Time and Distance Overcome

1. Post your notes on genre, themes and main points
2. Post the quotes and ideas that, in your view, exemplify the significance of the composition of the text.
3. Post quotes and ideas on the intention of the essay.
If you have questions, ideas or comments, you may also post them here for your classmates to comment on.

Finally! The Whole World is Going to Speak Proper English again

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.

(You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up 'vocabulary').

2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.'

3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.

5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.
6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.

8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

13. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.
God Save the Queen!
PS: Only share this with friends who have a good sense of humour (NOT humor)!

Obama: "Grant Park Speech"

 

Post notes for the speech. Consider all 5 points in the rhetorical pentagram and write a brief evaluation of the speech in which you account for the use of predominant rhetorical features.

Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address

 

Post notes for the speech. Consider all 5 points in the rhetorical pentagram and write a brief evaluation of the speech in which you account for the use of predominant rhetorical features.

Martin Luther King: I Have a Dream

Post notes for the speech. Consider all 5 points in the rhetorical pentagram and write a brief evaluation of the speech in which you account for the use of predominant rhetorical features.

Robert Kennedy: On the Mindless Menace of Violence

 

Post notes for the speech. Consider all 5 points in the rhetorical pentagram and write a brief evaluation of the speech in which you account for the use of predominant rhetorical features.



John Winthrop: City upon a Hill

 

Post notes for the speech. Consider all 5 points in the rhetorical pentagram and write a brief evaluation of the speech in which you account for the use of predominant rhetorical features.

My fav' speech

Write a comment on the following questions:

1. Which speech was your favourite?

2. What made it better than the others?

De tre appelformer: Logos, pathos og ethos

Crash

1. What is/are the theme(s) of the film?
2. This movie is set in Los Angeles, a city rich in diversity? Do you think that an area with such diversity would be more open or close minded about differences? Why?
3. Characterize one or several characters from the film.
4. Which connection(s) between characters did you find most interesting?
5. What might the burning car and falling ashes symbolize? Think about what is burning; think about who witnesses the burning; think about what burning does to an object.
6. Comment on the title.
7. Could you relate this film to other texts, we have dealt with in relation to our theme “Aspects of the American Dream.”

Michael Lee Cohen: Adam

1.What is the genre?
2.Who is speaking in the text?
3.What is his view on the American Dream?
4.React to his view on Capital punishment? How is this view related to the American Dream?5.Discuss his view upon love and marriage
6.Is his view upon the American Dream exceptional? Think Arnold Schwarzenegger!
7.What seems to be the topic?
8.To whom is the text directed?
9.How does our generation seek the American Dream? Has the concept changed?

I, Too by Langston Hughes

Here is a link to some useful notes for I, Too by Langston Hughes with a short reference to I hear America Singing by Walt Whitman

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Tells It like it is - Part 1/2

Martin Luther King and Malcolm X Debate

Martin Luther King - I Have A Dream Speech - August 28, 1963

Det retoriske pentagram

Ethos, Logos, Pathos

Crevecoeur

1.What does Crèvecoeur's piece (1781) tell us about late 18th century America?


2.How does he describe Americans?- Who are they?- What values do they have?- Put into perspective of the declaration of Independence and historical context


3.In contrast how does he describe the Europeans?


4.Discuss whether the meaning of being an American has changed


5.Put into perspective of the definition of the American Dream


6.Discuss whether this is a reliable source

7. Use the painting as inspiration for writing about the American dream as seen from the perspective of the immigrants. You must include the following: Why did people migrate? What did they leave? What did they hope to find? Use Crevecoeur and the Declaration as inspiration.

The Declaration of Independence

1. What is the purpose of the Declaration of Independence? What does it do?

2. What are the most basic rights of an American citizen and where do they come from?

3. What view on government is presented?

4. Compare their view on government to what they have experienced under the rule of Great Britain. What does despotism mean?