How can we explore what poetry and short narratives reveal about identity, power, and perspective?

Although, I haven’t started this project quite yet. I am still able to make an assumption about how we can take text from poetry and learn about how identity, power, and perspective is related to me and the author. I will plan on answering this question by applying my own worldview into consideration while using critical thinking to make reasonable judgments on the poem. 

What focus strength do I want to improve on?

I want to work on my critical thinking skills by applying agency. I will do this by questioning and understanding the text in the poems. I will demonstrate agency by taking my own time at home to read up on poems so I can get an extended understanding on how they are structured.

I will improve on my Communication skills by explaining my ideas and provide evidence in discussions. I will use Self-Regulation to prepare discussion points mentally before I arrive to class. This will allow me to take agency and be more prepared for discussions which is something that I wanted to accomplish on my VMV. 

What I want to do this project:

This project, I want to explore my writing skills and deepen my understanding on how I can write and analyze poems that are meaningful. I will be using all the core competencies I mentioned previously to move from a proficient understanding into a extending perspective and final product. 

I will do this by finding different ways that will help me stay committed. Such as reminders on Things for deadlines and weekly reflections on my VMV to assess my progress in relation to my goals. This will allow me to become a more productive and extending learner. The extra work will develop my work ethic and my GRIT.

I enjoy poetry and writing so this is why I want to get the most out of this project. I believe that without a deeper meaning or passion towards a subject, the project will be somewhat meaningless because you don’t care about the final product. Already, we have read poems as a class and I have enjoyed reading the Raven by Edgar Allen Poe because it is very deep and uses many old English terms that I wasn’t familiar with. What I liked about this poem is that it evoked many emotions and made you feel like you were experiencing the emotions of the character. It was confusing and it made you use your imagination to determine what was going on. I interpreted it as a dream and I thought the raven was questioning his sanity. I hope that many of the other poems we read will be as intriguing as this one and I aspire to evoke emotions in my own poems like Edgar Allan Poe does.

Thank you for reading my learning intention blog post!

Introduction

This blog post about my learning intentions is intended to hold myself accountable for my own learning. Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, studying, or being taught. By gaining knowledge of WWII, I aim not only to improve my understanding but also to set personal goals. “Setting goals” is something we frequently discuss in PLP. From simple habits like cleaning my room every day to more significant tasks like editing and refining my blog posts, goals are things we set for ourselves that align with our intentions. To have the initiative to set a goal, it must resonate with you in some way. Nevertheless, while setting goals is never a bad thing, they are only effective if you genuinely care about what you are improving or accomplishing. So, what is this project about?

Why and How Do We Misremember Information?

From small details like movie lines and mascot accessories to how historical events unfolded, the Mandela Effect is something that has always existed among humankind. We often falsely remember facts and information about events, and these inaccuracies spread among others. This is one of the key reasons misinformation circulates. We alter stories based on our personal experiences, beliefs, and biases, resulting in various groups holding perspectives that differ from what actually occurred. Many individuals and historians have fabricated or misremembered events, then spread their ideas to the public. Consequently, these inaccuracies can be taught in schools, and suddenly, something that never happened becomes common knowledge that is ingrained in everyone’s minds.

World War II serves as an excellent example of this phenomenon. Ignorance about the Holocaust has been perpetuated by anti-Semitic individuals on the internet. They assert that Jewish people needed the “myth” of the Holocaust to justify the establishment of Israel. This belief has recently gained traction among some internet users amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. Given the numerous battles of World War II, some received only cursory attention from historians, resulting in false information. Propaganda and media also influenced how people remembered these events. For instance, when the Nazis lost a battle, the German government would not inform the public to maintain high spirits.

How can we reverse the detrimental effects of misinformation? Education is a key contributor to countering misinformation. Canadian schools did not teach students about residential schools until the past decade. In recent years, educational institutions have been proactive in teaching students about these issues to prevent atrocities like residential schools from happening again. Holidays can also bring past atrocities to light, gathering people together to commemorate and learn about how to reconcile. This project will hopefully give me the opportunity to learn about the effects that misinformation in WWII has had on society.

Driving Question: How do stories, media, and propaganda shape how we remember World War II?

