Speech - Animal Farm

We are facing a new enemy. 

This enemy is not a human. Even more, is no one who walks with two legs.

Our enemy is an ANIMAL, our enemy is a pigs.

Napoleon our "leader", is making a great effort, to be exactly like a human.

He is not trying to achieve a farm in peace, where all kind of animals can live free. 

The farm should be a place where all animal rights are respected. This farm is our home. 

No one will told us what to do, we are free, we are animals.

We dont need another leader, a tyrant.

You may think that he is right, but he is not! He wash our brains. Napoleon is making us, his slaves.

All of us knew Boxer, and Snowball. They were our friends. Unfortunatly, they are not with us any more because of him.

Napoleon is killing us, he make us work for him. And what he has done for us? He only make rules. And that is not enough, because this rules are not good for us! They are only a excuse to treat us bad.

The other day I saw Napoleon, drinking alcohol, like humans love to do. I saw him sleeping in a comfortable bed, while we are dying outdoor, starving, working until dead.

This must be over! If we make the humans leave this place, we also can drop out the pigs from the farm.

Remember, all animal are equal!

Together, we can make a revolution! 

The Kite Runner / Creative Writing / CORRECTION

• RATIONAL:

"The Kite Runner", a novel by Khaled Hosseini, tells the story of two children: Amir and Hassan.
They get separated by the destiny, when the soviet invasion hit Afganistan. Years later Amir will come back to the country where he was born, to rectify all what he did wrong, and safe Hassan's son, Sohrab.

My work will be linked to the book, because I will tell what Rahim Khan, a friend of Baba and Amir, lived during the soviet invasion and the taliban government in Afganistan. I will do this because the book doesn't tell anything about this period of history. The book narrates after all this happened.

In this case, my goal is to tell the experience of Rahim Khan during the war in Afganistan, and how were his feelings during conflict.

For this I will use the text type of a diary, to narrate the events in a first person perspective. Also, it will write in a semi-formal language.

• CREATIVE WRITING:

24/12/1979

Today is Christmas. The last week I bought a present for Amir jan. It´s a story book for children.
The stories of the book have a very simple vocabulary, and it´s not really an interesting tale as the books he likes to read. But the importance of the book is not what it is, it's the message it leaves.
I know that he might not like it, but he has to understand that Hassan is not different to him. Baba told me that he is not with them now. That´s bad. I hope the book helps.
If only he knew the truth...

25/12/1979

Neither the book nor Allah can help us now.

The "reds" invaded us, showing up no mercy, not even on Christmas night. They advanced in Kabul with tanks, and a great army, shooting everyone who was fighting with them, killing everyone who was afraid of them.

I couldn't be able to give Amir his present. He is leaving the country by now. There's no future in Afganistan for him now. Maybe America is better. Hope I can meet them there as soon as possible.

1/1/1980

I can't leave Afganistan, at least by now.

The Russian army is killing everyone in the frontier with Pakistan, after the massive emigration of the first day of the invasion.

I have been in my house since Baba and Amir left Kabul. Fortunately, I have supplies to survive some weeks. 

28/4/1980

All the supplies I had are gone. Despite I have been getting more supplies by exchanging goods at the black market, this time I got nothing. 

Dealers don't want money. Nowadays, in our situation, money is just a worthless piece of paper. They want bullets. Fortunately, a had plenty of them. 

Before all this mess, I liked going to the forest, away from the sound of the city. I liked to hunt. The only thing I used to hear there, were my shots. Now I hear shots everyday in the streets.

Today all the forest are gone, thanks to the Soviets. And what is more important, I'm running out of bullets.

Maybe it is time to go out. 

11/6/1996

Some people died fighting the invaders. There are people that lost all their hope, and just committed suicide. 

I prefer to be optimistic.

Yesterday I spent some time taking care of Baba's house. With the Taliban in control of the country, I believe that everything will be like it was before.

Last week I went to a Hazara village to find Hassan. I spent a long time looking for him.

The family must be all together when Baba and Amir jan come back.

Hassan has grown up. He told me the reason of his departure from Baba's house. I knew Amir was bad. That book I bought were supposed to help him. But now the book can help Hassan. With it he can learn to read and write. 

