Last written assignment

This is to remind you that you need to send me the last written assignment - The Personal Statement, by email. You have until the 23Dec to do this. Also, if you have done the homework in the book but haven't let me see it you, you can email it to me by this date. I'll be getting in touch soon with your marks from the last speaking assignment.

Happy holidays!

my name is...

Hello everybody!

Here s Anca: Romanian, second year student, second year in Portugal and I badly miss my family... I enjoy playing tennis, I adore Marat Safin and I love samba and the Br. Portuguese...nice to meet you all! :)

The house of beauties

All I could see was darkness; a sinister atmosphere where all I could breathe was fear. I didn t remember how I got here, but I did recognize the place, and even the feelings it created insie of me. The only light that was guiding me was the moonlight, a beautiful and always a complete one, that reminded the terror books I used to read, where all crimes were commited at night. I tried to calm down, as my heart seemed to thro out of my chest; I laid down on the wet ground, facing up, looking at the moon, as searching for direction: these are the bizarre feelings we all had when we left the "Temple". Once a week, we were obliged to have a short, night walk through the forrest that surrounded the House, in order to oxygenate the brain, refresh the sight ad breathe pure air.

Suddenly, out of nowhere a creepy man s voice called my name and he took me by the hand: "It s time to go back now. Your walk has finished; say goodbye to the moon! Come!" I reacted naturally and, in spite of his weird appearance, he inspired confidence. We walked in silence; our footsteps and the breeze of the night were the only sounds around. By the time when we arrived home, he pushed me into a big room, which seemed more like big cage. The Temple s entry was made through a little garden, full of big red flowers that emanated a strong opium fragrance, which in a few seconds would leave ourspirit lazy, as though it were in a daze.

The Temple was inhabited mostly by women, the only man allowed being Owen, the guard that accompanied us outside. All of us weresupposed to be sold. Until the transaction was done, we had only to wait, to take care of our bodies and maintain a younger appearance. To find a buyer could take months and sometimes years; the deadline for a transaction to be made was up to five years. After this period of time, the women who continued unsold were burnt, as their feminity was considered lost. In fact, what was sold was the concept of beauty; each one of us had different features, because we came from all over the planet: from tall, blonde, blue-eyed Russians to body-curved ebony Africans and mysterious, submissive Asian women, we were all beauty icons for the rest of the world.

I knew this day would come and I felt happy for Anna, eventhough I was already missing her. Anna was one of my best friends. She was bought by Chanel and had to leave the Temple. This was our purpose, this was what we all were waiting for: for a famous, rich company to buy us. Anna had fulfilled her mission and I was sure she would be fine. As for me, I m still waiting...

Bang Yong Guk (방용국) _ I REMEMBER (WITH Yang Yo Sub OF BEAST) _ MV

Coming assignments

For those of you who weren't in class on Friday the timetable for assignments is as follows:

Friday 2nd Dec - discursive writing in class - everyone must be present
Wednesday 7th Dec - preparation for speaking assignment
9th and 14th - speaking assignment in class - everyone must be present
16th preparation for personal statement writing
Personal statement must be sent to me by 23/12 carolynleslie25@hotmail.com

Are children the new slaves?

Are children the new slaves?

According to the statistics given by International Labor Organization there are about 218 million children between the age of 5 and 17 working all over the world. This includes the use of children for military purpose and child prostitution
After the class where we discussed about sweatshops I remembered Martin Niemöller `s poem and I asked myself when did we stop caring for others (especially children)? If we stop caring for others why should others care for us?
And there are so many things we can do in order to help others. Don´t Know where to start? Then here it goes some ideas. Some are very easy. Just call a charity to volunteer, donate something you don’t use, buy food for a homeless person, stop to help, do a chore, lend your ear and voice . I am ashamed to admit that in the last couple of years I haven´t done enough to help others. But I decided that it has to stop because if I want to live in a fair world I have to do my part. I have a dream that one day things and money won`t be more important than people.

