FOOD FOR THOUGHT! :Lizzie Velasquez, Law of Attraction, Seeker of Truth or Believer

Dear students, here you are some videos you could watch and that I hope will make you think.

Make the most of them!

VERA DRAKE, wife, mother, criminal. (2004)

Vera Drake is a 2004 British drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh, telling the story of a working-class woman in London in 1950 who performs illegal abortions.

The film also contains a subplot about an upper class young woman, Susan (Sally Hawkins), the daughter of one of Vera's employers.
Susan is raped by a suitor, becomes pregnant, and asks a friend to put her in contact with a doctor, through whom she can obtain an abortion.
The doctor refers her to a psychiatrist, who prompts her to answer questions in a certain way, so that he can legally recommend an abortion on therapeutic psychiatric grounds: that she has a family history of mental illness and that she may commit suicide if not allowed to terminate the pregnancy.
The abortion costs her a hundred guineas.

The name guinea was long used to indicate the amount of 21 shillings (£1.05 in decimalised currency).
The slang term for a shilling as a currency unit was a "bob".

Driving in Saudi Arabia

It’s not illegal for women to drive in Saudi Arabia but it is illegal for them to drive without a Saudi license. And licenses aren’t issued to women. The embargo is purely cultural. A combination of deeply embedded tradition and a powerful religious establishment ensures that progress in the desert kingdom happens slowly.

The numerous anti-driving arguments put forward by conservatives who fear change have no foundation in common sense. This was most famously demonstrated by the cleric Sheikh Saleh Al Lohaidan who warned women that “physiological science” shows that driving “automatically affects the ovaries and pushes up the pelvis … and that is why children born to most women who continuously drive suffer from clinical disorders of varying degrees”.

Be body confident as you are!

I am a feminist and I believe you should!

Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. 

A feminist advocates or supports the rights and equality of women.

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examining Pop Culture nowadays

The Smurfette Principle:

A girl explaining what sexual objectification is.

The Bechdel Test:

Black Gold-Little fly Esperanza Spalding

Hold your head as high as you can
High enough to see who you are, little man
Life sometimes is cold and cruel
Baby no one else will tell you so remember that
You are Black Gold, Black Gold
You are Black Gold
Now maybe no one else has ever told you so
But you're golden, baby
Black Gold with a diamond soul
Think of all the strength you have in you
From the blood you carry within you
Ancient men, powerful men
Builders of civilization
They'll be folks hell-bent on putting you down
Don't get burned
'Cause not necessarily everyone will know your worth
Think of all the strength you have in you
From the blood you carry within you
Ancient men, powerful men
Builders of civilization
Think of all the strength you have in you
Powerful, powerful men
Builders of civilization

Hold your head as high as you can
High enough to see who you are, little man
Life sometimes is cold and cruel
Baby no one else will tell you so remember that
You are Black Gold, Black Gold
You are Black Gold
There'll be folks hell-bent on putting you down
Don't get burned
Not necessarily everyone will know your worth
Think of all the strength you have in you
From the blood you carry within you
Ancient men, powerful men
Builders of civilization
Think of all the strength you have in you
Powerful, powerful men
Builders of civilization

Hold your head as high as you can
High enough to see who you are, little man
Life sometimes is cold and cruel
Baby no one else will tell you so remember that
You are Black Gold, Black Gold
You are Black Gold
Think of all the strength you have in you
From the blood you carry within you
Ancient men, powerful men
Builders of civilization
All the strength
All the blood
That you carry
Ancient men
Powerful men
In you
Builders of civilization

Hold your head as high as you can
High enough to see who you are, little man
Life sometimes is cold and cruel
Baby no one else will tell you so remember that
You are Black Gold, Black Gold
You are Black Gold
You are Black Gold, Black Gold
You are Black Gold
You are Black Gold, Black Gold
You are Black Gold
You are Black Gold, Black Gold
You are Black Gold

Hold your head as high as you can
High enough to see who you are, little man
Life sometimes is cold and cruel
Baby no one else will tell you so remember that
You are Black Gold
You are Black Gold
You are
You are
You are
Hold your head up
Don't give up
You are Black Gold
You are
You are
Black Gold
Black Gold, Black Gold, Black Gold

Little fly

The summer's play

My thoughtless hand

Has brushed away

Am not I

A fly like thee

Or art not thou

A man like me

Little fly

For I dance

And drink and sing

Till some blind hand

Shall brush my wing

I thought is life

And strength and breath

And the want

Of thought is death

Little fly

Then am I

A happy fly

If I live

Or if I die

USED TO practice

exercise 1         

exercise 2           

exercise 3            

exercise 4

PART 1

VERB

I USED TO go on foot.

