This is the novel we are reading in 5th A and 5th D, please post your comments here
14 de noviembre de 2007
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Wilkie Collins
Quiénes somos
- EOIGoya_Inglés
- El Departamento de Inglés de a Escuela Oficial de Idiomas (EOI) "Goya" se suma con este proyecto de blog, con el blog de teatro y con su página de vídeos en YouTube a la explotación de las nuevas tecnologías como parte de la enseñanza de idiomas en la enseñanza pública en Madrid. Un cálido agradecimiento a CMF, sin cuya colaboración esto no sería posible.
Concurso 2007-08
50 comentarios:
Hello everybody! How do you like this novel? We have read up to chapter 6 and it is not yet wonderful, we´ll see....
Welcome to the reading club fifth years..... nearly two months late! The fourths are well ahead of you try to catch us...
What the hell is this book about? I have read up to chapter 8 and I still don´nt know if K. Amis is satirizing or doing credit to the british academic way of life.
To be honest,I miss Sidney Carlton.
María
5ºA
I´m glad to hear it, Maria
Hi everybody!
I haven't read the novel because this year I'm working on another, in class, but the other day, we were really lucky to have a guest speaker, an ex student of mine (last year she was in Y5, too). She had come to give an Oral Presentation on "UK in the 50's." Why? Because she was reading Lucking Jim with you all.
She told us about the Angry Young Men, "a group of postwar British writers from the lower classes bent on subverting the establishment." It seems the author belonged to this group. She told us about those years in the UK and it was all really interesting. I was curious about the novel, then.
What a strange period, the 50's...
Dinner's ready!
Night night
Thanks for the new comments, still few..I want all the 5thAs to write something please come on you can do it!! The novel is about people relationships and university life. How about that?? Look up information about it in the internet and post it here, that would be a help and good practice too!Michelle thank you for the information it´s great, I don´t see a book I see a fantastic kind of chair to sit on and read!! I like it it is inviting! What do people think?? Please give Michelle your opinion she is our artist and we can´t survive/live without her!
Congratulation to English department, I am proud of being in this EOI. New ideas are always welcome and encourage us (students) to continue in this hard, endless but cheering path of learning English.
EMI 5th A
Thanks for your comment!! Now we have to get the rest to say something!! You´ll be very glad when it comes to the exam and you are familiar with writing short messages!! We have to vote for our logo which is called MISHY-reading
I have read up to chapter 13 and I have to recognize that the novel is becoming more entertaining!
Actually I can see the author’s intention of “subverting the establishment”-like Dakota said-. Reading about Sir Kingsley Amis and the Angry Young Men in the internet is a very good exercise to understand this novel. Thank you.
María
5ºA
Maria I´m very glad to hear your comment it´s very enlightning! Please tell the class about the Angry young men! I´d love to have those notes to give the rest of the class, myself included to find a new perspective into the novel!
Hello FIFTHS, please, go into the fourth year novel section and leave a message for the Fourths. They have just done the subjunctive, are in the middle of the inversion, haven´t quite understood yet what a participle clause is, are battling with the vocabulary and seem unable to hand in a composition without verbal mistakes. Don´t you think they need a little encouragement? Do not delay or there may be casualties. Thanks
After reading up to chapter 11 , I wonder if there are no other modern british novels to chose ( even cosidering I have laughed a bit in chapter 10 , that's an amazing progress )
I regret having encouraged my friend to buy the book and talk about it and practise conversation: he is stuck in chapter 3, we prefer talking about the weather..
Carmen, you insists on our writing in the blog so much, that I have written the first nonsense which has occurred to me, so much pressure...
I am so sorry you don´t like the novel at all Susam! How about trying to read a bit about the author and his generation, the angry young men, they were called. See if you find something in the information to make the novel a little bit more alluring!
I would like to soften my comment , it was most exaggerated. Marta, I am sorry as well, my comment was extremely demolishing and nobody can get something out of it . At any rate, I wrote it with a ‘humorous touch’ , that was my intention ( too caustic, I'm afraid ) and: but, you see, when you talk, the tone of your voice and your face and gesture can convey very different meanings with the same words, this is a problem on the net.
Anyway, I will read something about K. Amis and his generation, I know that it is important to bear in mind the time where any work of art was created, and the author's background, in order to understand and appreciate its value. The novel must have something, not only a good style of writing or good vocabulary, since it is considered a great one, according to the critics, and it is studied as a model of its generation. In fact, my friend decided to buy the novel , with the idea of reading it at the same pace as me, when he skimmed a book about English Literature, and found an extensive paragraph about the author, and more specifically, about 'Lucky Jim' . I didn’t want to read it at that time, because, sometimes, they tell you the whole story, I prefer reading critics at the end ( By the way, he is going to continue the novel..)
