A collection of our best writings By B2 ESL students at EOI Luarca. An ebook by Alex, Elena, Graciela, Jose, Mercedes, M贸nica and Vicky. May 2012 Teacher: @mjgsm
Books, TV and cinema Sci-Fi priority In my opinion science fiction genre is the most common, successful and enjoyable nowadays. But I also think that even from the very beginning of cinema’s history there has been a tremendous effort to recreate the most unbelievable dreams of humanity. For instance, George Meliés, in 1902, made an incredible science fiction work called “A trip to the moon”, with some features that even the cleverest and most erudite scientist wasn’t able to image at that time. And that’s why I believe Sci-Fi to be the most interesting genre for the audience. It allows us to image how our future will be. Today’s cinema has achieved that, with visual FX, everything can be shown on the screen, so the audience is now getting used to watching a virtual background beyond the characters and a huge amount of effects between them, bombing the beholder persistently. People usually prefer that kind of entertainment instead of a realistic story so I believe that it’s a way of evasion from our dull life. Alex
Gulliver’s Travels review Gulliver’s Travels is a satiric novel written by the Irish Jonathan Swift and was first published in 1726 without mentioning the author’s name. Although it has been mainly considered as a children’s book, it is actually a scathing attack on society and human condition, but obviously disguised as a travel’s book around picturesque countries, which was a common genre at that time. The story is narrated by the main character, whose name, ‘Gulliver’, only appears in the title. After a brief summary about Gulliver’s life, the plot develops his experiences in four parts, one for each of the fantastic countries he accidentally visits. The first one
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 2
happens after a shipwreck, when he wakes up on a beach in Lilliput, fastened to the ground by the natives, who are no more than 15 cm tall and called him Man-Mountain. Not only doesn’t he make harm to inhabitants, but he helps the Emperor to win a battle against their enemies in the island of Blefuscu and he also saves the Emperor’s Palace. But once he was warned by a friend about the Lilliputians’ intentions of getting rid of him by leaving him starving, he manages to escape sailing with Blefuscudians’ help. After two months since his return to England he enlists again in ‘The Adventure’. This ship was forced to land on an island called Brobdingnad whose inhabitants were giants. He was founded by a farmer who shows Gulliver as a curiosity across the country and takes him to the court. Gulliver leaves Brobdingnag when his cage (a house to be transported in) is picked up by an eagle and dropped into the sea. In his third voyage, after being taken by pirates, he ends up in a floating island called Laputa where everybody is devoted to mathematics and music. In this travel he also visits Balnibarbi, the island of Glubbdubdrib, and Luggnagg. After sailing to Japan, he goes to Amsterdam and from there he goes home to England. Finally, in Gulliver’s fourth voyage, as a captain, he was abandoned by his crew in a land populated by Houyhnhnms, rational-thinking horses who are the rulers and are served by Yahoos, who are brutish humanlike creatures. This novel has become classic in universal literature and has also inspired many films. Nevertheless, to be honest I should admit that I’ve been unable to finish reading it, because although I love books about journeys, I have found this ‘masterpiece’ boring and not easy to read due to his eternal prose describing everything in detail and also because you need to look at many explanations to understand Swift’s references and allusions, as well as some classical words. Therefore, I am sorry but I cannot recommend this book to anyone and much less to young readers. Elena
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 3
“O is for Outlaw” This book, written by Sue Grafton, belongs to a series of ‘alphabet mystery books. I had already read one of them before, “T is for Trespass”, and I have chosen this one because I thought it was a chance to read an original version by an author that I really like. Sue Grafton is a popular female crime writer who started the ‘alphabet’ novels with the letter A after her own divorce and she confesses that Kinsey, the main character, is her alter ego. This time, the plot is set in 1986 in Santa Teresa, the California home of Kinsey Millhone, who is a private investigator and was a cop during two years in the early 1970s. One day she receives a call from a storage space scavenger in Olvidado, who sells her a box of her own memorabilia for twenty bucks. The things belonged to her first ex-husband, Mickey Magruder, a former vice cop who had been evicted and, among the items inside the box, she finds an undelivered letter that had never been opened. In the letter, her friend Dixie confessed to have an affair with Mickey and revealed that they were together the night Mickey was believed to have killed a drunkard after a bar fight, 13 years ago. Kinsey had refused to pass as Mickey’s alibi because she thought he was guilty and walked out. Now, after reading the letter, she discovers he was innocent and decides to track him down, but she finds he has been shot and is unconscious and under police protection in a hospital. She gets in contact with the police and, although she has been out of touch with him for years, she turns into the main suspect because of a call made from Mickey’s apartment. Then, curiosity drags her into an investigation that unearths secrets from her ex-husband’s past and present. As she comes closer to find Mickey’s shooter, she puts herself in serious danger. I think Kinsey Millhone is a clever, loyal and tenacious woman who faces her past bravely in her struggle for justice, with the aim of repairing her unwitting mistakes and getting square with her ex-husband. It’s amazing how easy she can play invented characters and situations when she calls to get information without being indentified. I also like her next-door neighbor, named Harry, who is always worried about Kinsey, like a father. In conclusion, this is a highly recommended installment. The plot is intriguing and it is impossible to predict how it would end. I recommend this gripping story which will hook you from the very first page. I am sure that I will read another of these original ‘alphabet’ novels soon. Elena
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 4
THE HOBBIT
The hobbit is the first novel written by Tolkien and settled in a world of fantasy that he later developed in his trilogy called The Lord of the Rings. We can certainly say that The Hobbit is a wonderful introduction to that masterpiece sequel, so it is recommended to start with the first one before reading the second one. This enchanting tale was made up for the author’s children in the 1930s, but once it was published, it achieved enormous success. The story tells the awesome adventure of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and a group of dwarves. They were all called to an unexpected party at Bilbo’s by the wise wizard Gandalf. Bilbo lives in a comfortable hobbit-hole in the ground and as any other hobbit he likes quiet and food, while he dislikes adventures and has never gone beyond Brandivino River. But things change for Bilbo after the meeting, when he sets off as a burglar with fourteen dwarves and Gandalf’s help on the most amazing journey ever imagined: going to the distant Lonely Mountain to recover the treasure stolen to the dwarves by the terrifying dragon Smaug. They run dangerous adventures, such as being captured by goblins under the Misty Mountains, where Bilbo meets the nasty and hissing creature Gollum and he finds the later famous ring which makes him invisible when slipped on his finger. They were also caught by trolls, which are fantastic creatures that must be underground before dawn, otherwise they go back to the stuff of the mountains they are made of, and never move again. On the other hand, they also meet extraordinary characters, such as Elves in Rivendel, where the dwarves and Bilbo stayed at least fourteen days at Elrond’s Last Homely House; and Bearn, who is called Carrock and is very strong and a skin-changer: sometimes he is a huge black bear and sometimes a great strong man. Bearn keeps cattle, horses and great fierce bees, but he never hunts or eats animals. He warns the travelers against the perils of Mirkwood, where they have many more dangerous and weird adventures. The book is quite shorter than The Lord of the Rings, highly entertaining and easy to read. At the same time it displays all Tolkien’s talent with a fluent narrative technique that takes the reader’s mind to incredible fantasy lands with magical animals and unforgettable characters.
