Top Tips for Studying: Lockdown Edition

                                               

 We all know that studying during the best of times can be difficult, let alone during a world-wide pandemic! So how can we keep focused and get the work done, especially if it's exam season?

1) Routine! 

Having a routine is now more important than ever with many of us stuck at home all day. It can be so easy to put off studying until later in the day, or the next day, or even the next week, because our lives have all suddenly lost their usual routine. But it's really key to try and find a set time every day that you're going to study and stick to it. Work out when you study best and use that as a guide to help you get the most out of your revision. If I'm finding it particularly hard to work, I will follow my school timetable and complete work for each subject at the times I would usually have a lesson in school. This helps me keep focused as it means I'm only working for about an hour per subject and it also makes life feel a bit more normal as it's a routine I'm used to.

2) Get outside

It can be so easy to spend the whole day sitting at home in front of Netflix when you're in lockdown, but it's really important that you get some time outside even if it's just sitting in your garden. Studying outside can be a nice change of scenery and can sometimes give you some motivation, but regardless, it is crucial that you are taking care of your physical and mental health by getting some fresh air and exercise.

3) Turn off the news

We've all heard the classic tip of avoiding distractions whilst working and usually this means all social media, TV, and other entertainment. However, during Covid, we find ourselves so overwhelmed with news updates, reports, and government broadcasts, that even if it feels necessary and informative, it can actually be a huge distraction. Make sure you turn off the notifications for the Apple news app or any other news apps and try to avoid listening to the radio that includes news bulletins or having the news on in the background. Not only is it often detrimental to our wellbeing to constantly hear the harrowing statistics, but it doesn't help us stay motivated to focus on other things! Try and keep your news checking to a minimum, just as you would with social media.

4) Try to study with others

In a world where social contact is essentially banned and most in-person study is cancelled, it can be really motivating and extremely beneficial to revise with someone else, either virtually or physically (if your country allows it). Living in lockdown can be really isolating and this often affects our motivation to do anything, let alone study. It can be really helpful to spend an hour or so discussing work with a friend or a small group of friends and going over things that you've found difficult. If you're able to do this, it can give your studies a boost and you'll find you've done a lot of work without it seeming like a chore.

5) Don't put too much pressure on yourself 

Lastly, don't put too much pressure on yourself or have too high an expectation of what you should be doing each day. We are in a full-on pandemic, which is something most of us have never experienced before (and probably don't ever want to experience again!). It can be seriously damaging to expect yourself to work at full capacity for 12 hours every day or to even work at the same pace as you were doing so before this all started. Relax, set reasonable, achievable targets, and just do as much as you can. No-one can criticise you for doing your best! 

With the pandemic still quite far from being over, it's more important than ever that we get into good habits as early as possible. Life is still pushing ahead and this means we have to go with the flow as much as we can. The light is definitely at the end of the tunnel and the more we learn now, the better we will be when we come out of it all. Best of luck to everyone taking exams or having to study for something- you can all do it!

Image: College Parent Central

Yearbooks: What are They and What’s Inside?

 Yearbooks: What are They and What’s Inside?   

27th September 2020                                                                             

    

                                                                                                                                       Source: https://www.assetprint.co.za/yearbook-printing/

For many students, school is full of achievements, events, and funny memories. So, what is a better way to keep track of everything you did during your final year at school than with a Yearbook? 

When did it start and where?

Originating in the 1800s, the process of creating a Yearbook for final year students is a popular practice nowadays with people trying to choose the craziest outfit for their photo or competing to invent the funniest quote. Typically, the Yearbook is an American tradition as it forms an important part of school life. However, there are other countries who also create Yearbooks for their graduating students. In the USA, it is most commonly created for High School students however it is also done in Middle Schools, Colleges, and some Elementary Schools.

Why make a Yearbook? 

It’s main purpose is to encapsulate all of the things students have achieved throughout their time at school so that they can have a keepsake of memories to look back on in future years. Generally a Yearbook has an overarching theme to it, for example it might be a sports-based theme, or it could be based on a particular film. This doesn’t mean that all of the content has to relate to this theme, but more that the fonts and graphics used are inspired by it. The Yearbook is designed and created by a Yearbook team of students and staff. They work tirelessly throughout the year to put together hundreds of photos, choose the best events to highlight, and collect messages and quotes from everyone involved. There are even prizes for the best Yearbook!

What’s included in a Yearbook?

