Le grand cahier

Avec son roman Le grand cahier, Agota Kristof s’inscrit dans le style de la post-modernité en abordant le thème de la quête d’identité. La deuxième guerre mondiale, atrocement violente, amène chez chacun un instinct de protection, de survie qui s’étend d’un bout à l’autre des villes et villages. À cause de cette peur partagée par tous, chacun veut s’endurcir, se protéger. Les citoyens s’exilent dans leurs demeures, le sentiment de confiance entre voisins se perd, tous sont méfiants. Chacun reste chez soi et lentement, l’instinct de survie, presque animal, fait surface. Par exemple, la grand-mère refuse de se laver, d’aider, ou simplement d’accueillir ses petits-fils. Pour s’abriter, la voisine feint d’être aveugle et sourde. Les exercices des jumeaux sont leur technique personnelle d’endurcissement mental comme physique, pour devenir insensibles face à l’horreur à laquelle ils sont témoins. «Nous ne voulons plus rougir ni trembler, nous voulons nous habituer aux injures, aux mots qui blessent.» (p.26) Donc, par l’atrocité de la guerre, et par le besoin de s’endurcir que vivent les personnages, ils finissent tous terriblement solitaires. Chacun des personnages, de Bec-de-Lièvre aux jumeaux, sont laissés à eux-mêmes. Seul face à la violence s’acharnant sur le pays, chaque individu se voit développer des comportements peu communs pour affronter leur solitude. Dès le début lorsque les jumeaux arrive chez leur grand-mère, qui est la plus seule de tous, ce climat d’individualisme et d’égoïsme est ressenti. Cette solitude, vécu par chaque personnage d’une facon différente mais bien intense, est perceptible tout au long du roman. Bec-de-lièvre, elle, vit sa solitude en développant une sexualité maladive: «Il n’y a que les bêtes qui m’aiment.»(p.40) Dans la situation horrible et inhumaine qu’est la guerre, les personnages de ce récit cherchent à se protéger eux-mêmes ce qui résulte en la solitude totale de chacun. 

Bill 101 - Helping or Oppressing?

Though the educational system is always evolving and improving, many problems still persist. Because of the Bill 101 in Quebec, access to one’s high school of choice can be difficult. First, foreign children cannot attend English school, they have to enroll at a French speaking establishment. Moreover, a child who’s parents are both Francophones will be obligated to attend a French high school even if he prefers to go to high school in English. Lastly, the Bill 101 keeps culture from evolving by obligating immigrants to conform to Quebec culture and standards. 

Foreign children do not have much choice for education : they have to attend a french high school. In fact, although the Bill 101 is supposed to help the fragile language stay a force in Quebec, it is keeping immigrants from excelling in high school and feeling welcome to our country. When arriving from a different country, the percentage of people who understand and talk French is extremely low. If they cannot go to an English school, it means they have to learn the language when arriving to the country, which can be an amazingly difficult task when one is still in the process of adjusting to a new home.

Of course, the Bill 101 has advantages, but it also comports negative effects for immigrants who cannot attend the school of their choice. Even the francophones do not have the option to attend an English-speaking school of their choice. Another disadvantage is the unnatural block in culture this bill imposes. Although French language does represent Quebec, is it necessary to oppress different cultures to help preserve our heritage?

Essay Of Classification

Teachers are like students, every one is different. After thirteen years in school, it is easy to acknowledge the individuality of each instructor. Though they are all unique, most of them can be put into one of the three following categories: the friendly ones, the frustrated ones and the motivating ones. 

First day of class, every student is trying to guess what kind of teacher stands in front of the classroom. After giving out the course plan, the instructor introduces herself. Using sarcastic humor and jokes to ease the first-day tension, Mrs.Friendly even laughs at herself, asking students not to take her too seriously. Every student is having the same reflexion: “This class is going to be a piece of cake.” Mrs.Friendly discusses with students about anything and everything, because debating the last music award show is educational. Mrs.Friendly will humor the provided material, lay back in her chair and give her own show. Although this teacher might appear as easy-going, she always hides a dark secret: her evaluations are incredibly challenging. Behind the funny and sarcastic figure lives a quiz champion and an oral presentation master. Mrs.Friendly will attack when you least expect it, charging with mini-tests, assignments and homework for days! Beware of this teacher, she might make the class giggle, but she will be the one laughing in the end. 

