A few weeks
back, I started reading “The White Tiger”.
It is a novel written by Aravind Adiga, an Indian author and journalist. In
2008, “The White Tiger” won the “Man
Booker Prize”, which is literary prize awarded for the best original
full-length novel, written in the English language, by a citizen of the
Commonwealth of Nations, the Republic of Ireland, or Zimbabwe.
I have now read the first three chapters of the
novel, and I have to say I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. The books that
the teachers choose for us is in my experience
not that fun to read, but this time I actually enjoyed the book. I have read
117 pages, which is approximately 1/3 of the book, and I have finally started
to understand the story and who the different characters are. At first it was a
bit confusing with all the different names and places, but it is more understandable
further into the novel. The main character is Balram
Halawi, the white tiger. He was called a white
tiger by a school inspector because he was a rare kind in his village Laxmangarh.
Laxmangarh is a village in a part of India known as “the Darkness”, where the
people are poor, and your destiny is determined by your caste.
Balram
Halawi narrates his life in a letter to the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao,
who is visiting India shortly. He wants to tell the Prime Minister the true
story about India, and to tell the story of how he went from just being the son
of a rickshaw-puller to, according to himself, a successful entrepreneur. Through
several letters, Balram tells how he got successful through his own efforts. He
even revels that he had to kill his beloved master Mr. Ashok on his way to
become an entrepreneur.
In my
opinion, the story was a bit slow in the beginning, but it is getting more and
more exiting. He has not told why he killed Mr. Ashok, and the reveal of this
is what I look forward to the most.
English is one of fore official languages in Singapore, and Singapore English is divided into two different sub-forms, Standard Singapore English (SSE) and Singapore Colloquial English. Singapore was a British Colony from 1819-1965, and like in many of the other nations that were British colonies in the past, English has maintained a firm ground. English was the administrative language of the British colonial government, and the Singaporean government chose to keep English as their main language, when they gained self-government in 1959 and independence in 1965. This decision to keep English was made in order to maximize the economical prosperity of Singapore, as well as being a lingua franca for the various different ethnicities and cultures of Singapore.
Standard Singapore English resembles British English in its’ grammar and way of writing, but the pronunciation. Unlike SSE, Singapore Colloquial English (Singlish) includes linguistic features from Malay, Mandarin and Hokkien. Singlish is not commonly used in formal speech or writing, due to it´s reputation of being a low-prestige form of English. Wikipedia states, on based on various sources, that 71% of Singapore´s population in 2010 spoke English as their native or second language. These are quite a few Singaporeans!
This video displays some Singlish charateristics.
South Africa (by Jørgen F.)
In South-Africa there was apartheid for 46 years, from 1948 to 1994. The white European descendants controlled South Africa, and used apartheid to suppress the natives/ black people. Because of this, the South-African English today is very affected by the British English. English is only one of the eleven official languages in South-Africa. That also means that The South-African English not only is affected by the British, but also by the ten other languages in the country.
What characterizes the South-African English depends on the form. In South-Africa there are three different forms of English, often referred to as “The Great Trichotomy”, or just three groupings. The three different forms have are much affected by the social varieties. The most formal and "finest" of the three forms is the Cultivated. This type of English is often associated with the upper class. The second type is called General, and is a social indicator of the middle class. The third type of English is called Broad, this form of speaking is mostly associated with the working class. It is also in many ways similar to the other official language Afrikaans. In other words, the more formal the setting, the more British English they talk in South-Africa, and the more informal the occasions are, the more influenced by the other official languages in the English is.
A scene taken from the film Invictus, South African accent.
India (by Sindre G.)
