Notes on Act 4 and 5/#8

Act 4

Scene 1:

F.L: You say you do not know the lady's mind? Uneven is the course, I like it not.

       F.L thinks Paris should go ask Juliet's mind. 

During the conversation between Juliet and Paris, it seems like Juliet doesn't like Paris as well as his behavior.

Juliet: O, bid me leap, rather than Paris......And I will do it without fear or doubt, to live an unstain'd wife to my sweet love.

           Juliet is so determined that implies she refuses to marry Paris extremely. And she wants to keep alone since she knows she has already married Romeo.

F.L: Thou shalt continue two and forty hours.

      This specific time period refers an unexpected tragedy in the future.

Scene 2:

Juliet: Where I have learnt me to repent the sin of disobedient opposition......To beg your pardon.

         Juliet's fake obedience makes sense to her parents.

Scene 3:

Juliet: What if it be a poison which the friar subtly hath minist'red to have me dead......For he hath still been a holy man.

         Juliet is wondering before she drinks the mixture Friar Lawrence made for her because she is not sure whether the mixture will help.

Scene 4:

Lord Capulet: I hear him near (4.5.25).

         In Shakespear's play, a music might refer to a significant character's appearance.

Scene 6: 

The situation turns chaotic after finding that Juliet's dead. And the atmosphere in this scene becomes mornful.

F.L: Peace ho, for shame!......(4.6.65-83)

      This speech shows Friar Lawrence's calmness, implying that he is the one who knows the truth about Juliet's "death".

F.L: The heavens do low'r upon you for some ill (4.6.94).

      He blames that it was the parents' fault for Juliet's "death".

The conversation between Peter and those musicians is also interesting because it implies poor men's living condition at that time in the play.

Act 5

Scene 1:

Balthasar: Then she is well and nothing can be ill (5.1.17).

      Everything in Verona goes not well because of Juliet's "death". The chaotic situation indicates a further change for Romeo's coming back.

Romeo: Well Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight (5.1.34).

      Romeo is seeking for death.

Romeo: I see the poison, thou hast sold me none (5.1.83)

      Romeo tries to comfort the apothecary and sees the poison as a way to relax.

Scene 2:

F.J: I could not send it- here it is again- Nor get a messenger to bring it thee......(5.2.14-16)

      F.J's words explains the confusing part about why Romeo didn't get the letter previously. And this accident makes up a whole tragedy.

Scene 3:

Romeo's soliloquy after Paris's death is a climax of this scene. He says the speech preparing for killing Romeo himself.

After Romeo dies, the whole tragedy takes place.

Juliet: Go get the hence, for I will not away......To make me die with a restorative.

      Juliet's determination means the end of their love story. 

Then the whole city wakes up in chaos.

F.L's speech explains the secret love story between Romeo and Juliet, which helps to end the "ancient feud".

Prince: A glooming peace this morning with it brings, the sun, the sorrow, will not show his  head......For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo (5.3.307-312).

      Prince's speech indicates the sorrowful tragedy helps end the conflict between two families and finally gives back peace to Verona.

Creative Project Link

Link: http://youtu.be/nX6E1TY56gc

Poem Revision

     Have you ever learned about the magic of the nature? Have you ever been a friend with a tree? A tree may be able to be your soulmate. The poem, Tree At My Window, talks about man and nature. "The tree" means not simply a tree in front of the window, it can also be a reflection of someone's spirit and soul. If you stay with the tree, feel about it and look at it for a long time, you will find yourself making a subconscious conversation with the tree. And it will form an internal connection between you and the tree. Eventually the tree will become another you, who is able to understand yourself more than you do. And this discovery is always delightful and relaxing. It feels like we find a soul mate who we can tell every single secret to him or her. The poem "Tree At My Window" by Robert Frost forms a subconscious and spirital conversation between the speaker and nature; this method provides readers a deeper understanding of the magic of nature.

