Writing Task - p.54

                                                                                       

                                                                                        26 Gefen St.                                                                                                   Holon 

           March 15, 2014                                                                                                 

Mr. Adar Arad

The Principal

Kugel High School 

1 Mota Gur St.

Holon

Dear Mr. Arad, 

My purpose of writing this letter is to express my support in your recent decision to automatically expel from school whoever disrupts the lesson after the second warning. I believe that as people who are soon considered adults, it's in our power to behave ourselves, especially at school. 

In my opinion, expulsion after the second warning is a suitable punishment for those who interrupt the learning environment at school, because it teaches them to take responsibility over their actions. The School's job is to prepare its students for their future as grown people, and there isn't a better way to do so than teaching them that every action has its consequences. 

Moreover, this punishment also gives the students a second chance, because it occurs only after the second warning. This way, it teaches students that everyone is allowed to make mistakes and that every mistake is forgiven as long as it’s not a pattern of negative behavior.

In conclusion, I wholeheartedly agree with your decision and hope it will help the discipline at school to be stricter, because lately it seems like more and more students are disobeying school laws and I'm not happy about it.  

Sincerely yours,

Clara Green   

Great letter!
(95)
Daphna   

Talent or Hard Work?

There is no doubt that the combination of talent and hard work paves the way to succeed(gr.) in life. The question asked is what does success depend on more – talent or hard work? Personally, I believe that a certain (amount of) talent is required but at the end, practice makes perfect.

In my opinion, there is no substitute for hard work, not even a remarkable talent. If somebody has a talent, it doesn't mean that they don’t have to work hard to be successful. Nobody is perfect, and there is always something that people have to work hard at to succeed. In order to be an excellent artist, for example, you must have some natural abilities, but only if you are willing to work hard and enrich your knowledge and technique you'll advance from amateur to expert.

Moreover, a study that was conducted two years ago reveals that working hard makes you appreciate your success even more. Knowing you worked hard to succeed in something makes you happier about your success, improves your self-esteem and increases your willingness to work harder next time.     

 In conclusion, talent and hard work together can lead any person to success, but working hard and putting extra effort can lead you to bigger success which you'll appreciate more. So, does talent make life easier? Yes, but whether you are willing to work at something determines if your talent is useful.
Excellent!!!
100
Daphna

All My Sons - Relfection p. 118

1. The difference between reading a play and a short story is that the play structure and its length allow the playwright to build deeper characters and emphasis the message he is trying to deliver in a better way. Moreover, it allows the readers to get to know the characters better and understand their motives and characteristics. I enjoyed reading "All My Sons" because I loved the plot twists and tension the playwright built until the dramatic ending. 

2. I found Joe Keller's character the most interesting because in my opinion, he is the one the plot is surrounding, and his actions led to the reality described in the play. Throughout the play, Joe has to face with the ugly truth. He has a strong opinion of what are the major values in life, with family loyalty as the most significant one. When he finally reveals he is guilty he keeps excuse his action claiming he did that for the family, but at the end he realizes his actions caused his family's destruction, as well as other families whose sons died because of Joe's irresponsible behavior. When he finally realizes that, he chooses to die instead of dealing with the consequences. Therefore, I find Joe as a weak person who is unable to face with the truth, which stands against his image of the strong man who build himself from nothing. 

3. The skill of Comparing and Contrasting helped me analyze the conflicts between the characters, such as the conflict between Chris and Kate about whether Larry is alive and Ann should wait for him or he is dead and Ann can marry Chris. The skill of Uncovering Motives, however, made me understand better the reasons of a character's behavior, like why Joe offered Steve a job when he gets out of jail. In addition, the skill of Inferring helped me learn about the characters' view of wider topics based on specific things they say. For example, when Joe says "A little man makes a mistake and they hang him by the thumbs... the big ones become ambassadors", we can infer what his opinion about the judicial system at the time. 

All My Sons – Post Reading - p. 116

Chris' diary entry for the day after the end of the play 

Dear diary, 

The previous day was the hardest day of my life. I used to think there is(gr.) nothing worse than coming back home from the war as the only survivor from my company, finding out Larry is(gr.) missing and dealing with the whole case against Dad. But I was wrong. I was so determined to marry Annie and prove Mom once and for all that Larry wasn't coming back that I was blind. I was self-centered. I ignored all the signs but deep of(מיותר) in my heart I knew Dad was guilty. And now I have no father at all. If I wasn't such a coward I would have taken him to turn himself in before he saw Larry's letter. I was so mad at him for lying to me and hiding that awful secret I even showed him that letter myself. I wanted him so badly to take responsibility over his actions and admit what he did was immoral and wrong. But I couldn't bring myself to turn him in. He is my father after all. I guess my love for him was what killed him.

