Englishtasks

Task 1) Summarize briefly why Mr Ramirez came to Los Angeles and why he has to leave. â€Å"Obviously† enough Mr Ramirez came to Los Angeles in the search for a better job and life. Well job, he had a job during the war at an airplane factory making parts, and he kept this job after the war. The reason he had to leave was because he wasn’t allowed to stay there any longer, because his temporary visa was no longer valid. He was there six months too long as well, so the police came and picked him up, to send him back to Mexico. Task2)A There is a famous saying that is nothing more American than Mom and apple pie.This story’s â€Å"mom† just happens to be baking a pie. She looks at her pie and compares it to Mr Ramirez. What attitude toward Mr Ramirez does this comparison encourage? I think our writer; Ray Bradbury wanted to show that illegal immigrants also are human beings. Ray wanted to show that these illegal immigrants can have a positive influence on ot hers. I even think that Mrs O’Brien likes Mr Ramirez more than just a friend; I think she likes him even more. The way she said â€Å"I just realized, I’ll never see Mr Ramirez again† made me think that.She says in a very sad way, like if she lost something very valuable to her. In all those American movies, the moms are very happy for their pies, and they let the pie’s stand in the window frame, and then someone comes and steals it. And now, someone came and took her pie, which is Mr Ramirez. Task 2) B We are given a detailed description of what Mr Ramirez likes about his room, what he spends his money on and what he likes to do in Los Angeles. What do these details reveal to us about why Mexicans like living in the USA? These descriptions start right after â€Å"Soon after Mr Ramirez had arrived.. † just like it wasn’t possible for him to do before he came. Pleasures that are harder to achieve in countries like Mexico are more easily attai nable in USA, which is the land where your dreams come true, isn’t it? USA makes it easier for good, hard-working people to be something, and live more greatly. â€Å"Walked silent streets and seen the bright clothes in the windows and bought some of them† Is one of the things he likes to do. He likes to do it, and he does it, the recipe for success. I guess that in Mexico, these things are harder. Task 2) CMrs O’Brien has been to Mexico. What did she notice? Why do you think all the negative sides of Mexico are in the thoughts of Mrs O’Brian and not Mr Ramirez? Mrs O’Brian remembers the hot days, the endless crickets leaping and falling or lying dead and brittle like the small cigars in the shop windows. She remembers the canals taking river water out to the farms, the dirt roads, and the scorched landscape. She remembers the silent towns, the warm beer, and the hot, thick food every day. She remembers the slow, dragging horses and the parched jac k rabbits on the road.She remembers the Iron Mountains and the dusty valleys and the ocean beaches that spread hundreds of miles with no sound but the waves – no cars, no buildings. I believe that the reason Mrs O’Brien think of all the negative sides, and Mr Ramirez doesn’t is because he is used to them. These conditions, this land she came across during her visit is much more of a shock to her, than to Mr Ramirez. Task 2) D Both Mr Ramirez and Mrs O’Brian are suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of loss at his leaving. Why did the writer not just have Mr Ramirez being sad about never seeing Mrs O’Brian again?I think our writer; Ray Bradbury wanted to show that illegal immigrants are also human beings. Ray wanted to show that these illegal immigrants can have a positive influence on others. As well, I think that the whole story may last in just a couple of minutes, so the author focuses more on detailed description of the character’s story and experience to give us readers a bigger picture, if not the text could be meaningless and quite short. Task 3) A Is this a story that tries to create sympathy for illegal Mexican workers? Does it succeed? I think it tries to create sympathy for those who illegally enter the USA.It does show that Mexican workers have bad living standards where they come from, so it does create sympathy in some ways. I think it’s more that they want a change considering the rules, because those Mexican workers are people too, and they are probably just as good and hard-working as any other American. A story about Mexican workers just trying to live their life to the fullest by doing solid work, and the story confirms this and tries to open up some thoughts surrounding the theme. I think it succeeds; at least I get sympathy for them, so I guess it works. Task 3) B Can literature play a major role in bringing about social change?Is it as effective as documentary films and television programs, or non-fictional books and articles about social problems? Yes, literature can play a great role, but it’s various. A great, well know text can make a difference if it really makes an impression, but I do not think it’s the best way these days to make social problems more known. I believe a movie is the best way, because it reaches out to more people, and gets greater publicity than books. For example the new movie â€Å"The Impossible† about the Tsunami, gives very strong impressions because we can see what happens, and we know it happend in real life.Books don’t reach out to that many people. Task 6) A * How long is the Mexican-American border in miles and kilometres? The Mexican-American border total length is 1,969 miles or 3,141 km long * The 2006 Secure Fence Act says there is going to be a fence along the border. How long will the fence be in miles, and in kilometres? The 2006 Secure Fence Act goal was/is to help and secure America’s borders to decrease the amount of illegal entries, drug trafficking and security threats. A 700 miles (1,100 km) fence of physical barriers alongside the Mexico-United States border.Kilde: ( http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Secure_Fence_Act_of_2006 ) * Approximately how many illegals get across the border every year? Of course, it’s impossible to give an exact number, but the number is somewhere around 375,000 people every year. About 65% of these illegal immigrants come from Mexico and the other 35% come from Southern America. At least according to (http://www. strategicstudiesinstitute. army. mil/pdffiles/ksil499. pdf) * Use the internet to find out how you could legally enter the USA. Is there any way you could enter the USA to work and live there permanently?Start your search by going to the United States Embassy websites. If you are going to live permanently in the USA, you are going to have to get a green card. This means you have to become a permanent resident. The first way to qu alify for a green card is by having close family members who lives in the US. The second way of getting green card, is trough employment. Your chances for making this work increase the more skilled you are. In most cases you must show that an employer has offered you a job. The employer must also be able to show that no American was available to do the job.The last option for green card, would be through the diversity lottery. A program encouraging immigration for countries that don’t send many immigrants to the U. S. A small number of green cards will be available to people from these countries. All the qualified applicants will enter a lottery and the winners get the green card and gets allowed to move to USA. https://www. usimmigrationsupport. org/greencard. html * Use the internet to find reliable information about the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 or, in its full name, the Secure Borders, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Reform Act of 2007.This act wit h a very long name was a proposition that would allow illegal immigrants to be able living and working legally in the U. S, with something called work authorization card, after paying some fines. Also, it would create temporary work programs, so workers would have to return to their homeland every two years, and stay there for a year or so before they could come back. But this act got voted down and died in the Senate after failing to get the 60 votes it needed to end debate. Kilde : http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Comprehensive_Immigration_Reform_Act_of_2007 http://immigration. about. om/od/usimmigrationhistory/f/What-S-In-The-Comprehensive-Immigration-Reform-Bill. htm http://www. nytimes. com/2011/12/09/us/illegal-border-crossings-dip-sharply. html? _r=0 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Illegal_immigration_to_the_United_States Last raindrops Little Noah wakes up by the sound of rain thundering down on his window. He looks up, but he doesn’t move, he just stares at the window, looking at the rain. He doesn’t really think of anything special, he just observes how the rain splashes on the railings. Despite his confusion of what he should be thinking, he has a bad feeling. He knows that today is the day.He can feel it. They told him it was going to happen this week, but not sure which day. He stands up and puts his pyjamas pants on, the new one that he bought just some days ago. He stretches out like he always does, making this weird noise because he’s so sleepy. He stands in front of the window, looking out again. He has always been inspired by the rain; it makes him feel comfortable, but not today. Today it just makes him confused. Why would they want to take him? A 10 year old boy, who has done no harm towards anyone. Even though it was raining, the sun was rising in distance, hopefully making a rainbow.Maybe that would cheer him up. Anyhow, he knows that today is the day to leave this reality. Not just all the things in present time, also t he future in this place will go away for ever. The government has decided to send Noah and his dad back home, where they once lived, Kurdistan. He can hear his dad walking around downstairs. Not looking for something, just walking around. Probably confused, just like Noah. It has been 4 days since they said they would show within a week, but this had to be the day. Despite Noah’s young age, he was quite aware of what was going on.Noah’s dad has told him that the war in his native land isn’t critical anymore, even safe according to authorities, but Noah knows better. Noah remembers things from when he had to leave the country, he gets flashbacks. He remembers people screaming, and he just stood there crying. He remembers the last time he ever saw his mother and sister, before they were killed by a car-bomb. Noah was only 4 years old at the time, but the memories are stuck in him. He tries to stay positive, but he’s afraid. Afraid of leaving this safe place . Afraid of the memories that are printed in his head.Afraid that he and his dad will share the same faith as his sister and mother, losing everything again. Maybe he won’t have any place to sleep, anything to eat. He is glad he got his dad, but he misses his mother’s comforting words. He doesn’t recall much of her, but enough to know that he misses her. Noah fells a tear down his cheek, just like the ones falling down on his window. Noah’s father didn’t take the loss of his wife well either, he struggled a lot. Noah remembers how he heard his father crying late nights, and he remembers when they got the letter which said they had to go back.Noah looks out the window again, he sees people running around, hiding from the rain under their jackets. He remembers one time, long ago, when his mother, father and himself had to run across town because the rain surprisingly showed up. But Noah didn’t mind, he loved the rain. He hopes it will rain a l ot where he is going, it’s his only hope at the moment. Doorbell. Doorbell again. Every sound makes Noah’s heart beat a little faster. He looks outside again, observing the rain, sliding down synchronized with his tears. They were here, it’s time.