Happy, happy! You have to smile every time!!

A week before the Easter, all first of Batxillerat went on a trip to Madrid, Bilbao, and Burgos. But the last Sunday before the travel, I got ill. And I couldn't go to the trip. So, I stayed two days ill, on home.

After that, I went to walk with my brother and my mum, into the forest. And then I started to write a narrative composition, like a novel, in Spanish. And I read it to my brother. Then he said: The level is like some novels that people public. And I was really happy. The novel is about a young girl who lives in our century, and she doesn't like the modern society. For some family problems, her mum wants her to go with her grandmother, in a little village. Well, that's a little summary of the novel. But I don't finish it yet.

Some days later, in Friday, we went in a friend's house, where there was a good friend, Nadia, she is 17 year old like me. We sang, we danced, because she dance funky, and we spoke a lot... We went to Figueres centre, and she presented me her friends.

Few days later, Paula came to my house. At first we made a chocolate cake, it was delicious!! We talk, but I don't remember the details, and we lunch a salad, and rice, and for dessert we ate a piece of the cake that we made before. At evening we saw a film, Twilight. And finally we went to sleep. But the funny part of these is that at midnight, it was rain, and my house is very, very, very old. And I heard a little noisy. I heard that something falls in my bed all the time. And Paula suddenly waked up, and she said: Something like water is touching my face!! So, Then I knew what was that. Because the rain, there was dripping in my bedroom!! After that, I ran to find bowl for the water. Finally we could sleep more time.

Are our zoos cruel to wild animals? Discuss:                 

 I think that an animal must be free, live with the nature and live together with other animals. So, I think that the zoos are cruel with the animals.

My opinion is: that animals aren't toys, and of course they aren't any show. Animals need to live free because if one day they must live for themselves they won't know how they must live about. I'm not saying that if an animal needs to cured, you can't cure it!! No! If you want to save an animal, you can and must cure it. But when the animal is completely healthy you must give it the freedom. And yes, I understand that a person wants to know about an animal; a giraffe, an elephant, a lion, a crocodile... But in fact that isn't good for a person and of course for an animal. I think that if one day I want to really know about a lion or a kangaroo, for example, or see them I will go to Africa or Australia...

To sum up, if we don't like to live in cages, we can't put the animals there!! I think that the zoos mustn't put the animals in cages. That's really cruel. We must understand all the animals, for example it's the same if you tie a dog all day, this animal can't be happy!! All I want is that one day all humans understand that we aren't the masters of the World. The human is an animal too.

Jane Austen was born in 1775 at the village of Steventson, in England. When she was ten, Austen with her sister, Cassandra, attended the Abbey School in Reading, England. Then from 1790 to 1793 she wrote her juvenilia. At the age of 20 she wrote the original version of Northanger Abbey, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice too.  In 97 her "first impression" was, rejected by a London publisher. Later her father retired and moved to Bath with her wife and daughters. There Susan another original version of Northanger Abbey was bought by a publisher but it was never issued. In 1804 Austen began and quickly abandoned, "The Wastsons".

One year later her father, George, died. So her mother, Jane and her sister moved to live in a small house provided by her wealthy brother Edward in the village of Chawton, situated in Southern England. Austin began to revising the original versions of Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice. Finally she had a lucky break in 1811 because Sense and Sensibility published. But that didn't finish here, because two years later Pride and Prejudice published, and Mansfield Park were published. So Austin began to work on Emma, another work by Austen. In 1815 Emma was published and was dedicated to Prince Regent, the future George IV at his request. And Austen completed Persuasion.

One year later she composed the fragment "Sanditon", but some time later she abandoned it because of incapacitating illness. Austen was moved to Winchester for medical care in May, and she died there on 18^th July. She was buried in Winchester Cathedral on 24^th July. Eventually in 1818 Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published jointly in a for-volume edition, with a biographical preface or Austen by her brother Henry.

Jasmina Garcia

TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES by Thomas Hardy, Burlington Books

1. Write a short biography of Thomas Hardy( 5 lines ). Do not copy and paste it from internet. Use your own language.

Thomas Hardy was a novelist and a poet. He was born in Higher Bockhampton (Dorsetchire), on 2nd June of 1840. First he worked on architecture, and he began to wrote poems but without success. After he was a novelist, and he saw that it was easier to sell. He wrote Tess of the D’Urbervilles in 1891. But he was ill, and his healthy it wasn’t so good. He was married with Emma Gifford. But in 1912 she died. And in 1914 he was married again with Florence Dugdale. And finally he died on 11th January of 1928.

