IOC 2

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxNWYnuaMNBRUzk0aVptWmpPVjg/view?usp=sharing

Practice IOC Boys and Girls

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxNWYnuaMNBRQWZzUnN1U0NZOHM/view?usp=sharing

Women's Literature Reflection

I think the purpose of studying literature, especially English literature, is to learn history and culture through books. For example, Alice Munro’s books provide insight of woman culture within society throughout her life. By learning literature from different authors, we also would be able to perceive different aspects of the English culture. The benefits from this are the abilities that can be used in daily life such as comprehension skills. When studying literature, we can learn the aspect of language which can be used in specific branches. It also provides the skills of writing appropriate English structure or grammar. Apart from those skills, literature enhances emotional and imaginative feeling provided by character and themes. These will help us to become more creative in every aspect.

Women’s literature is a portrayal of women’s lives and relationship between them and societies. It explores many aspects of their life such as relationship with family, friends, and lovers that may end happy or sad way. The importance of studying women’s literature can lead us to explore about gender, literary history, oppression as well as criticism to people especially women. It allows us to know the aspect of culture in particular time when the poem(s) was written. I think that it also shows the relationship or social importance between men and women in the past.

I believe that the main theme of Munro’s social realism is the equality and inequality that deals mostly with women in the society. So the reason that her social realism theme was so significant during 1950s-1980s because during that period of time there were many gender equality movement (feminist movement) occurred in the society. The creation of her works might have sparked a notion or expressed the reality of what women had to face during that time. I think that her short stories might have expressed the conflicts metaphorically without triggered chaos. Hence, it was the reason why her works were so significant during that period of time.

Well I think that although she does not identify as a feminist writer, her short stories usually contribute with the threats to women metaphorically or sometimes explicitly. The works show express aspect of a reality of women, which if one of the women who faces with the problem directly read the books; it can be interpreted that her work might contribute to gender equality. Although her works do not raise gender equality intentionally, it can be seen to have raised some of the notions.

What I enjoyed when reading Munro’s stories is to know the aspect of women history. Although it does not show explicitly, some of the themes can be interpreted though short stories. However, it does not have a lot of impact on me because I do not face with the conflict by myself, but it does not mean that I did not get anything. I think it is quite important to know some of these aspects in the society because it might help our developing in the future. If we understand hindsight, our society might grow or develop faster.

Analytical Activity

Disturbed: “Another Way to Die”

"Another Way To Die"

The indulgence of our lives has cast a shadow on our world.
Our devotion to our appetites betrayed us all.
An apocalyptic plight.
More destruction will unfold.
Mother Earth will show her darker side and take her toll.

It's just another way to die.

There can be no other reason why.
You know we should have seen it coming.
Consequences we cannot deny will be revealed in time.
Glaciers melt as we pollute the sky.
A sign of devastation coming.
We don’t need another way to die.
Can we repent in time?

[Pre-chorus:]
The Time bomb is ticking and no one is listening.
Our future is fading.
Is there any hope we’ll survive?

[Chorus:]
Still, we ravage the world that we love.
And the millions cry out to be saved.
Our endless maniacal appetite.
Left us with another way to die.
It's just another way to die.
Can we repent in time?

Greed and hunger led to our demise.
A path I can’t believe we followed.
Black agenda’s rooted in a lie.
Will we repent in time?
Species fall before our very eyes.
A world that they cannot survive in left them with another way to die.
Are we dead inside?

[Pre-chorus]

[Chorus x2]

Can we repent in time?
It's just another way to die.
Can we repent in time?

The song “another way to die” is of a band named “Disturbed”. It comes with the central theme of world’s environmental problems that are created by human while stating some of the consequences. Overall, the tone of the song is quite sad and remorseful to what human did. The tone and the theme can be recognized while just read through the chorus.

By looking at the preposition used within the song, the author always uses “we” to refer to people in the song. This can be interpreted that it refers to human because human are responsible to most of the world’s environmental issues. Looking further on, “greed and hunger led to our demise” can also be used support this interpretation because “greed” is one of the characteristic that only human can have. Therefore, the main audience is human in general. The aim of this song is to review to what is caused by human’s action while trying to internally persuade people to resolve the problem as “can we repent in time?” question is asked. The effect of this rhetorical question, referring to the main theme, is for the audiences to realize what is happening now. The sentence “It’s just another way to die” is supporting the mood of sadness and regretful. By combining these two together, the effect becomes more powerful toward the audiences. Meanwhile these two sentences are repeating many times within the song, so the effect of repetition is adding more emphasis to the consequences of the main theme.

The author uses rhyme such as die, why, deny, and time, which create reflection to overall theme of the song. By looking in a sentence, it shows that some of the sentences are arranged to provide time frame of the conflict. For example, “another way to die” followed by “no other reason why” followed by “consequences we cannot deny will be revealed in time”. These sentences are arranged to express or abbreviate the larger theme into small point that the audiences can follow easily, and it makes audiences wanting to read or listen further. Meanwhile, metaphor is also used within the lyrics to express the idea of the theme in another perspective such as “The time bomb is ticking”. “The time bomb” in this case refers to the effect of global warming that is currently harming us which again emphasize the main theme. The sentences “Black agenda’s rooted in a lie” may also refer to the government who acted that they are trying to deal with the issue, but actually do not do anything. Therefore, it can be seen again that every human needs to step in a help in order to solve the problem.

Overall, the song is dealing with world’s environmental problem. The author uses rhetorical devices supported by general ideas in order to successfully create an effect to the audiences.