Portfolio entry # 18 "TED and walls"

Hugh Evan is part of an organization called "Global citizens" that self-identifies not as a member of a state, nation or tribe but as a member of the human race; and his main point is that global issues such as poverty, climate change or gender inequality to name a few, "can only be solved by global citizens demanding global solutions from their leaders." Hugh Evan started founding this idea of helping the others in his heart when he was a child, and then he could extend his dream to reality. He believes that sometimes people want to act, but they do not know how to do it or they think their actions will have no effect. For that reason, Evans supports the idea that people have to be activated and work together to put pressure on the leaders of the world to came up with global solutions to global issues. All people need is organization, motivation and passion. 

Being a citizen means acting and that is what Davinia, a Jamaican girl, decided to do. She inspired a lot of other global citizens, and together, they pesuaded the World Bank to invest into water and sanitation in India. This encouraged a double investment into girl's education in Norway and polio eradication in different countries. But there is still a lot to do for the entire world, and Hugh sustains that we can all make a positive change and not just look after of our own backyard.

In my opinion, Hugh Evans' idea is great but too idealistic. Poverty and indiference hurts but as he says, if we want a change, we have to work together and inspire each other. However, I believe that if we want to change the world, first, we have to face an absolute change of mind and overcome the political, cultural, social and economical differences that separates us as well as to assume that we are all part of a same race and a same world, and that it is our responsability as members of the society to look after the other. Unfortunately, we are more and more individualistic and are focused on taking care of our backyards and we do not look aside.

Source:

Evans, H. What does it mean being a citizen of the world?. February 2016. Retrieved from TED website: https://www.ted.com/talks/hugh_evans_what_does_it_mean_to_be_a_citizen_of_the_world?language=es

Portfolio entry # 17 "Sidewalls"

"Medianeras" is an Argentinian film written and directed by Gustavo Taretto. It is about two lonely, phobic and dissapointed people, Martin and Mariana, who are made for each other. However, they are so closed and focused on their inner conflicts, plus the fact that life in a city is so busy, that it will be difficult for them to establish  stable relationships. Not until they are able to abandon their lifestyles and break and look beyond the sidewalls (the physical and the imaginary ones), they will know each other. The scenes that impacted me most were when Mariana is observing the doll inside the box on her key-chain, since it was how she was living, closed in the walls made of concrete and the walls made of phobias. And the other one, when Martin opens Astroboy toy´s package, as I consider it is the moment he realizes that he has to open his own package.

The film invites us to reflect on the issues of loneliness, individualism and technology. Many times we are surrounded by a lot of people but we continue feeling alone, trying to fill the gaps with work or casual relationships to name a few. In addition, we are so centered on our lives and so hurried all the time, that there is no place and no time to stop and look aside to see if the other need us. Still technology, that was made to shorten distances, ended up enlarging them. Nowadays, relationships are more superficial and contact face to face is not so frequent as in past times. We are divided by different sidewalls; it is our job to knock them down and live together as happy and satisfied as possible.

Portfolio entry # 16 "World of walls"

Sixty-five countries have built walls on their borders to "protect" themselves from immigrants, refugees, terrorists or to separate each other according their religious beliefs. The writer Marcello Di Cintio asserts that "Their main function is theatre. They provide the sense of security, not real security." The effectiveness of the walls is limited. It has been proved through the fact that people tend to climb the walls simply to disturb the others, as in the case of the Palestinians; or to intend crossing these fences no matter what, as the migrants on the border between Morocco and Melilla. 

However, what shocked me most was the barrier that Macedonia adopted to block the border with Greece. Not only they placed wire on the ground, but they also send a riot police to prevent people crossing into the country. On the photographs and video, we can perfectly appreciate the brutality, agression and despair on people. The barbed-wire fence in India and the mines along the fence between Morocca and Western Sahara are the two other cases that  affected me. I consider that walls are not the solution to criminals, immigrants or refugees or to the different difficulties that countries have to face, but they even deepen more and more the differences between the two sides. As a matter of fact, I do not think that these walls are going to be pulled down; on the contrary, politicians seem to believe that these fences are the best strategies to be implemented. Even in Argentina a wall to separate Jujuy from Bolivia is going to be erected. To conclude, I did not know that so many walls existed, and I think that even more ones will be built in a near future.

