The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe- Fantasy Elements

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a very well-known book for it's fantasy elements. Due to the fact that it is set in the fantasy world of Narnia it shows straight away that it is a fantasy story. Books containing high fantasy, are usually always set in a make-believe setting for the whole time where the elements of fantasy can take place. The land of Narnia is found through a magical wardrobe by four children showing a fantasy element. This book includes talking animals, such as beavers and wolves. There are also make-believe creatures including centaurs, unicorns, fauns, dwarfs and other fantasy beasts that definitely don't look like they could be in reality. Some trees in Narnia are on the witches side and fight for her showing a fantasy element. The Witch in this book is magical showing a major element of fantasy. She has control over others and can turn them into stone, just by the wipe of her wand. The magical and talking lion, Aslan, is an element of fantasy. He is extremely powerful and knows all about the deep magic and laws of Narnia, showing fantasy. Father Christmas was a real character in this book showing a fantasy element.  It is very clear that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe displays a number of fantasy elements and is a fantasy novel by the use of a magical setting and make believe characters.

The Secret Garden- Continued 2

This will be my last post on The Secret Garden as I have now finished this very enjoyable book. I have two other posts about this book and many exciting and thrilling things have happened since the most recent post. When I wrote the last two posts about The Secret Garden, I thought it was a really good book so far and many exciting things had happened. What really caught my attention though, now, was how the ending of this story had so much detail and action and really made the reader want to finish the book quickly so that they could get to the very happy ending.
My last post about this book finished by explaining how Mary found the key to the secret garden on the moor (with the help of the robin) and was able to go inside as the robin showed her the way to the door.

Mary had a lovely time in the garden and loved looking at different flowers and trees. By playing in the garden a lot she was eating much more than she used to, to Martha's delight. Mary meets a boy called Dicken, who is Martha’s brother and is about Mary’s age. Dickon is a very nice boy and he and Mary get along well when they meet. When Mary sees him she decides to let him into the secret of the garden, which he agrees to keep as he loves gardens. That night, Mary hears the crying she's heard before. She follows the noise and finds a boy her age, living in a hidden bedroom. His name is Colin and she discovers that they are cousins. He is the son of her uncle; his mother died when he was a baby, and he suffers from an unspecified problem with his spine making him an invalid. Many people think he is going to die. The Secret Garden that Mary went into is actually Colin's mother's, but his mother died in the garden from a tree trunk falling on her and so Colin's father (Mr Craven) decided to lock it up. Mary compassionately visits him every day that week, distracting him from his troubles with stories of the moor, of Dickon and of the garden. She thinks he needs fresh air and the secret garden, which Mary tells Colin she has access to. Colin is put into his wheelchair and brought outside into the garden with only Mary and Dickon, being the first time he's been outdoors in years. While they're in the garden, the children are shocked to see Ben Weatherstaff looking over the wall on a ladder. Angry to find the children there in Colin's mother's garden he says he believed Colin was a cripple. Colin stands up out of his chair to prove him wrong and finds that his legs are only weak from not using them for a long time. Colin spends every day in the garden, becoming stronger. The children want to keep Colin's health a secret so he can surprise his father, who is traveling. As Colin's health improves, his father's mood does as well, and he has a dream of his wife calling him into the garden that makes him pack his bags and come home. He walks around the garden when he comes home but hears voices inside, finds the door unlocked and is shocked to see the garden with children in it and his son running around. At the end the servants watch as Mr. Craven walks back to the manor, and all are stunned that Colin walks beside him.

This is a fantastic book to read and I definitely recommend to people my age as it shows how amazing things can happen from fresh air, sunshine, fun and friendship and tells a really good story.

Children in the Secret Garden

How is the character of Shrek introduced to the audience in the opening sequence of the film?

