Week 18 Language and Race

Week 18 Language and Race

Section 1 Vocabulary activity (at home)

·  Two words in each row are similar. Cross out the odd word.

·  Use a dictionary and thesaurus to help you.

A / B / C
1 / similarity / diversity / differences
2 / canvas / wallpaper / board for painting on
3 / uncommitted / intense / keen
4 / unkind / spiteful / loving
5 / inferior / superior / substandard

Section 2 Reading activity (at home – visit Blackboard to listen)

John Agard came to England from Guyana in 1977. Like many people from the Caribbean, he is mixed race - his mother is Portuguese, but born in Guyana and his father is black. One of the things he enjoys about living in England is the wide range of people he meets: 'The diversity of cultures here is very exciting'.

However, one of the things he doesn't like is the view of racial origins, which is implied in the word 'half-caste', still used by many people to describe people of mixed race. The term now is considered rude and insulting.

The poem

The speaker in the poem ridicules the use of the term 'half-caste' by following the idea through to its logical conclusion:

·  Should Picasso be seen as second-rate because he mixed a variety of colours in his paintings?

·  Should the English weather be scorned because it is full of light and shadow?

·  Should Tchaikovsky's music be seen as inferior because he used both the black notes and the white notes on the piano?

·  Is someone who is called a 'half caste' only half a person?

The poet finally asks the listener to begin to think in a more open-minded way.

317

S. Woulds

Week 18 Language and Race

Excuse me
standing on one leg
I'm half-caste

Explain yourself
what you mean
when you say half-caste

you mean when Picasso
mixed red and green
is a half-caste canvas

explain yourself
what you mean
when you say half-caste

you mean when light and shadow
mix in the sky
is a half-caste weather
well in that case
england weather
nearly always half-caste
in fact some of them clouds
half-caste till them overcast
so spiteful they don’t want the sun to pass
ah rass

explain yourself
what you mean
when you say half-caste

you mean Tchaikovsky
sit down at the piano
and mix a black key
with a white key
is a half-caste symphony

Explain yourself
what you mean

I’m listening to you with the keen
half of my ear

I’m looking at you with the keen
half of my eye
and when I'm introduced to you
I'm sure you'll
understand
why I offer you half-a-hand

and when I sleep at night
I close half-a-eye
consequently when I dream
I dream half-a-dream
and when moon begin to glow
I half-caste human being
cast half-a-shadow

but you must come back tomorrow
with the whole of your eye
and the whole of your ear
and the whole of your mind
and I will tell you
the other half
of my story

This poem has been simplified to make it easier to read. Look at page 332 to see the original poem.

rass - A rude expression.

Picasso - A famous 20th-century Spanish

painter.

Tchaikovsky - A famous 19th-century

Russian composer.

317

S. Woulds

Week 18 Language and Race

Section 3 - Please answer these questions before coming to class .

1.)  Lines 1 to 3 begin with an apology. Why?

2.)  Lines 4 – 6 are challenging and questioning the reader. Why?

3.)  What words and phrases are repeated to make the poem effective?

4.)  Write down the examples used to show that the term half-caste is nonsense

a.  - standing on one leg

b.  –

c.  –

d.  –

e.  –

f.  –

5.)  Does the writer think he is half a person? Lines 41 – 44.

6.)  What does the writer want the reader to do in lines 48 – 54?

7.)  Is the poem funny, serious or both? And why?

8.)  Do you know anyone who is mixed-race? How do you think being mixed-race might be a problem growing up as a child?

9.)  Think of your children marrying someone from another culture or country. They later have a mixed-race child. How does being mixed-race affect a person’s cultural identity?

10.)  What is the overall purpose of the poem?

Section 4 - Computer activity

LEVEL 2 CERTIFICATE/DIPLOMA FOR IT USERS (CLAiT PLUS)

Unit 7: Website Creation

Scenario

You work for English Poetry which specialises in regional poetry. You have been asked to create a website which will be hosted by the company.

All of the text and graphics for each of the pages have been prepared in advance by a designer. You must copy these from the week 18 fiolder.

Note: You will need to download 3 text files (.txt) and 1 image file (.gif/.jpg) and 1 spreadsheet file saved in .csv format and 1 movie file.

You are not required to produce any printouts for this assignment.

Website map

TASK 1

In this task you will download and store all the files for your website.

1 a) In your working area create a folder for your website called

Race(your initials) e.g. RaceSW

b) Within this folder create a sub-folder called images.

All image files for your website must be contained within the

images sub-folder. All other files must be contained within the

website folder, Race(your initials).

2 a) Copy the files from the folder week_18_files

b) Download the following five files and place them in your website

folder Race(your initials).

FILENAME / FILE TYPE
One_18 / .txt
Two_18 / .txt
Three_18 / .txt
Table_18 / .csv
half-caste / .wma

c) Download the file and place them in the images

sub-folder that you created at Step 1b.

FILENAME / FILE TYPE
agardjohn / .jpg

TASK 2

In this task you will create a master page/template that you will use to create your web pages to ensure they have a consistent style.

