The story begins with Jonathan Harker on a trip to Transylvania to conduct business with the Count Dracula. Johnathan is meet by the local countrymen who try to warn him of the Count, as while as one lady who gives him a crucifix to ward off the evil and danger.

Johnathan follows the plan and meet the carriage to be taken to the Count castle. The journey lead Johnathan to have more questions then answer as well as being terrified after nearly being attacked by angry wolves. Upon arrival the castle was dark and bleak and after being left by the carriage Johnathan began to fear what he had gotten himself into. However soon the Count had came to great Johnathan and he soon felt more at ease due to the Count hospitality, he also found the Count was very well educated after a few conversations. This ease left him within the few days as Johnathan realized he was was prisoner within the castle walls.

Quickly Johnathan realizes the gravity of his situation and the powers and agenda of his mysterious host. Johnathan was almost even attacked by three diabolical vampire seductresses in his half asleep state, though the Count stops them claiming Johnathan was his property though none of them realize Johnathan was awake to bear witness. With a desire to escape Johnathan scaled the walls of the castle hoping for freedom.

In the meantime Johnathan’s fiance Mina, is messaging her friend Lucy to find out about the multitude of men proposing to her. They later on meet at a small seaside town. While enjoying their stay a ship happens to beach with the crew gone and the captain dead, the only sign of life had been a large dog that had quickly ran off into the country. The ship had contained fifty boxes of dirt that was being shipped from Castle Dracula. Soon afterwards Lucy begins to sleep walk, to the point where Mina had found Lucy had left and was in the town cemetery. Mina was shocked as from the distant she had seen a dark figure with red glowing eyes bent over Lucy. Soon after this night Lucy began to be very ill and two tiny red marked had appeared at her throat which nobody could account for. Being left in mystery Dr. Seward send for his old teacher Professor Van Helsing.

Johnathan was eventually found in a city, suffer from brain fever supposedly. Mina had then went to meet him. After Van Helsing arrived in the seaside town he examined Lucy. Quickly after he orders her rooms be covered in garlic. The garlic worked and Lucy began to get better, though her mother was unaware of the garlic’s importance and removed it due to its odour which left Lucy vulnerable and she began her dissent into poor health again.

The pair of doctors tried over a week to revive Lucy’s health, including doing four transfusions of blood. One evening after, tirelessly trying to recover Lucy’s health, a wolf broke through the window of Lucy’s home. The shock caused Lucy’s old mother’s heart to fail. The wolf then proceeded to attack and kill Lucy.

Van Helsing tries to convince the other men that Lucy is of the un-dead, although they have doubts. There doubts soon left them after observing Lucy in her vampiric state preying on a child, which convinced them she must be dealt with. The following day they followed a ritual of vampire slaying to restore her soul to eternal rest. The ritual involved the men severing the un-dead Lucy’s head and stuffing her mouth with garlic, after driving a stake through her heart. The men soon after pledge to kill the Count himself.

After those involved in the hunt of Dracula regroup Mina and Van Helsing begin collecting all the journals and dairies, trying to patch together their information about Dracula and his future ambitions an plans. Their information lead them to the Count boxes of earth, which they work to purify so that the Count can’t use them as his sanctuary during the days. While on this mission, one of the mental patients let Dracula in where they had been staying, which allowed Dracula to attack Mina.

The men finished sterilizing the boxes of earth and Mina was beginning the slow transformation. With no places left to hide the Count was forced to flee back to his castle. The group follow Dracula, seeking to finish him off, they travel in two groups, one following by sea and another to cut him off by land. Mina and Van Helsing go across the land quickly and make it to the Count castle, where they’re met by the three female vampires. They use their knowledge of vampires to their advantage and safe guard themselves from the three and await the sunrise when they must go back to their un-dead bodies. The duo then cleanse the castle and kill the three female vampires then seal the entrances with sacred objects. The group following the Count catches him as he nears the castle, in the end they kill the Count using their knives. The group was together again and Quincey Morris pasted away from being wounded.