After all, what happened he is still loyal to Amir. He will take care of the house with his son, Sohrab.

12/11/2001

The Taliban are not better than the Russians.

The last day, they get in the house, and beat me until I was unconscious

When I woke up Hassan and his wife were dead. They also kidnapped Sohrab.

It was foolish to be optimistic. I must go to Pakistan. I feel sick, after they beat me. 

I can’t rescue Sohrab, but I now who can do it.

He has to know that there’s a way to be good again.

He has to know too many things.

Hope the letter Hassan wrote to him can help.

Questions:

1. When and why were reservations founded?
2. How different are they from national US land?
3. Why do so many Native Americans live outside the reservations?
4. Do reservations help preserve tradition and culture?

Answers:

A1: The reservations where found in 1887, until they get stronger in 1934 with the Indian New Deal. They were founded because USA people wanted to move the tribes from their land, because it bother their European Culture Expansion

A2: Indian reservations are lands that belong to the Native American Tribes. This lands are part of USA, but are just located in there thanks to a legal designation. In here Native Tribes are free to live, in a territory that is indepedent from the USA Constitution.

A3: Many Native Americans live outside the reservations, because this lands belong only to specific tribes, that may cannot be their culture. Also some of them prefer to live in USA, to live better and leave poverty.

A4: Yes they do, because in there they can still live people from the differents Native Cultures. This can prevent the extinction of culture, for example the language.

The Kite Runner - Creative Writing - Rationale

The Kite Runner, a novel by Khaled Hosseini, tells the story of two childrens: Amir and Hassan.
They get separe by the destiny, when the soviet invasion hit Afganistan. Years later Amir will come back to the country where he was born, to rectify all what he did wrong, and safe Hassan's son, Sohrab.

My work will be linked to book, because I will tell what Rahim Khan, a friend of Baba and Amir, lived during the soviet invation and the taliban government in Afganistan. I will do this because the book doesnt't tell anything about this period of the history. The book narrates after all this happen.

In this case, my goal is to tell the experience of Rahim Khan during the war in Afganistan, and how were his feelings during conflict.

For this I will use the text type of a diary, to narrate the events in a first person perspective. Also it will write in a semi-formal language.

161 words

The Kite Runner - Creative Writing - Rahim Khan Diary

24/12/1979

Today is Christmas. The last week I bought a present for Amir jan. It´s a story book for childrens.
The stories of the book have a very simple vocabulary, and it´s not really an interesting tale as the books he likes to read. But the importance of the book is not what it is, it's the message it leaves.
I know that he might don't like it, but he has to understand that Hassan is not different to him. Baba told me that he is not with them now. That´s bad. I hope the book helps.
If only he knew the true...

25/12/1979

Neither the book nor Allah can help us now.

The "reds" invaded us, showing up no mercy, not even on Christmas night. They advanced in Kabul with tanks, and a great army, shooting everyone who was fighting with them, killing everyone who was afraid of them.

I couldn't be able to give Amir his present. He is leaving the country by now. There's no future in Afganistan for him now. Maybe America is better. Hope I can meet them there as soon as possible.

1/1/1980

I can't leave Afganistan, at least by now.

The russian army is killing everyone in the frontier with Pakistan, after the massive emigration of the first day of the invasion.

I have been in my house since Baba and Amir left Kabul. Fortunately I have supplies to survive some weeks. 

28/4/1980

All the supplies I had are gone. Despite I have been getting more supplies by exchanging goods at the black market, this time I got nothing. 

The dealers doesn't want money. Nowadays, in our situation, money is just a worthless piece of paper. They want bullets. Fortunately a had plenty of it. 

Before all this mess, I liked going to the forest, away from the sound of the city. I liked to hunt. The only thing I used to hear there, was my shot. Now I hear shots everyday in the streets.

Today all the forest all gone, thanks to the Soviets. And what is more important, I'm running out of bullets.

Maybe is time to go out. 

11/6/1996

Some people died fighting the invaders. There are people that lost all his hope, and just committed suicide. 

I prefer to be optimistic.

Yesterday I spend some time taking care of Baba's house. With the talibans in the control of the country, I believe that everything will be like it was before.

Last week I went to a hazara village to find Hassan. I spend a long time looking for him.