Hi, Susan. I am glad to read your comment specially because it is beautifully written! Well done you have got a 10 for that. It is fantastic that you don´t like the novel, don´t worry at all you can read something and not like it, it is still a good exercise. I´m glad you are going to read something about the author please share it with us. marta
Hi, carmen m, thanks for your words of encouragement to that desolate race, tring to reach "the promised land" that is the fourth years with their Moses(me!) trying to conduct them through the wilderness!
Hi Emi, a most amazing piece of good work for the Fourths! Thanks. I´ll let you know what they say when they read it. Thanks also for your compliments..it´s a bit embarrassing...but, thanks. you´ve written it soundly, and like Carmen have expressed yourself so well that they must think you are great at English, which is very true. Both of you now belong to that group of people who SPEAK ENGLISH,not everyone can be included even though, as you know, many people say they do!
Marta, I have thought about what you said yesterday. Probably we could be "a Dixon" and the writer is trying to show it to us, that we are a grain of sand in the ocean. I agree with you, but do you think that it is necessary so boring a novel to transmit this?
To tell you the truth I don´t much like it either. But I´m sure it´s because I want to see heroes and pseudo-Mr. Darcys everywhere. Dixon is a normal man, a man who has to cheat to get a post, a man who gets drunk, a man who likes a girl with big boobs and thinks that he´ll never get her, etc. Mr. Darcy makes me dream, transports me to a world of fantasy that is far from real life. Mr. Darcy or any of the other heroes all are handsome men, powerful men, brave men, men that do not make mistakes unlike our hero who is a disaster. I think we must see him as one of us because he is, Mr. Darcy is impossible to find as are the other heroes. Who are the heroes nowadays?? We must talk about that in class, remind me next week. Which heroes and heroines(let´s not forget the boys) do we like?
Hi everybody, mainly my class mates.
also I don't like Lucky Jimy very much but...concerning your comments, do you really need a heroe in order to read a good book because I read some excelent books without any heroes or heroines??? eh I wonder... may be I am wrong.
Not all heroes are heroic. Mr. Darcy is a most attractive character for most women... ok for all women, for me too, but he is not heroic really, he is rich. I admit that he acts heroically when he changes his character for the love of Elizabeth, (it is a most difficult thing to do)and that he makes the right decisions (he thinks he hass been responsible for Lydia´s downfall) but he holds an ace in his hand: MONEY. Poor Mr. Carton´s case is quite the opposite: the looser, the drugaddict, the drunkard, the overthrower(that´s new!) of his own carrer, yet his death is heroic, his motives are heroic, and that makes him so unforgetable!So dear for the absurd waste of his life. That last page of "a tale.." those last words: "It is a far far better thing that I do now than I have ever done before, it is a far far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."
Sorry, I was "eyesdropping"
Does Mr. Carton die? Oh my god! What a way of revealing the end! I want Mr. Darcy in my life too!! ;)
Marta I do not really agree with you. When I read a book I look for knowledge, something that makes me think. Maybe characters with particular personalities, different places or time, in other words, a book with a good plot, better characters and well written. I have never met a hero like Carton before, I think he is unique.
Carmen your simile as Moses leading the 4ths to the land of promise is very good. Emi I see your point, one should look for that in a book. I´m afraid I´m much more superficial and often what we wrongly call the romantic is interesting for me. Antonio seems to agree with you that heros are not everything and they are not but since the beginnig of thought the humans have looked up to them maybe as models that would give a sense to live, I don´t know. We´ll have to ask Damaso López when he comes this year, if he does, he is very busy lately. What is your type of novel, Antonio and Emi? Which would you recommend?
Hi! I would like to thank you for your comments made in our blog and for encouraging us to keep going. It’s great to get your advice and discover that everything we are involved in, is something you had to do the last year.
I will be glad to read more useful advice of yours.
Bye!
Marta I really like Gogol, a Russian writer, all his novels are bleak, but they are different from the rest. But if I had to recommend a literature from one country,a part from Spanish and English one, I would encourage people to study Polish literature because I do not know another case where Literature and History have been so linked. Maybe you know that Poland had disappeared from the European map for more than a century subjugated to the power of Prusia, Austria-Hungary and Russian and it was its literature that supports Polish language and its people as a Nacion. If you ever talk to a Polish person about his or her literature you can not forget Adam Mickiewick, he is said he has written the best poems in Polish language.