Count Dracula – The several hundred year old Transylvanian noblemen is descMurraribed as “tall old man, clean shaven, save for a long white moustache and clad in black from head to foot, without a single speck of colour about him anywhere.” The Count is shown to be very intelligent and forward planning. Dracula is quickly revealed to be a vampiric monster which incredible power. Throughout the book he commands animals, changes form to mist or a bat, has super human speed and strength, and has the power of hypnosis. Although he does have weakness, the Count is limited to the night and may only enter a building once invited in, as a un-dead he is also weak to charms such as the cross, communion wafers, and garlic. Dracula’s main intention is to move to the highly populated England , while their Johnathan sees him and he looks very young which infers he regains his youth by feed on others. Dracula has a tendency to pursue young women, such as the three females vampires he has at his Transylvanian castle.

Johnathan Harker – Johnathan is a young lawyer going to Transylvania to do documentation for a land sale on behalf of a friend he is working for. As he travels to Transylvania and arrives he soon meets Dracula, the person who he is conducting the land sale with. He quickly finds himself as a prisoner is the Count’s castle as recorded in his journal entries. Johnathan barely escapes with his life only to be pulled back into the mystery of the Count once he had returned home. After the Count preys on his devoted new wife, Mina, Johnathan dedicates himself to destroying the Count. Upon the final meeting with the Count Johnathan emerges as a brave and noble fighter.

Mina Murrey – Mina is Johnathan’s devoted fiancee. She is young and works as a schoolmistress. She is very smart, brave, strong, pure, and innocent although she does become one of Dracula’s victims later on in the book. She is best friends with Lucy and eventually becomes married to Johnathan during the novel. With her assistance the men are able to track down the Count and put his evil to a end.

Lucy Westenra – Lucy was Mina’s best friend and was portrayed as a flirtatious and beautiful young women, being proposed o three times in a single day. She becomes Dracula’s first victim within the story and after a seemingly long illness she suffers a untimely death. In death Lucy joins Dracula’s ranks of the un-dead, not by choice. This compromises her soul and revokes her from a eternal heavenly rest. Van Helsing and the other men feel she deserve the peace of being releases from her vampiric state, they followed a ritual of vampire slaying and restored her soul in hopes she will have her well deserved eternal rest.

Van Helsing – Van Helsing is a older man married to his work alone. He is a kind professor and a great scientific mind. He is open minded and knowledge about things of legends such as vampires. Due to this knowledge he was quick to realize what they had been dealing with and knowing they must destory the Count as he was a threat to humanity. Although his English is lacking his leadership is admireable as he helps guide the group in hunting down and fighting Dracula.

Arthur Holmwood – Author is the fiance of Lucy and the only son of Lord Godalming. Author does everything he can to help Lucy, he is the first to give blood for her transfusion and after seeing proof of Lucy’s demonic state he agrees to perform the vampire slaying ritual on her un-dead body. The lose of Lucy helps motivate Arthur to go along with and help fund the fight to hunt down Count Dracula.

John Seward – John is a talented doctor and Van Helsing’s former purpil. He is also in charge of the insane asylum. He was also one of Lucy’s suitors, who had been rejected. John was very rational and intelligent, as well as brave and dedicated.

Quincey Morris – Quincey is a American from Texas. He is one of Lucy’s suitors who happens to be proven brave, good hearted, and forgiving. Quincey also happens to be very wealth. Quincey is a idealization of an American male who bravely gave his life in their fight against the Count.

Renfield – Renfield was a old madman that was one of Dr. Seward’s patients. He suffers from a mental disorder cuasing him to want to consume other lives. He was a strong and refined gentlemen when he wanted to be. Renfield also came under the influence of the Count, who happened to move in very close to the asylum.

During chapter 16 Van Helsing, Arthur, Quincey Morris, and Dr. Seward go to Lucy’s grave. The grave was empty, as Van Helsing had predicted. Then Van Helsing shoves communion wafers around the openings of the door to prevent the un-dead Lucy from re-entering her tomb. The four men then sit in hiding and wait. Later on that evening a person clothed in white appears, carrying with them a child. The figure is, as reviled by the moonlight, a un-dead Lucy. As her mouth is stained with fresh blood she seems more like a monster than the Lucy they had all known.

