Author: Hedi

PR to MND video

I find that the movie A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a decent movie. I enjoyed some parts of the movie but I find that overall it was just alright. There was nothing in the movie that was very exciting in any way. I think that it was just a regular movie. The movie was also very predictable.

An example of this is when Oberon ordered puck to put the love potion on the man from Athens in the woods. And since there was 2 men from Athens in the woods it was pretty obvious that puck was going to put the potion on the wrong man. The movie being predictable made it so that it doesn’t give you any emotions. The emotions that the movie gives you are quite bland. There was no suspense either to make the movie more intriguing. Another thing that the producers could’ve been better on is the scenes of the forest. Every part of the movie that happens in the book are all on the same 2 or 3 stages. The movie could’ve had more diversity if they added more stages. The only part that I found interesting is when the 4 lovers Demetrious, Lysander, Hermia and Helena all woke up in the field. I found this part interesting because we will never really know how they got there so it makes you think a little bit. But other than that part I found the movie very average.

 

IRJE #8

In The Polish Officer by Alan Furst, the first part of the book shows how dangerous and uncertain life was in Europe right before World War II. The main character, Captain Alexander de Milja, works for Polish intelligence, and from the beginning we can see that his job is full of secrets, fear, and hard choices. Furst does not focus on big action scenes. Instead, he builds tension by showing how people feel as war gets closer. Early in the novel, Furst describes the mood in Europe as countries prepare for conflict:

“In the last summer of Europe’s old life, everyone knew something was coming. The newspapers were full of speeches and threats, of armies moving and borders shaking. In cafés, men argued quietly over maps spread on tables, as if by tracing the lines with their fingers they could stop what was already beginning. Beneath their arguments was the same understanding: history had started to move again, and once it began, it would not easily stop.” (Furst 12)

This quotation is important because it explains the feeling of fear and tension that fills the beginning of the book. The line “history had started to move again” shows that the characters feel powerless against the coming war. Even though de Milja is brave and skilled, he cannot control what is happening around him. We see that the novel is not just about spying, but about surviving in a time when the whole world seems ready to change forever.

PW #8

This week I did not have a soccer game. I was quite disappointed because it’s a long weekend and I was looking forward to playing a lot of soccer. Since my team did not have a game this week, instead of a game we just had a normal practice. I still really enjoyed that practice because it was the first practice in while where I wasn’t freezing. Normally, my practices on Tuesdays are from 6:30 to 8 and on Thursdays they are from 7:30 to 9. Every time I go to these practices I get so cold. Every part of my body just freezes. This time, on the weekend our practice was at 12. This practice was still a bit chilly but it was very warm compared to my other practices. I like to have practices when its warm but I don’t like it when its to warm. This is because when its to warm I start to get headaches. I find that playing with a headache is worse than playing when you are very cold. That’s why I love playing when it’s April and may. I find that these months have the perfect weather for soccer. Even at night its still not to cold.

PR to Ballads

I do not really like ballads. I think that ballads are just a more complicated way of writing a poem. When I think of poems, I think of lines that rhyme. I do not worry myself with tetrameters and trimeters. I actually think that tetrameters and trimeters bring repetitiveness to the ballads. It makes the poem less exciting when it’s the same rhythm all the time. Even though I did not really enjoy studying ballads, I did learn some new things about poems. I learned multiple new things about what each part of a poem is called. For example, before this unit I did know that each of the little paragraph of a poem is called a stanza. I also learned what a rhyme scheme is. So there was some positives of this unit for me. In think I would find it more interesting if we learned about songs. I would like to learn about the rhyme schemes of songs. I would also like to learn about the terms of a song. I also think it would more enjoyable to listen to songs rather than ballads. The class could also learn about all genres. In conclusion, I did not really enjoy ballads and I think there are some better alternatives that we could do in class that are similar to ballads.