     The first and second stanzas are mainly talking about how the poet sees the tree out of the window at night and keeps the curtain up and has a deep, subconscious and spirital conversation with it. In the first stanza, "My sash is lowered when night comes on" (Tree At My Window, Frost) means that the speaker notices the tree sufferering ffrom the storm and heavy wind outside at night. And then the speaker finds himself wants to look at the tree out of the window and "talk" to it. In the second stanza, the speaker talk about how the tree and him has a conversation on a silent night, after the tree struggles with the storm and the speaker worries about the dillema and anxiety inside. "Not all your tongues talking aloud/Could be profound" (Tree At My Window, Frost) describes a plot when the speaker and the tree are talking to each other but the voice is too low so that they cannot hear the every single word they speak. 

     In the rest of the stanzas "But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed/And if you have seen me when I slept/You have seen me when I was taken and swept/And all but lost" (Tree At My Window, Frost) talks about how the speaker has seen the tree suffering from the outside violent wind at night; the tree has also known the poet fell asleep in a state of disaster, dillema and worry. "That day she pit our heads together" means the fate connects the poet and the tree together. The tree is concerned about the harsh environment; in contrast, the poet worries about the anxiety in his mind. "Your head so much concerned with outer/ Mine with inner, weather" (Tree At My Window, Frost) show the difference between the tree and the speaker. And it reflects what the speaker thinks: he thought they are not alike, but actually the fate had already connected them because they had deep connections.

     The figurative languages can be easily found in this poem. The most obvious one is personification, which describes a tree as an alive individual and considers the fate as a woman. Using personification makes the whole poem be more vivid and attractive. The poet describes the tree as a person who has something to worry about. This allows the poet to have a deep "conversation" with the tree because the poet is suffering from the dillema in his heart. Thanks to the fate, the common experience connects the poet and the tree, and thus the poet is able to feel peaceful and safe when staying with a tree.

     Other literary techniques are consonance and assonance. In the first stanza, there are not clear figurative languages but only a repetition of the word "window". Then in the second stanza, the words in each lines, which are "ground", "cloud", "loud", and "profound", sound alike. And this is a type of rhyming style. And it's also an assonance of the vowel sound "ou". In the third stanza, words such as "slept" and "swept" sound similar, and there are repetitions of "s" and "t" letters. In the last stanza, the rhyme scheme is the "er" sound. Every last word in each line sounds alike. These make the whole poem clear and interesting and sound rhyming. Although there are 16 lines in total, it's still very easy to memorize.

     Tree At My Window is really a short but fascinating poem. Robert Frost uses a simple way to perfectly reveal the good relationship between man and nature. Also, there are many great figurative languages which help memorize the whole poem. From the poem it seems like the poet rejects the decision made by the fate, who puts the poet himself and the tree together because he thinks they are not alike. The tree cares about the storms and heavy rain; the poet worries about the dillema and emotional changes. But the fate thinks she makes a right thing to put their "heads together" because they actually have a connection. And this is the main point of the poem: man and nature are connected  and are able to understand each other. That is the magic of nature.

Rewrite Thesis Statement

The poem "Tree At My Window" by Robert Frost forms a subconscious and spirital conversation between the speaker and nature; this method provides readers a deeper understanding of the magic of nature.

Peer Feedback on Poem Recitation

     The poem analysis of Poem of My Twentieth Birthday is really a good work. It includes almost every details that a review is supposed to have, such as a good introduction paragraph, a thesis statement, and analysis paragraphs. There is also a brief hook in the very beginning of the first paragraph. Since it is a first draft, there are obiviously something needed to be checke and improved. But generally it is a complete and good essay with logical languages and good organizations.

     There are three stanzas in the poem in total. Lillian analized each of them separately in three different paragraphs. So it's obvious to see that her analysis paragraphs are logical and clear. In the first analysis paragraph, every line was explained and are cited correctly when using direct quotes. The meaning of each line was given its original meaning, and also Lillian's own thinkings during the time she read the poem. Combining with the origin meaning and her thoughts, the first stanza was clear and vivid, and was really easy to understand. 

     In the second analysis paragraph, there is a clear comparison of the growths of palm trees and human beings, which helps readers understand easily. By comparing and contrasting palm trees and human, the main point of the second stanza in the poem was explained logically- people get more mature after growing up, and those childhood memories were like a treasure. The analysis for the last stanza talks about its meaning and personal thinking. The main point of the third stanza has also been pointed out.

