Imre Kertész Interview

1. Before the interview, the presenter visits a monument to the Holocaust created by the American artist Peter Eiserman. Considering the shapes, architecture and general design, in what ways do you think he represents the reality in the concentration camps? 
He mentions that the monument of Peter Eiserman is an attempt to recreate the experience of the concentration camps, it is the main memorial and it makes you feel in a total vulnerability way, trapped on those walls.

 2. Which is the paradox the presenter mentions regarding Imre Kertész and the place where he lives? 
He lives on the same country that tried to kill him, but he lives there because he feels safe there.

 3. Refer to antisemitism before and after Auschwitz according to Kertész. 
He refers to the antisemitism as something else before Auschwitz than after. Those who are antisemitism after Auschwitz, want a new Auschwitz.

 4. In what way do reminders of the past in historical books make us "much richer"? 
It is a dead reminder that will give you different perspectives and therefor makes us much richer.

 5. Which metaphor does Imre use to exemplify the effect of FATELESSNESS on its readers?
People's souls were worried and will be worried when things like the Holocaust happen, that is why they read it.

Holocaust Timeline

Image Analysis

What we can see of the image is that one of the men out stands the other ones. He is much taller and is wearing what appears to be a cape, symbol of power. The Nazi symbol is surrounded by many guns, and is the center. I see a Nazi symbol on a globe, which could mean they rule the world. They are standing in a red floor that could be the enemy's blood. There are many Guns to show what they use to rule the world. By viewing this image I question myself Why do they feel superior? and Is the one wearing the cape Hitler? This image expresses a dark side, with fog, it makes the image look sad because you think of all the innocent people they killed. Jewish people were being murdered by Nazi's.

Men Writing as Women and Women Writing as Men

The activity is to do a research and find two authors, a female one that writes as male and a male one that writes as a female.
First example would be J.K Rowling, she is author of the famous Harry Potter fantasy series. In Harry Potter, the main character is a man, but the author is J.K Rowling, who is a woman.
Second example would be Roddy Doyle, Doyle is the author of "The Woman who walked into Doors (1996), this is a story of a battered wife, narrated by the victim (a woman).
The benefits of writing like this is that you have it from another perspective, a different gender. And the limitations are that you don't have enough experience to write in another gender.
This types of author try to change the perspective, it would be interesting to know how a woman thinks a man is and how a man think a woman is.

Dunkirk Evacuation: Historical Facts

The Dunkirk Evacuation also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk began in May 1940, it consisted in evacuating 338.226 Allied troops from Dunkirk, France between May 27th and June 4th 1940, because they were cut off by the German army on the Battle of Dunkirk. French, Belgian, Dutch and Norwegian ships took part in the evacuation alongside the ships of the Royal Navy. People who were hostile to Hitler thought that Dunkirk was a success, but Hitler thought it was a disaster. Most of the people was evacuated. The evacuation consisted in saving the people, therefore all the guns and tank had to be left behind, and were captured by German forces. Rescued soldiers were able to fight again.

Dunkirk Evacuation

1. What is happening? 
They are evacuation the Allied soldiers from the beaches and harbor of Dunkirk.

2. What ideas or feelings are being suggested? 
Confusion on the soldiers, and hope.

3. Who is the narrator? 
Ian McEwan pretending to be Briony as an old woman.

4. Who is speaking in the passage?
Robbie.


5. Who is seeing the events taking place?
Robbie.

6. What is the setting? 
Dunkirk, France, 1940.
7. What do you know about what is going on?
The Allied soldiers were ordered to evacuate and leave everything behind.

8. Do you think that the passage about the evacuation of Dunkirk would fulfill McEwan's desire to write about the war? Whose vision of the war is depicted: Robbie's, Briony's, McEwan's, or those of his sources?
I think that the passage about the evacuation is the vision of all of them. (Robbie, Briony and Ian.)