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 5
For all lovers of fantasy and adventure novels this book is a must, a real delight. Elena
What makes science fiction films so successful? A long time ago science fiction was considered as a minor genre, but a recent survey has shown that nowadays this is one of the most popular film-lovers’ likes all over the world. Greatest advances in latest decades could be the reason and explanation for a significant increase in movies that tell us stories that although completely impossible today, perhaps might exist or happen in the future, as we are being witness to a flourishing technological revolution. The genre Science Fiction embraces quite a few terms: utopia, hope, fear of the future, fantasy, social denunciation, political indoctrination or just adventure. But to answer the question of what makes general public get hooked to science fiction movies in recent days, we need to focus on those things that are shown in films and are totally implausible in reality, like highly developed tools or artifacts, biological engineering, aliens and explorations that can go further than any known scientific principles can allow. Finally, I personally consider, since the majority of people do not have economic possibilities to skip from routine, cinema is a pastime everybody can afford. In other words, fiction is a way to relax and give up thinking about problems of daily life. Given these facts, do these successful films mean that the best science fiction movie can supply the best science fiction book? I personally believe that they can’t, but perhaps a good scene is worth more than a thousand of words. Elena
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
PĂĄgina 6
SPANIARDS’ FAVOURITE PROGRAMMES Although a wide range of TV channels is offered to Spanish viewers nowadays, people mainly tend to focus their attention on those programmes that poke their nose into private lives. According to recent television rates, the gossip show “Sálvame” is the most popular program in Spain, followed by “Cuéntame”, which has become a classical TV series about a middle class family, very successful since a new set of episodes is released each year. The first one, “Sálvame” is the typical show people like to watch lying on the couch after a busy day when they need to disconnect from work problems, financial worries or family schedules. In this program celebrities’ lives are under debate by a group of “experts” -chosen among journalists and well-known famous TV characters- conducted by a communicative host. They argue widely and hotly about controversial issues, such as love scandals or inheritances, which is very attractive to people who like to hear that the rich and the famous also have problems in life. As regards “Cuéntame”, its success is based on the fact that people love watching their own lives represented on TV. The plot is set in a period of transition in Spain, from dictatorship to democracy. A mixture of nostalgic and customs is used to develop a time of important changes and difficulties that the majority of today families lived. Considering these two programmes, I strongly recommend the second one, which not only is an entertaining series starring good actors, but it also reminds us of our personal history. On the contrary, the first one is a circus where sometimes badmannered people pry into celebrities’ private lives. Elena
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 7
Gulliver´s Travels Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift is the second term book recommended at my Language school, so I have worked on it over the last two months. As a brief introduction Gulliver travel’s is presented as a simple traveler’s narrative book. It’s both a satire on human nature and a parody which offers a clear caricature of colonialisms and its working against what is conventionally known in Swift’s period (18th Century). The novel shows us an educated and trained surgeon, Lemuel Gulliver. He speaks to readers retelling his experiences and adventures at sea. Gulliver’s adventures are divided into four parts. Each journey is preceded by a storm and in all four voyages new perspectives are brought to Gulliver’s life and opportunities for satirizing England. The first part is situated in Liliput where he finds himself in the company of thousands of miniature people called Lilliputians. Gulliver is huge and the Lilliputians are small. Although the Lilliputians seem friendly, you soon see them for the ridiculous and the petty creatures they are. The second is on the peninsula-type land of Brobdingnag, an opposite world from Lilliput where Gulliver becomes the Lilliputian and everyone is a giant to him. In addition Gulliver is afraid, but his keepers are very gentle although he is humiliated by the King when he is made to see the difference between what England is like and what it ought to be like. The third part moves to the island of Laputa, a floating island inhabited by theoreticians and academics who oppress the land below, called Balnibarbi. Gulliver is able to call up the dead and discovers the deception of history. he also meets the Stuldbrugs, a race endowed with immortality and Gulliver discovers that they are miserable. Finally in the fourth part he arrives at an unknown land. This land is populated by Houyhnhnms, the rational-thinking horses who rule, and by Yahoos, the inferior brutish servants to the horses who bear the image of a human. Gulliver stays with them for several years, becoming so madly in love with them that he does not even want to leave. Upon returning to England, Gulliver feels disgusted about other humans, including his own family. As regards the characters, the main character and narrator is Gulliver, captain Lemuel Gulliver.