 Mom says I couldn't guess what he'd do after reading that letter, That I should put the past behind me (and) That she doesn't hold me responsible. But I know I am. If it weren't(gr.- hadn't been) for me, he would have never seen that letter, he would have never known his own actions killed his own son. For a split second I thought maybe that realization could bring him to admit his crime. He even said he's(gr.- was) willing to go to the station. But instead he killed himself and took my father forever. Now I'm broken. I can't even look at Mom. She is the one who lost everything. I can begin a new life, far away from here, but she can't. And in a way, I can't either. I mean, how can I leave her alone now? I'm the only person she has in the world. Can I really turn my back on my mother, even if that's what's good for me? No, I can't. Dad would have wanted me to stick around for her. After all, the family was everything for him. But is it possible to destroy other families for the sake of your own?  

I'm so confused. How could Dad leave us to pick up the pieces all alone? It sure was easy for him and for Larry to kill themselves instead of dealing with their problems. But who am I to claim I am better than them? I certainly wasn't when it came to facing Dad's guilt.

Annie constantly tries to reassure me. I told her I'm a mess right now. I honestly don't know if I can be with her, knowing my father tore her family to pieces. And how can she? Does she really believe in me so much she can forget everything that happened between our families? Everything is a blur. Of people, of words, of colors. People come and talk to me all day long. Worrying about me. Asking if I need anything. I feel like I want to scream at them that I need my father back. Mistaken, cruel, guilty - but still my father.

I need to go for a walk now. Try and think clear about the future. I hope I'll start a new period in my life from now on.

Until then, yours, 

Chris

Beautiful!
(97)
Daphna

All My Sons - Bridging Text and Context - p.117

The information given is a biography of Arthur Miller, the playwright of "All My Sons". It says that Miller lived a wealthy and comfortable life, until his family lost the garment factory they owned and his life had changed .Furthermore, Miller wanted to criticize the moral corruption and lack of social responsibility he claimed are caused by materialism and greed. This criticism, as well as other burning issues, is expressed in his first successful play, "All My Sons". 

In the play, Joe Keller is a successful businessman who built himself out of nothing. He is living the American dream, a situation he is willing to do anything to preserve - even in (at the) price of (loosing) his integrity. This situation is probably not strange to Miller. Since his family lost their wealth and financial stability, we can assume his own experience inspired him to write Joe's character. In addition, Miller uses Joe's character and actions to criticize the judicial system of that time, in which the strong people can get away from punishment and the simple people are often forced to take the blame instead.  

Moreover, Miller's social and political criticism is reflected in the constant conflict between Joe and his idealist son, Chris. Joe believes that family loyalty is the most important value and according to that, expects his family to excuse his war crimes, because he committed them to save them from destruction and poverty. Chris, on the other hand, believes in social responsibility: that we must care about the society and the country we live in, and not only about ourselves and our close environment. Miller keeps asking the reader the million dollar question throughout the play: What is more important - family loyalty or social responsibility? 

In conclusion, the information given about Miller's life and social criticism gave me a wider picture of the message he wanted to deliver in "All My Sons": take care of yourself and your family as long as you also care about others and take responsibility for your actions. Besides, it helped me understand that Joe's fear of losing his metrialism comfort (ww) overshadowed his inner compass and led to what he was afraid of in the first place - the ruin of his own family.  

Excellent!
(100)
Daphna

Writing Task No.4 - A Letter of Complaint

26 Gefen St.
Tel Aviv
58431
November 2, 2013

The Manager
Fashion Forward Ltd.
34 Menachem Begin St.
Tel Aviv
50324

Dear Sir/Madam,

I'm a regular costumer at your store in the local mall of Tel Aviv, and I noticed the prices of multiple items were highly increased(phr.) during the last few weeks. As much as I love the products you are selling, I am truly disappointed by that unreasonable increase in the prices. 