Poem
First they came for the communists ,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

CONEHEAD`S LAND
They were lost in space for 105 days. The food had almost gone. In the last 20 days they had been eating only one meal per day. Another day had passed. They were getting desperate when thunder was heard, and a ray of light lightened the spaceship. Next thing they knew they were in the greenest planet they had ever seen. For a moment they thought they were back home. But a climatic change in the last decade had made the Earth nothing more than a desert, where most of the food had to be grown in greenhouses. Looking around them, they saw strange creatures eating grass, others walking on a small river and what looked like cats jumping from cloud to cloud.
“John”, called Peter.” Where the hell are we? ”
John shook his head while looking mesmerized at an animal that seemed like a square and said, “I have no idea!”
Meanwhile, two dwarves with cone heads approached and before they were able to grab their guns they were once again teletransported. They were now surrounded by hundreds of dwarves and in front of the most beautiful woman they had ever seen.
“Greetings “she said. “ I’m Angel, the guardian of Conehead`s land. I want to know who you are and why you are travelling through space”
“My name is John and I’m the captain of the spaceship. We came from planet Earth and...”
She didn’t let him finish and with disdain she said “You’re humans! I have heard about you. You have almost destroyed yourselves. You have any respect for nature and now you’re suffering the consequences”
They were now ashamed because no one could deny the fact that mankind have been selfish for centuries. To everyone’s surprise Dan who was the shyest one of them all started talking “You’re right. It’s embarrassing to admit it and as a biologist it is even more that we didn’t care enough about the environment and other species.”
“Admitting it doesn’t change things “she said, “And you haven’t yet answered why you were so far from home”
“We were on mission to find a new planet where we could live“, said John.
“What! Isn’t it enough that you have destroyed yours? Now you want to destroy another one “her voice was becoming more enraged “You will never learn. You were just trying to solve the problem instead of trying to understand and fix it. That way you will never learn “
“What else can we do?” asked John “We have tried everything and not even the most brilliant minds of the world have found a solution.”
“We can help you “she pointed to the dwarves “But in exchange mankind will never again be allowed to rule the Earth. No human being will ever have the power to put himself above other beings. Think about it, because once you say yes there is no comeback”
They looked at each other and at the same time they all yelled “Yes”.

Hemlock

Hemlock

I submerged the plant gently into the lukewarm water and gaped in awe with the light coming through the translucent leaves, for it was probably the last embodiment of beauty that I would ever see. Aside on the table lay its root. I grabbed it and begun to chew. Five minutes were enough for an infusion, one could presume, so I drank it up. I wondered if I were to experience the symptoms that Sōkrátēs described and was waiting for something to happen when a whispered Why reverberated in my mind. Why then:

Enough was enough. I couldn’t bear what the world had become anymore.

It had all started twenty years ago when they set the operation into motion. Despite what the government argued the purpose of it was to turn everyone into well programmed beings, all equal with no original ideas and no thoughts of their own.

First they eliminated all social benefits increasing general vulnerability. Then they advertised what was supposedly the best paid job with less working hours. But little did these people know that they were going to pay with their individuality.

I saw it happen to my next door neighbour. She was a lively girl with aspirations and dreams. Now she’s a listless automaton shuffling along the corridors.

Not long after taking the job she made known that every day before lunch everybody would go to a room to do this so-called passive gymnastics. A harmless device shaped like a helmet was placed above their heads for a whole hour. She also gave out that these sessions were relieving her mind. All her fears and anxieties were fading away. She had no longer thoughts of rebellion. No cravings, no longings. No feelings whatsoever, I would say. Everyone was gradually becoming this way and things started getting out of hand. What was supposed to be something to make people stupidly happy and blindly obedient turn out to be a complete state of stagnation. People contributed less and less and apathy was spreading rapidly, this culminating in people not producing nor procreating. It was a barren land full of empty wombs.