The character of Shrek is introduced to the audience as a sarcastic, pessimistic ogre which fits the conventional stereotype of an ogre on some levels but challenges it on others. He likes his privacy and wants to be feared so that people don’t come and annoy him. The way Shrek is introduced makes the audience think that the film will not follow the conventional fairy tale stereotype for a number of reasons. Shrek fits the conventional stereotype of an ogre as well as being the very opposite of it at times. He can look quite civilised at times. Shrek’s character is made by using different camera angles, diegetic sounds, non-diegetic sounds, lighting and his script.

Shrek fits the conventional stereotype of an ogre as he is introduced as a big, ugly, disgusting and scary ogre. The audience sees him this way for a few reasons. Some of the first things the audience see Shrek do are take a shower in mud, brush his dirty teeth with a green slimy paste and push mud out of a hollow tree to find a slug for his dinner. There are many close ups on these things, for example, his dirty teeth and paste showing how disgusting he is. There is also a close up of when Shrek is screaming at the villagers who come to try get rid of him showing his face clearly and how ugly he is. When Shrek sneaks up on the villagers in dark lighting there is scary, tense music (non-diegetic sound) building suspense and making the audience think Shrek is a very scary ogre about to do something that only a typical ogre would. All of this shows Shrek is a stereotypical ogre.

Shrek does not always fit the stereotype of a typical ogre as he is the opposite of a typical ogre at times. He was quite civilised and comical in the opening sequence of the film as well as being stereotypical. Near the start of the film, there is a wide shot showing Shrek eating a meal by candlelight with a knife and fork which makes him seem quite civilised for an ogre.  After Shrek screams at the villagers he says the words “This is the part where you run away”, trying to tell them to leave which is quite comical and makes him seem like a funny, sarcastic ogre. This shows that Shrek is not the exact stereotype of an ogre.

Shrek is introduced very well in this film and this is done by using many different film techniques. He is a combination of both a stereotypical ogre and the opposite.

Shrek

 

The Secret Garden- Continued

My last post was about The Secret Garden and as I am still reading this book, I will be talking about this classic again. The start of the book really caught my attention and now that I am further into the book it is getting even better. I like how there is always something new and excitng around the corner.

The last post ended by saying hat Mary knew about the secret garden and wanted to try get inside. A lot has happened since then. A few times after that Mary heard someone crying in Missethwaite Manor (where she stays) but when she told Martha (one of the manor's maid servants who waits on Mary) and someone else they both said it couldn't be true. The crying matter is still a bit of a mystery at the moment. Mary at first didn't like Martha but because she is such a nice and funny character she couldn't help liking her.
Mary often walks around on the moor every day and one day, she finds the key that opens the door of the garden that has been locked up for ten years! She finds this key with the help of a robin who Mary becomes very good friends with. The robin belongs to a the gardener on the moor, Ben Weatherstaff. After she finds the key, the robin shows her the door to the secret garden which was hidden under thick ivy so she is able to go inside and have a lovely time looking at flower beds and doing some weeding.

The magical book is getting really exciting at the moment and I can't wait to find out more about what happens.

The door to the secret garden

The Secret Garden

The book that I have been reading is The Secret Garden which is a fictional book. I think it is a good story so far and grabs the reader's attention.
Mary Lennox is the main character. She has a bad temper and everyone thinks she is very ugly. She doesn't like anyone and nobody likes her in return. At the start of the story, she is living in India with her parents. Her father is an army captain and her mum is a beautiful lady. Mary hardly ever sees them though and is under the care of many native servants, as her parents find her too hideous and tiresome to look after. I don't think is is good thing and this could be why she is such a stubborn child. Her parents have never said that they liked her. An outbreak of cholera then devastates the Lennox's, leaving no one alive but herself. Mary is then sent to live in Yorkshire with her uncle, Archibald Craven. She then finds out about a secret garden that has been locked up for 10 years and she is determined to find out why it was locked and how to get in.

I think the story started off well as you don't know what's going to happen when the cholera breaks out but it is a bit hard, in the first chapter, to understand what is happening. 
I recommend others to read the story as I think it is going to be a good read from what I've read so far.