Category: ELP (English Learner Portfolio)

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/04/learning/what-do-the-objects-in-your-home-say-about-you.html

Look around your home and choose three or more objects that say something about you. For each object, introduce what it is and share why it is meaningful or what it could reveal about you.

1. The bookshelf: The bookshelf can reveal that I often read books. It can show that I have knowledge of what those books are about. For example, I have multiple French books which are quite thin and easy, this can reveal that I am a French-leaner. Additionally, I have some science textbooks, which can reveal to others that I have some knowledge of science.
2. Headphone/earbuds/speakers: This can reveal that I listen to music a lot as well as enjoy music, as I have many medium for music-listening.
3. Guitar bags: This can reveal that I learn musical instruments, and also music in general.

After exploring these subjects, I realized that daily objects around one’s home can really reveal quite a lot about their personality, or even the way they want to live!

I believe that advertising is not corrupting or manipulative to a large extent.

It’s because of my perspective of that advertising is a way for businesses to expand their market as well as promoting their products/services. I don’t deny that people nowadays are getting more exposed to various types of advertisements, especially those who live in downtown areas or busy cities/countries such as Singapore. However, I feel like it is the people’s own choice to decide if they need that product/service in the advertisement. Perhaps it’s something that they need which is shown in the advertisement, then they can decide if they want to purchase. If not, they can walk away.

Thus, ultimately, it is the consumers choice whether the advertisement is going to affect their decisions or not. And advertising will not affect most consumers decisions by a large extent, as it is something that is seen as normal in the modern world. People can choose to notice or not notice it.

To conclude, personally, I don’t think that advertising has a corrupting and manipulative influence in our lives.

 

In Adichie’s short story “The Thing Around Your Neck”, it is a series focusing mainly on the lives and experiences of Nigerian women – women caught up in political or religious violence, coping with displacement, loneliness and disappointment in their new lives or their new marriages, surviving tragedy. (source: The Guardian)

In https://docs.google.com/document/d/1POx2gRxH1wm0GJaHP4mVLjm3E67YNTbiSmr0kvYtpL8/edit, the author uses a second-person point of view to narrate this short story which focuses on how the main character “you”, in this case, a woman from Nigeria, went to America, experiencing various stories, from the public as well as her own family.

In the beginning, before she came to America, she thought that everyone has a gun, she showed some concerns as to how people live in America, and how Africans like her are treated. This can be seen by the content within the first few paragraphs. “You thought everybody in America had a car and a gun…” She went to her uncle and applied for a waitressing job. She wondered why she has to be paid lower than everyone else. To summarise, she had a lot of questions about why Americans view her differently and apply stereotypes regarding Africans all on her as if all the countries in Africa are the same. This can be inferred by “Where you learned to speak English and if you had real houses back in Africa…” on page 116.

Additionally, beginning page 119, she met a man, in the beginning, that man tried to know more about her, as he is really interested in African cultures as well as literacy. “He told you he had been to Ghana and Uganda and Tanzania.” From here, as readers, we know that the man is interested in her culture. However, sometimes, the woman also finds him to be stereotypical. However, after a few deep talks with him, she found that she is in love with him.

In the end, she found out that he is not a bad guy. They began to start a relationship, as she felt that he is a man who truly wants to understand her and her culture. This can be shown when he wants to visit Nigeria with her together. On the last page, she found out that her father has passed away. That moment, she truly realized what is the thing around her neck.

“The Thing Around Your Neck” in this short story can be interpreted in different ways: It might be the pressure and burden for a foreigner to assimilate into a different culture. The anxiety and depression that she felt in America, the “American dream” is not always ideal and does not always lead people to great, bright futures. It could be the realization that she had when her father passed away…

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/22/learning/what-does-your-accent-say-about-who-you-are.html

(Source: Voices.com)

Accent represents a manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, location, or nation. An accent may identify the locality in which its speakers reside, the socio-economic status of its speakers, their ethnicity, their caste or social class, their first language, and so on.

Personally, I don’t think I have a typical accent. Although I am ethnically Chinese, I have been studying and communicating in English-as-first-language environments since Grade 7, so I don’t think that my accent represents any locality. My friends say that it is neutral.

However, one similarity between the international schools I have been in is that most teachers speak in American-accent. Which I believe is quite a difference from the traditional British-accent that we hear often on TV series.

Therefore, being engaged with American-speaking teachers for many years shaped my accent somewhat towards them. I believe is beneficial to me as a learner, as being engaged in different conversations with different accents can broaden my perspective on the world and different cultures, especially the way people speak and pronounce in their cultures.

https://theweek.com/cartoons?sort=publish_date&page=2

This is a political cartoon picked from “The Week”. In this post, I will explore the opposing perspectives on this political cartoon.

