Introduction (Children of Blood and Bone)

In english we are stating to learn to write our essay. Today we did the Introduction. This is mine 

The novel Children of blood and bone by Tomi Adeyemi is about a girl who tries to save magic with her friends.
In the text, the relationship between Zelie and Yami helped me to understand the character of Zelie. This is because it showed me How when Zelie puts her mind to do something she will do it to her best ability, How she does not quit, and how determined she is to succeed.

Essay Planning

    In English we are looking our Essay for the story Children of Blood and Bone. We were put in groups to brainstorm about how we wanted to answer the Essay question, Describe a key event in the text. Explain how that event changed an important character. Here is what we came up with

    Our Key event is When Zelie, Tzain, and Amari entered into the ship fight and won, getting the sunstone.

    The character we chose was Amari, and the changes we found was: she becomes stronger, she becomes less afraid, the thought of the lioness was sitting inside her brain, and slowly subconsciously making her stronger and more powerful, she faced her fear of killing, and she stops being 'a prissy little princess, and becomes a fighter.

Critical Literacy Questions for Children of Blood and Bone

In english we have been reading Children of blood and bone. I have finished the book ahead of the class so.... ya. It was a good book, but I won't talk about it in case of spoilers. 

Warm-up…
Who would be most likely to read this text and why? Young adults, it is very action packed, definitely not for younger readers as it is a little bit graphic and is slightly suggestive.

What sort of genre does the text belong to? fantasy adventure.

What does the author of the text want us to know? (Could be many things here) People aren't their parents, discrimination is a thing, and how it can be implied. you are stronger than you know? I dont know any others


Let’s get critical…
Whose views are excluded in the text? Privileged in the text? People like King Saran, Tzain, Kaea, are excluded, and Zelie, Amrai and Inan is Privileged, meaning they get to talk

Who is allowed to speak in this text? Zelie Amrai and Inan

Is the text fair? Not really, because they don't show the king's perspective, or Kaea's, who have the opposite goal then the main three. 

What positions, voices and interests are at play in the text? The interests shown/are at play are that the maji are good and should be brought back

Why is the text written the way it is? (3 characters’ viewpoints) So you get more sides of the story, you get information that the characters dont know, it makes it more interesting

Hope these answers are good. 

Novel study - Children of blood and bone (Chap 3 - 13)

In English we are doing a novel study on the book Children of blood and bone by Tomi Adeyemi. After we read the some of the chapters we write a statement on a connection to the real world, a message we took from the scene/passage, or wondering that we have. I'm a bit a head, so here is Chapters 3, 4, 9, 13. 

Chapter 3 – Amari
“I am afraid not, Your Highness. I saw it with my own eyes. Their magic was weak, but it was there.”
Skies…
What does this mean for us? What shall happen to the monarchy? Are the maji already planning an attack? Will we have any chance of fighting back?
Memories of Father before the Raid play in my head, a paranoid man with grinding teeth and forever graying hair. The man who forced Inan and me into the palace cellar, placing swords in our hands though we were far too young and weak to lift them.
The maji will come for you, he warned. The same words every time he forced us to spar. When they do, you must be prepared.
A message I take from this scene is That, they think all the maji are bad and dangerous. They seem as if they are jealous of them, so they project their jealousy as hate.


Chapter 4 - Zélie
I bite my tongue. There’s no point in arguing. Strong and handsome Kosidán that he is. Tzain doesn’t understand why I need Mama Agba’s training. Boys in Ilorin try to be his friend, girls try to steal his heart. Even the guards flock his way, singing praises of his agbön skills.
He doesn’t understand what it’s like to be me, to walk around in a diviner’s skin. To jump every time a guard appears, never knowing how a confrontation will end.
A message I take from this scene is that Zelie has a slight resentment to her brother because everyone seems to want to be his friend, and he doesn’t have to be afraid when a guard comes knocking, while Zelie, as a deviner, is afraid when the guards come because one wrong move can mean her death, and non-diviners don’t want to be around her Because then the guards attack them as well


Chapter 9 – Zélie
“Mama, are you okay?”
Tears come to her eyes, spilling into the wrinkles of her dark skin. “It’s been so long,” she whispers. “I never thought I would feel the warmth of magic again”
…
“I feel,” she chokes through her silent sobs. “I feel like I can breathe again.”
I feel that when Mama Agba’s magic disappeared, it would feel like a huge whole in her chest would have opened up, and her touching the scroll and getting some of that back would fill that hole and make her feel like herself again.


Chapter 13 - Zélie
I turn back toward Amari and try to let it go. But in her eyes, I see her brother’s. I feel his hands choking me.
“I want to trust her—”
“No, you don’t.”
“Well, even if I did, I can’t. Her father ordered the Raid. Her brother burned down our village. What makes you think she’s any different?”
A message I take from this scene is That Zelie is scared that Amari will betray them, and can’t let go of that fear. She can’t forget what Amari’s family did, even if Amari herself had nothing to do with the raid.

Novel study - Children of Blood and Bone.

In English we have started novel studies. The book we are looking at is called Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. After we finish a chapter, we have to make a link to a part in the chapter. Here is Chapter 1 and 2. I only did 2 though

Chapter 1 - Zélie
I move to help her, but she slaps my hand away. “Ode!”
Fool, she scolds me in Yoruba, the maji tongue outlawed after the Raid. I haven’t heard our language in so long, it takes me a few moments to remember what the word even means.
This could be compared to New Zealand history. Māori language was oppressed for so long, which has led to us not knowing the language so well anymore.

Chapter 2 – Zélie
“It’s a diviner tax.” I grip the draped fabric of my pants, still haunted by the guard’s touch. “They came for Mama Agba, too. Probably hitting every home in Ilorin.”
Tzain presses his fists to his forehead as if he could smash through his own skull. He wants to believe that playing by the monarchy’s rules will keep us safe, but nothing can protect us when those rules are rooted in hate.
This could be compared to Black people at the moment and how things are unfair for them, and the rules seemed to be made out of hate. It can also be related to Apartheid when the whites avoided the Blacks, like the norms are avoiding the Diviners.