Creative writing:
On this freezing winter day, the trees had snow on them, the roads were icy and I was shivering to get out of bed. School got called off today so my best friend Aria texted me and we both decided to bundle up and explore the ginormous white, silent abandoned forest. At first, I was pretty hesitant because I had never gone to that specific forest in my lifetime. But I decided to go to make memories I will never get the chance to make any other time. Getting ready I started to get nervous, my stomach was moving in all different places. Since Aria was coming it soothed me enough and I got the courage to go.
I was wearing ombre thick socks, shiny black snow boots, a tie-dye hoodie, a white jacket, and thick pants that matched the hoodie. I was sweating like a pig inside but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't put the layers on. When Aria knocked on my door I got a shiver down my spine but I knew I'd cherish the memories I'd have with her after this trip. We talked for about 5 minutes then we left.
In the car, we started to blast all our favorite songs having the time of our life. It was so much fun and that reminded me why it was the right idea to say yes even though that feeling in my stomach was still just sitting still. When we were a street away it started to feel more real but also I started to shake and bite my nails, all things I do when my anxiety plays up. But I overcame my fears, got out of the car and we saw the most beautiful thing. The snow was bright like the stars, all the tree leaves were filled with cold snow and the tips of the leaves had to ice on them. We were stunned by what we saw.
About an hour of exploring and taking pictures goes by and we find what looks like to be an abandoned cave. It had barbed wire around most of the cave, it was dark, didn't smell the best and looked like it was falling apart on one side like when old clothes start to wear down. We both started to get really hesitant about going in because if anything happened there is no signal out here. We both wanted to explore it so bad but we knew the right thing to do.
So we went through the bright white, beautiful forest back to our car. After trekking back through there we started the trip back. Even though we were disappointed there was no signal, Aria always made the best of every situation. Her smile was just so contagious singing her heart out while I drove home. About 10 minutes away I called both our parents asking if I could spend the night at her house. We both had huge smiles when they said yes. We had to stop at my house to grab some clothes and snacks for the night.
I just threw some clothes, some snacks, and my pillow in a bag and rushed back to the car where Aria was ecstatic. I could tell she really wanted me to stay over. When we got to her house we ran up to her room and blasted more of our favorite songs for fun. Later that night we thought about what would've happened if we chose to go into the cave. What if we weren't having a sleepover or what if no one knew where we were. No one will ever know.
The power of one:
In the movie The Power Of One directed by John G. Avildsen, a lot of different film techniques throughout the whole movie. I am talking about 3 different techniques in the ‘Going for a Run” scene. The time where this takes place is 1:29, they start in Alexandra and end in the city.
In the scene where Gideon and PK went for a run, Mise se scene was used.
When the boys were running the people behind him you could see how bad Alexandra was a bad place to live in in general. How they’re treated, what they do, and how policemen spoke to them. I think the director wanted to show all of what was happening in Alexandra while they were running around. I think the director wanted the audience to feel bad for the people who live there and enraged by how they were treated. This is really different from the city because when they eventually finished the run and got to the city there
In the scene where Gideon and PK went for a run, the setting was used by. You could see everything that was happening around Gideon and PK, from the start of the run in Alexandra where there is not much in general, to the city where everyone has everything they need and more.I think the director purposely used the setting in this scene to contrast the difference between Alexandra and the city. Personally, I think the director wanted us to feel sorry for the Africans that were in Alexandra seeing how poor their living situation was. This is similar to how they used the film technique Mise se scene because they showed the surroundings of what was going on. Also the comparison from the start and end of the run.
In the scene where Gideon and PK went for a run, Dialogue was used The dialogue was used when Gideon brought up the idea of Africans getting somewhat of an education. You could also see PK’s head wrapping around the idea. The director chose dialogue in this way because you can hear how passionate Gideon is about getting African people an education. While you can hear all the conversations from other African people. After hearing Gideon’s message the audience felt for Gideon and the rest of the people in Alexandra because of how they’re treated. Personally, I don’t think it would be as powerful if they weren’t running all through Alexandra, it’ll still spread a message but seeing it has a bigger effect.
All of these techniques were thought out by the director and he chose to use each one and more in this specific way. I think if he used them in a different way or different context the meaning would change so much.
Short story:
In the short story ‘A game of cards’ by Witi Ihimaera there were a few memorable ideas in the story. 1st was how the family sticks together through everything and anything. 2nd is how any friendship, especially the one in the story can tease and fight but always be there for each other. Finally, how death is viewed differently in different cultures. The story is about Nani Miro and her family and friends throughout her life until death.
The concept of the family sticking together is shown all through the story honestly, but especially when Nani Miro was dying. ‘We all rushed to Nani Miro’s house. It was already crowded with the other Waituhi families’ is an example of how they were there for each other through everything. Everyone gets to her house so quickly to support and help in any way they can for Nani Miro. I think everyone was there no matter what for her because she’s the leader of their family and she’s the reason everyone is here. I think that is important in real life because family or even friends can stick together through the toughest times in life.
The way Nani Miro and Mrs. Heta treated each other was also memorable in some ways because of their bond. If all you saw was them being rude to each other you wouldn’t think that, but in reality, they have the best relationship. ‘Maka...Maka tiko bum... I want a game of cards that shows how strong their bond was when Nani Miro was so close to dying but still wanted to make time for Mrs. Heta. Not anything specifically but I think those types of relationships are so important in life. I think the types of relationships that give each other a hard time about things but are right by their side in hard times are my favorite.
The traditional idea of death is shown very differently in this story but is also memorable in the sense it might change your perspective on death. ‘While she was laughing, she died’ was memorable to me because she passed away doing what she loved with who she loved the most. The fact that death is a time to celebrate Nani Miro’s life and not just to mourn her is so amazing. Personally, when I’ve experienced loss it’s always been just to mourn them and share memories with the person who passed away. It’ll be different but I hope to experience something like this in my lifetime, and just celebrate.
In conclusion, the most memorable ideas to me in ‘A game of cards’ by Witi Ihimaera were how family sticks together, how Nani Miro and Mrs. Heta treated each other and how death is viewed differently. These ideas stuck with me because family is one of the most important things in life, you can have banter with people closest to you and how different death was shown in this story.