The British first arrived in India in the early 1600s and they established trading posts in a number of cities under the control of The East India Company. Over the next hundred years, the British influence grew to a much greater extent, and English became the administrative language. The British did not force their language on the Indian population, but it was slowly accepted as the language of the government, the national press and the social elite. India became a British colony in 1858, and it stayed so until 1947. The intentions of the Indian government after they gained their independence, was that English gradually would be phased out as the administrative language. The government had problems finding a language to replace English, due to the fact that there are many different languages, so choosing one as the national language became almost impossible. Even Gandhi, who was a proponent of a native variety as a national language, expressed that his message was most widely understood when he used English. Therefore, English stayed as a strong language in India, wieldy used in the media, the government and higher education. Recent studies shows that nearly 4% of the Indian population speak English as their main language. This equals to approximately 35 million speakers. India is the largest English speaking country in the world, apart from America and the UK.
English is mostly taught as a second language. Many Indians are therefore strongly influenced by the linguistic habits of their first language. Because there are large diversities in the Indian language and culture, there are also different accents depending on where in India, and the social background of the speaker. Some Indians speak English with an accent very close to a Standard British accent, while others lean towards a more vernacular accent. The diversity is so large that some words can even have different meanings in different parts of India. The grammar, such as the accents, is influenced by the native language of the speaker. Indians tend to often use idioms literal translated from their own native language, although this is less common amongst the proficient speakers, who also tend to use grammar closer to standard British. Down below is a video showing many of the different accents.
A sampling of different Indian English Accents.
Comparison
All of the countries above were British colonies, and bear linguistic traits from the colonial times. Local languages and others have influenced the further development of the English, differentiating the varieties today. They serve to some degree as a lingua franca in the Singapore, South Africa and India, but aren´t necessarily the mother tong of the majority of the population. By looking at some characteristics for these English varieties they can be recognized.
This post was written as collaboration post with two of my fellow students. Links to their blogs:
Watching
the movie “The Great Debaters” really
opened my eyes for the horrifying history of lynching. The term lynching
apparently originates from a man named Charles Lynch, who headed an irregular
court in Virginia that used unorthodox methods to punish loyalist supporters of
the British during the American Revolutionary War. Lynching is defined as murder by mob.
During the
time period 1882, the first year with reliable sources, to 1968, the year when
the classic form of lynching had disappeared, a total of 4,743 lynches took
place in the United States. Even though this is a terrible high number, but it
is know that not all of the lynches were recorded. The majority of the people
who were lynched were black, but there were also many white victims. 3,446 of
the killed were black men and women, and 1297 were white. Many of the white victims
were lynched for helping the black or being against lynching.
Most of the
lynching took place in the south, and the state with the highest lynching was Mississippi,
with 539 black victims and 42 white. Mississippi was followed by Georgia with 492
black victims and 39 white, Texas with 352 and 141, Louisiana with 335 and 56,
and Alabama with 299 and 48. Even though lynching took place in most states in
the US, there are also some states without any records of lynching from 1882 to
1968. These few states are Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Alaska, Connecticut,
and Massachusetts. There are also some states did not lynch any black to
record, Arizona, South Dakota, Idaho, Maine, Wisconsin, Vermont, and Nevada.
From 1882 to 1901, the annual number of lynches nationally usually exceeded 100.
The record holder is 1892, with 230 recorded deaths, 161 black and 69 white. The
amount of lynches declined somewhat in the twentieth century, there were still
97 in 1908, 89 black and 8 white, 83 in the 1919 76 black and 7 white, 30 in
1926 23 and 7, and 28 in 1933 24and 4. The numbers continued to decline until
the classic form of lynching had disappeared in 1968.
This is a gruesome
and horrifying part of the American history, and it is terrifying to think that
this was something that happened just 50 years ago.
I nominate Jørgen
Frydenberg and his blog theamazingbookblogg.blogspot.no
as the student blog of the year. He has a sharp mind, and with his
technological intellect, he does good and thorough research before posting an interesting
and informative blog post.
I nominate
Ann Sørum Michaelsen and her blog annmic.wordpress.com
as the teacher blog of the year. With over 177.000 hits on her blog, her words
reach out to many people all over the world. This blog is an amazing tool for
all teachers, and a lot of teachers can learn a lot. There are many good and fascinating
tasks to be found on this blog, and doing them will give a good understanding
about the world as it is today.