So what’s inside a Yearbook? Normally, there are multiple sections or page spreads. You will often find:

-A section on Student Life and some of the projects that have been worked on during the year

-All of the School Club achievements, whether Sports clubs or Societies 

-Class photos of each class and sometimes a whole year group photo

-Individual student photos with their names and a funny quote or phrase they want to include

-Photos and names of the members of staff, ranging from the teachers right to the maintenance and reception staff

-Sometimes there is a section for messages from certain teachers or members of staff

-A general message from the Principal, usually on the first page

-Many pages celebrating the highlights of big events from the year such as performances, competitions, or campaigns 

-Some schools like to include a Student Awards section where they assign certain awards to students such as ‘Best Comedian’ or ‘Best Politician’. Sometimes there is a ‘Most Likely To’ award such as ‘Most likely to end up in jail’ or ‘Most likely to become a millionaire’. 

Yearbooks are a really fun, creative way to celebrate everything that has happened during the year, whilst providing a book full of memories that students can keep. They’re also a great thing to look back on in 10 years time to see which of the ‘Most Likely To’ awards have come true! Let’s face it, those of us who are older, definitely know at least one person from their High School class who’s ended up in jail and another who’s now a popular influencer…

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Related Topics   

Education        School        Young people

A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 9

Summary
—Blanche has been drinking heavily after receiving the bus ticket from Stanley.

—Mitch turns up to the house despite not accepting his invitation to Blanche’s birthday meal and it is obvious that he has been drinking too.

—Blanche tries to pretend that she isn’t upset by Mitch’s refusal and attempts to make conversation, however Mitch’s anger at Blanche’s deceit is apparent.

—Mitch eventually rips the lantern off of the lightbulb and forces Blanche into the light so he can see her clearly which greatly upsets Blanche and leads to her confessing the truth about her past.

—At the very end of the scene the Mexican Woman appears, triggering flashbacks for Blanche, and Mitch attempts to physically control Blanche but leaves when she threatens to scream fire.

Key Quotations

—“Blanche is seated in a tense, hunched position in a bedroom chair that she has recovered with diagonal green and white stripes. She has on her scarlet satin robe. On the table beside the chair is a bottle of liquor and a glass.”

—This shows that Blanche is anxious and on-edge about events that happened in Scene 8 and readers are reminded of Scene 1 where Blanche sits in the same way. The recovering of a chair shows us that Blanche is planning on staying at Stella and Stanley’s and so she has made the room how she likes it. Also the action of covering something with fabric could be representative of Blanche and her façade as she is covering something old (her present self) with something that makes the object appear to be new (her expensive clothes, her jewellery etc). Blanche is wearing her “scarlet satin robe” which suggests connotations of danger and seduction. The bottle of liquor beside her reinforces the idea that she uses alcohol as an escape and to numb her pain.

—“Why, you haven’t even shaven! The unforgivable insult to a lady! But I forgive you. I forgive you because it’s such a relief to see you.”

—Here Blanche is declaring her forgiveness however the crime Mitch has committed by not shaving is far less than Blanche’s continuous deceit. By describing it as “the unforgivable insult to a lady” it gives the impression that Blanche is superior to Mitch and that he should be asking for her forgiveness. The use of the word “the” implies that visiting a lady unshaven is the worst thing a gentleman could do. The anadiplosis of “I forgive you” shows that Blanche is desperate for Mitch to know that she has forgiven him. 

—“I don’t want realism. I’ll tell you what I want. Magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be the truth.”

Here Blanche confesses that she cannot accept realism and her present situation and self. She is so desperate for “magic” that she has created fantasies to hide any signs of the real world and has now gotten to the point where they have become her world. Blanche says that she tells what ought to be the truth to herself and others in order to reinforce her fantasies and to try and forget about her past. She strives for control over her life and so in order to try and control events that have happened in her past, she attempts to control her present and her future. 

—“Yes I had many intimacies with strangers. After the death of Allan- the intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty head with…”

—Blanche refers to her promiscuous activities by using a euphemism which she repeats. This again shows that she cannot accept the raw truth and so by using an euphemism she is convincing herself that her actions were not as bad as they actually were. Usually people say that they were trying to fill their empty hearts so by Blanche saying that she was trying to fill her “empty head”, it could be implying that she craved protection and a sense of worth more than love. Blanche wasn’t looking for love after the death of Allan, she was desperately trying to find someone who made her feel protected and worth something even if it was only for a matter of hours.

—“Well, I needed somebody, too. I thanked God for you, because you seemed to be gentle- a cleft in the rock of the world that I could hide in!”

