War vocabulary

In Language & Literature we started reading articles about war and identifying words and phrases related to armour, tensión, feelings, experience, trench life, and many others. Then we had to choose 10 images and make a description for each using the vocabulary we had previously found. I worked with Tomas.

These are the words we found in connection to war: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CnsKOtNkMs9-3W90xbmkn3R2fsINaEh8XprVUXNU2sQ/edit?usp=sharing

Descriptions:

Everyone was crammed on top of others as the same time as they were climbing up with exalted ferocity to attack the enemy. There was an outburst of artillery fire and soldiers were running in every direction attached to their rifles, shouting at each others trying not to get killed in the bloodbath. The underground passage was being emptied, leaving only loneliness and despair.

Motionless, in complete silence, two comrades lay on the grass in the middle of the battlefield awaiting for the enemy to launch an offensive. Stark terror got hold of their bodies, making it difficult for them to react in any circumstance. Nature surrounded them, making everything seem so peaceful and ordinary, when they knew they might lose their lives in any moment.

A soldier had just had blown off his feet and two other generous survivors were dragging him along the battalion towards the headquarters where they should reach safe ground and aid the fallen. The restless soldiers who are rescuing their comrade,  seemed to be all alone with their sane feet with caked mud and filth.

Earth was tottering into ruin in a no man land. Minutes later after the attack broke out officers ordered the rest to retire. Men went down with screams as gunshots were fired out of the blue into the open air. This country had already lost half the battalion and the other half was hardly breathing. 

The Vietnam War. One of the worst of all times. At the back, in a blurr, the outburst of gunfire and concussions can be observed. Around 3 million lost their lives and thousands suffered grievous injuries. Naked kids crying ran away from the terror and explosion, as a result of having been forced to tear away their burning clothes.

The light blue shiny sky was invaded by a dark intense orange color and an enormous black cloud of smoke as a result of the country’s wild attacks. Switzerland had been illegally invaded by the Polish and suffered great loses. Tanks advanced towards their objectives recklessly. 

Racing as fast as his legs could afford, soldier Mackenzie escaped from the gunfire with 2 youngsters in his arms. His strenuous training helped him to do so as to save as many as he coulddespite of the fact that he knew that unintended consequences are always a big part of war. 

Many soldiers where given masks before heading towards war, because after the Second World War, scientists created the killing gas. In the trenches soldiers slept standing because of the small space. Some teenagers where not given rifles and where forced to walk by their own fist.

Snipers and long shooters are given one of the risky jobs on war.  They have the job to enter illegally to enter enemy’s refuge zone and have the commands to kill without being seen. But also they take the risk of being caught.

Senses sharpened with adrenaline, Tomi and Luli held their breath, straining to hear with every ounce of his concentration. Not quite silent. Cool air whispered through their apartment’s ventilation system.

Description on a devastated place

In Language and Literature with Pato we had been reading some articles related to natural disasters and make a list of useful words and phrases used to describe them.

After this, with my partner Mara, we had to write a description of one devastated place based on a picture using as much as phrases from the vocabulary as we could. This is our description.

Lamphun was an alluring, picturesque and secluded village 3 months ago, before the devastating and violent earthquake demolished and depopulated the  area. I say was and not is, because such was the destruction that we cannot consider the place a “village” anymore.Lots of people were affected, many were reported missing, and also, a huge amount of buildings did not make it.

The tremor hit at south Lamphun, and was quickly followed by four aftershocks. The quake struck at 8:17pm yesterday and had a magnitude of 8.3. A tremendous amount of noise, shouting, and screaming was heard from the different alleys of the village. Asthe infrastructure collapsed, villagers were seen crying, while many others desperately tried to ferry the injured to the hospital. Bodies with white dust could be seen piled up, and the unharmed were trying to dig victims out with flashlights. Immediately after the earthquake, the remaining villagers were left without electricity, the village was in complete darkness.

People living in the area were desperate, chaos flooded the place. Rooftops ended up on the floor and the grass  could not be seen due to the debris that covered all the ground.

As regards the people’s livings, the ones who have had the luck to survive, have been left homeless, their whole house where they have always lived has suddenly vanished, they now have nothing to eat, neither clothes to wear and their whole furniture has been destroyed.

Men have described the catastrophe to the media: being walking in the streets when suddenly the ground began to shake and the flats started coming down over them provoking great bangs and explosion-like sounds. Tales of horror have been depicted by the survivors who many were  in their offices and had to evacuate abruptly interrupting their daily ordinary activities.

This catastrophe had many repercussions. There is still not official word on the casualties, people are still very much shocked, looking desperately for their loved ones. Search-and-rescue operations are underway for the missing and emergency services arrived moments after earthquake strikes. Nonetheless, the village still needs money because of the magnitude of the damage caused. Word has now spread, and many nations from around the globe are gearing up to send aid to help the people from Lamphun. India  is an example of this as it  has offered a $100000 grant emergency aid for the rebuilding of  the crumbled constructions and for the rebuilding also of the victim’s lives.

