Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf

By Vegard Melum

Fairy tales has been an essential part of almost everyone’s youth. When you are young, you will hear them all the time. Whether it is your parents telling you a story before bed, or your teacher trying to teach you something. What most kids are not aware of is that fairy tales are meant to make them think and reflect. However, that is not what we are going to look at in this blogpost. Here we will be looking at “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf” by Roald Dahl (Revolting Rhymes) and comparing it to the original fairy tale.

Once you get older and tired of reading and hearing the same old fairy tales repeatedly, you could check out “Revolting Rhymes” by Roald Dahl. What the famous author does in this book is quite funny. He takes fairy tales such as “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Cinderella”, and breathe new life into them. These Revolting Rhymes are written as poems, easy to understand and surprisingly funny. The other thing that really distinguishes the Revolting Rhymes from the originales is how grotesque thay are, which you will see for yourself further along in this texts.

In the original fairy tale about Little Red Riding Hood, she goes to see her grandma, meets the big bad wolf, the wolf eats her grandma and disguises himself. Later when “Red” enters her grandmother’s cabin, she has a long discussion with the wolf about “grandma’s” appearance. We all know the rest of the story.

Whereas in Roald Dahl’s revolting rhyme, everything seems like the original fairy tale at first, until “Red” suddenly does something unexpected:

Then Little Red Riding Hood said, “But Grandma,
what a lovely great big furry coat you have on.”

“That’s wrong!” cried the Wolf. “Have you forgot

To tell me what BIG TEETH I’ve got?
Ah well, not matter what you say,
I’m going to eat you anyway.”

The small girl smiles. One eyelid flickers.
She whips a pistol from her knickers.
She aims it at the creature’s head
And bang, bang, bang, she shoots him dead.

A few weeks later, in the wood,

I came across Miss Riding Hood.

But what a change! No cloak of red,

No silly hood upon her head.

She said, "Hello, and do please note
My lovely furry wolfskin coat."

I personally think this type of literature is hysterical, and I highly recommend other people to read more from Roald Dahl's "Revolting Rhymes".

Roald Dahl (1982) -Revolting Rhymes - Penguin Toung Readers Group, 2009

Romeo & Juliet

By: Marikken Sofie Riis

Perhaps one the world's most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet, is written by the famous and glorious William Shakespeare, in London in the middle of 1590s. The play is divided into 5 Acts, with 3-6 scenes in each, and it’s written in present tense. The play is categorized as a tragic drama, due to is heartbreaking ending. The setting takes place in Verona in Italy and in a typical Renaissance setting.

Romeo and Juliet by Francesco Hayez, 1823

As a summary, the story is mainly about the two star-crossed lovers and their feuding families. Romeo, the son of Montague, falls in love with the lovely and young Juliet. While falling in love, he’s uncertain of that she’s the daughter of Capulet, his family’s great enemy! However, they fall into a passionate love despite their hostiles families, and because of their forbidden love - their takes their lives.

The plays protagonist is Romeo and Juliet, which also shares
the plays point of view. The climax, in my opinion, is in act 5
and scene 3 when Romeo finds Juliet and kill himself with poison. Thereby the falling action also takes place, in my opinion, in Act 5 and at the end of scene 3, when the Prince and the parents discover the bodies of Romeo and Juliet, and agree to put aside their feud in the interest of peace.

One of the central themes in the play is love. In the play, you can find themes like the forcefulness of love, love as a cause of violence, forbidden love, love between friends and love between nurses and child. There’s also themes of the society as children versus adult, the individual versus society, the inevitability of fate. They play also enlighten the importance to have freedom. Personally, the play gave me a clear message about the importance to have and to give freedom. Freedom to be who you want to be, love who you want and do what you want.

It’s interesting that still, after all these years, the play is still essential and representative of today's society. Romeo and Juliet show us still how fragile love is, so we must grasp and accept it when we have it.

Sources: Shakespeare, William. (1982) Romeo & Juliet. Glasgow: Oxford University press

Using Romeo and Juliet in the classroom

By: Runa Nesje

Romeo and Juliet is the famous, tragic love story about two young lovers whose deaths was the necessary for their two families to end a long feud. Since the story is a play, it can be funnier for the pupils to work with the text in a practical activity. Last week we worked with Romeo and Juliet in our class, and we did this activity called “freeze frame”. We divided the class into two group, one group was going to remake a scene from all the scenes from act 1, and the other group would remake a scene from each scene in act 2. We went through all the scenes and decided who was going to act what and how we were going to place us. We had 6 scenes to make a remake of. It ended with someone being a bush, a wall, lamps, chairs, and some of the characters from act 2. The meaning of freeze frame, is to portray a scene from a story in just pictures using only our bodies and facial expressions to portray the scene the best way for the audience. The group is counting until 1o for theme self, then the whole group will change positions and make the transition as fast and smoothly as possible for a new picture .  