As many of us know, buying fashionable clothes in high quality(phr.) and in affordable prices is not an easy task. It takes endless hours spent in the mall looking for the right pair of jeans or the suitable dress for a party. I like this kind of searches, because it makes me happy when I find what I was looking for. However, I'm even happier when I buy the item I wanted for a normal amount of money.

I love your store very much and I always find something I like in it, but recently I feel like I'm being cheated. A simple black dress that last week was sold at(ww.) 199.99 shekels is now sold at(ww.) 259.99 shekels. A pair of skinny jeans I bought from you last month at(ww.) 299.99 shekels is now sold at(ww.) 369.99 shekels, and the list of products continues. 

To sum up, I really hope you'll consider my complaint and do something to improve(ww.) the prices of items in your store, because if nothing can be done I'm sure you'll lose some major regular costumers like me, who can't afford shopping at your store anymore. Moreover, I recommend that you'll(מיותר) do a survey in which you'll ask your costumers what kind of prices they consider affordable, to prevent this kind of situation from happening again.

Yours sincerely, 

Clara Gray

Very good letter!But the grade remains the same.
(96)
Daphna 

Writing Assignment – p. 12 - Opinion Essay

Being involved in the community

No person in the world could survive alone, without being supported by any kind of society. In my opinion, donating(ww.-contributing) to the community should be a major subject in schools, so children would learn from (an) early age how significant that is. Therefore, it is of importance that schools  include a commutative activity every once in a while in their curriculum.

 In my high school, there is a mandatory program for all ninth and tenth grade students. They must volunteer in the local community for 60 hours a year in order to get their diploma at the end of each semester. They can choose where they would like to volunteer and when, from a specific list of places. For instance, students can choose to help younger students with difficulties in their homework, send packages of donated food to poor families during the holidays or volunteer at the animal shelter.

(If) Your school doesn't have this program but you still want to be more involved in your community, You can always volunteer in public organizations such as,  Magen David Adom, the local vigilante or the local firefighter's station. Another option is to take a(מיותר) part in a youth movement like the Scouts – where you can get involved in the community and even make new friends.

In conclusion, teenagers ought to be more involved in their community and care for the people around them. In order for that to happen schools should offer their students an option to help the community and encourage them to do so even in their free time. Just remember: if you are a significant part in the community, the community will be a part of you, too!
Very good work! Well done.
(100)
Daphna

All The Years Of Her Life – Post Reading

In the story "All the Years of Her Life" by Morley Callaghan, Alfred Higgins was caught red handed when he was stealing from his own workplace. When I was twelve, something like that had happened to me. Since then I have learned valuable lessons that are still very significant in my life.  

At the age of twelve I had a best friend called Danna, who was a friend of mine since kindergarten.  Danna and I did everything together: we were sitting(gr.) side by side at school, doing(gr.) homework together and even hanging(gr.) out after school hours. 

At the middle of the first semester, we were studying together to(ww.) a major Math exam – which I was good at but Danna wasn't. As her best friend, of course I was willing to help her get ready for the exam. But the problem was that I didn’t know at the time that Danna planned(gr.) that I would do(phr) the exam for her. 

We were sitting in her bedroom, going over some Math problems, when Danna offered the idea that she would copy my answers during the test, without our teacher noticing. 

At first, I hated the idea, but then she started to cry that her parents would be mad at her for not succeeding at the test and forbid our friendship, blaming it to be the cause(phr.) of her failure. So I agreed, and the result was that our teacher caught us red handed and took us in the middle of the test to the principal office. We explained to the principal what had happened and she punished the both of us that we would get an F on that test and do a lecture in class, telling them what we learned from the situation. 

When I got home my parents already knew about it, and they weren't as mad as I thought they would be. They just told me that they understood why I wanted to help Danna, but I shouldn't choose an immoral way to do so. They also talked with Danna's parents and agreed that Danna and I should talk about the issue so that such a thing wouldn't happen again. Luckily, it hasn't happened again, because I learned that cheating, even if done innocently, is a wrong and immoral thing.

Very good!But your grade remains the same
(95)
Daphna 

Being a Parent...

Being a parent isn't a child's game.
You need to be responsible
and don't expect any fame.
You have to be strict,
but also light,
You have to put boundaries,
but also be nice.
Being a parent isn't a child's game,
but the hardest part is
to let go of them. 

This is wonderful! You are quite a talent!
Daphna

Letter to the Editor

26 Gefen St 

Tel Aviv

58431

August 22, 2013

The Editor
Ha’aretz Daily Newspaper Ltd.
21 Salman Schocken St.

