Focus on Writing

2010-09-24T19:09:00.003-03:00

A must watch film: FIGHT CLUB

2010-05-06T02:32:00.003-03:00

Synopsis: FIGHT CLUB is narrated by a lonely, unfulfilled young man (Edward Norton) who finds his only comfort in feigning terminal illness and attending disease support groups. Hopping from group to group, he encounters another pretender, or "tourist," the morose Marla Singer (Helena Bonham Carter), who immediately gets under his skin. However, while returning from a business trip, he meets a more intriguing character--the subversive Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt). They become fast friends, bonding over a mutual disgust for corporate consumer-culture hypocrisy. Eventually, the two start Fight Club, which convenes in a bar basement where angry men get to vent their frustrations in brutal, bare-knuckle bouts. Fight Club soon becomes the men's only real priority; when the club starts a cross-country expansion, things start getting really crazy. Like Tyler Durden himself, director David Fincher's FIGHT CLUB, based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, is startlingly aggressive and gleefully mischievous as it skewers the superficiality of American pop culture. Outstanding performances by Norton and Pitt are supported by a razor-sharp script and an arsenal of stunning visual effects that include computer animation and sleight-of-hand editing. One of the most unique films of the late 20th century, FIGHT CLUB is a pitch-black comedy of striking intensity

Starring: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham-Carter, Meat Loaf

Director: David Fincher/1999

*extracted from: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fight_club/#

New year, new life, new world

2010-01-02T18:01:00.006-02:00

2010 has arrived and already brought some changes.

Our background is the most visible one [LOL]!
Every year's beginning we make lots of promises and most of the times we do not keep them. Why is that so?
Probably because we forget that we must celebrate not only the new year, but the new day, the new minute, new second, and whatever new things we face during the whole year. There is no sense in inventing new year's resolutions and forgetting them after January.
So, I am writing this as an invitation for you to re-think your attitudes towards life.
The willing to change is only yours to make it happen.
Seize every single day you have to live.

May 2010 be an excellent year for us all!

Short Poem

2009-12-19T17:50:00.001-02:00

Bring me the sunset in a cup
Make the rain pour down in black and white
Find a place we both confide
Help me out when my time is up

Love me now as in the very start
Let me drenched by your tears
And when they're gone I'll make you cheered
Save my worldly heart.

Igniting creativity

2009-12-19T16:36:00.004-02:00

Sometimes we want to write but the idea doesn't come out of our minds.
Sometimes the idea comes out, but we don't know how to write it.
Hopefully, somebody created this website that can help us a lot: http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/#

Enjoy it :D

Dumb Little Man

2009-12-05T21:19:00.002-02:00

Hi everyone!
I was browsing through a friend's blog one day, and I found out this wonderful website.
Since then I try to read it everyday if possible. It has helped me in many sectors of life, and believe me, there is nothing 'dumb' about it.

Hope you like it as I do.

Dumb little man - Tips for life :D

Can love go beyond loneliness?

2009-12-01T17:20:00.004-02:00

She was sewing some socks to her nephews in the front garden when he arrived. Both knew it was love. He, as always, brought her a toy from his store and asked her about the day; her mom used to spend those afternoons with them and wanted them to get married very soon, because she knew her daughter disappointment with love. But the girl - oh! - she did not want to get rid of the loneliness that had already become a part of her. He proposed to her that very afternoon and - not to our surprise - she said "no". The man, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders, decided to end his ordinary life. In response to his suicide, she burned her right hand in the fire and, until today, she uses a black glove tho show her widowhood: he was her last love.

Bethânia's Outline

2009-11-08T15:15:00.004-02:00

Thesis: Brazilian native peoples’ literature is something almost unknown
. Problematize the topic

. Oral tradition

Argument 1: Brazilian native peoples believe that, by the time they prioritize the oral language, they make a constant memory exercise;
. Different meanings are created;
Support 1: memory links the present and the past in order to find new senses for today’s life.

Argument 2: Natives needed to learn and master writing to use it in their favor;
Support 1: their memories, when written, become their identity (a way to other peoples know them).
Counter argument: the “white culture” dismissed the native oral tradition kept by the memory;
. How?
Refutation of counter argument: natives realized that the oral transmits the memories and written keep them alive;
. Possibility.