2. Although the places that appear in Hardy's novels actually exist, in many cases he gave the place a fictional name. For example, Hardy's hometown of Dorchester he called Casterbridge in his books. Find some information about Marlott, Shaston, Chaseborough, Tantridge and Sandbourne: situation, real names, inhabitants ...

· The really name of Marlott village is Marnhull. The village where Tess D’Urberfield lived, well she and her family. And there Tess lived in a humble cottage.

· The name in fiction it’s Shaston but the really name is Shaftesbury.

· Chasebrough, this side is situated in South Wessex actual Dorset, and the actual name of this village is Cranborne..

· Tantridge was the village where Alec and his family lived.

· Sandbourne is the actual Bournemouth, in Upper Wessex..

* Sorry but I hadn’t found anything about inhabitants, I had searched in the internet, and include in the encyclopaedia. But of course in the encyclopedia, I hadn’t found any thing.

3. Part I : The Maiden

-Write about Tess sad story of her stay at Tantridge.

Tess went in her rich “family’s” big house, and there she coked and she cared of the birds, and chickens. There she met Alec her cousin, but really he wasn’t her cousin because later she knew that Alec’s family bought the title of D’Urbervilles few years ago. And he tried to know something else about Tess. But Tess didn’t like Alec very much, because he was very pervert, and Tess felt uncomfortable.

-Watch the video number 1 and relate it to the novel.

Well, firs of all, in the video the facts are more detailed. For example when they are passing through the Chase, and after Alec raped Tess. This part in the book you don’t see, it only mentions. Or after that, the uncomfortable situation between them, the book doesn’t tell us.

4.Part II: Maiden no more

-Two years have passed since Tess left Tantridge. Write a summary of the main events that took place during these two years.

When she went to Marlott village again, first she explained everything to her mum. And after when the baby was born, she called her baby, Sorrow. But she knew that the baby was going to die the same night, and she wanted to christened, because she was very religious. But the parson didn’t want to christen the baby. And finally Tess splashed some water in the baby’s face, and she drew a cross. The next morning Sorrow was die. And she buried the baby by itself. Then she decided to change her life absolutely. And she went to Great Diaries valley because the new work. She worked in a diary, diary means a caw farm. And she did her work like the professional’s workers because she was milking the caws. Later she and Claire fell in love. And one day Claire ask to Tess if she want to married with he. First Tess sad «no», but few days later she sad «yes». Tess finally after married with Claire, told to her husband the secret about Alec, but he didn’t accept. And they separated for a time. Claire went to Brazil in a farm, and Tess went to Marlott village, with her family. Her dad, John, didn’t accept her separation with Alec, and John sais that the other people will laugh at them again and they will do ridicules.

-Why do you think Tess called her baby Sorrow?

I think that Tess called her baby Sorrow because she was sad for her pregnancy and because she remembered the sad situation, and sorrow means sadness…

5.Part III: A new life

-With all the information you get from chapters 8,9 and 10, write a description of Angel Clare. Angel Clare is good looking and he’s charming. He has got a rich family: his father is a parson, so they are very religious. He’s rear, because in one hand he is romantic and nice, but on the other hand, he is antipathetic or maybe male chauvinist. He is romantic because he plays an instrument like a poet. And for me he seems an angel.
-Angel asks Tess: "Why are you crying ?" and she answers : " I don't know". Why do you think she is crying? Because she promised that she would never married.
-Watch video number 2 and relate it to the story : " This is the moment when ..." This is the moment when Tess saw the letter below the carpet. And she wrote this letter for Angel telling the truth. But she didn’t know why the letter was there. Tess though that Angel knew the secret, but he didn’t know.

6.Part IV: Consequences

-Do you think Tess chose the right moment to tell Angel the truth? I think that it’s a good time to tell to Angel the truth, because first he had told her his secret. But in fact is Angel who has the problem, because he doesn’t understand the situation.