For:

We can see that this cartoon is very ironic, with the board on the writing stating “No testing. No treatment. No vaccine. So what?”, with the addition of the shop tag “Open Business” on the front door. With the shadow of a coronavirus-shape displayed on the ground. It is not hard for us to find out what the artist is trying to criticize. He is criticizing the US government for reopening the shops and the economy without considering the health of the country’s people. Coronavirus can hit us hard once people start to move a lot, which is surely going to happen after the economy reopens.

Against:

Surely, there are people opposing such ideas. They might think that temporarily closing the shops and many industries is already harming the economy to an extent that humanity has never seen before. And thus, reopening the shops is a very good idea (in their perspective) because that will slow down the damage this pandemic is bringing to the USA’s national economy (in regards to this political cartoon, as it’s set in the USA).

To conclude, there are always two sides to any political cartoons, and there are reasons for both sides. As there is no right or wrong for these judgments as people have various vested interests and perspectives.

Leave a comment on which side do you support for the political cartoon above!

Leave your thoughts and comments on this political cartoon!

What did you learn from the article about the differences between worry, stress or anxiety? How did the article change how you think about each?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/learning/stress-worry-and-anxiety-are-all-different-how-do-you-cope-with-each.html

I learned from the article that worry, stress, and anxiety are very different things that can all impact our daily routines and the wellbeing of our minds.

“Worry is what happens when your mind dwells on negative thoughts, uncertain outcomes or things that could go wrong.”

“Stress is a physiological response connected to an external event.”

“If stress and worry are the symptoms, anxiety is the culmination. Anxiety has a cognitive element (worry) and physiological response (stress), which means that we experience anxiety in both our mind and our body. ”

They are different however linked to us in every sense. It’s because sometimes we need them to be able to motivate ourselves, sometimes they tell us not to do them because it makes us the fear of the negative consequences.

According to a study in 2017, in the past month, 3/4 Americans are feeling depressed. And “Nearly 40 million people in the U.S. suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. ”

Thus, the best we can do to not feel worried, stress, and anxiety can be to “Give yourself a worry ‘budget'”, “Get exercise”, and “Limit your sugar … and caffeine intake” respectively. Also, meditation can often help by calming your heart down as well as not to think about any negative things in general.

A political cartoon is usually a graphic with caricatures of public figures, expressing the artist’s opinion.

Annotations:

• The character represents the current president of the United States, Donald Trump
• Holding an American flag
• The trade war is labeled on an I-beam used in architecture
• “Take that, Canada, Mexico, and Europe” – quote from the character
• The exaggerated body shape of “Donald Trump”, stereotype
• USA hat – identity

Commentary:

Well, in this political cartoon, the character can be inferred as Donald Trump, the current US president. Based on the hat that says “USA”, the US national flag and his stereotypical body shape.

In the picture, we can see a steel I-beam which Trump has been taxed heavily going through his own body. With him saying: “Take that, Canada, Mexico, and Europe.”

It is then not difficult to get the artist’s true intentions and objectives. We can see that after Trump taxes the countries in this political cartoon, domestic businesses and the economy have seen a decline in their productivity and revenue. It’s because Trump has taxed steel coming from other countries and there are few substitutes for those firms producing steel-related goods.

The point that the artist is criticizing is that Trump is hurting the United States’ domestic economy in spite of his thoughts that taxing other country’s steel imports can be beneficial. Thus, it is the reason why the steel beam, went through the character in the cartoon, it means that he is hurting himself instead of making an improvement.

Political cartoons can sometimes be fun to look at, as we can often learn about the current world and political issues. As well as learn to interpret these kinds of “artworks”.

 

 

This Is Going to Hurt – Book by Adam Kay

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/19/learning/what-songs-matter-to-you-now.html

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/11/magazine/best-songs.html#cover (25 songs that matter now)

What is your favorite song right now? Was it included in the 25 songs list? How did you first hear that song? Did someone share it with you or is it from an artist you follow? What do you love about the song? Are there certain lyrics that you find powerful or moving? Is there something about the beat that you like dancing to? Does the musician’s personality or identity resonate with who you are or how you identify? I feel like my favorite song right now is “Say you won’t let go” by James Arthur. Also, I have been listening to many hip-hop songs, and recently, I started to like “Toosie Slide” by Drake.

To begin, my favorite song is “Say you won’t let go” because of its meanings within the lyrics. It creates a sense of loneliness, disappointment, and sadness. Which really touches my heart. The smooth melody creates a calm environment for the song, and it relaxes me, as a music learner.

Additionally, the reason I like Drake’s songs is more straight-forward. His songs usually have the hip-hop vibe and atmosphere which gives me energy. Also, it is always with clean verses, heavy beats, which I like. Drake’s personality is also something that I like and admire. His outlook on life is simple, though he works very hard to get all he wants.

They are not included in the 25 songs list. I have heard of both of these songs from Itunes music. And I “felt” the songs instantly.