To Kill a Mockingbired: Opening pages

1)Who is the narrator and what, if anything, do you find out about him or her? Is the narrative written in the third or the first person?

Scout who is older than six years old, as she is remembering how did her brother, Jem, got his elbow broken. It is written in first person, as the quote "I maintain that the Ewells started it all...", states.

2)Apart from the narrator, what other characters are introduced? What do you learn about them?

Scout, Jem, Atticus, Calpurnia;

Simon Finch, Alexandra Finch, Jack Finch;

Mr. and Mrs. Radley, Arthur Radley;

Dill, Miss Rachel;

Cecil, Mrs. Henry Lefayette Dubose, Miss Stephanie Crawford, The Cunninghams.

They all leave in Maycomb County.

3)What is the setting? How is it described? What is the atmosphere like?

Maycomb County that is described as "an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it".  The atmosphere is slow, without any hurry as if the days were longer than they really were. However, there was a sort of optimistic mood as "Maycomb County had recently been toldmthat it had nothing to fear but fear itself".

Nation and Language

1)What happens when one language comes into contact with another one?
The dominat language may imposed over the other, creating language change throughout pidgins and creoles; or language shift, that is occured when the language being dominated is completely replaced by the dominat one.

2) What do you understand by decolonization?
The process throughout which a culture or state being dominated by another, becomes independent. E.g.: Chile's independence from Spain in XVIII century.


3) What is said to be the painful effects of the forcible displacement of Irish (the language)?
The lost of its literature, as Irish writers are required to express themselves in English.

Speaking Activity

We will based our speaking activity on Jargon and Argot, language and culture, and language and identity, as we represent the contact between European culture, illustrated throughout two English tourists, and rural one represented by an huaso. They met and exchange different perspectives about how should life stile be like, discriminating the tourists in a very despective way how does the huaso live. The huaso uses certain words which are characteristic on its argot, while tourists pronounce in a too sophisticated and exaggerated way, which show us the contrast between both cultures. This argot provides identity to our language and culture.

Nursery Rhyme: Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again!

Gary Garnishee stalled in his liabilities
Gary Garnishee had lost stability
All the king’s attorneys and all the king’s collectors
Sequester all Gary Garnishee’s assets from his shelter!

Written Task: Chimerism

Chimerism

Chimerism is a genetical phenomenon suffered by an organism that is composed of two or more different populations of genetically distinct cells, being called chimera or chimaera. Chimeras are forms from different parent cells but emerged from the same zygote, previously combined with another; then, two independent sperms fertilize two different ovules. This condition is either acquired through transplantation or transfusion, or genetical heritage, and allows chimeras to be male, female or hermaphroditic. Chimeras’ phenotypes differences are expressed through skin pigmentation, differential hair growth in opposite sides of the body or eyes of different colours, for instance. However, most of chimeras do not notice they genetically modified condition. Chimerism is presented mostly in animals, even there are plant cases studied separately. 

Hybridism and chimerism are not the same phenomenon: hybrids are formed from the fusion of gametes (a horse sperm and a donkey ovule, for instance) from two different species, which form a single zygote; in contrast, chimeras are produced as two different zygotes are mixed (such as, horse and donkey zygotes).

Marmosets, which share their DNA with the fraternal twins they always give birth to, are an example of chimeras naturally presented. This specific kind of chimerism is called germline chimerism, and is occurred when the germ cells of an organism are not identical to its own. On the other hand, microchimerism is presented through a small number of cells genetically different to its host, as they are originated from another individual. During mammals’ pregnancy, this phenomenon is characterized by a two-way traffic of immune cells trough placenta. Another kind of chimerism is provided by male anglerfishes, which become hermaphroditic as they attach to female individuals, behaving just like a parasite. Male anglerfishes’ body is consumed then by the female’s, developing large testicles. This phenomenon is known as parasitic chimerism.

The audience of this text are people whose biological knowledge is advanced; that is why the text type is scientific report.

Language and Knowledge

Hispanic language evolution

Spain flag and shield

Mister Carlos Salas is the oldest Spanish teacher of The Mackay School; he has been teaching there for more than thirty years, becoming one of the most beloved and distinguishing characters of our school. He received us in his classroom on July the 1st, anxious on telling us everything he knew about his field, as he manifested when we made the appointment. He sat down behind his desk and answered to all our questions, laughing calmly. The next interview was translated and adapted, as it was done in Spanish in a very first beginning.

1)How is Spanish related with the cultural of its speakers?

Spanish is related directly with the cultural identity of its speakers, as we proceed from Hispanic roots which do not transmit us just their language but their religion, traditions and beliefs.