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 8
Some important characters in the novel are: The Emperor. He is the leader of the Lilliputians. He is initially friendly toward Gulliver but changes his mind about him when Gulliver refuses to continue fighting Blefuscu. Also in Lilliput, Flimnap, Gulliver's enemy at Lilliput, accuses Gulliver of sleeping with his wife. Another important character in the second part is The Farmer in Brobdingnag, Gulliver calls the farmer who takes him in his master. The farmer eventually sells Gulliver to the Queen. She finds Gulliver very entertaining. But because of her huge size, Gulliver is disgusted when she eats. In the second travel The King spends lots of hours discussing with Gulliver about politics and comparing their two cultures. Also in his second travel, there is Glumdalclitch. Hername means "little nurse" in Brobdingnagian. This is what Gulliver calls the farmer's daughter, who cares for him during his stay in Brobdingnag. Finally in his last travel, there we are the Houyhnhnms; they are a species of horses who have great kindness and virtue. Gulliver lives among them for several years and afterwards is extremely reluctant to return to England. On the whole the novel is a clear satire of the moment with lots of references to Swift's purpose of attacking politics, religion, morality, human nature and colonialism which is at the heart of the novel. Personally the novel was a bit difficult for me because it has many metaphors and 18 th century vocabulary and structures. The author chooses each moment to criticize his own society and finally I recognize that the book has a very good and clear structure and narrative. Graciela
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Pรกgina 9
The secret diary of Adrian Mole I have chosen The Secret diary of Adrian Mole to read along the third term from my language school. Adrian Albert Mole is the fictional protagonist in a series of books by English author Sue Townsend. He is a British boy. He is 13 years old and he lives with his mother, his father and an animal known only as ‘the dog’. Adrian Mole writes his secret diary, which has gone on for a year and a quarter. He lives in a closed world where he tries to ‘become an intellectual’, reading the classics and he would like a whizz future although he is worried about his parents and his blackheads. To sum up, in his diary he tells about his relationship with his parents, friends, the girl he loves, Pandora and his grandmother. All the stories have a funny and a tender perspective. It’s my belief that this book reminds me the Wimpy kids series although it´s a realistic and humorous approach to the life of an adolescent boy. Graciela
Science fiction films A recent survey has shown us that science fiction films are very popular, especially with young people. Nowadays there are many science fiction films as Men in Black or Blade Runner, so I am describing what I consider to be the essential ingredients of a good science fiction film and why they are so popular among young people. In my view all science fiction films share several characteristics which will draw the spectators’ attention. One of them is the characters, they usually are real normal people who live in an unreal world and the person who watches the film can imagine that he/she is saving the world from an alien invasion or fighting enormous insects. I believe young people, in most of cases, feel as they need a change in their lives and with science fiction movies they can imagine they are saving their towns or even the world.
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 10
In my opinion another essential feature of science fiction films is mystery. In most cases in all these films there is always something that you don’t understand, so your imagination runs wild. It is often claimed these this kind of films??? because teenagers argue they are funny and very fast films where you could imagine what the future will be like. To sum up, these are some of the factors why these films are so popular among young people. Their imagination is generally much bigger than adults’ imagination, who are much more rational. Graciela
THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA The old man and the sea is a novel written by Ernest Hemingway in 1952. The novel tells the story of Santiago, an old man who had gone eighty-four days without catching a fish but his decision to achieve his aims is not worth the effort to be done to achieve his aims, in his case to catch a big fish. Firstly the book is not classified in chapters although it might be divided in several parts: the first one corresponds to the old man’s background and his own arrangements to go out to fishing. The second part, when he goes to the sea and has his fight with the fish and the sharks. The last part of the novel, to conclude, the arrival of Santiago, the old man, at the port. The novel follows a lineal development since the succession of facts is told in chronological order. As regards the plot, Santiago is an old fisherman from Gulf Santiago who goes fishing with a boy, who has great affection for the old man, but has to leave him for other fishermen who are more fortunate in their fishing. Nevertheless, the boy continued helping him. One day the old man decides to go out to the sea with the main aim of ending his wrong squall in fishing. The boy had obtained fodder for him. After a few hours of sailing he had lost all sight of coast, and a fish had punctured the fishhook. It was an enormous fish, ready to fight up to death, if it was precise.
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 11
In addition, the boat sailed as the big fish liked it out of the sea. The old man felt tired, was losing strength and he was foreseeing how the fish could kill him and he would have to drop his life in the attempt. After a long and hard battle the fish had the worst luck and the old man brought the victory, he couldn’t believe the fish was so big; he took it up to the boat and returned to the coast. The fish would arrive to firm land, it was the main aim the old man had, nevertheless, and for his disappointment, a shark appeared and the old man aimed a blow in the head with his harpoon. The shark went away but not much later other sharks and birds appeared, the old man could scare them off but they had eaten half the fish, just leaving its head, bones and tail, considered enough to give testimony of his great achievement. Finally he arrived at port. It was at night and there was nobody to help him and when he ended he went home to sleep. The Next morning, the boy, who was very worried, dropped by to see how he was as he had promised the old man that he would go out fishing with him. The other fishermen, who had laughed at first, recognized Santiago’s worth, the old man who had fished a shark. In this novel the main character is the old man, even he is the main third person narrator. He is a very old man and although he had lots of wrinkles in his face his eyes had the color of the sea and “they were happy”. The old man was admired by the young boy who had learnt to fish with him, so he helped every time he could. The language in this novel is varied and some words that people use in this area have not been translated by the author. It might be said that the most important characteristic of the novel is the story is provided with a very meticulous range of actions, thoughts, environment, etc. To conclude, it is important to highlight the message that the novel transmits, the determination of people to achieve their aims without bearing in mind the efforts to be done. All in all, I liked the novel by Hemingway because it is very descriptive and it is pleasant and easy to read, it is a clear example of people’s capacity of overcoming issues and their determination to achieve their goals. Graciela
