Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most powerful hurricane, that caused 1.836 victims, in the history of the United States of America. Hurricane Katrina formed on August 23rd 2005 in the atlantic coast but also affected one part of the gulf coast that is to say states like New Orleans, Mississippi, Lousiana, Florida, Panhandle and Alabama . Katrina had strengthened to a category 3 storm in the Gulf of Mexico.
Hurricane Katrina caused damages counting in 75 thousand million dollars. Hurricane Katrina formed over The Islands of Bahamas on August 24th, and also attacked the City of Miami and Cuba.
A hurricane is a powerful storm that is formed in the sea and its winds can reach a velocity of 100 kilometres per hour, the temperature of the sea must be in a range of 27 -28 celcius degrees.
Hurricanes mainly appears in countries which climate is template and warm seas, that is the reason will be very strange to have a hurricane in South America.
Nowadays Hurricanes can be detected by satellites or meteorologic radars, for this reason people can be warned about 3 or 4 days before the storm formed in order to they can find a secure shelter to face this phenomeno.
Hurricane Katrina dissipated from the coast on August 31st,2005.
Hurricane Katrina wasn't the last hurricane that threated USA but it has been the most powerful ones.
Hurricane Rita was the following hurricane that attacked USA's coast on september 21st, 2005.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Frankenstein as a Romantic Hero.

As we know, a Romantic Hero is a person who doesn't fix in the frame of society, he´s rejecting by society because of his ideas, behaviour or his appearance. But he doesn't fix in the society because he thinks different about some topics , different according to the norms and convection existing nowadays. He is an outcast, he generally lives outside the cities, in a hidden place far from the rest of the people.
Romantic Hero moves acording to his thoughts instead his actions, his thoughts are stronger than his movements. He often feels represented by nature, because nature is the purest thing in life, nature can't be "corrupted" by people's mind.
Then, why do we consider Frankenstein as a Romantic Hero?
First of all, He doesn't fix in the society because of his appearance, he's too ugly in some cases disgusting to the rest of the people, he limps, he groans (at the beginning), he's clumsy.
Second, where does he find shelter?, in the forest, in nature. He wants to be in isolation, he cries, he is a melancolic person, so in a way we can say that he is very sensitive.
Third, in this case he has a uncommon strenght.
Fourth, He has a inner struggle because he wants to be love, but he realizes that he's a monster so who do fall in love with him, only another monster like him could do it, someone with the same characteristics.
Finally, this monster in despite of all, he decides to stay with his creator, his father, so in certain way he returns to his nature, the man who gave him life.

To Nature (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)(1772-1834)

It may indeed be fantasy when I
Essay to draw from all created things
Deep, heartfelt, inward joy that closely clings;
And trace in leaves and flowers that round me lie
Lessons of love and earnest piety.
So let it be; and if the wide world rings
In mock of this belief, it brings
Nor fear, nor grief, nor vain perplexity.
So will I build my altar in the fields,
And the blue sky my fretted dome shall be,
And the sweet fragrance that the wild flower yields
Shall be the incense I will yield to Thee,
Thee only God! and thou shalt not despise
Even me, the priest of this poor sacrifice.

The Retreat

By Henry Vaughan (1621 - 1695)

Happy those early days! when I
Shined in my angel-infancy,
Before I understood this place
Appointed for my second race,
Or taught my soul to fancy ought
But a white, celestial thought;
When yet I had not walked above
A mile or two from my first love,
And looking back—at that short space—
Could see a glimpse of His bright face;
When on some gilded cloud, or flower,
My gazing soul would dwell an hour,
And in those weaker glories spy
Some shadows of eternity;
Before I taught my tongue to wound
My conscience with a sinful sound,
Or had the black art to dispense
A several sin to every sense,
But felt through all this fleshy dress
Bright shoots of everlastingness.
Oh how I long to travel back,
And tread again that ancient track!
That I might once more reach that plain,
Where first I left my glorious train;
From whence the enlightened spirit sees
That shady city of palm trees.
But ah! my soul with too much stay
Is drunk, and staggers in the way.
Some men a forward motion love,
But I by backward steps would move
And when this dust falls to the urn,
In that state I came, return.