2009-11-04T16:30:00.001-02:00

Querem aperfeiçoar o inglês e ainda conhecer pessoas de outros países que podem te ajudar nesse processo de ensino-aprendizagem da língua?
Então acessem: http://www.livemocha.com/

O Livemocha não é especificamente um curso de inglês, mas uma espécie de rede social com cursos de diversos idiomas. Segundo o próprio site, são mais de três milhões de membros cadastrados utilizando material em 30 línguas.
Um dos pontos interessantes do projeto é que se algum usuário enviar um exercício para a rede, ele será revisado por, pelo menos, três pessoas especializadas na língua em questão.
A versão gratuita do projeto oferece todos os idiomas em cursos com o equivalente a 160 horas/aula cada, todos focados em habilidades de conversação. Claro, quem quiser material mais específico pode fazer o upgrade para a versão paga, com instruções adicionais e vídeos, por exemplo.
Mas o ponto forte do projeto é a possibilidade de aprimorar seu conhecimento conversando com outros participantes da rede, o que pode ajudar a diversificar seu vocabulário ou ajudá-lo a compreender melhor expressões e situações!

Essa é uma ótima oportunidade ao alcance de todos e o melhor: é GRATUITO!!

Lívia's Outline

2009-10-24T21:03:00.003-02:00

Thesis: Cinders and little glass slippers are two symbolic elements present on Cinderella’s fairy tale which allow different possibilities of interpretating the story.

Argument 1: Some symbolic meanings to the expression “to live in the cinders”
Supporting 1: “To live in the cinders” means to be considered inferior in comparison to another sibling.
Supporting 2: Cinderella’s acceptance to live in the cinders and her mother’s death can mean that the cinders represent her mother and she wants to be with her.

Argument 2: Little glass slippers aren’t just little glass slippers.
Supporting 1: The focus on the size of Cinderella’s foot must be a vestige from the east origin of the story.
Supporting 2: Glass is a breakable material; however, it supports Cinderella’s weight.

Refutation:

Counter Argument: A text should be analyzed concerning the literal meaning.

Refutation of counter argument: There are lots of symbolic meanings mainly on fairy tales that help us not only to understand them but also allow us to do various readings.

OUTLINE

2009-10-21T14:43:00.002-02:00

Hi everyone!
I invite you to share your essay's outlines with us; it will be good for registering and helping the ones who haven't made it yet.

Thank you!
xxx

Phonetics

2009-10-20T17:29:00.003-02:00

Hello everybody...
I would like to show a very interesting site about English pronunciation. It can help with the correct pronunciation of words and teaching English.
I hope you like it....
Thanks so much!

Here is the link:
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/#

2009-10-20T11:27:00.003-02:00

If you are needing an online dictionary I recommend

http://dictionary.reference.com/

In this web site you can find the meaning of the words, you can listen to the words and see it transcription on the Phonetic Alphabet.

Everyday is Teachers' Day!

2009-10-15T20:20:00.009-03:00

Teacher (noun) - a person whose job is to teach, especially in a school or college: > He's a teacher at a primary school. > a maths/chemistry/music teacher.

Being a teacher is not only a job we choose, or even a destination. Being a teacher is part of a lifechanging journey built each day.
It involves a lot of studying, practicing, research, learning, reflection; willing to change and noticing when we are making mistakes. And this is just the theoretical part. Teachers need to be caring, patient, dedicated, inspirated, creative. We have to learn how to deal with differences and difficulties, and comprehend that each of our students will learn in a different way and pace.
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire" (W. B. Yeats), and sometimes the hardest task is to light our students' fires, to make them interested in always searching for more and being critical in a very unfair world. And this is what we, as teachers, never give up doing.
Challenge and commitment when preparing lessons, giving classes, trying to make things easier for the students; spending our free time thinking of how to explain an issue for our students to understand. In summary, we deal everyday with human beings that feel, empowering them to do more, produce more and BE MORE.

I would like to wish you a very happy teacher's day, reminding you that we have lots of difficult and hard times to face throughout our carrers, but it is surely worth trying!

