mi茅rcoles, 19 de abril de 2017

A LONG WAY GONE


A LONG WAY GONE
ISHMAEL BEAH




A Long Way Gone 
is the true story of Ishmael Beah, the story begins in Ishmael Beah's early youth in 1993.One day, Ishmael, his brother, and another friend walk to a neighboring village where they plan on rapping and dancing in a talent show while he is away Beah's village is attacked by the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) on his home village of Mogbwemo. From that moment, chaos envelops Beah's life as he seeks news of his family and survival for himself and his companions. Their day-to-day existence is a struggle of survival, and the boys find themselves committing acts they would never have believed themselves capable of, such as stealing food from children.

Ishmael is forced by the circunstances to becomes an boy soldier during a civil war in Sierra Leone, Ishmael is conscripted as a soldier by the army and he becomes in whose he feared: a person capable of horrible violence acts. The army becomes his family and in search of revenge he believes that each rebel death may avenge his own family's slaughter. The boy soldiers of the army are become in  addicted to cocaine, marijuana, and "brown brown," which give them the courage to fight and the ability to repress their emotions . Ishmael continues to soldier fiercely until his Lieutenant turns the boy soldiers over to UNICEF.

Ishmael is taken to a rehabilitation center, where only through the constant efforts of Esther, a UNICEF nurse, to treat him as a human being, not a monster, Beah is able to reconnect with his emotional self and he try to forget the terrors he has lived and did. he struggles to understand his past and to imagine a future. The love and compassion he finds at Esther opens up an understanding and forgiveness within himself. Ishmael is welcomed by his extended family in Freetown and is again saved by their support and kindness. Beah is sent to live with his uncle Tomy and his family in Freetown - then unaffected by the war. He struggles to assimilate among people who are happy all the time. 

Ishmael is chosen to go to New York City to speak to the United Nations about the effects of war on children. He learns that others like him have suffered and survived. He meets Laura Simms, a storyteller and his future foster mom, and sees the importance of sharing his experience with the world in hopes of preventing such horrors from happening to other children.

After Ishmael returns to Freetown, Sierra Leone, a coup by the RUF and the military ousts the civilian government, and the war that Ishmael has been avoiding catches up with him. After his uncle's death, Ishmael and his family in Freetown are in constant danger. Ishmael calls Laura Simms and asks if he can come live with her if he's able to escape from Sierra Leone. Laura says yes, and Ishmael starts out on a dangerous journey to neighboring Guinea in search of the way to his new life in the United States.

  • VOCABULARY

LAPPEI: A big cotton bich that women wrap around their waist
GARI: A grated and dried food made from cassava.
WAHLE:A place outside villages where people processed coffee or other crops.

The Sands of Time

THE SANDS OF TIME 
By Sidney Sheldon



The Sands of Time is a novel by Sydney Sheldon writer. The story unfolds in Spain following the attacks and confrontations between fanatic Basque terrorists led by Jaime Miro who is one of the main characters in the novel and the Spanish army led by Colonel Cocoa. These men maintain an almost personal fight and to this fight are dragged 4 nuns of the Cistercian convent to which Jaime Miro arrives fleeing of the army after rescuing to two companions Ricardo Medallo and Felix Carpio. To rescue his companions Jaime Miro dressed as a father to enter the cells and caused an accident as a distraction in the bullfight in which many people died, he explains that he did not want all of them to die but the accident had many murders and the Army pursues them. Jaime Miro abandons the convent before Cocoa arrives but this blind man in his search and revenge mistreats the nuns believing that they hid Jaime Miro, that's when begins the adventures for the four nuns.

The nuns who escape and are involved in this adventure with Jaime Miro are Lucia, Megan, Graciela and Teresa. At first when Jaime finds them he does not want to help but after thinking that if Cocoa finds them he is going to kill them or to obtain information on his plans he decides to help them to arrive at another convent. In this way they divide groups to meet in another convent and throughout the novel the author reveals each of the actions that lead the protagonists to that situation. Each protagonist has her own story and hides her secrets and fears beginning with Sister Lucia (whose real name was Lucia Maria Carmine) and who is far to be a nun, that nun's fa莽ade and her entrance to the convent is to hide from the Police, who persecutes her for being the daughter of the powerful mafioso Angelo Carmine who was caught with her sons, and in revenge Lucia kills those who betrayed him. Megan is an orphan who lived in an orphanage up to fifteen years always helping everyone, but when she was fifteen she was forced to leave the convent and went to the convent .she is grateful to God but she don not known really the world and for this reason when she lives this adventure with Jaime Miro has many doubts about her true vocation and the decision to be nun. Teresa and Gabriela were two girls who only found comfort in the church and for that reason decided to be nuns, Teresa suffered for living in the shadow of a sister much more beautiful physically and she could never overcome that feeling of inferiority and worse even when the only man Whom he loves escapes with his sister and when Monique (Teresa's sister) leaves him with a son, he intends to return with she and Teresa prefers to flee rather than face him and she becomes a nun. Graciela on the contrary was a beauty since she was a child and that was the cause of her suffering, growing up with a mother who was very beautiful as a young but with the passing years she refused to accept that she lost that beauty, the mother´s graciela try to demostrate that she continued be beautiful having a lot of mens, no matter that she shared room With his daughter and was one of these mens, the Moor who violated Graciela and his mother instead of defending her wounded her in an attack of jealousy. Having no place to go, Graciela also decided to enter the convent.


