Grade 10 - Blog Post Four

Phantom of The Opera

(Leroux, Gaston, Phantom Of The Opera, HarperPerennial, 1987 )

The newest book I have started on recently is the book "Phantom of the Opera". This book is about an opera "ghost" / phantom, who lives in the basement of the Opera. He takes a liking to the young Christine Dae, and disguises himself as her Angel of Music and tries to help her gain her popularity and love, no matter what it takes. With all of the chaos happening around her, Christine has no idea what to believe. Is she to believe in her angel of music or her childhood friend and lover Raoul?

A. This week I want you to identify two significant elements from the book you are currently reading. You may choose an element of setting, a character, an event, a quotation or really anything 'important' in the text thus far.

From the book I am reading, I am identifying the significance of setting and a character. The first element I am going to start of with is Character. The character I think is significant is Erik, the Phantom of the Opera. I believe he is a significant element from the story because he is something unique and different. Rather than your normal bad guy, he is a genius, mischievous and stunning. The things the phantom does is something questionable and very different. He lives under the Opera, and yet he has everyone at his feet. Fearing him, paying him and maybe even respecting. A quote to support this is "The ghost! Suppose, all the same, it were a ghost who puts the magic envelopes on the table... Who talks in Box five... Who killed Joseph Buquet... Who unhooked the chandeler... and robs us!" (Gaston, 227). The phantom is significant to the story because he is the antagonist of the story, he himself, creates the whole story. He controls how the story is to go since he knows his way around the opera house, and he has everyone pretty much obeying him. Without him, there would be no story and if he weren't trying to win over Christine forcibly or willingly, there would be no conflicts.

I also think the setting is significant to the story because of how many places the Phantom could hide in. He lives in the Opera house and he knows his ways around and can easily plot his attacks and traps. The quote to support this is "You have shown me over the upper part of your empire, Christine, but there are strange stories told of the lower part. Shall we go down?" She caught him in her arms, as though she feared to see him dissapear down the black hole and, in a trembling voice, whispered: "Never! ... I will not have you go there! Besides, it's not mine... everything that is underground belongs to him!"" (Gaston,147). This quote relates because it indirectly explains how the Phantom owns the lower half of the Opera house. They are fearsome of the Phantom. Also, if he wasnt living in the Opera house and say, somewhere more simple, It would be harder to pull tricks and attacks on your victims.

Grade 10 - Blog Post THREE

Autobiography of a Face
(Grealy, Lucy.Autobiography of a Face. Houghton Mifflin Company. 1994.)

The book that I would like to introduce in this blog post is "Autobiography of a Face". I haven't been able to read too far into the book. Though I do know this book is an autobiography on Lucy Grealy's childhood and how she had to grow up with pain and suffering due to the surgery done on her jaw. She finds it hard to deal with everything as it is, since she was bullied, felt unloved and rejected and desperately wanting to be perfect.




1. Describe the character in your novel with three words.

• Self-conscious : The meaning of self-conscious is to be insecure with oneself. Two synonyms are anxious and bashful. Two antonyms are assured and secure.
• Destitue : The meaning of destitute is to be wanting something. Two synonyms are bereft and needy. Two antonyms are lucky and secure.
• Ashamed : The meaning of Ashamed is to regret or to be remorseful. Two synonyms are abashed and distraught. Two antonyms are defiant and shameless.

2. How do you know this character has these qualities?

The way I know the character Lucy Grealy has these character traits is because these of the hints provided within the text. Though it is not provided directly in the text, I can tell Lucy is self - concious because of the quote "I'd expertly turn my own head away, pretending I was only just then aware of something more important off to the side. I'd tilt away at exactly the same angle each time, my hair falling in a perfect sheet of camouflage between me and the camera." (Page 11). This quote explains how Lucy would hide her face from other's so they wouldn't have to stare at her distorted jaw, and because she never liked when people looked at her face. By doing this, she shows that she is bashful about her looks and dislikes when people look at her. This making her self - concious.

I can also tell Lucy is desitute because of the quote "Their approval or disapproval defined everything for me, and I believed with every cell in my body that approval wasn't written into my particular script." (Page 4). This quote explains how Lucy is needy for other's approval. She wants the world to accept her as she is, but she feels rejected by her peers because of her appearance.

By the quote "I took it as a sign to cry, which I did, ashamed of myself, unable to meet my mother's eyes as she began telling me not to, to hold it back" (Page 83) I can tell that Lucy is ashamed of herself. She is ashamed of how she turned out and how others perceive her.