Entering the class dragging his feet, this teacher really rather be elsewhere. After thirty years of teaching, the passion, joy and motivation are long gone. Names and faces of students are not worth memorizing, smiles are non-required and originality is a waste of time. This instructor does not believe in passing on the love for the subject he teaches. Repetitive classes, year after year, are as boring for M.Grumpy as they are for his students. Time passes by so slow during this particular class, students and teacher both look back at the seemingly unmoving clock. Wondering every year how much longer he has to keep his teaching job until he can buy that lovely cottage in the Laurentides, M. Grumpy is counting down the years separating him from his well-deserved retirement. Getting through a couple of years of teaching the same technical notions over and over again to groups of students who look as interested by this class as they are by their shoelaces is his one and only mission. Always looking annoyed or bored, M. Grumpy is definitely not the life of the party. 

Our last description is completely the opposite of the two kinds of teachers mentioned previously. Here’s a tip: the answer is in this paragraph. This teacher will do everything to make sure every student succeeds in his class. Every mini-test is announced well in advance, every project explained in detail to assure no failures. Constant hints are M.Motivation’s way of guiding students in the right direction. Students take notes, appreciating the teacher’s subtle answers to the evaluation. The reason for his extra help is unknown, maybe he enjoys seeing every student excel as long as minimal effort is put in understanding.  His clues may be a sign of true passion for his career or maybe he simply does not want any student blaming him for their failure. Though I might simply let this slip : I do think he does enjoy passing on his knowledge to today’s youth.

Mrs Friendly, M. Grumpy and M. Motivation are only three of the extremely varied kinds of teachers that a student may come across during his academic years. In the classroom, there is no limit to what strange, surprising encounters one will make.

A Lesson For A Dollar

Quebec government announced a new increase in university tuition in 2010. These hikes in university fees represent a change in the way university is perceived. University should be free, because it is not a merchandise that should be sold in exchange for capital, and a difficult financial situation should not be an obstacle for an student eager to learn.

While the government is investing in numerous other economical plans and corporations, they are saying our province’s debt is too high to establish free education. What they are keeping from their voters is that complete university financing is very possible. By re-establishing a tax on bank profits as low as 0,7%, free university can be acquired in a few short years. This minuscule tax on extremely profitable institutions could ensure that no more money is taken from the pockets on already indebted students. University is a right to every citizen of this province. It is not a privilege only possible for the most affluent families. To make university attendance only accessible for certain social classes is to transform a diploma into a trendy and accessory limited to the wealthy. All the philosophers, authors and thinkers have said it: education is key to a functional and informed society. The image of students walking into campus and paying before entering to be able to learn essential information is definitely not what Aristote had in mind when creating a garden of knowledge for young men in ancient Grece.

If university becomes any more expensive than it already is, students will not choose to study philosophy, art, dance and teaching. They will have to opt for a more highly paid career path, for example law or business, to reimburse their student loans, which usually add up to more than 15 000 dollars. Can you imagine those crushed dreams when a young student sees his excessive debts and has to give up his ideal career as a professional dancer to pay off his bills, knowing that he probably never will be able to afford continuing his studies. How about when a young student who’s greatest desire is to teach to young children herself one day? She works thirty hours a week to pay off her loans, but realizes she just cannot afford to finish while financially supporting herself alone. Students loans take years to pay off and increase with time because of interests. Stress related to delicate financial situations can cause a student to fail or drop out of school. How many young student’s dreams is the government willing to destroy to be able to save a couple millions, which really is not much to them.

 As proven with this text, financing free education is clearly possible. Free education should be a priority, considering it is not a merchandise sold for profit. Without tuition fees, an great quantity of citizens could be educated and contribute more to a rich and functional society. If our government places accessible education as one of his last priorities, maybe it is time to choose a party which represents the young people in Quebec better.

God of Carnage!

Yasmina Reza’s play God of Carnage shows off perfectly the irony is some of the modern families in today’s society. The curtain raises to a lovely living room, where two, apparently happy, couples are discussing their children. Veronica and Michael are discussing the injuries that Nanette and Allen’s son Benjamin inflicted on Henry that faithful day in the children’s playground. What starts off as a polite exchange between four adults quickly degenerates into a quarrel of intense proportions. Immature jokes, insults, and personal attacks are the least of it. Going great lengths to defend their child’s innocence, the two couples end up frustrated, exhausted, with no conclusion to their dilemma. 

