10/10/14
Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb – Visual Literacy
Front Cover – There are a number of visual
literacy techniques used on the front cover.
The Mummy – The mummy is in the middle of
the cover. This tells the audience that the
Mummy must be one of the main characters in
the novel.
Behind the Mummy in the background is a
cement tomb. In front of the Mummy in the
foreground there is text, it reads;
“What will wake the dead?”
The text used to get the audience to start
thinking about what “will” wake the dead.
The Mummy’s eyes are glowing red which
communicates to the audience the evil and dark
nature of the main character.
The border around the outside of the Mummy
looks like it is dripping with slime. Most
Goosebumps books have dripping slime on the
cover; this is because they are usually about
zombies, mummies or ware wolves.
The Title – The title is positioned in the top
quarter of the cover. It is blood red in colour and
the font looks like it is dripping down the cover
like the surrounding border.
Above the “Goosebumps” title is the author’s
name in black – R.L. Stine.
The actual title of the book is right down the
bottom of the cover in small white text. The font
is small in size and a standard or normal style.
Back Cover
14/10/14
The first thing we notice on the back cover in the
corner is a smaller version of the mummy from
the front cover with the same dripping border
surrounding it.
There is a blurb of text in the top half of the
cover. The blurb gives a little bit of information
about the story so the audience can decide if
they want to read the novel or not.
There is also a list of other “Goosebumps” stories
listed on the back cover. This is done so the
reader can choose another title to read if they
enjoy this type of novel.
Chapter 2 Summary
Chapter 2 starts with a drive from al-Jizah to
Cairo after picking Dad up from the airport. Once
back at the hotel Dad and Mum are informed
they must travel to Alexandria. Gabe does not
want to go, so they arrange for Uncle Ben to
come and take him to the Pyramids. The only
problem was Gabe was going to have to spend
time with his over-competitive cousin Sari.
Uncle Ben thought it would be funny to play a
trick on Gabe. He dressed up as a “Mummy” and
scared the life out of him when he and Sari came
to the hotel to pick him up.
This made Gabe upset because Sari was laughing
at him and making fun of him.
Chapter 3 Summary
15/10/14
Chapter 3 begins with Uncle Ben, Sari and Gabe heading to
the downstairs restaurant to grab some dinner. While
eating dinner the three have a conversation about visiting
the undiscovered parts of the great pyramid; Gabe is very
excited and found it difficult to sleep that night.
The next morning the three woke early to travel to the
pyramids; the air was already thick and hot as they
approached the desert. They made their way to a restricted
area and entered the pyramid where they noticed a huge
drop in the temperature as they entered the huge stone
structure. Uncle Ben and Gabe use the unsteady rope ladder
to lower themselves into the deep part of the tunnel; Uncle
Ben makes down safely, however the rope burns Gabe’s
hands and he falls to the bottom, hitting the sandy ground.
In Depth Passage Analysis
16/10/14
R. L. Stine gives a description of what Gabe feels and sees
and his reaction to what he sees and feels. This enables the
reader to imagine exactly how Gabe is feeling, because we
are able to experience every emotion.
 What is “imagery”?
An image is a photo or picture and an Author uses words to
write a story so, IMAGERY is simply like painting with words
to give the audience a picture in their minds of what is
happening in the novel.
Example:
“A Mummy. Glaring at me with round, dark eyes through
holes in its ancient, thick bandages”.
20/10/2014
The example above is the first description of a Mummy in
the novel. This description of the Mummy is important to
the reader because it creates the image of what the
character looks like. We know from the description that the
Mummy has “dark eyes” and “ancient, thick bandages”,
these words create a mood and feeling of doom and fear.
We know from this imagery the character of the Mummy is
evil.
Imagery in writing is important for a number of reasons. It
can describe characters, but also the setting.
“We ate downstairs in the hotel restaurant. There were
palm trees painted on the walls, and miniature palm trees
planted in big pots all around the restaurant. Large wooden
ceiling fans whirled slowly overhead.”
The last sentence in this passage tells us the weather in
Egypt is very hot and humid. “Whirling slowly” gives the
impression that the heat is so debilitating the fans even
have problems working efficiently.
The reader is given the impression or idea of “palm trees”
adorning both the internal walls and standing tall in pot
plants. Palm trees give shade in the desert from the hot
midday sun.
Short Sentences – Why Are They Used?
Short sentences are used in writing to create a sense of
urgency. Characters may be speaking quickly because they
need help or they could be scared. Short sentences are used
to create suspense in the story. It keeps the reader on the
edge of their seat, waiting for the next event to happen.
“I wasn’t scared. I just wish he’d arrive. Okay. Maybe I was
a little nervous.”
In the passage we can see by the use of short sentences that
the character is actually scared and nervous because Uncle
Ben is late. The short sentences create suspense.
Chapter 4 – Summary
21/10/2014
Chapter 4 begins with cousin Sari saving Gabe from crashing
to the ground after slicing his hands on the rope ladder used
to lower himself down into the previously unexplored
tomb.
