adamo's folder, oct 20th

8/15/2019 Adamo's folder, Oct 20th

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FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH

Coursework portfolio

Adamo, Mara Florencia

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Assignment 1 Informative, analytical and/or argumentative

Two names, One paradise.

Twenty four years ago, Argentina experienced a terribleand bloodywar with the

British Empire over the Malvinas Islands, which started on April 2nd, 1982 and finished

on June 14th, 1982. Twenty thousand Argentine soldiers fought in this war,746 died, and

1068 were seriously injured. Also, we lost 99 planes, one cruise and five warships,

among other things. I am inclined to believe that, even though Britain has ruled the

Malvinas Islands since 1833, the Malvinas, were usurped by the British people through

a war. Argentina and its people have always supported the idea that the Falklands

rightfully belong to us due to the fact that there are legal, historical and geographical

reasons that make our claim lawful.

To begin with, Spain was the nation that discovered the islands since Esteban

Gomez, member of the expedition of Magallanes, was the first who sighted them. Also,

taking into account International Law, from the Treaty of Tordesillas to the agreements

leading to Nootka Sound (1790), the Malvinas Islands have been always Spanish, and

Argentina therefore inherited them, hasoccupied and exerted its sovereignty over them.

Besides, Argentina has always reaffirmed its sovereignty over the Georgias and

Sandwich of the South Islands

Secondly, Argentina has geographic reasons to firmly claim that the Malvinas

should be owned by my country. First of all, the islands are within the Argentine

submarine platform, 346 km from the continent, whereas they are positioned 12,000 km

away from England. Then, they belong to the Argentine Patagonia, and finally, the

archipelago appears in the cartography of the time. Also, when we as a nation were

liberated from Spain we inherited the rights on them, without claims on the part of any

country.

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In addition, another reason which contributes to corroborate our assertion that

the Malvinas Islands are Argentine is the climate. In summer temperatures go between

14 and 18 C. In winter, the winds increase, boosting the sensation of cold, and rainy

days during the year are very frequent, but the fallen water level is low, the annual

average is 667 mm. These features coincide with the type of climate Argentine southern

areas, such as the one there is in Tierra del Fuego. Besides, the islands have similar flora

and fauna, features that once again support the claim that these islands were seized by

the British people.

It is my firm belief that although Argentina was ill prepared technologically in

terms of arms, clothes, equipment, etc. as well as morally to win this war, we are

entitled to have full rights over the Malvinas Islands taking into account all the reasons

that I have mentioned above and that have been widely supported by many experts

worldwide. I am convinced that these islands were seized by the British people, who did

not have strong reasons to claim them but as a nation they were stronger, better trained

as well as prepared to win a war. Anyway, the conflict involves two names but the sameplace, a country poweful enough to take over whatever it pleases and a rightful owner

who should possess them. Unfortunately, many innocent lives were lost in this painful

war over these beautiful islands and though a bitter feeling still remains in our hearts we

2ruly believe that history will eventually be on our side.

This is competent writing, with very convincing development of ideas. Though with

minor language errors, paragraphs show evidence of planning, have unity and are

logically linked. This piece gets 32 out of 40 points.

Assignment 2 Imaginative, descriptive and/or narrative

A dogs Speech

Hi! I am Victoria Celeste Adamo; I am a family dog, a Boxer. Hey, dont stop reading;

please this is just what I would like totell you about my life if we could communicate

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in the same language. You know, I am brown and I have an attractive white spot in my

neck. I shouldbe a very hard-working, responsible dog but, in fact, Im the lazy type.

In the mornings, my friend Florencia gets up very early, at 7 oclock when she has to go

to school. Oh, its so early and cold in winter time that I dont feel like getting up.

Well, I dont have anything important to do at that time so I can simply stay in bed for a

while. Yes! Its so warm and the whole bed is just for me!!!