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 12
Very popular and opposite The main aim of this report is to describe two of the most popular TV programs in my country. “El intermedio” (The Break) and “Acorralado” (a version of The Farm) have been chosen because they are totally opposite although both of them are very popular. In general, “El Intermedio” is a satirical news program hosted by the Spanish comedian The Gran Wyoming. It is forty-five minutes where he declares the opening of the program with a clear idea, as he says: “Already they know the news, now, we will tell them the truth” As regards the rest of program, it gives the spectator a humoristic and critical vision of Spanish reality and the contributors help to give us funny reports of the big topics of the week with their ironical point of view. On the other hand, Cornered is other very famous program in on Spanish TV, where a group of 12 people are put in a farm and they live together. There, the contestants must work as an average farmer, raising animals and doing agriculture. In regular periods of time, one of the houseguests is evicted, usually in a ceremony called The Duel where they compete in a physical endurance. The contestants usually are people who are on television because they feel the necessity to tell their lives and problems, known as “rubbish television”. They show their lives in all programs that belong to the channel where Cornered is broadcasted. Overall these programs are totally different and both of them with a high rating audience but the difference lies in their spectators, from my point of view, who are also totally opposite. Graciela
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 13
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde I have chosen to read this book because it is a classic of English literature and a friend of mine told me that it was interesting to read. It’s a fantasy novel that mainly deals with the themes of morality, hedonism, self obsession and bad influences. The action takes place in the late nineteenth century in London (England), between the wealthy West End and the decrepit East End. Wilde tells the story of an extraordinarily handsome young man named Dorian Gray, who is the subject of a painting by the artist Basil Hallward. Basil is greatly impressed by Dorian’s beauty and he thinks his beauty will end up in the cause of a new Art style. During the last painting session, Dorian meets Basil's friend, Lord Henry Wotton, who opens his eyes to the brief nature of his own beauty. He tells him that he should develop a new sense of hedonism because he will grow old, ugly and repulsive with the passing of time and yet this beautiful portrait will hold his youth beauty forever. Terrified of aging, Dorian sells his soul in order to live a life of perpetual youth, and the portrait Basil has painted would become old instead of himself. Henry's influence has a profound effect on the young man, who soon adopts his views as his own, abandoning ethical restrictions and seeing life in terms of pleasure and sensuality. Dorian falls in love with a young actress of respectable talent, Sibyl Vane, who finally ends up killing herself as a result of Dorian’s behaviour. When he returns home, he discovers that the figure in his portrait now holds a lightly defiant facial expression. The picture will serve as his conscience, allowing him to live freely. Afraid of the idea of having the secret of the painting discovered and, therefore, the true nature of his soul, Dorian hides the image in his attic. Dorian finds a certain joy over the next years in committing sinful or pleasurable acts and watching the painting change; he loses none of his beauty or youth, but the painting grows old and ugly.
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 14
When Dorian is thirty-eight he meets Basil again, whom he hasn’t seen for a long time and finally shows him what has happened to his portrait. Basil is horrified and tries to make Dorian regret it, but Dorian kills him, and blackmails an old friend, Alan Campbell, to burn Basil’s body in the attic's fireplace. This action eventually compels Alan to commit suicide. Dorian becomes increasingly anxious and then goes to an opium den to try to erase his bad feelings. Out on the street, he meets Sibyl's brother, James, who has sworn revenge on the man that drove his sister to suicide. Dorian tells him to look closely at his face; he could not have been more than twenty years old so he lets him go. Few days later during a hunting party, a man is accidentally shot and killed. Dorian finds out that this man was James. He decides that from this time on he will be good; and to do this, he must get rid of the constant anxiety and fear he has been long feeling. In a fit of despair, he decides to destroy the picture with the knife used to murder Basil. Dorian's servants hear a scream, and when they come, they find a horrible old ugly man, only recognizable by the jewellery on his fingers, lying dead on the floor, the knife was plunged into his chest and the picture as it was, when it was painted. From my point of view, two parts are very interesting: the first is when Dorian notices a change in the portrait for the first time, after Sybil Vane’s death. The second happens when Dorian attempts to "kill" the portrait but instead he kills himself. It was very interesting for me to read this book not only because of the story itself but also because of the way it invites you to read. The message lying within the novel is the weight of our own conscience. I have learned a lot of new words and expressions through my reading. Jose
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 15
Deaf sentence by David Lodge, 2008 Deaf sentence is a journal which begins on November 1 and ends on March 8. It describes the vital experience of Desmond Bates, a sixty something former linguistics professor at a nameless University, who is forced into early retirement as he is becoming hearing impaired. As he feels his aging life is steadily declining both physically and mentally toward illness and disability, he has the sense of becoming a burden to the family. He has reached a point in his existence where he is questioning everything. Excluded from social and intellectual life due to his progressive deafness and also excluded from sexual life due to his background of impotence, he confesses being bored and rather useless. On the contrary Fred, his younger wife seems to be rejuvenated, partly as a result of cosmetic surgery and in part due to her new successful interior design business helped along by her best friend Jakki. The narrator’s main concern is his father Harry, an almost ninety-year old stubborn man, and once a big band musician who is also going deaf, dresses like a tramp and lives independently in his dreary gloomy London home, although he cannot be trusted to take care of himself without endangering his life. Despite the thoughts on aging, marriage, seduction, isolation, drawbacks and benefits of deafness and a deep reflection on life fragility, the narrator drifts from the serious to