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
Sunday, November 27, 2011
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.
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”.
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”.
Monday, November 21, 2011
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
Sunday, November 20, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
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...
Sunday, November 6, 2011
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.
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