I DIDN'T USE TO drive a car.

DID YOU USE TO play games on your own?

PART 2

ADJECTIVE

I AM USED TO working hard.

I GOT USED TO sleeping less.

I AM GETTING USED TO living far from home.

exercise 1          exercise 2           exercise 3            exercise 4

Ellis Island 1892-1954

THINKING OF ALL THOSE BRAVE MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FROM AFRICA WHO TRIED AND TRY TO COME TO EUROPE BY ALL MEANS, AS IT WAS A PROMISE LAND, WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK!!!

A virtual trip to Ellis island

Ellis Island, in Upper New York Bay, was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States as the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with land reclamation between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the site of Fort Gibson and later a naval magazine. The island was made part of theStatue of Liberty National Monument in 1965, and has hosted a museum of immigration since 1990. A 1998 United States Supreme Court decision found most of the island to be part of New Jersey. The south side of the island, home to the Ellis Island Immigrant Hospital, is closed to the general public and the object of restoration efforts spearheaded by Save Ellis Island. The island has been closed to the public since Hurricane Sandy in October 2012 with re-opening date projected for 2014.

On the first day of January,

Eighteen Ninety-Two,

They opened Ellis Island and they let

the people through.

and the first to cross the threshold

of that Isle Of Hope And Tears,

was Annie Moore from Ireland

who was only fifteen years.

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears,
Isle of Freedom, Isle of Fears,
but it's not the Isle you left behind.
that Isle of Hunger, Isle of Pain,
Isle you'll never see again
but the Isle of Home is always on your mind.

In a little bag she carried
all her past and history,
and her dreams for the future
in the Land of Liberty.
And courage is the passport
when your old world disappears
but there's no future in the past
when you're fifteen years

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears,

Isle of Freedom, Isle of Fears,

but it's not the Isle you left behind.

that Isle of Hunger, Isle of Pain,

Isle you'll never see again

but the Isle of Home is always on your mind.

When they closed Down Ellis Island

in Nineteen Forty-Three,

Seventeen Million people

had come there for sanctuary.

And in springtime when I came here

and I stepped onto its piers,

I thought of how it must have been

when you're fifteen years.

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears,
Isle of Freedom, Isle of Fears,
but it's not the Isle you left behind.
that Isle of Hunger, Isle of Pain,
Isle you'll never see again
but the Isle of Home is always on your mind.

Ellis Island, now a 27.5-acre site located just minutes off the southern tip of Manhattan Island, New York, is likely to connect with more of the American population than any other spot in the country. It has been estimated that nearly half of all Americans today can trace their family history to at least one person who passed through the Port of New York at Ellis Island. Now, nearly a century since the peak years of immigration, Ellis Island is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the National Park Service. 

Gerunds vs infinitives BASICS

GERUNDS

as the subject of a sentence (S = Ger)

This position commonly calls for a gerund. While an infinitive is also possible, it is very formal and not common.

Shopping is my favourite hobby.

Working out has really improved my health.

following a preposition (Prep + Ger)

Here is another common gerund position. This rule applies to all prepositions, including ones that are part of phrasal verbs.

She thought about calling him, but decided she wouldn’t.

They are planning on going to the party tonight.

as the object of a verb (V + Ger)

This is the one position where both gerunds and infinitives are commonly used. The choice of which to use all depends on the verb. Some common ones are: advise, avoid, enjoy, finish, practise, quit, and suggest.

He enjoyed learning about gerunds.

My teacher suggested studying for the upcoming quiz.

*Don’t forget that some verbs take either a gerund or an infinitive with no change in meaning. While students don’t have to worry about these verbs, they should still be pointed out. Some common verbs are: like, love, and hate.

I love eating pasta.

I love to eat pasta.

INFINITIVES

following an adjective (Adj + Inf)

Though it is possible in some cases to use a gerund after an adjective, it is more common to use an infinitive, making it the better choice for students.

It is nice to meet you.

She mentioned that it was dangerous to stand near that machine.

following a noun or pronoun (N + Inf)

If the verb has an object that is a noun or a pronoun, it is almost always followed by an infinitive. This makes it easy for students to choose the correct form.

You asked me to call you.

The doctor advised Mark to eat more vegetables. 