the humorous as our hero tries to solve the dilemma he has been driven into when he meets Alex Loom, a mentally unbalanced young American graduate student who is obsessed with him supervising her thesis about linguistics in suicide notes. Desmond’s life seems to be up ended as she threatens to spoil his already shaky life. As her slightly inane and sexually provocative pursuit of Desmond confuses him even more, and leaves his darker side uncovered. David Lodge conveys a subtle and sensitive realistic description of these matters of life with a healthy dose of exhilarating humor. The daily situations pictured in the book, turn the story into a comedy of exasperation, physical ineptitude and verbal slip-up, where communication with people around him is becoming difficult , as they all go through confusing, embarrassing misunderstandings, with comic results. In addition, Desmond struggles with the troublesome hearing aids that prove to be inconvenient because of the shrieks and whistles, and the batteries running out. Nevertheless there is not cruelty but compassion and sympathy with hard hearing people, and also not short in mirth and humor; like the family Christmas pictured when old Harry, loudly discusses his constipation and is taken short in the garden or the New Year jaunt ruined by drink and solidifying ear-wax. Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
PĂĄgina 16
By the last two chapters Desmond’s life reaches a crucial point, the rhythm of the novel changes with a trip to Krakón where his visits to the concentration camps and the crematorium in Auschwitz. Afterwards Desmond’s memories of Maisie, his first wife who had died of cancer, become more vivid as his father suffers a stroke, which leaves him a bitter man. Fred and Desmond discuss about the issue of Harry being fed through the PEG tube, and how they considered that nature should take his course. At this point we find many thoughts on deafness and death; blindness is tragic, and deafness is comic the author repeats… “Death is tragic” he finally says. The whole last chapter is about what we might hear from beyond the grave, and thereby the birth of her daughter’s baby looks like the representation of the beginning of human life cycle at an event focused on its end. In my personal opinion it is a witty lovely novel that has got to my heart after certain experiences, and has left me a message; all we have while we are alive, is the capacity to laugh and love. Mercedes
Review on Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster Nathan glass is our white 60-year-old hero, a deeply liberal Democrat retiree from the insurance business, who suffers from lung cancer in remission. After his divorce, he returns to Brooklyn, “looking for a quiet place to die”. And before checking out, he intends to write The Book of Human Folly, a personalized account of every stupid, wrong move he had committed during his “long and checkered career as a man”. Nevertheless, as the novel goes on he meets characters from the Park Slope neighborhood, who will interrupt our wan protagonist’s solitude and spin him around, so life takes over instead, and his despair is swept away as he gets himself implicated in other people´s life. Everything starts to turn on when Nathan accidentally gets together with his long-lost nephew, Tom, who has seemingly given up on life. After dropping out of University, he has resigned himself to a string of meaningless jobs. Both characters mix enthusiasm and desperation; “you love life, Tom, but you don´t believe in it. And neither do I”. From a doomed atmosphere to the lively neighborhoods, Nathan discovered, Brooklynites are less reluctant to talk to strangers than any tribe, they butt into one another´s business at will.
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 17
Nathan acquaints with Marina, a beautiful married waitress. He also befriends Harry Brightman a shady, likable, gay, owner of a bookstore. And it is when Lucy, nine-yearold Tom´s niece, who refuses to speak and reveal the whereabouts of her mother, Aurora, comes into their lives, that she suddenly opens a bridge between their past and their future, and gives some form of redemption to the characters. The novel seems to go nowhere. The Hotel Existence in Vermont represents the promise of a better world. Harry dies after an extortion episode and he leaves all his wealth to Tom and to his mate Rufus, a travesty known as Tina. Nancy, a jewellery designer, gets in love with Aurora, Nathan with her mother, Tom married Honey, and Raquel, Nathan´s beloved daughter gets in touch after some time of cold distance, and tells Nathan he soon will be grandfather and they will be close from then on. And so on the novel gathers the characters in a big family. . Paul Auster tends to show his liberal Democrat point of view. On the contrary, Lucy´s bad family situation is blamed on her Fundamentalist evangelical southern father. The book ends up just forty-six minutes before the first plane crashed into the North tower of the World Trade Center, on 11 September, 2001. An incredibly loud finale, just before the smoke covered N.Y. with human pain and sorrow. Under my personal point of view, Auster focuses the interest on happiness of ordinary human life, Brooklyn Follies is a book about survival, written for those who have suffered an unfortunate reversal, and wait for fate to turn direction. Mercedes ROALD DAHL’S BOOK OF GHOST STORIES I like Roald Dahl’s books, when I was a child I read Momo, Matilda, Charlie and the chocolate factory,… One day I was looking at some English books when I found this one, at first I believed that it was a book of ghost stories written by Roald Dahl, but when I picked it up, I realized that it was Dahl who had selected these terror stories by different writers. Dahl read seventy hundred and forty-nine ghost stories at the British Museum Library before selecting twenty four with the purpose of making a television ghost series, but the pilot film was a disaster. Twenty five years later, he thought it was a good idea to put the better ones, fourteen amazing stories, together in a book. As he said the best ghost stories don’t have ghosts in them, at least you don’t have to see them. Instead of reading what happens to the ghost, you only read the result of their actions, occasionally the story describes how the main character can feel the ghost brushing past to him or her, or how they are made aware of its presence by subtle means. My favourite, among all the stories is ‘Harry’ by Rosemary Timperley, which describes what happened to a couple and her adopted daughter, Cristine. One day Christine starts to talk with an imaginary child, Harry, and tells her mother that he is her brother. Her mother is a bit worried about her, so she decides to see the Doctor who explains to her that it’s normal in childhood. But while Christine is at her first day at school, her
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 18
mother goes to the Adoption service where she asks about the girl’s past; she is the only survivor of an accident in which her brother Harry saved her before he died. After knowing her past she goes to pick her at the school, but the school principal tells her that Harry has just picked her. Nobody has seen her again. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves classic ghost stories, this is an amazing anthology. As Roald Dahl wrote in his book: ‘Spookiness is, after all, the real purpose of the ghost story’.
