Benutzer:Rach Stanislav: Unterschied zwischen den Versionen
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=== Translation for Monday, 21st February 2011 === | === Translation for Monday, 21st February 2011 === | ||
− | Karten des 13. Jahrhunderts zeigten eindeutig den Weg nach Paradis auf, einer Insel östlich von Indien, die so unerreichbar war, dass niemand beweisen konnte, es sei ein Mythos. Die Bestimmungsorte, die mittelalterliche Gelehrte in die Mappa Mundi eintrugen, erscheinen dem modernen Reisenden zum Lachen schlicht. Trotzdem setzten wir, mehr denn je, die naive Suche nach unserem Ideal des verlorenen Paradieses fort. Heutzutage, während die Bibel des Rucksacktouristen ihren 30. Geburtstag feiert, ist das Streben nach Abenteuern niemals mehr verbreitet gewesen. Exotische Reiseziele, die für die Durchschnittsfamilie der 70er unerreichbar waren, sind jetzt leicht zu erreichen. Ursprünglich war der Reiseführer ein Lotse | + | Karten des 13. Jahrhunderts zeigten eindeutig den Weg nach Paradis auf, einer Insel östlich von Indien, die so unerreichbar war, dass niemand beweisen konnte, es sei ein Mythos. Die Bestimmungsorte, die mittelalterliche Gelehrte in die Mappa Mundi eintrugen, erscheinen dem modernen Reisenden zum Lachen schlicht. Trotzdem setzten wir, mehr denn je, die naive Suche nach unserem Ideal des verlorenen Paradieses fort. Heutzutage, während die Bibel des Rucksacktouristen ihren 30. Geburtstag feiert, ist das Streben nach Abenteuern niemals mehr verbreitet gewesen. Exotische Reiseziele, die für die Durchschnittsfamilie der 70er unerreichbar waren, sind jetzt leicht zu erreichen. Ursprünglich war der Reiseführer ein Lotse für einen wagemutigen Jugendlichen ohne Geld – eine Antithese zum Luxus konservativerer Ferien. Trotzdem ebnete der berühmte Reiseführer Lonely Planet den Weg für den Massenmarkt, indem er solche abgelegene Reisziele erschloss. Die Autoren waren glücklich genug voller Inspiration zu sein, in einer Zeit, in der sich der Urlaubsmarkt dramatisch änderte. |
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=== Composition 3 === | === Composition 3 === |
Version vom 21. Februar 2011, 13:21 Uhr
== Hi to all viewers ==
Death penalty
definition:
The death penalty, is the execution of a person by judicial process as a punishment for a crime. Those that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes.A capital crime was originally punished by the severing of the head.
what do you think about capital punishment?
is it fair on just inhuman and cruel?
create your own opinion
Is something like this democratic? And does the USA as the 'world super power' and the 'idol' for many other coutries behaive axamplaryly conserning the human rights?
Will Obama the Superman accept such a brutality?
some entertainment
!! HOMEWORK !!
==== homework oct. 13 ====
The committee said it awarded the prize to Obama for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," but made the clear the prize was intended to encourage Obama to greatness rather than celebrate any achievement.
german translation:
Das Kommittee sagte, es verliehe Obama den Preis für seine "ausserordentlichen Bemühungen zu starker internationaler Diplomatie und Zusammenarbeit zwischen Völkern", aber versicherte ,dass die Auszeichnung Obama eher Bedeutsamkeit zuzusprechen beabsichtigte als irgendwelche Erfolge zu feiern.
European expectations from Obama
main points:
Europe ...
- ... fears there would be some disagreements between the EU and USA concerning foreign policy with Afghanistan, Iran and Russia
- ... does not want Obama to send more troops to Afganistan
- ... wants Obama to close Guantanamo
- ... wants to work together with the United States concerning the climate change und set an example for the rest of the world
sources: http://euobserver.com/9/27436
Introduction for Social Exclusion
What do you think is the worst thing that could happen to you? Many poeple whould say that are metereal affaires. But is this really the worst? No it is not. Just imagine you do not take part in society, feel isolated and excluded. I personnaly think that that would make a person no longer feel like a human any more but like a worthless thing. That's why following situations situatians should be avoided...
Homework nov. 18th ~> ESSAY
Today's technology improves our lives. It facilitates comunications and replaces face-to-face meetings that's why many people prefer working at home in front of the computer screen. Does this technological advance has only advantages for our society or are there also some hidden dangers?