Mostly, I did really enjoy this play. I found this experience very different from the usual french theater I attend. The humor is distinct and so it took some getting used to, but the play was extremely funny. The audience’s reaction was also something I noticed to be interesting: it seemed more like we were experiencing the live filming of a television series instead of an actual play. I also found the script very entertaining and unusual. The way it did not really have a traditional development, not a defined climax, made it continually surprising. I enjoyed the way the actors used the space by moving around, sitting in different places and standing up for their lines to keep the audience interested, since the decor never changed. The decor was a strategically organized living room, with three couches and multiple objects that could be used as props to keep the action going. I am sure this decor was thought of thoroughly to ensure maximum movement during the play.  

In the beginning, I thought I completely understood the personalities of the four characters. As the play continues though, the four adults show more of themselves and get to be a lot more complex than they seem. The four actors who played Veronica, Michael, Nanette and Allen were extremely talented and seemed totally at ease with their script and the audience. At one point, a prop was thrown accidentally in the audience, and the actress went to fetch it  as if it had been planned that way in the script, saying: “sorry about that”, causing laughter throughout the crowd. Overall, I laughed a lot during these ninety-seven minutes and I think that was the author’s goal when creating this play. 

I Love Thee

Elizabeth Barrett Browning's timeless poem ''Sonnet XLIII'' is an excellent example of a classic Petrarchan Sonnet. In this poem, the author uses different sound devices to develop the mood and theme of the sonnet. First, repetition is the most present sound device in this poem. Throughout the sonnet, the words ''I love thee'' are repeated at the beginning of almost every line, helping with the rhythm and flow. Second, a different kind of repetition is also used in the seventh and eighth line with these words: ''I love thee freely, as men strive for Right; I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.'' By using the same structure for the second part, but modifying a few words, Browning captures the attention of the reader and keeps interest for the rest of the poem. Lastly, the author uses euphony, which is an interesting addition to the poem. In the phrase : ''I love thee to the depth and breadth and height'', theses three words start off the poem with rhythm and beauty. Because this is a love poem, making the poem beautiful to hear and read is essential. To conclude, these sound devices completely serve their purpose: they help the poem sound wonderful, feel passionate and still soft.  

The Tell-Tale Heart

In a short story like “The Tell-Tale Heart”, written by Edgar Allen Poe in 1843, every sentence is important. One cannot spend endless paragraphs setting the time and place. Even though every story needs to include a setting, not all authors possess the ability to make it seem effortless. Making the setting and the actual development of the story seem as one can be a challenging task, but this author does most definitely succeed. The numerous time indications in The Tell-Tale Heart improve the intrigue of the story immensely as they add depth to the setting, the character and the reader’s experience.

            First, the repetitive night setting adds spookiness to the story and makes the old man seem more vulnerable to the reader. Every author, from respectable to admired, knows that a night setting is key to suspense and fright. As demonstrated more than a few times in the text, the concise expressions subtly included in the sentences give the reader just enough of information to set the tone without describing the actual environment for several sentences. By using such phrases as: “And now, at the dead hour of the night” and “Many a night, just at midnight, when all the world slept”, the author succeeds in making the main character seem incredibly vicious and the old man seem more vulnerable than if the story took place during a warm summer day. 

            Next, the main character’s precise and intense track of time leads the reader to believe he is truly lucid. Even though the main character mentions a few times that he is not crazy, one might not agree when reading the manic way the reader sets the time and actions in this story. The fact that he remembers every detail about the crime makes him seem very deranged. Saying that “for a whole hour [he] did not move a muscle” definitely makes the reader doubt his sanity, which is the essential idea of the author.

            Finally, the intricate timeline invites the reader to feel more involved, more implicated in the story. In fact, by spacing out the time elements throughout the plotline, the author makes the story more active. By adding expressive sentences such as: “It grew louder, I say, louder every moment!” the reader constantly feels implicated in the story, as if he were in danger as well! The suspense and excitement is built up thanks to the image of the ticking of the heartbeat, which is compared to clock. In a great story, it is always important for the reader to feel as if he is a part of the story, and this can only be achieved if the setting is well described.

            Thus, it is easy to see why Edgar Allen Poe’s The Tell-Tale Heart is still considered a success. Thanks to the brilliance of his writing, the short story is still complex and includes great detail without the endless description paragraphs. The setting is such an important factor, but done in a wrong way, it can ruin a story. Without these detailed time references, the story would have less intrigue and suspense, therefore, be less captivating an experience for the reader.