Connectors

In the subject of Language & Literature we have been learning many different linking words. After revising the theory and doing some exercises in the booklet, we split into groups and each made a poster of a group of connectors. Pancho and I worked on the contrast connectors.

Then, we had to prepare some exercises for other students to complete with these words.

  1. _________ the danger he appeared relaxed. 
  2. I absolutely must see him. __________ it is very painful for me to do so. 
  3. It was an old song. __________ it was a favorite when they performed it.
  4. She tried to remain cheerful __________  she had failed the test. 
  5. His perspective was unique, ____________ that of anyone else she’d ever met. 
  6. She objected at first, ___________ finally submitted.
  7.  _________ phone numbers are often unlisted and guarded, e-mail addresses are frequently public.
  8.  __________ the odds are remote, this could certainly happen. 
  9. It would just take several hours ___________ to a few minutes.
  10. __________ her decision not to, she glanced out the window. 

 

In addition to this, we designed a word cloud with all the linking words we learnt. This is ours.

 

[Full task]

Dussehra Festivity Article

In Language, Dani asked us to prepare an article on an Indian festivity in groups. I worked with Mara Ripoll and this is our article on the Indian Festivity Dussehra.

 

hindu-festival-bur_2378120k

India Hindu Festival_Mukh

dn

 

Dussehra is a Hindu festival, approved holiday in India, that celebrates the victory of good over evil. Also known as Vijayadashami, this festivity is not only celebrated in India, but also in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and parts of Pakistan in October. According to the Hindu calendar, it is marked on the 10th day of the bright half (Shukla Paksha) of the month of Ashvin (Ashwayuja). Although Dussehra is celebrated in different ways across India and many different countries, the motive remains the same: to spread good cheer and celebrate the victory.

 

Many people celebrate Dussehra through special prayers, food offerings to the gods at home or in temples, the hold of outdoor fairs and large parades with effigies of Ravana which are then burnt on bonfires. Government offices, post offices, banks, stores, businesses are closed during the procession of the festival. Transport also sticks to the stoppage, however if anyone needs to use it must contact the local transport authorities.

 

The day in which it is celebrated, is believed to be the day that Lord Rama killed the demon-king, Ravana and rescued his abducted wife Sita. What happened was that Rama, along with his brother Lakshmana, headed towards Lanka (Ravana’s Kingdom) in order to go to war with Ravana and rescue Sita. Rama finally defeated and killed Ravana. This is commemorated and celebrated as the triumph of good over evil, or the triumph of virtue over sin.

 

During the celebration there are several symbols seen. These include bonfires and fireworks, paper and wood effigies of Ravana, which are often burnt with the bonfires, and red spots painted on people’s foreheads.
We believe this festival is unique and represents a lot to the Hindu culture. It is very important that this remains a tradition because it preserves the values of people and it shows how many people get together to pay tribute and honor to this tradition that represents the triumph of good over evil.

 

 

Sources of information:

http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/india/dussehra

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vijayadashami

http://www.calendarlabs.com/holidays/india/dussehra.php

http://www.ibtimes.com/what-dussehra-basics-understanding-2015-hindu-festival-2151118

 

And this is a short video showing the burning of the effigies in India 2014

Rosa Parks Prezi

In Language, after reading a fragment of a story («Journey to Jo’bourg» by Beverly Naidoo) dealing with the topics of racism, segregation and discrimination, we had to prepare a presentation about a case on one or more of these topics. My group was Pancho, Flor and me. We chose to work on Rosa Parks, a woman who fought against segregation and racism in the 1950’s and gave hope for others to do the same. This is our Prezi

Piece of Writing: Important Place

What are the important places in your life?

In pairs we had to think about a place we shared, how significant was for us and why. Then, individually we should write piece of writing of that place anf how my friend was related to its importance. This piece could be a description, a story, a diary entry, a poem, a song or anything we wanted. I worked with Pancho and this is my composition.

Since I was a kid (6 years old aproximately) I always went on vacactions to Pinamar, a place full of pines located at the south east coast of our province. I adore this place due to the fact that i always go with my family , friends and have a great time.                                                                   One of my friends, Pancho, I remember he always got extremely red because of the sun since he loves to spend all day in the sea. We like to play cards and eat corn at the beach. I also enjoy reading on the sand.                                                                                                                               Usually at night our families organise barbecues in one home and we all gather together to have dinner. After that we sometimes go out.                                                                                    Last summer in January I was playing «Truco» with the girls when I decided to go to the toilet. When I returned I realised I had forgotten my phone in the bathroom! Unfortunately it wasn’t there anymore when I returned to look for it. I was so angry and felt so stupid for leaving it but I know there was nothing I could do. Anyway, a good friend lent me an old cellphone of his to use till I got a new one.                                                                                                                                       All in all, I really do love this place because of the people, its nature, the food (corn, «churros»), the acnedotes it leaves and will never get bored of it, despite the fact that I’ve been going there for a long time.