First of all I want to say that you can't neglect many positive and beneficial develepments that computer technologies involve like the possibility for fast communication with other people. For example if you want to tell something to your friend you don't have to write a letter you can easiely write him an e-mail or a short message with a messanger like msn or icq. A further advantage of the computers is the huge amount of information offered in the world wide web which can be used for many aims such as receiving latest news or looking up homework matereal for students. Moreover the possibility of working with the computer at home brings also some pros that are parents working exemplary as a website designer who can spend more time with their children than a parent working in a factory. As a result of this they don't have to pay a person to look after their kids because they can do it themselves.
However there are also dangers that should not be forgotten. Especially young people are in danger of not realizing the negative effects on their lives using computers for example their bad hand writing which is disregarded because they type too much on the keybords. This can be seen at schools were teachers demands pupils to write their homework with the pc and put them into wiki instead of writing classicly with a pen on a paper sheet. Furthermore not only children but also adults can become addicted on using computers. This happens if they spend too much time with it instead of doing other activities such as sports. Many youngsters are depending on chat sites like "schülervz" or online games like "wow". Consequently they lose the sight of real life, neglect social affaires, neglect their health so they just lose their friends and get ill. There are also people trying to escape from the real life into a virtual world. They do this in order to forget their problems those are people having stressful jobs or just jobs they don't like as somebody working in a fast-food restaurant. In special cases that leads to social exclusion and isolation.
As a conclusion I would say that computers are great inventions bringing many andvantages and possibilies in communication and also education. It is also an essential entertaining and informating media which nevertheless should be used carefully especially by children because it contains hidden dangers like addiction.
Estuary English
Definition:
Standard English spoken with the accent of the southeast of England.
The name comes from the area around the Thames Estuary. Especially young people speak it. Many people consider it as the working class accent.
particularities of this accent:
- Non-rhotic speaker does not pronounce /r/ in hard, /r/ is only pronounced if it is followed by a vowel sound: the R in here would not be pronounced in here they are (because it is followed by a consonant), but it would be pronounced in here I am!
- A broad A: laugh, grass, bath
- T-glottalization e.g. water (pronounced /wɔːʔə/)
- Yod-coalescence: words like dune and Tuesdaysound like June and choose day
- Th-fronting: /th/ is pronounced as /f/
Introduction
Thesis: To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.
It is often told we are living in a time of inactivity where humans are only existing in order to work. But not all people are living just from day to day. Some of us have also aims und wishes they'd like to fulfill. To achieve those dreams it is not enough just to dream about it, however that's the first step to reach it but the further and even more important step is to act and to work for your dream.
Poetry
Interpret: Ne-yo
Title: So sick
1) Summary:
This poem is about a man being sick of love songs, because they remind him of his girlfriend who had left him for month but who he still loves.
2) Words / phrases that carry the main ideas:
alone/ can’t get over us/ sick of love songs/ done with wishes you were still here/ sad/ there’s no more you/ no more anniversary/ thougts of you/ every song reminds me up what you used to be/ tired of tears/ don’t meke me think about her smile/ why can’t I turn of the radio. Most of those words can be found in the chorus.
3) Characterisation:
The speaker is a man left by his girlfriend, however he still loves her and can’t get over her. This can be seen in the fact that all thing remind him of her, f.ex. the answering machine where he can still hear her voice on the tape and especially the sad and slow love songs played on the radio. This man is confused because he wants to forget her which he can’t. He says to himself that he ist stong enough to forget her but that’s a lie because there are several moths gone since she has left him but he hasn’t even changed the answering machine yet just to hear her voice. Moreover he can be caracterized either as a week person or just as a powerless person fallen completely in love with this girl because he can’t turn off the radio which plays the love songs reminding him of her.
4) Setting:
We don’t know where the speaker is, although there are some hints like the answering machine or the radio which let us imagine that he is at home. But the answering machine could be from his mobile phone and the love songs on the radio can also be listened on a mobile phone, on the internet from a note book or on a car radio. So he could be everywhere and needn’t be at home.
5) Images:
The only two images that can be found in this song are the metaphors “door” and the “calendar” that symbolize the definitive end of the man’s ralationship.