At around 12:00, I go downstairs as my maid has to tidy my bedroom and I have to pi.

Nature calls at that time. Oh! I slowly go downstairs, just taking one step at a time

because Im so sleepy that I sometimes fall down the stairs. Its so cold!! I dont want to

stay outside, so I will have to run and pi very fast!! I hope my mother stays near the

door; if not, I will have to stay outside freezing until she finally decides to open the door

for me.

I never have breakfast as I hate dog food, so I wait until lunch time comes. If I get lucky

somebody gives me a bite. Human food is so tasty! Why do they give us that other dry,

tasteless stuff they give me, ah?? This is the only problem of being a dog, you cant

complain, or, at least, you humans just dont get it!! I make different noises, and I

practice innocent faces; maybe somebody gives me a bite! The smell of the food is

killing me!!

After lunchI alwaysI have a siesta, I either go outside in summer or I choose the best

bed in winter! My dog experience tells me that having a siesta is very important as after

that I have to work in the afternoon. My work consists ofbarking about everything I

thinkis strange outside; sometimes I go near the front door, and sometimes I stay near a

front window upstairs. Oh! The little kids have such a great time playing outside!

Sometimes I just join them in their game, until I see a handsome doggy calling me,

andI rush towards him! Some dogs in my neighbourhood are quite cheap, there are a

few I really like. People who wear caps make me feel they are very dangerous, so I bark

at them furiously. After a hard afternoon of hard work I feel exhausted! Im sure I need

a good nights sleep. When I am in bed, I ussualy sigh. I am a lucky dog! When I am

hungry, I have appetizing food. When I am sleepy, I have an agreeable bed with pillows

and the whole lot. When I want to play, I have somebody that will play with me.Sometimes I get annoyed because they dont follow me, but thats OK cause I know

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they are humans and that they will never understand me. But I love them all the same;

they are my family after all!!

This is creative, funny piece, in which the candidate has succeeded in portraying a

dogs feelings and thoughts with humour and a degree of credibility. The language

is simple, mainly to account for this personification. I allot this work 28 out of 40

points.

Assignment 3 Reading and Writing

5 ways to kill a man

There are many cumbersome ways to kill a man.

You can make him carry a plank of wood

To the top of a hill and nail him to it.

To do this

Properly you require a crowd of people

Wearing sandals, a cock that crows, a cloakTo dissect, a sponge, some vinegar and one

Man to hammer the nails home.

Or you can take a length of steel,

Shaped and chased in a traditional way,

And attempt to pierce the metal cage he wears.

But for this you need white horses,

English trees, men with bows and arrows,

At least two flags, a prince and a

Castle to hold your banquet in.

Dispensing with nobility, you may, if the windAllows, blow gas at him. But then you need

A mile of mud sliced through with ditches,

Not to mention black boots, bomb craters,

More mud, a plague of rats, a dozen songs

And some round hats made of steel.

In an age of aeroplanes, you may fly

Miles above your victim and dispose of him by

Pressing one small switch. All you then

Require is an ocean to separate you, two

Systems of government, a nation's scientists,

Several factories, a psychopath andLand that no one needs for several years.

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These are, as I began, cumbersome ways

To kill a man. Simpler, direct, and much more neatIs to see that he lives somewhere in the middle

Of the twentieth century, and leave him there.

-- Edwin Brock

In this poem, Five Ways to Kill a Man, the poet, Edwin Brock refers to the

contrast between the indiscriminate killing of human beings at different periods in the

history of our world. The five ways to execute a human being that Brocks describes are

chronologically arranged. He shows the most significant historical times and events,

such as the crucifixion of Christ, the battles at Roman times, the two world wars and the

reality the human race faces now. By means of these examples, the writer explains and

vividly describes how, as the centuries go by, the effort needed to kill a man is

becoming less and less difficult in modern society.