Each one faces their fears, in the trip lucia at the beginning only seeks to escape and to collect the fortune that his father had left for her in a zurich account in The Bank Leu, she looks to direct all its actions to that objective but although she does not want Show sympathy for the others also worries about them and ends up in love with Rubio the man that Jaime Miro assigned to him to be the custodian, when Rubio is hurt to defend her, it is reflected all his love for Rubio when going to the police to Ask for help even knowing that they will recognize and arrest her.

When Jaime Miro knows that Lucia and Rubio have been arrested he communicates to Megan and his companions and they decide to rescue Rubio but Megan begs him to help Lucia, this causes great admiration in Miro because he can not understand the mystery that is Megan, for even knowing that Lucia deceived she continues asking for help for Lucia, Megan achieved arouse interest in Miro because it's not like all the nuns, she prayed with fervor but also has the character of survival and struggle that very few have and whith That Miro is identified. This character is reflected in the two times that Megan saves him when he is betrayed by Amparo his partner or lover, who sends him into an ambush in a park and where Megan will find him and help him to escape in a cunning way without the Soldiers suspect that they were escaping in front of his face.

When Miro and everyone are safe in the Basque town Detective Allan Tucker finds them and tells Megan that Ellen Scott is looking for her and that she knows about her past and if she want know her past she should go with him, although she realizes that she loves Miro she wants know her past and who is her family ,she leaves and promises that she will return. Megan discovered that her parents did not abandon her, in fact they were the wife and brother of his father who decided to abandon her and say that he had died with their parents in an accident where they were the only survivors, all to be able to stay with all the money. But Ellen decided find to Megan  when she know that is sick and is going to die,Ellen want give to Megan all that is of her and transform to Megan into a business woman, with the capacity to run her business.

After a while the army catches Miro and when Megan finds out she tries by all means to rescue him since she has the money to buy people to help her. Finally, she gets them to pretend to Miro's death and they end up together and happy, Lucia and Rubio end up buying a farm living with three children in a quiet place far from the world of luxuries but also so full of false friends that Lucia knew .

  • VOCABULARY

-Anathema: a person or thing detested, accursed or consigned to damnation or destruction.
-Witnesses: a person who sees an event, typically a crime or accident, take place.
-Manhood: the state or time of being a man.
-Bullfights: a public spectacle, particularly in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, at which a bull is baited in a ----highly stylized manner and then usually killed.
-Behemoths: a huge or monstrous creature
-Stench: a strong and very unpleasant smell.
-Retaliation: the action of returning a military attack; counterattack.
-Foreseen: be aware of beforehand; predict.
-Bishop: a senior member of the Christian clergy, typically in charge of a diocese and empowered to confer holy orders.
-Cistercian: a member of an order of monks and nuns founded in 1098 at Citeaux, near Dijon, France, under the rule of St. Benedict.

mi茅rcoles, 15 de marzo de 2017

FROM THE UNIVERSE TO YOU



FROM THE UNIVERSE TO YOU


The book FROM THE UNIVERSE TO YOU is about a message from the universe, in the book the writer explain that we are here with one purpose and no-one else in the entire universe can do a better job of being you than you, no-one can do what you’re here to do. Your unique in the world and the world is incomplete without you. 

the author argue the book in three main ideas:

1- BE HAPPY FIRST.

´´Happiness is not a destination you arrive at, it’s a journey, it’s a process that never ends and you can’t be done being happy.´´


  • Make your happiness a priority. 


Your purpose in life is Joy, and that’s more than achievable because the Joy you feel is determined by the thoughts you choose and not circumstances. As a matter of fact, circumstance come in response to the thoughts you have given great emotion to.

Make your happiness a priority, forget about what others will think or say because the only way to make those you love happy is by being happy yourself and for it just only get your priorities straightened out, and put happiness at the top of the list because if other things take precedence, they will interfere with your efforts to feel good, it’s not selfish to focus on your own happiness, it’s noble.

  • Do not postpone your happiness.


