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In schizophrenia, these symptoms reflect an excess or distortion of normal functions. These
active, abnormal symptoms may include:
These beliefs are not based in reality and usually
involve misinterpretation of perception or experience. They are the mot common
of schizophrenic symptoms.
These usually involve seeing or hearing things that
don't exist, although they can be in any of the senses. Hearing
voices is the most common example among people with schizophrenia.
Difficulty speaking and organizing thoughts may
result in stopping speech midsentence or putting together meaningless words,
sometimes known as "word salad."
This may show in a number of ways, ranging from
childlike silliness to unpredictable agitation.
refers to a diminishment
or absence of characteristics of normal function. They may appear months or
years before positive symptoms. They include:
of interest in everyday activities
to lack emotion
ability to plan or carry out activities
of personal hygiene
Involves problems with thought processes. These symptoms may be the most
disabling in schizophrenia, because they interfere with the ability to perform
routine daily tasks. A person with schizophrenia may be born with these
symptoms, but they may worsen when the disorder starts. They include:
with making sense of information
also can affect mood, causing depression or mood swings. In addition, people
with schizophrenia often seem inappropriate and odd, causing others to avoid
them, which leads to social isolation.
Homelessness & Schizophrenia
Mental illness is one of the main contributors to homelessness.
- Schizophrenia and homelessness are dual conditions that plague nearly every
- industrialized country in the world. The crisis is compounded by the fact that
- many schizophrenics are drug addicts and/or alcoholics. Treatment is difficult,
- if not impossible, and funding is a continuing issue. With the challenges of
- treatment, increased legal issues, schizophrenics' tendency toward violence and
- the fact that mentally ill homeless remain homeless longer than the general
- homeless population , homeless schizophrenics have become modern
- society's untouchables. According to HealthMad.com, in 2007, approximately 200,000
- people were schizophrenic and homeless.
- Henry McMaster has named domestic violence as the number one crime problem
- in South Carolina. More than 36,000 victims annually report a domestic
- violence incident to law enforcement agencies around the state. Over the
- past twelve years, an average of thirty-three (33) women have been killed each
- year by their intimate partner. Currently South Carolina ranks eighth in
- the nation for the amount of homicides caused by criminal domestic violence
One in every four women will?
There were 35,894 victims of domestic violence in
South Carolina in 2005. 43% of reported domestic violence cases ended in an
In South Carolina, 36% of aggravated assaults were
domestic violence related in
1,809 forcible rapes were reported in South Carolina
28% of murders in South Carolina were domestic
violence related in
There were 32 domestic violence related homicides
The most common relationship between homicide
perpetrators and victims was boyfriend/girlfriend and the second most common
relationship was between
How long do you have to have the symptoms to classify as schizophrenia?
Symptoms X30 days for >6Months
How long for schizophrenoform DO?
Symptoms < 6 months
What is SAFD?
Schizoaffetive Disorder….Symptoms with & without mood episode
What is a delusional disorder?
Non-bizarre delusion x 1month
How long is a brief psychotic disorder?
> 1 day <1 month
What is a shared psychotic disorder?
It takes on other delusions
Some other psychotic disorders can be caused by what?
What is the diagnosis criterion for schizophrenia?
- 1. Positive or negative symptoms for 30 days for greater than 6 months
- 2. Marked social/vocational dysfunction
- 3. NOT due to:
- …….. medical
- …….. drugs
- …….. SAFD
- …….. Manic Depressive Disorder (MDD) with psychotic features
What are the 4 types of POSITIVE symptoms?
- 1. Delusions
- 2. Hallucinations
- 3. Disorganized Speech
- 4. Catatonia
Grandiosity, persecution, somatic, reference, thought insertion/withdrawal/broadcasting, ect?
auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory, gustatory?
clang, neologisms, thought block, loose assoc, perseveration?
stupor, posture, excitation?
What are the NEGATIVE symptoms of schizophrenia? *Hint-Crazy 8's*
- - Affective blunting
- - Avolition
- - Asociality
- -Attention problems
What are the subtypes of schizophrenia?
Negative symptoms that persist inspite of resolution of positive symptoms
What is the scope of schizophrenia?
- •40 % attempt suicide within 10 yrs.
- •10 % actually complete suicide
- •9thleading cause of disability
- •60-70% never marry/have children
- •Occupy 25% of all hospital beds
- •70%–80% are unemployed or underemployed
- •10% of permanently disabled Americans
- • 20%–30% of the homeless population
Schizophrenia vs. Violence
•Evidence mixed•Media sensationalized?•Schizophrenics 14% more likely to be victimrather than comit violent crime
What are the demographics of Schizophrenia?
•0.5 - 1.5 % of population•Urban > Rural•Uniform rates across racial and ethnic groupsin US, except for higher rates with racial minorities in large cities •Higher rates with maternal malnutrition
What are the gender differences of Schizophrenia?
•Male > Female (up to 20%)•Onset: male (18-25 yr); female (25-35 yr) •Second peak in onset women after 45 yrs.•Pre-morbid function females > males•Males – More positive symptoms•Females – More negative symptoms•Women have moreemotional/affectivesymptoms – misdiagnosed MDD or SAFD
What are the etiological theories concerning Schizophrenia?
•Genetic – familial ; 10% greater chance•Hormonal – onset S/P puberty, thyroid, DM•Apoptosis/Excessive pruning•Virus – selectivity; dormancy; triggered bystress/hormonal; alter cellular process without destroying cells•Neurotransmitter – drugs can either mimic or eleviatesymptoms
What is the pathology behind Schizophrenia?
•Up To 25% loss of graymatter•Enlarged ventricles •Enlarged amygdala •Neurological abnormalities•Impaired cognitive function•Decreased prefrontal brainfunction •Impaired awareness ofillness
What are the 4 stages of progression when dealing with Schizophrenia?
1. Premorbid2. Prodromal3. Psychotic4. Recovery
Asymptomatic withgenetic/environmental vulnerability.
Premorbid (0-35 yrs.)
Insidious decline inwork/school/social/adaptive functioning
Prodromal (2-5 yrs.)
Abrupt onset of (+) &significant worsening of (-) symptoms. Often hospitalized due to unable to care for self.
Exacerbations & remissionswith 80% relapse rate. Degree of illness/level of functioning plateau after 10yrs.
What are some ways to treat Schizophrenia without medications?
•Supportive psychotherapy•Family therapy•Socialization/social skills training•Cognitive Behavioral Therapy•Hospitalization
What are the two types of pharmacotherapeutics that treat Schizophrenia?
1. Typicals2. Atypicals
These Alleviate positive symptoms, have More side effects, but are Lessexpensive
These will alleviate positive symptoms, offer some help with negative symptoms, have fewer side effects, and MIGHT have neuroprotective effects????
What are the medication forms that treat Schizophrenia?
•Pill/capsule•Elixir•Orally disintegrating tabs (ODT)•IV/IM•Deaconate
What are the drug side effects for drugs that treat Schizophrenia?
•Histaminic effects – Sedation•Adrenergic effects – Orthostasis•Anticholenergic effects – Dry mouth•Hyperprolactinemia – Sexual•Metabolic effects:- Weight gain- Hyperglycemia/diabetes- Hyperlipidemia
What are the other med risks?
•Seizures•Stroke•Sudden death (dementia)•QTcProlongation (Geodon & Melaril)•Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS)•Tardive dyskinesia(TD)•Neuroleptic malignant disorder (NMS)•Agranulocytosis (Clozaril)
What does the nurse need to monitor the patient for that is receiving treatment for Schizophrenia?
•Vital signs – include orthostatic BP (falls)•Weight & BMI•EKG•AIMS – Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (TD)•Labs – CBC, renal function,lipids, glucose, HgbA1C, LFTs, TFTs, prolactin•Suicidality
This syndrome is probably, in part, a genetic condition. People with this syndrome have motor tics and vocal tics. Motor tics are movements of the
muscles, blinking, head shaking, jerking of the arms, and shrugging. When a
person with this syndrome suddenly begins shrugging, he or she may not be
doing it on purpose. This may be a motor tic.
These tics are sounds that a person with Tourette syndrome might make with his or her
voice. Throat clearing, grunting, and humming are all common tics. A
person with Tourette syndrome will sometimes have more than one type of tic happening
Tics are usually worse when a person is under?
Tourette syndrome is not a psychological condition, it is a ? one
Tourette's However, psychological factors are very important in this condition. Psychological distress can make the tics worse, and kids with Tourette syndrome might feel very upset because of the tics and the problems that go with them. Counselors and Tourette syndrome organizations can help kids learn how to explain tics to others. It affects at least 1 in 1,000 to 2,000 people and maybe more. It is believed that about 100,000 Americans have Tourette syndrome.
What drugs is ADHD treated with?
- ADHD is usually treated
- with the aid of stimulant drugs like Ritalin. Concerta
- and with non-stimulant Straterra
- as well as amphetamines,
- such as Dexedrine
- and Adderall.
Stimulants are believed to
work by increasing ? levels in the brain. Stimulant medications boost
concentration and focus while reducing hyperactive and impulsive behaviors.
ADD / ADHD come in both short and long-acting dosages. Short-acting stimulants
peak after several hours, and must be taken (x) times a day. Long-acting or
extended-release stimulants last 8-12 hours, and are usually taken (y)?
- (x)= 2-3 times
- (y)= 1 time per day
The relationship between suicide risk and
sexual orientation: results of a population-based study.
There is evidence of a strong association between suicide risk and bisexuality or
homosexuality in ?
RESULTS: Suicide attempts
were reported by 28. 1
% of bisexual/homosexual males, 20.5% of bisexual/homosexual females, 14.5% of
heterosexual females, and 4.2% of heterosexual ?