2009-10-12T20:57:00.000-03:00

online dictionary

2009-09-30T15:46:00.002-03:00

Hello there dear classmates :]
I'd like to share with you a treasure I've found!
It's an online graphical dictionary where you can: "Look up words to find their meanings and associations with other words and concepts. Produce diagrams reminiscent of a neural net. Learn how words associate."
To use it you just have to: "Enter words into the search box to look them up or double-click a node to expand the tree. Click and drag the background to pan around and use the mouse wheel to zoom. Hover over nodes to see the definition and click and drag individual nodes to move them around to help clarify connections."
The link to the dictionary is: http://www.visuwords.com/

Hope you like it!
And, please, let me know how you appreciated it.

Birth order and your emotional life

2009-09-24T17:26:00.004-03:00

WRITING AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

2009-09-21T16:56:00.005-03:00

What is an argument?

An argument states a clear position and presents evidence to support this position.Your thesis statement or claim is a clear statement of position . It should be clear and focused enough for you to prove your position in your essay. The rest of the essay should be devoted to proving your position. Logical cohesion in your essay is very important because you should start from one premise, prove it, move from one argument to the next. All your arguments should serve to prove your main point. Moving away from the main point is not allowed, and if an idea does not support your main idea it should not be included in your essay. Let's proceed step by step in writing an argumentative essay.

Imagine you are given this task by your instructor:

"We should open a university in every town. Discuss."

1. Analyze the task

. What are the two sides of the issue? Is it debatable?

Yes, it is debatable. Some may argue for it and some may argue against the idea..

. What is my position? Do I agree? Do I disagree?

2. Develop your arguments.

Why am I for/against it?

. What is the context of the issue?

. So what?

. Who cares?

. Why should/shouldn't we open a university in every town?

Let's try to answer some of these questions because they will help us formulate our arguments as well as provide our introduction to the issue by setting up the context.

. Who cares?

- government

- parents

- students

- local businesses

- local organizations

- other universities

- faculty / academicians

. What is the context?

- government wishes to open universities

- local people pressure legislators and politicians

- universities are against the proposal

- students/parents' reaction?

. Two sides of the issue: Why do people want it?

- practical /convenient

- sociocultural development of host town

- economic development of host town

. Why am I against it?

- The quality of education in those universities will be substandard.

- Why will the quality of education be below the desirable standards?

· staffing problems

· financial problems

· sociocultural development of the students

Argument: We should open a university in every town.

3. Writing an outline

Now we have decided on our position, we have developed our arguments, and we have shown an awareness of both sides of the issue. We are ready to start writing our essay.

Our outline looks like this:

Thesis: It is not a good idea to open a university in every town.

Argument 1: staffing problems

support 1: not enough qualified teachers

support 2: not willing to go

Argument 2: financial difficulties

support 1: building facilities

support 2: providing servicesCounter argument : a university will contribute to economic and sociocultural development of host town

Refutation of counter argument: a university wrestling with its own economic and sociocultural problems cannot contribute to development of host town

4. Writing the introduction

The purpose of the argumentative essay is to persuade your readers: you usually write for people who disagree with you. Therefore, your arguments should be strong enough to persuade them. The purpose of the introduction is to make your readers read on: in other words, your introduction should attract the readers' attention and want them to read your essay to set the scene for the issue to state your thesis clearly

How to develop an introduction:

Ask yourself the questions:

. What is the context?

. Who cares?

. So what?

. Why should people care about this topic?

Answer the questions:

1. What is the context?

. government plans to open 15 new universities

. local people pressure legislators and politicians

. there are already 85 universities

. already existing ones have problems

. universities are against the proposal

. students/parents' reaction?

2. So what?

old and new universities alike will suffer/ quality of education will deteriorate

3. Who cares?

. everybody

. I do

. parents/students

. academicians

. other universities

. government

. local businesses

. local organizations

. nongovernmental organizations?

4. Why should people care about this issue?

it will influence the quality of education/therefore people's lives will be affected

5. Writing the essay: further developing your arguments

While writing your essay, make sure that your arguments are developed sufficiently.

Let's go back to the outline and provide adequate formal reasoning and proof for our arguments.