Happiness, this greatest of study, is not the work of your hands but the work of your heart. in the life are different phases when it comes to happiness, it’s happiness in your marriage, happiness in your job, happiness in your finances, happiness in your relationships with your family, friends, colleagues, etc. But it all begins with being happy with yourself, each phase has a graduation ceremony. Be sure to meet me in each stage. 
A smile is infectious and happiness is contagious. This is a scientific fact: That happiness spreads like a blessed desease. Being happy with yourself is loving yourself, that’s the highest form of emotion. And one thing that all fascinating people have in common is that they’re all in love with life.

2-THE REAL YOU.

You’re spirit substance, you’re non-physical but you do occupy that physical body, you’re a spirit living a human experience.Your life is here, waiting to be celebrated: If you don’t enjoy this day, if you don’t learn anything from this day and if you don’t take even a baby step towards your goal in this day then you’re messing up your life.  
Keep feeding your faith by imagining the best and expecting the best and sit back to watch your doubts die of hunger. 

´´It’s just a law The first step towards change is loss´´

3-KEEP YOUR DREAMS.

´´IF  you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not people or objects´´

                                                                          -Albert Einstein
Forget about obstacles, they only thrive on your attention, you need a dream that’s bigger than your present circumstances, a kind of dream that calls you out of normalcy.   

There is something a thousand times more powerful than what your five senses can reveal to you, and it is the powerful vision you carry. Your physical senses show you what has been, not what will be, for direction: LOOK WITHIN.
It is unnecessary to revisit your past, there’ll never be anything new there, all you need to know is the next step forward.

  • DON’T GRUMBLE, RUMBLE. 

Every great man or woman either in business, politics or religion has had to take numerous risks to get to new hights, instead of grumbling behind closed doors they rumbled in the presence of the great. If you’re not willing to risk the unusual, then you will have to settle for the ordinary.

  • DON’T COMPETE, CREATE.

The real power you’re after is the power to control your own thoughts, the power to create instead of competing.
You hear voices around saying:
 “You were born like this, this is how things are”.
“Accept the job you have, the most important thing is that you’re working, it does not matter if it’s within your academic level”.

You will be what you will to be, no matter what comes your way, it’s about time you start living... not merely surviving.  
Your present circumstances may be uncongenial, but it is an undeniable fact that they will not remain so for very long if you only percieve an ideal and strive to reach it. But be carefully because your imagination is like electricity, it’s meant to serve and simplify your life but it can also be hideously catastrophic when used without caution.

domingo, 5 de marzo de 2017

THE PRINCE ( Nicolo Machiavelli)

THE PRINCE


The Prince begins with an address to Lorenzo de Medicis, in which Machiavelli explains that he is seeking favor with the prince by offering him some of his knowledge. He then proceeds to classify the various kinds of states: republics, hereditary princedoms, brand-new princedoms, and mixed principalities.
In my opinion the prince is based on two main ideas which are:Free Will and Human Nature of course this can vary depending on each reader and their analysis.

1-Free Will

Machiavelli often uses the words “prowess” and “fortune” to describe two distinct ways in which a prince can come to power. “Prowess” refers to an individual’s talents, while “fortune” implies chance or luck. Part of Machiavelli’s aim in writing The Prince is to investigate how much of a prince’s success or failure is caused by his own free will and how much is determined by nature or the environment in which he lives. Machiavelli applies this question specifically to the failure of past Italian princes. In Chapter XXV, Machiavelli discusses the role of fortune in determining human affairs. He attempts to compromise between free will and determinism by arguing that fortune controls half of human actions and leaves the other half to free will. However, Machiavelli also argues that through foresight—a quality that he champions throughout the book—people can shield themselves against fortune’s vicissitudes. Thus, Machiavelli can be described as confident in the power of human beings to shape their destinies to a degree, but equally confident that human control over events is never absolute.

Goodwill & Hatred
To remain in power, a prince must avoid the hatred of his people. It is not necessary for him to be loved; in fact, it is often better for him to be feared. Being hated, however, can cause a prince’s downfall. This assertion might seem incompatible with Machiavelli’s statements on the utility of cruelty, but Machiavelli advocates the use of cruelty only insofar as it does not compromise the long-term goodwill of the people. The people’s goodwill is always the best defense against both domestic insurrection and foreign aggression. Machiavelli warns princes against doing things that might result in hatred, such as the confiscation of property or the dissolution of traditional institutions. Even installations that are normally valued for military use, such as fortresses, should be judged primarily on their potential to garner support for the prince. Indeed, only when he is absolutely sure that the people who hate him will never be able to rise against him can a prince cease to worry about incurring the hatred of any of his subjects. Ultimately, however, obtaining the goodwill of the people has little or nothing to do with a desire for the overall happiness of the populace. Rather, goodwill is a political instrument to ensure the stability of the prince’s reign.

