"Tech-era L2 writing: towards a new kind of process"

 

    I have been reading a number of articles to make the response essay, and this one was the one I was most interested in. Why? Because, the article deals with the use of technology such as PCs, word processors and new internet tools we or our students use to write.

   Paul Stapleton and Paulina Radia make a convincing argument as regards the use of technology when writing and how beneficial it is for students and teachers. First, because students can work with independence; and second, because teachers can focus on different aspects of the writing and not the corrections of orthography or grammar which have been already checked by the PC.

   The authors of this article also warn us to be careful with sites and web pages which we cannot trust and they suggest teachers should raise students' awareness as regards a critical view when gathering information on the web.

    Finally, the authors state that the process of writing has entered a new dimension with the assistance and guidance of new technologies and that we, teachers, should take advantage of this new era with our students because they sure will have the benefit. 

Spoon

On Anothers Sorrow by William Blake

This is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful poems of the Age of Enlightment that describes childhood during the Eighteenth Century. The author tried to transmit how children suffered and the effects their suffering had on their parents´ lives. In those times, children were forced to work, because they were supposed to be profitable for the nation. They had to undergo lots of troubles, leaving aside their childhood and becoming adults. They had to work many hours a day in terrible conditions.
William Blake showed through this poem the cruelty of that century from the point of view of the weaker protagonists. He reflected his own opinion about society at that time and pictured a strong feeling of disagreement to the ruling classes.
If you are studying the society of this historical period, you should read this poem in order to have another perspective of the situation taking in to account the feelings of lower classes.

Atlantis

Horror films

I was a frightened ten-year-old girl. My group of friends and I decided to see horror movies at my place during the evening. I would say that was the worst evening I´ve ever had, because the first film showed a killer, called Jason, who had drowned near a camp on Friday 13th years before, but nobody could find his body. Then he became a dangerous person, who started killing everyone, especially young people.The second movie started with Jason´s mother´s death and he saw how she died. Someone, I don´t remember who, cut off her head and then put it in a freezer. All of us thought that he was dead, but what happened next...The police took him to the morgue, but he unexpectedly stood up and killed the doctor, and the nurse. After that, he went to the place where he had died. There, lived a family with a young girl, a little boy and of course their mother. A lot of bloody assassinations happend again. Because of the blood and suspense that the films had, I felt so terrified and I said I would never see another horror film again. That was not true; in fact, they are my favourite now. What about you?

Miss Squirrel

“Man, woman and child” by Eric Segal

I have just finished reading “Man, woman and child” by Eric Segal. I started to read it, just for pleasure, few months ago and I could not finish it.
This book explores the relationship between as the title says, man and woman, woman and child and child and man. The only thing is that the child is not theirs, but is the result of his affair with some female on a business tour. The story of the book is pretty simple. It´s about how a family accepts a child as their own. Furthermore, how the heroine accepts the child.
What is more important about this book is the way it shows the relationships developing and breaking between people because of one incident. For example, we have the hero who cannot just let go his son, and there is the heroine who just doesn't seem to forgive her husband for his mistake. The story unfolds beautifully how eventually the heroine comes to terms with the child and how the child eventually gets approval from the woman. The book told the love story, in the most interesting way. Man, woman and child is still a beautiful book to be read and re-read!"

Candy

An unforgettable story of love is ´ Man, Woman and Child,` by Erich Segal. The main characters, Bob and Sheila are happily married, professionally successful and they have got two great daughters. However, the story has an unexpected turn. A fatal accident and a phone call bring a child into the plot, but the thing is that he is not Bob and Sheila`s. Actually, the child is the result of an affair Bob had on a bussiness trip to France ten years before. In my opinion, Segal tries to show us the relationships developing and breaking between people because of an incident. Thus, human emotions play the main role throughout the story. So if you are fond of novels, do not hesitate to read it, you will find it catchy.

Sparkling

Lamb to the Slaughter by Roal Dhal.