Tel Aviv 

61001

Dear Editor, 

I am writing in response to an article I just read called "Israel suspends standardized tests", which was posted in the weekend edition of your newspaper. The article was about The Ministry of Education's decision on cancelling the Meitzav tests. I fully agree with what you're saying in the article and think it's about time someone made that decision.   

As all of us, students, know what happens during the preparations for the Meitzav tests: all the schools in Israel hold their breathes, the teachers teach full speed and we collapse under the pressure of succeeding in the exams. 

Well, as someone who had to live through it for twelve years, let me say how relieved I am that my younger siblings won't have to go through what I did.

The adults reading this article and this letter are probably wondering why these tests are so stressful for their children. Well, I say it's more than just this one test – it's about the whole attitude towards education in this country, reflected in this test. Education in Israel has become about measuring different students with the same ineffective, stressful tool. All of us are different people with different skills and different points of view, so why evaluate us in the same way?  

Like the quote of the Minister of Finance, Yair Lapid, in your article said: "Education isn't about measurement, but about learning…knowledge and intellect shouldn't be graded". It's clear that The Meitzav tests are just another way to grade the students, not a way to improve the education system in Israel. In fact, they even cause unhealthy competition between schools in the race for the best results in the country.

To sum up, I want to give The Ministry of Education my support in their decision and hope for more changes in  favor of the students in the education system. 

Sincerely yours, 

Clara Gray  

Excellent!!!!
(100)
Dahna

  

As I Grew Older

Bridging Text and Context 
p. 54 

How is the information above reflected in the poem "As I Grew Older"?
Based on the information above, do you think that the speaker in the poem is really the poet? Could the events in the poem reflect events in the life of the poet? Why or why not?

 The information given is about Langston Hughes, the poet of "As I Grew Older". It says that Hughes tried to capture the African Americans' experiences and culture in his writings. He was proud of his African heritage and believed that through art, such as literature and music, he can challenge racial stereotypes and work for equal civil rights for African Americans in the US.

In the poem "As I Grew Older", the speaker describes a childhood dream which is being kept away from him by a dark wall. After struggles, the speaker tries to break through the wall with his dark hands, and smash it "into a thousand lights of sun". The wall is probably a metaphor for the racism in the United States of the 20's, which was created by the Segregation Laws that discriminated African Americans and prevented them from getting equal rights.

Hughes was a member of an artistic movement called the "Harlem Renaissance", that had the same goals as he had in his writing. They wanted to introduce their culture to the white people, and therefore, overcome the ignorance that led people to fear  them and ban them from the society. Considering this, it makes sense that the poem "As I Grew Older" is about Hughes himself, who had to fight for his freedom through his poems.

In conclusion, the poem "As I Grew Older" reflects the reality of the African Americans in the 20's, that overshadowed their lives and depressed them. Moreover,  Hughes' life story and ideals makes me think that he wrote this poem about his own experiences in life and about his determination to fight for his beliefs instead of being a victim. 

Excellent!
(100)
Daphna

Introduction To Poetry - Post Reading

Post Reading Activity
How can poetry (or literature) be taught? State which way you would prefer to read poetry.

 The Best Way To Teach Literature

Lots of schools nowadays teach literature in the old fashion way. Teachers usually introduce to their students what the literary piece is about, read it once or twice and then go straight to analyzing it. Sometimes the teacher asks the students to analyze the literary piece themselves, which is  supposed to force the students into actual effort, trying to understand the meaning of the poem or the story they study. I keep asking myself: Is it the best way to teach literature?

Well, I think the final answer is no. This teaching way is cold, unhelpful and guarantees students will learn little about literature except that it’s boring. Literature is a wide subject with many different angles, which anyone can find something to connect to. I think that most students would find literature very interesting if it was taught in the right way. Some will ask the question: why is it so important that students find interest in Literature? Well, I think Literature can help students solve their problems in life, because lots of poems and stories are about facing the dificulties in life. Therefore, if students are taught Litretuare the right way, most of them will find it interesting and ,perhaps, learn from it and gain new perspectives about situations in life.

Then, what is the right way? I am not exactly sure but it certainly has to be more fun and creative than it is now. Moreover, teachers should try to simplify literature in order to make students relate to it more, and therefore, understand it better and maybe even like it. Also, I think students would appreciate literature more if they learn to enjoy it. If you enjoy learning something you'll have better achievements in that subject than in a subject you dislike. 