Then it was the constant deaths, for the unresponsiveness was so serious that people starved due to it. The few of us that escaped this slaying of the soul grew weary and lonely. Eventually it became unbearable. Many started taking their lives.

I reckoned Hemlock was a fine choice. I myself also “Refused to recognize the gods recognized by the state”, the gods of nothingness and nihility.

Nereide Ribeiro

Nº 30807

Listening assessment

Listening
assessment

Just to
let those of you who haven't attended recently that there's an assessed
listening task in class on Wednesday 23rd and everyone must be present.

The End

I didn't want to wake up. Every night I went to sleep overwhelmed with fear and anxiety, wondering if this would ever be over. I didn't want to wake up in a world where I can't be free, where I can't spread my wings and let my soul fly. This...my life? It was no life. I was an object, something expendable and disposable, as were the rest of us. The funny thing is, deep down I knew we weren't expendable, for the world needed us to create the future...to create life! The "expendable" tag we had was given to us by our Lords. Yes, that's what we had to call them. "You are nothing! Your sole purpose is to serve Gillead, the best world that has ever existed!". This is the only dialogue our Lords had with us. And I have to say, it was more than enough...

We all had to stick together to deal with the pain, both physical and mental, the handmaids, I mean. Some of us were stronger than others. I can say I was one of the stronger ones, because I wouldn't let myself get brainwashed by all the murmurs and screaming and physical abuse we had to endure. Ofbrad, though, had broken a while ago, and wouldn't leave her room except for her abominable duties. Ofjohn was always frantic, almost galloping around the house. It must have been her way to keep her mind busy.

As for myself...I'd try to cling on every memory I had of my previous life. I cherished and felt every single thing I could. My favorite place in the house was the back yard...the chirping of birds, the soft breeze blowing gently through my skin, the comforting smell of fresh grass. These feelings were so familiar to me, they reminded me of happiness.

And family...Oh, I miss them so much! I had a husband and a son and I was theirs, no one else's. But after this new regime started, I was forced to forget about them and focus on my new task...no, my new obligation: breeding. In a logical way I have lots of children, I shouldn't miss just one of them. But he's the one I love, the one who was born from love. He was mine, and I was his.

This intense longing to be with them was killing me from the inside, but it was keeping me alive and sane at the same time. I had to get out of that house as fast as I could! I just couldn't take it anymore...so one foggy day I decided to get to work. The Lord and his family were having dinner; I found a way to distract the guards for a while, using a radio to create a small explosion in the west end of the house. I ran for it, got to the barbed wire fence and tried to climb it. It was tearing my skin, the pain was excrutiating. The guards had heard me! They came back, running desperately like wolves chasing a prey. And that's exactly what I was. The four armed men pulled me back and threw me on the floor. Then I knew it was the end; they beat me to death. I had offered myself to Death, just like that...but, in reality, I didn't want to live in a world where I couldn't live.

Abduction (based on The Day of the Triffids)

Marie sighed, getting ready to face another complicated, bothersome day. The mother of two had begun to detest her life after the explosion of flashes. To think she was going to embark on a glamorous cruise, finally going to get some time alone with her husband. But no, she now had to attend to her blind daughter, as her husband rested in the hospital, having suffered a car accident. The middle-aged woman, noticeable by her graying hair found her routine tiring and boring, but today she would regret those thoughts, as someone rung the bell at Marie’s doorstep, surprising the woman – she seldom had any visitors.

“Yes?” she asked, as she opened her front door to see three men standing in the barren wasteland that was her front yard. It wasn’t surprising; the city council had ordered the extermination of all sorts of flora, after outbreaks of a weird behavior in plants in the centre of the country. However, those men weren’t ordinary at all. They were clothed in black suits, and wearing thick, dark sunglasses, preventing anyone from recognizing them. “Mrs. Marie Roberts?” the man who had rung asked with a deep baritone, noticeable among his colleagues by being the only bald one, sporting a thick scar on his head.