     The last paragraph talks about the figurative languages of the whole poem and gives a few conclusions. The explanations of the figurative languages are complete and understandable; however, I think it would be better if Lillian divides the analysis of figurative languages and puts them into her three analysis paragraphs in order to be more connective and clear. It's better to make the conclusion paragraph be an independent one. And this should be more specific because it needs to restate the anyalsis written before and reflect the thesis statement. Furthermore, the hook and and the thesis statement can be more detailed and instructive in order to make them clear. There aren't many grammar errors, but Lillian can also go back and double check if she wants. Personally I think it is really a good review.

Theater Review

     The performance of "Comedy Tonight" was a big success. Unlike the drama in the last marking period, this time the performance was relaxing and quite funny. There were two acts in the whole performance, and I think Act Two was the most interesting one which brought me much fun and laughs. Students played different roles in different small acts, and they all did well during their performances. 

     In Act One, the most impressive act for me was "Popular", perfomed by Lexi Williamson and William  An. Lexi's voice was beautiful, but actually the lyrics in the song she sang was funny. Along with her actions, she successfully performed herself as a confident woman who believed she was able to make William be popular, but not "as quite popular as her". Also, William's performance in this act was so funny and exaggerating. After he wore the clothes for women, everyone burnt to laughs. He even danced like a woman and we couldn't help laughing.

     In Act Two, "John Jiang, the Latte Boy", "Rebuttal" and "Morning Meeting Gone Wrong" were the most successful acts in the performance. I love Sam Weed's voice and her skillful acting skill. The act was based on our real life, so audience had sympathy with the actress. "Rebuttal" talked about the boy mentioned in "John Jiang, the Latte Boy" who didn't really like that girl. He laughed at how foolish the girl was and tried to escaped away from her following. The contrast between the girl and the boy was attractive and funny, but if you think about it deeply, you will find it kind of sad because it was not good to realize the person you love doesn't really into you in real life. Also, John was also good at singing. His voice was in a low pitch which was impressive.

     "Morning Meeting Gone Wrong" was my favorite act in the whole show. Every actor perfectly played their own roles as different teachers. Especially the characters such as Mrs. Anderson and Mr. Monahan. "I finally find my joke" and the high-pitched voice were like symbols of Mrs. Anderson. And Mr. Monahan always gave a speech in an official way with his low-pitched voice. When the teacher was talking about sports games, students were excited and screamed loudly. This was exactly what would happen in our school. The act reappeared the real life in Cheshire Academy. Every student had strong feeling of what happened in our daily life, so it was the most successful act in the show.

     Thanks for all the actors in the performance and their consummate acting skills. They brought me laugh and let me have a wonderful night.

Poem Analysis: Tree At My Window

Tree At My Window

Tree at my window, window tree,

My sash is lowered when night comes on;

But let there never be curtain drawn

Between you and me.

Vague dream-head lifted out of the ground,

And thing next most diffuse to cloud,

Not all your light tongues talking aloud

Could be profound. 

But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,

And if you have seen me when I slept,

You have seen me when I was taken and swept

And all but lost.

That day she put our heads together,

Fate had her imagination about her,

Your head so much concerned with outer,

Mine with inner, weather.

Robert Frost

     Have you ever learned about the magic of the nature? Have you ever been a friend with a tree? A tree may be able to be your soulmate. The poem, Tree At My Window, talks about man and nature. "The tree" means not simply a tree in front of the window, it can also be a reflection of someone's spirit and soul. If you stay with the tree, feel about it and look at it for a long time, you will find yourself making a subconscious conversation with the tree. And it will form a internal connection between you and the tree. Eventually the tree will become another you, who is able to understand yourself more than you do. And this discovery is always delightful and relaxing. It feels like we find a soul mate who we can tell every single secret to him or her. That is the magic of the nature and this is how the poem wants to show to the readers.

     The first and second stanzas are mainly talking about how the poet sees the tree out of the window at night and keeps the curtain up and has a deep, subconscious and spirital conversation with it. Then the rest of the stanzas talks about how the poet has seen the tree suffering for the outside violent wind at night; the tree has also known the poet fell asleep in a state of disaster, dillema and worry. In an isolated place, fate connects the poet and the tree together. The tree is concerned about the harsh environment; in contrast, the poet worries about the anxiety in his mind.

