Contexts and TKM Context of Production

What are Contexts?
During the week we have been preparing To Kill a Mockingbird novel, and we need to learn about the contexts. Context can be defined simply as the circumstances that surround a given text and help to specify its meaning. Context is best expressed as CONTEXTS (plural) because of the wide variety of external forces that affect the general reception or understanding of a work. Context of Production: Critical positions, historical facts, biographical aspects of the author's life. Context of Reception: Once you approach a work as a reader, the meaning that is communicated, that is sent from the text to you, is influenced by everything that you bring to it, from your reading to your personal experiences and biases.



Nelle Harper Lee Biography

Writer. Born Nelle Harper Lee on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. Lee Harper is best known for writing the Pulitzer Prize-winning best-seller To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)—her one and only novel. The youngest of four children, she grew up as a tomboy in a small town. Her father was a lawyer, a member of the Alabama state legislature, and also owned part of the local newspaper. For most of Lee’s life, her mother suffered from mental illness, rarely leaving the house. It is believed that she may have had bipolar disorder.

The Great Depression 1930

The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in 1930 after the passage of the United States' Smoot-Hawley Tariff bill (June 17), and lasted until the late 1930s or middle 1940s. It was the longest, most widespread, and deepest depression of the 20th century. The Great Depression had devastating effects in countries rich and poor. Personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while international trade plunged by more than 50%, due in large part to the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. Unemployment in the U.S. rose to 25%, and in some countries rose as high as 33% .                                                                   

Dust Bowl

Afro-American Community

The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands in the 1930s, particularly in 1934 and 1936. The phenomenon was caused by severe drought coupled with decades of extensive farming without crop rotation, fallow fields, cover crops or other techniques to prevent wind erosion.





During the 1930s black were already discriminated against and when the country hit the Great Depression it only got worse. White male employment was the first priority to many so blacks would have a hard time finding jobs. They often lived in the poorest districts and were paid less than white people doing the same job.

To kill a Mockingbird Chapter 1 Analysis

1. What do you learn in this chapter about Maycomb, Atticus Finch and his family? 
Maycomb is a small town in Alabama, it has a very poor condition, especially because of the great depression that was during the 1930's. Atticus Finch is Scouts father, his wife died when Scout was 2 years old. He also has a son, Jem. He is a lawyer and his family were immigrants from England.

2. Describe Calpurnia as Scout depicts her in Chapter 1. 
Scout describes her as near-sighted, squinted, and her hands were as wide as a bed slat and twice as hard. Always ordering Scout out of the kitchen, and Scout mentions she could not discuss with her because Atticus would always be by Calpurnia's side.

3. What does Dill dare Jem to do? 
Dill dares Jem to go and touch the Radley place, this is were Boo Radley lived, they wanted to see how he looked like because of the years that he has been inside.

4. The townspeople of Maycomb have some fears and superstitions about the Radley place. 
Describe these fears and superstitions. 
They were afraid that on the Radley place lived a "malevolent phantom", Boo Radley.

5. How important is bravery to Jem? 
Very much, as Scout's only brother he had to prove that he could protect her at all cause.

6. What do you notice about the narrative voice and viewpoint of the story?
It is narrated by Scout, to give a innocent point of view or perspective of the story.

English Variations Mispronunciation - Sofia Vergara

Sofia Vergara is a Colombian actress and comedian, very well known for her role at Modern Family as Gloria, we can clearly see the mispronunciations of Gloria in the show, this is because of the English Variations, Sofia Vergara as I said is Colombian, therefor she has Spanish as her main language, and English as a second language, so every time she speaks she makes some mispronunciations or changes the words into Spanish words making it confusing for the people who don't know some Spanish.
When we as a class saw the video there were some mispronunciations that we didn't understand but only in English, when she finished some sentences in Spanish or mixed a bit of both, we could understand just fine because we know both Spanish and English, but as we can see in this video, they are having a lot of problem understanding Gloria, creating some issues due to the communication.
Sometimes we can easily identify people who are not native speakers in English because of this mispronunciations. We can see at the end of the video when Gloria yells at them because they were probably making fun of her accent, so she tells them that they try to speak in another language, this making fun of the accents or the English Variations may cause some people to be embarrassed when using them.

Text Analysis "A Language Without Limits"

 The text "A Language Without Limits" refers to the variations that the English language has, its the language globalization, some sort of syncretism in both languages, using English Language and Hindi/Chinese/Arab language to make Hinglish, Chinglish and Arabizi. The author mentions that this "code switching" is liked by language experts, they say "It is perfectly normal and linguistically fascinating..". Instead of being incomplete or just a "copy" of the English Language, experts mention that this language is really a sign of resiliency and creativity.
Maybe the author tries to somehow motivate people who uses this variations by making them read this and letting them know how good and creative, and how it will be used on the future because of using other dominant languages like Hindi or Chinese, this way he tries to get the attention of people with interests in English Variations or people who maybe already use this variations, as he mentions, some people find it embarrassing.

