Textual analysis correction

The audience of this text is any British citizen who has an interprets in learning another language and and who think the government is making a wrong decision. "The British have an obligation, it seems to me, to reciprocate." is a very concrete example. The text only talks about Britain and the effects that the decision taken by the government will have on them. As we can see in the example, the author addresses directly to British people. 
The picture in the text is very accurate, as it represents what will happen to British people if they stop learning other languages. The isolation that Britain will face if they speak (or learn) only English is depicted in the image with the lonely fish, while the rest of the fish are together watching Britain, maybe expecting it to join the rest of them. This is a representation of the text, as it talks about the "narrowness of life encased in one language (...) or your own cage." The first tank makes reference to the cage, to the "narrow life" that you will have the if you do not learn a second language. You will always move around the same ideas.
As for the techniques used to convince the audience, the author use an emotional appeal, as he appeals to respect and courtesy towards non-English speaking people "(...) what greater disrespect can there be that not speaking to others in their languages?" By using pathos, the author reaches to the reader's emotions, making it wonder if the decision that they have taken correct. Likewise, the author also appeals to self-respect "It's that you are not making enough of your individual potential if you allow yourself to be enclosed by one language." This is a very important device, since humans in general do not like when someone criticise or question their self-respect. The author also uses facts and numbers, also known as logos to support what he is saying "(...) English is spoken as a first language by just 7% of the worlds inhabitants 75% of people speak no English." By doing this, he wants to convince the audience once again, that the decision taken by the government is not the right one.

"Atonement" discussion questions

3. Briony did this because she was in love with Robbie,and he didnt felt the same thing for her. She denounced him as a revenge, and in her 13 year old mind, she didn't realised what she was doing.

8. Yes, the ending did surprised me. I just didn't expect that Cecilia and Robbie died. I hoped that Briony and Cecilia made things right, and that Briony had at keast the chance to talk with Robbie. 

Written task Rrationale

The text I wrote is directly related to what we saw in class, because I spoke about mass media, more specifically about stereotypes in two Disney movies: "Snow White" and "Cinderella".
I chose this type of text (blog) because of two main reasons. First of all, it was more informal than a speech for example, so it was more appropriate for addressing my target audience, which are teenagers. And at the same time, by being less formal, it was easier for me to develop my idea as I do not need to worry about the way I'm writing. Besides, this type of text allowed me to use sarcasm and other devices that are attractive to my target audience. Once again, my target audience are teenagers and young people in general, as they spend a lot of time on-line. An example of this would be the following, "and while we might find it funny, sad or a waste of time". This is something a teenager would think about the movies mentioned.
The type of language I used is informal, because as I said before, my intended audience are teenagers and they wouldn't like to read a very formal text. This type of language is more appealing to them. I also talk direclty to them in the text, in order to be more appealing.

Word count: 222

Educreations link

https://www.educreations.com/lesson/view/c-jimenez-atonement/34663710/?s=n7hrNh&ref=app

Poem anlysis

Fatima is a poem written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. He was a laureate poet of Great Britain and Ireland, during the reign of Queen Victoria, remaining in that position till his death. His main themes were classical myths, love and war.

First of all, I will talk about the title of the poem. "Fatima" is the lyrical speaker, so it makes sense that the poem has that name. This helps to understand the poem, because when you first read it, you are not certain about who is talking. But then if you relate the title with the poem, you understand that the lyrical speaker is Fatima. The poem is written in first person, and is not directed to anyone in particular.

The poem is about a woman (Fatima) that is waiting for her beloved to return. I am not sure if he is dead, at war or if he simply left her. As she waits, she remembers different moments of their relationship. Fatima especially recalls in her dreams a kiss they gave each other; and the memories of the moment he left. Given this situation, she also remembers what he made her feel. For this reason, the tone of the poem is reflective, as Fatima is remembering and thinking about her beloved one.

This poem theme is melancholic desire, which is conveyed throughout the poem. Desire and melancholy, because Fatima wants to be with him again, remembering him and what he made her feel. 

The mood of the poem on the other hand, is both, nostalgic and desperate, because she is remembering at the same time that she is expressing her urge to be with him. I will make reference to this later on.

