DRACULA

Is this a real, true story? Or part of it? Which elements are real and which fiction?

Dracula isn`t a complete real story, it is only part of it. The author, Bram Stoker, had read about a prince called Dracula. This prince was the ruler of a country called Transylvania and he was a very cruel man. He killed many people in horrible ways and many stories were told about his cruelty. After his death, Dracula`s grave was opened, but his body wasn`t found there. People of Transylvania believed that he wasn`t dead.

At the time of this story, people in Transylvania believed in vampires. It was told, then, that vampires didn`t die. They said that vampires rested during the day and moved on the night. They attacked people and drank their blood and the people who were attacked also became vampires. People were very frightened and they protected themselves in many ways, like carring a Christian cross around their necks or having garlic plants in their houses. The story was based in a lot of real elements, like places, beliefs, and another facts, but it is an invention of Bram, that use this elements to create a very interesting story.

Describe Dr Van Helsing and explain why he is important in the story. What do we learn about vampires throughout the story?

Van Helsing was an old Professor and he helped all the characters during the story. He was very important because he knew a lot about vampires. Dracula was the most important problem in the story. When Lucy became paler and paler, Van Helsing examined her with great care. The two red marks in her neck worried him very much and he brought Lucy a lot of garlic plants. Then, he taught Arthur and Johathan how to get Lucy to rest in peace. He helped Arthur and Jonathan to save Mina`s life, because when she drank Count`s blood, she would became a vampire. At the end, Professor Van Helsing put holy bread in Dracula`s tomb. He helped Arthur to go to Drácula`s castle to kill the vampire, and Mina`s husband hammered a sharp stake into his heart. That`s how Doctor Van Helsing helped to keep Mina safe. Dracula was finally dead. During the story, we learn that vampires have white hair and face, very red lips, long and sharp teeth, long and pointed nails, they are invisible in the mirror and they are very powerful. They could became dust and were able to change into animals or birds. Vampires were turned away by pieces of holy bread, and people believed that garlic plants would protect them from vampires. We also learn that vampires rest during the day and in the night they attacked people and drink their blood.

Dracula Writting

Is this a real, true story? Or part of it? Which elements are real and which fiction?

Dracula is not a real story, but part of it is. The author, Bram Stoker, took the character of Count Dracula from Vlad III who has been a Prince of Valaquia (today the south of Rumania). A lot of stories had been told about Vlad and the people he killed. But something strange happened, when Vlad III died, his tomb was opened and his body wasn’t found there. People believed that it was truth that he was a Vampire and until now his body hasn’t appeared.Other fictitious thing based in the truth of the existence of Vampires. The information that Dr. Van Helsing told in the story was truth, all that information had been recollected from people who had lived in Transylvania and other nearly villages that knew this story. So we learn that the story about vampires wasn’t invented by the writer, this was believed at same time of the story by people in Transylvania. The things that the characters had done to destroy the vampires and to prevent them, like Garlic, Holy Bread also hammering a Stake in Dracula’s chest is now a day believed too.The only fictions tips of the story were the characters except Dracula and also the story is fiction, which was invented and written by Bram Stoker in 1897.

Describe Mina. Why was she in danger in the story? What happened at the end?

Mina was Jonathan’s wife, a nice and brave girl, in the middle of the story Dracula made her drank his blood, so she enter in the transformation of a vampire that put the life of her husband and the other main characters in danger but she was very brave, because she said if she became dangerous for them or if she transform into a vampire they must kill her, and that’s why she was very brave, because I think that none of us would like die.
But when she drank Dracula’s blood she could knew what Dracula was thinking in that moment. Another bad thing was if she died before Dracula was killed, she would be a vampire from the rest of her life. Luckily Dracula is killed in the end of the story when he is hammered a stake in his chest and Mina was alive, so she didn’t transform into a vampire and she stay with Adam without being a vampire.

DRACULA

Dr Van Helsing was one of the most advanced scientists of his day, and he had, I believe, an absolutely open mind.
He is best known as a vampire hunter, the arch-enemy of Count Dracula. The story tells us that Van Helsing knows as much about obscure diseases as anyone in the world.
It is Dr Van Helsing who first realizes that Lucy is a victim of a vampire and he guides his friends in their efforts to save Lucy, this is why he is important in the story.
What we learn about vampires throughout the story are the following things: They rest during the day and they get up at night when their power is useful. They never die, that's why people always was scared when they thought about them. There were three things people could do to kill a vampire: first open vampire's coffin, then hammer a sharp piece of wood through his heart and finally cut off his head. When vampires find a victim they attack it by doing a mark on his troath, a red bloody mark. Transylvanians protected themselves against vampires in many ways: by wearing a cross around their necks, puting garlic plants in their houses, praying to God.
Dracula is not a real story because vampires didn't exist, but there was a Count called Dracula many years ago. He was the ruler of Transylvania in the fifteenth century. The following element is real: the setting place, because London and Transylvania (it is now part of Romania) exist. A fiction element is the vampire's figure, which people was frightened by.