Source: 

Tomlinson, S., World of walls. August 2015. Retrieved from Mail online website: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3205724/How-65-countries-erected-security-walls-borders.html

Portfolio entry # 15 - Poem: "I build walls"

The construction of walls are not always made of brick, stone, or any other material. Sometimes we create imaginary barriers as a way to hide who we are or how we feel or to protect ourselves.

Why would someone build "walls"aruond his or her feelings?

     Walls create the feeling of being protected. In some cases, people might build walls around their feelings because they do not trust on others and fear being hurt. Sometimes, they could be more introverted and repress their emotions because they do not know how to demonstrate what they feel or they do not want to look like a fool. And still in some instatnces, they might prefer to hide their feelings in order not to share what they really are or feel as a safer way to cope with life.

Do you, or others you know, ever build such "walls"?

    I used to be a person who built walls around me (and sometimes it is still difficult for me to demonstrate what I feel). I considered that if I kept that shell around me, I would be protected of everything and I would show that I was self-sufficient. However I realised that while nobody could go into my boundaries, I could not go out either. It was a long and difficult process until I assumed that I need the contact with my family, my friends or other people to protect each other, to enjoy life, or to overcome difficult situations.

Do you think that there are times that we need to uild walls?

    I think that there are times it is necessary to build these barriers to prevent that certain emotions, attitudes, words or actions affect our lives but mainly our health. Sometimes it is necessary to use these walls as temporary and protective shields without allowing them to become our prisons.

Portfolio entry #14 "Across the Great Divide"

The title of the article "Across the Great divide" refers to the division that still exists between East Germany and West Germany, despite the fact that the Belin Wall had been blown down many years ago. The fall of physical barrier seems not to have knocked down the social, economical, cultural and political ones. The differences between the two sides are still of notable consideration.

As regards the macroestructure, the article is made up of twelve paragraphs.
The first two paragraphs deal with Berliners' personal experiences: these paragraphs are devoted to explain what the daily lives of an Ossi ans a Wessi are like.
The third paragraph illustrates the current physical condition of the Wall.
From the fourth to the tenth paragraph, the social, cultural, political and enocomical situation after the Fall of the Wall. More precicely, paragraphs number four and five give an explanation of the political division; paragraph number six and ten deal with a sociocultural analysis; the following three paragraphs depict the socioeconomical situation; the eleventh, states the invesment of money on reunification; and the last paragraph reveals the similar attitudes that the western and easter Berliners share.

Source: Wallace, Ch. (1999). "Across the Great Divide" in Time. Nov. 15. pp 22-26.

Portfolio entry # 13 - Argumentative Essay: Death Penalty

Death Penalty

The death penalty has always been an issue of controversial debate. It is a practice that has been used all over the world and consists of executing someone because of the crime which the accused has committed. In the last two years, one hundred and forty countries had abolished the death penalty in law or practice, while the number of retentionist countries ascend to fifty-eight being China, India,Indonesia and the United States some of the countries that conform the latter group. The question would be: Can we teach a child not to hit by hitting him? The abolition of capital punishment has to be adopted by all the countries since it is unethical, irreversible, and it does not deter crime.

According to the Universal Declaration of the Human Rights, every human being has the right to life. Sentencing a person to death would be violating this basic human right and taking a life back would be revenge not justice. Of course the victim has also been deprived from this inalienable right, but capital punishment is an extreme and unique measure that applies to all, killers, rapists, and every criminal. It is a primitive and cruel punishment that tortures the condemned, not only for the practice itself but for the waiting of the death. Alternative measures such as imprisonment for life with no option for parole or community work should be taken into consideration as the death penalty has no turning back and the offenders should be given the possibility of restoring their bad behaviour. Besides, the death penalty is a discriminatory practice that takes primarily, the life of black and poor people. In the southern states of the United States, eight per cent of the black criminals get the death penalty while only one per cent of white criminals get capital punishment. In addition, a study released by researchers from the University of North Carolina demonstrated that the race of the victim was a crucial factor in who received the death penalty. As regards the social class, people who can afford expensive and experienced lawyers have better opportunities to avoid capital punishment than those who cannot have access to a good legal assistance.

Irreversibility is another key aspect in favour of the abolition of the death penalty. Nobody deserves to die, nor those who have killed for fun neither those who have killed for self profit; and under no circumstances those who have committed no crime. Mistakes or failures in the judicial system may kill innocent people. For instance, imprisonment is the only way to partial compensations for those who can prove their innocence. It can be argued that  the chance of making a mistake is quite low; However once the death penalty is put into practice, there is nothing that can be done to repair the punishment if the alleged perpetrator turns out to be innocent.