PW#7

Oliver Salvador Brown. A little short basketball player. He is a blonde 5’4 hooper that lives in Metchosin. He is a great guy but he just never buys me things when we go somewhere. For example, whenever we go to Save on he never gets me candy or chocolate. Thats what I think he should improve on. I think he should start getting me things when I ask of them because it would make me very happy. I think if im happy it would also make him happy. The candy’s I would like him to get me are nerds, sour patch kids and fuzzy peaches. The chocolate I would like to get me are Hershey’s, mars bars, snickers. Other than the chocolate and candy, he is a very good friend. He could also improve his basketball skills because he always gets beat by me. I think getting beat by a soccer player isn’t the greatest look for him. A good thing about him is that he is very healthy. Some people like me might even say he’s to healthy. All he eats is ground beef and fruits and vegetables. Nothing else.

IRJE #6

Glynis Peter’s “The Orphans Secret Library”  is a book about an orphan in WWII. The main character Alice, was in an orphanage for almost all her life until this last year. She had finally figured out who her grandma was and went to live with her. Her grandma loved books and showed Alice her whole collection. Alice fell in love with books. Unfortunately, WWII came around and bombed her grandmas house. Her grandma died but she survived. She brought all the books she could before leaving the house. She walked for days trying to find someone to stay with because she had no idea who any of her other family members were except for one of her aunts. She walked for days going to her house hoping she would let her in even if they never met. When she finally got there, her aunts neighbour came and told her that her aunt had died. She was very sad and later learned that her aunt would not have let her in since she wasn’t a great person. The neighbour offered to let Alice stay at her sisters house and that is where Alice stayed. The neighbours sister was a lovely old lady. Alice spent most of her time reading books and trying to find new books. One part of the book says’

I believe that books provide answers reflects how curiosity can become a form of quiet resistance, especially for people who feel powerless.

 

This quote really stood out to me because it shows how different people view different things. It shows me how things that are not so important to me can mean the world to others. This shows me to respect how much things can mean to different people. For Alice, books is all she has so they mean the world to her. It really shows how different people view things.

PR to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I think that The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson is one of my favourite books that I have ever read. I say this because the book is filled with mysteries and excitement. These types of books that have suspense are my favourite types of books. This book also provokes lots of thoughts about what happens next in the story.

I think this book is extremely well written because it really makes you wonder what is going to happen in the next part of the story. It makes you want to continue reading because you want to know all the answers to all the mysteries. An example of a mystery is the relationship between Mr.Hyde and Dr.Jekyll. At the beginning of the book, Dr. Jekyll says that Mr. Hyde has power over him. This statement makes readers wonder why.  It makes readers think of all the different possibility’s of why. Since they keep thinking about it, it makes the readers want to read and figure out the answer to the mystery. Once you finally figure out the mystery, another mystery comes along out of nowhere and makes you think even more. This is why I personally think the book is very well written. I enjoyed this book so much that I wish the book had more pages. If the book had more mysteries and more entertainment it would’ve been better. The only critique I had about this book is that I find it difficult to read. If it wasn’t for the time we read the beginning of the book in class I would not have understood the book at all. I think the words were a little advanced for my liking. That is the only critique I have about this book.

In conclusion, I really really enjoyed this book and I would love to read more books like this. The book had a great storyline and a great plot twist, I think that is all you need to make a good book. I hope the rest of the books we’re going to read are as good as this one.

 

PR to ACC

The novel A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens demonstrates how people can change if they reflect on their actions. I enjoyed this book because it teaches a vital lesson about kindness, generosity, and caring for others, especially during tough times. At the start of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge is portrayed as a cold and selfish man who only cares about money. He treats Bob Cratchit poorly and refuses to help those in need, which made me frustrated with him. However, as the spirits visit him, I began to understand how his past experiences shaped his behavior. For instance, seeing Scrooge as a lonely child with the Ghost of Christmas Past evoked sympathy for him, as it showed he was once innocent and hurt by abandonment. The Ghost of Christmas Present was particularly impactful for me because it revealed how Scrooge’s actions affected others. Witnessing the Cratchit family’s love and happiness despite their poverty and learning about Tiny Tim’s illness made the story emotional and powerful. This part of the book reminded me that money is not the most important thing in life; family and compassion matter more. By the end of the novel, Scrooge’s transformation felt realistic and inspiring. His choice to change showed that it is never too late to become a better person. I appreciated how Dickens ended the story on a hopeful note, leaving me to think about how I treat others and how small acts of kindness can make a significant difference. Overall, A Christmas Carol is a meaningful story that teaches readers about empathy, generosity, and personal responsibility. I would recommend this book because its message remains relevant today and encourages people to reflect on their own choices.