—The biblical reference here of “a cleft in the rock  of the world that I could hide in” suggests that Blanche saw Mitch as  her form of protection against the world. He was someone she found solace and comfort in because she could easily fool him with her façade which enabled her to hide her real self. Blanche says that Mitch “seemed” to be gentle which implies that she either questions her judgement or no longer believes that he can be gentle after the way he has treated her.

—“Death- I used to sit here and she used to sit over there and death was as close as you are… We didn’t dare even admit we had ever heard of it! The opposite is desire.”

—Here we assume that “she” is referring to Stella and that Blanche is describing her childhood in Belle Reve where she lost her family to death. She says “We didn’t dare even admit we had ever heard of it” which suggests that Blanche and Stella were fearful that they would be the next ones to be taken away by death. Blanche states that the opposite of death is desire which shows that her views towards desire are negative as throughout her life she has been led to believe that the only outcome of desire is death. Blanche has never experienced anything where desire has led to a positive outcome such as love which is why, at the beginning of the play, she is so shocked to see that Stella and Stanley’s desire for each other has lead to marriage and a baby.

The Mexican Woman

—At the end of the scene a Mexican Woman appears, selling flowers for the dead. There is speculation as to whether or not this woman is real or whether she is merely a figment of Blanche’s imagination as Blanche is the only character in the play to have any kind of communication with her. Real or not, the Mexican Woman triggers a set of flashbacks for Blanche where she describes events and conversations that we assume took place during her childhood at Belle Reve. This section in the scene and in the play as a whole really highlights the extent to which Blanche’s mental stability has declined.

A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 8

Summary
—Stanley, Stella and Blanche are having a birthday supper, however there is a vacant space at the table as Mitch has not turned up.

—There is a very tense atmosphere as they eat, with Stanley eventually getting angry and smashing the crockery.

—Blanche discovers that Stanley and Stella know why Mitch hasn’t arrived and desperately tries to call him. He doesn’t answer which leaves Blanche very upset.

—Stanley then presents Blanche with a one-way ticket back to Laurel which tips her over the edge and we see her decline even deeper into insanity.

Key Quotations

—“And the only way to hush the parrot…but that was a short day!”

—Blanche’s parrot story is told to create humour but it could also be an allusion that some secrets should be kept hidden from others. Just like the parrot, Blanche has a darker side that she tries desperately to keep hidden under her façade, but also just like the parrot, this different side to her is revealed.

—“Mr Kowalski is too busy making a pig of himself to think of anything else!”

—Here we see Stella siding with Blanche again as she calls Stanley ‘Mr Kowalski’ which is very impersonal. She creates a divide between the two families when she tries to protect and care for Blanche, siding with the DuBois to prove that she still loves her sister. However, we know that at the end of the play, Stella decides to side with Stanley which is a complete antithesis with her earlier implications. 

—“What do you two think you are? A pair of queens? Remember what Huey Long said- “Every Man is a  King!” And I am the king around here, so don’t forget it!”

Stanley’s appreciation of Huey Long shows his lower-class background as Huey Long decreased unemployment rates in the United States. However, he was also a tyrant and abused his position of power which is similar to Stanley as he definitely controls others using intimidation and aggression. His rhetorical question at the beginning implies that Stanley believes he is superior to Stella and Blanche as he is a male so therefore, women cannot be in high positions of power.  

—“His Auntie knows candles aren’t safe, that candles burn out in little boys’ and girls’ eyes, or wind blows them out and after that happens, electric light bulbs go on and you see too plainly…”

—Here Blanche is not only talking about her nephew but also about her own life. She is describing Allan’s death and that when he died, the light went out of her life and now she can’t face the ‘electric light bulbs’ or reality. Blanche says that candles ‘aren’t safe’ as she believes that, like desire, ‘candles’ are ruinous as they create illusions that never last. 

—“El pan de mais, el pan de mais, el pan de mais, sin sal. El pan de mais, el pan de mais, el pan de mais sin sal…”

At the very end of the scene, Blanche emerges from the bathroom singing a Mexican folk song about maize bread without salt. This song has no real meaning and it is strange that Blanche is singing a Spanish song when they live in the French quarter of New Orleans. Nevertheless, this nonsense chant shows the extent to which Blanche’s mental state has declined and the effects that Stanley’s ‘gift’ to her have had. If we over-read into this song, a loaf of bread without salt will not rise and it is tasteless, similarly a woman without beauty will not be able to find a husband and will be cast aside for being too ‘bland’ (according to Blanche). 

A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 7

Summary

—It is Blanche’s birthday and whilst Blanche is in the bath, Stanley tells Stella everything he has found out about Blanche’s time in Laurel.