In relation to the structure of the poem, the different stanzas help to change what the lyrical speaker is presenting. There are stanzas that talk about memories, or what already happened; and there are some others that talk about the “present”. For example in the first one, she is talking about when he left her and how she felt in that moment, while in the third  stanza she is talking about what happens when he is not with her, and she even sees him in her sleep. 

The rhyme pattern is very similar in every stanza: the first 4 verses of each stanza have the same ending rhyme; while the 3 other verses have another rhyme. This gives a fast rhythm to the poem, which can be related or interpreted as the speed of the memories of Fatima.

I will continue with the analysis by verse. In the first verses, Fatima talks about the moment he left, and how she felt during that moment. Then through v. 4-7, she makes reference to the estate she was left after his departure: “Throbbing thro’ all thy heat and light”, meaning that she felt pain trough out the entire day; “Lo, parch’d and wither’d, deaf and blind/ I whirl like leaves in roaring wind”, meaning that she was immersed in her memories, ignoring the rest of the world, emphasizing this with a simile.

Continuing with the next stanza, it is represented the lyrical speaker’s desperation. This can be seen in the following verses: “I thirsted for the brooks, the showers:” and then “Of that long desert to the south”. The thirst in the poem represents the desire of the lyrical speaker. Fatima is desperate, suffering because her beloved is not with her "I roll'd among the tender flowers/ I crush'd them on my breast, my mouth; / I look'd athwart the burning drouth". This helps to portray the desolation and agony she is felling. The presence of an anaphora in verses 10 to 13, with the repetition of the word “I” reinforces the idea that she is the one suffering, not anyone else. There is also an exaggeration in verse number 13 “burning drouth”, which helps to symbolize and reinforce the idea of loneliness and lack of love she felling.

Then, Fatima talks about a dream she had about a kiss they gave, using metaphors in verses 17 and 18, in the first one, to make reference to what she felt with the kiss “A thousand little shafts of flame”; and to make reference that to the idea that these memories where pushed in to her mind “Were siver´d in my narrow frame”. In verse number 21, there is a simile “My lips, as sunlight drinketh dew” which refers to wet lips drying, because the separation of her beloved one.

She remembers -once again- the moment he left her, leading to a feeling of sadness and depression, portrayed between verses 26 to 27: “In my dry brain my spirit soon,/ Down-deepening from swoon to swoon,/Faints like a daled morning moon.” The lyrical speaker uses a simile to compare a moon fainting in the morning, with her spirit once she remembered him.

The last stanza is incomplete, so I cannot refer to it. Even though, there is a simile “The wind sounds like a silver wire”, which might refer to the strength of her feelings.

As conclusion, this poem follows one of the main themes that Tennyson writes about: love. But not just any type of love. It is an obsessive love. There are not many rhetorical devices, just some similes or comparisons. The rhyme pattern is important, as it marks the transition between different moods. 

Exam. First semester 2015

Hello again my followers! 

To continue with the theme I was talking about last week, today I'll talk about stereotypes, and more specifically, stereotypes in Disney movies. 

While watching "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and "Cinderella" during the weekend ( my parents forced me to watch it with my little sister) I realised about how many prejudices are present in these type of movies. And not just the ones I previously mentioned, but in almost every Disney movie I've ever seen. This has been a very controversial issue since the beginning of the movie industry, and specially in the past 20 years or so, given the development of the Internet and the rise of social media, as this makes an idea easier to expand. 

First, let's talk about stereotypes in general. They are defined as "a simplified and standardised conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group"1. So it's basically a term to classify a group of people, but this term has to be general and mostly negative. It's similar to the word prejudice. Nowadays stereotypes are present in every day life thanks to media and its possibility to reach a large number of people. Ads, TV shows and movies are just some of the places where you might find stereotypes. The most common type are gender and ethnic stereotypes, and as a consequence, they are the most developed ones in media. Men and women are an example of gender stereotypes; while white, black or Asian people are examples of the second type. There is another type of stereotype, which is the one that makes reference to the place where you are from. The latter has become more "popular" in the U.S. since 9/11 attacks. People in that country judge immigrants, specially those coming from the Middle East (which were directly involved in the attacks) and latinamerica. 

