It makes us realize that life is absurd because is not important at all what happens to a pig but in this case it was somehow important because this pig caused the death of Jerome´s father.

Jerome tries to deal with his father’s death and move on with life. Despite his efforts to move on, Jerome still appears as an absurd character in the story. List examples of what Jerome says and does that indicate that he is an absurd character.

- He spends tons of time thinking abaout ways to hide that his father was killed by a pig.

- His father was killed by a pig.

- He was called pig himself

- He thinks that people judge him because of his father´s death and his stressed about it.

- He can`t trust his father`s death even to his own grilfriend.

Greene’s story recounts the long-term effects that the father’s death has had on Jerome’s behavior. Explain why “A Shocking Accident” is an ironic title for Greene’s story.

It is an ironic title because the accident is not schocking at all. It is just very unusual. A schocking accident would have been a car crash but a pig falling from the sky is just very random.

Jerome is faced with a problem not of his making. Describe what happened and why it has become a problem for Jerome. Then, tell how you would feel about this shocking accident if you were Jerome and had to explain the situation to friends.

What happened is that Jerome´s father was walking on the streets and suddenly a pig fell from a balcony and landed on top of him. This caused his dead. The problem for Jerome because his very and embarrased and frustrated because his dad died because of the most ridiculous situation that could have cause a dead. He fears that if he tells the story of his father´s dead people will laugh at him. I would also feel very frustrated if something like this happend to my dad because I would feel that such incident would reduce his life to an absurd death. I would definately invent another story of how my father died because I would want to see anyone laughing due to the death of my own dad.

In your opinion, do the authors of “The Rocking-Horse Winner” and “A Shocking Accident” reveal any elements of social criticism? Support your response with examples.

A social tendency that is very criticized in both of this stories is the fact that people worry to much about what people say or think about them. They spend their time trying to figure out ways of appearing normal to societie`s expectations. Also, they focuse to much on superficial things like money or embarrasement instead of enjoying other things they have like family and friends.

He visualizes luck as being part of having money. If you were rich it was because you had money. This is because his mother told him that she had married and unlucky man and that was the reason for their situation. So, the more moeny he had, the luckier he was.

As Paul rides his rocking horse, he is somehow able to identify the names of winning racehorses. He bets on these horses and wins money. At the end of the story, however, Paul dies as a result of riding his rocking horse. What does the rocking horse symbolize, or represent, in the story?

The rock represents the luck. This is because everytime he rode the horse he was able to know which horse would win. Everytime he was absolutely sure he bet and won.  This is somehing no one can know except if you were very lucky. In some way the horse gave him the luck.

What types of relationships exist among the family members in the story? What keeps the family members, especially Paul and his mother, connected to each other?

The relationships weren’t that good.. The whispers in the house showed that they weren’t being totally honest wtih each other. In thw hole famili there is a special relationship which is the one that Paul and his mother  have. The mother doesn’t love her children but she acts as the best mother she can be. Paul feels that his mother soen’t  love him and in order to win her love and make her happy, he searches for money and luck. In the end both og them are connected by the same greed and ambition.

In the final line of the story, Uncle Oscar tries to comfort his sister by saying that Paul is “best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking horse to find a winner”. What does Uncle Oscar mean? Do you agree with him? Explain your answer.

That he is better resting in heaven than being on earth suffering frustration because of greed and ambition. I do agree with him that he’s better being calmed but I do not agree that that he should have died. Maybe someone could have explaines him that money wasn’t everything and maybe he could have understood.

Consider the importance of class, or one’s position in society, to the characters in The Rocking-Horse Winner. How does it compare with yours?

The class position is very important.  If they weren’t that poor they wouldn’t have that ambition for money. The lack of money gave them those two characteristics. This situation is compared with mine because when there’s lack of money I too get stressed and start to notice everything I don’t have. That doesn’t mean that this behavior is justified.

What can you tell abou Elizabeth Browning from the poem?

She’s vey expressive about her feelings and tires to intesify them as much as she can. She beleives that striving for rights and turning away from praise is good. She’s deeply in love.

Life in Love

What can you tell about Robert Browning from his poem? 

He’s a very persistant man and he’s willing to do anything in order to get what he wants. Nothing can defeat the love he feels for his beloved. Even tough he’s love is not answere he won’t let it die. He feels that love is worrth fighting for, bring brave for.

3. Both poems are written about romantic love. In an essay, compare the intensity and strength of the love described in the two poems. How are the relationships described alike, and how are they different? Give examples and reasons to support your response.

Both of the poems are very intense. Both writers are very sure of hoe they feel and they have many ways to make their point clear.  The reason of the intensity is that they are both in love.