Through research, critical thinking, group collaboration, and various activities, I will be able to provide an answer that reflects my learning journey. Based on my current knowledge of World War II, I can analyze how media and propaganda shape our memories of WWII and other significant historical events.

The public’s perception of events such as World War II can be influenced by how governments present information. This can occur through news coverage or direct messages from leaders. Governments hold significant responsibility for how the people of their nations perceive certain events. Advertisements that disseminate false information can lead to rumors spreading like wildfire. A key reason media and stories contribute to how we remember events is the prevalence of secondhand information. Unfortunately, bias and racism played a major role in WWII, causing important details to be overlooked and forgotten.

Have you ever played the game “Broken Telephone”? One person whispers something to the person next to them, and the process repeats until it reaches the final person. Sometimes the message is conveyed accurately, but other times it is completely different from the original. This is similar to how misinformation and propaganda can spread. The information gets passed through many different sources until the original story becomes distorted.

What do I want to accomplish with this project?

I want this project to serve as a testament to my learning and as a reminder that if I take the time to focus and be productive, I can achieve great results. Reflecting on and following through with the goals I outlined in my Vision, Mission, and Values poster will help me stay on track and concentrate on the task at hand. I will use my critical thinking skills to improve my judgment and analyze information effectively. I plan to enhance these critical thinking skills in this project by completing the extended assignments to the best of my ability, attending tutorials, and dedicating 100% of my focus during class discussions. These are just a few of the commitments from my VMV that I will work on while managing this project. I aim to achieve extending grades and establish habits that I will carry forward for the rest of the year. Nevertheless, I still want to learn how WWII is remembered and what impact it has on us today.

Driving Question: How can researching the historical significance of World War I inform and enhance the storytelling in a graphic novel I create?

If I’m being honest, I wasn’t able to answer that question at the start because I would have to first research and the apply my knowledge to further enhance my comic to the best of my ability. I researched my Great Great Grandfather, Robert Mochrie. He fought in the Battle of the Hill 70 and by learning about his experiences, I was able to make my comic as realistic as possible and it gave me an insight into what life was like in the war.

Who was Robert Mochrie?

Robert Mochrie lived in West Vancouver B.C. Canada but moved from Lanark Scotland when he was young. He had a wife and one kid and was only 5’3! He was born on the 10th of November, 1884.

How did I learn about him?

Luckily, I was able to find a physical copy of his documents and an online copy. This allowed me to find out information like his birthdate, height, physical features, family life, how many kids he had, and where he was from and lived. My cousin also made a poster about him that had many photos, documents, and more information about him.

What happened to him in the war?

As the story goes, he was fighting in the battle of the hill 70. He was shot with a direct hit to the chest but he had a shaving mirror in his pocket that stopped the bullet. He was still injured and had to be taken out of the war. The scenario was very lucky because one inch to the left, and I probably wouldn’t be here.

Final Product:

About 50% of this project was done the night before the deadline and I think that even with the rushing at the end, it was hard to tell. I included 23 panels and I made sure to put a high amount of detail into every single one of them.

Conclusion:

Thank you for reading this blog post. This project made me realize how terrible of a war WWI was and what impact it had on people like my Great Great Grandfather. I also learnt more about my family and what Canada’s role was in WWI!

Introduction:

The first step of the project is figuring out what nationalism is. We had to define what a nation is and what nationalism is. Here is what I said:

Nation: a large body of people untied by common descent, history, culture, or language inhabiting a particular country or territory. 

Nationalism: identification of one’s own nation and support for it’s interest, especially to the exclusion or detriment of other nations.

Then, we looked into how Nationalism has played a role in Canadian history… 

How has Nationalism Played a Role in Canada’s History?

Nationalism has played a massive role in Canada’s history and in the journey to confederation. Economic factors such as building a railway and a need for more infrastructure for the increase of people were critical because if BC joined confederation, then Canada would be able to give them a railway and more infrastructure. BC also united all of Canada and offered protection against American expansionism.  

An Example of Canadian Nationalism 🇨🇦:

The video is 25 years old, but I think that it resonates with life today. It shows unique parts about our country and shows that we’re not just different from America, but better. 