—Stella refuses to believe anything Stanley says and tells him that Blanche’s husband died when she was very young.

—Stanley then reveals to Stella that he has passed all of this information onto Mitch.

Key Quotations

—“So I been told. And told and told and told!”

—The polysyndetic list along with the repeated dental plosive sound of ‘told’ demonstrates Stanley’s anger and frustration at being told once again, that he is different from both Blanche and Stella. The exclamative only reinforces this point, with the foregrounded conjuction (‘And’) showing that Stanley is unable to control his feelings.

—“Say, it’s only a paper moon, Sailing over a cardboard sea- But it wouldn’t be make-believe If you believed in me!”

—This song that Blanche sings talks about fantasy and ‘make-believe’, two things that Blanche continually talks about. The words ‘paper’ and ‘fragile’ imply that both the moon and the sea are delicate objects that can easily be broken, just like Blanche. The second line of the chorus sums up Blanche’s life- if people believed in Blanche and understood her, they would realise that to Blanche, her fantasy is her reality. 

“The Flamingo is used to all kinds of goings-on. But even the management of the Flamingo was impressed by Dame Blanche!”

The sarcasm that Stanley uses here, demonstrates his anger and dislike towards Blanche and her past actions. The name ‘Dame’ implies someone in authority and of importance; something that Blanche definitely was not whilst she was at the Flamingo. 

—“And for the last year or two she has been washed up like poison.”

—Stanley uses the simile ‘like poison’ to describe the rejection that Blanche has faced over the past few years. ‘Poison’ suggests that Blanche harms everyone she comes into contact with and forces people to try and avoid her; something that is probably true of Blanche but is a description that also conveys Stanley’s rage towards her. 

—“It’s possible that some of the things he said are partly true. There are things about my sister I don’t approve of- things that caused sorrow at home.”

—The hedging that Stella uses in this statement, such as ‘possible’ and ‘partly’, imply that Stella is telling the truth of how she really feels about Blanche, but that she struggles to admit her feelings to herself. At Belle Reve, Blanche was always the more dominant and controlling sister, so it is likely that Stella is reluctant about having, or admitting, any negative feelings towards her sister for fear of what Blanche would do.

—“A hot bath and a long, cold drink always gives me a brand new outlook on life!”

—Taking a hot bath and having a drink of alcohol provide Blanche with a means of escape of the reality that she is living. She claims they give her a ‘brand new outlook’ on her life, however they only disguise and distort her current situation by fuelling her fantasies and delusions. 

A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 6

Summary

—Blanche and Mitch return from their night out together and discuss their relationship.

—Blanche explains that she will be leaving soon and describes how rude Stanley is towards her in order to find out what Mitch knows about her and to persuade him to ask her to stay.

—Mitch and Blanche then talk about Mitch’s mother before Blanche explains everything that happened on the night that Allan died.

Key Quotations

—“The utter exhaustion which only a neurasthenic personality can know is evident in Blanche’s voice and manner.”

—Blanche is exhausted from trying to deceive Mitch to make him want her. A “neurasthenic personality” is characterised by fatigue, anxiety, aches and pains, insomnia and a poor appetite which are often clearly visible in Blanche.

—“The one that says the lady must entertain the gentleman- or no dice!”

—Blanche believes that it is the lady’s job to “entertain” or to have sex with the man otherwise there will be no “dice” or relationship. This reinforces Blanche’s old-fashioned ideals and although we do not know whether or not she actually feels this way, it demonstrates her view of a stereotypical woman’s role.

“Can I- uh- kiss you- good night?”

—Despite being in a relationship for some time now, Mitch still has to ask Blanche for permission to kiss her. This shows that he feels inferior to Blanche and that he sees her of someone with such importance that he cannot act without her permission. This suggests that Blanche’s façade, of appearing to be “prim and proper”, is having almost reverse effects and now Mitch doesn’t feel like he is worthy of Blanche’s love. 

—“I want you to have a drink!...now for these few last remaining moments of our lives together- I want to create- joie de vivre!”

We already know that Blanche relies heavily on alcohol and here she makes and excuse that Mitch needs a drink so that she can have one herself. She then becomes quite hyperbolic and talks about spending their final moments together in order to make Mitch ask her to stay. Her use of exclamatives show her desperation and makes her words more dramatic. 

—“Voulez-vous couchez avec moi ce soir? Vous ne comprenez pas? Ah, quel dommage!”