     The figurative languages can be easily found in this poem. The most obvious one is personification, which describes a tree as an alive individual and considers the fate as a woman. Using personification makes the whole poem be more vivid and attractive. The poet describes the tree as a person who has something to worry about. This allows the poet to have a deep "conversation" with the tree because the poet is suffering from the dillema in his heart. Thanks to the fate, the common experience connects the poet and the tree, and thus the poet is able to feel peaceful and safe when staying with a tree.

     Other literary techniques are rhyme scheme, consonance and assonance. In the first stanza, there are not clear figurative languages but only a repetition of the word "window". Then in the second stanza, the words in each lines, which are "ground", "cloud", "loud", and "profound", sound alike. And this is a type of rhyme scheme. And it's also an assonance of the vowel sound "ou". In the third stanza, words such as "slept" and "swept" sound similar, and there are repetitions of "s" and "t" letters. In the last stanza, the rhyme scheme is the "er" sound. Every last word in each line sound alike. These make the whole poem clear and interesting. Although there are 16 lines in total, it's still very easy to memorize.

     Tree At My Window is really a short but fascinating poem. Robert Frost uses a simple way to perfectly reveal the good relationship between man and nature. From the poem it seems like the poet rejects the decision made by the fate, who puts the poet himself and the tree together because he thinks they are not alike. The tree cares about the storms and heavy rain; the poet worries about the dillema and emotional changes. But the fate thinks she makes a right thing to put their "heads together" because they actually have a connection. And this is the main point of the poem: man and nature are able to understand each other.

     

     

Poem video

I am going to put a background music called Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charm New for my poem recitation. According to the poem I chose, its tongue is quiet and delightful. The poem is talking about making a spiritual connection with a tree at the window and gaining peace in mind by "talking" to the tree. The poet and the tree have different concerns with different things, but they both understand each other and can talk to each other at cold night peacefully. So the music I chose is also quiet but kind of relaxing and I think it may be suitable for the poem

Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PL9gUujcAiaCZPY5wZ6F3BCozwZs7-uWes&params=OAFIAVgQ&v=-Gw0lBuYUOI&mode=NORMAL

Video:

https://youtu.be/W_Kk6v8H8ck

Memorization: Tree at My Window

Tree At My Window

Tree at my window, window tree,

My sash is lowered when night comes on;

But let there never be curtain drawn

Between you and me.

Vague dream-head lifted out of the ground,

And thing next most diffuse to cloud,

Not all your light tongues talking aloud

Could be profound. 

But tree, I have seen you taken and tossed,

And if you have seen me when I slept,

You have seen me when I was taken and swept

And all but lost.

That day she put our heads together,

Fate had her imagination about her,

Your head so much concerned with outer,

Mine with inner, weather.

Robert Frost

Found Poem

Mother love shapes cultures and individuals. While most mothers know that their love and emotional availability are vital to their children's well-being, many of us do not understand the profound and long-lasting impact we have in developing our young children's brains, teaching them first lessons of love, shaping their consciences … At a time when society urges women to seek their worth and personal fulfillment in things that take them away from their families and intimate bonds, Hunter invites women to come home — to their children, their best selves, their hearts.

(The cover of the book, The Power of Mother Love, Dr. Brenda Hunter)

Mothers know their love influence children,

But many don't know the impact on children's brains.

It's time for women to know

What their worth and fulfillment are in a child's soul.

To children, to hearts,

Cultures and individuals are shaped by mother's love.

Dorm at CA

Dorms at Cheshire Academy are more than just a place to sleep and study. These residential homes are also a place to unwind, study, talk to friends, listen to music, play games and find time to be alone. Living together on campus helps students and faculty to bond and forge lifelong connections. Friendships built here continue long after graduation.

Unwind, study, or talk to friends.

Be alone, listen to music or play the games.

Make connections when living together

And a friendship continues after it is established

Even if you are graduated.

More than a place to sleep and study

This is the dorm at Cheshire Academy.