The family must be all together when Baba and Amir jan come back.

Hassan has grown up. He told me the reason of his departure from Baba's house. I knew Amir was bad. That book I bought was suppose to help him. But now the book can help Hassan. With it he can learn to read and write. 

After all what happend he is still loyal to Amir. He will take care of the house with his son, Sohrab.

12/11/2001

The talibans are not better than the Russians.

The last day, they enter to the house, and beat me until I was unconscious

When I woke up Hassan and his wife were dead. They also kidnapped Sohrab.

It was foolish to be optimistic. I must go to Pakistan. I feel sick, after they beat me. 

I can’t rescue Sohrab, but I now who can do it.

He have to know that there’s a way to be good again.

He have to know too many things.

Hope the letter Hassan wrote to him can help.

598 words

The Kite Runner - Chapter 22 Reflection

• Differences:

1. If we read the book, we can know what was Amir thinking in the scene. He was having lots of flash backs, while he is trying to convince Assef to take Sohrab (the son of Hassan) with him. For example, when he first saw Sohrab, he reminds him, how Hassan was when he was a child
2. Also in the book, Amir gets much more damaged after he fights Assef. While in the book, he get broken bones all around his body, in the movie Amir just get damaged eye.
3. In the book, Assef tells Amir how he survived in the jail, and how he decided to help the talibans in Afganistan. In the movie, Assef dont say anything about this.

• Similarities:

1. What happend in the chapter, is exactly what the movie show to us. However the movie make a summary of the chapter, leaving behind some details. (For example: What was Amir thinking in that moment)
2. Some of the phrases that the characters say in the movie, are exactly what they say in the book.
3. The clothes that the characters are wearing in the movie are very similar to what is described in the book, specially Assef, who is wearing a white suit, with his "John Lennon" glasses on.

The Kite Runner - Chapter 12

1. In what way does Soraya’s story about her illiterate friend differ form Amir’s?
2. What period is described as a time of many ‘firsts’?
3. What was Baba’s final resolution about his diagnosis?
4. Why was Amir envious of Soraya?

Answers:

A1: Soraya's story about her illiterate friend differ with Amir's story, because she helped her friend to learn how to write and read. Meanwhile Amir bother Hassan, teaching him words with another the wrong meaning, while he laugh because of his innocense and ignorance.

A2: The period Amir described as a time of many firsts, is the time when he saw a lot of things that he has never seen have during his life. For example, to saw Baba sick and coughing blood.

A3: Baba's final resolution about his diagnosis is a lung cancer. He don't want to take treatments and remedies to make his disease better or at least dalay it.

A4: Amir was envious of Soraya, because she was brave enough to tell him her secrets, while he even cannot tell her his story with Hassan.

Opinion about Cloning

Nowadays with the technology growing as fast as the human being can conceive, cloning can be closer than we think.

During the past years, we already clone animals. As an example there is Dolly the sheep, the first animal to be clone. But can be possible to clone a human, to clone us? 

This maybe could not be only a science-fiction thing, that we see in the movies, this could be in the future something real for us, something normal.

But is this ethical? In my opinion is not.

To clone a human, you also have to duplicate his memories, his feelings, not only his body. If we forget to duplicate this, we would have an empty piece of bones and flesh, an useless body.

Anyway if we achieve cloning our feelings, that means that in that momento we achieve to create life, a whole human with all his perfections and imperfections.

Thats not playing to be God? To an atheist, this maybe is not an argument against cloning. In that case, I ask: What will happen when you clone yourself, what will you win? What he should do in his life, replace you?

Anyway, if I were a doctor, and its necesary to clone someone what kind of people I would clone? I would clone people inspiring, who can motivate others to be better, and do great things. 
Where I would conduct this? Everywhere, the kind of people that I would clone can be living in any country, and part pf the world.
But what is more important, clone the first human, or clone a healthy child? The answer is clear: I would clone someone healthy, that can live his live well. What's the price if I clone the first human, and he can't live in a normal way.
Also if I clone someone, I would let the people know about my experiments, so they can give me their opinion about it, because cloning if someone that involves all of us.

IVF Treatment Dialogue

Goffard: Hello friend, how are you?

Pertuzé: Very good, and you?

