Correction of the paragraph of PC II

Hey there! So, Wednesday we got back our writing parts of the second Progress Check. According to my English teacher, I can be pleased about having improved 12% after the first PC. However, as I was having a look at my text, I realized that there is still a lot which needs to be corrected and- as always- I made some unnecessary errors. Here is my correction:

While there is an obvious connection between these two items, there are also a number of significant differences. The Vikings, as well as the Plantation Settlers caused changes in Irish history. To be more precise, they arrived from abroad, drove many Irishmen off their lands and settled down. The Vikings settled on the east coast. In the beginning, they tolerated Irish Catholics. Some of the settlers even converted to Christianity. Nevertheless, they killed Brian Boru in the Battle of Clontarf. Not without reason they are known to be brutal killers and their "hit-and-run" tactic in plundering the monasteries which were known to have money and supply. Therefore, the Vikings were seeking a better life and wealth. The cause for the settlement of the Plantation settlers is completely different. The Britons aimed to have control over Ireland. In their opinion, the only way to achieve this goal was to plant settlers in Ulster in order to drive Catholics off their land and to spread Protestantism. Therefore, the Plantation Settlers were sent by Westminster to accomplish this mission. They were successful and stayed in the North. In Summary, there are more crucial differences between the Vikings and the Plantation Settlers, than similarities.

As, always, I would appreciate some feedback of you, what can I improve and what was fine.
Thanks!

Have a nice weekend!

Assignment 4: A summary of the Civil War (1861-1865)

Good morning!

Today I’ll do a summary of one of the most important and bloodiest historical incident in American history- the The Civil War (1861-1865).
In the middle of the 19^th century the North and the South had a completely different way of life. People in the North lived mainly in the city. They had an organised system of education and the church, and their economy was based on industrial manufacturing and factories. The South, on the other hand, was dependent on crops such as cotton, sugar, and rice. Because of the hot climate they had not a lot of possibilities to become economically strong. They had few schools and churches which were rather unorganised. In other words, they were not as much developed as the North. Moreover, the Southerners had the feeling of paying unfairly more taxes. One very crucial aspect of the situation back then was the different opinion on slavery that distinguished the North and the South. While the former thought slavery was barbaric and inhuman, to the latter it was essentially because cotton harvest had to be done by hand and therefore took a long time. This is one of the reasons why the South needed slaves in order to maintain economy. Another important fact is that states in the South had the opinion that the State Laws were more important than the Confederate Wars which caused to the secession of several states (11 in total) from the US such as Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia. They were now called the Confederate States of America of Confederacy. This new union consisted of 9 million citizens (4 million slaves). President Lincoln aimed to keep the nation united as he didn’t want states to leave the union just because they weren’t satisfied with the rules.

The North, which consisted of far more states than the South, underestimated the South’s determination to remain independent, so the Civil War lasted longer than expected. In the War itself, over 620,000 died. The end of war meant the end of slavery (-> Emancipation Proclamation), which meant financial ruin. Furthermore, it strengthened the role of the Federal Government. Infrastructure in the South was destroyed and had to be reorganised again. Men and Women were seeking for their place in the new society and they had to face consequences of the lost war. Some of them were seeking trust in religion (Bible Belt), the Ku-Klux-Klan against the Negroes was founded. Of course, there is a lot more to tell about the Civil War, but I wanted to keep my summary short.

I just want to point out what American citizens think about the Civil War today, as this incident hasn’t been forgotten yet and which still causes discussion.

Southerners claim that they were not fighting for slavery, but for independence. That President Lincoln fought in the name of freedom and abolition of slavery is considered as the “biggest lie in all of American history”. The War should be called the War of Northern Aggression and “if we had had anything like fair chance we should have won and established independency”. The Northerner’s point of view is likely to be against most of the Southerners arguments, but they especially claim that all names for the war, namely the War of Northern Aggression and War of Southern Independence are Southern names for the Civil War. 