Today we
went to Youngstorget in Oslo, to a café called “Kulturhuset”, or “the
Culturehouse” in English. We went there because we were invited to be the
audience for a radio show here in Norway called “Ekko”. If you want to listen to the interview,
click here for the
link. Start listening from 1:24:30. Unfortunately it is only in Norwegian, so
it can be a bit hard for all the non-Norwegian readers to understand.J
The host of
the program was Kristi Kraft, and she interviews three experts on this field. I
do not want to write as summary, but I will write what they concluded with.
They all agreed that social media makes us more social, but in a different way.
You get to know more people and you increase your social network. This can be
really helpful in some occasions, such as getting job interviews. They also
agreed that it is easy to make more acquaintances through social media, but
that it is hard to make good and close friends.
I agreed the
expert panel to a certain point with, and I also believe that social media make
us social, but in a different way. On the other hand, I think that it all depends
on the type of social media and how it is being used. A study in Texas also agrees, but a post on
dailymail.co.uk disagrees. It presents a study that social media makes us more
lonely and unhappy, and less sociable. It says that that Facebook use can
undermine well-being and increase loneliness, and that the more time people
spent on Facebook, the less happy they felt over time.
It is safe
to say that the way people socialize has changed, but in some ways it always
stays the same. People have always had the need to present themselves in the
best ways possible. It has always been normal to share the picture that makes
you look happy and successful.
Personal I do
not use social media as much as many of the others in my generation, but I use
it enough to be accessible every day. It might be a good thing or it might be
bad, it is hard to say. There a lot of research about social media, and I put
all my trust onto them to find the answer.
Today we read an extract of the novel “The Joy Luck Club” written by Amy Tan, a first generation American
author with Chinese origin.
The extract we read is also known as “When Rich Came To Sunday Dinner”.
Waverly Jong, who is the main character, brings her boyfriend Rich over to her
parents for Sunday dinner. Waverly Jong come from a Chinese family with strict
traditions, and with a mother that is very proud of her cocking. Rich is a
small American man who works with Waverly, and they plan to get married.
Waverly have not told her parents about this, because she does not believe they
would accept it. Her parents, Lindo and Tin Yong, are very strict, but Waverly
hopes that after a dinner with Rich, they will see why she loves him. Her
parents are not impressed when they for the first time lay eyes on Rich, and
the night does not get any better. Rich does not understand the culture, and
without knowing it, he disrespects the family several times. The way he eats,
and the way he talks to the parents is not acceptable in the Chines culture.
After the dinner, Rich is really satisfied with the way it went, unaware of his
actions. Waverly on the other hand, knows that her parents got a really bad
impression of her boyfriend, and she figured that it was not the time to tell
them that she and Rich are engaged.
Last week I wrote about the movie “Gran
Torino”, which also focuses on the meeting of different cultures.There are similarities between the stories,
but there is one major difference. “Gran Torino” is mostly shown from the
American point of view, through the grumpy old veteran Walt Kowalski. The
extract “When Rich Came to Sunday
Dinner”, focuses on the viewpoint of the immigrant family, Yong. While Walt
has problems accepting that the Hmong people move to his country and keeps
their culture, the Yong family has problems accepting the American boy Rich. The
Yong family knows that Rich is not familiar with their traditions and norms,
but they do not make it easy for him. It is possible to draw the conclusion,
that Waverly’s mother wants her to marry a Chinese man, and is unsatisfied that
she is dating an American. Walt wants the immigrants to adapt to the American
culture, while the Yong wants to keep their own culture. This is the problem in
the stories, and also in the World. A big problem in the World is that most
people want others to adapt to their ways, and have a hard time adapting to
others. This leads to conflicts, such as the ones shown in “Grand Torino” and “When Rich
Came to Sunday Dinner”.