To sum up, the way literature is taught in schools these days doesn't accomplish the main goal of helping students succeed in literature and learning to enjoy it at the same time. In my point of view, literature should be taught more creatively and in a way that gives  students the tools to deal with every literary piece they encounter in the best way. 

Very good! Nicely written!
97
Daphna       

A Summer's Reading - Reflection

Reflection – p.49

1. Did you enjoy reading the story? Why or why not? 
I enjoyed reading the story "A Summer's Reading" because I liked the way George's life and  George's personality are described in it. George has a certain goal but he doesn't have the mental and environmental tools to reach it.  Therefore, it is interesting to go through George's learning process, which begins with the lie he told Mr. Cattanzara. 

2. How did learning about the skills of Explaining Cause and Effect and Uncovering Motives influence your understanding of the story? Give examples. 
Learning about the skill of Explaining Cause and Effect helped me understand George's cause by lying to Mr. Cattanzara. He wanted Mr. Cattanzara to respect him and when Mr. Cattanzara asked him about what he is doing these days, he panicked and lied to him. 
The skill of Uncovering Motives helped me guess what could be Mr. Cattanzara's motives for trying to make George understand the importance of education as a key to succeed in life. 
His motive might be that he cares about George and wants him to succeed in his life.

3. How might awareness to characterization add to your enjoyment of future stories?
Awareness to characterization may add to my enjoyment of future stories because I'll know how the author builds characters in the story. First of all, he describes the character's appearance and then goes on to describing the personality and the characteristics. In future stories I will read, I will know to pay attention to every single detail about a character and then I'll know how to understand the character better. 

A Summer's Reading - Post Reading

Post Reading - p. 49

I chose task number 2: Write a letter from George to Mr. Cattanzara ten years after the   story ends.

 November 1st, 1930                                                                       

Dear Mr. Cattanzara,

I haven't seen you in the past five years but I wanted you to know how grateful I am. I am proud to say that my lying to you was the best thing that ever happened to me, since I wouldn't have the guts to get up and start living my life, as I always wanted, if it weren't for your support and belief in me. Now I know that what I needed to do was to leave my laziness behind and start reading in order to pick up my education.

In the first year I had to constantly remind myself why I was doing it and I had your support and Sophie's that kept me going. I would never forget how excited I was when I finished reading my first book, "The Magic of Oz". I ran straight to your apartment and we talked about it during the whole night. That's when I first felt like I could do this. And I will owe you for that for the rest of my life.

Another day that I would never forget is the day I left the neighborhood for my new job as a factory worker. This wasn't the best job ever, but it was more than I had ever had in my life. I lived with four roommates in a little apartment in the middle of New York City. Even though it was hard, it was a lifetime experience. From that point, I continued to work until a better offer came along, and after it a better offer. 

Now, I am happy to say that I have achieved my goal. I'm living with my wife, Christina
 (if you want to know how we met, it is a story for a different time…), at a cottage in the middle of New York City. We are expecting a boy that will keep us busy for a while. I work as a lawyer's assistant and hope to become a lawyer myself in a couple of years. But right now, I cannot be happier. The only thing that is missing in my life is you and Sophie, and I would like us to be in touch and visit each other.

Please tell me how you're doing in your next letter and send my love to Sophie and to your family as well. 

Love, 

George Stoyonovich (or Georgie for you…)

Very good letter.

(94)

Daphna

A Summer's Reading - Bridging Text and Context - FIXED

Bridging Text and Context - P. 49 

The information given in addition to the story helped me understand it better by notifying me about the author of the story. It says that Bernard Malamud used to write about how ordinary people, often immigrants, tried to fulfill the American middle class dream in their poor life circumstances. Moreover, almost all of his characters were isolated and had to face their problems by themselves with almost no moral support from their environment.  

The story "A Summer's Reading" is one of the author's collections of short stories, which include characters who search for hope in their miserable lives. In our story, nineteen-year-old George Stoyonvich is a son of an immigrant family, who lives in New York in the twenties, during the heavy depression in the United States. George dropped out of school at the age of sixteen and has a hard time getting a job due to the depression and his lack of education. He dreams of having a permanent job, living in a nice house, having a loving wife and family and be respected by others. However, George knows that he will never achieve his goals unless he picks up his education, but tends to find excuses for not doing so.
 