Listening to Van Helsing the men then begin to surround un-dead Lucy. As they surrond her she lets go of the child and attempts to persuade Arthur, “my husband” as she said, to come to her. As Arthur begins walking towards Lucy, Van Helsing moves between them holding out his crucifix. After checking with Arthur, he agrees Van Helsing can preform whatever he must on Lucy’s body to save her. Van Helsing then removes the wafers from the door which lets Lucy slip into her grave. They then leave the site, taking the child and leaving them for police to find again.

The following night the men return with a stake and hammer, Arthur then proceeded to hammer the stake through Lucy’s heart. She screamed in pain but the deed was then done. Her body once again looked at peace, as though she had never been a vampire at all. Van Helsing and Dr. Seward then finish the deed by removing Lucy’s head and filling her mouth with garlic. The men a few night later then meet up once again, to discuss the hunting of Dracula himself.

Dracula is well known as one of the classic Gothic novels, chalked full of motifs, themes, and symbolism. So far I have really enjoyed it and I feel this is the deepest we have dug into a book in English so far well I’ve been at the Inquiry Hub. Part of digging deeper is the I-search assignment, in which we pick a motif from within the story and do some research on it to get a deeper understanding of the symbolism and other literary elements within the book.

The motif I have chosen to work with is the crucifix, a common symbol of Christianity. First to make sure we’re all on the same page the crucifix is a cross with a figure of Jesus being crucified, which was a ancient torture technique. A large part of the symbolism behind the crucifix is the belief that the crucifixion of Jesus brought about the redemption of mankind. Jesus is also seen as a symbol of salvation, strength, and hope to many people. Many Christians find relief and reassurance in these symbols in forms of necklaces, pendants, and other jewelry and art.

In Victorian times religious symbols were believed to ward off evil. Some would even say these evil creatures can be compared to sin, as in Jesus is saving or redeeming people from these sins. The following passage is what has strongly led me to the idea of the people in Victorian times had used religious symbols to protect themselves and ward off evils.

“She then rose and dried her eyes, and taking a crucifix from her neck offered it to me. I did not know what to do, for, as an English Churchman, I have been taught to regard such things as in some measure idolatrous, and yet it seemed so ungracious to refuse an old lady meaning so well and in such a state of mind. She saw, I suppose, the doubt in my face, for she put the rosary round my neck, and said, “For your mother’s sake,” and went out of the room.”

For my first post this year you will all get to learn of our current English project. We have created a new rendition of the Inquiry Hub reads again this year, except there are four groups doing four different books, the group I have chosen is Dracula. Dracula is well known as one of the classic Gothic novels, chalked full of motifs, themes, and symbolism

Through John Hawker written accounts we read about John first thee days at Dracula castle, starting from when he rode up to the castle in the caleche in the gloom of night. John had remarked that the castle was such a remarkable place, as well as the fact the castle looked very large in the gloom of the courtyard with dark great round arches leading from it.

After the caleche driver has disappear into one of the great archways John found himself alone and waiting in this mysterious courtyard and he began to feel doubts as well as fear, what sort of place had he came to an what sort of grim adventure had he left on? After waiting and worrying John was met at the door Count Dracula. John had at first noticed Dracula’s tall height, clean shaven face, and being absolutely devoid of any colour well being clad in black. After shaking hand John noticed the Count vigorous strength as well as the hand of the Count felt cold as ice more alike to a dead person than a living one. Dracula then had claimed none of his people to be available, so he helped John with his luggage and saw to his comfort personally which is unusual for a man of such wealth during the 19ths century. Although strangling upon arriving to his room John noted the log fire seemed as though it was fresher topped with logs. I felt this definitely foreshadows that Dracula has no servant and perhaps even he has no servants because the local people all fear him greatly.