Limiting access to lethal
means of self-harm is an ? strategy to prevent self-destructive
behavior, including suicide.
Some suicidal acts are
?, resulting from a combination of psychological pain or despair
coupled with easy availability of the means to inflict self-injury: firearms,
carbon monoxide, medications, sharp objects, tall structures.
By limiting the individual's ? to the
means of self-harm, a suicidal act may be prevented.
The ? is to separate in
time and space the individual experiencing an acute suicidal crisis from easy
access to lethal means of self-injury and personal harm
The hope is by making it
harder for those intent on self-harm to act on that impulse, one can buy time
for the ? to pass and for healing and recovery to occur.
? are the most common method
of completed suicides nationwide (54%), followed by suffocation (20%),
poisoning (17.5%), falls (2.3%), cut/pierce (1.8%), and drowning (1.2%) (CDC:
This is true for men, women
and adolescents who complete suicide. In New York, ? are also the
predominant means of suicide, but by a much slimmer margin
Suicide by firearms seems
to be associated with their availability in the home and with victim
Many homes contain guns and
nearly half (43%) of all homicides and suicides occur in a ?. Most victims
are shot: 67% of the homicides and 54% of the suicides in 2002 (CDC: WISQARS,
2005). In some studies, ? pose the greatest risk.
Asperger syndrome and interpersonal relationships
The lack of
demonstrated ? is possibly the most dysfunctional aspect of Asperger
with Asperger's Syndrome experience difficulties in basic elements of (1), which
may include a failure to develop friendships or to seek shared enjoyments or
achievements with others (for example, showing others objects of interest), a
lack of social or emotional reciprocity, and impaired nonverbal behaviors in areas such as (2….4 items)?
- 1= social interaction2= eye contact, facial expression, posture, and gesture
Qualitative impairment in social
interaction, as manifested by at least two of the following: (4 items)
(A) marked impairments in the use of
- multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-eye gaze, facial expression, body
- posture, and gestures to regulate social interaction
(B) failure to develop peer relationships
- appropriate to developmental level
(C) a lack of spontaneous seeking to
- share enjoyment, interest or achievements with other people, (e.g.. by a lack
- of showing, bringing, or pointing out objects of interest to other people)
(D) lack of social or emotional
(II) Restricted repetitive &
stereotyped patterns of behavior, interests and activities, as manifested by at
least one of the following: (4 items)
(A) encompassing preoccupation with one
- or more stereotyped and restricted patterns of interest that is abnormal either
- in intensity or focus
(B) apparently inflexible adherence to
- specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals
(C) stereotyped and repetitive motor
- mannerisms (e.g. hand or finger flapping or twisting, or complex whole-body
- preoccupation with parts of objects
It is estimated that 8 million ? have an eating
disorder – seven million women and one million men
Eating disorders have the highest ? rate of any mental illness
A study by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and
Associated Disorders reported that 5 – 10% of anorexics die within 10 years
after contracting the disease; 18-20% of anorexics will be dead after 20 years
and only ? ever fully recover
30 – 40%
20% of people suffering from anorexia will prematurely die from
complications related to their eating disorder, including suicide and ?
co-morbid conditions include ? (50% to
75%), sexual abuse (20% to 50%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (25% with
anorexia nervosa), substance abuse (12% to 18% with anorexia nervosa,
especially the binge-purge subtype, and 30% to 37% with bulimia nervosa), and
bipolar disorder (4% to 13%). 1-4
major depressive disorder or dysthymia
Medical Complications of Anorexia?
- 1. Amenorrhea Bradycardia
- 2. Orthostatic Blood Pressure Drop
- 3. Osteoporosis
- 4. Stress fractures
Cold intolerance, constipation, cyanosis, edema, hypoglycemia, low albumin
What are the Structural and functional brain changes associated with anorexia?
What can appetite suppressant abuse cause?
Anxiety, hypertension, tremors, tachycardia, Purging type reflux, parotid abnormalities, gastrointestinal
- bleeding, hypokalemia, Dental caries, enamel erosion, dehydration, cardiac
- arrhythmias, and Renal failure
TREATING ANOREXIA involves what three components?
· The ? in anorexia treatment is to address and
stabilize any serious health issues. Hospitalization may be necessary to
prevent starvation, suicide, or a medical crisis. Dangerously thin anorexics
may also need to be hospitalized until they reach a less critical weight.
Outpatient treatment is an option when the patient is not in immediate medical
Explores the critical and
unhealthy thoughts underlying anorexia. The focus is on increasing
self-awareness, challenging distorted beliefs, and improving self-esteem and
sense of control. Also involves education about anorexia.
Promotes healthy eating behaviors
through the use of rewards, reinforcements, self-monitoring, and goal
setting. Teaches the patient to recognize anorexia triggers and deal with
them using relaxation techniques and coping strategies.
Examines the family dynamics that
may contribute to anorexia or interfere with recovery. Often includes some
therapy sessions without the anorexic patient—a particularly important
element when the person with anorexia denies having an eating disorder.
Allows people with anorexia to
talk with each other in a supervised setting. Helps to reduce the isolation
many anorexics may feel. Group members can support each other through
recovery and share their experiences and advice.
Genetic factors (nature) and childhood experiences (nurture) are predisposing causes for developing ?
combined with genetic predisposition begins to explain complexity of
development of child psychiatric illness
to roles of ? and brain development
Perhaps epigenetic mechanism
mechanisms down-regulate stress reaction after ? has passed, returning
brain to prior level of functioning
and reversible during acute stress
prolonged, severe, or repetitive stress, increased neurotransmitter activity
Resilience: ability to withstand stress ØAffected
- by individual characteristics, early life experiences
- factors in their environment
- competent, realistic, flexible, assured of their own inner resources and
- strong sense of personal control
- age-appropriate responsibility
- quickly when faced with stressors
- realistic, well-defined goals
- to complex social needs
- and advocate for child
- comprehensive treatment plan that identifies and integrates child’s needs and
- family resources
- that behavior is cultural, must be viewed from sociocultural
- goal: to establish therapeutic alliance with child and parents
- child’s verbal communications vague or unclear, ask for more explanations
- may not respond to problem-centered lines of communication
- discuss more general aspects of child’s life (family members, school, friends)
Communicating with Children
- age-related development
- respect and authenticity
- familiar vocabulary at child’s level of understanding
- child’s needs in immediate situation
- child’s capacity to cope with change
Communicating with Children
- coping skills by creative, unstructured play
- indirect age-appropriate communication techniques (storytelling, picture
- drawing, creative writing)
- alternative communication devices for children with special needs (sign
- language, computer aids)
Ego Competency Skills
Important to learn
- nursing assessment on specific skills all children need to become competent
- of medical diagnosis, assess child for mastery of these skills:
- closeness and trusting relationships
- separation/independent decision making
- joint decisions and interpersonal conflictØDealing
- with frustration/unfavorable eventsØCelebrating
- good feelings and experiencing pleasureØWorking
- for delayed gratificationØRelaxing
- and playingØCognitive
- processing through words, symbols, imagesØEstablishing
- adaptive sense of direction or purpose
•More common childhood
ADHD Depression Anxiety
Behaviors for Children
- from stressful situations
- immediate response
- more manageable situation
- (manipulating or shaping) environment
- good and bad as part of life
- toward maintaining optimal conditions of adjustment, security, comfort
- improve brain functioning
- skills training: improve socialization
- management: learn impulse control
- therapy: practice problem solving and communication
- education: integrate new behaviors and skills into child’s life
Eating Regulation Responses and Eating Disorders
Adaptive Eating Responses
- eating patterns
- caloric intake
- weight appropriate for height
- to regulate eating habits
- overuse or underuse of food
- biological, psychological, sociocultural integrity
Maladaptive Eating Responses
- associated with maladaptive eating regulation responses
–Anorexia nervosa –Bulimia nervosa
–Binge eating disorder
–Night eating syndrome
Adaptive Eating Responses
- disorders more common among females; males more reluctant to seek treatment
•Sociocultural norms result in
- distorted body image
- disorders can cause biological changes: altered metabolic rates, profound
- malnutrition, possibly death
- obsessions can cause psychological problems, e.g., depression, isolation,
- emotional lability
Eating Disorders: Anorexia
- •Anorexia nervosa in approximately 0.5%-1% of females
- •About 5%-10% of people with anorexia are male
- •Usual onset between 13-20 years but can occur in any age
Eating Disorders: Anorexia
- •Although hungry, person with anorexia refuses to eat
- because of distorted self-perception of fatness
- •Starvation ensues
- •Can become chronic illness
- •Estimated mortality from anorexia nervosa: 5% of those
- with the disorder
Eating Disorders: Bulimia
- •Bulimia nervosa more common
- –Estimated in 1%-4% of
- population, mostly females
- –4%-15% of female high
- school and college students
- •Onset usually at 15-18 years old
Eating Disorders: Bulimia
- •Uncontrolled binge eating alternating with vomiting or
- •Same patient may have bulimia and anorexia
- •Bulimia usually occurs in people of normal weight but
- people may be obese or thin
Eating Disorders: Binge Eating
- eating disorder: consuming large amounts of calories in contained amount of
- from bulimia because person does not attempt to prevent weight gain
- behaviors not used
- approximately 2%-4% of population
Eating Disorders: Night Eating
- eating syndrome: pattern of awakening during night associated with food intake
–Not yet listed as separate eating disorder in DSM-IV-TR
–Estimated 1.5% in general population
–Make up 27% of severely obese population seeking surgical treatment
Overlapping Relationships Among Eating Disorders
- biological, psychological, sociocultural evaluations
- physical examination: vital signs; weight; skin; cardiovascular system;
- evidence of laxatives, diet pills, diuretic abuse, and/or vomiting; dental
- history: dieting and substance use, family assessment, medication
Screening for Eating Disorders
•Focus specific attention on assessment of eating
- regulation responses
•Several questionnaires and rating scales screen for
- eating disorders
•Adding these two questions may be as effective as more
- extensive questionnaires to identify people with eating disorders:
–Are you satisfied with your eating patterns?