Mónica
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS ‘Gulliver’s travels’ is an adventurous novel written by Jonathan Swift in 1726. Preceded by short summaries at the beginning of each of the chapters, the main character of the book, a young sailor called Gulliver, is in charge of telling us the story of his unbelievable experiences during his trips. During his first voyage, Gulliver is shipwrecked and when he wakes up he realizes that his arms, legs and long hair have been tied to the ground, by tiny people, less than six inches tall who are the inhabitants of Lilliput. When they become aware of his good behaviour, he is given a residence in Lilliput. He refuses to reduce the empire of Blefuscu, which is an island situated in the north-east side of Lilliput, so Gulliver is charged with treason and sentenced to be blind. Gulliver is helped by a good friend and escapes to Blefuscu, where he finds a boat and sails out. After some difficulties he returns safe to his native country. Two months later he starts a second voyage. He sets sail in a ship called the Adventurous, but a storm surprises them and the ship eventually arrives at an unknown island called Brobdingnang. While he is exploring the new country, he is left in the shore where he is found by a giant, about seventy two feet. The giant, who is a farmer, carries Gulliver to his house. The farmer, under the influence of some friends, decides to exhibit Gulliver for money. They travel around different places, meanwhile an order comes from the court, they want to see him. The Queen, who is delighted with Gulliver’s behaviour, decides to buy him and keeps him as her favourite in the court, but on a trip to the seaside his travelling box is seized by a giant eagle, which throws it to the sea, where he is picked up by some sailors who return him to England. In his third voyage, his ship is attacked by pirates and he is abandoned at the flying island of Laputa, a kingdom where people are interested in music and mathematics but unable to use their abilities in a practical way. After some days Gulliver starts to feel
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 19
neglected on Laputa because its inhabitants are far superior to him in their knowledge and their conversations are only about their interests. Then he visits Balnibarbi, Lagado academy, and he goes to Glubbdubdirb, the island of magicians where he has the opportunity to speak with the most venerated people in history that are called up by the governor. Then he travels to Luggnagg where he knows immortal people that are called Struldbrugs, but after refusing employment there, he arrives safely in Japan; from there he gains a passage on a Ducth ship and finally he arrives in England. In the fourth chapter he describes his last travel. He sets sail again, this time as the captain of Adventurous ship, but his crew becomes pirates who leave him on an unknown shore. There he meets two horses that can speak but in another language, at first Gulliver can only understand that they are called Houyhnmhnms, and the animals that look like humans are called Yahoos. Gulliver is conducted by the horse to his house where he can eat and rest. After studying their language, he likes talking to them about English revolution and Europe. The Houyhnmhnms think that Gulliver is some kind of Yahoo, though superior to the rest of his species. Gulliver develops such a love for the Houyhnmhnms that he no longer desires to return to humankind, but in the end Gulliver is forced to travel back to England. Jonathan Swift’s book is a satirical view of the state of the European government, he uses a lot of metaphors to describe human depravity in his decade, while the Houyhnmhnms symbolize the perfection. Each part of the book is the reverse of the preceding part, Gulliver is big, small, wise and at the end, ignorant. He thinks that no form of government is ideal, Lilliput is complex, Brobdingnang is simple, Laputa is scientific, and neither the last one whose government is based on nature is ideal, the honest and upright Houyhnmhnms are happy to suppress the true nature of Gulliver as a Yahoo. Despite the complex, depth and subtlety of the book, ‘Gulliver’s travels’ is often classified as a children’s story because of the popularity of his first voyage to Lilliput, which is often bowdlerised. From my point of view ‘Gulliver’s travels’ is tedious and slow because the author describes almost everything with all kind of details. It was quite difficult to follow because he uses metaphors to compare the society of his decade with the different countries that Gulliver discovered. On balance I would not recommend this book; although the language was not difficult and he described different travels and adventuress, it is quite boring. Mónica
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 20
GHOSTGIRL
Lovesick Lovesick is the third part of the collection Ghostgirl, written by Tonya Hurley. It is an amazing story settled in Hawthorne High School which describes the daily life of a student. Charlotte Usher wants to be popular and also falls in love with Damen, a popular football player in the High School, but chokes to death with a gummy bear. Then she becomes a ghost, and only Scarlet can see her. In this third book Charlotte is definitely living into the afterlife, she also has a dead boyfriend. The ghosts from Death Ed need to work in a phone bank where they answer phone calls from teenagers who have problems and need a piece of advice, but Charlotte and her classmates, who are expecting to move on and enter heaven, have received a new task, they are sent back to Charlote’s old High School. This time each of the dead teens is assigned a living counterpart that they are supposed to help through one major problem before the Prom. Unfortunately no one has explained to Charlotte what happens if her new dead boyfriend starts getting cosy with her living, breathing best friend. This is a story about envy, courage, friedship and love. I would recommend you to read the previous ones because the events of this third book are built on events of the earlier two books and also ties things together nicely. I personally believe these books are gripping, the characters are enjoyable and the story is endearing and funny. One thing that I really like is that each chapter starts with a quote about friendship or love. Maybe this one is more complex than the others because there are different stories between ghost and alive teenagers that intertwine. Mónica
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 21
Science fiction films Nowadays science fiction films are really popular, especially among the young people. In fact if you want to pick up one you will find a great variety of choice, and also some ones made using new techniques as three dimensions. These films are based on speculative worlds, often with futuristic elements. There are scientific films about mad scientists or space travels; films which are about environmental disasters, as asteroids, comets or earthquakes; robot and androids’ films; alien films that make us think about the possibility of intelligent life in other worlds; and films that are based on time travelling. There are also monster films that differ from horror or fantasy films in the reason of the existence of them, in science fiction films, they do not have a supernatural reason George Melies revolutionized the way to record science fiction films, he was the director of ‘A trip to the moon’ in 1902, a silent film with trick photography effects which were completely new that decade. In the latest sixties and seventies there were two films that improved the factory of science fiction films, ‘2001 Odyssey in space’ and ‘Star Wars’. Lately we have been attending to some of the most outstanding remakes about this cinema gender. I personally believe that these films are popular because they are based on imaginary worlds. While we are watching these films we travel through different worlds that are sometimes completely different from our world, and this is a way to escape from the harsh reality of our society. What is more, currently most of science fiction films are full of spectacular special effects that captivate the audience. Mónica