Atonement by Ian McEwan

1. What sort of social and cultural setting does the Tallis House create? What emotions and impulses are being acted upon or repressed by its inhabitants? 
The Tallis house seemed to be an old and big house, with a big yard. It showed that the family had power and money, they were a high class family. In its inhabitants, the high class family does not allow Cecilia to have a relationship with Robbie.

2. A passion for order, a lively imagination, and a desire for attention seem to be Briony's strongest traits. In what ways is she still a child? Is her narcissism her inability to see things from any point of view but her own unusual in a thirteen-year-old? 
As she believes that she is an adult, she thinks to know what is happening between Robbie and Cecilia, and trying to help her sister she lies about who was guilty. I think as she thinks to understand everything that is happening, she doesn't see the facts from another perspective.

3. Why does Briony stick to her "version of the story" with such unwavering commitment? Does she act entirely in error in a situation she is not old enough to understand, or does she act, in part, on an impulse of malice, revenge, or self-importance? 
Because she is still a child, although Briony doesn't believe that, she doesn't see everything that is happening, and for example, when she is watching from the window, the doesn't see what really happens and thinking as an adult believes other things. This makes her think that Robbie is dangerous for her sister, so she tries to keep him away from her.

 4. As she grows older, Briony develops the empathy to realize what she has done to Cecilia and Robbie. How and why do you think she does this?
Just by growing up and maybe putting herself in the place of Cecilia, from an older point o f view she realizes that what she did to Robbie and Cecilia was wrong.

Jane Austen and Women's Emancipation

1.- What degrees of emancipation and/or conservative reinforcement of 18th-century family values does Elizabeth Bennett's marriage to Mr. Darcy support?
In those times, women would usually marry people of a high class instead of a mid-class, they were very influenced about this, and the main goal for a women would be getting married, but she was proud of herself and lived the way she wanted, not the way everyone else wanted.

2.-What attitudes to marriage does Pride and Prejudice convey? What other options did Elizabeth Bennett have?
For a woman, the most important thing is to get married, it is the women identity and professional ideal. She had two options, to marry the one he loved or to marry another man of a higher class.




3.- How does this introduction affect your reading and approach to the novel?
It helps us understand the context of the novel, its setting and the main themes.

4.- How could the social circumstances and contexts of Pride and Prejudice apply to different cultures and contexts today?
I think that Pride and Prejudice has and will always been present in human life.

Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"

1. Why do you think "Pride and Prejudice" continues to be a referent for modern tales?
Although Pride and Prejudice is a story from the early 19th Century, it's topic and themes are still present in our society, therefore it still catches the attention of readers.

 2. What do you think is the effect that these different authors (film directors, producers, modern writers) want to achieve in today's audiences?
I think they are trying to connect those differences between the old day's marriage and today's marriage. 200 years ago the woman was influenced by her family and almost forced to marry a hopefully rich man.  It somehow mixes both different times to a new romance story.

 3. If you had to choose one of the previous versions to analyse, which would be the one and why?
I would choose the original version because it is closer to the classic way. It is more original in the sense of a 19th century romance story. We would have many things to analyse.

P.E.E and Use of Quotations

We can have many ideas but if we don't write them in the correct way, they wont be understand by the reader. That is what PEE is for, PEE stands for Point, Evidence and Explanation. PEE is a very effective way to answer a question.

Point: This is the first step for the PEE structure. This step is based on stating your main idea for the topic or for our answer to the question.

Evidence: In this part we support, or proof out point or ideas. This is quoting to give some evidence of your point being right.

Explanation: As a final step we must explain with our own words our idea or point. Why are we answering this and why do we believe this.

Quoting is a essential part for your evidence. When quoting remember that if the quote is short, you can put it in the same sentence as your text, if it is a long quote it has to be on a line of its own.
After quoting there are certain phrases that are helpful when you explain it, such as: this implies, this suggests, which gives the impression that, possibly, perhaps, this indicates that, this shows, obviously, etc.
Connectives are also useful to help move on your argument, such as: however, therefore, in contrast, because, but, and, furthermore, also, then, later, etc.