Today at
school, we watched the movie “Gran
Torino”. It was released 2008, and Clint Eastwood, who plays the main
character Walt Kowalski, is also the director. Walt Kowalski is a grumpy and old
Korean war veteran, who recently was widowed after 50 years of marriage. He is
full of prejudices, even though he lives in a neighborhood with many different
cultures, among them his Hmong neighbor. Against his will, he becomes closer and
closer with his Hmong neighbors, especially with the teenagers. He helps them
many times, and in the end of the movie he sacrifices himself so the teenagers
can live a safe and successful life
I was
really fascinated by the main character Walt Kowalski’s way of being, and also
his relationships with the other peoples in the movie. I have chosen to focus
on this part of the film in this blog post.
The first
important relationship we were introduced to is the relationship between Walt
and the rest of his family. Walt’s two sons seemed to be irritated over their
father, and they did not know exactly what to do with him, or how to reach to
him. Later in the movie, Walt also admits to the priest during a confession
that he does not know his own sons, and that he regrets it. The wives and kids
of Walt’s sons only seemed to be after his money and belongings, but they are
not interested in talking to him. They do not seem to know much about Walt, but
he does not seem to know much about them either.It is easy to see, that there is not a good
relationship between Walt and his family. This is unlike any families I know,
but I am sure that it is not uncommon that some have bad relationships with
their family.
Another
relationship that is important throughout the movie is the relationship Walt
has with the priest. The priest promised Walt’s wife, before she died, that he
would look after Walt, and make him come to a confession. At first Walt does
not care for the priest, and demands that he calls him Mr Kowalski, and not
Walt. During the movie, they become closer, because they learn to know and
respect each other. They have a special relationship, due to the fact that it
builds on a promise the priest made to Walt’s wife. They become closer, but
they never become very close.
The only
person in the movie it seemed like Walt was friend with already was his barber.
They also had a special and interesting relationship. They called each other
such things as “crazy Italian prick” and “cheap bastard”, and it is easy to see
they both have a lot of prejudices. Although it is hard for an out stander,
like Thao, to understand the way their friendship works, and it can seem like
they dislike each other. It might be a bit inappropriate to talk to each other
that way with other people around, but if it is only those to around it is more
appropriate. Other people might misunderstand it, but when all the individuals
are okay with the language, and think that it is funny to talk to each other in
such manor then it is appropriate.
Probably
the most important relationship in the movie is the relationship Walt has with
the neighbor teens. He first befriends the girl sue, and later he becomes
really close to the boy Thao. Thao does not have father in his house, and Walt becomes
a father figure, and he helps him get a job and improve his life. Walt wants
Thao to become a man, and he helps him get the courage to ask out a girl. When
they are going on the date, Thao does not have a car to get the girl, so Walt
lets him borrow his beloved Gran Torino. This is the part in the movie where we
see how deep the relationship between Walt and Thao is. The car was Walt’s most
priced belonging, and still he lets Thao borrow it. This reminds me about when
I was younger, and my grandfather let my brother and I play with, and look at
his stamp collection. He had a big collection and he had collected for a very
long time. Looking back at it now, I realize that to let other play with
something that means a lot to you is a huge sign of trust.
There are
examples in real life where people have sacrificed themselves for others like
Walt did for Thao and Sue in the movie. In history class, we read about a woman
who lived around year 900. Her name was Melkorka, and she was the daughter of the
king of Ireland, but was kidnaped and bought by Iceland Viking chief at a slave
marked. She married a man she did not
like, just so he could pay for her son to go back to Ireland and prove he is a royal.
Her son goes back to Ireland and finds his grandfather and he receives high
status and becomes a mighty chief. His mother on the other hand, stayed on
Iceland for the rest of her life, with a man she did not like. This story comes
from “The saga of Laksdøla”, or the original name “Laksdøl saga”. Melkorka sacrificed
her life, just so her son did not have to be known as the son of a slave. She
did this out of love for her son, just as Walt did for Thao and Sue in the
movie.
Here are
the 5 questions I chose to answer in my blog post.
·How
would you describe Walt’s relationship with his family? Do you know of anyone
that has a similar family relationship?
·How
would you describe the relationship between Walt and the priest? How does this
relationship change during the movie?
