Cultural Superstitions Around the World

1. Taiwan - Moon In Taiwan, children were told not to point their finger at the moon. It is believed that pointing your finger at the moon will make the guardian woman on the moon angry and cut your ears.

2. India - Bird Nest In some countries, many superstitions were associated with pregnancy. One of those superstitions coming from India says, when a bird's nest is found in a house where a pregnant woman lives, one should not remove the bird's nest.

3. Thailand - Black One should avoid wearing black when visiting a patient in the hospital. Black colour is associated with pain and sadness and black clothing usually worn for mourning.

4. China - Ghost In China, it is believed that when a baby cries for no reason or when the is no one in the room, a ghost is believed to be present and the baby saw it.

5. Italy - Child In Italy, one should not walk over a child that is laying on the ground. It is believed that it will bring the child bad luck. Walking over someone who is laying on the floor is like someone walking over their grave.

6. Japan - Funeral Car It is believed that in Japan, when a funeral car passes in front of you, you should hide your thumb. They believe that if thumb, which is called 'parent finger', if they don't hide them, their parents will die soon.

7. Indonesia - Sparrow Some people of Indonesia believe that sparrow brings good luck. If a sparrow enters your house, it is believed that a wedding will occur soon. If a woman sees a sparrow on Valentine's Day, she will live happily marrying a poor man.

8. What is a prologue? When are they used? Can you think of other examples? Analyse this one! Make notes in your study guide?

9. PEE • PEE can be used to structure paragraphs • You should make a point (clear and concise) • You should then find appropriate evidence or an example (short, snappy, effective) • You should then add further explanation (why did the author do it? How does the reader react?) Make a point Steinbeck uses contrasts of light and dark to set the tone throughout the book. Give evidence or an example At the start of each section when Steinbeck describes setting; these contrasts are most relevant. In section 3 Steinbeck uses dark and light to create a suitable scene which foreshadows the action to come: ‘Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunk house, inside it was dusk.’ (p. 43) Give a further explanation The encroaching darkness, just as in a horror movie, creates great tension of the reader as they anticipate future events. In section 3 it is this atmosphere Steinbeck creates that foreshadows the incidents that ultimately result in the breakdown of relationships and the shattering of dreams indicating it is the climax of the book. Make a point Shakespeare uses language to emphasise the theme of honesty in the play. Give evidence or an example The word ‘honesty’ is used frequently in Act 3 Scene 1 in order to create dramatic irony for the audience as the antagonist is consistently referred to as ‘honest Iago’. Give a further explanation Julian Abernethy viewed Shakespeare’s use of the word an irritant yet the word does seem crucial in highlighting Iago’s evil actions and Othello’s lack of knowledge. An audience at the time, looking for entertainment, would have delighted in the irony of its usage in the closing scenes of the play as they awaited the conclusion.

10. Write your own PEE paragraph about the prologue. Write it on a coloured sheet and then stick it to a larger sheet.

11. Alone, analyse up to page 34. After, share ideas with a partner. We will complete the timeline. Hand in your notes.

12. Have you ever had a friend who your parents disapproved of?

13. Dramatic Irony Prologue Antagonist Protagonist

14. Sharing Act 1 Work with others who looked at your section. You have 15 MINUTES to gather a list of the most important things. If you use quotes- write down page numbers. These will then be presented to each other and notes will be taken.

15. Let’s compare the 2 different encounters with the policeman.

17. PEE • PEE can be used to structure paragraphs • You should make a point (clear and concise) • You should then find appropriate evidence or an example (short, snappy, effective) • You should then add further explanation (why did the author do it? How does the reader react?) Make a point Steinbeck uses contrasts of light and dark to set the tone throughout the book. Give evidence or an example At the start of each section when Steinbeck describes setting; these contrasts are most relevant. In section 3 Steinbeck uses dark and light to create a suitable scene which foreshadows the action to come: ‘Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunk house, inside it was dusk.’ (p. 43) Give a further explanation The encroaching darkness, just as in a horror movie, creates great tension of the reader as they anticipate future events. In section 3 it is this atmosphere Steinbeck creates that foreshadows the incidents that ultimately result in the breakdown of relationships and the shattering of dreams indicating it is the climax of the book. Make a point Shakespeare uses language to emphasise the theme of honesty in the play. Give evidence or an example The word ‘honesty’ is used frequently in Act 3 Scene 1 in order to create dramatic irony for the audience as the antagonist is consistently referred to as ‘honest Iago’. Give a further explanation Julian Abernethy viewed Shakespeare’s use of the word an irritant yet the word does seem crucial in highlighting Iago’s evil actions and Othello’s lack of knowledge. An audience at the time, looking for entertainment, would have delighted in the irony of its usage in the closing scenes of the play as they awaited the conclusion.