This picture is from when we acted out the balcony scene with Romeo and Juliet in act 2. 

I think this is a great activity one can use in the classroom. While working with the “freeze frame” the pupils get to work with cooperating with each other in groups, they have to read (parts of) the play to plan what they are going to do, and everyone in the group can contribute.

Sources: 

Shakespeare. W. (1982) Romeo & Juliet. Glasgow: Oxford University press

Romeo and Juliet Thematic Analysis

by Eskil

          The idea of fate functions as a central theme in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In the prologue of the play, the Chorus informs the audience that Romeo and Juliet are "Star-cross'd Lovers". In other words, it states that Romeo and Juliet are controlled by fate, a force often linked to the movements of the stars. Fate shows itself in all the events regarding the young lovers: the ancient and long-lasting feud between their families, the catastrophic series of mishaps which ruin Friar Lawrence's plans, and the unfortunate timing of Romeo's suicide and Juliet's awakening. The structure of the play itself rests upon the fate from which the two lovers cannot escape.

          The play is written so that the tragedy happens by fate, uncontrollable events that are caused not by the protagonist's character faults, but by external events such as the feud between their families. William Shakespeare raises the protagonists' character to almost unearthly heights near perfection. Both protagonists are kind, loving, brave, loyal and desperately in love with each other. This creates pathos towards the characters, which makes this tragedy much morose than if there was no emotional connection to the protagonists. 

          The feud between the two protagonists families is what represents the fore mentioned fate. This is something that neither Romeo nor Juliet has the power to control, they are virtually powerless. The play has a great way of showing how some things are out of any individual's control and I believe that fate and powerlessness is one of the major themes of the play.

          

"The Hunger Games" a short analysis

By: Maja Berntsen

The Hunger Games is a novel written by Suzanne Collins and was published in 2008. The protagonist in the story is Katniss who lives with her mother and little sister. They live in a completely different world to what we are used to. Panem is the remains of what used to be North-America and consists of 12 Districts and the Capitol. The people who lives in the Capitol live a life in luxury with more food than they can eat. Life in the Districts however, are pretty different. People are starving in some areas and they are heavily controlled by the government. Every year, the government arranges “The Hunger Games”. The Hunger Games is a reality show where 24 teens fight against each other until there is only one left. The Games are broadcasted all over Panem and works as entertainment for the people in the Capitol. There are two contestants from each district, a girl and a boy and they are picked at random. Katniss becomes well known after volunteering for the games in stead of her little sister, who is the one who originally gets picked. The novel follows the games and everything that happens behind the scenes both in the games and in the Districts during the games.

I think that the book is well written and that it reaches out to the age group it has been written for. The first time I read it I was thirteen years old and I became obsessed with this whole universe pretty quick. I think that it catches on so easily because the author uses a language that is pretty easy to understand and it is not a heavy read at all. It is also easy for teens to relate to the themes in the book. Some of the themes that probably is the easiest to relate to are themes like friendship, trust, love and fear.

The novel is written with a first-person narrative where Katniss is the “I”-person. Characters and environment are described detailed through her experiences throughout the book. The other characters are described through Katniss’ description of them, how she looks at them and what what everyone else is saying about them. Katniss is always reflecting on the other character’s tactics on how to survive in the games. When she is comparing the other contestants with each other, you get the idea of who is going to survive the longest and who will get killed pretty quick.

One aspect that can be heavily criticised is how grotesque a lot of the action in the novel is. Just think about it; a group of teens are sent out on an arena to kill each other, for the sake of entertainment. The killings in the book are described quite detailed, so it might not be a novel for the ones who gets easily affected by violence, blood and killing. When I read it as a thirteen-year-old, I did not really think about the violence as a problem, and I do not think that it is such a big deal because it is not the violence that is the main focus in the book. However, if there are young people who have been through for example, wars, this book might not be the ideal book to read because it can bring up old memories.

Over all, I think that The Hunger Games is a brilliant piece of literature and that it has made lots of teens hungry for more books to read and more open to literature. The way the book portrays inequality and corruption is also a great way for young people to learn about complicated themes like this. Books does not have to be boring, to be educational!

Sources:

Collins Suzanne (2008) The Hunger Games, Scolastic Ink, Broadway, New York

The Hunger Games; Showing strength from a position of weakness through sacrifice

The Hunger Games is a trilogy of novels written by the American author Suzanne Collins, focusing on youth/adults as the suitable age group. The setting is the dystopian country of Panem, which is what rose from the ashes of what used to be North America. After a series of disasters, natural and manmade, Panem rose with 13 districts all contributing to the Capitol. Although there was an uprising of the districts against the Capitol, 12 were defeated and the 13^th obliterated. This time period is referred to as the “Dark Days”. (Collins, 2008, The Hunger Games: 21) And The Hunger Games were created as a constant reminder of why not to rebel against the superiority Capitol.