6) Stylistic devices:
Stylistic device | Quotation | Aim |
---|---|---|
Anaphora | “so” tired… “so” done… | emphazises how hurt the speaker is |
Alliterarion | “Said I’m so sick of love songs so sad and slow” | makes the reader paying attention |
Epiphora + pepetition | “…there’s no more you” “…my thoughts of you” | stresses her importance by mentioning her several times |
7) Form:
• This poem consists of 9 stanzas, 5 of them is the repeated chorus and 61 lines. There is no clear rhyme scheme.
• some couplets:
No more walking round a
With my head down a
I'm so over being blue b
Crying over you b
So tired of tears a
So done with wishing you were still here a
Said I'm so sick of love songs so sad and slow b
So why can't I turn off the radio b
Don't make me think about her smile a
Or having my first child a
I'm letting go b
Turning off the radio b
• quatrain:
Because since there's no more you c
There's no more anniversary d
I'm so fed up with my thoughts of you c
And your memory d
• All these rhymes are end rhymes.
• In addition there is a run-on line:
Cause right now it says that we
Can't come to the phone
Metaphors
- you're a rose (beautiful,best of all <~> painful if treated wrongly)
- water in the desert (hard to find, rare, essential <~> without water~> dead)
- jackpot (rare; if achieved, envied by the others <~> possible addiction (compulsive gambling))
- you' re my air (vital <~> without air~> suffocation)
- beat to the heart (vital, essential, excitement when the heart beats fast <~> cardiac arrest when the beat stops)
- my sun (making happy, shining, enjoyable heat <~> burning if getting to close)
- love is a Roller Coaster (pleasure <~> there are ups and downs)
Homework 15th March
The advertised products of this ad are used bmws. The main element of this picture is a woman's face and her upper body shown up her breasts' end. This woman is young, attractive and seems to be nacked. Furthermore she's got a curly and long blonde hair. Her eyes are looking directly at you and her mouth is lightly opened. Nearly on the picture's left bottom you can find the title "You know you're not the firt". On the right bottom the bmw emblem with the title "used cars" is printed. This advert is directed at men because the main element of this foto is a pretty woman and pretty women are what men in average like most. The ad's message is that although you're not the first person to own or to drive the used bmw and that it is still good and would satisfy you. The young woman is the symbol for a used bmw and the ride with used bmw is compared with having sex with a woman that is no more a virgin which needn't mean that the sex would be bad. The targed group is made to want this product by being convinced by the woman's beauty. This is the only trick to catch a man's eye because there aren't any other convincing elements and qualities mentioned. As a conclusion I think that this advert works only with visual tricks and aims at mens' helplessness concerning women's beauty.
Homework 21st March
advert against prostitution & human trading
question | answer |
---|---|
what product? | women |
aim and target group? | men |
elements (description, relation between them? | Attractive, young and nude woman packed in a white meat package with a bar code on the right bottom. This woman is captured in this package and can't get out. She is compared to meat that everyone can buy. Furthermore the is a relation between people eating meat without thinking about that it was once an animal that had to die and people paying prostitutes without thinking about any negative aspects, f.ex that many women don't prostitute oneselves voluntarily. Moreover the white wraping's colour and the girl's face seem to stand for innocence which play the whole situation down. |
how is "customers'" attention attracted? | The customers' attention is attracted by the woman's beauty and the nonsense of a woman being packed in a meat wraping. In addition the customers are attracted by the eye-catching white box positioned in the centre of the image. |
message (of text and image)? | The text's message is that if someone is paying a prostitute, he's finacing the human trading at the same time. The image's message is that a woman captured in the prostitution system can't quit as long as there are still men paying for sex. The summarized message is to show responsibility and not to support human trading by paying prostitutes. |
how does the advert work, how are people influenced/conviced? |
|
Analysis
The advert's product are momen and it's target group are men. This ad shows an attractive, young and nude woman packed in a white meat package with a bar code on the right bottom. This woman is captured in this package and can't get out. She is compared to meat that everyone can buy. Furthermore the is a relation between people eating meat without thinking about that it was once an animal that had to die and people paying prostitutes without thinking about any negative aspects, f.ex that many women don't prostitute oneselves voluntarily. Moreover the white wraping's colour and the girl's face seem to stand for innocence which play the whole situation down. The customers' attention is attracted by the woman's beauty and the nonsense of a woman being packed in a meat wraping. In addition the customers are attracted by the eye-catching white box positioned in the centre of the image.The text's message is that if someone is paying a prostitute, he's finacing the human trading at the same time. The image's message is that a woman captured in the prostitution system can't quit as long as there are still men paying for sex. The summarized message is to show responsibility and not to support human trading by paying prostitutes. This advertisement appeals to people's humanity, sensibility, responsibility and rationality. It's message is supported by text and shocking as also provocative images; concrete: the thing that shocks is a human being treated like meat and the fact that a woman in reality would suffocate if she'd been packed into a film. the advert uses customers' wishes of having such a beautiful woman like on the photo, fears that one loved person, in this case especially a female like your mother, sister or cousin, might have the same destiny as those prostitutes to appeal directly to the customer. there are also some rhetorical and stylistic devices in language and imagery: direct appeal, information and numbers about human trading; euphemism: the picture doesn't really transmit the womens' misery being captured in prostitution. In the end the reader is reminded of movies about human trading possibly also of Jesus's body position while hanging innocent and helpless on the cross.
