In our language class our teacher gave out an assignment which consisted of creating a poster whith quotes of famous people and report them.

Reported Speech:

1. Mahatma Gandhi said that happiness was when what you thought what you said and what you did where in harmony
2. Mahatma Gandhi said that his life was his message
3. Mahatma Gandhi said that where there is love there is life

In our language test we had to do an assignment which consisted of watching a trailer in Pilar’s blog and then create a report based on the facts presented on the video.

this was the assignment were you can also find the video.

BANK ROBBERY: different bands attack the same bank.

Yesterday the main bank of Venice, in Spain, was attacked by multiple groups at the same time, while the police was out in the main doors and surrounding the building. People who were at the bank became hostages of the robbers inside. The police are still trying today to arrest the guilty groups who killed or who have been trying to  steal the money, but the press has not yet been informed with any conclusion or event since today morning if this mass event.

The robbers came in directly through the main doors with masks on and also some from the back door. People were thrown to the ground and told to stay quiet and still because if they didn’t they would be killed in the act. Further on, during the afternoon we found out by an insider in the bank that the bankers are also involved in the robbery themselves and during the night a group appeared through the roof and tried to steal the money cutting the roof of the vault in which the money was packed in bags. Now they are all in the same bank trying to steal the same money and we yet haven’t heard if they were able to take the people who have been taking part in this burglary.

Today morning the police were able to take 3 hostages out of the bank but as a consequence 2 people were killed by the robbers.The FBI has been involved in this situation and the SWAT team also, they have been creating tactics to be able to do something with no harm coming to anyone. Robbers and bankers have both tried to negotiate a way out of the bank and threatened to kill more hostages if what they are asking for isn’t provided.

Families have been praying for their family members to come out safely and in no harm, they have helped also the people whose families have been killed inside. And testimonies of people are coming up to the web every minute that passes. The 3 people who have been taken out have given testimonies of the people inside and their situations but they haven’t been able to talk to the press because of how traumatising this event was for them.

In our language class, after finishing reading the short story «Dumb Martian» we were given some questions to answer:

QUESTIONS:

1- What seems to be the attitude in the society about buying female martians?
2- At the beginning of the story, where is Weaver going? For how long? What will his duties be?
3- Describe Lellie’s appearance. Draw a sketch of what you think she looks like.
4- How are we given the impression that Lellie is a mere possession of Duncan? Use quotes.
5- Comment on the fact that Duncan lost to Lellie at chess (a game he had taught her)
6- Where in the story is Duncan’s verbal and physical abuse of Lellie at it’s worse?
7- Weaver describes Alan as: “snoozy, ritzy and nazzy”. What type of language is it and what does it tell us about the differences between the 2 men?
8- Why does Lellie’s question about female emancipation makes Weaver feel so angry?
9- “She was a dumb mart”. Do you agree with this phrase? Explain.
10- What messages of relevance does this story have? (technology, society, personal qualities). Connect the message to our present time.

ANSWERS:

1. The attitudes in the society about buying a female martian were racist and a society that supports slavery and discrimination.
2. Weaver is going to the second largest moon called Júpiter IV/II and he went for 5 years. His appointment was as Station Officer.
3. Lellie is a martian. The story makes you  believe she is tall, with green skin. She has huge pointed ears but has no nose and her eyes are very big and make her look emotionless.
4. Duncan is Lillie’s husband but he doesn’t love her. He involved himself in a marriage ceremony to travel with her to Júpiter and use her to do the home tasks. (Cleaning cooking).
5. He lost at Lellie at chess because she wasn’t actually dumb, as Duncan thought, she was actually intelligent and a quick learner, which helped her develop skills in chess to beat Duncan.It
8.  makes Duncan angry because he begins to understand she is learning things that wouldn’t heló him keep her, he gets also very angry with Alan because he’s teaching her things he believed she wouldn’t learn or know.
9. I don’t agree because he underestimates martians and starts calling them “dumb marts” which they aren’t actually. Lellie proceso him wrong because she starts reading and learning really quickly and she manages to created a plan to kill Duncan.
10. The message the story gives is to not underestimate people because of what they seem. And also that in our present time men have more power over women and underestimate what they can do.