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. “- Sonnet 43

“So long as the world contains us both, Me the loving.”- Life in Love

They are different because while it is suggested that the woman’s love is returned, the man’s love is not. Whe can infer that the love is returned because she startas the poem with the phrase: How do I love thee? As if her man was asking her if she loved him. The man’s love is obviously not returned because he states it throughout all the poem.

“Me the loving and you the loth, While the one eludes, must the other pursue.”

Have you ever been in love? What did it feel like? How did it end? If you were to write a poem about this love, what would it be like?

I could say that I’ve been in love but I don’t think that it was that accurate . Firts because it was when I was vey young, maybe 12 , 13 years old. Maybe it was more the shock of feeling something fro someone than actual love. But it wasn’t just another crush because I know that what I liked about the person was the personality and not just the physic or something else.

If I wrote a love poem I think that it would be very honest and not corny at all. Maybe ven short just to express just exactly what I need to say.

This is the story of how my uncle met my dead grandfather. He was just married to my aunt and they were living at my grandmother’s house. He woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and when he got out a man approached him and touched him in the shoulder. He was shocked because he knew that there was no other man living in that house. The next they when he told the story to my aunt and uncle that concluded that it was my grandfather because of the descriptions he gave.

Desguised Interest

 The famous singer Bobby Thorton and the camera assistant Jean MacDonald met on a talk show called “The Morning Show”. Bobby had been invited as a celebrity guest and Jean was working as she always did. Bobby noticed her since the moment he entered the room because he thought she had something special. Bobby looked at her camera at the whole show but she never suspected that it was her he was watching. When the show finished Bobby asked her on a date and after that date Jean never went back to work as a camera assistant again.

Short, short story

And when I looked back, I wasn’t able to see.

A few days a go I met a friend to a chat. We talked about our lives, school, and Guatemala. We both expressed our worries about our country. Between all the talking she said something very true:

“In Guatemala we live with different problems. Thieves steal, cheaters cheat and liars lie. Even tough it is redundant that’s how it is supposed to be. But what happens when this order is broken? What happens when protectors attack, honest people cheat and people you trust lie? This is a situation happening in Guatemala. An obvious example of this is our mediocre policemen.”

She was right. This made me think a lot about cops in Guatemala. They surely do not do their jobs as they are supposed to do it. How many times do you hear in the news that people were murdered or that a car was stolen? I can not be even counted but at least I can tell you that you hear that more times that you hear that someone has been captured or that car has been given back.

Now, you are probably thinking: Why is she saying that police officers are overrated when at the same time she’s admitting that they do not do their job properly? The answer to that question is very simple. You see, in Guatemala there are many thieves. They normally fallow the same process. They come to you without any warning seeming to be as everybody else. Then they’ll threaten you with a gun or a weapon which you don’t really know if they posses,  and finally they’ll leave with your possessions. After this assault you are left totally scared and shocked with what has happened.

If another question has risen in your mind it probably is: What does this have to do with policeman.

As I already told you, when a person steals from you, you can’t predict what is going to happen and this makes the situation more tense but with police officers all that tension is gone. Once you see that person with the black uniform you know what’s coming. Either they are going to take your money away or they will put some cocaine in your car. They are even kind enough by not threatening with a gun, because they only use their influence to get what they want. With them you always know what’s coming.

This is where I make my modest proposal. A proposal that will be seen as the best idea of this century. A proposal that most countries will fallow for being such an extraordinary idea. A proposal that will stop any kind of deceives  amongst our nation.

My proposal is to change what cops stand for. Everyone will stop pretending and will finally face the truth. We will surrender to their power they have above us, a power that was given by us. We will stop complaining about cops abuse and we will start to admit what we can’t fight.

The process will start by changing their name. We won’t call them police officers anymore instead will call them corruption officers. I think this name suits better their situation and everybody will start to learn what are they dealing with.

Next will eliminate the sirens of their cars because they’ll be useless. When seeing a police car everyone will make space for it to move even if it’s not an emergency we all know that they want to pass quickly. This will not only come handy for policemen but also it will eliminate the noise in the streets.

Instead of getting police training, they’ll get stealing training. They’ll get the best advices on how to deal with Guatemala citizens, the spots where most drivers go, the best places to get some cocaine, the best shops to buy doughnuts.

While waiting in the streets will open the doors in case they want to register or put some drugs in it.

There won’t be any police stations anymore because no one will be able to complain about any type of crime. Policeman won’t have to worry anymore about pretending to make some calls, or writing something on a notebook while receiving a report because there will be no reports. This will benefit people because they won’t have to take time to report any kind of crime.