Assessment: Eating Disorders
- and desired weight, weight history, menstruation
- avoidances, restrictions, dieting, fasting patterns/unusual nutrition beliefs
- extent, timing of binge eating, and/or purging/compulsive exercise patterns
Assessment: Eating Disorders
- of laxatives, diuretics, diet pills, other methods of purging/chewing and
- spitting food
- or shape preoccupation/body image disturbances
- preferences, peculiarities
- of illness on school, work, social life
- consumption of much food in discrete period
- on patient’s perception of loss of control, perceived excessive caloric intake
- more important than total number of calories consumed, but must assess both
- binge secretively, often feel shame
- with bulimia typically average weight or slightly overweight with unsuccessful
- dieting history
- times weekly to more than 10 times/day, or occasional binges related to
- stressful situations
Behaviors: Fasting or Restricting
- with anorexia eat 500-700 calories (as few as 200) daily
- all meat, poultry, fish, dairy; do not substitute nonanimal protein, nutrients
- be obsessive-compulsive: eat same foods repeatedly, foods in predetermined
- order, bizarre food preferences, avoid fattening food, fast for days
- or prescription diuretics, diet pills, laxatives, steroids
- abuse common, inefficient way to
- lose; abuse can increase to 60 doses/week
Medical Complications of
•Central nervous system •Renal •Hematological •GastrointestinaI •Metabolic
Related to Anorexia
- 30% below ideal body weight often have life-threatening clinical, laboratory
- who vomit and use laxatives or diuretics, regardless of weight, usually have
- health problems
- and endocrine abnormalities result from malnutrition/starvation
Related to Anorexia
- see amenorrhea, osteoporosis, hypometabolic symptoms (cold intolerance, bradycardia)
- may cause hypotension, constipation, acid-base, fluid-electrolyte disturbances,
- e.g., pedal edema
Related to Bulimia
•Potassium depletion and hypokalemia from vomiting,
- laxative or diuretic abuse
•Symptoms of potassium depletion: muscle weakness,
- cardiac arrhythmias, conduction abnormalities, hypotension
•Gastric, esophageal, bowel abnormalities common in
- patients with bulimia
•May erode dental enamel, cause enlarged parotid glands
Related to Binge Eating
- weight: serious health problems
- weight: exacerbate health problems
- problems common
- weight: hypertension, cardiac problems, sleep apnea, difficulties with
- mobility, diabetes mellitus
Co-morbid Mental Illnesses
- or dysthymia in 50%-75% of people
- with anorexia and bulimia
- disorder in up to 25% of patients with anorexia nervosa
- with bulimia have increased rates of anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress
- disorder, substance abuse, mood disorders
•Psychological: rigidity, perfectionism •Environmental: illnesses, sexual abuse, drug abuse,
- media influences
•Familial: increased risk in female relatives


Identification. The name "Vanuatu" is an important aspect of national identity. Leaders of the Vanua'aku Party, which led the first independent government, invented the term in 1980 to replace the colonial name New Hebrides. Vanua means "land" in many of Vanuatu's one hundred five languages, and translations of the new name include "Our Land" and "Abiding Land." Culturally, Vanuatu is complex. Some of the people follow matrilineal descent rules, while others follow patrilineal rules. Leadership on some islands depends on advancement within men's societies, and in others it depends on possession of chiefly titles or personal ability. Although most people depend on subsistence farming and fishing, the economy of the seaboard differs from that of interior mountain plateaus.
Political leaders have consciously cultivated national culture to foster a national identity, including political slogans such as "Unity in Diversity." Many rural people, however, are attached primarily to their home islands, while educated urbanites, refer to supranational identities such as Melanesian.
Location and Geography. Vanuatu is a Y-shaped tropical archipelago of over eighty islands, sixty-five of which are inhabited. The Solomon Islands lie to the north, New Caledonia to the south, Fiji to the east, and the Coral Sea and Australia to the west. The mostly volcanic archipelago extends 560 miles (900 kilometers) from north to south and has an area of 5,700 square miles (14,760 square kilometers). Espiritu Santo is the largest island. Port Vila, the capital, which was also the colonial headquarters, is on the south-central island of Efate.
Demography. The 1997 population of 185,000 is 94 percent Melanesian, 4 percent European (mostly French), and 4 percent other (Vietnamese, Chinese, and other Pacific Islander).
Linguistic Affiliation. Bislama, the nation's pidgin English which emerged in the nineteenth century, is essential for public discourse. Many aspects of the national culture are phrased in Bislama, which has become an important marker of national identity. Alongside Bislama, English and French are recognized as "official languages." These languages overlie one hundred five indigenous Austronesian languages, three of which are Polynesian in origin. There are strong links between local language, place, and identity, but many people are multilingual. Most children pursue elementary schooling in English or French, although few residents are fluent in either language. Most national discourse takes place in Bislama, which is becoming creolized.
Symbolism. The politicians who forged independence emphasized shared culture ( kastom ) and shared Christianity to create a national identity and iconography. The national motto is Long God Yumi Stanap ("In (or with) God We Stand/Develop"). Leaders of the Vanua'aku Party, which governed during the nation's first eleven years, came mostly from the central and northern areas. Objects selected to represent the nation come principally from those regions, including circle pig tusks, palm leaves, and carved slit gongs. The name of the national currency, the vatu ("stone") derives from central northern languages, as does the name "Vanuatu." After independence, holidays were established to celebrate the nation and promote national identity and unity.
Emergence of the Nation. The New Hebrides was a unique "condominium" colony ruled jointly by Great Britain and France after 1906. Although they instituted a joint court and a few other combined services, each ran separate and parallel administrative
The main parties in favor of independence in the 1970s were British-supported and Anglophone, drawing on English and Protestant roots more than on French and Roman Catholic. Still, all the citizens distinguish themselves from European colonialists as they assume their national identity. Since independence, the French have provided aid in periods when the country has been ruled by Francophone political parties. Australia and New Zealand have largely replaced British assistance and influence.
Ethnic Relations. A relatively small population of Vietnamese (which the French recruited as plantation workers beginning in the 1920s) and overseas Chinese control a significant proportion of the economies of Port Vila and Luganville. These wealthy families are linked by kinship, economic, and other relations with the majority Melanesian population.
Vanuatu is still a rural country. Most ni-Vanuatu live on their home islands, although the population of the two towns has increased significantly since independence. Town layout and architecture reflect French and British sensibilities. A huge American military base that grew up around Luganville during the World War II still displays that heritage. Rural architecture remains largely traditional. Local notions of gender and rank influence village layout. Women's mobility is more restricted than that of men, and in many churches, men and women sit on opposite sides of a central aisle. People use "bush" materials in the construction of housing, although they also use cement brick and aluminum sheet roofing. Houses have one or two rooms for sleeping and storage. Cooking is done in fireplaces or lean-to kitchens outdoors.
After independence, the government erected several public buildings, including a national museum, the House of Parliament, and the House of Custom Chiefs. These buildings incorporate slit gongs and other architectural details that display the cultural heritage. The latter two also model the traditional nakamal (men's house or meeting ground), a ritual space where public discussion and decision making take place. In many cultures, men and occasionally women retire each evening to the nakamal to prepare and drink kava, an infusion of the pepper plant. Scores of urban kava bars have opened in Port Vila, Luganville, and government centers around the islands. Employed urbanites gather there at the end of the day, just as their rural kin congregate at nakamal on their home islands.
Food in Daily Life. Ni-Vanuatu combine traditional south Pacific cuisine with introduced elements. Before contact with the West, staple foods included yam, taro, banana, coconut, sugarcane, tropical nuts, greens, pigs, fowl, and seafood. After contact, other tropical crops (manioc, plantain, sweet potato, papaya, mango) and temperate crops (cabbage, beans, corn, peppers, carrots, pumpkin) were added to the diet. Rural people typically produce most of what they eat, supplementing this with luxury foods (rice and tinned fish) purchased in stores. The urban diet relies on rice, bread, and tinned fish supplemented with rural products. Port Vila, and Luganville have restaurants that serve mostly the foreign and tourist communities.
Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Ceremonies typically involve an exchange of food, such as the traditional taro and yam, kava, fowl, pigs, and chicken, along with a feast. Pigs are exchanged and eaten at all important ritual occasions. The national ceremonial dish is laplap , pudding made of grated root crops or plantain mixed with coconut milk and sometimes greens and meat, wrapped in leaves, and baked for hours in a traditional earth oven. In rural areas, during the week many people rely on simple boiling to cook roots and greens. On weekends, they prepare earth ovens and bake laplap for the evening meal and a Sunday feast. The exchange, preparation, and consumption of kava are integral parts of ceremonial occasions.
Basic Economy. Most ni-Vanuatu are subsistence farmers who do cash cropping on the side. The mode of production is swidden ("slash-and burn") horticulture, with farmers clearing and then burning new forest plots each season. Vanuatu has significant economic difficulties. Transportation costs are high, the economic infrastructure is undeveloped, and cyclone damage is common. Major export crops include copra, beef, tropical woods, squash, and cacao. Vanuatu is a tax haven that earns income from company registrations and fees and an offshore shipping registry. Tourism has become a major growth area. The government remains the largest employer of wage labor, and few employment activities exist outside the towns and regional government centers.