By this point Johns fears and doubts had been forgotten, to which he realized he was famished with hunger. He found his supper had already been laid out for him outside his bedroom, Dracula then waved for him to sit and eat and apologized as he wound not join him in eating as he had already ate. Thinking nothing of it John ate and afterwards Dracula had offered him a cigar, which he smoked, well they chatted. During this time John could observe Dracula more closely, John had then described the utter foreignness of Dracula unusual, course and pale appearance. After chattng away the night Dracula left and John had gone to bed, an when he awoke he found a note from Dracula excusing himself for the day as he had other matters to attend to.

John had spent the day within a small library attached to his room, as he didn’t want to explore Dracula’s castle without permission. He found many interesting English books which appear as though the Count has been studying them. Later that evening John had dinner and smoked again with Dracula well chatting, an Dracula had once again excused himself as he had ate. Well chatting it became clear Dracula had studying quite well as he seemed to know more of the neighbourhood then John. After chatting the night away again, Dracula had left soon as morning came again.

The following day John writes how he feels uneasy, and how he wishes he had never came. He rationalizes these thoughts in part to what he called “this strange night existence” as well as the fact he has nobody else to talk to besides the Count. John then mentions how he feels he may be the only living soul within the place, this seems to foreshadow the idea of the Count being part of the un-dead. John wrote that he must not let his imagination run, otherwise he will be lost as earlier that day while he was shaving he did not see Dracula behind in in his mirror and couldn’t see him in it even when he saw him in the mirror’s direct line of sight. Although since he was frightened he had given himself a cut that bleed, Dracula seeing this his eyes turned to a demonic fury and he went to grab Johns throat, however John drew away and once Dracula had touched the necklace holding the crucifix the fury seemed to pass. Dracula then told John to be careful of getting cut, as it is more dangerous in that country then he realized. Dracula then noticing the mirror took it from John and threw it out the window claiming it was a foul bauble. After eating breakfast alone as the Count had left John had noted it strange how he still has not seen the Count eat or drink anything. After trying to explore the castle and finding many locked doors John came to a realization and claimed “ The castle is a veritable prison, and I am a prisoner!”.

This week has seemed to be very hectic, as I am working through most of my courses on pace or slightly ahead while still a wee bit behind in French from where i’d like to be, I have had a meeting for the energies ambassadors program, an SLC meeting, the water vortex IDS is starting to move along, an little reading or movement on the non-verbal communications IDS, and the solar panels IDS is looking to be more and more applicable to do. My plan for this weekend is to get some study time in for French and Math as well as my non-verbal communications IDS as I don’t think the book I am currently reading from Mr. Truss is pushing my IDS in the direction I would like, and lastly getting the English poetry assignments for next week done. As I do this this weekend next week I hope to be able to complete the third unit of French, the sixth unit of math, and we are scheduled to complete the poetry unit in English. This behind said there does not look to be a huge amount of time for my second and third IDS’ work next week, so I plan on doing a small experiment for my non-verbal communications IDS before the break so I have a video to study and compare my learning to over the break, so I then also have a resource to reflect my learning on after the break. For my solar panels IDS I would like to get a more in depth look at how different types of solar panels work and the advantages and disadvantages to the different kinds as well as for the micro invertors. For the water vortex IDS we have to pump and little initiative but I would like to keep that rolling by getting the batteries and needed tubing to start our proto-type next week before the break, an this looks like it may take up most of my IDS time next week.

Hello,

So since my course work has been on pace and going well, besides french, I have started two new IDS’. The first one is around non-verbal communications, it will be going into peoples emotional states and what produces specific results as well as learning the basics of body language, such as the “red flags” for deception. My second IDS which has a final initiative planned, is around solar panels and there inner workings. The goal is to learn how solar panels work, what works best, how solar panels are currently being used, and how solar panels are looking at being used in our immediate future. The final goal is to put up a small array of solar panels on the school building to off-set our energy consumption, as we are a heavily energy reliant school so problems such as a blackout would not be as problematic. The solar panels IDS will hopefully bring us towards making a large effort of becoming a greener school with a minimal, if any, sized carbon-footprint.