Haiku

Another year's gone,

I can hear birds on the tree

Singing in the spring

Rhythm of the falling rain

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain
Telling me just what a fool I've been
I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain
And let me be alone again
The only girl I care about has gone away
Looking for a brand new start
But little does she know that when she left that day
Along with her she took my heart
Rain please tell me know does that seem fair
For her to steal my heart away when she don't care
I can't love another when my heart's somewhere far away
The only girl I care about has gone away
Looking for a brand new start
But little does she know that when she left that day
Along with her she took my heart
Rain won't you tell her that I love her so
Please ask the sun to set her heart aglow
Rain in her heart and let the love we knew start to grow
Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain
Telling me just what a fool I've been
I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain
And let me be alone again
Oh listen to the falling rain

I like this song because of not only its rhyming lyric and also the story it tells among the lyrics. It is pretty obvious that the lyrics are rhyming. Like the end words of the lines, "rain", "vain", "start" and "heart", they sound alike. Although the lyrics seem to be a little long, the words are actually simple. And the lyrics keep repeating in the later part. Thus, it is easy to memorize the whole lyrics of this song.

What's more interesting, the story in this song is impressive and kind of sad. It talks about a love story which a boy was attracted by a beautiful girl and had fallen in love with her. However, the girl in the story just went away and left the boy alone. The rest of the song tells how the boy missed the girl, and how sad he was. By using simple rhyming sentences, a simple but a little sad love story is shown in front of my eyes. In fact, if you listen to this song without noticing its lyrics, you might think that it is a happy and relaxing song. However, the lyrics are sad and regretful, which is opposite to what it sounds like.

Based on this three points, the rhyming lyrics, the beautiful story and the different feeling before or after listening to the song, it is really attractive, I think.

Poem-True Friend

True Friend

--Ashley Campbell

A friend is like a star that twinkles and glows
Or maybe like the ocean that gently flows
A friend is like gold that you should treasure 
And take care of forever and ever
A friend is like an angel that is there to guide you
A friend is someone you can trust out of a few
A friend is more than one in a million 
They are one in a ca-zillion
And you, my friend, are very special
and so it is official.

This poem is about true friends we have. I chose this poem because I think it is rhyming and lyrical. It's pretty easy to memorize. I like the sentences "A friend is like an angel that is there to guide you/ A friend is someone you can trust out of a few". They are educational and thought-provoking.

Reflection on project

     During the time working on my project about Pobby and Dingan, I learned a lot and really enjoyed working on it. I chose to write biographies because I think it's helpful to understand deeply about the novel. There were some questions which were not discuss in the class, such as the personalities of different characters, the motivation of one character's behavior, and the relationship between those characters. So I decided three characters to research for. At first, I thought it wouldn't be hard to finish a project, but when I began my work, I found that I had to spend a lot of time to read the book over and over again in order to find the clues.

     For the Ashmol's part, it was the longest essay which I spent more time on it. And it was the part that I talked about both Ashmol's deeper personalities and the main idea of the novel. Since the whole story was told in Ashmol's sight, there was abundant information for me to know more about Ashmol himself. His personalities appeared in the conversations and his mental activities, so it was usually harder to identify which part was more important that I could count it as a clue. At first I tried to focus on the more important chapters to find if there were any hints to show his features. After reading these parts over and over again, I found that they didn't help a lot. Since these parts were really helpful to reveal other characters' personalities but not really help explain Ashmol's, I had to search for the book once again. And then I realized that some chapters which were so-called no that important for the plot were more essential for me to dig deeper into Ashmol's world. There were some short chapters which seemed to be less important but actually helped a lot because they were simply composed of Ashmol's thoughts after an event happened. The longer chapters had to promote important events, so they seldom included what Ashmol's thought toward the events. So I then looked at these shorter chapters and started again. After I explored about Ashmol's characteristics, I realized it was easier to learn the main idea of the book. So I tried to discuss it a little bit in Ashmol's biography, but I didn't do very well. I thought there was a connection between the main character Ashmol and the main point of the novel, but I couldn't really connect them perfectly in Ashmol's biography.