PW#6 Soccer

This week I had my first soccer practice after the winter break. I really enjoyed this practice because I haven’t played soccer for a month before this practice. It was an amazing feeling to go back on the soccer field. Since it felt so good to go back to a practice, I keep on thinking about how much better my first game would be. My first game is this weekend against a team called west castle. They are a U16 team that are not bad. We have beat this team every time we played them so I would hope that we beat them this week again. I don’t think it’s going to be an easy game at all because they have gotten much better throughout the year but I do think we could still beat them. The next day after we play west castle my team is playing a Nanaimo U18 team. This is going to be a challenge because they are 2 years older than us. We have played this team 2 times in the past and out of those 2 times we have won 1 and they have won 1. So I think we could beat this team but it is going to be a tougher challenge then our other game.

Story of Joseph Personal response

What has “Joseph” made you think about?:

This story has made me think about how people were back then. The story shows me that people were much less lazy. I see this because it keeps saying how the people just kept going to Egypt and back very regularly, but that process must take at least a couple days especially if they’re only mode of transportation were donkeys. So it shows me that people were less lazy and more brave to do things.

 

What have you learned about yourself from studying “Joseph”?

I learned that I should be more optimistic about situations when studying the Story of Joseph. Joseph always shows that he’s optimistic even if he is in the worst positions by saying that it’s just a test. I think I could learn a lot from this character because it made me realize that when I go through a rough time i’m never optimistic. I always just look at the negative things. I think having a mindset more like Joseph is a much better mindset than what I have right now.

IRJE#2 Black boy by Richard Wrights

In this section of Black Boy, Richard begins to notice the racial divisions that exist in the world around him. Although he is still a child, he can sense that there are things adults talk about in hushed tones or avoid mentioning altogether. Richard hears certain words that make people uncomfortable, and even though he does not understand their meaning, he feels the tension they create. This moment marks the beginning of his awareness of racism and the realization that the society he lives in is shaped by invisible but powerful rules.

“The words had a strange sound; I did not know what they meant, but I felt that they carried a meaning that was taboo, dangerous, something forbidden that people feared to speak aloud, yet something that ruled their lives.”(p.88)

This quote reveals the moment Richard starts to sense the hidden dangers of racism. Even though he cannot explain it yet, he feels that some words carry fear and forbidden meaning. Richard Wright uses this to show how racism is something children grow up surrounded by, even before they can understand it. The words “taboo” and “dangerous” show how deeply racism is rooted in the people’s silence and fear. This moment is important because it marks the beginning of Richard’s awareness of injustice.

PW#3 Campbell river

This weekend, I had no soccer games. My team had no soccer games because it was thanksgiving. So, me and my family went to Campbell river. In Campbell river, we went to this new hotel. We went to this hotel because it was right next to a driving range and a golf course. But that not all we did in Campbell river, we also went to see the nature and wildlife. We saw bears and salmons. We saw bears fishing salmons in a river. In that river there was also a lot of people fishing. What surprised me the most was that there were bears that came to fish right in front of the people and the people didn’t even get scared. They said that it was normal for them to see bears come right in front of them. That experience was pretty fun but my favorite part was definitely the golf. The range was very nice because it had trackers to measure how far and fast your ball went. I also enjoyed playing on the course with my dad. The course  was very fun because it wasn’t to hard but not to easy. It had the perfect balance.

PR Master and Man

I did not really enjoy reading the book Master and Man. I found that the book was not very entertaining. In some books even if the book is not entertaining it gives you some thoughts and feelings but even this book didn’t make me think or give me feelings.

I thought the books story was not well written at all. I found that the story was very repetitive and very predictable. For example, before Nikita and Vassili left to go to Goriachkin the book kept repeating people talking about the weather. So it was quite easy to predict that the weather was going to be a problem during the journey. They also just kept getting lost in snowstorm after snowstorm it was the same thing every time. So that was also very predictable.There was no variety in events, no excitement.