18. Write your own PEE paragraph about the way the policeman treats the 2 ladies. Make a point Find a quote Explain it and compare with a 2nd point Pick a quote Explain. Mrs J and Mrs L

19. Have they made a clear point? Could it be rephrased? Have they selected an appropriate quote? Could it be worked into their own sentence better? Have they explained the quote further- considering the playwright and the effect on the audience?

20. Think about: Contrasts and similarities. Personality Class Behaviour and actions Words Interactions with other characters TRY to use PEE for all of your points! The class of the two families is evident in the play during the encounter with the policeman. He is polite to Mr Lyons, ‘if y’ don’t mind me sayin,’ but very threatening to Mrs Johnstone, ‘You don’t wanna end up in court again do y’?’ Russell uses these incidents to emphasise the differences in class and create empathy in the audience for Mrs Johnstone. Rich and poor Different accents Education Dress Family background Ambition Dramatic Irony Tension Language used Structure Make your evidence short and snappy! Remember to think about the effect on the audience!

22. What if the twins had never been separated?

23. What if Mickey had been raised by Mrs Lyons?

24. What if Mrs Johnstone had kept her job with the Lyons family?

25. What if Linda had never met the twins?

26. What if Linda had married Edward instead of Mickey?

27. What if Mickey hadn’t lost his job?

28. What if Edward had lost his job?

29. The final resolution

30. There isn’t necessarily a correct answer. Add your plot items to the structure graph. Use the definitions of each part of the structure to work out what you will put where.

32. Think about the relevance of these things in the play:

33. Next week: We will be doing preparation for the Blood Brothers controlled assessment. This is the question: Examine how Russell portrays the characters of Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons in the musical. Look closely at what they say and how they say it and refer closely to the text in your answer.

34. Read through the 3 introductions. Which do you think is the best and why?

35. In Act 1 of the book, ‘Blood Brothers, Russell creates the characters of Mrs Johnstone to be very poor and to have a lot of kids and for Mrs Lyons to be rich. In the musical, there are two main characters who create conflict and tension for the audience. One is Mrs Johnstone, the protagonist and the other is Mrs Lyons, the antagonist. I will look at how these characters are different from each other. This musical is filled with tension, one of the main causes of this is the ongoing conflict between the characters of Mrs Johnstone and Mrs Lyons, they are opposite characters and this essay will explore their differences in class and attitudes but also what similarities connect them, Russell uses language and songs to create a sense of these characters and these devices will also be explored.

36. Order the elements of the two different plans in front of you. Decide which plan you prefer and why.

37. Read the paragraphs underneath the introductions on your sheet. TASK 1: Correct any SPG errors TASK 2: Look at the connections between paragraphs- are these effective or not? TASK 3: How can we integrate quotes?

38. Marley says in his speech ‘life is one big road with lots of signs’. Marley suggests that ‘life is one big road with lots of signs’. This gives hope to an audience who may feel lost in life. Hepburn talks about laughing ‘It’s probably the most important thing in a person’. Hepburn contemplates laughing and considers it the ‘most important thing in a person’. Mrs Lyons doesn’t believe in superstition ‘There’s no such thing as a bogey man. It’s a- a superstition’. This shows that she is different to Mrs Johnstone and doesn’t believe in superstition. Russell shows that Mrs Lyons is the opposite of Mrs Johnstone and dismisses supersitions such as ‘the bogey man’. The audience can see yet another example of the class divides between the women.

39. Mrs Lyons thinks that Mrs Johnstone will follow her forever ‘Wherever I go you’ll be behind me. I know that now…always and forever like, like a shadow’. Mrs Lyons starts getting used to having a child ‘just for a while I came to believe that he was actually mine’. Mickey and Eddie make friends at the start of the play ‘Do you wanna be my blood brother, Eddie?’

40. Make your own PEE paragraphs using these quotes and try to integrate them. See if you can connect your two paragraphs so that if they were in an essay it would be fluent. Mickey: Round here if y’ask for a sweet, y’have to ask about twenty million times. Edward: I thought you didn’t like me. I thought you weren’t very nice. But I think you’re smashing.

41. Look again at the sample essay. Think about: SPG Paragraph links Integration of quotes Inclusion of terminology/ audience/ Russell

42. Write a plan of your own. Get 8 sticky notes and write down the 8 things you’d like to cover in your essay- intro/ 6 points/ conclusion. Place these on your A3 sheet. Near each point you should add quotes and terminology.