play Othello, William Shakespeare uses the characters reputation to expose the insecurities displayed.

Desdemona:
Desdemona, as known as The Moor, Othello's wife has a very high reputation, as her father is of high class. Desdamona doesn't seem to worry much about her reputation as she marries Othello with out any prejudice. This exposes her as trustworthy, honest and very loyal. However her reputation as a was is something she wants to keep pure. Her kind and caring manner towards Cassio leads to Her reputation of being tarnished as she is to be unfaithful to her husband of which leads to her tragic downfall.

Iago

Iago built a trustworthy reputation with all his companions even the ones he hated the most thought he was an honest man. As Othello's ancient Othello places complete trust in Iago's word. "I know thou'rt full of love and honesty" (Act 3, iii, 199). It is because of Iago's reputation that he is able to deceive not only Othello but nearly everyone in the play. Thus in Iago's case his reputation is vital to his success.

Cassio's reputation changed at at different stages of the play. Fist Cassio was seen has an honourable made of high status. However due to Iago's clever manipulation it is later that he causes trouble. He gets involved in a drunken violent fight with Roderigo and Montano and injures Montano. Ashamed, Cassio believes that his reputation has been destroyed. "Reputaion, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial" (Act II, iii, 242-3). Iago then uses Cassio's now tranished reputation and uses it to succeed.

Character Profile-Othello

Othello is the highly respected general of the armies of Venice, although he is not a native of Venice but an area of Northern Africa. He is often not respected as he is seen to be an outsider culturally and due to his colour not for his title. In spite of his high status in society Othello seems to have insecurities. Othello is a powerful character within in the play, respected by all those around him. Othello is madly in love with his wife Desdemona and Othello's insecurities quickly turn into extreme jealousy that claims his life.

In her poem, "Voronezh", Akhmatova focuses heavily on the weather. How does this assist in evoking a sense of atmosphere and emotion for the reader?

In the poem, 'Voroezh', Anna Akmatova focuses strongly on the environmental surroundings. Akmatova foucuses on the ice cold Russian winter to create a sense of atmosphere and emotions for the reader. By explaining the surroundings Akmatova uses this to engage with the reader feel as if the are seeing what Akmatova is seeing and feeling.The first few lines within her poem describe the landscape and the weather, "the town is frozen solid...trees, walls, snow, beneath the glass. Over crystal, on slippery tracks of ice..." Akmatova wrote and dedicated this Osip Mandelshtam who had been exiled to Voronezh for writing a poem critical of Stalin.
Akmatova mentions the field of Kulikovo, of which she discribes a "battleground" Akmatova could be using this comparison of the battle to the battle of words to create a metaphor for what she was going through at the time. A moral battle of which she and many other poets would have found themselves in Russia at the time. Towards the end of the poem Akmatova creates a comparison between the happy moment of a wedding and then to a miserable feel when she mentions the execusion of Mandelshtam,"But Fear and the Muse take turns to guard the room where the exiled poet it banised". In these lines from the poem, Akmatova explains how she had written another poem for Mandelshtam that she called 'Fear and the Muse' who had been executed because he had written a poem that had gone agaisnt Stalin's beliefs, and was banished from Russia.

5) The poet has written the poem to possibly explain the diffrences of autum and spring. As the in the first stanaz's of the poem explains spring " Stands a single willow tree, Fresh in spring colour" The poet then creates a contrast between autum and spring in the last few stanza's this contrast is show in stanza 6 "The ground is covered with frost, The autum is drawing to its close."

6) The landscape in the poem described in the first stanza 'The gentle slopes of the mountains' and 'the river descends far and distant' in the 2nd stanza the poet creates and image for the audience, making the audience feel like they are surrounded by the landscape he/she has created. The poet creates the sense of smell for the reader through the line "Plum-Fragrance filling the village" and a strong sense of sound in the line "Every push of the oar. Is audiable from a passing boat." These techniques used by the poet agian engage the reader and makes them feel as if they are standing right next to the poet writting the poem.

7) You can't learn much from the poem of the poet as not much of the poet is injected into the poem itself. Although the poem is a japanese poem and therefore possibly a japanese poet and poets where often women. So the poet could possibly be a woman.

Comparison Exercise

In pairs you will be allocated a chapter from the novel to compare with the last chapter.

You will then be reporting your findings back to the class.

You will need to consider the following things for each chapter you are asked to analyse:

1. How does the author position you to view the Ibo tribe? (Consider social structure, culture, values, attitudes, beliefs, etc).

• Okonkow is only recognised when he wins the wrestling match This gives you an idea that all village men had to be strong and they had to prove it by a wrestling match
• Their system of law After an Ibo women is killed by another village that village is to sacrifice a virgin and a young boy instead of the killed being imprisoned.
• Okonkow never shows emotion “Okonkow never showed any emotion openly, unless it is the emotion of anger. To show affection was a sign of weakness.” pg 25 this shows the attitude that the tribe has towards men showing emotion.
• Beliefs Peace week they honour their peace goddess”It was unheard of to beat someone during the sacred week” pg 26  if they didn’t honour the goddess their crops would not grow.  Okonkow had to sacrifice a female goat at the shrine of Ani.
• Social Structure
1. Ezeani
2. Okonkow
3. Ikemefuna


2. How does the author position you to view the individual characters? (Focus only on those characters who are essential to the plot).

• Okonkow is seen to be strong, powerful, brave and dominant. He is the leader of his family and he is given the job to look after the young boy who was paid by the village that was responsible for killing the Ibo woman. Okonkow is seen as very cold hearted and strict.

3. How does the author position you to view men?
The author positions the reader to see men and strong and powerful, he positions the audience to see the man as having all power they can do what ever they want within the tribe and to their women.
4. How does the author position you to view women?
The author positions the reader to see women as submissive and weak. They have no power with in the tribe there husband is their leader. If a women is to speak out or speak her mind then she is to be beaten.
5. How does the author position you to view the Europeans? (If relevant to the chapter).
It is not relevant to the chapter yet.