2-Human Nature

´´Love endures by a bond which men, being scoundrels, may break whenever it serves their advantage to do so; but fear is supported by the dread of pain, which is ever present´´.
Machiavelli asserts that a number of traits are inherent in human nature. People are generally self-interested, although their affection for others can be won and lost. They are content and happy so long they are not victims of something terrible. They may be trustworthy in prosperous times, but they will quickly turn selfish, deceitful, and profit-driven in times of adversity. People admire honor, generosity, courage, and piety in others, but most of them do not exhibit these virtues themselves. Ambition is commonly found among those who have achieved some power, but most common people are satisfied with the status quo and therefore do not yearn for increased status. People will naturally feel a sense of obligation after receiving a favor or service, and this bond is usually not easily broken. Nevertheless, loyalties are won and lost, and goodwill is never absolute. Such statements about human nature are often offered up as justifications for the book’s advice to princes.

Virtue is an aspect that Machiavelli  has a lot of consideration in the book and defines  virtues as qualities that are praised by others, such as generosity, compassion, and piety. He argues that a prince should always try to appear virtuous, but that acting virtuously for virtue’s sake can prove detrimental to the principality. A prince should not necessarily avoid vices such as cruelty or dishonesty if employing them will benefit the state. Cruelty and other vices should not be pursued for their own sake, just as virtue should not be pursued for its own sake: virtues and vices should be conceived as means to an end. Every action the prince takes must be considered in light of its effect on the state, not in terms of its intrinsic moral value. 

I hope this work helps you, thanks for reading and commenting.馃槉

viernes, 3 de marzo de 2017

BOOK ´´I AM MALALA´´



I AM MALALA

I am Malala is based on three main ideas which are: the first culture, the second the rights of women and the last but not least education.


Well, the first point, culture, she talks about the celebration that causes in them the birth of a child and how the birth of a girl is seen as a reason for grief and hurt for the family. This is reflected when she reports that for her birth only a cousin of his father congratulate him.

He also says that in their culture the struggles and fights between them are so common that word for prime - tarbur - is the same as the word for enemy. But that does not prevent everyone from joining when invaders want to enter their country.

She explains that because of this excessive violence she has problems with her Pashtunwali code, which is like her system of rules, according to which it is assumed that if someone does something wrong you should take revenge, but all this where you can carry? Only to a chain of endless violence. But on the other hand he speaks of hospitality in his culture is an indispensable requirement, everyone in their homes who needs it no matter what days they are is an honor to be hospitable.


WOMEN RIGHTS

Perhaps the central theme of I Am Malala-even more important than the power of education-is the theme of women's rights. Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who narrates the book, is passionate about the equality of the sexes, and often quotes the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah “No struggle can succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a third power stronger than both, that of women.”
Malala is a Pashtun, a tribe that traditionally confines women to the domestic world, and even "trades" women as if they are objects.  Malala grows up at a time when women's rights are in jeopardy in Pakistan. Following the events of September 11, 2001, the Taliban, a radical fundamentalist terrorist group, become prominent in Pakistan as well as Afghanistan. the Taliban use violence and intimidation to enforce their ideology, according to which it's God's will that women hide their faces in public by wearing the burqa (a kind of veil), and refrain from attending Schools 


In spite of the growing crisis of women's rights in her country, Malala grows up knowing the value of strong, educated women. This is partly because of the role models she's surrounded by. Her father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, is a charismatic, educated man who has believed in the importance of equality between the sexes for the better part of his life.

The Malala grows up, her passion for women's rights strengthens. She begins by making radio broadcasts and writing articles of her own, in which she argues for equal rights and universal education. When she visits Islamabad as a teenager, she sees a proud, thriving city full of women with careers and equal rights. Women's rights, she realizes, are not just important because they're morally correct-they're important because, just as Jinnah said, they're valuable: they contribute to the good of the city and to the good of the country.


THE POWER OF EDUCATION

From the first scene—in which Malala is shot by the Taliban for riding a bus to school—to the final chapter—in which Malala lobbies for a UN resolution in favor of universal education—I Am Malala celebrates the importance of education.
Education empowers people, not only by giving them knowledge that they can use to gain power, but by encouraging them to have confidence in themselves. Ziauddin, Malala’s father, knows this first-hand.
As Malala grows up, her respect for education grows.  her most important moments of learning come when she sees the impact of education on others. This is particularly clear in the chapter where Malala goes to Islamabad with her father’s friend, Shiza Shahid. In the large, cosmopolitan city, Malala is overjoyed to see women with professional careers and strong, forceful personalities. Each of these women tells Malala the same thing: pursue your education at all costs. 

There’s never a moment in I Am Malala where Malala has serious doubts about the value of education—indeed, the only change in her attitude toward education is that she comes to value it more and more. As the book ends, Malala is stronger and more mature than ever, and thus, more confident about the value of education.