Land Tenure and Property. After independence, all alienated plantation land reverted to the customary owners. Only citizens may own land, although they can lease it to foreigners and investors. Generally, land belongs jointly to the members of lineages or other kin groups. Men typically have greater management fights to land than do women, although women may control land, particularly in matrilineal areas.
Commercial Activities, Major Industries, and Trade. Rural families produce cash crops (coconut, cacao, coffee, and foodstuffs) for sale in local markets. The opening of urban kava bars has stimulated an internal market for kava. With the growing tourist industry, there is a small market for traditional handicrafts, including woven baskets and mats, wood cavings, and jewelry. Manufacturing and industry contribute only 5 to 9 percent of the gross domestic product, and this mostly consists of fish, beef, and wood processing for export. The major trade partners are Australia, Japan, France, New Zealand, and New Caledonia
Chiefly status exists in many of the indigenous cultures, though differences between chiefly and commoner lineages are slight. Symbolically, a man and his family's possession of a title is often marked in details of dance costume, adornment, and architecture. Leadership in the north rests largely on a man's success in "graded societies" which able individuals work their way up a ladder of status grades by killing and exchanging circle-tusked pigs. In the central and southern regions, the acquisition of titles also depends on individual effort and ability. Everywhere leadership correlates with ability, gender, and age, with able, older men typically being the most influential members of their villages.
Since rural society is still rooted in subsistence agriculture, economic and political inequalities are muted. However, there is increasing economic stratification between the educated and employed, most of whom live in urban areas, and rural subsistence farmers. The middle-class elite is relatively small, and urbanites remain connected by important kin ties to their villages.
Government. Vanuatu is a republic with a unicameral parliament with fifty seats. An electoral college elects a nonexecutive president every five years. There are six regions whose elected councils share responsibility for local governance with the national government. An elected national council of chiefs, the Malvatumaori, advises the parliament on land tenure and customs.
Leadership and Political Officials. Since independence, elected officials have mostly been educated younger men who were originally pastors and leaders of Christian churches. The elders remain in the islands, serving as village chiefs, though the
Social Problems and Control. The pattern of "circular migration" between rural village and urban center from the colonial era has broken down as more people have become permanent residents of Port Vila and Luganville. Many underemployed people live in periurban settlements, and urban migration has correlated with increasing rates of burglary and other property crimes. Demonstrations associated with political factions occur occasionally. The urban crime rate is very low.
An informal system of "town chiefs" supplements the state police force and judiciary. Leading elders in the towns meet to resolve disputes and punish offenders. Punishment sometimes involves the informal banishment of an accused person back to his or her home island. Unofficial settlement procedures frequently are used to handle disputes in rural areas.
Military Activity. The Vanuatu Mobile Force has been active only occasionally, mostly in international endeavors such as serving as peacekeepers.
State and nongovernmental organizations have focused on developing economic infrastructure and public services. Most villages have no electricity, and many people lack access to piped water despite efforts to expand rural water systems. Several organizations work with rural youth and women. The National Council of Women sponsors programs to improve women's access to the cash economy and reduce domestic violence.
A number of international and nongovernmental organizations are active in Vanuatu. Many international donors are encouraging a comprehensive reform program to make government more efficient and honest and lower deficit spending.
The principal nongovernmental organizations are the Christian churches. Religious affiliation is second in importance only to kinship and neighborhood ties. A few labor unions have attempted to organize urban and rural salaried workers (such as schoolteachers) but have not been effective in industrial action and political campaigning.
Generally, women have less control of land and other property, are less mobile, and have less of a say in marriage. In the northern region, women participate in graded societies that parallel those of men. In matrilineal regions, women have better land and sea rights. Many ni-Vanuatu continue to believe in the deleterious, polluting effects of menstrual blood and other body fluids, and men and women sleep apart during women's menstrual periods, when women often give up cooking. Both men and women farm, although men are responsible for clearing forest and brush for new garden plots. Both men and women fish and reef gather, though only men undertake deep-sea fishing. Although women have excelled in the school system, men continue to monopolize economic and political leadership positions. Few women drive cars, and only a handful have been elected to the parliament and the regional and town councils. Women do much of the work in town and roadside marketplaces.
Marriage. The marriage rate approaches 100 percent. Traditionally, leaders of kin groups arrange the marriages of their children. Marriage is an important event in ongoing exchange relations between kin groups and neighborhoods and typically involves the exchange of goods. Some educated urban residents have adopted Western notions of romantic love and arrange their own marriages with or without family approval. Marriage rules identify certain kin groups as the source of appropriate spouses. In the southern region, marriage is patterned as "sister exchange," in which a man who marries a woman from another family owes a woman in return. In some cases, this woman is an actual sister who marries one of her brother's new wife's brothers; in other cases, the woman is a classificatory sister or even a future daughter. In other areas, notable amounts of goods (bride wealth) change hands, including money, pigs, kava, mats, food, and cotton cloth. Traditionally, powerful leading men might marry polygynously, although after missionization, monogamy became the norm. There are three types of marriages: religious, civil, and "customary." Divorce rates are very low.
Domestic Unit. The nuclear family is the principal domestic unit, forming the basic household and being responsible for day-to-day economic production and consumption. Households, however, continue to rely on extended kin groups in significant
Inheritance. Except in urban areas, where inheritance is modeled on European precedent, people follow local customs. Land rights pass patrilineally or matrilineally to surviving members of kin groups. In some areas, people destroy much of dead person's goods. Surviving spouses and children inherit what is left.
Kin Groups. Families are organized into larger patrilineages or matrilineages, patricians or matriclans, and moieties. Lineages tend to be localized in one or two villages, as kin live together on or near lineage land. The membership of larger clans is dispersed across a region or island.
Infant Care. Babies often nurse until they are three years old. Both parents are involved in child care, but siblings, especially older sisters, do much of the carrying, feeding, and amusing of infants. Babies are held by caregivers almost constantly until they can walk. Physical punishment of children is not common. Younger children may strike their older siblings, while older siblings are restrained from hitting back.
Child Rearing and Education. Many communities and ensure the growth of children through ritual initiation ceremonies that involve the exchange of pigs, mats, kava, and other goods between a child's father's and mother's families. Boys age six to twelve typically undergo circumcision as part of a ritual event.
Most children receive several years of primary education in English or French. Many walk to the nearest school or board there during the week. Less than 10 percent of children go on to attend one of the twenty-seven secondary schools.
Higher Education. Tertiary education includes a teachers' training college, an agricultural school, several church seminaries, and a branch of the University of the South Pacific in Port Vila. A few students pursue university education abroad. The adult literacy rate has been estimated at 55 to 70 percent.
Customary relationships are lubricated by the exchange of goods, and visitors often receive food and other gifts that should be reciprocated. Lines in rural stores are often amorphous, but clerks commonly serve overseas visitors first. People passing on the trails or streets commonly greet one another, and the handshake is an important aspect of initial encounters. A woman traveling alone through the countryside may receive unwelcome attention from men.
Religious Beliefs. Most families have been Christian since the late nineteenth century. The largest denominations are Presbyterian, Anglican, Roman Catholic, Seventh-Day Adventist, and Church of Christ. Baha'i and Mormon missionaries have attracted local followings. Some people reject Christianity and retain traditional religious practices. Others belong to syncretic religious organizations that mix Christianity and local belief. Nearly everyone maintains firm beliefs in the power and presence of ancestral spirits.
Religious Practitioners. Christian priests, ministers, pastors, and deacons lead weekly services and conduct marriages and funerals. A number of people are recognized as clairvoyants and diviners, working sometimes within and sometimes outside the Christian churches. These people, who are often women, divine the causes of disease and other misfortunes, locate lost objects, and sometimes undertake antisorcery campaigns to uncover poesen (sorcery paraphernalia) hidden in a village. Other people specialize in rain, wind, earthquake, tidal wave, and other sorts of magical practice. Many ni-Vanuatu also suspect the existence of sorcerers.
Rituals and Holy Places. Ni-Vanuatu celebrate the Christian calendar, particularly the Christmas and New Year's season, which they call Bonane .At the year's end, urbanites return to their home islands. In villages, people form choruses and visit neighboring hamlets to perform religious and secular songs.
Ni-Vanuatu continue to celebrate traditional holidays. In many places, islanders organize first-fruit celebrations, particularly for the annual yam crop. The most spectacular celebration is the "land jump" on southern Pentecost Island. Tourists sometimes attend other traditional rites, such the dancing and feasting that accompany male initiation and grade-taking ceremonies in many of the cultures and the Toka (or Nakwiari ), a large-scale exchange of pigs and kava celebrated with two days of dancing.
Every community recognizes important places associated with ancestral and other spirits. These "taboo places" may be mountain peaks, offshore reef formations, or rocky outcroppings. People avoid these locations or treat them with respect.
Death and the Afterlife. Nearly all families turn to Christian funerary ritual to bury their dead. Ancestral ghosts continue to haunt their descendants. Many people experience their spiritual presence and receive their advice in dreams.
The national health service emerged from the separate French and British colonial systems. Most sick people turn initially to local diviners and healers
In addition to Independence Day (30 July), Constitution Day (5 October), and Unity Day (29 November), the government has established Family Day (26 December) and Custom Chiefs Day (5 March). Organized and impromptu sports matches are popular, as are money-raising carnivals, agricultural fairs, and arts festivals.
Literature. Although nineteenth-century missionaries created orthographies and dictionaries for some of the languages, indigenous literature is mostly oral. Ni-Vanuatu appreciate oratory and storytelling and have large archives of oral tales, myths, and legends. Since independence, an orthography committee has attempted to standardize Bislama spelling. Publications mostly consist of biblical material and newspapers, newsletters, and pamphlets. Writers working in English or French have published poems and short stories, particularly at the University of the South Pacific.