Still Capitall punishment will not prevent criminals from murdering, raping, or having any kind of condemnable behaviour. Offenders do not always think or act rationally, or they do not fear being caught or punished. A research released in 1988 and updated in 1996, failed to prove that executions were more effective than life imprisonment to control crimes. Imprisonment is the only chance to deter crime and to offer the offenders the possibility to make up for their crimes.

To conclude, the death penalty do not ensure the safety of the society. The threat of an extreme punishment is not the solution to decrease the crime rate and nobody should be dispossessed from his right to life. Violence should not be counter with violence. Resurrection is not possible, so the abolition of capital punishment is the guarantee that innocent people have to continue enjoying their lives once their innocence has been proved. 

Sources

“Abolitionist and retentionist countries” (2016). Retrieved from Death penalty information center website: http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/

BBC (2014). Ethics: Capital Punishment. Retrieved from BBC website: http:// www. bbc. co.uk/ethics/ capitalpunishment/

“Capital Punishment Essay: Benefits of the Death Penalty.” (2016). Retrieved from 123HelpMe website: http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=3686

McCann, E. B. (2016),”Death penalty.” Retrieved from Amnesty International website: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/death-penalty/

Michael, F. (n.d) “The Death Penalty.” Retrieved from Teen Ink website: http: //www.teenink.com/opinion/all/article/11085/The-Death-Penalty/

Mohanty, S. P., (n.d.) “Advantages and disadvantages of the Death Penalty.” Retrieved from: http://www.finanacecareonline.com/2013/07/advantages - and- disadvantages-of-death.html

“Should the death penalty be restored in the UK” (2016). Retrieved from English for university.com website: http://englishforuniversity.com/academic-writing/example-academicessay/

Portfolio entry # 12 A video - Death penalty

Key words: death penalty; crime; crime rate; criminal chaos; abolish; capital punishment; irreversible; execution; horror; human right; torture; equality; human being.

Key phrases: "When a country abolishes death penalty they are not plunged into criminal chaos. " "Every one has the right to live and no one should be subjected to torture." "The death penalty is irreversible." "They crossed the line but we do really want to join them?"

In the following video, Jeremy Irons talks about death penalty and outlines his arguments against it saying that:

- Death penalty does not guarantee a lower crime rate. Even if it did, it would not be acceptable.
- Irreversibility is an important point to consider since you cannot bring back the dead. 

- Inadequate legal representation means capital punishment.

- The abuse of a basic human right is evident: the right to live.

- The panic of waiting for your death implies a psychological and physical torture.

- Equality means human rights are applied to all human beings. Equality is not social discrimination. Equality is not arbitrariness.

- People and the judicial system should be able to differentiate imprisonment and execution.

Portfolio entry # 11 A letter

After Mark Chapman, the man who shot and killed John Lennon, had been up for parole, Yoko Ono, Lennon's widow, wrote a letter to the Parole Board opposing to his release. In that letter she expressed that:
1) if the subject were to be released, many people would feel betrayed.
2) herself and John's sons would feel unsafe for the rest of their lives.
3) other people who would like to receive world attention could do the same as Chapman, bringing back the chaos and confussion again.
4) it would not be fair that Chapman enjoyed a normal life when Lennon had lost his life.
5) it would not be safe for Chapman since Lennon's fans might decide to take justice into their own hands.

Portfolio entry # 10 A podcast

Jennifer Gonzalez was a writing teacher for seven years. She was certified as an English language arts teacher but she was always interested in teaching children how to write.

In her podcast on " A step-by-step plan for teaching argumentative writing", she describes the process she uses for teaching argumentative writing and the strategies to improve it.

The first step would be watching how it is done. Learners should start reading mentor texts in order to be exposed to samples of  real writings in the genre they will be required to write. Teacher should ask learners to read  and compare two pieces of writing to study the way the writers have used the strategies and evidence to back up their points of view and persuade the reader to think in a certain way.

Secondly, the teacher should use an interesting topic as an icebreaker and start a verbal arguing so that each student can defend his position.

In a third instance, a second debate is be set up but in this occassion, students should be supplied with a few articles that can give them arguments or evidence to support their assertions. Once the verbal argument is finished, students are asked to write what their position is and give three reasons to back up it. In sum, they are asked to write the thesis statement.