Thanks for the information Emi I´ll try to read some of his works. Apart is one word
Somebody told me last night that Dixon is based on Philip Larkin! What can you tell me about him? Do you know who he is? Well, there is some research for you to do..
testing if this computer works
I agree with Susam, I don't like the novel but I am waiting to reach the 120 page and observing if it is more exciting than now. Dixon looks me some stupid and nobody can compare any character from this novel with Tale of Two Cities, it is IMPOSSIBLE, Dickens is Dickens (always in my opinion). I had written about 120 pages because a good reader must be patience and try to find some interesting in the novel anyhow. I hope to find it in next chapters. Anyway I am going to have a look at some information in internet about the author. Regards.
That is a very good idea, that´s what we must do look up information about the author
120 pages and not much is quite depessing!!! I know a book I´m going to miss. Read " Dombey and Son" Dickens, long, but very interesting from the point of view of the relationship of a very proud, selfish man with his wife and daughter
Hi, everybody! In my opinion the novel is getting better now, just from the party chapter. The story was very boring at the beggining... I could not see the point... Now I think I am enjoying it more because it is changing, now it is more like a romantic story... In fact I could not avoid reading a chapter more in order to know... well, I don´t want to tell about it because it is supposed that we might not have read the next chapter yet and I don´t want to reveal the point... I had to stop myself reading, Can you imagine!!! I had never said it.
About Kingsley I met some things about his life, he was born in 1922, son of a mustard manufacturer´s clerk, he studied in Oxford, he was a soldier in the Second World War and he married in 1946 but they split up when his wife dicovered that he had been cheating on her. He married with his lover and divorced again but the most amazing thing is that he spent his last years sharing house with his first wife and her third husband. Can you imagine? Definitely English people have a different way of seeing infidelity.
On the other hand I´d like to say something relating to the pages´ colour. I love violet and pink colours ( in fact they are my favorite) but for me they are no the best for reading, they make my sight tired very fast... I don´t know if it happens just to me....
I´ve seen you on the video and you look fantastic, very confidently chattering and giving your opinion.Well done! the fourths have also done it and you´ll see them soon...
MªJose, I´m so glad you´ve sent that comment! At least there is one who is beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel! Well, actually there are two, I also see that light, the novel gets much better after the party. Now that Jim is beginning to take his life in his hands the novel is much more interesting. What you tell about the author himself is also great. I agree, the English are weird and they don´t have the same approach as we, regarding faithfulness. Falstaff, the great Shakespearean character, put it masterfully, as Shakespeare´s characters usually do:"What is honour? A word"
Hi everybody! I´m already at home in Santander, no rain yet so it is fine but I´m afraid it´s not going to last. On the way I was thinking about the great, day April 25th and we need ushers to welcome people and take them to the Assembly room, or to the loos or any such things. Also to organise the Assembly room i.e. where people sit etc.We don´t want to have people fighting for a seat, and if there are many someone will have to stand. Would you like to be ushers? It is very English, the English always have somebody to take you to your place, seat, etc. Think about it and you can tell me when we go back, you would have to be there at say 3pm and help with the preparations, then look nice, be nice, help and solve any problem that came up. Teresa could give us a hand with the protocole. I think you would be fantastic. Have a nice holiday! And listen to the BBC
You have the whole speech of "to be or not to be" Please take a look at it we´ll comment it soon
Hi Fernando, I can not find your explications and issues about the interviews that we have to prepare after Easter. I do not know if they are in another place. Please if you or somebody else read my comment write where I can I them. Thank very much. Regards.
Sorry at the end of the my previous comment there is a silly mistake I forgot to write "find" and I wrote "I".
Hi, Mercedes! We expect to post here some information tomorrow afternoon. Be patient! We also expect you to be a candidate(we need 6 candidate, remember it). Kind regards!
Good night everybody!
Marta, as I told you this week I'll help you, and I won't have any problem to stay there at three or whenever you need this day, in order to help you or organice the ushers.
Anyway, I'll send you on Monday (or as soon as possible)all the information that I have about the protocole that you should use with the "authorities".
In the other hand, as Fernando said before we are trying hardly to post the information about the interviws tomorrow in the blog,just know, before come into the blog, we have crossed the last email with the information that we are writting.
As all of you, we are really busy and always looking for a while to keep our English lesson even at night, so, sorry for all my mistakes tonigth but Im very tired, I promised that, in spite of what time it is Im not comming back for a drink!. :-)
Have a nice sunday all of you who don't work tomorrow!