By Mark Haddon The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time It is a novel written in 2003 in the first-person of a fifteen-year-old boy with autistic spectrum condition. It is lovely and absolutely amazing how he explains his fears and difficulties when interpreting the world around him. He describes that for him it is really difficult to mingle with others, so he prefers to mingle with maths or animals. I highly recommend this book for teachers and children who live with young people with these problems. Vicky
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 22
How to make a good science fiction film How to make a good science fiction film? Apparently, it might be easy. Nevertheless, nobody knows exactly how some people are able to produce a great film. I think that we will never get to understand why some movies are so successful while others do fail. I have noticed that just one out of every twenty science fiction films produced gets the support of viewers. Why? Let´s analyze some of the factors that may influence the final outcome. Firstly, a fiction story is meant to entertain, so this seems to be the main ingredient of the “recipe”. When young people go to the cinema to watch one of these films what they really want is to disconnect from their daily problems in an escapist sort of way, and just have fun. Secondly, not only is a science fiction film an opportunity to show a great script and spectacular visual effects, but it can also provide new ideas for the future and evoke a sense of wonder. We are shown other people´s ways of thinking, experiments with yet unknown planets or even travel through time. Sci-fi should explain all these plots with well-written dialogues, coherency and a sense of logic to be credible. Finally, a huge budget is necessary to produce a science fiction film and make it profitable. For example, in 1977, George Lucas faced big problems to produce Star Wars because nobody backed up his project. Eventually, it would turn one of the most successful and influential films of all times. The actors were unknown and they invested in the production themselves. In the end, the film earned millions, it got many awards and it is the second highest grossing film in the USA and Canada. On the other hand, Waterworld, a post-apocalyptic science fiction film produced by Kevin Costner, has been regarded as one of the great failures in the film industry due to its very high budget and low recovery. In conclusion, in my opinion in order to make a successful science fiction film you should mix a bit of entertainment, credibility, a lot of money, and good luck! Vicky
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 23
Social issues and more
‘The growth of online shopping has greatly improved life for the consumer.’ Many companies have seen an opportunity to increase their sales by adding a link on the net, so they can offer customers a great range of products. But are we buying on the net with all the security measures required? Nowadays, a lot of retailers are being drawn by the ongoing tendency of Web-sales. The greatest benefit of online shopping is that it brings us closer to home a wide selection of articles in a single click without even taking off our pajamas. In addition, this handy market avoids you to queue at shopping malls, traffic jams and the desperate search for a car park. What is more, online shopping is a very quick way of buying all the stuff you can imagine from all over the world, which is a particular advantage for people like collectors, luxury lovers, gourmets and so on. On the other hand, nevertheless, you need a credit or debit card to buy on the net, so you are required to give personal details that can be stolen by hackers if the Website is not as reliable as it should be. Another drawback to online shopping is that some products might not be as good as the seller shows in the screen. Not only that, but you could be in deep trouble if you wanted to take the item back and be refunded. In my view, online shopping has many advantages and a few disadvantages, and on the whole, I believe that if you are previously well-informed about the online shop and the ways of payment you will not run the risk of being swindled. Elena
LOW-COST AIRLINES HAVE revolutionized TRAVEL- BUT at WHAT PRICE? A low-cost company is an airlines company which usually offers low prices in exchange for eliminating many services to the passengers. The concept arose in USA although it was spreading in Europe at the beginning of the 90s. The greatest benefit of flying with a low cost company is that it allows us to fly in a very cheap way. In addition, with a low-cost company middle-men disappear. With a low cost you can book and pay your tickets in the company web page, so the middle-people, as a travel agency, aren’t necessary. Finally, low- cost airlines have opened new connection points among the most important European cities, even Spanish cities.
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 24
On the other hand, low-cost airlines have got restrictive rules on hand luggage because they only let you take 10Kg within a special sized travelling bag. One downside is that if you travel with low-cost airlines the airport will be far from the capital city where you travel and the transport from the airport to the city will be more expensive than the plane ticket. Other drawbacks to travel with low-cost companies are that you must check in on line and you must print your boarding pass and if you forget it at home you have to pay an unfair price. All in all I don’t like travelling with a low-cost airline although I have never been in any trouble with them. In balance nowadays, in many cases, the important thing is to fly and low-cost airlines make it easy for us. Graciela Marrying someone from a different country will always be more problematic than marrying someone from your own country. As a result of globalization marriages with foreigners have increased in the last years. Although some people argue that such unions will always have problems due to the barriers of prejudice, in my view there are no reasons to think in that way because an international marriage has many positives sides. It is generally known that people from different countries who get married have to struggle with a variety of special issues including those related to citizenship and culture, which add complexity and challenges to these kinds of relationships. For example, if you are living outside your country permanently you won’t be able to see your family very often. Moreover, if you have children, they will see their grandparents very little. Learning a foreign language is often another challenge to accept, the customs of your native land, food, dress and other aspects of your original culture might be hard to deal with. But, before you get married there must have been a period of time since you first met someone until you take the final decision. So before that, how did you manage to live abroad? How did you manage to go out and communicate with him or her? Have you fallen in love with him or her? As long as two people of two different countries are in love, that’s all that matters, there is really nothing much to argue about. They should go on with their lives and be happy. They will develop a deeper understanding of people and things beyond borders, new ways of thinking, new customs, and they will take the better of two worlds and share these with their children if they have any. The human race is improving and looking better not only because of the advances and improvements in every aspect of our lives, but also because of what we are doing to the genetic diversity. To sum up, I believe that marriages with foreigners have, on the whole, a positive influence provided that both of them agree with conditions. In my opinion, this is not
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 25
for purely logical reasons, but because to get together is a part of what means to be human. Jose