Graphic Arts. The tourist industry supports an active cottage handicraft and carving industry, including woven baskets and dyed mats, bark skirts, penis wrappers, miniature slit-gongs and other carvings, shell jewelry, bamboo flutes and panpipes. A few art galleries in Port Vila sell the work of local artists.
Performance Arts. The string band is the preeminent musical genre. Hundreds of bands perform at village dances and weddings, and their music has been important in the emergence of a national culture. Young musicians sing of local and national issues in local languages and Bislama. Popularized on cassette tapes or broadcast on the two radio stations, some of those songs have become national standards. Many bands travel to Port Vila in June to compete in an annual competition. Small community theater organizations whose dramas often address national issues perform in Port Vila, and occasionally tour the hinterlands.
Several international research associations, such as France's ORSTOM, have studied agriculture, volcanism, geology, geography, and marine biology in Vanuatu. A local amateur society, the Vanuatu Natural Science Society, emphasizes ornithology. The University of the South Pacific Centre in Port Vila houses that university's Pacific languages unit and law school. The Vanuatu Cultural Center supports a succesful local fieldwork program in which men and women are trained to study and document anthropological and linguistic information.
Allen, Michael, ed. Vanuatu: Politics, Economics and Ritual in Island Melanesia , 1981.
Bonnemaison, Joël. The Tree and the Canoe: History and Ethnography of Tanna , 1994.
——, Kirk Huffman, Christian Kaufmann, and Darrell Tryon, eds. Arts of Vanuatu , 1996.
Coiffier, Christine. Traditional Architecture in Vanuatu , 1988.
Crowley, Terry. Beach-La-Mar to Bislama: The Emergence of a National Language in Vanuatu , 1991.
Foster, Robert J., ed. Nation Making: Emergent Identities in Postcolonial Melanesia , 1995.
Haberkorn, Gerald. Port Vila: Transit Station or Final Stop? , 1989.
Jolly, Margaret. Women of the Place: Kastom, Colonialism and Gender in Vanuatu , 1994.
Lindstrom, Lamont. Knowledge and Power in a South Pacific Society , 1990.
Lini, Walter. Beyond Pandemonium: From the New Hebrides to Vanuatu , 1980.
McClancy, Jeremy. To Kill a Bird with Two Stones: A Short History of Vanuatu , 1980.
Miles, William F. S. Bridging Mental Boundaries in a Postcolonial Microcosm: Identity and Development in Vanuatu , 1998.
Rodman, Margaret C. Masters of Tradition: Consequences of Customary Land Tenure in Longana, Vanuatu , 1987.
Van Trease, Howard, ed. Melanesian Politics: Stael Blong Vanuatu , 1995.
Weightman, Barry. Agriculture in Vanuatu: A Historical Review , 1989.
—L AMONT L INDSTROM


Hamlet is a play of sad misfortune and determination that is all caused by the affects of revenge. Revenge like sin is a malfunction of the mind that grows like an uncontrolled cancer and once it has consumed the mind there is little one can do to focus its aim. Hamlet encapsulates all of humanity in this single feeling of revenge. Through his character the reader is allowed to explore the dangers of revenge and why one should avoid it. Revenge has consequences and in addition the reader is also able to embrace this vice by entering Shakespeare’s world without feeling the actual repercussions. Hamlet is a model that reinforces what the Bible teaches about when revenge is taken in the hands of sinful human beings. Hamlet is so intimately connected with posterity that one can see that revenge left uncontrolled can lead to madness, uncertainty followed by inaction and finally the destruction of the self.
Hamlet’s conflict begins in Act II when he meets the ghost of Denmark, who is in the appearance of his father. Horatio, Bernardo, and Marcellus saw this ghost in the beginning of Act I. They tell Hamlet that they believe it was his father. Hamlet is a little unsettled yet he is interested in meeting this ghost. Consequently, Hamlet desires to know and decides to meet up with his three friends that night to see if the ghost is really his father. When night come almost suddenly the ghost does reappear and it demands Hamlets private attention. The ghost entices Hamlet by waving him three times to follow him. His friends attempt to not let him go but the ghost is successful by isolating Hamlet. This shows metaphorically that Hamlet would choose to reason with the dead rather then the living. During their encounter, Hamlet and his father begin discoursing. His father reveals to Hamlet the actual events that resulted in his death. He further discloses to Hamlet who killed him and to Hamlets surprise, the ghost tells him that it is his Uncle. His uncle apparently snook into the garden where Hamlet’s father was asleep and then poured poison in his ear. His father who is apparently upset, although he is dead, he wants to get even and tells Hamlet to avenge his death. The scene ends with some uncertainty on Hamlet’s part but when the next scene begins it is obvious that Hamlet starts to search out for the truth. Though there is little to no good reason for Hamlet to do this. Arguably speaking it is a way for Hamlet to get closure on his fathers death. He is terribly distressed that he has died, he is upset that his mother married his uncle, thus affecting his right to the throne, and Hamlet does not know what to do. He stated himself upon seeing the ghost, “let me not burst in ignorance” and yet, he decides against his wisdom for his hunger of adventure, a sense of duty, and primarily revenge to listen to the ghost. It is as if now the ghost has entwined its spirit to Hamlet. He becomes the metaphorical puppet that the ghost can control to finally accomplish the desire of his dead father.
Evidence from a biblical perspective reveals other reasons why Hamlet should not have listened to this ghost. Four reasons that indicate that this was not a spirit from God but a demon. The first reason is that the ghost tells Hamlet to avenge his death. God never tells an individual to seek out vengeance. Matthew 5:39 states, “But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” In Deuteronomy 32:35 and many others references it reads that God is the one who takes vengeance. Secondly, a divine spirit from God will not seek ways to fascinate one in a world that does not exist. Ephesians 2:2 states that Satan is, “the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience.” If one relinquishes themselves to the temptations of Satan then it is within his power to do to that person what he wills. It is his intention to isolate people and place them in a fantasy world where rationality, the law, and gravity do not exist. Thus, he successfully removes one from reality, the actual world that God has created for man to have dominion over and work in, to a world that has no God and no existence. An imaginative world that has no God to keep one morally accountable can cause devastating results. This is the world that Hamlet has now entered. The third reason is that the ghost tells Hamlet himself that, “My hour is almost come, / When I to sulf’rous and tormenting flames / Must render up myself. The Bible portrays hell as a place of pain and torment (Rev. 14:10). Another reason is that Hamlet himself concludes that the ghost was a demon!
I know my course. The spirit that I have seen / May be a devil, and the devil hath power/ T’assume a pleasing shape, yea, and perhaps / Out of my weakness and my melancholy, / As he is very potent with such spirits, /Abuses me to damn me.
It seems obvious that Hamlet knows with certainty that it is a demon telling him to do this work. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says that, “even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” Hamlet has surrendered himself to the will of Satan. Although the answer from where the ghost actually comes from is never decisively known it seems explicit that the ghost is not good.
The ghost is evil but it also seems to have done little to spur Hamlet’s madness though. The ghost simply gave Hamlet a purpose, a design for his madness to take hold of. Some of Hamlets most horrific lines begin when he is alone contemplating over his father’s death and his mother’s marriage to his uncle. Hamlet reflects on his own life and wishes to commit suicide if God did not prohibit it (1.2.129-35). He is deeply depressed, wishing that his skin would melt off and further states that all the things in this world are to him like nothing and “stale.” It is in this state that the ghost strategically appears to Hamlet. individuals are most vulnerable to mental illnesses. During a time of deep despair the ghost gives Hamlet one last reason to live before he takes his life. Nothing can bring him satisfaction and completion in his life then murderous revenge because he no longer begins to moan over the death of his father. This purpose is enough to distract Hamlets minds from his former misery but what he does not know is that his new aim is only going to lead him into more misery.
The rest of the book unfolds the events on how Hamlet is going to accomplish this purpose. Hamlets inevitable future is foreshadowed by the words of Horatio, “What if it (the ghost) tempt you toward the flood, my lord, Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff . . . Which might deprive your sovereignty of reason / And draw you into madness.”
Another example of Hamlet’s madness is seen when he spontaneously kills Polonius. Hamlet is told to meet up with his mother and he angrily agrees and begins lecturing to his mother about what a terrible person she is. Hamlet does not know whether or not his mother conspired in the death of his father but he assumes the worst. He demands her to look at herself in light of marrying Claudius just months after the death of Hamlets father. She cannot stand the conviction and begins to cry out for help. Polonius, who is hiding behind the curtains begins crying out for help too. Hamlet is surprised, and thinking it was Claudius, he thrust his sword into the curtain killing Polonius. This is strange. Hamlet is certainly willing to take a life and is not afraid to do it even if he is not certain of whom the life it maybe. But what is surprising is that his uncertainty did not cause him to hesitate when he drove his sword into uncertainty. This occurred only moments before Hamlet, who is still uncertain about Claudius, he hesitates to take action while he his praying. Hamlet’s character is certainly a conflicted one that is seeking for something else. Continuing however, back in the same scene with his mother the ghost reappears in Gertrude’s bedroom. The ghost comes to him to tell Hamlet that he has lost focus of his purpose and that he needs to stop procrastinating. Unlike before however, Gertrude cannot see the ghost. Before Horatio, Bernardo, and Marcellus all witnessed the ghost in Act I scene I. The ghost really did appear to these three in the beginning but in Gertrude’s bedroom however, the ghost is just a figment of Hamlets imagination. It is never made explicit if this conclusion is correct because perhaps the former King of Denmark did not want to reveal himself to his wife in the form of a ghost. But, accepting the scene as it is, Gertrude opinion does seem rational, “Alas, he’s mad.”