In the book I am currently reading, Pendragon book five : Black Water written by D.J. Machale, Bobby who is the main narrator was once a normal kid in school as well as an amazing athlete until his uncle Press whisked him away to become a traveler. Bobby who plays the main protagonist of the story is as I would consider, a very well rounded and dynamic character; as he faces many life altering challenges in the face of Saint Dane, who is the main antagonist of the story. As Bobby began his life as a traveler he was scared, nervous, and had no ability to take charge. When Bobby first began as a traveler his legs where quite wobbly and he felt like going home through most of his trip on Denduron, which was the first territory Bobby had gone to with his uncle Press as a traveler. As Bobby continued as a traveler facing many hardships along the way he has gained a large sum of confidence in the face of a challenge, although he may not be perfect as he works alongside the other travelers to beat Saint Dane he has become a much stronger, dependable, and confident character. Bobby has began to realize that he must take lead as the lead traveler against Saint Dane not just for him but for his fellow travelers and his friends back home on Second Earth, the territory which Bobby and all of us would be from. Bobby’s main purpose in the story is to follow Saint Dane to other territories that are reaching a turning point in there history, which Saint Dane tries to take advantage of for the worst to destroy halla. As I have not entirely finished the series of books I do not know a large amount of what halla is and neither does Bobby currently, but I can’t wait to read along on the rest of his and his friends exciting adventurers!

This has been an amazing week at the Inquiry Hub. I have been progressing in french and have been working on basic conversation with some other students and I believe french is going to get better for me now that I am comfortable trying to speak french with some of the more experienced french students, but I still need to finish this second unit during the break . In English we have finished the narrative poetry section, so during the break I plan on getting my I-hub reads report finishes and hopefully the next poetry unit. As I have said we are behind in Social studies so the class has to finish unit 2.3 over the holiday and we will be putting our noses to the grindstone in January to make sure we get on pace with socials, but I hope to jump ahead a bit over the break so then it is not such a heavy burden. Math is going quite well, I am currently wrapping up unit 3 and hope to finish or be near finishing unit 4 by the end of the break as I really have nothing to do besides reading and course work. Our science has been very steady all year and we have stayed on pace for the most part, all that is left for the current unit of chemistry is going over, I believe they were some type of acid bonds.  An Wilson and I should be able to soon wrap up our IDS in the New year, I am planning on clocking out at 50 hours for 2 credits though, as the project has not been fun or intriguing. The topic I would really like to start my IDS on is alternative energies, so during the break I plan to write up drafts to send to possible resources for supporting me through this IDS as well as reading whatever papers seem useful. But since this was the last week before the winter break we as a school had gone skating and had a potluck. The potluck was amazing with great food, and after a lovely snowball fight most of us went inside and watched rise of the guardians. Skating has easily been the highlight of my week though, I have never been able to skate on my own so I usually choose to stay on the sidelines and boards this time two amazing other students helped me with learning to skate for most of the time we were there and it reminded me off a great quote which I will use to end this post ” A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there” -Unknown

Since I haven’t been keeping my blog up to date I figured better late then never so to start lets begin with what I have done so far and where I am now. I am currently working through the third unit in math which focuses on exponents, I hope to finish this unit before the beginning of the winter break an to complete the following unit during the winter break. My next subject Science is currently being done in topical workshop sessions, we have finished the physics unit and are currently working on the chemistry unit, with the biomes an ecosystems unit as well as the weather unit to soon follow. In English we have worked through the short stories unit as a class and are currently working on narrative poetry, which I personally don’t seem to have a great grasp on I am also currently working on my I-Hub reads report which is being presented on January 8th alongside a trailer. In social studies we as a class have finished the first unit an have recently began on the second, we are behind pace by 4 weeks roughly so I hope that after Monday’s unit 2 project presentation I can talk at least a small group into collaborating over the winter holiday to work together on the socials studies unit 3 and 4. My current IDS (Independent Directed Studies) is working on a water vortex machine as a potential water fountain for our school. My partner Wilson and I have been having troubles with the project as we have not had a working pump for our proto-type an it has only recently been ordered, so we hope to have it finished sometimes soon after the beginning of the new year. I will hopefully be soon pursuing a IDS based around alternative energies and how they are used worldwide an how those ideas can be brought back to benefit Canada as a whole.