Literary analysis of “Good advice is rarer than rubies”

The story is about Miss Rehana who is in an arranged engagement with Mustafa Dar. She takes the bus to the British embassy in Pakistan to get a visa to travel to London, where Mustafa is working. Outside the embassy, Miss Rehana meets a man called Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali offers Miss Rehana advice and a fake passport because he believes that she will not be granted a visa from the sahibs. Miss Rehana ends up failing the test and is not granted a visa. However, Rehana is relieved when she finds out that she was not eligible for a visa because she did not want to travel to England and marry Mustafa.

 The two main characters are Miss Rehana and Muhammad Ali:

Miss Rehana is portrayed as a beautiful, independent and confident woman. When she speaks to Muhammad Ali, it is revealed that she does not really want to go to England and that her engagement was arranged by her parents.

In the beginning, Muhammad Ali is portrayed as a swindler and crook that is just looking for money. However, upon further reading, we find out that he actually cares for Miss Rehana and wants her to get to England by any means necessary. He even offers Miss Rehana a passport free of charge.

The main themes of the text are independence, identity, immigration, dreams, expectations and arranged marriages.  The setting is the British embassy in Lahore, Pakistan. The point of view is from someone outside of the text who knows what Muhammad is thinking, but not what Rehana is thinking.

Should we remove the ability to be anonymous on the Internet?

If everyone was required to log into the Internet with a social security number and password, it could potentially be a safer place. However, this would make the Internet a much more dangerous place for people who live in countries with totalitarian rulers. It would become easier for governments to oppress the people.

However, in countries with free speech and democratic laws, it would probably be a safer place. On the other hand, criminals would find new ways to operate on the Internet. They could for an example steal the log on credentials of an old woman who would never use the Internet anyways. People would become more cautious and maybe less honest with what they write in news discussion forums while at the same time people would be more afraid to post things that could be embarrassing.

To conclude, I would say that the world is a much better place with net neutrality. The Internet acts as some sort of stress-free place where you can be whoever you want to be without thinking about what your boss would say the next day when he see your posts.

Whale Rider Tasks

2. The Paikea legend is an ancient myth about the Maori ancestor Paikea who arrived in New Zealand on the back of a whale.

3. Pai can be characterized as an eleven years old heroine. She is a tall and slim girl with brown curly hair and tan skin. She is a representative of the new and “gender-equal” society in the Maori tribe. Pai is rebellious and will often do the exact opposite of what her grandfather says, even though she tries to impress him.

4. In the beginning of the movie and until the end, Koro looks upon Paikea as an outcast because she is not a boy, like all the other firstborns in the family. Paikea tries desperately to impress Koro, but she always ends up making him mad. In the end, Paikea finally manages to impress Koro and he promotes her to the chief of the tribe.

5.

• Paikea was the only person able to relocate the whales back into the ocean.
• Paikea was the only child able to find the whale tooth.
• She fixed the boat-engine.

Whale Rider Summary

Paikea is the name of a Maori girl. Paikea’s twin brother and mother died during birth. When they died, Paikea’s grandfather was disappointed because his first grandchild and soon-to-be chief was supposed to be a boy, like their ancestors. Paikea’s father Porovrangi lives and works in Germany so Paikea lives with her grandparents, Koro and Nanny. Koro starts a new traditional Maori school to find the new chief. Unfortunately, none of the students are able to complete the final challenge. Paikea, who was not allowed to attend at the school, finishes the final challenge without telling her grandfather. One day, a pack of whales washes up on the beach. The village struggles to keep them alive and they try to push them back into the ocean with no luck. Paikea, approach the leader whale when no one is watching and she jumps up on it’s back. As soon as she sits down on the whale’s back, it awakens and relocates back to the water. Paikea rides on the whale’s back for a while until she nearly drowns. Luckily, she was saved by the bystanders on the beach. The movie ends with Paikea’s family and the Maori celebrating Paikea as the new leader.

10 new words from “The Whale Rider”

http://quizlet.com/75489693/learn

Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins

Do you like the main character? Why or why not?

-Yes, I like the main character. Katniss Everdeen is able to take care of her family and is generally very resourceful. She is brave and responsible. All in all, she is a good representative for the poor District 13.

How do you identity yourself with the main character or one of the main characters? I can relate myself to the second main character Peeta. He is good with words and public speaking. He puts his family and friends above anything else. He is also a baker and he loves to make food. He will always focus on having a laugh, even when times are tough.