All of a sudden, George meets Mr. Cattanzara, "the change maker" whom he respects and appreciates. George, who wanted to win Mr. Cattanzara's respect as well, lies to him by telling him that he plans on reading a hundred books during the summer. This lie grows along the story and leads George to feel ashamed about himself more than ever, but not enough to make him change his situation. We can learn that George is one of Malamud's typical characters. He has a hard time facing his problems by himself in order to achieve his goals in life. George knows that proper education is the most important thing that can help him move forward in his life, although he doesn't have the motivation to pick up his education.

In conclusion, George had to overcome some major obstacles in his life, like his environment, his lack of moral support and his personality in order to start acting to pick up his education and, eventually, achieve his goals. We can learn that getting a good education is necessary if you want to succeed in your life, especially if you are an immigrant, who wants to live the American dream which you left your country for - like lots of Malamud's characters, including George.  

This is better, although it is still too long.  However, well done.

(92)

Daphna

"Mr. Know All"

Reflection 
1. Did you enjoy reading this story? Why or why not? 
I enjoyed reading the story "Mr. Know All" because I think its massage, that prejudging people might lead you to wrong conclusions, is still true nowadays. In my point of view, there are a lot of people who miss judge other people according to their origin, their appearance or their name. This kind of action is wrong and might even hurt people's feelings. So, I think everyone should read this story and understand its massage.

2. What did you find surprising, moving, upsetting or amusing about it? 
I found the ending of the story amusing because the narrator, which was considered as a conservative and not open minded person, had decided not to entirely dislike Mr. Kelada.    This was a surprising change in the narrator's opinion, that seems quite set on hating Mr. Kelada. Therefore, I found the end of the story amusing considering the lesson the narrator has learned.

3. How did learning about the thinking skills of Explaining Patterns and Uncovering Motives influence your understanding of the story? Give examples.
Learning about the thinking skill of Explaining Patterns helped me understand the story "Mr. Know All" better, because it is a useful skill for understanding people's behavior in literature, as well as in real life. In the story, the character of Max Kelada is described as a  dogmatic person who thinks he knows everything and always right. In addition, Mr. Kelada is suppoused to be too much friendly and familiar, knows every single person on board in three days and involved in every event that occurs on the ship.  Therefore, the skill of Explainig Patterns helped me understand that Mr. Kelada is probably a kind of person which is important to him to be loved and suroundded by friends, maybe due to his origin.  

"Mr. Know All" (checked in my folder)

Post Reading 
P. 25
3) Suggest a different ending to the story. # My additions in bold. # 
"That's a pretty chain of Mrs. Ramsay's, isn't it?" said Mr. Ramsay.
"I noticed it at once," answered Mr. Kelada. "Gee, I said to myself, those are pearls all right."
"I didn't buy it myself, of course. I'd be interested to know how much you think it cost."
    "Oh, in the trade somewhere round fifteen thousand dollars. But if it was bought on Fifth Avenue I shouldn't be surprised to hear that anything up to thirty thounsand was paid for it."
    Ramsay smiled grimly.
"You'll be surprised to hear that Mrs. Ramsay bought that string at a department store the day we left New York, for eighteen dollars."
    Mr. Kelada flushed.
"Rot. It's only real, but it's as fine a string fot its size as I've ever seen."
  "Will you bet on it? I'll bet you a hundred dollars it's imitation."|
"Done."
"Oh, Elmer, you can't bet on a certainty," said Mrs. Ramsay. She had a little smile on her lips and her tone was gently deprecating.
"Can't I? If I get a chane of easy money like that I should be all sorts of fool not to take it."
  "But how can it be proved?" she continued. "It's only my word against Mr. Kelada's."
  "Let me look at the chain, and if it's imitation I'll tell you quickly enough. I can afford to lose a hundred dollars," said Mr. Kelada.
"Take it off, dear. Let the gentleman look at it as much as he wants."
Mrs. Ramsay hesitated a moment. She put her hands to the clasp. "I can't undo it," she said. "Mr. Kelada will just have to take my word for it."
  I had a sudden suspicion that something unfortunate was about to occur, but I could think of nothing to say.
   Ramsay jumped up.
"I'll undo it."
 He handed the chain to Mr. Kelada. The Levantine took a magnifying glass from his pocket and closely examined it. A smile of triumph spread over his smooth and swarthy face. He handed back the chain. He was about to speak. Suddenly he caught sight of Mrs. Ramsay's face. It was so white that she looked as though she were about to faint. She was staring at him with wide and terrified eyes. They held a desperate appeal ` it was so clear that I wondered why her husband did not see it.
  Mr. Kelada stopped with his mouth open. He flushed deeply. You could almost see the effort he was making over himself.

