When I was 15 I was playing in a female basketball team. I had ever liked the sports and when I was 14 I had the opportunity to enter to a 16-17 female basketball team. I enjoy a lot playing this sport and I was selected to participate in a special league to play with other cities of my country. My brother was also in a team so I was every time in the field with him and my father. I enjoyed a lot with them and there I get a lot of friends. In the field I met Angel. He was the best shooter of his team. I became her friend and I was very eager and interested in him. One day I decide to invite him to a game in which I would be playing. As I hoped he was there. the next day I found him and we started to talk about the game. He told me “I enjoy the game but I didn’t know you were as machúa.” “I am not machúa” I responded very fast in my defense. “Of course you are”- he continued- “playing, you look like a male, and you move like a man and your sneakers are men’s sneakers.” I decide to chance the theme of conversation. But it really made me feel bad. I really liked to play basketball and I felt completely female doing it, and I loved my sneakers, they were the better, of course they were from men but since I saw them I wanted them and my father who is very open minded, and always teach me that, bought them to me.
After this situation with Angel, he made me feel as bad that I never came back to play basketball again. I left the team and the field. Now I think in how stupid I was for do that. I hide how I was and what I like just because other people thought it was not normal, not feminine. Now I am more educated and mature, and I understand better many things that I didn’t, so I see how wrong Angel was, and I have no fears to show me as I am really.
sábado, 25 de abril de 2009
Daisy Miller Reflection
Daisy Miller is the story of a young woman that breaks all the social parameters with her behavior, and the opinion and thoughts from different points of the society about her acts. Daisy used to break the rules in the social aspects of the European society. She always assured her liberty and her power to decide about her life without thinking in what is suppose to be. Winterbourne is a man that becomes interested in Daisy, but he finishes rejecting Daisy’s behavior and differences in their ways of thinking.
This novel is a good example from what is be and feel different and how society discriminate and judge against those things are not into its standards. I think people never could be ashamed for be different and be authentic. The most unhappy people are those whom hide what their really are and left to do things they like.
Daisy was different, and thought and behaves very different from what was the general in that society she was. She knew that the people point out her but she didn’t hide what she was or thought, she never was ashamed to be different and break stereotypes, she just accept6 and recognize what she was. Daisy knew that the people who wanted to be with her have to know and respect how she was. Winterbourne can’t ever understand her and so he lost his chance to share more with her. The society’s control power can work more over him.
Basically the teachings of this story are to dare to be different and show the other to respect you. Because everybody is different and have different cultures, costumes and beliefs we have to learn to respect these differences and the others decisions.
REFLECTION ABOUT THE 43rd ANNUAL CONTEST AWARDS CEREMONY
The 43rd Annual Contest Awards Ceremony was an activity celebrated in UPR on April 22, in which some students were recognized for their participation and performance in English writing on three categories: essays, short stories and poetry. There were prizes for first, second, third and honorable mention places for each category. All the participants could enjoy the whole ceremony; the welcome, keynote speaker, music and awards with their parents and teachers. After that, they could share in a lunch.
The activity was not as I imagined. I liked it very much. Before the activity I did not want to go but when I arrived there I found Gabriel and Francisco, two friends, whom also won prizes, and Israel, my English partner, then I shared a little with them and meet their parents and started to feel more comfortably. In there, I can say I enjoyed the activity. It was in an appropriate place, with a good music. It was also very nice, that in the awards everyone can see a picture of the winner and read a short excerpt of the writings. First places could present their writings. The writing that I most like was which won the first place in poetry, “I Saw It” from Elisa Navarro. I really love poetry; it was also the category in which I participate with my poem “Her Scope in the World”. I had always thought that poetry is the most sublime form to express an idea or a feeling.
Elisa’s poem was great. When you heard it, it could hurt you inside. I mean that I feel identified with what the poem want to express. It makes you think in those times you had said for yourself “I don’t want to see that” and prefer to ignore many things in life just because they hurt you or you think you can’t do anything. I believe that it is true that the others pains and disgraces also affect us. It is just that we are always trying to look to the other side and avoid the feeling and the thought. Also it presented a theme that is very marked in our society, a situation that many of us had live.
The activity was not as I imagined. I liked it very much. Before the activity I did not want to go but when I arrived there I found Gabriel and Francisco, two friends, whom also won prizes, and Israel, my English partner, then I shared a little with them and meet their parents and started to feel more comfortably. In there, I can say I enjoyed the activity. It was in an appropriate place, with a good music. It was also very nice, that in the awards everyone can see a picture of the winner and read a short excerpt of the writings. First places could present their writings. The writing that I most like was which won the first place in poetry, “I Saw It” from Elisa Navarro. I really love poetry; it was also the category in which I participate with my poem “Her Scope in the World”. I had always thought that poetry is the most sublime form to express an idea or a feeling.
Elisa’s poem was great. When you heard it, it could hurt you inside. I mean that I feel identified with what the poem want to express. It makes you think in those times you had said for yourself “I don’t want to see that” and prefer to ignore many things in life just because they hurt you or you think you can’t do anything. I believe that it is true that the others pains and disgraces also affect us. It is just that we are always trying to look to the other side and avoid the feeling and the thought. Also it presented a theme that is very marked in our society, a situation that many of us had live.