The characters did not help the story because they were very boring. The only character that was a little bit interesting was Nikita because we could see that he was clever. It shows that he was clever when he doesn’t argue with Vassili about how much he’s underpaid because he knows that if he quits, he would have no where else to go. That’s why he is an interesting character to look at. Vassili on the other hand is quite boring. He’s just an arrogant rich guy like every other rich character in any other book. He always looks to make money because that’s all he cares about. There was a little interesting part when he helps Nikita but that was only because he knew that he was going to die. Other than that he was just anther bring rich character.

That’s why the book didn’t make me think or feel anything. Because there was no type of excitement at all.

PW#2 Second soccer game

This weekend me and my team had our second game of the season. This week we played a team that was 2 years older. The game was surprisingly a tight game. In the first minutes of the game the other team hit the post. This was kind of a wake up call that it was going to be a tough game. About 10 to 15 minutes later they scored the first goal. After a couple minutes my team got a free kick from about 40 yards out. My teammate hit a wonder shot that curled inside the top right corner. It was just a beauty. Unfortunately, our opponents took the lead again with a great goal from outside the box. But our team did not give up and we re-equalized from a corner kick. Then halftime came. it was 2-2 and a very tight game. When the second half started my team was dominating the game. But our opponents were bigger and stronger and managed to score a goal on us. After a while, the other team manned to score a 4th goal. The score was then 4-2 for the opposition. Our team still did not give up. We went on to score a third goal. Unfortunately we were unable to score an equalizer. The final score was 4-3 for the other team.

IRJE #1 – ” They’ll beat me; They’ll beat me”

In the book Black boy by Richard Wright, Richards lives in an apartment with his mom and brother after Richard accidentally burnt down their old house. One day, his dad went off to work and he never came back. He kept asking his mom why and she told him that him and his brother were too young to understand. In this scene, since Richards dad left, Richard had to get the groceries by himself, but every time he went he got jumped by a group of guys and they stole all his money. He went back to the house to tell his mom but she told him to go back and fight every time.

“But I’m scared” I said.

” Don’t you come into this house until you’ve gotten those groceries” she said.

” They’ll beat me; They’ll beat me” I said.

“Then stay in the streets; don’t come back!”

 

I chose this quote because it shows how fast Richard needs to grow up. Since his dad left he has to be the man of the house at such a young age. He needs to learn how to fight and be independent very quickly because his mom needs help. This is why I chose this quote.

PW #1 first soccer game of the season

Hi, this weekend I had my first soccer match of the season. This was also my first game with my new team. In this PW I will be describing what happened during the game. So in the first half, me and my team were possessing the ball very well and we were getting a lot of chances. In that half we managed to score 1 goal. That goal came from a free kick that was crossed into the box and one of my teammates was able to get a foot on it and it rolled into the back of the net. At the end of the half we were doing ok but still had some things we could improve on. Our coach gave us multiple pointers on how to dominate the game even more. Once the second half began we were struggling to use the pointers our coach gave us but we got the hang of it after some time. It turns out that the pointer worked extremely well because in that half my team managed to score 9 goals. The pointers worked so well that I even scored. It’s pretty crazy when I score because I don’t normally score goals because my position is midfield. And that’s how we won our game this weekend.

Hedi introduction

My name is Hedi Ben Tekaya and I am 14 years old. I was born in Montreal and moved here when I was about 6 years old.

One thing about me is that I really like sports. My favorite sport is soccer. I started playing the sport since I was 2 in Montreal. When I moved to Victoria I continued to play the wonderful sport. Now I play soccer but I also started playing golf. About 3-4 years ago my dad brought me to the driving range and taught me how to golf. I have kept playing ever since. Some of the past sports that I have done are swimming and karate but currently I only play soccer and golf.

Something else that I enjoy is travelling. My family travels quite a bit and I really like discovering new countries and cities. Some of my favorite countries that I have visited are Thailand, Portugal and Dominican Republic. I have been to other places but those were probably my favorites.

A fun fact about me is that I am Tunisian. Tunisia is a small country in the north of Africa. My mom and my dad were born and raised there. My family and I travel there quite often because pretty much all my family lives there. Tunisia is also one of my favourite places to travel to.