The Hunger Games is an event which each district must provide one girl and one boy, tributes, to participate. Tributes are chosen randomly, like a lottery; only “winning” could very well mean death. The age group eligible for participation are from the year you turn 12 until you’re 18, at 12 your name is entered once and twice at 13 and so on. Adding your name more times can be done in exchange for tesserae, which are supplies in the form of grain and oil. Over an undetermined time period, the 24 tributes must fight to death, until one winner is standing. The arena where the event takes place varies from deserts to green forests.

The theme of sacrifice is especially interesting. The poor whom already have given up equallity, free speach and the freedom of roaming, are forced to sacrifice even more to stay alive. Katniss reveals the harsh truth about starvation and how increasing your chances of getting picked at the reaping, is often the only way to survive.   

Katniss which is the protagonist, sacrifices a lot through the novel. She had to sign up for tesserae multiple times, increasing the cumulative effect in the “lottery” and increasing the chances of her name being picked. The biggest sacrifice however, is when her little sister Primrose gets picked as a tribute at the age of 12, without signing up for tesserae. Katniss takes her place, seeing the odds of her survival close to nothing.

For teaching purposes I think it’s important to show the collective sacrifices of the districts as well as the individual sacrifices of Katniss. They don’t have the freedom of speech, or the physical freedom to wander and explore. To provoke these thoughts, I think these while-reading (while-watching) strategies would be appropriate:

How do the conditions vary between the districts? Why are some districts wealthier than others?

What would you do, if your loved ones were in danger of never returning?

Imagine yourself as a citizen of district 12, how would you devote your time if you and your closest are well fed? Would you sign up for tesserae?

Seeing this in perspective to today’s situation (refugee crisis), what would you give up to help others?

  By: Sigve Guttormsen

The Hunger Games - Theme of Strength and Skill

By Karoline Lilleberg

The Hunger Games is a series of three adventure novels written by the American author Suzanne Collins. The series is set in The Hunger Games universe, and follows the sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. The novels in the trilogy are titled The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010). The novels have all been developed into films.

The Hunger Games universe is a dystopia set in "Panem", a country consisting of the wealthy Capitol and twelve districts in varying states of poverty. Every year, children are chosen to participate in a compulsory annual televised death match called The Hunger Games. (Wikipedia, 2015)

In the Hunger Games, each candidate has his or her own set of skills and strengths. There's Cato, who has a crazy temper and can snap someone's neck with his bare hands. There's Foxface, the craftiest girl in the whole game, little Rue who can jump from tree to tree, and of course, Peeta who is real good at camouflaging. Then there's our heroine to be, Katniss, who is incredible with a bow and arrow. Just like in real life, everyone has some kind of strength or skill all their own. So, it’s all about what combination of strengths and skills will it take to win the games? (Shmoop, 2015)

I can't win. Prim must know that in her heart. The competition will be far beyond my abilities. Kids from wealthier districts, where winning is a huge honor, who've been trained their whole lives for this. Boys who are two to three times my size. Girls who know twenty different ways to kill you with a knife. Oh, there'll be people like me, too. People to weed out before the real fun begins. (Collins, 2008, s. 44)

Katniss thinks this for herself after volunteering instead of her younger sister. And that’s something to teach the students, that you don’t have to be rich and wealthy to manage. Katniss is a very good example of that, especially when she wins the whole competition.

There is many different tasks to work with in a class, both if you’ve watched the movie or read the book, or both. A while-reading, or while-watching strategy might be “Who is, in your opinion, the strongest tribute in the Hunger Games?”. When you’ve watched it, or read it, there’s a bunch of different types of questions. But questions related to the theme of strength and skill, is for example:

1.      If you were in the Hunger Games, what would you consider your strongest fighting or survival skills? What sort of score would you earn from the judges?

2.      Why was Foxface such a good competitor? Why did she die?

3.      What is Peeta's special skill? If Katniss weren't in the Hunger Games, what kind of a chance would Peeta have of coming out alive?

4.      What strengths made Katniss the victor?

(Shmoop, 2015)

Both the book and the movie is quite harsh. The age limit on the movie it set to 11 years, but there’s a lot of criticism to this, and precisely because of the main part: The Hunger Games. A game where children fight children, it’s about staying alive and killing other. The Media Authority justifies the age limit of 11 years on the film in this way “The film contains violence and several scenes with dead people. When these are only little intimate portrayed and takes place in a rather unrealistic universe, the film gets an 11 year age limit.” (NRK, 2012)

I find both the film and the movie suitable for 11 year olds and everyone above. Besides, almost every child these days probably have watched the movie already, and maybe read the book as well. And if you want to, there is room to just make them read parts of the book, or watch parts of the movie. Not every scene contains a dead body or even blood. There is some really, really good scenes throughout the whole story.