Once safely in the tomb Uncle Ben introduces Gabe to some
of his workers, two men and two women. “Ahmed”, one of
the men isn’t comfortable with digging around in the tomb
because he believes that anybody who digs around in the
tomb will be forever cursed. Uncle Ben of course, doesn’t
believe that and is eager to discover new territory in the
pyramids of Egypt.
Chapter 5 – Passage Analysis
27 & 29/10/2014
“Sari!” Quotation marks are used to show the reader the
character is speaking.
My voice echoed through the long, curving tunnel.
The descriptive words “long, curvy tunnel” is used to create
dark imagery in the reader’s mind. The word “echoed” is
also used to reinforce the dark depths of the tunnel.
No reply. Short sentences create suspense.
I called again, and listened to my voice fading as the echo
repeated her name again and again. Repetition has been
used to reinforce the echo in the dark tunnel.
At first I was angry. Short sentences create suspense.
I knew what Sari was doing.
She was deliberately not answering, deliberately trying to
frighten me. A longer sentence structure is used to convey
the character’s frustration with the situation.
She had to prove that she was the brave one, and I was the
‘fraidy cat.
I suddenly remembered another time, a few years before.
Sari and Uncle Ben had come to my house for a visit. I think
Sari and I were seven or eight.
We went outside to play. It was a grey day, threatening
rain. Sari had a jump rope and was showing off, as usual,
showing me how good she was at it. Then, of course, when
she let me try it, I tripped and fell, and she laughed like
crazy. Here the author has used a simile to communicate to
the reader, just how Sari was laughing at Gabe. This in turn
reinforces her competitive nature and mean streak.
Language Features in Writing
29/10/2014
Alliteration - the occurrence of the same letter or sound at
the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
"The alliteration of ‘sweet birds sang’"
The repeated “S” sound of “sweet & sang” are examples of
alliteration.
Page 91 – “Again, something scraped silently against me”.
The reason why alliteration is used in writing is to
demonstrate the character’s actions or reactions to a
situation.
Chapter 5 – Summary
30/10/2014
Sari hid in a Mummy’s coffin to trick Gabe. The chapter
begins with Gabe remembering when he and Sari were
younger, and all the times his cousin was mean to him or
tried to make him look stupid.
Gabe was annoyed that Sari was older and still thought it
was funny to play tricks on him.
Uncle Ben was angry at both Sari and Gabe for wandering
off, because they didn’t follow his instructions and they
both could have been hurt as a result.
Uncle Ben and Sari found it amusing that Gabe was scared
by her prank.
This chapter was filled with both long (complex) and short
(simple) sentences. The short sentences were used to create
a sense of urgency and suspense, while the complex (long)
sentences were used to communicate the character’s anger,
frustration and general level of annoyance with other
characters in the text.
What Is Mummification?
03/11/2014
Mummification is the preservation of a body, either animal
or human. Some mummies are preserved wet, some are
frozen, and some are dried. It can be a natural process or it
may be deliberately achieved. The Egyptian mummies were
deliberately made by drying the body. By eliminating
moisture, you have eliminated the source of decay. They
dried the body by using a salt mixture called natron. Natron
is a natural substance that is found in abundance along the
Nile River. Natron is made up of four salts: sodium
carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium chloride, and
sodium sulphate. The sodium carbonate works as a drying
agent, drawing the water out of the body. At the same time
the bicarbonate, when subjected to moisture, increases the
pH that creates a hostile environment for bacteria. The
Egyptian climate lent itself well to the mummification
process, being both very hot and dry.
Why Did The Ancient Egyptian's Mummify Their Dead?
1. The Egyptians believed that there were six important
aspects that made up a human being: the physical
body, shadow, name, ka (spirit), ba (personality), and
the akh (immortality). Each one of these elements
played an important role in the well-being of an
individual. Each was necessary to achieve rebirth into
the afterlife.
2. With the exception of the akh (immortality), all these
elements join a person at birth. A person's shadow was
always present. A person could not exist without a
shadow, or the shadow without the person. The
shadow was represented as a small human figure
painted completely black.
3. A person's name was given to them at birth and would
live for as long as that name was spoken. This is why
efforts were made to protect the name. A cartouche
(magical rope) was used to surround the name and
protect it for eternity.
4. The ka (spirit) was a person's double. It is what we
would call a spirit or a soul. The ka (spirit) was created
at the same time as the physical body. The doubles
were made on a potter’s wheel by the ram-headed
god, Khnum. The ka (spirit) existed in the physical
world and resided in the tomb. It had the same needs
that the person had in life, which was to eat, drink, etc.
The Egyptians left offerings of food, drink, and worldly
possessions in tombs for the ka to use.
5. The ba can best be described as someone's personality.
Like a person's body, each ba was an individual. It
entered a person's body with the breath of life and it
left at the time of death. It moved freely between the
underworld and the physical world. The ba had the
ability to take on different forms.