“That would be me, yes” the green-eyed woman felt really uneasy, gulping. Nothing good ever came when she felt that way, that lump in her throat. “We are the SS (Special Services). Do you mind if we come in?” Marie’s eyes widened when confronted by that request. The SS had been created recently by the President, and citizens were asked to listen to all their requests. “It’s about the blindness outbreak” Marie’s eyes almost bulged out of their sockets – the woman almost couldn’t hold the shock that filled her. That term was what the news used to refer to the event of November 2018 that had blinded 99% of the world’s population.

“Come in” she opened the door and reluctantly led her guests to her living room, inviting them to sit on her couch, even though one refused, the one who was taller and more muscular than the others, who stood stiffly next to the couch. “The truth is we need your collaboration, Mrs. Roberts. We have information that you are one of the 150 people in this country who hasn’t been blinded by the flashes” the bald man spoke without any restrains, bombarding Marie with the harsh truth. “W-W-Wai-Wha… What?!” the woman stuttered, finding it complicated at first to form words, but the man had no time to let her be consumed by her thoughts. “It’s the truth. We need to take you to our laboratories instantly…” he spoke in a cold, pragmatic way.

Marie, however quickly gained her composure. “Even if it is the truth then... Why would you need my cooperation? I am just an average housewife! And I will definitely not abandon my daug-” she exclaimed, standing up, enraged, but quickly passed out, falling to the floor, something impaled on her arm. “We’re sorry but…” the bald man took off his sunglasses, revealing blank eyes. “You never had a choice in the matter”. Marie’s disappearance was never reported, nor Natasha and Julian Roberts’s disappearance that same afternoon...

1st oral assignment

This is just to remind you that your first oral assignment is in class on Friday 11th Nov, and probably Wednesday 16th Nov too. You need to be in class on both days as you are also being assessed on your active listening and on asking questions.

Have technological advances had a positive effect on the lives of people in your country?

In my point of view the answer is absolutely yes. My country is affected by many positive advantages derived from technology for instance the daily use of the internet and the computer itself as well as the television with all its multinational programs. All these information channels supply us with news from all over the world. As a consequence the people become better informed and more critical. For example, citizen can compare different prices online offered by different vendors. So their decision is based on more information because of the use of technology. But for sure, technology also bears risks,however, that is another story and should perhaps be told a different time.

Have technological advances had a positive effect on the lives of people in your country?

In my country technology has been implemented in society and culture, faster and faster and with an increasing force. In my understanding, there are both advantages and disadvantages in this implementation that has been occurring all over the years. Communication becomes more accessible, the information "runs" faster and more easily. Medical advances surprise us everyday, and the education becomes changeable supplemented with technology. Today, living without technology in my society is quite impossible, however, we must not drop entirely in a technological life. Technology complements, it doesn't substitutes. An email doesn't taste like a hug, a site doesn't taste like a book, playing a computer game doesn't taste like playing in the street. Clearly our country has evolved considerably in many ways with the technological development, it's up to us people, to choose between the advantages and disadvantages that technology can offer.

Technological Advances

Day by day technology has been implemented in our culture and society, today, it’s quite impossible to live without it, it brought us great benefits and led us to a globalized world.What is often forgotten is that great developments lead to great responsibilities. For example, Industry as we know it, dismissed much of the human work, obviously when mechanized the work becomes faster, but on the other hand, this led to a major pollution and to a new type of unemployment. Like everything, the technological advances also have their advantages and disadvantages.Of course, we can enjoy what the “modern world” has to offer, but we should also evolve gradually with the technology. Without forgetting the human being’s role in the mechanized world he created.

Have technological advances had a positive effect on the lives of people in your country?

Technological advances have

Have technological advances had a positive effect on the lives of people in your country?