Goffard: Fine, thanks, I heard that you want to have a new baby with your wife.

Pertuzé: Oh, yeah,  I just  leave the clinic, me and my wife are planig to have a daughter, perming the IVF treatment

Goffard: Oh men, but that is totally immoral, I am against it.

Pertuzé: I think is totally right to do this. Don’t stay in the past, move on be modern.

With a little girl in our family, we will get a perfect family balancing. If we get a daughter it will be a new experience for us.

Goffard: I respect that. Anyway I think it is inappropriate to manipulate the treatment to select the sex of their child, also known as family balancing because it is something un-natural and something in what humans do not have the rights to decide. Also, the way the fertilisation is than is disgusting as they produce more than one zygote and they “select the better one” just for convenience or favouritism, something elitist.

Pertuzé:  That what you think bro, you are not the one who have problems having childrens.

After all is my decision, with my wife. I respect your point of view, but this my business.

In the end we will love this children, no matter how is born.

Is our dream to be parents, don’t steal that from us.

Goffard: I suppose that’s why this topic it’s so controversial, we can talk about this all the day.

Well, I have to go! As always it was a pleasure to see you

Pertuzé: Hahaha, you are right.

We can met again some other day, you know… we can have fun, talk about the life, this stuff

Goffard: Yeah! See you later

Pertuzé: Bye!

The Kite Runner: Baba's Diary Entry

Monday, 1975

I thought that this day would never exist.
In this winter day, finally came the moment I wait for. Amir won the kite tournament, he finally did something brave, for men, something that I used to do.

All this years, I looked at Amir and the boy I were, and there isn't any similarities. Instead of playing football, he prefer to read books and write his own stories. He don't enjoy what a men do. He is all what I do no want for him.
One time I told Rahim Khan that "If I hadn't seen the doctor pull him out of my wife with my own eyes, I'd never believe he's my son".

Sometimes, when I look at Ali and his son Hassan, I think about the luck he had. Hassan is exactly the same as Ali is. Both of them are loyal and helpful. They always help us in the house.

Rahim Khan always told me to accept Amir. One time he said to me, that Amir may be different, but that wasn't something bad. He told me, Amir has great talents, that he knows how to write like a professional.
I thought he was wrong...

But this time, when I saw in the roof of the house, what Amir did to win the tournament with blood in his hands, I realized and understood what Rahim Khan said to me.

Amis is different, but that is nice.

The Kite Runner - Chapter 7, 8 and 9

Chapter 7:

1.  What was Hassan’s dream about
2. Why does Amir refer to the last moment of the competition as “All I smelled was victory. Salvation. Redemption“?
3. Who two people say these words: “He’s jut a Hazara, isn’t he?” What is the intended meaning?
4.  How does Amir feel by the end of the chapter? Why?

Answer:

1. Hassan dream about swimming in a lake with Amir. In this lake there was a monster, and the people of Kabul shout to them to get out, but they didn´t, bacause they knew that if they were together, nothing bad would happen.
2. According to the quote, in the last moment of competition, Amir refer that he was not only winning the tournament, he was also winning the love of Baba.
3. The people that said that words were the friends of Assef.
4. Amir feel really bad in the end of the chapter, because he knew that things will never be like before. He feel coward, bacause he didn't help Hassan, he not fight against Assef, like his friend would do.

Chapter 8

1. What happens to Amir on the way to Jalalabad? Why?
2. How does Amir react when Hassan invites him to buy naan?
3. Narrate the second episode at the pomegranate tree. What does it mark in Amir and Hassan’s relationship?
4. What is Assef’s gift to Amir?
5. What story does Rahim Khan tell to Amir? Why?

Answer:

1. On his way to Jalalabad, Amir vomit in the car. He really dont feel good about what happend to Hassan, and his reaction about that.
2. Amir reacts bad when Hassan invites him to buy naan. He shout him to not bother more.
3. Assef gift for Amir was the biography of Hitler.
4. Rahim Khan tell Amir the times whenn he was going to get marry. He realized that the 
5. "birthday boy" was sad, so the told that story

Chapter 9

1.  What is Amir’s most treasurable present?
2.  How does Amir feel when he receives Ali and Hassan’s present?
3.  What is Amir´s ” the last in a long time of shameful lies“?
4.  How does Amir realize Hassan “knew everything“?
5. Why does Amir compare the farawell moment to a Hindi film?