Why Join Confederation (or not):

The main reason that the people of British Columbia wanted to join confederation was because of the railway that Canada would give them so they could have access to more resources and the infrastructure that they would need to accommodate the influx of people that were moving to BC. The railway would also bring a wider Canadian market, this would be important because Ottawa’s absorption of debt looked good to British Columbians and they it would give them an opportunity to become richer. Joining Canada would also offer a national identity and they would become stronger as a nation.

Some people didn’t want to join confederation. The old British elite in Victoria and New Westminster opposed joining Canada. They were scared that they would lose their jobs and their pensions if they became a province with a fully elected legislature. People with ties to the HBC (Hudson’s Bay Company), also didn’t want to join Canada because they wanted to maintain their connection with the British.

Final Product:

Conclusion:

In conclusion, nationalism has played a significant role in making our country what it is today. Thank you for reading this blog post!

Driving Question: 🏎️

How can we, as writers, weave historical details into our creative storytelling to convey a clear and impactful message?

Gathering knowledge about the Industrial Revolution: 🧠

To gain knowledge about the Industrial Revolution, we did research and activities to learn more about what life was like back during that timeframe and how innovations during this period changed the course of Europe and the world forever.

The Urbanization Game: 

The urbanization game is what kicked off our project. We had to draw a settlement of a city in the 1800s in Europe and were instructed to add certain things on as the activity went along and the city got bigger and bigger. This made us realize what life would be like living in a city in the Industrial Revolution because we got to see what kind of buildings they lived in and their social class related to where they lived.

Industrial Revolution Jigsaw:

The second thing that we had to do was a section of this chart/worksheet in a certain category and write and research about it. I got Cotton, Wool and Iron production in the Industrial Revolution and I shared what I learnt with my group and then they presented what they researched. This activity was good for communication and to gain a better understanding of the Industrial Revolution era.

Doodle Notes: 

The doodle notes were basically just notes in the form of the drawing that we drew based on our notes. We watched a documentary by the BBC on the Industrial Revolution and the innovations and the importance of that era and the outcome of it. I had to revise it a bit but I’m happy with the final product.

Story and Character Development: 👨‍💻

Frankenstuffie Character Development:

It was finally time to start working on the main part of our project which was our Frankenstuffies. We had to fill out a character form and we did research on what people were like back then and I took inspiration from that and I used my own creativity and imagination to come up with a pretty interesting Frankenstuffie. We sewed them by cutting up other parts of stuffies and putting them together.

The Hero’s Journey Conference: 

We started putting together our stories and I started getting a good idea of what my video was going to turn out like and I kept making changes to my script to make it the best that it could be. We had to write the story in sections according to the worksheet and made it a lot easier to plot and write out the story because we just had to fill in what happens in a category of the film.

Film Pitch:

The film pitch was basically a section that we had to present that we were going to adapt and film. I chose my subsection of the story to be: the “refusal to call” because it showed depth in my characters and who they really were as people, (or Frankenstuffies).

Constructing Visual Storytelling:

This was another benchmark in this project and we had to make an entire storyboard that had timestamps and what camera angles there was. We also had to include what the characters were saying and in my case, the narrator as well. I had to put this through a few revisions but I was happy that I did that because now I had a solid plan to work off of for my video.

Drafting the Video: 🔄

First Draft: 

My first draft was quite rushed and I just tried to get it done. The story was good, but I left a lot of gaps in detail like I was wearing modern day clothing, the string on my Frankenstuffie was visible and I didn’t have music or sound effects.

Second Draft:

The only thing that I needed to add were more special effects and better voice acting but besides that, it was coming along pretty well.

Final Draft: 🎬

Reflection:🪞

Overall, this project taught me a lot about the Industrial Revolution and how important it was in our history and the inventions and ways of life that were introduced during that timeframe. It also was very interesting to look at and what perspectives were introduced then and how people thought and reacted to unfairness and new ideas.

Answer to the Driving Question: 🏎️

How can we, as writers, weave historical details into our creative storytelling to convey a clear and impactful message?

We can weave historical details into storytelling by creating a story that is unique and tells a story but also relates to history and what life was like back then into a story to create a story that is engaging and an important message. I used metaphors as well to help create a message that is original and clear.