Describe Dr Van Helsing and explain why he is important in the story. What do we learn about vampires throughout the story?

Dr Van Helsing was Arthur’s old teacher. The text talks about him like he was a good person because he helped a lot to the four friends (Lucy, Arthur, Jonathan and Mina) instead of saved persons to were attacked by vampires.
This old teacher is very important in the story because he was the person who tried to help Lucy when she was changed to a vampire and obtained that Lucy could rest in peace. Also he could save Mina when Count Dracula made her a vampire. The Dr. hypnotized her every day so Dracula’s power was not as strong as it used to be. When she was hypnotized she told to the teacher and to Jonathan things that were related to Count Dracula. With Van Helsing ideas they could save Mina.
And the most important thing that the teacher made was to help Jonathan and Arthur to killed Dracula.
We learn about vampires that they rest during the day and at night they go out to look for blood, when they take the blood of a person, this one change into a vampire. Also we know that putting a circle oh holy bread around a person, is safe to be attacked for a vampire.
At least we learn another thing about vampires; to destroy them we have to find the place where they rest and put wooden stakes trough their hearts and then we have to cut off their heads.

Dracula

Is this a real, true story? Or part of it? Which elements are real and which fiction?
Dracula is not a real story, only a part is, the Count Dracula really existed, in the XV century in Transylvania, and he was a terrible person because he killed people in different and horrible ways. The fictions elements are that Dracula was not a vampire, that are monsters that can not die, rest during the day because before sunset they are not powerful, they drink people’s blood, and after that the person that is attacked comes into a vampire. But one thing that is true: after Dracula’s death his grave was opened but there was not any body in side. The fiction story says he was alive, and was a vampire but this is not a real thing to me.

Describe Mina. Why was she in danger in the story? What happened at the end?
Mina was Jonathan’s wife, and she was very brave, because she said if she became dangerous for them (Dracula had drunk her blood and she had drunk Dracula’s) they must kill her, and, I think that is a very courageous act. In the story she was in danger because since Dracula had taken her blood she was in his power. And if she died before Dracula was killed, she would be a vampire to, and could do all that Dracula asked for. At the end of the story, Mina was still alive, and Dracula was not, so she was safe again.

Writing: Dracula

Is this a real, true story? Or part of it? Which elements are real and which fiction?

Dracula is not a real story, but part of it is. The author, Bram Stoker, inspired the character of Count Dracula in a prince who lived at that time in Transylvania, called Dracula. A lot of stories were told about Dracula and his cruelty to the people he killed. After his death, his tomb was opened and his body wasn’t found there. People believed that Dracula was not dead.
Another fictitious thing based in the truth is the existence of Vampires. All the characteristics we learn throughout the story about vampires weren’t invented by the writer, they were believed at the time of the story by people in Transylvania. The three things that had to be done to destroy vampires, used in the story against the vampire of Lucy and against Dracula at the end, were believed too.
However, all the characters except Count Dracula and the entire story are fiction, invented and written by the author.

MIna

The aim of this composition is describing Mina, Jonathan Harker's future wife.
When the story starts Mina said Jonathan he should go to Castle Dracula, in Transilvania, she wanted to Jonathan finished his business with Count Dracula.
In the middle Mina received Jonathan's letters from Transilvania. Although she got worried about the letters (they were short and strange) Mina didn't go to find her future husband and she went to her friend's house. Lucy West.

When Dracula was staying in his new house, in London he knew Arthur and Jonathan were trying to destry him and he made Mina drink his blood. Because she had drunk the Caunt's blood she was in his power.
Everytime Dracula knew what was thinking Mina and could make her do what he wanted.

At the end Jonathan took a sharp stake and hammered them through Dracula's heart. Then Arthur cut off the vampire's head. They saved Mina because they had killed Dracula. She wasn't in his power anymore.

mail from dennis tito

hi!

So I think you know where I`m writing from but well I think I`m a lucky enough guy to win a holiday to hawai. man here it`s like a oven I`m dieing from the heat but the waves here are mounstrous i love them it`s like seeing a moving building (literaly).

well it`s a very beautiful place here i like all the beaches i have visited and the people here is very nice to me. now I`m having a masage and i just can`t describe this... no.. i can describe this...this is the best.

Ok i think its time for another surf season so i will write to you later. i hope you are ok

See you in a week

Dennis

Dracula - Further practice

Choose TWO of the following suggested topics and write between 100-120 words.
a) Describe Dr Van Helsing and explain why he is important in the story. What do we learn about vampires throughout the story?
b) Describe Mina. Why was she in danger in the story? What happened at the end?
c) Who were Lucy and Arthur? What happened to them in the story? How did they help the protagonists?
d) Is this a real, true story? Or part of it? Which elements are real and which fiction?