Shirley's statements concerning Smiths
p.48 l.9 : "They are not our sort!"
p.48 l.14 : "I was told that if I wasn't a good girl, the Smiths would come for me."
p.48 l.20 : "I was told never to trust a Smith. They'll do you down as soon as look at you."
p.48 l.24 : "... that Smiths never use a handkerchief."
p.48 l.27 : "...they ought never to have been let in the country in the first place."
Shirley's characterisation:
She is childish; has no own opinion concerning the Smiths; her opinion concerning the Smiths was taught to her by her parents; naive; manipulable; full of prejudice; submissive
Homework 3rd may
Usually a person associates a hotel with holidays, fun, regeneration and a polite und welcoming treatment, where the guest is treated like a king. In this story this hotel is the complete opposite. The hotel's chef is rude and insulting. To compare the suitable and expected way of a guest being treated like a king, in this in this hotel some guests are treated like slaves.
The characters might stand for certain human groups. Beacause the whole story is about discrimination, I personally think of racism. In this story mrs. Blake might stand for a racist, Shirley for a submissive person that simply obeys without thinking, mrs. Smith stands for a minority, f.ex. like the jews in the Third Reich and mrs. Jones stands for somone who has changed the sides from the minority's protecting part to the aggressor, rasist part full of prejudices.
'Homework 13th may'
Indem der Prolog die Zuschauer aus der wahren Welt in die Schauspielwelt versetzt, schafft er die Barrieren zwischen den Zuschauern, Schauspielern, Charakteren, Dramatikern, der Fiktion des Schauspiels, dem physikalischen Theater und der Außenwelt ab. Man schrieb Ben Jonson zu, den Prolog als ein Mittel zu nutzen um die Zuschauer an die komplizierten Angelegenheiten zwischen ihnen und allen Aspekten der Aufführung, die sie sehen werden, zu erinnern. Beim Auftritt erschien der Schauspieler ganz in schwarz. Das steht im Kontrast zu dem Kostüm des eigentlichen Schauspiels, wo aufwendige und farbenreiche Kostüme getragen wurden, in der heutigen Mode. Der prolog nahm seinen Hut ab und trug keine Schminke. Er trug möglicherweise ein Buch oder eine Schriftrollle oder ein Plakat, das den Titel des Schauspiels zeigte. Er wurde mit drei kurzen Trompetenlauten eingeführt, auf den dritten davon trat er ein und nahm im vorderen Bühnenabschnitt Platz. Er machte drei Bögen in der aktuellen Gerichtsmode und sprach dann die Zuschauer an.
'Homework 8th june'
Charakterization of Romeo in act I
In my eyes Romeo is naiv because after having seen Juliet he thinks that all other women in the world are ugly in comparison to her. Furthermore he seems to be a less musculin and more feminin person, because he is talking too poeticly und is too romantic for a man to me. For some people I might go too far with my next impression of Romeo but I would also say that he is unresponsable because he knows that it's not only dangereous for him to meet Juliet but also for his whole family, beacause both families have an argument. In addition he is an blithering idiot beacause he said to love Rosaline so strongly, but after seeing Juliet he forgets her completely.
Characterization
Number 6: Brad Pitt
Middle-aged Cool, good-looking guy, short hair cut, sunglasses, smiling casually, wearing a half unbuttoned white shirt and unbuttoned jacket with a turned up collar, wearing a watch
He’s married to a pretty woman, works as an actor, famous and adored by women, because of his outward appearance. He is not very faithful. He is a smart and clever guy who knows his skills. He is a winner type. He is independent and rich.