By using a formal language the author tries to inform us and somehow persuade us of the use of the globalization of the language, in this case the English variations, and using not only native English speakers opinions but also experts on language such as Jack Chambers, a professor of sociolinguistics at the University of Toronto, and to mention, that the expert is the one that somehow is approving the use of this language.

Source: Kamel, Deena. 2008. "A Language without Limits."
Toronto Star. 19 August 2008

Reading Comprehension Activity

"Teenagers Internet Socializing Not a Bad Thing" and "How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer"

1.-What are the opinions expressed by the researchers in texts 2 and 3?
In "Teenagers internet socializing not a bad thing", the researcher talks about how it is good for teenagers to use the current internet and technology, that teenagers will learn the right method to use them and in the future will be able to use the devices in a more advanced way. In "How using Facebook could raise your risk of cancer", by Tamar Lewin, he talks about how kids use it all day, spend the hole day on the internet, specially Facebook, and do not communicate with their parents enough. Kids are isolated, and will have a risk to die because of spending too much time on it. "Blood clot victim, Chris Staniforth, 20, died after spending up to 12 hours at a time playing on his Xbox."
2.-What are the differences in the ways the researchers view community?
One of them views the learning process that we acquire by the technology and the other one the health damages that this technology brings.
3.-What kinds of distinctions do the researchers make (or not make) in relation to communication?
Lewin says that the online communication or messages are almost the same as face to face, he also mentions that with online communication you are able to communicate at all time, while face to face you have to be there. The other text says that if you don't communicate face to face you may have serious health problems, "increased isolation could alter the way genes work and upset immune responses, hormone levels and the function of arteries."

Social Media

1. What's the role of Social Media? 
Improve in this case the product thanks to the possibility for everyone to share their opinions.
2. What's the role of people? 
Rate, share opinions to improve the product.
3. What's the role of fans? 
Make it more popular, more people will be interested.
4. What's the benefit of Social Media to people and/or organizations? 
It is a simple and easy way to communicate what they would want, how they would like it more, etc.
5. What online community do know you it's based on this system? 
The most known, FaceBook and YouTube.
6. Is Social Media the same as a Social Network?
No, Social Media is a way to share information with a audience, everyone is able to do this with an Internet connection.
But Social Network, is where a group of people with common interests, or like-minds, communicate and build relationships through the community.

Online Community

1. What is the issue with identity on the Internet? 
When you access Internet pages and you communicate with someone you don't really know, you cant know for sure who he really is. Many cases of Pedophile are because of the Internet, people access pages were they lie about their age, they have a fake identity and no one knows.
 2. Can you be anyone you want on the Internet? 
Yes, in social networks or communities you just Sign Up with a name and age, there is no way of knowing the truth, although some pages like YouTube now ask for a phone number so they can send a verification code stopping the multiple accounts for each people.
3. Can you be identified by your use of language?
When you talk, depending from where you are people will know, if you are from Latin America and speak English they will probably know, or the Russian English accent. The thing is that when you are writing, there is no way to identify from where is the person you are talking to.

Language And Community

Community Definition: 


"A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common: Rhode Island's Japanese community; the scientific community." Oxford Dictionary

"The people with common interests living in a particular area" Merrian-Webster

"A group of people that share the same customs, interests, laws or traditions, and language" Course Companion

Communities are created by people to produce knowledge, authority, and language. In each community you may have certain types of language, for example, probably when you talk to your parents or to your school teacher it will be a very different way to communicate compared when you are talking to a friend.

Politically Correct Language

What is Politically Correct Language?
Politically Correct Language is the language, ideas, policies, used to minimize social and institutional offense that may be gender, racial, cultural, etc.

British Week and Holidays

Before the holidays we have the British Week in our school, in this week we have many activities such as:

TRIP TO VALPARAÍSO 
Visit the place where The Mackay School was originally located 150 years ago; take a guided tour through the cemetery where Peter Mackay is buried; walk through the winding streets of Valparaiso, and enjoy a delicious snack with your classmates and teachers! Take your camera and get ready to have an experience you will never forget!

PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION

Behold the best speeches by Mackay students on this year’s motion: “The End Justifies the Means” Who will become part of our Public Speaking HALL OF FAME?!

                           MIDDLE SCHOOL OPEN DAY

6th Grade: International Food Festival in English Speaking Countries 

7th Grade: Victorian Theatre: Charles Dickens’ Classic Tales

LITERARY FAIR
Get bedazzled and enlightened by attending the various workshops directed by teachers, where you will have the opportunity to discuss and enrich your knowledge on English literature! This time, we will be joined by students from St. Margaret’s who will share with us their thoughts on the subject.

HIDDEN BRITISH TRADITIONS 
The Mackay School’s OWN VERSION of … THE MACKAY STEEPLE !

CRICKET
Ever wondered how to play this very British game? On Friday, you will have the chance to learn with an expert and play an actual cricket game using real equipment and rules in front of your friends and teachers!