Technology most definitely improved the conditions in which people live in my country. There are more Cape Verdeans outside the country than in it, and until the spread of computers (thanks to technological improvements that made them more affordable) and Internet, it was very difficult to deal with the costs and limitations of long distance communication. Now almost everyone can have endless video conferences from their home via Skype, and for those who can’t afford that, there’s a cybercafé in every corner, which is also a positive effect, allowing people to start their own businesses. The internet has also had a huge impact in learning as it allowed access to information and knowledge that was never possible before, since the libraries were very limited in resources. Last but not least, technology improved medical care by enabling the discovery of cures and treatments for many serious diseases.

Have technological advances had a positive effect on the lives of people in your country?

In my opinion, technology had a positive effect in my country because it mades us closer to each other contributing to globalization. Made some aspects of our life who were once hard, made them easier and had a strong impact in some areas like Medicine for example. Of course it has its downsides but it's up to mankind to impose litmits on the usage of technology.

Have technological advances had a positive effect on the lives of people in your country?

The advance of technology has greatly changed our society, completely revolutionizing the way we do almost every single thing we do. For example, hundredths of years ago, it was simply impossible to communicate with someone on a different country without having to wait at least a month. However, currently you can chat directly with someone on the other side of the world using the internet, with programs such as Skype and Windows Live Messenger. It has also done wonders in other fields, like medicine and industry, improving our quality of life and allowing a better organization and propagation of information. However, this has also made us rely much more on technology, and if we don't take care we might end up completely dependant on it.

Technology in Medicine

   In my opinion technology had a major effect on Medicine, today is almost impossible to imagine hospitals and health centers without technological devices.

   Nowadays to diagnose or treat a disease we use pieces of machinery designed to the effect like RXs or ultrasounds.

   Technology also made the pharmaceutical industry much more productive and affordable to almost everyone.   

1st written assignment

This is to remind you that your first written assignment is due to be handed in in class next Wednesday, 19th October.

WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1- Jemima Djata

C) The Handmaid’s Tale:

The kitchen was finally cleaned, the stove was still warm, but everything was in its place. It’s funny that even with all the furniture, food and dishes, the room still had an empty feeling. Like the feeling you get at an abandoned house, even if you see pictures, furniture, and clothes, there’s this weird silence that tells you that something isn’t right. I believe this happens because no one feels comfortable here, as if none of us is actually free.

I remember when I was free, when I was happy, when I used to make plans. I miss those days: full of sounds, colors, smells and laughter, yes that’s what I miss the most, the sound of children (and adults too) just being carefree.

I miss being able to choose my own clothes, not having to whisper, not being alert all the time, but I guess being a Martha isn’t that bad. I mean a Handmaids life is worst. I can’t even imagine going through what they go through. Honestly I think I’d rather be an Unwoman.  And I don’t even envy the Commanders’ Wives, they all try to hide it, but you can see that they’re not happy either. It must be really frightening to come to realize that although you are in a higher position, you feel as miserable as those below you.

I don’t like going outside, I don’t like acknowledging the Angels presence. But I love watching the garden, so well kept, the trees, the flowers, the grass, it’s as if the gods were reminding us that they haven’t lost hope on Humanity just yet.

Everyone’s expressions were telling a different story anyways. We were all just conforming to this new world order. Everyone had an opinion about it, good or bad, but most of us wouldn’t even admit to it, let alone say it out loud. No, it was too dangerous. Not that we didn’t trust our friends, but you never know who could be listening.

That’s why I don’t mind being a Martha, when you are constantly working, constantly checking this or that, responding to this person or the other, you don’t get many chances to think about your position, your life, or the dreams you used to have. And therefore there aren’t a lot of opportunities for you to get into trouble.  And when the night comes and you get to rest, you are too tired to think about anything, too tired to even dream. Actually I don’t recall the last time I had a dream, I mean not even a nightmare. I think our reality is far more frightening than any nightmare we could think about. And if you think about it when you live the way we’ve been living, there’s not a lot more a person could fear, right.