Context
WebQuest
I have put together a WebQuest, that is instructions for activities based online. The instructions are typed in purple.
CONTEXT IN LITERATURE
Many of you will have to refer to context in your time studying english.
So what is context?
- When the text was written
- What the society was like at the time the text was written
- What or who influenced the writer
- What political or social influences there would have been
- What influences there may have been in the genre that may have affected the writer
- When the text was written and when it was set may also have an important part to play in what is written.
- The context hinted at by the examination question.
THEMES IN CONTEXT
Themes come from experiences that writers have gone through or things that are going on in their lives.
A good example is Miller's The Crucible. How has the context the play was written in affected the text's meaning?
Context can be seen on three levels:
- The context of the characters in the play
- The context of those watching when the play was first produced
- The context of us today seeing the play for the first time
I like to think of context as being made up of three circles, which intersect in the middle to create meaning:
Therefore as you can see it is by understanding these three aspects that we can come to best understand how we understand and glean meaning from a text. However it is not necessary to have all of these details to enjoy and find meaning in a text. When discussing a literary text though, in english, we review how all of these affect meaning of the text. Confusing, I know, but that's how it is done.
Our Context
We must firstly understand our own context, this allows us to recognise the differences between us and those of the book. It also reveals how we might have prejudice or shock towards some of the details within the text.
Answer these few questions in your book:
Where were you born?
What is your age?
What is your religion?
Complete UNICEF worksheet (Pg 10)
Answer these few questions in your book:
Where were you born?
What is your age?
What is your religion?
Complete UNICEF worksheet (Pg 10)
Interview with Andy Mulligan
Question: In Trash you do not specify where the story is set. Some reviewers have guessed Latin America or Mexico. Was it important that the exact location of the story was not revealed?
Answer: Yes. I was anxious that the book was never seen as an attack on one country. Corruption and child-exploitation are vile facts of life that exist (or have existed) in every country in the world. I did not want to localise the book when its issues are international.
Child Labour is a major context and theme of Andy Mulligan's Trash novel.
The following video is the tale of a boy who works in Dandora dumpsite, which is located in Nairobi, Africa.
Question: In Trash you do not specify where the story is set. Some reviewers have guessed Latin America or Mexico. Was it important that the exact location of the story was not revealed?
Answer: Yes. I was anxious that the book was never seen as an attack on one country. Corruption and child-exploitation are vile facts of life that exist (or have existed) in every country in the world. I did not want to localise the book when its issues are international.
Child Labour is a major context and theme of Andy Mulligan's Trash novel.
The following video is the tale of a boy who works in Dandora dumpsite, which is located in Nairobi, Africa.
Class discussion:
How are these boy's tales similar to those in Trash?
How do they differ?
What do these stories reveal about child labour?
Do you feel lucky to be in a country where the rights to a childhood is recognised?
How much do you think you are worth?
How are these boy's tales similar to those in Trash?
How do they differ?
What do these stories reveal about child labour?
Do you feel lucky to be in a country where the rights to a childhood is recognised?
How much do you think you are worth?
Child Labour
They are everywhere but invisible, toiling as domestic servants in homes, labouring in workshops, hidden from view in plantations. One in six children in the world aged 5–14 is engaged in child labour. Millions of children are engaged in hazardous situations or conditions, such as working in mines, working with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture, or working with dangerous machinery. The worst forms of child labor include those that harm the health, safety, or morals of children. Child labour drains a childhood of joy and crushes the right to normal physical and mental development, and often interferes with children’s education. Working children are more at risk of illness and injury on the job than adults, because they are less mature and less aware of dangers. Working children do not have the same opportunities for rest and recreation and often receive less education than nonworking children do. |
Source: Working to End Child Labor:
http://teachunicef.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/documents/Child_Labor_Activity_Sheet_final.pdf
http://teachunicef.org/sites/default/files/sites/default/files/documents/Child_Labor_Activity_Sheet_final.pdf
Peruse the following sites and choose one video that inspires you to take action.
You are to use this video and the facts within it to write a persuasive letter addressing one of the following:
Videos of Child Labour UNICEF Child Labor: http://teachunicef.org/explore/topic/child-labor UNICEF is the United Nations Children’s Fund, working in 190 countries for the survival, protection and development of every child, with a focus on the lives of children who are the most disadvantaged and excluded. International Child Labour Office: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/wdacl/english.htm World Vision Child Labour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcI4l3arrHI Child Labour BBC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruh0O_mj1v0 16x9 - Child Labour: The Dark Side of Chocolate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXWFXeIZY9g Various Policies and Aims implemented to prevent child labour and prevent further occurrences: Pg 18 UNICEF Handout |
Andy Mulligan's context
Andy Mulligan was brought up in South London. He worked as a theatre director for ten years before travels in Asia prompted him to retrain as a teacher. He has taught English and drama in India, Brazil, Vietnam, the Philippines and the UK. He now lives in England, and is writing full time.
Question: What was the inspiration behind Trash?
Andy's answer: It was setting – a vast dumpsite in Manila, which is where I live and work – a gorgeous country, full of paradise islands and the most hospitable people in the world. But…like so many countries, wracked by certain problems. A friend told me a true story: that the dumpsite children spend most of their time sorting through parcels of human excrement. We all know about child labour, but that detail – that little vision of hell – wouldn’t leave me. I wanted to write about some of those children, and allow them to fight back.
Question: What was the inspiration behind Trash?
Andy's answer: It was setting – a vast dumpsite in Manila, which is where I live and work – a gorgeous country, full of paradise islands and the most hospitable people in the world. But…like so many countries, wracked by certain problems. A friend told me a true story: that the dumpsite children spend most of their time sorting through parcels of human excrement. We all know about child labour, but that detail – that little vision of hell – wouldn’t leave me. I wanted to write about some of those children, and allow them to fight back.