To me this is the best solution ever. Not only will policemen benefit from this but also all the rest people in Guatemala. Pretending to have real cops in Guatemala only took time and joy of our lives but all that is gone.

Accepting the truth is our only solution. With the time everyone wil agree with me as hopefully you’ll do to.

This cartoon is funny beacuse it’s exaggerating the physcial condition od U.S. soldiers during war. The point that the cartoon is trying to make is that the war is destroying U.S. soldier’s lifes and it’s also torturing them.

My Voyage

It was my last day of school. It was wierd beacuse that day was the only one that I wished that school wasn’t over. My classmates and I cried like babies as we said goodbye to our old school. At night there was going to be a party to celebrate the last day but I was going on a trip.  It was a family trip and we were going on a cruce. My mother pciked me up at school and after a very wet goodbye we went directly to the airport. After a few minutes in the airport we were aloud into the airplane and finally left towards Miami. We arrived to Miami and then went directly to the cruce. It was enormous. I was extremely tired beacuse it had been an exhausting day. I went directly into the bed and fell completely asleep.

The next say I woke and to my surprise I was sorrounded by the big ocean. I had been sailing all night long. I noticed that I wasn’t on a cruce anymore but in a very small ship. I sat up and cleared my eyes. From far away I saw a really green island that was completely vegetated. In the shore there were empty boats that had been tied to palm tries. But those boats weren’t the only boats I saw. There were other sailing before me, next to me and behind me. After a while I finally arrived to the island with a few other boats.

As soon as I arrived, I saw all these new people I had never met before. Everyone was different. Some were short, some were tall, some where ,tanned some where white… ect. The only thing they all hd in commmon is that they were my age. Being accepted into their group was not so easy. They were a hard tribe that had for long been together but eventually I found my place. We got to know each other very well. We shared our stories, laughed of the same jokes, cired our problems out and in rare ocaasions we even fought  between us. This made us very close and for us being together became very natural. But we all knew that there would be one day in which we had to separte and the day finally arrived. That they we spent it all together and remembered all the memories we all had together. Later everyone started to prepare for their own voyage. Some were staying in the same area of the island, some where headed to different parts, some were crossing the seas to find their new destination, but we all were going seperate ways.

We wished each toher the best of lucks and promised to see each other again. We laughed and rejoiced as we said goodbye because eventough it was sad to go in different directions, we were all happy that the movements of the sea had brought all our ships together.

I suddenly woke up from a really long sleep. I had had a very wierd sleep but it all made sense. Eventough I was goign to miss my friends I was never goign to forget the memories we sepnt together and those memories….those memories made me forever happy.

Solutions for filling the whole.

1. The most obvious one: use the sand that was sent by the Pacaya.

2. Fill it with concrete

3. Fill it with rocks

4. Fill it with soil

5. Building a base using construction materials like metal

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Dangers for the people living there.

1. If it expands it could bring other people’s houses down

2. People could go into the whole

3. It could block or damage the water underground system

4. It could destroy other things tat work for the community like electricity post.

5. It causes anxiety and stress

6. People could be asked to leave their houses while the problem is solved

7. The streets can be closed

8. It means that someone might loose his/her home for a long time

9. It can create a lot of news and reporters and eavesdroppers could invade their community.

10. It could suggest hta there might be other wholes around that area

Story

It all started at night with a really heavy rain. It was raining terribly and on top of that, my garden was filled with the sand that the Pacaya had kindly sent to my backyard. I was a little sad that day because my friends had gone to a party all together without inviting me. I was so mad at them. They were terrible friends. I was also tired because I had been cleaning all day long and that wasn’t enough. Sand was still everywhere. I was so tired that I wished that the earth could swallow the sand. Very, very wrong wish.

I was looking at some dresses on the computer when suddenly I felt a soft shake. I thought it was a little earthquake. Not only was a storm hitting Guatemala but also sand had fallen all over the city and now there was an earthquake. It seemed to me as if the end of the world was coming. Still, I didn’t worry too much cause it was only a little shake, right? Meanwhile my sisters, my grandma and my parents where watching the news in the living room. I was listening to the news form where I was sitting. A poor woman had just lost her house. I pitied the woman. If that happened to me I would be crushed.

Later I checked the clock and it was 15 past 9. At that time my friends were having a blast and I was stuck in my house. Why hadn’t they called me? Didn’t they like me? I was very hurt. They were awful friends.

I hated being at home. What was the good thing about staying inside four walls? Those walls didn’t talk to you. Those walls didn’t make happy. It was a very boring house away from my friends.