(Note that the verb “advise” normally takes a gerund, as in “The doctor advised eating more vegetables.” But because there is a noun object in this sentence, we must use the infinitive. The noun rule supersedes the verb rule, which is great news for students.)

as the object of a verb (V + Inf)

This is the one position where both gerunds and infinitives are commonly used. It all depends on the verb. Some common ones are: ask, choose, decide, get, need, plan, promise, and want.

They want to get their tests back as soon as possible.

The students are planning to have a party this Friday.

Battleship game to practice 

1. I can’t help __ in love with you. (fall)

2. I don’t mind ___ every day out on your corner in the pouring rain. (stand)

3. I want __ free, I want __ free, I want __ free from your lies, you’re so self-satisfied, I don’t need you. (break / break / break)

4. Today I don’t feel like __ anything, I just want to stay in my bed. (do)

5. I hate __ up out of the blue uninvited but I couldn’t stay away, I couldn’t hide it, I had hoped you’d see my face and be reminded that for me it isn’t over.  (turn)

6. So I cross my heart and I hope __ that I’ll only stay with you one more night. (die)

7. I don’t need __ to control you, look into my eyes and I’ll own you with them moves like Jagger. (try)

8. Stop __, stop __, I don’t want to think anymore. I left my head and my heart on the dance floor. (call / call)

9. Hey Jude, don’t let me down, you have found her, now go and get her. Remember __ her into your heart, then you can start __ it better. (let / make)

All my loving... (1963, Beatles - 1993, Manolos in a London disco)

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you
Tomorrow I'll miss you 
Remember I'll always be true

And then while I'm away 
I'll write home every day
And I'll send all my loving to you 

I'll pretend that I'm kissing
The lips I am missing
And hope that my dreams will come true

And then while I'm away

I'll write home every day 

And I'll send all my loving to you

All my loving, I will send to you

All my loving, darling I'll be true

Close your eyes and I'll kiss you 

Tomorrow I'll miss you

Remember I'll always be true

And then while I'm away 

I'll write home everyday 

And I'll send all my loving to you 

All my loving, I will send to you 

All my loving, darling I'll be true 

All my loving, all my loving

Ooh, all my loving, I will send to you

The first well.

Listen to this nice story:

Listen again and reading the text, fill in the blanks:

The first well

There once was a small k........... around a l..........

One very hot s.........r, it did not rain and the lake dried up.

People grew anxious and went to the k.....

“It has not rained for so long our f........ are barren!” said the farmers.

“There is no f...... to catch how shall we earn a living?” asked the fishermen.

“Save us from disaster, good king,” urged the w.........

as the ch.......... cried with thirst.

The king sent his four g.......... to search for w........ in all directions.

The first general went e......, towards the sunrise;

the s............ to the south, to dust and heat;

the third went west, where the s..... sets;

and the fourth followed the N........ Star.

They searched day and n........., night and day; high and low, they s..........

everywhere, but in vain. Three of the g........... returned, empty-handed.

But the general who had gone north, determined not to fail his k......

finally reached a cold m........... village.

As he sat at the foot of the mountain,

an old w.......... came by and sat next to him.

The g.......... pointed at the horizon and said,

“I belong to a beautiful k.........., where it has not rained for a whole y.......

Can you help me find w........?”

The woman motioned the g........., to follow her up the m.......... and inside a c....... “We have no water in our c......... either,” she said

Then, pointing at the icicles in the c......, she continued:

“We call this ice, take some and your k.......... will never go thirsty a.........”.

The general broke off a huge p.........

loaded it onto his h........-cart and rushed back home.

By the time he reached the c.........,

the enormous I........ had melted into a small lump of ice.

Nobody in the court had e...... seen ice, so e............. gazed at it with wonder.

This must be a water-s......., one of the ministers exclaimed suddenly.

The k....... order the water-seed to be sowed immediately.

While the farmers dug a h......, the lump dwindled in the s...

They swiftly placed the seed in the hole, but,

b...... they could cover it up, it had vanished.

The farmers there got confused and w.........

They dug the earth deeper and d.........., into the night,

looking for the mysterious s......

At the break of dawn, the king found the f.............. fast asleep around a hole.

Curiously he p............ in, and cried out in amazement.

“Wake up, my worthy men, the w........-seed has sprouted!

There's w....... in the hole!”

This is how the f...... well was created.

Now you can listen, read and watch the story at the same time.

