Beggars

In my opinion, I think that beggars in Portugal ask for money because they are unemployed and consume drugs.Therefore to support they addiction they beg for money.Uselly I don't give money for beggars because I dislike to know that they will spend the money on drugs.So I uselly by them food...

Begging

Beggars and the homeless are a great burden on modern society.

Even with the help of organizations which try to end the problem nowadays, it has not yet been possible to do so.

Is the solution in ourselves? If all of us contributed with money and charity, would it be the end of begging? I’m sure it wouldn’t! Charity is certainly not the solution to the problem of begging.

But, is it fair to ignore these people with no home, no food and no essentials to survive? Once again, I’m sure it isn’t! Within our possibilities we should be generous with the homeless and try to decrease their unhappiness and give them a little more hope.

The solution is certainly hard and it needs the commitment of all of us, the help of the support groups and, most of all, Government support.

Some words about begging

The article by Alexander Chancellor about begging, published in The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2006/apr/01/weekend.alexanderchancellor), was a reaction to Westminster Council's campaign which discouraged British citizens from giving money directly to beggars. Chancellor's main argument consists of an opposition to the institutionalization and public legitimization of western selfishness. He said the campaign was a way of supplying rationality to our lack of pity. I would like to contribute to the discussion, introducing an important aspect of our contemporary culture which reveals another side of the problem, which was not addressed by the columnist of the British newspaper. While he speaks of a lack of pity, we can observe a wide range of cultural products which empathise with the pain of others for the sake of the spectator, almost an entire economy of pity. It's sufficient to look at the covers of newspaper, to go to a documentary film festival, to attend a photography exhibition or simply to turn on the TV. We are overwhelmed by images of misery. These images are an important part of the contemporary culture of spectacle and of the prevalence in our society of that feeling which Chancellor claims is missing: pity. But this feeling comes with a growing process of depoliticization. Pity is privatized and giving money to beggars becomes a way to appease the guilty consciences of those who do not see another horizon beyond the actions of the individual. I propose, against the emotional discourse of Chancellor (who himself is part of an economy of pity!), a recovery of the public sphere as a possible horizon for collective action.

Contributing to the blog. Expressing your opinion.

The adjective "unsightly" came up in the class as did the noun "an eyesore" Is "visual pollution" important? It seems to be in Sao Paulo, one of the most atmospherically polluted cities in the world, where advertising on buildings has been banned....no giant photos of Ronaldo! Do you have any objection to advertising hoardings (there's one in Spain which has become a cultural icon and is protected from being destroyed) ugly buildings or graffiti for example? Graffiti is an particlarly interesting topic....is it art or vandalism, ugly or beautiful? Have you heard of "Banksy"? Try contributing to the blog by discussing any of the above. You won't be assessed on this but it will develop you powers of expression in English. Alternatively open up a topic of your choice.

Week 3

We discussed the issue of plastic pollution. You read the text of a video blog strongly denouncing the material's negative effects on the environment, especially in the oceans. You then read a written text from a scientist defending plastic, claiming that the case against this wonderful iby-product of oil was overstated. By now I hope you have watched the short lecture by Dianna Cohen on "The tough truth about plastic pollution" at TED talks, the contents of which are similar to the video blog - and also completed the question sheet I gave you. It's diffficult to write or express an opninon on an issue like this unless you know something about it. So now you should have a more informed opinion on the topic and enough ammunition to defend your argument.

In the second half I gave you some of the illustrations from a book by Raoul Dah,l entitled "Matilda" which tells the tale of a little girl who has horrible parents. The idea was to a descriptive narrative extract. Finally we did an exercise on the accurate use of tenses in a narrative.

Hopefully you will have completed the first assignment by Friday...a piece of creative writing in the Science Fiction genre. Remember you have to write between 450 and 500 words. One approach is to mimic the style of one of the extracts or stories that you have read and liked. Pay close attention to the listed criteria for assessment - and please try to be accurate with your language - balancing this with being ambitious.