Assignment 3: Register

Hellooo!
Today I write something about register, which is fundamental when writing a text. Before I start, this is a short explanation of what register actually means:

"Register is a variety of a language used for a particular purpose or in a particular social setting. For example, when speaking in a formal setting, an English speaker may be more likely to adhere more closely to prescribed grammar, pronounce words ending in -ing with a velar nasal instead of an alveolar nasal (e.g. "walking", not "walkin'"), choose more formal words (e.g. father vs. dad, child vs. kid, etc.), and refrain from using contractions such as ain't, than when speaking in an informal setting." (yes, it's Wikipedia)

In school, those words known for being of a higher register were simply all linking words which sounded more complicated than "but" or "and". Apart from that, we were told to learn important phrases by heart for writing an application or other formal texts. However, there are many more important things we need to keep in mind. It is important to know in which situations it is appropriate to express oneself with words in a certain register and- even more important- in which it would be even embarassing doing so.

In general, to put words in order, there is this diagram where words can be subdivided in each category, like we already did in class before Christmas. I put a link here anyway if you want to watch it again.

• High register is basically used in formal texts
• Low register is used to express oneself while talking with a friend/family, etc.

Slang also counts to register, but is very inappropriate in a formal conversation. For example, you would never walk into a fancy restaurant, asking if you could use their loos. Or, what would a police officer think, if you called him a cop?
Sometimes it can be even respectless if you're not talking/writing in the appropriate register.

Here is some advice for high register

• Using the passive can emphasise friendlyness and respect
• Don't use appreviations
• Talk clearly -> don't say "walkin'" but "walking" in order give a good impression

Remember that using the appropriate register is very important in our everyday life!

Cheerio-or if you want a higher register- Good Bye! 

Freepost: The Help- a wonderful movie

Hello guys! We all know the problem of staying up late.. The following day we deeply regret this by being unconcentrated and fatigue. This is what happened to me today, but it's really not my fault! Who is to blame is Tate Taylor! He made a wonderful film called The Help which got me until 2 a.m. so it's definitely worth telling you something about it!

I started reading the novel also, in order to improve my English. This kind of would have led to the contrary, but first something about the movie.

The Help basically deals with the treatment towards black women in white households in the South of the US. The protagonist, however, is a young journalist, named Eugenia „Skeeter“ Phelan, who decides to do an interview with the maids who work for white, young, rich couples, in order to write a book about it. Of course, the private interaction between white and black people wasn't supported by society. On the contrary, Skeeters dream, to give an insight of the life of a black lady working for a white family, was against law. Consequently, her work with the maids was very complicated and they had to keep it a secret. Especially because they lived in a small town and news were spreading like bush fires, they had to go through great lengths not to reveal their secret. Skeeter herself was brought up by a very kind black maid, just like her female friends were. The only difference was, that she had a strong sense of justice. So, she didn't hesitate to friendly talk with the black employers and asking them about how they were doing in front of her friends. Because of doing so, her friends were often looking askant at her. Skeeter didn't care about this, rather was she occupied getting the maids persued of getting interviewed by her, as this would have more than scandalous in the town. Eventually, she could convince Aibileen and Minny, two maids of Skeeters friends, letting her interview them. Aibileen, who worked for Skeeter's friend, was a very warm-hearted woman. Her best friend, Minny, in contrast is quite cheeky, which is the reason why she got fired- also by a neighbour of Skeeter. Nonetheless, she had her heart on the right place and was nice to those, who treated her right. Those, she taught how to prepare delicious meals, in particular fried chicken (yes, there are some stereotypes in the film). Some others had to pay for their behaviour towards Minny, as you will see in the film ;)
I don't want to tell you more, I just wanted to shorty introduce it to you to awake your interest. However, I would like to tell you my opinion on the film.
Although it is well known who black people were treated by the Whites throughout American history, this film emphasises how hard it must have been, being oppressed and being ridiculed by white society. The more I was sympathising with the maids, the more I felt with them. The destiny of these black women was just awful. But now to the positive part of my feedback. The maids are simply great! In spite of getting the portion of deep discrimination every day, they enjoy moments of pleasure and they laugh with each other. The actors were picked perfectly, every one of them! As it made me laugh, cry and think of all the cruelty in the world, this movie turned out to be one of the most emotional ones I've ever seen :) I think it is very recommendable and you should watch it!
It goes without saying that the novel is great as well, I just had some difficulties to read it, as it is written in a strong slang. Therefore, it is not the right book if you want to improve your English. In any case, it is different literature in comparison to what we read in our everyday lifes.

