Welcome to the class of 2009/10!

Please use this space to share your thoughts about "Spies." What do you like? What aren't you keen on? Any predictions or questions?

Get posting...


P.S. Here is a page which contains lots of weblinks for "Spies". They are mainly reviews. DON'T READ THEM TOO SOON AS THEY MAY SPOIL THE STORY FOR YOU but the link will be here when you come to forming your own views about the book towards its end.

http://thehieroglyphicstreets.wordpress.com/category/england/

The Kray Sisters - the real life inspiration

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reginald_Kray

This article gives you a good insight into the sort of men Duffy based her "unusual us" girls on.

Myra Hindley - The Devil's Wife?

To find more out about Hindley, read her obituary on the BBC website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/452614.stm

This is the famous photograph of her taken during her time in police custody. What does the expression suggest to you? How do you think the public and media would have responded to such an image when put together with a consderation of her crimes?

This 1997 painting by Marcus Harvey took the iconic image of Hindley and reproduced it with children's hand prints. What is your opinion of this piece of art?

HOMEWORK due on Monday 2nd March

Do you agree with the following statements? Explain why in your comment, referring as closely as possible to the poems concerned.

1: "In "Mrs Quasimodo", Duffy doesn't do women any favours. She portrays them as bitter, shallow and complying with the way they are mistreated by men."

2: "Duffy is wrong to have written from the viewpoint of a notorious murder in "The Devil's Wife."

I have left you an example of the sort of level of detail that you should aim for. You need to have the poems in front of you while you answer, ideally.

Queen Kong - the original film

Here's a clip of the iconic finale to the 1933 film. (It won't play in school, sorry).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qBA750YNiE

Think about who it encourages us to sympathise with, who wields the power and influence, and how the film depicts women.

HOMEWORK due Thursday 26th February: How did you vote in the poll and why?

Vote in poll on the right hand side, then leave a comment explaining why you chose a particular poem as your favourite so far. I have left an example to get you started.

Hints:
Try to think about HOW the poems are written, not just their plot/characterisation.

If you have trouble with the poll, just write your vote in as a comment.

Aesop - tell us a story...

http://www.aesops-fables.org.uk/

The Hare and the Tortoise is probably the most famous but have a look at some others.

You can also enter proverbs on this site to find their meanings and origins:

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proverbs.html

Sisyphus - nearly there... oh no.

Sisyphus is one of the most discussed and debated of all of the Greek myths. It is a simple tale of eternal punishment.

In Greek mythology, Sisyphus was the King of Corinth1, the son of Aeolus2, King of Thessaly. After enraging Zeus, Sisyphus was condemned to Tartarus, the part of Hades reserved for particularly wicked people. There he was compelled for eternity to roll a stone to the top of a steep hill, but before he could get it to the top, it rolled down again.

Others have written that for betraying the gods in favour of the mortals, Sisyphus was condemned to punishment. He was sent to perform the task of pushing a huge rock along a steep slope. Before he could topple the stone on the other side of the peak of the mountain he could not be free. Each time Sisyphus neared the peak the stone rolled back to the ground leaving him tired and throwing him in despair again and again. In pursuit of the realisation of his own will against the will of the gods Sisyphus is thus still undergoing the perpetual punishment.

Darwin - going ape?

http://darwin-online.org.uk/biography.html

Think about what Darwin was famous for. Duffy's poem is set 7 years before he published "The Origin of Species," his most famous and controversial work.

Midas - all that glistens is not gold...

Wikipedia has a helpful summary of the background to "Mrs Midas". Look for the section entitled 'the myth'; remember, Midas, like Herod, was both a real king and a figure from myth/legend. Duffy focuses on the fictional.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midas

Queen Herod weblinks

BBC website about the real King Herod (comparing him to the character he is given in the Bible)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/history/herod.shtml


This page discusses the Massacre of the Innocents, the event for which Herod is notorious. Notice what he did to his own sons and wife:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacre_of_the_Innocents


More detail about the real Herod:
http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/e-h/herod.html

Please add your own as a comment if you find anything useful.