But let's begin with the movies. First "Snow White". We all know what the movie is about (right?) and while we might find it funny, sad or a waste of time, many stereotypes have gone unnoticed. For example the most evident one: women are always supposed to be the tidy ones in the house, whilst men are the untidy ones. As a consequence, women are always cleaning and tidying up the mess that men leave behind. This can be seen in the movie and it's portrayed as something that makes Snow White happy, and that she enjoys it. By doing this, she saved the dwarfs from succumbing under their own trash. However, by the end of the movie she is the one that's saved (from death this time. How tragic!) by a prince. They got married, and lived happily ever after. So boring!besides, this is another stereotype (mainly directed to women): get married and all your problems will vanish but this is not always true. Some marriages get divorced. Others fight. They even cheat on each other or love just disappears. So your problems won't always disappear unless you really love your couple. 

For the second movie happens something very similar. As you might find "Cinderella" once again funny, sad or whatever, there's also a couple of stereotypes that can be identified. First of all, the one related to cleaning, cooking and serving or attending the rest.mThis stereotype is very similar to the one present in "Snow White", but there is a difference. Cinderella is forced by her evil stepmother to work in the house as a servant. She doesn't like it. She doesn't enjoy it. However, if she wants to stay living there, she is obligated to comply with the desires of her stepmother. This situation leads us to another stereotype present in this and almost every Disney movie: the evil stepmother and, to a lesser extent, stepsisters. We can also find an example of this in "Snow White", since that is the reason she escaped in the first place: her evil stepmother wanted to kill her because of her beauty. Anyway, let's go back to "Cinderella". In this movie her stepmother and stepsisters tease her and make her feel bad. For example p, this situation can be seen when they don't let her go to the party. Once again in this film, the main character is saved from her evil family by a man, and more precisely, by a prince. Yet, this is another stereotype. In fact, it's the same that's present in "Snow White". For girls, getting married or finding a man is the only way to solve your problems or, in this specific case, be free.

So what was my point by telling you all this? Open your ayes. Make you realise that stereotypes are present everywhere, even in movies aimed for little kids. And this is the most worrying part. If kids can't be free of prejudices, who will?

Try not to believe everything you see in the media and question yourselves: is what I'm watching accurate? Does it stick to reality? This is the only way we can change this situation. 

What do you think about this issue? Is your opinion similar to mine? Please write it in the comments section.

Thank you for reading!

Word count: 870 words

1: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/stereotype

Gender stereotypes: girls and women in media

1.- That women are supposed to clean, cook and serve or attend the rest (usually men). Women is also  portrayed as good, submissive and weak (Cinderella). But there is a second stereotype: the one of the step-mother. She portrays a different image of women, as she is evil and manipulator. Both, Cinderella and her step-sisters (who are just like her mother), always need to be pretty and well dressed in order to gain men's attention.

2.-  Only one. If you (as a girl or women) fall in love and get married, all your problems will disappear and you will be happy for ever.

3.- Negative

4.- No, because all Disney princess movies are the same. They all portray women in an innocent and submissive way.

5.- Yes. They are generally portrayed the same way as Cinderella in the movie.

6.- Girls (specially the youngest ones) accept this type of image, and start copying what they see in media. Society, on the other hand, keeps thinking of women and girls as media shows them. So in the end is a vicious circle that might never end. 

7.- Yes, they have a responsibility. They are the ones that control media, so they have the power to change this, and help women stop thinking of them as something that is not always true or accurate. However, even if they try it will be very difficult to accomplish, because changing what a person thinks is not easy.

8.- No, but it ads other stereotypes. It mainly portrays the one that shows women cleaning, cooking and serving the rest, besides the one that shows them weak and submissive.

9.- I have learned that stereotypes are present everywhere, even in kid movies.

10.- People can avoid being manipulated by media in different ways. First, you need to be concious about the fact that media do this type of things (use stereotypes). By doing this you will question everything you see, and as a consequence, you will stop believing in everything media shows you. And in second place, you should go and meet people (in this case girls and women) to see if stereotypes are correct or not. Do a little research.