Answers:

1. Amir most treasurable present was the one that Rahim Khan gives to him
2. When Amir receives Ali and Hassan present, he fell very sad. It was the favorite book of Hassan and him. The quality of the book was also nice, so it was a expensive gift considering the economical situation of Hassan and his father
3. For Amir the last in a long time of shameful lies, was make Hassan looks like a thief in front of Baba.
4. Amir realized that Hassam knew everything about the lie, because when Baba ask him if it was true that he steal Amir's present, he said "yes", and he was the honest and loyal man ever born.
5. Amir compare the farawell moment to a Hindi film, because in that dramatic moment, when Hassan was leaving his life, in a movie he would chase the car.

The Kite Runner - Chapter 5 and 6

Chapter 5:

1. What social episode takes place in April 1978?
2. Why does Amir call Assef a “sociopath”?
3. What does Assef think about Hitler?
4. Why does Amir say to Assef that Hassan “is not his friend”?
5. What does Baba give Hassan as a birthday present?

Answer:

1. The social episode that happend in this chapter occur in April, 1978 when the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan took the power of the government, with a militar coup
2. Amir called Assef a "socialpath", because he is extremely intolerant with people different to him. And that thing makes him violent with everyone.
3. Assef think that Hitler is a "heroe", because he kill all the "inferior people" (jews). He said that in Afghanistan, they have to the same, killing the hazaras.
4. Amir told Assef, that Hassan is not his friend because he didn't want problems with him. Also he was kind of ashamed because Hasaan was a hazara, and he was born to be a servant.
5. Baba give Hassan an operation for his physical problem, as a gift for his birthday. Hassan born with this problem, so this gift was a very special one.

Chapter 6:

1. Why does Amir wish Baba did not buy the same kites for Hassan?
2. According to Amir, what is for kite runners a “trophy of honor”?
3. “Would you ever ask me to do such a thing Amir agha”? What is Hassan referring to in this section of the book? (p.59)
4. What is the real reason Amir wants to win the kite tournament?
5. In your opinion, is Hassan a happy kid? Why? Why not?

Answers:

1. Amir wish Baba did not buy the same kites for Hassan because he was his son, and for that reason he thinks he should get a special treatment, that shows him that Baba loves him more than Hassan.
2. According to Amir, for a kite runner a trophy of honor was to get the last kite, that winner cut off.
3. Based on the quote, Hassan is taking about eating dirt. This was order by Amir.Hassan ask him, if he really wants to do that, because he was so loyal to Amir, that he would do everything for him.
4. The real reason Amir wants to win the kite tournament is because he likes to demostrate Baba, that he is able to do great things, like him. He wants Baba be proud of him, so he can love Amir.
5. In my opinion Hassan is a happy kid. Everytime he is with Amir, he is happy, because he is with his friend, with his brother.

The Kite Runner - Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

1. Why do Baba and Ali have an unconventional master-servant relationship?
2. Why does Amir think that John Wayne is Iranian?
3. What phrase does Amir carve in the pomegranate tree? What does that phrase mean?
4. What was Hassan’s reaction toward the story invented by Amir?
5. How does Rahim Khan criticize Amir’s story?

Answers:

1. Baba and Ali have an unconventional master-servant relationship because Ali was adopted by Baba`s family, so they grow together, playing children games as Amir and Hassan does.
2. Amir thinks John Wayne is a Iranian because the voice that the actor has in the movies was Iranian.
3. The phrase that Amir carve in the pomegranate tree was "Amir and Hassan, the sultans of Kabul". That menas that tree now belongs to them, as a reminder of their friendship.
4. Hassan`s reaction toward the story invented by Amir was of surprice, because for him it was the best story that he have ever heard, so he began to clap to demostrate that.
5. Rahim Khan criticize Amir`s story as a master piece. He told Hassan he have a God-given talent. Also he said that Amir duty was to make count this talent.

New Zealand

Dialect

Along the two islands that makes New Zealand,the population speaks the language that the colonists left of heritage, the English.