Next, teachers should introduce the peformance assessment, describe the task and the score that will be used. It would be a good idea to give students separate topics and provide reliable research material.

As a fifth step, it is necessary to build the base. Students should spend time in pre-writng work and outline the main points in a graphic organizer. For that, the teacher can write a model in class, on a different topic, to show how the process is and in this way, help students to start moving at their own pace.

Another instance is workshop. It would be a good idea to provide students with teacher created-samples of argumentative essays to show the kind of writing the teacher expects from them and they can appreciate how the writing skills are implemented. The teacher should monitor the students' performance and give feedback at all stages of the assignment as well as encourage collaborative work among students and benefit from each other.
Finally, students are ready to submit. In case they have not been able to meet the basic requirements, they should be given the opportunity to revise their assignment and resubmit.

Source: 

Retrieved from: http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/persuasive-writing/

Portfolio entry 9 # How to write an effective essay

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Portfolio entry # 8 A well-written paragraph

The following video provides an explanation of how to structure a well-written paragraph in English.

PARTS OF A PARAGRAPH

 1) TOPIC SENTENCE

• Conceive an interesting topic and say something relevant about it.
• Do not make it overly detailed.

 2) BODY

• Back up your topic sentence with concrete details/ supporting arguments.
• Order them according to order of importance or chronology.

3) TOPIC SENTENCE

•  Restate your topic sentence.
• Keep your adience thinking. 

 SOURCE:

Engvid (19 May, 2009) Introduction to academic writing - Parts of a paragraph. Retrieved from: http://www.engvid.com/introduction-to-english-academic-writing-parts-of-a-paragraph/

REVIEW: TOPIC SENTENCES

1) Many politicians deplore the passing of the old family-sized farm, but I'm not so sure. I saw around Velva a release from what was like slavery to the tyrannical soil, release from the ignorance that darkens the soul and from the loneliness that corrodes it. In this generation my Velva friends have rejoined the general American society that their pioneering fathers left behind when they first made the barren trek in the days of the wheat rush. As I sit here in Washington writing this, I can feel their nearness. (from Eric Sevareid, "Velva, North Dakota")

2) There are two broad theories concerning what triggers a human's inevitable decline to death. The first is the wear-and-tear hypothesis that suggests the body eventually succumbs to the environmental insults of life. The second is the notion that we have an internal clock which is genetically programmed to run down. Supporters of the wear-and-tear theory maintain that the very practice of breathing causes us to age because inhaled oxygen produces toxic by-products. Advocates of the internal clock theory believe that individual cells are told to stop dividing and thus eventually to die by, for example, hormones produced by the brain or by their own genes. (from Debra Blank, "The Eternal Quest" [edited]).

3) We commonly look on the discipline of war as vastly more rigid than any discipline necessary in time of peace, but this is an error. The strictest military discipline imaginable is still looser than that prevailing in the average assembly-line. The soldier, at worst, is still able to exercise the highest conceivable functions of freedom -- that is, he or she is permitted to steal and to kill. No discipline prevailing in peace gives him or her anything remotely resembling this. The soldier is, in war, in the position of a free adult; in peace he or she is almost always in the position of a child. In war all things are excused by success, even violations of discipline. In peace, speaking generally, success is inconceivable except as a function of discipline. (from H.L. Mencken, "Reflections on War" [edited]).

4) Although the interpretation of traffic signals may seem highly standardized, close observation reveals regional variations across this country, distinguishing the East Coast from Central Canada and the West as surely as dominant dialects or political inclinations. In Montreal, a flashing red traffic light instructs drivers to careen even more wildly through intersections heavily populated with pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. In startling contrast, an amber light in Calgary warns drivers to scream to a halt on the off chance that there might be a pedestrian within 500 meters who might consider crossing at some unspecified time within the current day. In my home town in New Brunswick, finally, traffic lights (along with painted lines and posted speed limits) do not apply to tractors, all terrain vehicles, or pickup trucks, which together account for most vehicles on the road. In fact, were any observant Canadian dropped from an alien space vessel at an unspecified intersection anywhere in this vast land, he or she could almost certainly orient him-or-herself according to the surrounding traffic patterns.

SOURCE:
Retrieved from: http://arts.uottawa.ca/writingcentre/en/hypergrammar/writing-paragraphs/review-topic-sentences

Portfolio entry # 7 Exploring ideas in Literature

GENRES o forms of literature can be classified in:

• FICTION: refers to stories about made-up events and characters. Key elements in good fiction are the plot, the conflict, the characters, the setting, the theme, the narrator. Fiction usually takes one of thee forms:

1. Short stories: focus on a single event or incident.
2. Novels: weave together many different events, storylines and characters.
3. Novelas: are longer than a short story but shorter than a novel.