After this encounter Hamlet has no problem then to drag out Polonius’ body and hid it somewhere in the castle. These are not normal events for one who is mentally sane. Death is not something that Hamlet is afraid of as further indicated by Hamlet’s character development when considering the deaths of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They were indirect targets of Hamlets insanity. Before, when Hamlet was in the room of Claudius he hesitated and decided not to kill him. If there is one person who honestly deserves to die it is Claudius. However, when Hamlet switches the letters that result in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern death he moves with impressive speed and a significant amount of wit. Hamlet is not completely foolish but his mind is obviously divided. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were doing the Kings will, yet despite their manipulation that would have lead Hamlet’s own death they did not deserve to die. Hamlet does not even seem to care that these two innocents died.
Most of what we know about Hamlet is by his words and not his actions. Hamlets revenge has not only driven him to madness but his revenge has also led to a divided mind. His mind is divided. Hamlet contemplates life or death in his famous soliloquy, “To be or not to be (3.1.56).” His division leads to his downfall. In Mark 3:23 it says that, “a house divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” Consequently, Hamlet never is able to decide whether or not he is certain of anything. Hamlets love with Ophelia displays symptoms like bipolar disease. One day he loves her and would give anything for her, and the other day he tells her to join a nunnery and then when she dies, Hamlet appears to be in love with her again. His mind is divided he tells the queen that he has been feigning madness but Hamlet treats Ophelia like she is less then human. No one would risk the possibility of losing the one true lover by mistreating the other person. Hamlet has no leash and is like a wild dog that cannot be controlled. Only one time out of the three encounters Hamlet has with Ophelia he shows his love for her. As a result it can be argued that Hamlet indirectly caused the death of Ophelia. His attitudes were certainly detrimental toward Ophelia and when she contemplated whether it was better to live or die, she chooses to die. This all supports possible neuroses that Hamlet suffered under as well. These mental illnesses unlike psychoses, which last continually, only occur spontaneously. It is, “manifested by disturbances of though, emotion and behavior which is irrational, unrealistic and inappropriate.” Hamlet shows signs of all three of these characteristics.
Other example’s of his madness that is produced by his revenge leading to inaction is the time when he fails to act upon perfect opportunity to complete his purpose. Hamlet, who is uncertain whether the ghost is really telling him the truth decides to put on a play. The play is a reenactment of how Claudius killed Hamlet’s father. When the actor poor’s the poison in the other actors ear Claudius is frightened. He recognizes the scene and thinks that someone may know that he actually was responsible for the death of the former king. He leaves and demands everyone else to leave as well. Hamlet is convinced now but still uncertain whether or not Claudius really killed his father. His revenge has blinded him and he is incapable of judging correctly Claudius’s reasoning. Claudius the King goes into a private room and begins praying seeking a way to find forgiveness and freedom from his guilt. He admits to killing his brother and he is unable to find forgiveness because he does not want to give up his Kingdom and the Queen. Hamlet walks in behind seeking to kill Claudius but decides against to because he does not want Claudius to go to heaven. He concludes that it would not be revenge but a favor, and deliverance, an answer to Claudius’ prayer. Samuel Taylor Coleridge agrees and adds:
The determination to allow the guilty King to escape at such a moment is only part of the indecision and irresoluteness of the hero. Hamlet seizes hold of a pretext for not acting, when he might have acted so instantly and effectually: therefore, he again defers the revenge he was bound to seek, and declares his determination to accomplish it at some time, ‘When he is drunk asleep or in his rage, / Or in Th.’ incestuous pleasures of his bed.’
His opportunity is there however to take the life of Claudius, to satisfy his purpose in this life but he refuses to. His madness has blinded him of his purpose and even though he has better reason now to believe that ghost was actually telling him the truth he chooses act by not acting. The ghost gave him one task and it has lead to inaction. Hamlet has lost the opportunity. It appears though, that his madness desires more then just to see the death of Claudius but for Claudius to suffer in excruciating pain.
Hamlet entertains hundreds of ideas but fails to execute on any of them. What he does successfully is done spontaneously and unplanned. It might be because Hamlet does not actually want to kill king Claudius. The greatest fear in most people are accomplishing what they think is their pinnacle achievement and once it is accomplished they see no meaning in their life. Perhaps, like all those who aspire to achieve their dreams they wish to see it done in the most perfect way and Hamlet cannot decide what way that should be. There are many unexplained interpretations to why he decides not to choose life and pursue the ghost’ commands.
One early example in the 20th century that illustrates Hamlet’s conflict is in the life of Howard Hughes. Howard Hughes was a billionaire who lived life much like a prince. He was a director and had a deep love for aviation. After a terrible plane crash that happened in 1946 he retreated from the world. For some unexplained reason he no longer enjoyed the public life and he locked himself up in a hotel room in Las Vegas and lived in different hotels to avoid paying taxes. While he was there, there was little to no interaction with the outside world. (Howard Hughes: His Life and Madness) He only made contact with his second wife, Jean Peters through phone, which eventually lead to a divorce. He was diagnosed with OCD and as a result of avoiding public appearances his business was indirectly affected. His uncertainty to participate in worldly affairs, due to his OCD, lead to his insignificant death because of his becoming reclusiveness.
Hamlet’s revenge has not only leaded him to madness, uncertainty and inaction but also the destruction of himself. This is most clearly seen by his own death due to the inevitable consequences of revenge. When Hamlet is in the graveyard he begins to speak to the gravediggers and acting irregular around the corpses as the diggers through up the skulls. What normally gives people repulsion he sees fascination. He picks up one of the skulls and begins talking to it. It is as if he is willing to accept the consequences of his sins by looking into the skulls eyes and seeing the vanity of his own life. This behavior is certainly abnormal for a Prince. Presumably, he would have been brought up under the best treatments of being the Son of a King, he may have seen, and he shows a strong connection with death. He is even speaking to the skull, which implies that the body has rotten and already released a fowl odor and he acts completely indifferent to it, as if he was talking to a live human being.
At the end Hamlet chooses to take the challenge against Laertes the son of Polonius. Laertes is also motivated by revenge and wants to avenge his father’s death. Hamlet accepts but even in this decision it indicates that Hamlet has lost sight of his purpose. He is supposed to avenge his father by killing Claudius. Once Laertes strikes Hamlet he discovers it is with a poisoned tipped sword, that lead to Laertes death when Hamlet strikes Laertes. At this point the queen has already drank from the poison in the cup and she dies. Hamlet then understands the cynical plan that Claudius and Laertes had planned to kill him. Thus, Hamlet strikes the king, and makes him drink the poison. When Hamlet dies, Fortinbras who came to visit Claudius assumes control of the Kingdom and everything is lost. Revenge has consequences and it should never be pursued no matter how small it is. Benjamin Franklin’s poem illustrates this well: “For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for the want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the Enemy, all for the want of care about a horse-shoe nail” Hamlet’s father had already died. There was nothing Hamlet could do to bring him back to life. He chooses revenge rather then to morn. His revenge caused him to loose focus of his purpose that directly affected all the people around him. As a result of his revenge losing focus Hamlet loses his life. This was all in want to take justice in his own hands by trying to avenge his father.
Hamlet made his choice to take matters into his own hands. A sinner himself he would not deny but seems to think he can take justice into his own hands. God does not give human beings the power to avenge because of our sinfulness. Sin is a malfunction of the brain and it negatively affects the ability to discern what is true justice. God does however establish human judges in Roman 13. However, God is the ultimate avenger who will determine ones eternity because he is the only morally objective anchor that does not look at mans outside but mans heart (1 Samuel 16:7). The gospel’s never explicitly tell believers why one should not take vengeance in their own hands but it is obvious what the Bible does tell believers to do. For example, believers are to be forgiving (Matt. 18:22) and not let the sun go down on their anger (Eph. 4:26). In James he writes, “for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God (1:20).” The parable of the merciful King teaches individuals that one is “never more like God than when he forgives.” Therefore, the opposite is true, never is one more unlike Christ when we do not forgive. Metaphorically speaking, humanity is swimming in an ocean of God’s grace and forgiveness that is demanded of them to show unto others.
Barlett, Donald L., and James B. Steele. Howard Hughes His Life & Madness. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004.
MacArthur, John. Matthew 16-23. Chicago: Moody Press, 1988.
Milt, Harry. Basic Handbook on Mental Illness. New York: Scientific Aids Publications, 1965.
Penn, Robert, and Benjamin Franklin. The Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin : For Satb Chorus, Unaccompanied. Macomb, Ill.: Roger Dean Pub. Co., 1975.
Robert Ornstein, “From the Moral Vision of Jacobean Tragedy” in The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York, Ny Penguin Group 1998.
Samuel Taylor, Coleridge, “From The Lectures of 1811-1812, Lecture XII,” in The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York, Ny, Penguin Group 1998.
Shakespeare, William, and Sylvan Barent. The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York, Ny: Penguin Group, 1998.
Sylvan Breach, “Introduction,” in The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. ed. Sylvan Barnet New York, Ny, Penguin Group, 1998
Shakespeare, William, and Sylvan Barent. The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York, Ny: Penguin Group. (1.4.46).
I have used the ESV translation throughout this paper, unless otherwise noted.
Lev. 19:18; Duet 32:35; 1 Sam. 26:10, 11; Ps. 94:1; Prov. 20:22; Rom. 12:17; Eph. 4:27; 1 Thess. 4:6; 2 Tim. 4:14
Shakespeare, William, and Sylvan Barent. The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York, Ny: Penguin Group.(1.5.4).