·Walt
and his friend the barber have an interesting relationship. Do you think the
way they talk to each other is appropriate or inappropriate? Why or why not? Do you
think it is okay to speak the way they do if both individuals are okay with the
language? Why or why not?
·Towards
the end of the movie, Walt offers for Thao to use the car for his date. Discuss
the significance of this. Are their similar reallife situations in people’s
lives? Have you ever been offered to use something that had great significance
to somebody?
·Can
you think of real life examples of people who have sacrificed themselves for
others? What drives these people to make this sort of sacrifice?
This post
is about the visit from former foreign minister Espen Barth Eide, a while back,
but due to misunderstandings in the group, it is really late. I am really
sorry, and I hope you, the reader, still find this post interesting.
On Tuesday 03.09.13, Espen Barth Eide, the Norwegian
minister of foreign affairs, visited our school. Espen Barth Eide held a
presentation about Norway's foreign politics, and our role in the world,
focusing on the conflict in Syria.
The Syria conflict Espen Barth
Eide started talking about the conflict in Syria, and the fact that Syria has
used chemical weapons. He had sent a letter to the UN security-council, in
cooperation with the other northern foreign-ministers, where they demanded that
the UN respond to the use of chemical weapons. He then continued to talk about
how the situation can develop. Espen Barth Eide then expressed the fear that if
the other political parties becomes the new government, the Norwegian foreign
participant will decrease.
Norway’s role in the world At Barth
Eide’s presentation he was told us he was concerned for Norway’s role in the
world now that there is a chance for the conservative to win the election.
That’s because he thinks that our role in the world will be much smaller if
they win. Up to today Norway has “played” an important role in the world. In
several occasions Norway has played the part as broker, for example in the
negotiations between Israel and Palestine, the conflict on Sri Lanka and the
conflict with FARC in Colombia among others. He also expressed his concerns for
the possible new conservative government promise to cut much of development
aid, the new government would probably also be much more EU oriented, and less
UN oriented. So we can say as a fact that Norway’s role in the world will
change, but if it will chance to the better or worse I don’t know, and you
would have to decide for yourself.
Today at
school, we watched a movie called «Invictus», directed by Clint Eastwood. The
story takes place in South-Africa. The movie starts in 1990 when Nelson Mandela
(played by Morgan Freeman) was released from Robbin-Island, and it ends when
the South-African rugby team, wins the 1995 World Cup.
The movie
is named after a British poem with the same name, and here is the poem.
Invictusby William Earnest Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be,
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond the place of wrath and tears
Looms but the horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how straight the
gate,
How charged with punishments the
scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul
Both Mandela and Francois were
inspired by the poem in the way that even though how difficult the challenges
might be, they will prevail. The comforting words inspire them to keep going
and not to give up, even though the odds may not be in their favor. I interpret
the meaning of the poem, that you are the boss of your own life. I believe that
this poem made Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) think about his time in prison,
and the fact that he had to fight to become what he is. Francois probably was
inspired by everything Mandela had accomplished, and when he faced the
challenges in the World Cup, I think the poem helped him not to give up, and
fight even harder. The poem might not have been a major part of the storyline
in the movie, but I believe it is important for the understanding of why both
Mandela and Francois never gave up.
Today, we
had the amazing opportunity of skyping with Jeremy Gilley. Jeremy Gilley is an
English actor and filmmaker, but the reason we spoke with him, is because he is
the founder of the charity “Peace one day”. “Peace one day” is a non-profitable organization,
who made 21.september the official world peace day.
You can
watch our Skype call by clicking here. The Skype
call was very inspiring, and I could tell that he was engaged in his charity.
The way he talked about how it all started, what they had done and the journey
to where they are today, really showed how much he cared about his work. He
seemed so proud of what they have accomplished, but also so eager to spread the
word about “Peace one day” to even more people. I think that all his dedication
and his “go-ahead spirit” is the reason he has managed to so much, and that can
only be admired. We got to
ask him some questions. The first question was about what “Peace one day”
actually was, but it seemed to me that Jeremy did not like that question that
much. I think he felt that we should know that, after watching the video and listening
to him in the beginning, but he explained it again anyway.