Did you learn anything from the theme?

What I learned is that people will do anything in the struggle for control. The capitol suppresses the people to prevent the people from regaining the power. The people of Panem riots and sacrifices themselves for power and control.

 

Why do you think the author selected this theme for the novel?

I believe that the author, Suzanne Collins, chose this theme to show us how important equality and freedom of speech really is. It is important to not let one small group have all the power.

Capital punishment, is it justifiable?

Death penalty should be abolished. I don’t think it is up to any human to decide who lives and who dies. If new evidence shows up after a convict is killed, one cannot undo the damage that is done to that person.

In fact, it is cheaper to keep someone in prison for life than it is to execute someone with death penalty.

Besides, capital punishment is also not always a painless way to go. In 2014, a man was killed by lethal injection in Ohio. He gasped for air for 15 minutes before he finally died.

Finally, death penalty promotes killing as an ok solution to a difficult problem.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”

Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story

1. How would you characterize a traditional Christmas story? Which elements would you expect to find?  

-A traditional Christmas story usually consists of someone who are lonely and after a series of events; he or she ends up having a great and cozy Christmas Eve. Some elements I expect to find are snow, food, Christmas trees and presents.

2. How does this short story comply with the Christmas story genre?

-I would not say it is a regular run-of-the-mill Christmas story. It does not directly relate to things we associate with Christmas.

3. Since Auggie does not come off too well in the story, he does not want to reveal his real name. What do you think? Is truth always for the best?

-I think it’s understandable that Auggie does not want his real name to be revealed. He did something illegal by stealing and he fooled a blind woman.

 

4. The story is set in Brooklyn. What can be said about the setting? In which way is the setting typical American – or is it?

-I would say the setting is typical American. They talk about the NY Mets and they have pictures of the LA Dodgers in the restaurant. I pictured a typical busy American street when Paul looked through the photos.

5. An important theme in the story is time. How is this expressed?

– We know there has been a lot of time between the events because Auggie says that he looked trough the wallet from time to time.

6. Paul Auster is well-known for telling many stories within one story. In many ways his stories are like a Chinese box. How is this evident in this narrative? What function does such a narrative technique have?

– There are different settings and stories inside his stories. This technique makes for a unique and memorable experience.

Sources: augie-wrens-christmas-sto-001.jpg

The Help Review – You is kind, you is smart, you is important

Summary:

In the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi, the aspiring writer Skeeter has just returned from college. She decides to write a book about the coloured maids in America from their point of view for a company in New York.

In the beginning, she has trouble finding anyone willing to be interviewed. The helps feared the backlash that the book would bring because of the racial issues in the South.

Eventually, the maids Aibileen and Minnie agree to tell their stories anonymously. Skeeter starts meeting both of them to write down their stories. Aibileen and Minny gather the other maids in the town who also wants to share their stories.

Soon, Skeeter has enough material for her book. The book is an immediate success all over America. The book exposed how poorly the helps was treated by the upper-class.

Review:

“The Help” gave me a great picture of the racial issues in the South in the 60s. The characters are unique and interesting. The comic reliefs are a great addition to the otherwise serious movie. All in all, The Help is a good movie with an important theme and great acting.

6/10

Image sources: http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/files/946_d_08558r1_0.jpg

Are firearms a problem in the US?

The US has a very open gun policy. Almost everyone can own a gun, as long as you`re not a felon, fugitive or a non-citizen. In fact, you can buy guns directly from gun-shows where the background check is often skipped. Thus everyone can get their hands on a firearm. For instance, the US has more civilian guns per person than any other nation.

Every year, we hear about new gun accidents or school shootings. Recently a 9-year old girl killed a gun instructor while shooting an Uzi in the firing range. Would you let a 9-year old handle an automatic weapon?

Banning firearms could reduce the murder and crime rate in the US dramatically. For example, 68% of all murder weapons in the United States are firearms.

Gun-lovers often say that since there are so many guns spread across the country, there is no way of making everyone hand their guns in and making the US gun-free. Well, after the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre in Australia where 36 people died, the Australian government banned all automatic and semi-automatic firearms and they started a buyback program of guns. 650 thousand firearms were handed in for 360 million dollars. The program was a success.

Do you think America should start banning firearms and starting a buyback program? Discuss.

Sources:

http://www.businessinsider.com/americas-gun-problem-explained-2013-4?op=1

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2011/jan/10/gun-crime-us-state