I hope you have enjoyed the story and learnt some new vocabulary (see below and copy the words).

well

kingdom

around a lake

fields are barren

earn a living

thirst

search

sunrise

dust

where the sun sets

high and low

in vain

empty-handed

mountain village

horizon

cave

not either

icicle

huge piece

horse-cart

melted into 

a lump of ice

water-seed

to be sowed

dig dug dug

dwindled

swiftly

vanished

deeper and deeper

at the break of dawn

fast asleep

peeped in

worthy men

sprouted

If you need a translation click here.

CU soon!!!

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer.

When April with his showers sweet with fruit The drought of March has pierced unto the root And bathed each vein with liquor that has power To generate therein and sire the flower; When Zephyr also has, with his sweet breath, Quickened again, in every holt and heath, The tender shoots and buds, and the young sun Into the Ram one half his course has run, And many little birds make melody That sleep through all the night with open eye (So Nature pricks them on to ramp and rage)- Then do folk long to go on pilgrimage, And palmers to go seeking out strange strands, To distant shrines well known in sundry lands. And specially from every shire's end Of England they to Canterbury wend, The holy blessed martyr there to seek Who helped them when they lay so ill and weak.

Whan that aprill with his shoures soote 
The droghte of march hath perced to the roote, 
And bathed every veyne in swich licour 
Of which vertu engendred is the flour; 
Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth 
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth 
Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne 
Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne, 
And smale foweles maken melodye, 
That slepen al the nyght with open ye 
(so priketh hem nature in hir corages); 
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, 
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, 
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; 
And specially from every shires ende 
Of engelond to caunterbury they wende, 
The hooly blisful martir for to seke, 
That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke. 

Middle English describes dialects of English in the history of the English language between the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the three centuries between the late 12th and the late 15th century.

The Canterbury Tales is the culminating life’s work of Geoffrey Chaucer, a fourteenth-century Englishman considered to be one of the greatest poets to write in the English language. In addition to its literary value, The Canterbury Tales is significant because it is the first major work of literature to have been written in English, a language that during Chaucer’s time was considered unworthy of poetry or prose. Full of romance, drama, pathos, and humor, Chaucer’s diverse collection of tales paints a vivid literary portrait of his medieval society. His writing influenced many English authors of great renown who succeeded him, including William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens.

the Merchant, the Friar, the Monk, the Franklin, the Wife of Bath, the Parson, and the Ploughman.

Chaucer was born between 1340 and 1345 to John Chaucer, a successful merchant who supplied wine to the royal court. Through this family connection, Chaucer worked as a page in an aristocratic household and went on to pursue a busy life in English society. He served a brief stint in the army, attended the royal court as a poet, and held various royal clerkships and public appointments, including the lucrative position of Controller of Customs for the Port of London. He also served as a Member of Parliament. At a time when it was nearly impossible to rise above one’s social class, Chaucer enjoyed the patronage of King Edward III’s son, John of Gaunt, one of the most powerful noblemen of the time. Chaucer’s intellect, wit, and knowledge of human nature, qualities that characterize The Canterbury Tales, likely contributed to his professional and social success as a commoner among members of the aristocracy.

Chaucer’s diplomatic and military travels afforded him an invaluable opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and to read the literature of the European continent, experiences which influenced The Canterbury Tales. 

He traveled in England and Ireland, as well as in Spain, Flanders, France, and Italy. Already versed in the French poetry popular in the royal court and knowledgeable of classical literature from his studies as a youth, Chaucer became familiar with the Italian language. His knowledge of both French and Italian is reflected in his poetry.  

Chaucer, however, wrote The Canterbury Tales in Middle English, a fact that is significant because English during Chaucer’s time was not the language of poetry or prose. Because of the Norman invasion in 1066, which made William the Conqueror the King of England, the Anglo-Norman aristocracy of the English court spoke French, and the language of the cultured was French or Latin. In seeing the poetic possibilities of writing in English and in creating a masterpiece in The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer gave literary authority to the English language. 

During his time in Italy, Chaucer may have read Italian poet Boccaccio’s recently writtenThe Decameron, a collection of tales told by upper-class characters traveling in the Italian countryside to avoid the Florentine plague. The Decameron is thought to be an inspiration for The Canterbury Tales’ ambitious collection of storytellers and their tales. Chaucer’s individual tales drew on many other literary works. It is uncertain when Chaucer began work on The Canterbury Tales. He had certainly written versions of some of the tales for other purposes before he generated the idea of framing the tales with the story of a pilgrimage in the late 1380s. During the last decade of his life, Chaucer edited and added to the project. It remained unfinished at the time of his death in 1400.