In short, it was a very good activity and I hope it to continue and that other students could have the same good experience.
lunes, 6 de abril de 2009
Contemporary concept of marriage
Marriage in the Judaism
Marriage is one of the most important rituals of Judaism. It is consider as a holy tradition. In Jewish literature, the word use to refer to marriage is “kiddishin” that means “sanctification”. Religion of Judaism presents marriage as the ideal human state. Depending on Judaism, marriage is considered as the spiritual bonding of two people for God’s commandment, and according with Jewish legal aspects, marriage is a private contractual agreement that have legal rights and obligations. For Jewish, marriage have two purposes: companionship and procreation. Torah (Judaism book) tells that the marriage is the state in which adult people could be complete. It says: "A man who does not marry is not a complete person." (Lev. 34a) "Any man who has no wife lives without joy, without blessing, and without goodness." (B. Yev. 62b).
Judaism promotes and praise marriage institution, and describes it as very important component of the Jewish society, which has to be based principally on harmony and respect and result in familiar stability.
The role cultural plays in the marriage
Marriage is elevated by Judaism and for many Jewish because it is said that this institution has allow the survival of their people through generations in other countries and in places where they were oppressed. During many time marriage has helped to preserve Jewish culture and religion traditions.
Wedding ceremony on Judaism
Wedding’s day, groom and bride are suppose to fast, recite psalms, and ask God for forgiveness for their transgressions to prepare to enter in the marriage. Before the wedding ceremony it is a tradition that the groom veil his bride, and the couple are escorted to a marriage canopy where the bride circles his groom seven times (as symbol of the seven blessings of the Torah to the marriage). After that they bless the wine and recite other blessings and then they pass to the rings ritual. Wedding rings are the heart of the wedding ceremony, after the couple uses the rings they are told to be married. When the groom put the ring in his bride index finger he says: “mekudeshet” that means “be sanctified to me” and vice versa with the bride. Immediately after the ceremony the couple went to a private room (that symbolizes the new home) to break their fast, and after it they have a traditional party with meal, music and dancing.
Opinion
In my opinion it is good how Judaism present marriage because it is an institution that contributes a lot to their social organization, and the maintenance of their culture. Also I believe that marriage is presented a little utopian by Judaism. Because it says that marriage is the perfect human state, and I think that there are some people that do not born to marry, I don’t think marriage is for every people just for those whom can take it. Also, a person to feel complete does not need to stay with another person. I think that we born alone so we can live alone and be happy.
Marriage is one of the most important rituals of Judaism. It is consider as a holy tradition. In Jewish literature, the word use to refer to marriage is “kiddishin” that means “sanctification”. Religion of Judaism presents marriage as the ideal human state. Depending on Judaism, marriage is considered as the spiritual bonding of two people for God’s commandment, and according with Jewish legal aspects, marriage is a private contractual agreement that have legal rights and obligations. For Jewish, marriage have two purposes: companionship and procreation. Torah (Judaism book) tells that the marriage is the state in which adult people could be complete. It says: "A man who does not marry is not a complete person." (Lev. 34a) "Any man who has no wife lives without joy, without blessing, and without goodness." (B. Yev. 62b).
Judaism promotes and praise marriage institution, and describes it as very important component of the Jewish society, which has to be based principally on harmony and respect and result in familiar stability.
The role cultural plays in the marriage
Marriage is elevated by Judaism and for many Jewish because it is said that this institution has allow the survival of their people through generations in other countries and in places where they were oppressed. During many time marriage has helped to preserve Jewish culture and religion traditions.
Wedding ceremony on Judaism
Wedding’s day, groom and bride are suppose to fast, recite psalms, and ask God for forgiveness for their transgressions to prepare to enter in the marriage. Before the wedding ceremony it is a tradition that the groom veil his bride, and the couple are escorted to a marriage canopy where the bride circles his groom seven times (as symbol of the seven blessings of the Torah to the marriage). After that they bless the wine and recite other blessings and then they pass to the rings ritual. Wedding rings are the heart of the wedding ceremony, after the couple uses the rings they are told to be married. When the groom put the ring in his bride index finger he says: “mekudeshet” that means “be sanctified to me” and vice versa with the bride. Immediately after the ceremony the couple went to a private room (that symbolizes the new home) to break their fast, and after it they have a traditional party with meal, music and dancing.
Opinion
In my opinion it is good how Judaism present marriage because it is an institution that contributes a lot to their social organization, and the maintenance of their culture. Also I believe that marriage is presented a little utopian by Judaism. Because it says that marriage is the perfect human state, and I think that there are some people that do not born to marry, I don’t think marriage is for every people just for those whom can take it. Also, a person to feel complete does not need to stay with another person. I think that we born alone so we can live alone and be happy.
Marriage
Marriage definition varies into different places, cultures, religions and social relations. But basely marriage is said to be the joining between two people, although there exist some cases in which people could marry with an animal as a dog or with something else. Marriage represents a basic element of many societies because it is suppose to be the roots of the families that form the society.
There exist many types of marriage, as I mentioned before, that are different depending many factors with which it could be involve. In class we were discussing, comparing and giving our opinions about those different types of marriages. We could see that it is very interesting how some cultures see marriage, and how different can be the marriage from what we are accustomed to think.
The marriage can be described from different perspectives; cultural, with its special traits, celebrations and laws, religious, as sanctification or as a commandment of God, and in many other forms. There exists marriage based in unequal relations, one (principally the men) have authority above the other. Other marriages are arrange, the familiar, economical or other external forces precede and control the marriage. It does not matter how old and young are the people, they can marry. Marriages in which one of the people is many years old than his or her partner, this are named May-December marriages. Even in some cases people had married with dogs, it is incredible but is true. Everything is in the cultural teaching in the societies, and marriage is not an exception. So we can find very different traits, definitions and other things about marriage depending its context.
Suscribirse a:
Entradas (Atom)
