Task 35

Task 35
Excerpt 2 – ‘The Rats’ by James Herbert
I liked this excerpt, because the way it creates horror is it has lots of suspense, like ‘Guilfoyle had worked hard that week’, how this creates suspense is it tells us that Guilfoyle has worked hard, but it don’t tell us why he worked hard, so that the reader carries on reading to find out why he has worked hard. Also the story builds lots tension like where it says, ‘Shivers ran along his spine, to his shocked brain’, how this creates tension is it makes the reader feel what the character is going through, because it says that, ‘shivers ran along his spine to his shocked brain’. What else I like about this excerpt is that it tells us about the characters feelings and the pain the character is going through, ‘he felt the pain again in his outstretched left hand...he tried to gain his feet again as he felt more pain in his leg...flesh was ripped away from the back of his neck’.

My Opening
My arm throbbed, my leg bled, my head ache, but all he could care was about himself and his safety so he fled. All he could ever care is about himself, not even his closest, most loyal friend, no more than a friend...a brother! I would have helped him if he was in my shoes, but no he left me to die! I know, I should try praying to the lord, even though I haven’t been the holiest person in the world, but I might just be forgiven and helped. My neck is probably fractured, my ankle is most definitely broken, my fingers squashed, by the nasty youth run over my hand, like a herd of angry bulls, catching their prey. I’ve tried calling for help, but my voice seems hoarse, unable to shout. What should I do? Wait there’s somebody there...they can’t see me...wait they are looking at me, they can see me! My prayers have been answered, oh lord I will worship you more than ever if I survive this trauma! They’ve called help; my prayers have most defiantly been answered. My ears have been pulled by my stalker, but I still can hear the sound of distant sirens. All I want right now is to be alive, please, please, please lord I pray for my humanity, which you have snatched from me!

Task 34

Opening 6
I liked this opening because I thought it was very detailed about the person’s life, ‘What my lousy childhood was like...that stuff bores me’, the way this gives some details of the narrators life is because she is saying that her childhood was lousy and that she can get bored easily. Also what I like is that the narrator is writing about their family. I think the writer has moved on about talking about their family in such a way it all links together. The story is very informal, ‘goddamn autobiography...He’s got a lot of dough...and all that David Copperfield crap’.

My Opening
I know you can’t wait no longer so I might as well tell you before you explode. You’ll probably want to know about me before I carry on. My life so far is totally boring, I went to school for 3 years and dropped out, weren’t bothered to go, I mean can you wake up at 6’oclock in the morning and get ready, go school and come back at 4’oclock? That is like 10 hours a day wasted in school. My mum and dad never bothered to go either, they thought school was a load of crap, and so did my brother. Let me tell you about my brother he is one of those people who sell drugs for a living, you know drug dealers. He does make a lot of dough, like my parents. My dad’s a garbage man and my mum’s a supermarket cleaner, in big stores like Tesco. I want to be an actress when I’m all grown up, my parents thing I won’t because I don’t go to school, what do they know you don’t need geography or history to learn how to act, it’s easy just don’t be yourself, how hard is that? I don’t have many friends around her, my brother says it’s because of my attitude, but who cares who needs friends when they are going to be famous.

Task 33 - Christmas Letters

It was the night before Christmas and all through the house
Everybody was writing, except for my wife.
Though that may sound impressive, it’s not, for you see,
All our kids have moved out, leaving just her and me.
I’ve been pounding the keyboard for hours without rest,
In an effort to pen this in pure anapaest.
There are times things don’t turn out the way we had planned,
But it seems that my wife doesn’t quite understand.
She continually bugs me as I try to write,
“Are you planning to get one more thing done tonight?”
“Though it is time consuming,” at last I declare,
“Every word must be placed with the utmost of care.”
“Well, I’m sure you work hard not to make a mistake,
But I really think you ought to give it a break.
We have presents to wrap, and there’s food to prepare.
There are things you could do besides just sitting there.”
“It’s a type of a poem Dad told us to write
About Christmas. I hope to get finished tonight.”
“Then I think that you’re wasting your time. Don’t you know
That the prompt for that writing was two weeks ago.”

I had help from my older cousin, she helped me a lot because i was stuck for help!

Friend

Someone always there when I am alone,
There, when I am going through hard, rough times.
There with you in every shake of your bone.
Even when you are sick of doing rhymes,
There with you in times that are heartbreaking.
By your side in every step of the way,
Even if your heart is so badly aching,
Your are somebody who I will share my
Secrets, even the embarrassing one,
You’re my best friend in the whole of the sky,
I’d go to you when I’m in need of fun.
Nobody will be a good friend like you,
Even though I need a new friend, that’s true.

Task 30 - Hurt

The deep, red blood which pumps inside my chest,
Is rushing up into my aching head.
It's telling me to take a long deep rest.
Please tell me that my body is not dead.
I feel hard, stinging pain that unleashed from,
Under my moisturized, clear, beautiful
Skin. I hope I can still go to my prom
Tonight, it was a plan so wonderful.
Until this horrible disaster came,
Silently and very quickly to
Take away my popularity fame.
My voice that know sounds like a quite moo,
Leaving me alone to die by myself.
Slowly I’m gone to the top of my shelf.

Task 29

Part 1
My life is full of exciting days now,
Before it was a grey cloud of dullness.
I like to sleep day and night, everyday,
Sometimes I can’t come out of my warm bed.
I like going on to the computer,
Though my mother thinks I have gone crazy.
I really like watching TV a lot,
Even though nothing exciting is on.
I’ve got a trampoline in my garden,
I like to jump, and jump, and jump, and jump.
On my fourteenth birthday I would like;
A big party in town hall with all my friends.
I like to eat chocolate it is yum,
I don’t mind it nutty or caramel.
I am part of the English workshop,
If I don’t finish this task by mid-night,
I’ll be in trouble with my mean teachers,
Evil Mr. Savage and Ms Ali.
I don’t like to skate I always fall,
I fall and hurt my bottom on the ice.

Part 2
Outside the window:
I look outside the window, I cry,
The world has turned into a massive bomb.

What I’d like to eat:
There is no cod in Pakistan, instead,
There is a whole lot of crunchy chicken.

A recent dream:
This has got to be a dream. I’m dying.
Please help me, there is fire everywhere.

Annoying tasks overdue:
Task 29. The deadline is mid-night,
What shall I do I haven’t finished yet.

My body:
My throat is dry, my forehead is sweating.
I think I am coming down with something.