The colonists established the english during the 19th century, influence his language as the Australian English, English in southern England, Irish English, Scottish English and Māori does.
This dialect of NZ is also the "the newest native-speaker variet[ies] of the English language in existence" Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_English
Dialect is defined as a:
"Variety of a language that is distinguished from other varieties of the same language by
 features of phonology, grammar,and vocabulary, and by its use by a group of speakers who are set from others geographically or socially"

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/dialect

Some of the typical words that we can find here in New Zealand are "How is going?", when you greet someone; "choice", that means "very good"; "skus", that means "too cold"; "as good as gold", used for a positive answer; "chemist", the drugstore, and many others words and phrases we can hear in our trip. Some other words that comes from the British English: Barber's, Dentist's and grocer's.

Also is very typical to hear a variation in the pronunciation. They pronounce the sound /e/ as /i/. For example, when they say 'bed' they pronounce it as 'bid'. Moreover, instead of pronounce 'red' the say 'rid'.

Besides, New Zealand has 3 official languages: Maori, English and Signs language. 
In add to Maori speaking, they are some typical words that New Zealanders use very much, such as "Kia ora", that means "hello"; "Aotearoa", that it means " the long white cloud", that refers to the New Zealand country. 

Gonzalo Vidal

Diego Pertuzé

Wellington, the capital

New Zealand Culture

The New Zealander has respect and knowledge about their past. 

They feel that they have Maori blood, and they are proud of that. In some way, it's not like Chile where we are progeny of the Mapuches, but sometimes we refuse and make racism on them.

Even more, everywhere you go you find things written on English and Maori. For example in the TePapa Museum, all the explanations that they have are in both languages. Also you can appreciate Maori's architecture inside their most importants buildings, such as the Governor's House

The Governor is the one who represents the British Queen in New Zealand, and in fact actually he is Maori.

Do we have Mapuches leaders in the government of Chile? Unfortunately the answer is no.

Is this attitude the one who makes New Zealanders tolerant in front all the others cultures that travel to the islands. For them see some black or asian people is normal.  In Chile we look them in a strange way.

In other words they are empathetic with people who cames from other countries. 

They accept what is different compare for what is common for them. Is thing is what in Chile doesn't happen.

What is to be a New Zealander?

Being a New Zealander it is a synonym of being kind.

They respect each other, and for that reason they accept all the different cultures that they have in their two islands. When you walk in the street you can see a lot of Asian, black, Turkish and Islam people walking around in peace, like any other civilian, without suffering any type of discrimination or racism.

They are used to see people from a different religion and culture.

The New Zealander is characterized as an open-minded person, who is tolerant about the way the others are.

Even more there are no thieves, because it is in their culture to not steal anything. If you lose something, and someone finds it, he will probably try to give it back to you. 

For example, in the supermarkets they have plates full of candies and cereal, where you are able to have some and eat it without paying. But they simply don't do that. They get some, pay for it and then after all this, they eat it.

Also it can be seen that they have a very structured daily routine and specific eating times.
Actually they are punctual, the same as the means of transportation (example: the bus or the train)

      The Fairtrade Movement

Have you ever seen on the market a product with a fairtrade logo on it, and you can't explain why it is more expensive than the regular ones? If you live in Europe you probably have, but American people haven't heard about this organization. But recently, with the popularity that may spread the program, is good to know what this organisation is about.

Fairtrade is a europe NGO, that acts like a distributor to some disadvantaged and marginalised material producer that can't make a fair trade with their consumers, that gives them less money than they deserved. But they not only act like a simple distributor cause this movement willing to end poverty, with their economical help to this small farmers and labourers, trying to improve their life.

Some of the products that the fair-trade organisation offers are caffe, sugar, bananas, cotton, tea, cocoa, flowers, honey, juices, fresh fruits, rice or even wine, so if you have the opportunity to buy one of a fairtrade product, don't doubt about it because they ensure the quality of it. Also you must be conscious that you are helping someone else to improve their life with that nonprofit money that you donate to them paying more.

Like any other thing in life, fair-trade make negative things like creating inflation on the market products, but it can't be denied that this is a way for ending poverty around the world, something that can be classified as a global issue.

The Kite Runner Comic

The Kite Runner: Chapter 4 Comic

http://bitstrips.com/r/FG64Z