Later at 9:30 there was another shake. This time it was harder. For a moment I thought that an earthquake had just started. I heard my mother shouting for me and I ran to the living room where all my family was still gathered. They were all standing up with really scared faces. They switched the T.V. back to the news but there was nothing about an earthquake going on in Guatemala. My grandma called my aunt who lived nearby to see if she had felt the earthquake but she hadn’t even felt the first shake. At that time everyone started creeping out. My little sister was crying and my biggest sister was trying to calm her. I was in sock. I was standing still in the middle on the living room and in the background I was hearing the voices of my mom and my dad discussing. Suddenly my mom was giving me orders to go to my room to pack a few things. We were going to my aunt’s house to spend the night. I was hurrying to my bedroom when a really strong shake made me fall to the ground. My ear was pressed to the ground and I could hear as if a big mount of rocks and soil were falling. My instant reaction was getting up and shouting: Everyone out, the house is falling. I could barely hear my sisters shout as I crumbled towards the front door. I ran as agile and fast as I could. After I crossed the front door I ran a little farther to there my whole family was standing, even the dog was already there in my sister’s arms. I ran directly into my familie’s arms. The fear I had just felt had just been the worst feel I have ever known but now I was being comforted the way I never had. Just a few seconds after I arrived to my family a huge noise came from the direction where my house was. We all turn our heads and saw as how in a matter of seconds our house was swallowed by the earth. We all started to cry and we didn’t stop in a long time. My father, between tears, was trying to convince us that everything was going to be ok but no words could describe the hurt that was in my heart. I had lost everything, all my possessions. I had nothing at all. I had no place to live, no place to sleeps. My family was in misery.

A few hours had passed and I was still feeling terrible. The rain that had been falling since the moment we came out of the house was gone. A few neighbors came to us and offered us food and something to drink. Some even offered us shelter but we were still going to spend the night at my aunt’s house. Later my cousins and aunts arrived offering us all the support the y could give us. They were very worried about us and they had an enormous concern. They were extremely nice and supportive.

A few hours passed and I lay I was sitting in the street seeing as firefighters, policeman and news reporters were filling the streets when I saw my friends running towards me. They hugged me, and their eyes started to fill with tears. Instantly, mine where too. We hugged and cried for a short time and then we separated. When I saw their faces all their makeup was ruined. They were still dressed with their party wardrobe. As I started to tell their story they told me theirs. As soon as they heard what had happened they ran off the party to come and see me. Later they explained that they had been trying to call me but the phones had been not been working because of the rain. I felt terrible for what I had thought about them. They were the best friends of all. They spent a few with me and then I went to take a nap.

A few weeks later we found a new house. It was going to be expensive because the insurance covered most of the expenses.

Even tough loosing my house was a terrible incident I learned that we must value everything we have.

A house is more than a construction it’s a protector. It doesn’t take care only of you but also of the ones you love.

Family and friends are irreplaceable. Sometimes they can make you really mad but you know that in the end they will always be there for you.

In each of these poems the speaker makes clear his love for someone. Then, in both poems, the bond is broken or damaged. Identify the person to whom the speaker feels bonded in each poem, describe what happens, and describe the speaker’s tribute. Explain how the ending of each poem would be different if the narrator had not felt so strongly bonded to the subject of each poem.

In On My First Son his poem is dedicated to his 7 year old. The bond with his son is broken when the son dies at a very early age. He honors his son saying it was his best piece of poetry. If his son would not have died, Ben Johnson wouldn’t be so sad and his heart wouldn’t be so hurt.

In Song: To Celia the poem is about a woman named Celia. The speaker feels that with only a little bit of her, his love will be complete. His tribute to Celia is the importance he gives to her. If he wasn’t apart from her he wouldn’t long for her that much. l

2. Why So Pale and Wan, Fond Lover? by Sir John Suckling

The speaker reveals his version of the “rules” of romantic love. Write 6 characteristics that Suckling thinks a young suitor must have, and 6 for a woman being courted. Do the characters in the poem live up to the speaker’s standards? Why or why not?

 A man: Must not insist, must not weep, must accept his circumstances, must have a good attitude around a woman, must get over a girl if she doesn’t love him back. A woman: must be courted by the man, must like a good attitude, will not settle, will not be forced to love, will not pitty a man he doesn’t love.

3. To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars and To Althea, From Prison by Richard Lovelace

In Lovelace’s poems, love conquers a great deal, but not all. Briefly summarize each poem’s presentation of how love can triumph and how it can be defeated.Then give examples of images from each poem that support that belief.