I want to conclude this post with the most touching quote of the film by Aibileen:

Correction: paragraph about Irish history

Correction of my paragraph about the most fascinating fact of Irish culture

The most fascinating fact that I learned about by watching the Story of Ireland was the strong significance of religion and the following consequences. It is well known that conflicts occur frequently due to religion but the case of Ireland especially attracted my attention. As deeply- held religious conviction had taken over, radical Catholics and Protestants joined armies and paratroops, such as the well- known IRA. Claiming to be the “protector” of the oppressed Catholic minority in Protestant Ulster, the army commenced to frequently bomb cities which terrorised the population. Attacks continued throughout 30 years. This long lapse of time left Ireland in darkness and it was not possible to predict further occurrences. The wars on Ireland’s terrain, which Irishmen have not forgotten yet, claimed many victims and it lasted years until Ulster and the Republic of Ireland declared themselves ready to debate. The process did not always run smoothly and again there were complications after setting up arrangements but it was worthwhile. Even though the past century is still present within Irish population, Catholics and Protestants at least arranged to live in tolerant and peaceful co-existence. 

If you guys have some useful advice for me, I would be very grateful if you write a short comment with suggestions how/what to impove. Other than that, I would also accept positive feedback of course ;-)

Have a lovely warm winter day! (10°C, thank you, Spain!) 

Assignment 2: My memorable trip to Granada

Hola chicos!
Now I'll tell you something I really like to talk about- Granada!

My- as I consider it- almost fanatic interest in Spain and its stunning culture began when I went to Barcelona 3 years ago. That was basically the reason why I wanted to return to my favorite to work as au pair after graduating from school. This time I decided for Andalusia, the “typical Spanish” South, and this decision turned out to be the best I’ve ever made! I lived in Córdoba, a charming town in the north of the autonomous community. I fell in love with the city when I arrived on the 2^nd of October when I took a walk- in sandals and shorts- around the center. In February 2013 my family from Austria came to visit me and my kind of new home town.

Listen to that song when you are reading the upcoming part of the post http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBIl1-R3bkg (for those who don't know that movie yet, it is very recommandable!)

We rented a car in which we were touring round Andalusia for one week and enjoyed Málaga, Sevilla, Córdoba (again!), Jerez de la Frontera, Puerto de Santa María, Ronda and Granada. Granada was absolutely stunning! I’ve heard before that Granada was popular because of its unique character and the ambience created by young people who live in the main quarter called Albayzín, oriental markets, Arabian cafés, guitar players and dancers performing Flamenco. We stayed at a lovely self-catering flat of an English woman who immigrated in Spain 20 years ago. From the balcony we had a nice view over the city and its surroundings. We spent our time strolling around the streets and lanes, trying out Tapas and other typical food. The highlight of our trip was visiting the Alhambra, the domicile of the last Muslim king in Al-Ándalus, and Albayzín.  Because of the great crowd around the entire year you have to book your tickets online to be able to enter the area. This procedure turned out to be a bit complicated for my parents but it was definitely worth it! We were enthusiastic about the building and its beautiful gardens and patios full of small fountains and architectural masterpieces. As water meant power in the driest part of Spain, the caliph of Granada expressed his power in a beautiful way as many parts of his ex-domicile had something to do with water and nature. 

la Alhambra

the quarter of Albayzín

We spent hours visiting almost every part of that huge area on top of the city. Afterwards we went on to the heart of Albayzín. We went up to watch the Alhambra from the Mirador

de San Nicolas. This point of view is the most amazing one you can get from the palace, as in the background there are the mountains (mostly covered in snow) from the Sierra Nevada. Unfortunately in the Easter Week we couldn’t see the mountains- they were rather covered in clouds than in snow and it was raining.