The next
question was how he got the idea to found “Peace one day”. He said that he had
often thought about people treated with injustice, and that had been the
driving force of founding the charity.
I then got
to ask him what he’s most memorable memory was. He stopped for some seconds,
thinking and smiling, as if he remembered many good memories. He then told about
the time when he saw Dalai Lama, and how he had been inspired by how much
influence one man could have. He also told about some strong meetings with some
children.
The assignments
today, opened my eyes for “Peace one day”, a charity I did not know about from
before. I was impressed by Jeremy’s eager and passion, and I was really
inspired.
Studying abroad is maybe on of the coolest things one could do in his or
her childhood - at least it sounds that way! We got the chance to talk to
Annicken, who'd been studying in France and working in America, we got the
chance to ask her questions about her journey.
Here's an excerpt of the interview:
Where have you studied?
"I've studied in Trondheim: European Studies – Bachelor with one
year about the History of the EU, political science and one year about
languages. Studied there for two years, and then went to France for one year,
in Lyon.
She wanted to go to England, but it since it was quite expensive.
Why did you choose to study abroad?
Because NTNU an erasmus program, an EU program that makes it free for
students to go abroad for a student exchange.
She had French for three years, at her High School - so she knew a little
bit.
If you go to France, Spain, Germany you get a four-week language course
for free!
What did you earn, in terms of experience, by studying there?
“I learned to speak French almost fluently, learned about myself” She
also learned about how you handle new the new & different situations. You
also learn a lot about the country you're visiting. Lastly you learn about the
culture, French people eat dinner a lot later than in Norway! Learn that things
can be done in another way than your home country.
Did you have a job while studying? Where?
No...
You told me earlier you'd been working in America, where did you work?
After she finished her bachelor she decided to go for a master. When she
only had one semester left, she applied for a student internship at several
consulates. She got a Skype interview at the consulate in San Fran and one in
London.
She was living with three American girls, all working, or as she said
it: “ all young professionals”.
Why did you choose to return?
“My Visa Expired”. She had to go back to finish her master.
Do you want to go back?
“Yes!”
Would you recommend working and/or studying abroad?
“YES, especially if you have the opportunity to do so.”
This is just one person's view, but I think a lot of people share her
views.
Personally we would love to work abroad, studying as well! We want to do
both overseas in The United States Of America! We would recommend going abroad!
It sounds like an amazing experience, and you'll learn a lot. Now you'll have
to excuse us, we're going to dive into the world of Universities!
But before we go: here's some links to get you started:
I have just
read the short story “The Raft”, and in this this blog post, I answer some
questions from the teacher about the text.
What point of view is used to tell the story? What consequences does
this have for the way we see events?
The story is told from the grandson’s
point of view. Then we are able to read the story as listeners, and we cannot read
the thoughts of the teller, because we only see his face.
Can you find examples of irony?
It might be an irony that the
grandfather have lost his short-term memory, and only can remember the awful
times from the war.
Where is the climax of the story, in your view?
When the boat they were unsure on approached.
What would you say are the main themes of the story?
After using and trying out the
website www.thinkb4u.com, I have to say
that I am not very impressed. The idea of www.think.b4u.com, is to teach how to
use the internet properly, and how to be safe while using the web.
I think the idea is very smart, and that it
can be an extremely helpful webpage appropriate for every age group, but I did
not find it user-friendly. The short-videos are both entertaining and
informative, but I had the problem that once I had seen one short-video, I could
not close the window. Then I had to refresh the page, but to watch video number
2, you had to watch number 1 first. So by refreshing the page, I had to watch
number 1 again, but I had the same problem again. So I have watched the first
video in the three categories, but I was not able to watch anything else.
The website also makes an annoying
noise from time to time, even when I am not one the page. This can be mildly
annoying.