TED talks

Google the series of talks on this site...ted talks..... and watch one that you think will interest you....for example from the most watched section, or the most persuasive section. Choose a talk on a topic that's relevant to what we have done or will be doing in class....eg. how technology is evolving, unlocking creativity, how schools stifle creativity....These are just some suggestions. It's all good stuff.

Week 2

1) Reference list of precise verbs for narrative

2) Short story Death Speaks by Somerset Maugham. From the Brian de Palma Film Redacted

3) Error correction exercise related to above: common narrative errors eg. tense use (past perfect), relative clauses, participle clauses etc. If you were not able to detect the errors then you should use a grammar book for reference and look up the relevant section.

4) Showing vs Telling - Comparing 2 texts about a mean little girl called Lucinda.

5) Finally I gave you a worksheet in order to analyse ll 1-61 of the 1st extract from Fahrenheit 451 , in particular, the use of metaphor, originality, the characteristics of Sci Fi writing, creating an unfamiliar world.......compared to defamiliarization in other genres of writing (making the familiar seem strange and new), the use of cultural details, the creation of character...showing rather than telling. I suggested you look at the famous opening to the novel 1984 for comparison..."...the clocks were striking thirteen..."

I am sending you all a copy of the first written assessment task - a piece of creative writing inspired by or based on the Sci Fi extracts in the reading Portfolio - which should be delivered to me by 29th October.

The first oral assessement task will be a "persuasive talk" related to unit 6.4 of the coursebook. There are a number of talks, speeches, debates you could listen to and watch for inspiration and content. Try Stephen Fry giving his opening speech AGAINST the motion "The Catholic Church is generally a force for good in the world" He's controversial, very persuasive and doesn't spare any punches. The speech is on Youtube and there is a review of the debate on the Daily Telegraph website. You can find both by googling Intelligence Squared...the name of the debating series.

Week 1 etc.

Dear All,

Welcome to the blog. Each week I intend to provide you with a brief summary of Friday's class, so that you can see what was covered. If you miss a class please try to catch up on the contents, preferably via your colleagues.

Also on the blog I'll post website addresses for relevant texts I think you should read, podcasts that you should listen to and video you might like to watch etc.

Week 1:

Everyone should now have a copy of the Course Summary and a copy - from Novacopias - of the Reading Portfolio. I hope by now you've read all the Sci Fi texts - that is, the Extracts and the Short story.

1) During the class we looked at how to enrich a story, create atmosphere and convey emotions through the use of more vivid precise vocabulary, especially verbs and nouns, rather than relying on adjectives. I gave you a simple story from a writing textbook to improve on by using the vocabulary provided. We also noted how, despite being a rather weak story, it was at least built around a central image, metaphor or symbol...the coming of Autumn and the changing seasons which reflected events in the story....a character being made redundant but being offered a new job and making a new start.

2) I referred you to the section on Narrative writing in the Guide to Grammar and Writing ...just Google it! Here there is advice on Showing vs. Telling with an extract from George Orwell's essay Shooting an Elephant. This also illustrates the technique of controlling time and pace, for example slowing down the pace when describing events that happen quickly.
The site author also stresses the importance of making a point with a story - not leaving the reader thinking "So what?" This is followed by a short story The Sacred Grove of Oshogbo for which I have prepared a worksheet if you're interested.

3) I gave you a copy of Show don't Tell writing exercises with an extract from the gothic fantasy Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake.

4) Descriptive writing - Setting the scene. I gave you copies of two similar extracts + a worksheet to compare the style of writing
RAIN: extract from The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill
FOG: extract from Bleak House by Charles Dickens
What to note: Showing rather than telling, few adjectives and the use of precise verbs in both; the details and cultural references, especially in Dickens and the use of metaphor in only ONE of the texts and not the other.

5) We discussed the topic of education, teaching and learning via a selection aphorisms/sayings/quotes and looked at the discursive text in Unit 1 of Language Leader. It would be worthwhile searching for other aphorisms on the topic.