"I was mistaken," He said. He was about to continue when Mrs. Ramsay suddenly interuppted. "No, you weren't mistaken, Mr. Kelada. You were right. My chain is real." . All of a sudden, a silence fell on our table, spreading towards all the tables in the dining room.
"What do you mean? it's impossible!," said Mr. Ramsay with horror in his voice. "We couldn't afford such a thing!" .
All the attention in the room was to our table now. People started calculating how such a thing might happen, considering the Ramsays' financial state. Mr. Kelada and I were the only ones who guessed the right answer. We looked at each other, unwilling to believe what just happend. When I looked at Mr. Kelada, I realized what he was about to do. He knew Mrs. Ramsay's secret just as much as I did, and was in a position that his word might reveal her secret to all the people in the room, including her husband. But he chose to take responsbility and risk being the ship's joke for the rest of the journey. I guess he is more of an Englishman than I gave him credit for...
 When the realization has finally stricked the room, Mrs. Ramsay began speaking. "I'm so sorry, Elmer. You were gone for so long... and it just happened. I have no excuses and I am willing to pay for what I did. Please forgive me." Her eyes were so genuine you knew she was telling the truth. All eyes were now on Mr. Ramsay, searching for his reaction. His face was pink. Something between pale white to furious red. It wasn't hard to guess that the whole scenario was compeletly emmbaressing to him, considering that you don't find out that your lovely wife was cheating on you on a daily basis. Especially not in presence of a crouded dining room full of people whom you supposed to face in each day on this ship. Mr. Ramsay's only words were: "I want us to divorce.". Then, he got up and left the room, his face now red than ever, leaving a wrecking wife behind.

Mr. Kelada and I echanged looks again. Both of us were uncapeable of saying anything, espeacilly not to Mrs. Ramsay. After evreyone else on the dininig room left, the three of us were the only ones there. Niether of us had something to say, so we just sat there, waiting for the workers to shoo us out when dinner is over. When they did, Mr. Kelada and I began slowly getting up, unwilling to leave broken Mrs. Ramsay all by her self but having no choice. When we tended to go, Mrs. Ramsay stopped Mr. Kelada. "Thank you." she said only with her lips.
"I'm sorry it turned out that way, really", said Mr. Kelada. I could hear the regret in his voice though I didn't understand it.
"Me too," I added. "I wish you and your husband all the best."
She nodded sadly towards us as we made our way out of the empty dining room.

"Turns out you were right." I said to Mr. Kelada with a sad smile on my lips. I can see he is surprised because this is the first time I actually spoken to him voluntarily since we've met on board. But he only nods and says quietly: "Yes, but I rather be wrong on that one". 

"Mr. Know - All"

In the story "Mr. Know - All" ,which was written by Somerset Maugham , there are two main and opposite characters: the narrator and Mr. Kelada . Both of them are in the same situation: isolated from the world on board of an ocean liner, that travels from San Francisco to Japan . Both of them don't know anyone on the ship and are forced to be with the same people every moment of the day for two weeks. The interaction between the two characters starts at the beginning of the story, when the narrator, whom the story is written in his perspective only, has been told the name of his roommate - Mr. Kelada . The moment the narrator hears him name, he automatically decides to dislike him, before even meeting him.

The narrator describes Mr. Kelada as a short and sturdy build man, with clean -shaven dark skin, a fleshy hooked nose and very large and liquid eyes. Also, the narrator mentions that Mr. Kelada's hair is sleek and curly, and his gestures are exuberant. Although Mr. Kelada proves he is English by showing the narrator his passport, the narrator thinks he is so much different from an English gentleman. He decides that according to his view of an English man, who has light hair, skin and eyes, polite and talks different than Mr. Kelada and speaks in a formal way with strangers, Mr. Kelada isn't considered as one. 