     Kellyanne's biography was the one that I paired more attention on because I could know more about Pobby and Dingan, two invisible but important characters. Actually when I began to read the beginning of the novel, I was like Ashmol, considering Kellyanne as a "fruit loop". Kellyanne was like a autistic kid in the town and didn't know how to stay well with others; as a result, she created two imaginary friends in order to pretend that she was not lonely. When I finished reading the book for the first time, I felt really sorry for Kellyanne. Then I began thinking about Pobby and Dingan. I was confused the reason why Kellyanne created two imaginary friends with some different personalities and appearances. However, there was not much information about Pobby and Dingan in the whole story. The only clues I had were the descriptions and of their appearances and personalities. So I read them again and again. Then I realized that Pobby and Dingan existed for some reasons. So I explained the relationship among Pobby, Dingan and Kellyanne. And I thought it was a success. I was satisfied with Kellyanne's biography

     As for Rex's biography, it was kind of short because there weren't many plots talking about him and I couldn't find more about Rex himself. So I asked myself what I could work on this biography. It was hard to begin it because I failed to think about any ideas. I asked myself again: why Rex Williamson had an argument with his wife? Why there was a chapter talking about how life was when Annie was in England and had a great time with her ex-boyfriend? Then I realized that maybe that was the point I could explore about. If Annie was happy in the England and was not satisfied with life in Lightning Ridge, why she gave up her happy life in England and came to Australia with Rex? This was the point I could reveal because it explained how Rex's characteristics attracted Annie. Thus, I looked for some clues to help me understand this point and wrote them into the biography. I succeeded finishing it and was satisfied with my work.

     In a nutshell, I wasn't regret choosing to write biographies as my project. I learned what I didn't know in class.

     

Progress about my project

I've just finished Ashmol's biography and started with Kellyanne's right now. I am focusing on the parts of Kellyanne in the book and trying to find some details from the book so that I can start my essay. For Rex's biography, I will also be looking for plots in the book and turn them to a short biography, because the whole book doesn't talk too much about him. For the final work, there are going to be three different essays about three characters. I will get 10 copies of each so that everyone can have one. During the presentation, I will split the class into three groups and read different biographies and answer the questions I make.

Proposal for my creative project

You will need to submit a proposal (one per group) that says exactly what you plan to do, how you will do it, why, and what you hope to learn from it. Also discuss the estimated amount of time you think it will take and how you will break down the time into a project noting the days and times you will complete each part of the project. If you are working in a group, please specify exactly who will do what and when.

     For my own project, I'm going to play as a biographer to do research on the characters more deeply and explore the relationships from one to another. I will mainly focus on and discuss the characters like Ashmol, Kellyanne, Ashmol's parents and Pobby and Dingan. These five are the most important characters in both the book and the movie, and the story is developed around them. Also, there are other characters which are not so important but still help promote the plot of the story and thus I would also like to study them. In general, I will put more attention on Ashmol, the main character, and Kellyanne and her two imaginary friends. For me, I think the most mysterious characters are Pobby and Dingan. They don't even talk in the whole book because they are invisible. Their appearances are also described by Kellyanne but not be seen by others. As a result, Pobby and Dingan remain unclear to me. From my perspective, Pobby and Dingan represent different kinds of people. As Kellyanne says, Pobby is shy and quiet, and Dingan is beautiful and is a pacifist. Both of them are really friendly. But why does kellyanne think she has these two kinds of friends but not like others? Are these two different personalities represent some kind of Kellyanne's characteristics?

      Also, the main character, Ashmol, is also worth being studied. In the beginning of the book, it seems like he is a boy with no sympathy with his sister and doesn't believe in anything. Just like his dad, he concentrates on the opals and his boring life in the desert. But how does he change when Kellyanne is sick? Why does he agree to help to look for Pobby and Dingan over and over again? And why does he finally convince himself that Pobby and Dingan are in reality? And why does his dad acts like he truly believes that Pobby and Dingan are real and even takes care of them in the beginning of the book? How does dad know mom? Why mom doesn't choose her ex-boyfriend to marry?

     For my project, I think I will spend 8 hours in total to complete. The first 4 hours I will look back at the book, exploring the important quotes form it and thinking about how they relate to the plot. After that, I will collect and manage the information I get from the book to make an outline about what I am going to write in my biography. The rest of the time I will begin working on my essay talking about the characters I mentioned above. By objectly expressing the information I get from the book, I think I am able to learn more about this book and think more about these characters and the main idea of the book.