All links to files and images on the website must be relative, not absolute

1 a) Load software that will enable you to create web pages.

b) Create a new web page.

c) Set the page properties as follows:

title / as specified for each page
background colour / Choose your own colour
text colour / Choose your own colour
link colour / Choose your own colour
visited link colour / Choose your own colour

2 Create the following META tags and insert the information shown:

keywords / Race, John, Agard, half-caste
author / your name and centre number
description / (as specified for each page)

3 You will now create a table to align the contents of your page. A layout guide is shown below:

Jump Menu / Heading area
Body text area
Blank / Your name © 2014

a) Create a table of 2 columns and 3 rows.

b) Set the table properties as follows.

width / 750 pixels
table alignment / centre
border / 2
cell padding / 5
cell spacing / 5

c) Set the cell properties as follows:

Column / Width / Horizontal
alignment / Vertical alignment
1st column / 170 pixels / left / top
2nd column / 550 pixels / left / top

Save your template in your website folder Race(your initials) with the filename RaceMast.

4 Create a jump menu in the 1st column, 1st cell of your table.

Go to Insert, Form Objects, Jump Menu.

Position in jump menu / Text name / Go to URL:
first / Click Me
second / index / index.html
third / information / information.html
fourth / thoughts / thoughts.html
fifth / email / your email address

Click Select First Item After URL Change

6 You will now create a style sheet that must be applied to the appropriate areas

of each web page.

a) Create a style sheet as follows

Name / Font face / Size / Emphasis / Alignment
heading / Choose your own font / 30 pt / strong
(bold) / centre
body / Choose your own font / 16 pt / none / centre

7 The copyright notice needs to be displayed at the bottom of each page

a) In the last (bottom) row of column 2 key in the following text:

Copyright © Your Name 2014

b) Link this text to www.leedscitycollege.ac.uk

c) Format this in the body text style

8 In the 1st column, 2nd cell, insert the image of agardjohn.jpeg as a background image.

9. Change the background colour of column 1 and row 1.

9. Save your page. Close the file.

TASK 3

1 a) Open a copy of RaceMast

b) Save this in your website folder Race(your initials) using filename index.html

c) Title the page: Home

d) In the description META tag enter the following description:

half caste

2 In the Heading area key in the text: half caste

3 a) Insert the text file One_18 and place it in the body text area

following the outline shown below:

b) Insert the video file half-caste at the top of the page.

Go to Insert, Media, Plugin. Browse to find the video.

Resize the Plugin to be 320 wide and 240 high.

4 Save your web page in your folder retaining the filename index.html

TASK 4

In this task you will need to insert several files.

1 a) Open a copy of the master page/template RaceMast

b) Save this in your website folder Race(your initials) using the filename information.html

c) Title the page John Agard

d) In the description META tag enter the following description:

agard poem

2 In the Heading area key in the text:

About the author

3 a) Insert the text file Two_18, the image file agardjohn and the table from

the file Table_18 placing them in the body text area, following the ` outline shown below:

b) Make sure the file Table_18 is displayed in two columns.

c) Ensure that the style sheet has been applied to the appropriate

parts of the text. The body text style should also be applied to

the Table_18 table.

4 Apply the following formatting to the image agardjohn

a) Flip the image horizontally

b) Reduce the resolution

c) Right-align the image

d) Set the image attributes as follows:

width / 150 pixels
height / 180 pixels
alt text / John Agard

5 Save your web page in your website folder Race(your initials)

retaining the filename information.html

TASK 5

1 a) Open a copy of the master page/template RaceMast

b) Save this in your website folder Race(your initials) using the filename thoughts.html

c) Title the page your feedback

d) In the description META tag enter the following description:

tell us what you think

2 In the Heading area key in the text:

Please answer this survey

… TASK 5 CONTINUED

3 You are going to create an interactive form. An outline of the form is below:

a) Insert the text file Three_18 in the body text area, following the outline above.

b) Ensure the style sheet has been applied to the appropriate parts of the text.

… TASK 5 CONTINUED

4 a) Create an interactive form as follows:

start of form / before the text: What do you think?
end of form / after the text: Thank your for completing this form
form method / POST
form action / http://www.esoluk.co.uk/email.php

5 Add form items according to the following table, placing them where shown in the outline on the previous page.

The field settings for check boxes and drop down selection may be

selected or not selected.

Type / Name / Value and Field settings
hidden field / emailto / your email address
hidden field / password / emailthis
hidden field / emailsubject / Your Dialect
single line text field / name / width = 50
Check box / Race / value = regional
Check box / Race / value = none
Check box / Race / value = foreign
Check box / Race / value = London
drop down selection / English / options
Excellent
Very good
Good
Could be better
Need to improve a lot
text area / address / 4 lines of 50 characters, scrolling
single line text field / emailfrom / width = 50
submit button / submit / Label = send
reset button / reset / Label = reset

… TASK 5 CONTINUED

6 Save your web page in your website folder Race(your initials)

retaining the filename thoughts.html

7 Test the interactive form to ensure it correctly sends the information to

the recipient.

8 Change the .css if you want update colours, background colour, text size and style.

9 Save and close your website and exit the software.

10 Load your website in a browser and check that all:

a) pages load correctly

b) links function properly

c) page content and images(s) are displayed

d) links to other pages and images in the website are relative

NOT absolute

e) pages have been formatted accurately

f) pages are free from spelling errors

Save or copy all files to the disk, drive or network location specified by your tutor.