Unlike the specific description of Mr. Kelada, the writer doesn't describe the narrator. His name and appereance are not revealed in the story, so we can only learn about him from his thoughts and reactions to Mr. Kelada. The narrator is probably a typical British man of the period - after The First World War. He probably has a British name, blond hair, blue eyes and light skin. He is certain to be a racist, snobbish, conservative and with a big amount of respect to the social ethics . The narrator keeps repeating that he doesn't like Mr. Kelada, so we can learn that he already has a strong opinion on Mr. Kelada's look and personality.

In conclusion, the narrator is considered as a genuine British man who gets along only with British men of his kind. Therefore, he doesn't treat Mr. Kelada fairly and doesn't give him a chance to make an impression on him before he decides what kind of person he is. In my opinion,  Mr. Kelada and the narrator are opposites, and this is the reason the narrator judges Mr. Kelada before knowing him, or according to his looks and his origin.

A bit too long but very good work. Well done!
(95)
Daphna

"Count That Day Lost"

Post Reading

October 1st, 2011

Dear diary,
Today was a great day. Our class went on a charity trip to Jerusalem, in which we helped to deliver packages full of goods to families in need. It was so satisfying to watch the poor children open the package and smile at the sight of candies and sweets their parents can't afford buying them. On my way home, I saw an injured puppy and brought it home. I begged my parents to keep it and eventually they agreed, and I called him Fluffy. Then, I called my friend Ronnie to ask her to come and help me set Fluffy a place to sleep in my room. As she picked up the phone and said hello, she started crying. When I asked her what happened, she said that our Math teacher called and said she had failed the test again, and if she didn't improve her grades she didn't graduate like everyone else in our class. I cheered her up and told her that I helped her pass the final exam and offered her to come and help me with Fluffy. She agreed and we had a lot of fun with Fluffy, and afterwards we went to eat vanilla ice cream in the mall.So, I had a pretty nice day today, but now I'm very tired and I'm going to sleep. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a good day, too.Good night,

Jennifer

October 2nd, 2011

Dear diary,
I feel awful! This day wasn't good at all!
First, I fought with my best friend Ronnie today. She tried to help me with my English homework after school, and instead of thanking her for her effort, I was pissed off and nasty and she was insulted and left crying. I feel really bad I hurt her, she doesn't deserve such a behavior. Like that wasn't enough, I fought with my mother too. She just asked me to clean my room and I started screaming at her with no reason. She got mad and grounded me for the rest of the week! Now I can't go to Mike's big party as I planned. As I walked to my room and slammed the door shut, there was a phone call from Mike, asking if I will come to his party as his date. I wanted so badly to say yes because I waited a long time for him to ask me that, but then I remembered that I was grounded!
So, diary, you can now see how bad my day was. I wanted to make Ronnie, my mother and Mike happy but instead I made everyone sad. I'm going to sleep now, wishing  tomorrow  will be kinder...

Jennifer

 

Very good work.

(96)

Daphna

"Count That Day Lost"

Bridging 

The poem "Count That Day Lost"  was written by 'George Eliot', which is a pen name for the female poet Mary Ann Evans. The poem describes the dependence of the consideration of a good and a bad day on your actions on that day. In other words, the poet says that a "well spent day" is a day in which you've done at least one positive deed without expecting any credit or cost. However, a "lost" day is a day in which you haven't .done anything helpful for another person

The poet, Mary Ann Evans, was a female writer in the Victorian England of 1819. At that
 period, the gaps between the classes were huge and women weren't taken seriously as writers. Despite the period's norms, Evans and other leading writers wanted to make a difference in the society and used their writing ability to do it. Mary Ann's books and poems often criticized the behavior of the upper classes towards the ordinary poor people, and pointed out a lot of injustice and discriminations between the classes.

In my point of view, the information that was added to the poem helped me understand it better because learning at what age and in which circumstances the poem was written really adds information about the poet's intentions when she wrote the poem. In addition,  the extra information clarifies that the poet thought that some things were done wrong , and , therefore, wanted to change them. Namely, the poet thought that the

existence of the classes in her period was wrong and was concerned about the moral responsibility that people should take in their lives.

To conclude, the message of the poem "Count That Day Lost" is an advice, which was given by the poet to the people at her time - to do at least one self denying deed a day in order to consider that day a helpful day. Furthermore, the information that was added
about the poet's life helped me understand the poem thanks to the description of the       poet's age and the people's behaviour in it.

Excellent work. Well done
(97)
Daphna.