1- Who's the speaker and who's speaking to?
The Poet, in this case, it's the speaker of the poem.
2- Type of vocabulary (loving, violent, angry, etc)
The vocabulary it's very educated, intellectual, for a person who are reffering about his life.
3- Alliterations, metaphors, comparisons, assonances, personifications.
Alliterations:
- Or taught my soul to fancy aught
- When yet I had not walk'd above
- A mile or two form my first Love.
- Before I taught my tongue to wound
Metaphors:
- Some shadows of eternity.
- Before I taught my tongue to wound.
- My Consciece with a sinful sound.
- But felt through all this fleshly dress.
- That shady City of Palm-Trees.
- Where first I left my glorious train
- And tread again that ancient track!
- And when this dust falls to the run.
Assonances:
- Before I understood this place
Appointed for my second race.
- And looking back at that short space
Could see a glimpse of his bright face.
- Or had the black art to dispense
A several sin to ev'ry sense
- That I might gain that ancient train
where first I left my Glorious train.

4- What's the poem about?
The poem is about life, a life's reflection, things you did things you couldn't do. It's a remembrance about the long way or track that life is. I think he knows that sometimes he is going to die, so he looks back in his life and try to tell us his opinion.

In my opinion,I think this is a beautiful poem in which you can give yourself the time to think about you personal view of life, about your achievements and failures, the poet recognizes the life after death, "and when this dust falls to the urn, in that state I came, return",this poem has a lot of metaphors, so it is interesting to the reader. I like it so much indeed.

Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,In a kingdom by the sea,That a maiden there lived whom you may knowBy the name of Annabel Lee;And this maiden she lived with no other thoughtThan to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,In this kingdom by the sea:But we loved with a love that was more than love - I and my Annabel Lee; With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,In this kingdom by the sea,A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee;So that her high-born kinsmen cameAnd bore her away from me,To shut her up in a sepulchreIn this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,Went envying her and me - Yes! that was the reason (as all men know,In this kingdom by the sea)That the wind came out of the cloud one night,Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love Of those who were older than we - Of many far wiser than we - And neither the angels in heaven above,Nor the demons down under the sea,Can ever dissever my soul from the soulOf the beautiful Annabel Lee;

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling -my darling -my life and my bride,In the sepulchre there by the sea - In her tomb by the sounding sea.

Scores for Yonkers Students Drop on State English Test

When I read this article, I told myself it could not happened in USA, most unbelievable in New York, the capital of the world in terms of culture, because when you think about United States, you always think that this country is one of the most important countries in the world. But this time is different because in the last english test students of New York got the worst level among the others states.
The superintendent of New York, Mr. Pierorazio said that it is was because there were a large number of students from other countries who were still learning english in New York.
Under a new federal requirement, students enrolled in school in USA for at least a year must take the state tests. Previously, students with less than three years of english classes were exempted from the tests.
Mr. Pierorazio said, this happened because there were students who are coming from other nations and being immersed in english for 10 months and then asked to perform at a proficient level, this didn't reflect the true of the test.
Norma Grohowski, was dissapointed about the scores of this test, she said it is also a parents' responsibility.
"I don't know why it dropped, but everybody is trying to do their best to keep the scores up, both the parents and the schools", she said.

King Lear

Characters:

King Lear of Britain.
Edmund: illigitimate son of Gloucester.
Cordelia: King Lear's daughter.
Albany: Duke of Albany.
Regan: King Lear's second daughter.
Goneril: King Lear's elder daughter.
Edgar: is the legitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester.
Kent: earl of Kent.

They were in the British camp near Dover (Dover is a major channel port in the English county of Kent), to fight the French Army. Cordelia and King Lear were prisoners, Edmund ordered a soldier to take them to prison and kill them. In this scene I feel a treason atmosphere between Edmund, Albany and Edgar. On the other hand Albany seemed me more calm than the other characters.
Albany was very disconcerted because a gentleman told him that Goneril poisoned his sister and then killed herself. King Lear didn't want to live anymore because his daughter Cordelia was dead, in a sense I think he lost his mind, he felt no reason to live , as he said: "And my poor fool is hang'd! No, no, no life!Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,And thou no breath at all? Thou'lt come no more". King Lear died.
At the end, Albany said Kent and Edgar to rule the Realm, the mood was very mourning and sad.