. Argument 1: staffing problems

support 1: not enough qualified teachers

why? rate of education low in our country/not enough university graduates/not enough people with master's and PhD degrees

support 2: not willing to go

why? living conditions not good/academic conditions not good

so what? low quality teaching staff==>low quality education

Argument 2: financial difficulties

support 1: building facilities

what kind? labs, libraries, dorms, sports and social facilities, cafeterias needed

support 2: providing services academic and non-academic services==>food, transportation, accommodation, how water, computers, lab equipment, bookstore, library services

so what ? quality of education will deteriorate

Refutation: In your refutation you want to show

. why the opposition is wrong

. your opinion/position is better

. where the opposition's argument falls short

Summarize the opposite opinion in a sentence or two and provide the context. Then, 1. problematize the opposing arguments; 2. shift from opposing arguments to supporting arguments
1. Problematizing the opposing arguments: It is important that the reader knows that when you write opposing arguments you do not agree with them. You have to make it clear that you are presenting these arguments only to show that you understand the issue from both sides, that you have anticipated the opposing arguments and wish to criticize them. In order to signal this you have to use special phrases. To problematize something means you make it seem like a problem, to make it seem untrue.However, you should avoid an aggressive approach when you are problematizing your opponent's arguments. For example, do not use expressions like, "This is silly/foolish/rubbish" or "It/This is not true."
Example: Counter argument: "The establishment of a university in a small or developing town will contribute to the development of local culture, community and economy."Problematized argument: "It is argued that the establishment of a university in a small or developing town will contribute to the development of local culture, community and economy."
2. Shifting from opposing arguments to supporting arguments: You should clearly mark the point where you shift from opposing arguments to supporting arguments. The most common of the contrast markers is "However".Example: It is argued that the establishment of a university in a small or developing town will contribute to the development of local culture, community and economy. However, if a university is wrestling with staff recruitment problems and cannot solve its financial funding problems, it cannot be of any help to the local community or the economy.

6. Writing the conclusion

You can try one or several of the strategies below:

. summarize the key points you have discussed

. reflect back to your introduction: especially if you asked questions in the introduction it is a good idea to conclude by providing answers

. provide a solution if you have started out to find a solution . call for action: suggest what action should be taken

Sample argumentative essay:

A University in Every Town

The Turkish government is planning to open 15 new universities in developing provinces of Turkey. This is a response to pressure coming from local MPs who in turn voice the demands of their constituencies. However, while the already existing 85 universities are wrestling with financial and academic difficulties, it does not seem to be a good idea to add new universities to the system of higher education.

First of all, the new universities will experience staffing problems. That is, they will have difficulty finding faculty that is qualified to teach in these budding universities. In our country the number of academicians who meet the academic requirements is limited. New universities will have two choices: either to draw from the existing pool or to employ under qualified people. To attract those instructors from other universities they will have to offer attractive incentives . However, since these will be state universities they will not have the necessary funds and most academics will be unwilling to go to small town universities where academic and life standards are below par. The only venue open to these universities will be to employ local professionals or under qualified instructors. The inevitable result will follow: a drop in the quality of education.

In addition to recruitment problems, small town universities will have financial difficulties. The funds allocated to them by the state will not be enough to build from scratch all the facilities that make a university a "real university". A university is more than a few classrooms. Students will need dorms, gyms, cafeterias, sports facilities, labs and computers for their academic and social development. How many new universities can claim to have only a few of these facilities on their campuses? The result will be a small town "university" which consists of a sole building that houses classrooms and offices, and nothing more.

It is argued that the establishment of a university in a developing town will contribute to the development of local culture, community and economy. However, if a university is wrestling with staff recruitment problems, or if it cannot solve its financial difficulties it means that it cannot be of any help to the local community or economy either. It will only employ a few locals, provide substandard education to a few local youth, and it will not fulfill the the aim for which it was initially established.

Universities are institutions of higher education and they need to provide education to satisfy certain standards. In order to provide such quality education they need to have qualified teachers and must provide minimum social and academic facilities. Since funds are limited, we should raise the standard of our existing universities first. Only after that, should we invest in establishing new ones.

Copyright @ 2006 SFL, Bogazici University

2009-09-13T16:31:00.001-03:00

Hello!

This is a space where we can share our experiences on writing.
Welcome and enjoy it!