The first stanza is devoted to Christ. Brock depicts the crucifixion of Gods only

child, and the way men were usually killed at that time, you can make him carry a

plank of wood to the top of the hill and nail him to it. He suggests that to do this the

right way you require a crowd of people wearing sandals, a cock that crows, a cloak

to dissect, a sponge, some vinegar and one man to hammer the nails home.

In the second stanza, the poet starts describing the second way of killing a man,

by means of another material, metal: or you can take a length of steel, shaped and

chased in a traditional way and attempt to pierce the metal cage. I believe that thisstanza is making reference to the Roman people. He gives the idea that we can make a

sword and pierce the armour that the Roman soldiers used. Edwin Brock repeats in all

the stanzas the idea that for killing a man, some traditional objects from the period

should be present so that the murder is carried out in a suitable way. In this case he also

refers to what is needed: white horses, English trees, men with bows and arrows, at

least two flags, a prince, and a castle to hold your banquet in.

The Germans deadly chlorine gas attacks from World War I are described in the

third stanza. This part of the poem starts with, Dispensing with nobility, you may, if the

wind allows, blow gas at him, what clearly suggests that Brock believes that the

Germans played a dirty trick in World War I because they made use of a deadly gas to

kill innocent people. Again the speaker refers to all the required elements to achievesuch an appalling massacre, then you need a mile of mud sliced through with ditches,

not to mention black boots, bomb craters, more mud, a plague of rats, a dozen songs and

some round hats made of steel. In my opinion, this quotation really shows the terrible

conditions of the battlefield during the Great War. The poem is full of irony, and an

example of this can be found in this stanza when the speaker refers to the weather

conditions as a necessary ingredient for the manslaughter at this time: if the wind

allows.

In the fourth stanza we can perceive an apparent contrast between the previous

types of killings and this one, he writes: fly miles above your victim and dispose of

him by pressing a switch. Pressing a switch is a much easier way of killing. As I

mentioned at the beginning, the ways of killing a man become simpler as we continuereading. This stanza is devoted to World War II as he mentions methods that were used

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http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/index_poet_B.html#Brockhttp://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/index_poet_B.html#Brock


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to kill people during that conflict. Also, he selects certain requirements like: two

systems of government, which suggests the antagonism between capitalism and

communism ; a nations scientists, which gives the idea that he is talking about the

creators of the atomic bomb in the United States; and a psychopath which implies that

a madman is required to perform such a dreadful task on a land that will become a

wasteland for decades.

The last part of the poem is the most satirical and interesting. The author writes:

simpler, direct, and much more neat is to see that he is living somewhere in the middle

of the twentieth century and leave him there. In the first four stanzas, man is actually

killed; however, in the last stanza, death or murder comes when man is made to live in a

time in history which is, according to Brooks, even more difficult than any previous

century.It seems to me that throughout the whole poem Brock makes excellent use of

irony when he refers to the horrendous number of killings that happened in the

twentieth century and about how quickly and easily you can kill somebody even today.

Living in this world is not so simple as we live surrounded by conflicts like

indifference, poverty and violence among others. In this society, corrupt governments

do not care about their peoples needs, wars are killing innocent people in many parts of

the globe and more violence and indifference keep on growing every single day. I

wonder what human beings fight for and kill for? Land? Power? It seems man always

finds an excuse to exercise the power to end someone elses life. Is this need present in

mans soul? Why does he insist on finding new ways to kill himself or others? I surely

do not have all the answers but this poem has helpedme think about the hard realitymost human beings have faced for centuries.

Anyway, we should not forget that although new ways to kill a man are

developed all the time, new ways to appreciate the true essence of human beings are

also found in the minds and hearts of decent human beings who do care about the

human species.

This is a remarkable piece, where the candidate manages to analyze the poem in

detail, though at times too much like a literary analysis, but offering her own

opinion and even providing some hope for the future in this devastating panorama.8 points out of 10 for reading capacity.

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adamo's folder, oct 20th

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