Adamo's Folder, Oct 20th

FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH Coursework portfolio Adamo, María Florencia AR512 0001

Assignment 1 – Informative, analytical and/or argumentative

Two names, One paradise. Twenty four years ago, Argentina experienced a terrible and bloody war 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, has occupied 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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FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH Coursework portfolio Adamo, María Florencia AR512 0001 In addition, another reason which contributes to corroborate our assertion that the Malvinas Islands are Argentine is the climate. In summer temperatures go between 14º and 18º 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 same place, 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 dog’s Speech Hi! I am Victoria Celeste Adamo; I am a family dog, a Boxer. Hey, don’t stop reading; please… this is just what I would like to tell you about my life if we could communicate

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FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH Coursework portfolio Adamo, María Florencia AR512 0001 in the same language. You know, I am brown and I have an attractive white spot in my neck. I should be a very hard-working, responsible dog but, in fact, I’m the lazy type. In the mornings, my friend Florencia gets up very early, at 7 o’clock when she has to go to school. Oh, it’s so early and cold in winter time… that I don’t feel like getting up. Well, I don’t have anything important to do at that time so I can simply stay in bed for a while. Yes! It’s 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 I’m so sleepy that I sometimes fall down the stairs. It’s so cold!! I don’t 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 can’t complain, or, at least, you humans just don’t 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 lunch I always I 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 of barking about everything I think is 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, and…I 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! I’m sure I need a good night’s 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 don’t follow me, but that’s OK cause I know 3

FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH Coursework portfolio Adamo, María Florencia AR512 0001 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 dog’s 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 cloak To 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 wind Allows, 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 and Land that no one needs for several years.

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FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH Coursework portfolio Adamo, María Florencia AR512 0001 These are, as I began, cumbersome ways To kill a man. Simpler, direct, and much more neat Is 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 God’s 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 this stanza 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 German’s 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 achieve such 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 continue reading. This stanza is devoted to World War II as he mentions methods that were used 5

FIRST LANGUAGE ENGLISH Coursework portfolio Adamo, María Florencia AR512 0001 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 nation’s 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 people’s 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 else’s life. Is this need present in man’s 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 helped me think about the hard reality most 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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