CONVERSATION GAME: SIMULATED JOB INTERVIEWS
As you know Marta has proposed us to organize one or two conversation lesson doing several job interviews. This is obviously a simulation, a role-play.
For that, we have chosen two imaginary vacancies for a public relations officer in two different companies. So, we need six volunteers (three per vacancy) to participate in the selection process.
The volunteers can imagine a profile and assume the role in order to enrich their candidacies. As we know that time runs against all of us, it would be enough if you send to the blog a mini simulated CV only with few lines to guide and help us in which way we are going to manage the interview.
We can also learn how to do an English CV at the same time!
The interviews will be carried out by us according to the actual market criteria. Of course, we will try to put flexibility and a relaxed and friendly atmosphere (you can imagine the character that you want!). No one will be filmed if he or she doesn’t want it.
At the end of the process we will choose and send to the blog the best candidate for each vacancy and the person who would be introduce for us to each company.
It is very important to bear in mind that this is only a game and a simile exercise, with the only aim of practice conversation in an open, pleasant and funny way.
JOB VACANCIES
There are two interesting job vacancies in the National Press in which two consultant companies are looking for people with a high English level. The vacancies are for PR officer in railway field with international and excellent future. You have to remember that the market in the field of railway is deregulated (in the same way that the field of telecommunication, for instance: many companies can use the public railway infrastructure).
One of the vacancies is offered by ICOMOVIL consultant, for a Railway Operator Company; The company aspires to set in motion high speed trains in European countries.
The other vacancy is offered by FANCY FACE consultant, for a public Railway Administrator. The company aspires to standardize all the authorities’ lounges in Europe, which are always placed in a High Speed environment.
You will find the details of both offers here, on the blog, on April the 6th.
T&F
T+F I´m surprised with this wonderful piece of work! We should have a prize for it too. I have created the new space for us to use so please, darlings all, post your comments there. Remember what T+F say: this is a game, we are just playing, send your imagination flying and let´s have fun with this fantastic opportunity T+F provide of seeing how personnel is selected. It will also be fantastic practice for all of you. Since I´ve only done one interview in my life, and here I still am , I´m really looking forward to this, what fun!
We have at last had a lesson with a bit of enthusiasm for our poor hero! I´d love to read what you think of him now... briefly!
Como seguramente sabréis todos tenemos un nuevo blog dedicado al cine que hemos creado con una ilusión tremenda. Pero los blogs no funcionan solos, necesitan alma, y su alma es la gente que escribe en ellos. Sin vosotros, sin vuestra colaboración, morirá. No es necesario que escribáis en inglés, podéis hacerlo en español si os apetece más u os resulta más fácil, pero si optáis por intentarlo con el idioma de Shakespeare, no os preocupéis por los errores. Todos los cometemos, es así como aprendemos, nadie va juzgar como lo hacéis, somos vuestros compañeros. Lo que queremos es hacer algo que pueda unirnos, que nos permita mantener el contacto durante el verano y que nos entretenga y enseñe. Alguna gente escribe en inglés bastante bien y se puede aprender mucho de ellos, y si, además, ampliamos muestro conocimiento cinematográfico, miel sobre hojuelas. Venid, por favor, es algo nuestro, algo que nos convierte en compañeros y amigos independientemente de nuestro curso, nivel o estatus en la escuela. Por cierto, los amigos de nuestros amigos también son bienvenidos. ¡Os esperamos!
have you seen the comments of the 4ths??? 302 nothing like us we have sadly failed on this, not even 50!!!
have you seen the comments of the 4ths??? 302 nothing like us we have sadly failed on this, not even 50!!!
Marta, you sound a little bit sad about the fact, you shouldn't be so worry, I think that in spite of is not the same novel, (to be honest it's not the same to read The Woman in white than to read Lucky Jim)it is a generation problem, I think they are more used to write in blogs on internet than we are!
But I we have the same enthusiasmic and all of us agree that the blog is a great idea from the EOI Goya. Anyway, I think that all of us will keep in contact with you through the blog next year even if we pass the exam.
Teresa thanks for your comment and encouragement, I suppose you are right, I think the novel was not as exciting and that was a drawback too. Well let´s hope that next year we choose better.
During the summer we are going to read a novel I hope you´ll join and read it too and comment.
Mercedes in case you visit, how´s your brother-in-law? I hope the news are a little better....
We are going to read Persuasion with the fourths, would you like to join? Look in the blog there is a section specially open for that purpose
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