So to conclude: The idea is super,
but the webpage itself is not so good.
In the
movie, Erin Brockovich-Ellis, gets a job as a file clerk for Ed, her former
lawyer in another case, lawyer firm. Erin files some papers that she finds
suspicious, and she starts to investigate. She then travels to the town where
clients live, and she finds out even more. The case is that the groundwater has
been pollutedby Pacific Gas &
Electric, and the pollution has caused many people to get sick. She gathers the
entire town to join a big lawsuit against PG&E. After much hard work and
talking to all of the people in the town, they win the lawsuit and the residents
in the town wins 333 million dollar.
As shown in
the movie Erin Brockovich, water pollution can be a serious and lethal problem.
Although no one died in the movie, there is a possibility of dying from the
diseases the unclean can cause. There are also other, more dangerous type of
pollutions than the one in the movie, and also less dangerous types. Despite
how dangerous the pollution is, they can all affect humans and animals. People’s
access to clean water is becoming more difficult through the entire world, but
mainly in the poor countries. According reports from U.N., half of the world’s population
is experiencing polluted drinking water. There are over 1 billion people in the
world who don’t have access to clean drinking water, and approximately 5,000
people die every day from drinking dirty water. As I said before, this also
affects the animals. Every year, over 1 million seabirds and 100, 000 sea
mammals die due to pollution.
I hope this
post has shown you, the reader, that water pollution is a global problem. There
is no simple solution to this problem, and I don’t have the answer, but there
are many organizations who work with this problem.
We just
watched the short movie “The butterfly circus”, and the part that affected me
the most, was the compere sent between the main character Will, who was without
arms and legs, and the caterpillars transformation to become a butterfly.The caterpillar was owned by a small boy who
lived with the circus, and it was the first we were introduced to in the movie.
At that moment, the caterpillar is just a caterpillar, and that is also the
first time we meet Nick. Nick is working at a freak show as the main
attraction, and he is mocked several times a day. When Nick decides to travel
with the Butterfly circus, which is much nicer to him, we also see that the
caterpillar has become a cocoon, one step closer to a beautiful butterfly. Nick
is coming more and more out of his shell, and achieving things he never thought
he could do, such as swimming. He becomes a performer at the Butterfly circus,
but not as a freak, but a stunt diver. He becomes a huge hit, and also an
inspiration for other with struggles. During this period of time, the
caterpillar has made the entire transformation from an ordinary caterpillar, to
a beautiful butterfly. The short movie ends as we see the butterfly fly
away.
My
expectation of the second year at Sandvika secondary school is that it is going
to be a school year with a lot of working. I am really looking forward to the
new subjects that I have chosen myself, such as international English and
physics, and I have high expectations about these subjects. I expect second
grade to be a fun and instructive, and I expect to be graded in the different
subjects.
To be young
here in Norway is fantastic! Or at least I think so. As a 16 year old student
at Sandvika secondary school, I really enjoy my life. I go to a grate school, have
many good friends and a very good family. There are a lot of spare time
activities to choose from where I live, and in my spare time I play football
for a team called Helset. Football is a big sport here in Norway, and there are
a lot of expectations to you as a player on the football practices, both from
the coaches and teammates. I really like being a teen in Norway, but if I
should mention one bad thing, it would have to be the temperatures! It gets
really cold in the winters, and personally I prefer warmer temperatures.
I have now read the first three chapters of the
novel, and I have to say I enjoyed much more than I thought I would. The books that
the teachers choose for us is in my experience
not that fun to read, but this time I actually enjoyed the book. I have read
117 pages, which is approximately 1/3 of the book, and I have finally started
to understand the story and who the different characters are. At first it was a
bit confusing with all the different names and places, but it is more understandable
further into the novel. The main character is Balram
Halawi, the white tiger. He was called a white
tiger by a school inspector because he was a rare kind in his village Laxmangarh.
Laxmangarh is a village in a part of India known as “the Darkness”, where the
people are poor, and your destiny is determined by your caste. 