Here Blanche talks in French to express her real feelings as she knows that Mitch won’t understand her. She asks if he would like to sleep with her that evening which demonstrates her desire towards Mitch and that she really likes him. However, her use of the formal “vous” reinforces her façade of being proper and formal and it also implies a sense of distance as at this stage in their relationship, she should be using the informal “tu”. She then exclaims “quel dommage!” which is slightly sarcastic as Blanche is extremely glad that Mitch cannot understand what she is saying, however in some ways she wishes he could so that he understands how she truly feels. 

—“Samson! Go on, lift me.”

—This line has a very biblical allusion as in the bible, Samson is a very strong character who loses his strength after Delilah cuts off his hair. In ‘Streetcar’ Mitch could be the representation of Samson and Blanche the representation of Delilah as ultimately, Blanche is the cause of Mitch’s un-doing. 

“He was a boy, just a boy, when I was a very young girl. When I was sixteen, I made the discovery- love. All at once and much, much too completely.”

—Blanche implies that love is naïve and innocent as she was so young when she first discovered it. She uses anadiplosis on “much” and an intensifier to try and convey her feelings towards her experience. She now realises that she was so in love that she didn’t see the consequences of it all. 

—“Polka music sounds, in a minor key faint with distance… Then the polka resumes in a major key.”

The polka music is used as a sign of Blanche’s mental deterioration and plays in Blanche’s head whenever she talks about Allan. When the music is in a minor key, it creates a tense atmosphere which reflects Blanche’s feelings just before she found Allan dead. When the music resumes in a major key, it presents the resolution to the tension and here Blanche describes the aftermath of Allan’s suicide in a very factual way which is completely devoid of emotion. This contrasts to when the music was in a minor key, where her monologue was entirely about her emotions. 

—“Sometimes- there’s God- so quickly!”

—This final line is extremely ambiguous as it could have multiple meanings. It could mean that people are sent from God (Mitch) so quickly and that God answers Blanche’s prayers before she even asks them, or it could mean that God takes people away (Allan Grey) so quickly and that there is nothing you can do to stop it. 

A Streetcar Named Desire: Scene 5

Summary
—Blanche is writing a letter to Shep Huntleigh when there is an episode of domestic violence between Steve and Eunice.

—Stanley asks Blanche if she knows someone named Shaw which tells her that he has found some things out about her past in Laurel.

—Blanche explains to Stella her feelings about what happened in Laurel and towards Mitch but Stella doesn’t pay much attention.

—Stella leaves with Stanley and a young man arrives at the house whilst Blanche is alone and she ends up kissing him.

—Suddenly Mitch appears at the house with a bunch of roses.

Key Quotations

—“Have got to be seductive- put on soft colours, the colours of butterfly wings.”

—Blanche describes the colours as being “the colours of butterfly wings” which is an antithesis with Scene 1 where Blanche is described as being a “moth”. This shows that Blanche believes you have to be delicate and attractive to be loved and wanted.

—“And you’ve got to have your existence admitted by someone, if you’re going to have someone’s protection.”

—Blanche desperately craves protection and she believes that in order to get someone’s protection, that person has to find you attractive. However Blanche doesn’t realise that she already has other people’s protection as Stella continuously protects her from things that could upset her and Mitch tries to protect her at the beginning of their relationship. 

—“I don’t know how much longer I can turn the trick. It isn’t enough to be soft. You’ve got to be soft and attractive. And I- I’m fading now!”

—Blanche isn’t sure how long she can keep on pretending that she is young and “proper”. She thinks that in order to find a partner she must be both soft and attractive and that she is expected to maintain this for the rest of her life. She uses a false start and an exclamative which suggests that she is upset about the process of ageing and also quite afraid of it. 

“What  mean is- he thinks I’m sort of- prim and proper, you know! I want to deceive him enough to make him- want me…”

—Because Blanche has put on a façade in front of Mitch she is now under pressure to keep it up. She has made him believe that she is “prim and proper” because she thinks that that is the way you have to be if you want someone to protect you. She says “I want to deceive him enough to make him want me” which shows that she is so desperate for Mitch to like her that she will do anything, including lying to him. 

—“Young, young, young, young- man! Has anyone ever told you that you look like a young prince out of the Arabian Nights?”

—Blanche’s repetition of “young” could be a filler while she thinks of something to say, however she could also be proving to herself that she is still able to appeal to the younger generations. She compliments the young man to make it more likely for him to do what she wants, which is to let her kiss him. Also comparing him to a “prince” shows that she wants to be seen with someone superior so that she appears to be superior herself.