For additional textual reason refer to: Sylvan Breach, “Introduction,” in The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. ed. Sylvan Barnet New York, Ny, Penguin Group, 1998.lxix.
Shakespeare, William, and Sylvan Barent. The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York, Ny: Penguin Group. (1.2.129-35).
Harry Milt, Basic Handbook on Mental Illness (New York: Scientific Aids Publications, 1965), 15.
Samuel Taylor, Coleridge, “From The Lectures of 1811-1812, Lecture XII,” in The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York, Ny, Penguin Group. 175
Shakespeare, William, and Sylvan Barent. The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New York, Ny: Penguin Group. Lxxxi.
Barlett, Donald L., and James B. Steele. Howard Hughes : His Life & Madness. New York: W.W. Norton, 2004. 226-250.
Robert Ornstein, “From the Moral Vision of Jacobean Tragedy” in The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York, Ny Penguin Group. 220
I have personally talked with two gentlemen who are not only ethnically Malagasy but they were born and raised in Madagascar for the most part of their lives. They have told me that in Madagascar they practice a ritual called Famadihana or “turning of the bones.” This ritual occurs every year and they dig up all the remains of their ancestors to rewrap them. This is not a time of morning though. Apparently, they are celebrating and drinking in honor of their ancestors. My friends tell me that the stink is horrendous and they are not allowed to say anything about it because it would be disrespectful.
Robert Penn and Benjamin Franklin, The Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin : For Satb Chorus, Unaccompanied (Macomb, Ill.: Roger Dean Pub. Co., 1975), 86.
John MacArthur, Matthew 16-23 (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988). Ch. 15


Presentation on theme: "Lesson 1. Learning Objective: Investigate the key features of legends. Investigate the popularity of legends."— Presentation transcript:
Lesson 1. Learning Objective: Investigate the key features of legends. Investigate the popularity of legends.
Features of Myths Features of Myths. Can you remember them? Use the picture clues to create a memory list.
Story about Gods/ Goddesses Includes magical elements and powers Features heroic characters Features danger / revenge and violent acts Set in ancient times Uses powerful imagery May include strange creatures. Features of Legends: Story about People Sometimes mention Gods/ Goddesses Possible basis of truth Features heroic characters and brave deeds Battles and fights are likely Distinction made between honour and dishonour (good/ evil) A story or place that has achieved legendary fame.
a. An unverified (not proven) story handed down from earlier times, especially one popularly believed to be historical. b. A body or collection of such stories. c. One that inspires legends or achieves legendary fame. Legends are stories about people who may have once lived, but who have, over the years, grown larger than life! Through the ages the stories that have been woven around those heroes have glorified them and their deeds to such an extent that they now seem almost like gods.
At the end of the 5th century, Britain came under the leadership of a man named Arthur. He was a real man but very little is known about him. There are lots of legends told about Arthur and his followers, known as the 'Knights of the Round Table'. Unfortunately, most of these are just made up stories. He may have been a brilliant commander in charge of the British army, or a High-King. Historians argue a lot about whether Arthur really existed. Most historians think that Arthur did exist because he is referred to in books written not long after his death. This is supposed to have been in the early 6th century. King Arthur in a tapestry dated about 1385:
King Arthur has been written about: Gildas - 570 AD The Venerable Bede - 731 AD Nennius - 800 AD Geoffrey of Monmouth - 1130 AD Chretien de Troyes - 1185 AD Gerald of Wales - 1145 AD Sir Thomas Malory 1416 John Leland 1545 Alfred, Lord Tennyson 1892 T.H.White 1958 King Arthur has been painted:
1953 1981 2004 Disney 1963 http://www.y outube.com/ watch?v=1zj_ 8h22Fv4 http://www.y outube.com/ watch?v=1zj_ 8h22Fv4 BBC 2008- 2012 http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=RaBm WqQkKYE http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=RaBm WqQkKYE from 1 minute in.
When King Pellinore arrives for Kay’s knighting, he brings important news: King Uther Pendragon has died without an heir. A sword, which has been stuck all the way through an iron anvil and into a stone underneath it, has appeared in front of a church in London. On the sword are inscribed the words, “Whoso Pulleth Out This Sword of this Stone and Anvil, is Rightwise King Born of All England.” A tournament has been proclaimed for New Year’s Day so that men from all over England can come to try to pull out the sword. Kay convinces Sir Ector, Sir Grummore, and Sir Pellinore that they should go to the tournament. The Sword in the Stone
On the day of the tournament, Kay is so excited that he makes the group get up early and go to the jousting area an hour before the jousts begin. When he arrives, Kay realizes that he has left his sword at the inn, so he haughtily sends the Wart to go back and get it. The inn is closed, however, when the Wart (Arthur) gets there. In front of a nearby church, he sees a sword stuck in a stone. He makes two unsuccessful attempts to pull out the sword. There is a sudden stirring in the churchyard, and the Wart sees a congregation of his old animal friends. With their encouragement, the Wart pulls the sword from the stone with ease. The Wart brings the sword back to Kay.
Kay recognizes it as the sword that will determine the next king of England and falsely claims that he was the one who pulled it out of the stone. When Sir Ector presses Kay, however, Kay admits that the Wart pulled it out. To the Wart’s horror, his beloved foster father and brother both kneel before him, and he tearfully wishes he had never found the sword. The Wart is accepted as king after repeatedly putting the sword into the anvil and drawing it back out again. He receives gifts from all over England. One day, Merlyn appears magically before him. He tells the Wart that the Wart’s father was Uther Pendragon and that Merlyn was the one who first brought the Wart to Sir Ector’s castle as an infant. Merlyn tells the Wart that from now on he will be known as King Arthur.
Lesson 2 Learning Objective: Compare features of myths and legends. Consider what you know, and would like to know about the legend of Robin Hood Consider what you know, and would like to know about the legend of Robin Hood. Game: Myth or Legend? Write whether you think the story is a myth or a legend.
Theseus and the Minotaur: Myth because... Features a heroic character (Theseus) Features violent acts Set in ancient times Mentions a strange creature Story about a God (Theseus is a half- God).
Pandora’s Box: Myth because... Story includes Gods (Zeus and his two sons) Includes magical elements and powers Explains an important happening in nature Set in ancient times.
The Lost City of Atlantis: Legend because... Possible basis of truth Mention of Gods- Poseidon Story about people (the Atlanteans) A story/ place that has achieved legendary fame.
Robin Hood: Legend because... Story about people Possible basis of truth Features heroic characters Fights likely Distinction between honour and dishonour (good and evil) A story that has achieved legendary fame
The Legend of Robin Hood The legend of Robin Hood is over 600 years old. In 1377, William Langland makes a throwaway reference to the "rymes of Robyn hood". In 1427, there's a reference to pay 20d (pence) to actors in a Robin Hood play. By 1600, there are more than 130 references to performances of the Robin Hood legend. By 1600, there are over two hundred references to Robin Hood. Officials called real outlaws "Robin Hoods". Was Robin Hood a real person? For centuries people have asked that. Robin of Loxley, and the Earl of Huntingdon are just two examples of real people and outlaws that may have inspired or been inspired by Robin Hood and the Merry Men.
Sherwood Forest and Nottingham Castle. Disney http://www.you tube.com/watch ?v=Cx_4C1cyUZ A http://www.you tube.com/watch ?v=Cx_4C1cyUZ A http://www.you tube.com/watch ?v=Cx_4C1cyUZ A BBC http://www.yo utube.com/wat ch?v=zau3kdi We6Q http://www.yo utube.com/wat ch?v=zau3kdi We6Q http://www.yo utube.com/wat ch?v=zau3kdi We6Q
I know about Robin Hood... I want to know about Robin Hood... I have learned about Robin Hood...
Lesson 3 Learning Objective: To identify where tension is built in the text and the impact on the reader How do I feel? During each of this video clip, write down how you feel. It may be: happy, worried, scared, excited, tense etc... Disney Robin Hood Video 9: http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=XSXM3Zg0eBo &list=PLAF99F7EC51A88 F09 http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=XSXM3Zg0eBo &list=PLAF99F7EC51A88 F09 http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=XSgUffCZZD0 http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=XSgUffCZZD0
Two men crept ever closer. Clouds shifted. Moonlight seeped into the dark night. The figures paused. “How on earth…?” Will Scarlett’s whisper was swallowed by the blackness as the battlements of Nottingham Castle were revealed. “We’ll never get in there, Robin.” No reply came so Will turned. He could see Robin’s furrowed brow as his eyes scanned the castle defences. It was six hours since Maid Marian had disappeared. Their clothes still reeked from the smoke of the hamlet the Sheriff’s men had torched and where Marion had been giving food to the poor.
Robin’s face, taut with anger and determination, was reply enough. To their right was the drawbridge that led to the gatehouse. The sharpened teeth of the portcullis warned against entering the very mouth of the castle. The outer curtain walls reared above them, arrow slits within the crenulated stone. Chain mail rattled as they walked the battlements, their shadows gliding across the keep behind them. Portcullis Heavy grill door to protect caste entrances Crenulated: indented square notch battlements.
With that Robin stepped out onto the highway. He hoisted his heavy sack onto his broad shoulders, nestling next to his bow and quiver. The smell of stale ale spread from Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem together with the sound of the last singing drunk. Robin ducked swiftly though the inn’s courtyard and to the stables behind. Will strode after him, shaking his head. Wherever he was going, he was sure to be going in to trouble. Will saw Robin flitting to the back of the stables, where an outcrop of rock jutted out below the castle. As he came up closer to him he stepped behind a huge tree trunk and began feeling along the sandstone wall. “Help me, Will.” “What am I looking for?”