My own thoughts of Pobby and Dingan

     The book Pobby and Dingan is all about love and dreams. From my perspective, the quote saying "The secret of an opal's color lies not in its substance but in its absences" means something which is missing is more important than something that is already shown in front of our eyes. 

     The main character Ashmol Williamson is a boy living in Lightning Ridge in Australia. The Williamson family is struggling with opals all day long. Everyone in this family has their own problems. In the book, Dad is considered as a "ratter" by others in the town because of the accusation of Old Sid, who claims that Dad is stealing his opals in his claim; Mom is homesick and feels less hope and also angry about finding opals, and she also winders she might did a wrong decision for coming to Australia; Kellyanne is sick and is dying because of unknown reasons. As the only one who has no problems in the family, Ashmol has to do something to change the situation of his family. He tries to get into his Dad's claim at night in order to help Kellyanne to find her imaginary friends. Instead of finding their corpses, he finds a beautiful opal under the rocks. He decides to sell the opal for a funeral for Pobby and Dingan, although at first he wants to sell it for a holiday for his mom. He does so because he knows what is more important than money and those practical things.

     For Mr. Dan, the opal means money because of its beautiful colors; for Kellyanne, it means the corpses of Pobby and Dingan; for mom, maybe it values a holiday back to England; for Ashmol himself, the opal he found means hope. He thinks the opal is the only way to save his dying sister. After a series of changes happened to their family, Ashmal thinks he can only get his family out of such undurable situation by making Kellyanne feels better. Ashmol invites everyone in the town to attend the funeral holding for Pobby and Dingan, and the successful funeral makes everyone in the Williamson family feels better. The relationship between them has been warmed up again. Although there is a sad ending for Kellyanne, the rest of her life is covered by warmth from her family and even the whole town.

     Pobby and Dingan are invisible, but they are real. Because "perception creates reality", and Kellyanne perceives them, then they do exist in the world. The "absences" are actually the previous warmth in Ashmol's family. He finds it through the funeral and thus his family gets better again. Only when people feel warmth can they have hope and dream. So the Williamson family is able to dreaming about their future again. It's the "absence" which makes the whole family look wonderful and as shiny as the mysterious opal.

Quiz

1.What connection does Asmol make between the land covered with seawater and Pobby and Dingan? Why is that important to the story?

In chapter 9 in the book, Ashmol has a metal description saying "all this land where Lightning Ridge is now once covered by seawater and how all kinds of sea creatures had been found fossilized in the rock. I felt a shiver go down my spine..... Suddenly I thought how maybe if this amazinging was true it was just possible Pobby and Dingan were true too". Ashmol thinks that if the assumption of saying the town is once covered by sea water if true, then Pobby and Dingan can also be true. Because the town he lives is covered by desert entirely, it's hard to think about the land has ever been covered by water. Ashmol doesn't believe Kellyanne's friends are in reality, but this time by remembering what Dad has said, he realizes that everything is possible. Therefore Pobby and Dingan probably exist in the world. What's more, he doesn't want his sister to think that she has such a brother who "didn't believe anything". At least he can have a try to explore in the opal mine and maybe he is able to find something incredible in it.

This part is so important because it's like a plot showing how Ashmol changes his mind and attitude towards Pobby and Dingan. In the previous chapters, Ashmol is hardly believe what Kellyanne says. He doesn't believe anything about Pobby and Dingan. He thinks they are ridiculous. But after seeing his ill sister and remembering what Dad has ever told him, he realizes that if the whole world can be changed entirely during a long period of time, then nothing is impossible. Maybe his sister is right, maybe he himself just never notices Pobby and Dingan. This part Ashmol's attitude towards the two invisible friends has changed and after that Ashmol convinces that they do exist in the world. And thus he wants to help Kellyanne to hold a funeral for Pobby and Dingan in the next chapter.