To Lucasta, on Going to the Wars

 At war, their love will not let him love anyone else other than Lucasta. The only thing that love doesn’t conquer is his honor. “True ; a new Mistresse now I chase, The first Foe in the Field “ “I could not love thee (Deare) so much,Lov’d I not Honour more.

To Athea from Prision

As long as he has her love, nothing can make him feel locked. When he’s with her he feels as free as no one has ever felt. The love he has for his girl,hs friends and his king triumphs over the feeling of being trapped.

“When I lye tangled in her haire And fettered to her eye ;The Gods that wanton in the Aire, Know no such Liberty. “

“When thirsty griefe in Wine we steepe, When Healths and draughts go free, Fishes that tipple in the Deepe, Know no such Libertie. “

“And in my soule am free ;Angels alone that sore above, Injoy such Liberty.”

. 4. Does To Althea, From Prison -a poem about liberty and bondage- have any relevance to twenty-first century life? Write a brief essay (at least 5 paragraphs) with your opinion, referring to actual world conditions or events and citing specific passages from the poem to support your views.

I think that the circumstanes in To Alathea from Prision and the circumstances in the 21st century are very relateable. The poem doesn’t especify any kind of issues that were going on then, than do not happen now.

Love has been an issue since the creation of the worls. I dont think that there’s a person in the whole world that hasn’t been affected by it. Nowadays love is everywhere: in the books, in the songs, in the movies and in poetry also.

In this special case, he’s away from his girlfriend but he still feels filled with her love. This can happen in the present days, not only when a person goes to prison but also when a person goes to college or goes away to live in another country.

“When I lie tangled in her hair And fetter’d to her eye,The birds that wanton in the airKnow no such liberty.”

Another thing that has always existed is frienship. In this poem he describe frienship relating it with liquor and parties. This is a perfect example of something that hasn’t change. When you want to drink, you don’t think of going with your parent, your siblings or your son, you think about drinking with your friends.

“ When flowing cups run swiftly round With no allaying Thames”

The only thing that is not that relevant is his love to his king. There are not many monarchys nowadays, specially here in Latin America. I think that the citizens that live under a monarchy have a lot of respect towards the monarchs but they do not love them as he does.

“With shriller throat shall singm The sweetness, mercy, majesty, And glories of my King;

5. A Modern Lucasta.

Write out a modern Lucasta’s answer to a man who delivered this poem to her as he set off to war

Dear beloved,

I understand that you have a commintment with your country and yourself and I belive that to be very honorable. Still you’ve chosen your path and I’ve chosen mine. Do not expect that I’ll still be yours when you come back. I’m not going to stop my live to wait for you. If the path I’ll chosen brings me back to you again then so be it, but as long as you’re not with me we’ll stay apart.

 2. Meditation 17 by John Donne This essay presents the idea that “no man is an island” and reinforces this idea by listing many events that illustrate the interconnectedness of human lives. Write 5 events that Donne believes are universal experiences. 4.

3. Holy Sonnet 10 (Death Be Not Proud) by John Donne

Do you think that the narrator is as fearless as he claims, or is he driven by fear? Explain your answer.

4. Read the poem Song by John Donne

The narrator of Song has been disappointed so many times by women he loved that he has concluded that no woman in the world is sincere. To make his point, he names impossible tasks that no one could complete before finding a woman who is “true”. Write quotations of the poem that describe 3 of the tasks and explain why they are impossible to achieve.

1. He desribes the compass as being stiff: “As stiff twin compasses are two”, firm: “Thy firmness makes my circle just”.

2.  a) “The church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does, belongs to all.  ”

     b) “When she baptizes a child, that action concerns me; for that child is thereby connected to that head which is my head too, and ingraffed into that body, whereof I am a member.  ”

c) “All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated”

d) “No man hath afflicion enough, that is not matured and ripened by it, and made fit for God by that affliction.”

3.  I think that he’s really feraless about death because for him, death is not other but a step towards eternal life. Once you’re death nothing can kill you so, dying would become a guarntee that you will live for ever.  

4.

a) GO and catch a falling star: You could never catch a falling star beacuse a) they are not falling, they are just passing by and b) you can’t a star, any chance of getting close to a star would burn you.

b) Teach me to hear mermaids singing. You can’t do this beacuse a) mermaids do not exist and b) you don’r learn to listen, that’s natural.

c) Ride ten thousand days and nights, Till age snow white hairs on thee: You can’t do this beacuse it is impossible. You would have to stop at some point to do other stuff like eating, taking a shower, pumpin gas (if you were driving), etc.