• POETRY: refers to a type of literature in which words are chosen and arranged in a precise way to achieve specific effects. Poems are made up of lines which are often arranged into groups called stanzas. The rhythm, the rhymes and the imagery chosen by the poet will affect the overall meaning and sound of the poem.

1. Odes
2. Sonnets
3. Narrative poems
4. Lyric poems

• DRAMA: is any work that is written to be perfomed. Drama is made up of a plot, characters, setting and theme. Characters and conflicts are developed through dialogue and action. A drama is usually divided into scenes grouped into acts.

1. Comedies
2. Radio plays
3. Historical dramas

• NONFICTION: is writing that tells about real people, events and places.

1. Autobiographies/ Biographies: are true stories of a person´s life.
2. Essays: ae short works that focuses on a single subject and can be reflective, persuasive, or descriptive.
3. News articles: report on recent events.
4. Speechs: are oral pesentations of the ideas, beliefs or proposals.
5. Feature articles: offer in depth coverage of human-interest topics.
6. Functional documents: serve a practical purpose.

• MEDIA: refers to forms of communication that influence your beliefs and actions. All the media messages have an specific purpose.

1. TV shows: are usually created to entertain or inform.
2. Advertising: is designed to persuade a target audience to buy a product, use a service o agree with an idea.
3. Web sites: present infomation through text, graphics, audio video, animation, and interactive features.
4. News media: are designed to entertain and infom viewers.
5. Feature films: are created fo entertainments and to make money.

Strategies for reading literature:

• Ask the right questions to get the most from what you have read.

1. Before reading, preview what you think the text will be about and have in clear the purpose for reading.
2. During reading, pause ocassionally to monitor understanding and make predictions.
3. After reading, analyse the basic plot and explore key ideas.

• Make connections between the key ideas and your life. 

• Record your thoughts, analysis and opinions as you read o share them with others.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Allen, J et.al. (2011). Literature. U.S.: McDougal Littell

Think section

Portfolio entry # 5 How miscommunication happens?

 Miscommunication occurs frequently and it can lead to confussion, animosity and misunderstanding. But why miscommunication happens?

 To begin with, we should describe how communication happens. The transmition model sees communication as a message moving from one person to another. However, human communication is a more complex act. According to the transactional model, when we communicate we receive feedback and through this transaction we create meaning. We should share a dialogue with others, overcome any barriers and reach a common understanding; but it is not always possible.

 Messages are subjective. In this exchange of meanings, senders and receivers will have their own interpretations according to their culture, community, experience, and family background. In addition, the relationship with the other person, the semantic meaning and connotation of the words used, emotions, the amount of people involved and the external noises will influence and affect the interpretation and decoding of the message.

 Luckily, there are some basic rules for better communication:

 1 - Recognize the difference between passive hearing and active listening. Communication can be verbal and non-verbal.

 2 - Listen with your eyes, ears and gut. Communication is more than just words.

 3 - Take time to understand as you try to be understood. Communication is a two-way process.

 4 - Be aware of your personal perceptual filters. Communication is affected by your subjectivity.

Portfolio entry # 6 What is academic writing?

"Your success with academic writing depends upon how well you understand what you are doing as you write and then how you approach the wrtiting task." (Lennie Irwin)

Portfolio entry # 4 Speech acts: Constative and performative

Portfolio entry # 3 Advice on academic writing

Advice on academic writing from Cintia Zacarias

Portfolio entry # 2 How did English evolve?

In the video “How did English evolve?” Kate Gardoqui, offers a brief historical review to explain the evolution of the English language and why “the memory of it persists in the feelings evoked by the words you speak.” The Romans rule Britain as long as the power of their empire lasts. After this, the Celts are invaded by Germanic tribes adopting Old English as the common language. Old Norse words enter into English in the seventh century with the Danish invasion. Last, the Normans invade England in 1066 and it is when the language comes to hierarchize the different social classes. French and Latin are spoken by the aristocracy and clergy respectively, and Old English by the peasantry. To conclude, Gardoqui claims that in modern English, whether you know the history or not, the connotation of the words around their origins has persisted across the years.

Portfolio entry # 1 Welcome to my blog!