6. The akh was the aspect of a person that would join the
gods in the underworld being immortal and
unchangeable. It was created after death by the use of
funerary text and spells, designed to bring forth an
akh. Once this was achieved that individual was
assured of not "dying a second time" a death that
would mean the end of one's existence.
7. An intact body was an integral part of a person's
afterlife. Without a physical body there was no
shadow, no name, no ka, ba, or akh. By
mummification, the Egyptians believed they were
assuring themselves a successful rebirth into the
afterlife.
Persuasive Writing Task – Assessment Task 6
07/11/14
“All people should be mummified upon death!”
For
Mummification preserves a
person’s shadow, allowing
the spirit to live on.
Against
Mummification is not part of
our culture. Australian’s
have different values
surrounding death.
Egyptians believe that by
It would be very expensive to
mummifying a person it
mummify every person who
allows them to live on as
died.
long as their name is spoken.
Mummifying a person
preserves their “Ba”, which is
best described as their
personality.
It would be difficult to find
storage to put all the
mummified bodies in.
Australia doesn’t have any
pyramids.
Mummifying a person
Not many people believe in
allows the “Ba” to move
the afterlife, so mummifying
freely between the physical dead bodies would be
and spiritual world. The “Ba” pointless.
can take on different forms.
Mummification is the only
Australia does not have
path which allows a
enough people who know
successful rebirth into the
how embalm people. The
afterlife.
waiting list would be
massive.
Language Features – Recap from Friday
17/11/2014
Noun – The name of a person, place or thing.
Common Noun - They are the subject and only capitalised if
they are at the start of the sentence.
Proper Noun – Is the name of something specific, like a
person, place or thing.
Verbs – Verbs are doing words or action words.
Adjectives – descriptive words.
How many & what kind? - Gives more information
regarding the amount or type of thing.
Examples from “Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb”
“The hand was attached to an arm. The arm hung stiffly
from an erect body. My hand trembling, I grabbed up the
flashlight and tried to steady the light on the figure. It was a
Mummy, I realised. Standing on its feet near the far wall.
Eyeless, mouthless, the bandaged face seemed to stare back
at me, tense and ready, as if waiting for me to make the
first move.”
Red = nouns
Underline 8 verbs
Highlight 3 pronouns
Language Features Activity
18/11/2014
A) “Slowly the sound of sinking sand” – alliteration
B) “Slowly, like a dream, the ancient figure rose” – simile
C) “Uncle Ben collapsed – a sack of sand” – metaphor
D) “Just a hunch.” He shrugged. - informal language
E) “Falling down. Without a sound.” Rhyme
Please write your own sentence using alliteration
Comprehension Activity
19/11/2014
Over four and half thousand years ago, the ancient
Egyptians lived an industrious and successful existence.
Ruled by a king who came from a long line of leaders
(known as a pharaoh), their society was famous for their
inventions and industrialisations. People survived in the
Egyptian desert mainly due to the Nile River, which flooded
the sand regularly and provided fertile crop land. The
people believed in heaven and the afterlife, in which they
could only enter if their bodies were prepared correctly – a
practice called mummification. The custom has allowed
modern day scientists to study and learn from the
preserved bodies of our ancestors.
Answers to comprehension
a)
1/12/2014
How long has it been since Pharaohs ruled?
RT
T&S OMO
__________________________________________________
b)
What did the flooding of the Nile River provide?
RT
T&S OMO
c) What was one thing you had to do to enter the
afterlife?
RT
T&S OMO
__________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
d) How has mummifying the dead in Ancient Egypt helped
us learn about life in those times?
RT
T&S OMO
__________________________________________________
e)
In our modern-day society, who would be Pharaoh?
RT
T&S OMO
Place these words in alphabetical order and find the
dictionary definition and record in your book.
mummy, ancient, pyramid, Egypt, cousin, vacation
1. Ancient – Of or in time long past especially before the
end of the Western Roman Empire AD.
2. Cousin – The son or daughter of an Uncle or Aunt.
3. Egypt – Is a hot dry country, located in Africa.
4. Mummy – The dead body of a human being or animal
preserved by embalming.
5. Pyramid – a massive structure or building made of
stone in the shape of a pyramid. Constructed by the
ancient Egyptians.
6. Vacation - A period of time where people don’t have
to go to work. They have time for recreation activities.
Compound Words
03/12/2014
Definition – A compound word is a word which is made up
of two different words that have put together to make a
new word.
Sail + boat = sailboat
White + board = whiteboard
Car + pet = carpet
Eye + lash = eyelash
Butter + fly = butterfly
Pencil + case = pencilcase
Eye + ball = eyeball
Activity – Write 3 sentences using at least 6 compound
words. You can use the words we have discussed, or think
of your own. The sentences must link together.
I wish I was on a sailboat, sailing across the cool blue ocean;
watching a butterfly flying by.
My eyeballs are blue like the sky; where a butterfly flies and
so do dragonflies.
(using like or as in a sentence is called a simile).
If I went on a sailboat I would be very sea-sick. I would be
able to see lots of fish, such as a catfish.