...how it could have looked like

 Nevertheless, some funny Spanish (probably tipsy) guys weren’t deterred by the bad weather to sing, play the guitar and dance in front of a small bar.Inspired by that we fled to the next bar to drink some cervecas and to eat some Tapas. Afterwards we decided to walk on the quarter and I felt like arriving in Arabia. The lanes were full of cafés where people drank tea and smoked water pipes, Moroccans were selling sweets which contained dates and nuts, honey and cinnamon and it smelled like spices and herbs in every corner. In the oriental market traders sold jewellery, bags, candles, pictures, tea pots, fabric- everything you can imagine. The lanes were crowded and we had to take care of not losing each other.  It was a unique feeling and I felt very excited about it. 

oriental market in the old Muslim neighbourhood

I think for every one of us this trip is one of the most memorable ones and I would like to go back to Granada eventually. I am thinking about going there for my semester abroad. Then I could also go and see my friends in Córdoba again which would be great!

Assigment 1: Planning a trip to Ireland

Hey :)

I hope you've all had lovely Christmas holidays with your families and friends! I had a very nice time! But now- back to work ;) I decided to plan a ten-day trip to Ireland in the Easter holidays so here we go...

As the assignment says, the trip to Ireland will last 10 days with a budget of €2000 including all the things needed.

Since the flights are the most expensive part of my journey, I've looked up the cheapest offers on the internet. What I've found is €500 for outward and return journey. Concerning accommodation, I'll make sure how much I will need when I decided on where I want to go and what I want to see. However, I prefer to stay at Bed-and-Breakfast and which makes you more independent as you don't need to be back at a certain time but you can decide on your own where and what to eat for lunch/dinner.  For sure I will also look for hostels as this is almost the cheapest form of accommodation. As students pay less for entry fees, I won't include a lot of money for this. I will definitely go a long way by train because there surely is a reduction if you are a student.

I am planning to go by plane from Graz to Dublin because the price seems quite reasonable to me. I want to visit Dublin because we learned a lot of interesting stuff about that city and many important historical events happened there. I want to spend around 4 days in Dublin and I would like to see both the most known sites as well as insider places. Easter surely is a nice period for strolling around the city center and for relaxing in Phoenix Park. Maybe there are some platforms on the internet where I can meet other young people who will be in Dublin at Easter so that I can go for a Guinness with them ;-) Anyway, you experience foreign cities much better if locals show you around than wandering round with the tourist book in your hands. 

After Dublin, I'm staying 2 days in Galway. Some of my class in school went there and they all were enthusiastic about that place. Besides, Galway is anyway said to be a popular tourist destination and I've seen numerous impressionable pictures of it. I read that one of the reasons why people like to go this place is because it is possible to visit everything by walking which is definitely more exciting than going on a tourist bus and besides, it is very economically ;-) 

I would really like to visit Killarney because of its amazing national park and the center which can also be visited by walking. As this town isn’t large, I will have seen the most important places within a few days, so I’m staying there for one night to travel on to Cork. 

Recommendations in the internet claim that the third biggest city of Ireland has very talkative people and you can walk while visiting famous sites. I will stay there for 2 nights for having enough time to stroll around and to enjoy the nice ambience the city provides.

After Cork, I will go back to Dublin to catch my return flight to Graz.

Calculations

Flight                                                                   €500

Bed and Breakfast/Hostels                        €450

Train tickets                                                      €250

Entry fees and other payments               €200

As I've never gone to Ireland, I hope some day I can make use of my plannings :-)