7.Part V : The Woman pays

-Comment on Angel's reaction. Should he have forgiven her? Is it a question of prejudice or lack on confidence on Tess' part? In my opinion, it’s a question of prejudice, because he really doesn’t know what happened with Alec.
- "I couldn't lie to him " ( pag.44 ). Are love and lies compatible? That happen when Tess’ mother sais to Tess that she hadn’t to tell him, but she needed to explain the secret. No, I think that with lies you can’t go anyway.
-Do Tess' parents really worry about her unhappiness ? What do they actually worry about? No they don’t worry for her problems they only want money, and to be recognized.

8.Part VI : A changed Man

-Why does Tess finally surrender and succumb to Alec's powers? Because Alec gave money and a house in a village for her mother and her sisters, and Tess finally accepted and she went with Alec, only for her family.

Would you judge her for such a decision? I think that Tess shouldn’t do that, because her family doesn’t worry for Tess. Therefore Tess shouldn’t live with Alec only for her family.

9.Part VII : Tess' fate

-Write a short summary of chapter 18 ( 5-10 lines )

When Angel returned from Brazil he received one letter, from Tess, and he answered it, but Joan Durbeyfield answered him. And she sais that Tess felt good. But Joan can’t sais anything about where Tess lived. But before that, Angel in Brazil, received a letter from Izz and Marian asking help for Tess.

Tess was sad and she was living with Alec, but she was disappointed with the live, and with herself. So, one day she killed Alec, in a house. Mrs Brooks, in charge of the house, saw Alec dead and she called the police. After that, Tess went with Angel, and they escaped, from the police. But they was tired on the night and finally stopped for sleep a little. And then the policeman caught them. Some time later, the beautiful sister of Tess and Angel went to the prison, and they heard a prisoner had been hanged. They were sad. But however Tess sais one day, when the police catch him, that she imagined this final for her live, and she though that it could be better for her.

I’m going to describe a friend, Maria. We meet sometimes at weekends, she’s very nice, and a good person.

Maria is average height and thin, so she’s attractive and good-looking for the boys. She has got long and curly hair. And her eyes are brown. She likes singing very much, and she’s quite good. Maria isn’t the best at school, but she’s so good, she prefers the music subject. Well, she is patient with the studies. Maria has got nice feelings, for example she loves her friends, and she hates false people. She’s interested in music and cinema, and she would like to be a flight attendant.

She’s very kind. At first she’s shy, but after a time she is very extrovert. Maria’s generous, and sociable, she likes go out very much.

To sum up, she is a good friend for me and I’m very happy to know her.

I didn’t go to Girona, but I went on an excursion to the forest, and it was raining!

It was cold, I was shivering. And I only wore a jacket. My brother called me, he said that my dog, Nela, had fallen down in a ravine because of the rain. I was nervous and scared, my brother too. I listened to my dog, and she was crying. Oh! We didn’t know what we could do.

Keeping my cool, I went home, I didn’t tell anything to my parents, and I caught a long rope. At the same time my brother was expecting me into the forest. I ran again.

Then we tied the long rope to a strong and tall tree, and we made a slip-knot, we tried to put the rope around the body of Nela, after five minutes we got it, because we pulled and pulled together. Oh poor!! She was shaking like a leaf.

After we went home, and we put our dog in front of the fireplace. It was really hard.

THE NEWSPAPER, SANT NARCÍS:

This article explains the legend of the patron of Girona, Sant Narcís. It says that the French troops went to Girona, but from the statue of Narcís appeared a swarm of flies and they stopped the French troops. The article explains too what kind of activities the people do in the festival. For example the activities are: concerts, the inauguration speech, a huge pyrotechnic show, and obviously the funny attractions.

JASMINA

Dear Mary,

How are you? I wite to you because I would like to meet you some day, and I explain you my summer holidays!

I went to Madrid with my cousins, uncles, my parents and with my brother too. I have eleven cousins and six uncles and aunts. We were a lot of people!! We went to Madrid for my cousin Ivan's wedding, he is the eldest cousin. It was hot but at nights it was cold. I had a good time when I stayed with all my family. But when I had to say good bye, I was sad... They live very far away from me!!!!

The first day we went to a restaurant and I ate something like pizza, but I don't remember the name. After, Rafa, my uncle Rafa's son, called me. He wanted to talk to me. He asked what I was doing at high school, and what I would like to do in the future. Well we talk for a long time. The next day my cousin maarried Almudena and we celebrated the wedding!!

It was cool!

And you Mary, wha tso you last summer holidays?

Take care! Write soon!!!

Jasmina.