2. In the very end of the novel, Ashmol talks about what it’s like to “believe in something which is hard to see. Or to keep looking for something that’s totally hard to find.” Discuss the importance of imagination and dreams in this novel. Why are they so important even if they cannot be seen. Consider what dreams Rex, the father, and Annie, the mother, have in the story. Consider, also, the dream that Ashmol has. How do those "unseen" dreams connect to Kellyanne's belief in Pobby and Dingan?

Imagination and dreams are always essential for people because they give us hope to life. They cannot be seen absolutely, but without them people won't have any enthusiasm to live or work. If we don't believe in anything, life will be boring and lack of creativity. Looking back at the history, if people didn't have any beliefs or imaginations for future, would computers, air planes and something else be invented? Certainly no. We need imagination and dreams to keeping working and exploring. In this novel, if the Williamson family has neither imagination nor dreams for life, they may be involved in such a bad situation forever- Dad is called "a ratter" without finding any opal and Kellyanne is dying because of the lost of friends. Only if they have hope and dream to for future can they get rid of this embarrassing condition. And everyone in the family is able to turn better.

Rex Williamson:

As a man in a family, he takes his family members to Lightning Ridge, where it is all covered by desert. He eagers to become rich by looking for opals like everyone else in the town in order to make a comfortable living condition for his wife and children. Also he wants his children to grow up healthily, so he cares a lot about Kellyanne. In his mind, to become a rich guy is important, but also family members are even more important than anything else.

Ashmol Williamson:

Ashmol wants to see his family members all healthy and happy. He doesn't want to lose any of them. He knows his mom is missing home, so he wants to sell the opal for a holiday for his mom. When he know his sister is really weak, he feels upset and anxious. He tries his best to make Kellyanne feel better. He also eagers to prove that his Dad is innocent, so he comes up with an idea by converting people's attention from Dad to Pobby and Dingan. The only dream he has is to have a happy family.

Those "unseen" dreams are sort of reflected in Kellyanne's belief in Pobby and Dingan. She believes Dingan has an opal belly button. She thinks Pobby and Dingan are always happy. That means she also wants everyone in the family is happy and full of hope to future.

A journey for one person

     As soon as I went back home, I immediately came up with a idea: why not travel to somewhere alone? Then I just made a quick decision and booked a train ticket to Xiamen Cirty, which is a city located in Fujian Province. I didn't expect too much at first about traveling alone, since I was still 16 years old and could not book any hotel. But my dad just agreed with my idea and said I could just go to Xiamen and live in his friend's apartment. That was great! So I spent a whole day preparing all the stuff for my journey.

     When I got there, the strongest feeling I got was excitement. Xiamen City left me a familiar emotion and I didn't know why. I could just take a bus and go somewhere like I was so familiar to any place without any help. I visited Ximen University at first. I had to say when I was young, I'd ever dreamed to enter this famous University. But I just chose to study abroad as I grew up, it was kind of regretful, though. And then in the afternoon, I took a ferry and left for a well-known island, Gulangyu Island.

     Gulangyu Island was so popular because of its rich history and different kinds of old buildings left. It was also popular because there were many local unique and delicious snacks. Visitors were always happy to have a taste of these snacks. I had lunch at first and bought a map, then I began my "exploration". However, I should've realized that maps would never work. I could always got lost no matter the maps showed how specific indicators were. And this time, fortunately like before, I got lost in an alley.

     It was an alley with old buildings with stones and old banyans. There was no any other sound except my breath and and the sounds of my foorsteps. Why there was no one else in this alley except me? Was this a strange alley that nobody had ever visited and so I was the first one to discover it? Or was it a scary alley where there were some supernatural things happened? I hoped not. And as lucky as I was, there was a little dog sitting at the road and looking at me. I thought it must belong to someone else. It had yellow fur and a pair of big black eyes. I was not terrified any more because of this cute animal. Finally I found an old lady sitting in front of her house by following the lovely dog. She showed my the way clearly to seaside and told me that I just went in an alley which was seldom visited by tourists. It was absolutely not a supernatural alley.

     I thought it was the most memorial thing I had on the whole journey. It was the first time that I got lost in an alley and had such an interesting experience. Maybe many years later I would still remember there was an old alley with old buildings and banyans. It was silent because there was almost nobody walking along. It was silent also because there were only a dog, an old lady and me.