Lamb to the Slaugheter is a dramatic short story written by Roal Dhal.
Mary Maloney, a pregnant, housewife, is waiting the arrival of her husband from work very anxiously. Mary adores her husband. However, her husband tells her he is leaving her. Mary pretends she has not listened to her husband's news. She goes to the kitchen so as to prepare something for dinner although her husband tells her he does not want to eat; she takes a frozen lamb from the refrigerator and hits her husband in his head while he is looking through the window. The man falls dead on the floor. Mary gives a very organized aliby to the police who believe her.
I love Roal Dhal's stories, since they are appealing. They catch the reader's attention through mistery, black humour, ironic comments, etc.

Angels

Nice Work by David Lodge

I really enjoyed reading Nice Work by David Lodge. The setting is the industrial heartland of hatcherite Britain in the early 1980's. It deals with with the story of industrialist Vic Wilcox and his unlikely relationship with marxist, feminist and post-structuralist academic Dr Robyn Penrose. The author analizes the industrty and the Universitiy and the interaction among them through the visits of a Dr Penrose to Wilcox’s industry to act as his shadow. What is really interesting about this campus novel is that it portraits the decay of the university because of Thatcher’s policies which included the reduction in expenditures on social services such as health care, education, and housing. Thatcher was commited to reduce the funds for higher education and because of this policy Dr Penrose’s job was in jeopardy.
The author is able to use Robyn to develop a range of themes including literary semantics, feminism and a whole range of biases including race, class and gender . Other issues this novel deals with are capitalism, racial discrimination. unemployement and betrayal. Sometimes the novel becomes a bit difficult because of the vocabulary but it is without any doubt a story to recommend.

Cheeps

A short story: Soldier’s Home by Ernest Hemingway

This is a story of a man called Krebs, who was a student at the Methodist College in Kansas. In 1917 he enrolled in the Marine and went to War. He only came back years after the war when there was no place for heroes any longer. When he returned home he led an idle life, no work, no studies or amusement. His heart was empty, no feelings even towards her mother. Finally, he decided to move to Kansas City and take over his old life.
From my point of view, this is a very well written story in which the author allows us to appreciate the devastating effects of war in human’s soul. The way in which the author describes with many details the story is really exciting and motivates the reader to keep on reading up to the end.

Black Angel

It is time to get real and make the punishment fit the crime

We live in a country and according to the article I have read in a world where every citizen implores to the political leaders to do something about the rising crime rate. But what can be done about it? Are we, as a society, responsible for it? Is it a result of something deeper?

Basically, the article explains two opposing general positions which a society can take towards crime and criminals. One view says that punishment, usually in the form of long prison sentences, discourage the criminal impulses and persuade them from repeating their offences. Is it not a simple solution? We all know, and the facts support the truth, that after the prison the offender is outside with new tools to commit another crime and with more hatred against the society from which now want revenge.

According to the second position to crime, a society accepts responsibility for creating its criminal elements, and takes steps to rehabilitate and train offenders so that they will no longer feel the impulse to commit crimes. Such a community, will use probation and parole systems helping these people to have a second chance in the society. But Do all of them deserve this opportunity? May I want to see again someone who had destroyed my family on the streets? On the other hand, I know it just does not make sense to place criminals in the adverse social conditions of a prison for the length of their sentence and then expect them to adjust to society outside through a brief period of time at rehabilitation or retraining centre.

I am just part of this society which is longing for a change. I do not know the right solution. But what I am absolutely sure that one important step is to pay special attention to education as the strong basement for this enormous building that is our society. With educated people you include them in a “The social system” (like or not the way it is made). You give the opportunity to that person to try to get a place in the group he belongs to. This is the first step before thinking of harder second chances, before we have tears in our eyes.

Pedro

The Rights of the Reader

Do you like reading?
Have a look at the Pennac's poster by clicking HERE.

What do you think about these rights? Now answer this question in "comments" below.