“ There should be an outline of a King’s crown chiselled into the rock. King Edward used it to get into the castle to murder Mortimer, long ago. They never knew how he got in.” “So how did you know…?” “My father served King Edward, the hole that is behind here leads right up into the castle, he was with him the night Mortimer was killed.” Will’s fingers slid across the rock, rough to the touch and cold as bone. Indentations caused him to stop and feel closer but then he would move on, exploring, exploring, exploring. He moved Robin’s sack to one side and felt along the ground.
“It’s not on the wall at all but here, Robin, on the floor.” He placed Robin’s palm onto a carved crown. As soon as Robin felt it he stood up and kicked hard. Once. Silence. More silence. Will dared not breathe. Glancing down he saw that inside the crown was a heavy, iron ring. They both grasped it and heaved. The earth beneath them moved aside and revealed a gaping hole, Mortimer’s hole. We’ve no light, thought Will. No shields, no hauberks … no idea where we are going to come out…but then neither have they… The passage led down on sandstone steps but quickly it begin to rise up, winding their path into the castle. Robin and Will slipped stealthily into the heart of danger. At last their way was blocked by an iron gate that rose above them. "See that, Will. The light?” Will nodded.
“That shines down onto the dungeon where I reckon they’ll have Marion. Some fool seems to have left the gate ajar. Come on.” Crouching as they eased their way up the steps, they prepared every muscle to spring should there be a trap. Robin glanced through the gaps, his eyes slowly finding the iron grille that covered the dungeon hole.
They slid through the open gate and peered down into the dungeon. Eyes adjusted to the dark, cavernous pit. “There!” Will could see the cloak of a woman huddled and curled around her knees but with eyes of fire. Clink! Robin reeled around in time to evade a towering blow from a gleaming sword. “Trapped!” roared a voice that Robin knew only too well, “like rats at the cheese…”
Now that we have decided on the main sections of our story, think about how dramatic they are and plot an X on your graph ( = a high, dramatic point, with lots of action, and = a low, calm point in the story. This might be when there is lots of description, instead of action.) Then join up your points so that we see how the story develops for readers. Robin Hood Trapped! Visualising the story through a heart rate graph. Name: Heart rate of the reader (beats per minute) Main sections of the story 60 bpm 150 bpm
Main sections: 1.Will Scarlett and Robin Hood creeping up to the castle. 2.The men talk of Mortimer. Robin steps onto the highway and into the courtyard. Reaching the stable walls. 3.Robin says there should be a crown on the wall. Will finds the crown on the floor and Robin Hood kicks it hard. When the men pull on the ring they find a hole. 4.No light or protection in the dungeons. Passage leads down sandstone steps. They find a metal gate ajar. 5.They slide through the open gate and peer down into the dungeons. Cloaked woman? The men are TRAPPED by the Sheriff.
Lesson 4. Learning Objective: To identify suspense techniques in a text. To compose and manipulate complex sentences. To compose and manipulate complex sentences. Suspense techniques: 1. Character’s reactions. 2. Varying sentence lengths for effect. 3. Flashback or detail. 4. Repetition for impact. 5. Powerful similes or metaphors. 6. Something hidden from view. 7. Ellipsis...
Main clause: A clause contains a subject and verb and is independent (can be a sentence in itself) Conjunction: A conjunction links two clauses together. Subordinate clause: A subordinate clause adds further description or information, but does not make sense without the main clause. Robin crept silently up the stairs. becausehe did not want to alert the Sherriff’s men.
Put these clauses and conjunctions in the correct box. Then use them to make complex sentences. Hint: some sentences have 3 or more clauses. Main clause: Conjunction: Subordinate clause: Since Robin had kicked the wall loudly, Will hadn’t dared to breathe, the risk of getting caught was too great. as Maid Marian was hiding in the corner when but she heard a loud knock, and the men guarding her cell went to inform the Sherriff.
Lesson 5. Learning Objective: Explore thoughts, feelings and dialogue of key characters in the story. Game: Complex Sentences. Use the 2 subjects and the conjunction to create the most interesting, bizarre sentence you can.
Hot Seating Questions How did you feel Robin when Marian disappeared? Why did you kidnap Marian? How did you feel Will when you found the iron ring to get into the castle? What were you doing when you were kidnapped Marian? Will, how do you feel now that you are also trapped in the dungeon? Sherriff, what are your plans for Marian, Robin and Will Scarlett now? Robin, how do you plan to escape? These are a few examples, try and be as creative as you can!
Lesson 6 Learning Objective: To write a stream of consciousness in the role of a chosen character at a key point in the narrative. Stream of consciousness examples: Beauty and the Beast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwZEcdBMLLU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwZEcdBMLLU Robin Williams discovers Flubber http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJT2QOpnYb8http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJT2QOpnYb8 stop at 2.30ish. Good example of thinking out loud- not logical. But he is kind of talking to Flubber?
Lesson 7 Learning Objective: To show an understanding of chosen character through role play monologues. To suggest ways of improving writing.
Lesson 8 Learning Objective: Explore and practise auditory storytelling techniques Begin to explore the importance of the storyteller/ narrator. Can you pick out the features of legends from the list below? Story about Gods/ Goddesses Features heroic characters and brave deeds Includes magical elements and powers Features heroic characters Features danger / revenge and violent acts Set in ancient times Story about People Sometimes mention Gods/ Goddesses Distinction made between honour and dishonour (good/ evil) Uses powerful imagery May include strange creatures. A story or place that has achieved legendary fame. It has a MORAL – the lesson to be learned. Possible basis of truth Battles and fights are likely Animals as characters
Gather friends for I have a story to tell you. A story of good and a story of evil, a story of the brave and a story of the wicked. A story that begins many many moons ago when knights ruled the land and the castles ruled the very air that people breathed. It begins below one such castle owned by an evil sheriff, the sheriff of Nottingham, a man with a heart of stone and a temper as fierce as fire. The night, dark as it was, was lit by a moon and there below the towering battlements, two men stood wondering how they were going to breech the defences of one of the most feared places in Britain.
Why did they want to place themselves in such danger? What reason would you have to risk certain death if caught? Come closer my friends and I will bring you closer to a village not far from Nottingham. A village where a woman lived. Maid Marian. A beautiful village that stands no more, and a beautiful woman who was now locked in the darkest dungeon by the darkest villain in christendom. The sheriff had captured her. The greatest treasure of his enemy Robin Hood and it was Robin who was waiting beneath the castle walls with his friend Will Scarlett. If I described to you the defences would you dare to enter, rampart so high no man could go over, buttresses so strong no man could go through, arrow slits murder holes such as no attacker could survive unless of course you knew a secret, which Robin did. As a mist swirled Will and Robin passed below the old Trip to Jerusalem, the oldest in England and a place where many of you have spend a drunken night I’ll bet.
Anyway at its back behind the stables Robin led Will to an outcrop of rock. There he began a determined search while Will worried and kept watch. Fingers scrabbled rock on rock, stone on stone searching for the mark of a crown, King Edwards crown. ‘Here,’ whispered Will. Robin struck it and a large iron ring shone through together they heaved and pulled, gasping with the effort until at last there below them, forbidding and dark lay hole, Mortimer’s hole. But the story of Mortimer’s hole is for another time, another feast. It led through winding passages deep into the heart of the castle keep. Finally their way was blocked by a gate which, intriguingly, had been left open. Was this a trap? Would something or somebody… Battle-ready they spied through the gate to see and there below them the grill dropped in the dungeon dark. Listening, no sound, searching, a blue cloak, a huddled figure with fiery eyes of defiance and it was then in the moment that they almost tasted the victory of treasure found, that the clink of the sheriff’s sword told them otherwise. He was behind them.
The Storyteller Aladdin storyteller: http://www.you tube.com/watch ?v=VkiITQnrAY Mhttp://www.you tube.com/watch ?v=VkiITQnrAY M from 1.30 http://www.you tube.com/watch ?v=VkiITQnrAY M Roald Dahl: Matilda http://www.youtu be.com/watch?v= REkalwqS3a8 http://www.youtu be.com/watch?v= REkalwqS3a8 until 2.20 http://www.youtu be.com/watch?v= REkalwqS3a8 It is bad enough when parents treat ordinary children as though they were scabs and bunions, but it becomes somehow a lot worse when the child in question is extra-ordinary, and by that I mean sensitive and brilliant. Matilda was both of these things, but above all she was brilliant. Her mind was so nimble and she was so quick to learn that her ability should have been obvious to the most half- witted of parents. But Mr and Mrs Wormwood were both so gormless and so wrapped up in their own silly little lives that they failed to notice anything unusual about their daughter. To tell the truth, I doubt they would have noticed had she crawled into the house with a broken leg.
Lesson 9 Learning Objective Explore and practise visual storytelling techniques. Continue to explore the importance of the storyteller/ narrator.
Lesson 10 and 11. Learning Objective: Plan oral retelling of the legend of Robin Hood by writing cues. Practise and record telling the story of The Legend of Robin Hood. Game: In the street I saw... Around the class one at a time think of something interesting. Here’s the trick: you need to remember and repeat what has been said beforehand.
Success Criteria Audio Storytelling Techniques Visual Storytelling Techniques. Dramatic pause Character voices Expression Speak loudly or softly Speak quickly or slowly Address the audience Hand gestures Facial expressions to mimic characters Facial expressions to suggest action. Movement: closer or further away from the audience, turn head, stand up.
Lesson 12 Learning Objective: Use form given to self- evaluate your performance against the storytelling techniques (success criteria) given. Evaluate classmates work looking for both positives and improvements Evaluate classmates work looking for both positives and improvements write 2 things you like about it. 2 stars: write 2 things you like about it. write 1 thing you think could improve it. 1 wish: write 1 thing you think could improve it.