Advantages and drawbacks of cross cultural marriage With the cultural globalization phenomena, cross cultural marriage has become a current issue. And either it comes from a whirlwind romance or an internet-based relationship, a cultural clash comes to add stress on the already stressing lives of most families nowadays. Personally, it seems to me that marrying a foreigner could be an exciting adventure, and despite the variety of special, new and strange issues it might arise, it could be though, interesting and challenging. However, it is good to bear in mind that these apparently refreshing traits of challenging relationships may often become a source of frustration, conflict, misunderstanding and hurt. When it comes to raise children, I entirely agree the influence of another cultural pattern of behavior can be extremely positive, as it might broaden their minds. Actually, only if both parents try to speak their own native language at home, the children are raised bilingual, which is a great thing nowadays. Although, I strongly believe it involves certain awareness in order to guarantee the success of these long term commitments. It is often claimed that beside this awesomeness with regard to cross cultural couples, there are certain drawbacks which are difficult to overcome. Firstly and foremost, the cultural gap usually implies not being able to share each other’s humor,which I agree is one of the main foundations of a healthy relationship. Not to mention the way we value time, work ethics, learning styles, eye contact and even ideas about public affection. On the other hand many people argue that interracial married couples usually have to face the possibility of being prejudiced against or even suffer racial discrimination, which could make life even more difficult. This argument thus may discourage many mixed couples from getting married. I consider there are a number of flaws in this argument as I believe it encourages racism instead of dissuading it. In spite of the disadvantages above I believe that true love, trust, support and respect for each other are the main ingredients for a cross cultural marriage to success. In conclusion, what is important to me though, is real love and respect. Marrying a foreigner is a big decision and it is important to stand by each other during difficult times. On the other hand keeping both languages and cultures in the host country, although it might sometimes be hard, it is convenient, and worth it. Mercedes
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
PĂĄgina 26
Low cost airlines have revolutionized travel- but at what Price? Air travelling around the world has become a common issue for many people nowadays. Certainly, the reason for this might be found on the increasing number of “no frills” airlines competing and prices getting lower. Nevertheless, with the credit crunch, the escalating fuel costs, and small low cost airlines going bust, there is a lot to bear in mind when booking your flight ticket with a budget airline company. Does it really worth the hassle? Are low cost fares a good deal? Being able to travel at an amazingly lower price, compared with the more established airlines, has clearly advanced possibilities to go abroad in certain respects. Especially if you book in advance, are flexible with the dates and bear in mind the restrictions about luggage. First and most importantly, the aircrafts of this “no frills” airlines are as safe as the larger airlines could be, as technical inspections are made regularly by the same companies, no matter the cost of the flight tickets. The control over the cabin crew gets the same inspections, too. Other way they wouldn´t be allowed to operate. In addition to that, there are definitely some bargains to be had. Moreover, low cost carriers provide excellent value and, increasing service that is comparable to the commercial airlines. You just need to know the rules, know how to avoid additional charges and hassles, and take into account the two-hour-transit time. On the other hand, there are some disadvantages that should be taken into consideration. The first drawback to fly with low cost airlines, is that almost all of them sell their lowest cost fares exclusively through their website. Therefore phoning them will result in a surcharge or a higher fare. Another downside is that most discount carriers charge a fee for checking-in baggage, while only for hand luggage there is no extra fee to pay. As a result these companies often impose very rigid enforce excess allowances at check-in. What is more, “no frills” airlines only offer seat sales during off-peak times of the year, such as winter. On the contrary, these airlines take advantage of increased demand on tickets during school holiday, to rise ticket prices. Besides, allocation is generally not available until check-in, therefore you must arrive as early as possible at the airport. Another point against low cost carriers is that generally, food and drinks are not provided on the plane without extra-charge. And due to security policy, most fluids are banned from passing through security in airports. Finally, and not less important, is that most budget airlines use secondary airports, which are often quite distant from the big cities. As a consequence there will be additional expenses. On the whole, additional charges mount up and make cheap flights far less of a bargain than they appear to be, but still, due to the need of travelling on tight budget, the advantages are becoming more prevalent. Mercedes
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 27
Migration In July 2009, I had the opportunity to migrate to the USA. And I almost did so; I think I would have gone to live in the USA if I hadn’t had a previous migration experience. My parents had had to face migration fifty years ago, when many Spaniards left their country to live and work in Germany. And If I had done so, if I had migrated to the USA, I would have had to work as hard as they did. And I would have had to overcome as many difficulties as they had to. I still remember myself coming back to Spain and starting all over again a new life in a country I hardly knew. When I applied for a working position at a Wiscouncil state school, I was not confident I could be given the job. I had applied for a position as Spanish as a second language teacher, and I had been accepted. Now, when I look back, I can’t avoid thinking that whether I had agreed to take that job it could have turned a great experience for my daughter. But I didn’t gather the courage to do it. I started thinking that if I left, my daughter would suffer the consequences, as she had been supposed to enroll in the fourth grade of elementary school. So, she would have had to miss a year, due to the fact she didn’t speak the language properly. She would also have had to make a lot of adjustments. And both would have had to leave my family behind. In addition, getting the citizenship has become a very difficult and long process in the USA. Immigrating to the US to live there permanently is a complex decision. In general, I didn’t expect major problems, as the immigrant Visa I would have had to apply for, would have been sponsored by a prospective employer. So I was not afraid of having difficulties with the US’ citizenship and immigration service. Nevertheless, another thing is becoming a lawful permanent resident or getting the citizenship. After twenty years living and working in the US, some friends of mine, still must fill out the form I140; the petition for Alien worker, which is too sad as it may make you think the country doesn’t recognize your rights after a long time living and working there. On the other hand, as I told you above, my parents had had to migrate to Germany in the sixties. And although they always reported the great experience they had had in Hannover, and how good it had been having the opportunity to live with the advantages of a developed European country as Germany, they often told me about the drawbacks of migration, and how hard it was coming back and having had to start all over again. Nevertheless, my decision of staying, though found on grounds for not going through the same experience again, is something I still regret having taken, as living in Spain has become even tougher than it was in 2009. Mercedes
Our 2012 ebook. EOI Luarca. Advanced level. Year 2
Página 28