He likes to party. If he met the third person, he would flirt with her and make her compliments. They would have some drinks and get together into a hotel room having a lot of pleasure with each other. Waking up in the morning both would prefer to walk away without having any further relations.
His main aim in life is having fun and not caring about problems.
Main positive qualities: eloquent, good-looking, charming Negative qualities: unfaithful, limits his life to parties
'TRANSLATION 5 '
1)
Für die erste halbe Stunde oder so, ist „Shakespeare in Love“ ein im Delirium liegendes, herrliches Paradebeispiel für literarische Insiderwitze und gelächterprovozierenden Anachronismus. Ein erstklassiges Beispiel hierfür ist Direktor John Madden, der uns den Elisabethianischen Dramatiker zeigt, der halbherzig an einer wilden Epik, Romeo und Ethel genannt, der Piratentochter, mit Shakespeare, der wild schrieb, arbeitete. Dann schießt Madden über seine Schulter und wir sehen, dass William nur grade dabei war seinen Namen, immer und immer wieder, auf ein riesiges Pergamentblatt, niederzuschreiben. Da zurzeit nur ein paar authentische Autographen von Shakespeare existieren, würden alle legalen Dokumente, solche wie Pergamente, wenn sie gefunden würden, Millionen wert sein.
Schreiberisch blockiert und unter dem Druck der Abgabefrist, geht Shakespeare dann zu dem, was er sein „tägliches Geständnis“ nennt, einem Ereignis, das sich als eine Tagung mit einem Geisterbeschwörer, Dr. Moth, der vom wundervollen Anthony Sher gespielt wurde, herausstellte. Als sich Shakespeare auf Moths Sofa legt, dreht der gute Arzt seine Sanduhr um, William katalogisiert seine Probleme und der psychiatrische Witz wird raffiniert umgesetzt, genau zum Schluss, als Dr. Moth „Dann zur selben Zeit nächste Woche?“ sagt.
Es ist ein reicher und seichter Anfang. Leider führen dann die Drehbuchautoren Tom Stoppard und Marc Norman die Liebesgeschichte ein und verringern die literarische Albernheit und dem angenehmen Anachronismus und erlauben der Romantik ihren viel zu sehr vorhersehbaren Kopf zu heben.
2) typical "theatre, Shakespeare, literature" vocabulary:
playwright, deadline, screenwriter, romance
Changing places
University of Euphoria (USA) | University of Rummidge (UK) |
small; one of the agreeable environments in the world; wealthy; one of America's major iniversities (p.13) | middeling size; old (p.14) |
not too difficult to obtain a bachelor's degree | scolar competition begins very soon |
student left often to his own devices; cheating is easy |
Morris Zapp (American) | Philip Swallow (Britain) |
distinguished (angesehen) | not distinguished |
successful (published books) | lacks will and ambition |
rank of full professor | careerist(liked examinations, always did well p. 16) |
strong-willed (killer instinct p.15) | loves literature; superlative examiner of undergraduates; scrolous & painstaking |
married, father of 3 childen; coffee-drinker; smoker | |
carinate, doesn't want to leave his wife and children alone for six month (p.25) |
Homework 13th November: Comment on a phrase from "Changing Places"
Chosen phrase: "I just wish we could go on like this indefinetely"
This is a phrase Philip makes, while thinking about his future. This thought shold be known by almost all people, because there are situations, each person knows, where he feels lucky and content about his life, so that he wants to keep this condition for ever. While having this kind of thoughts a person is a status he never wants to lose, because he thinks there is no better one for him. A human wants to keep this situation as long as it's possible to to avoid possible negative turnings in his life.
To prove that I am goning to analize Philip Swallow's situation in "Changing places". As he is in the USA he aexperiences many new things, which make him feel happy e.g. the sexuality he is confronted with. Especially his affaires with Desiree are the climaxes of his new life, he's never had with his wife in England before. Desiree seems to be very exciting for him, because she is the kind of woman he's never met in his life: dominant, direct, strong and rude. Moreover it is the US mentality that fascinates him, the us-american way of life, the feeling of complete freedom, that he doesn't want to give away. An example for his freemdom is the demonstration he took part in. He wouldn't experience it in this way full of violence in GB, because Britains are much more caotious than the Americans.
To sum is up, Philip has found a place that he doesn't want to leave. It is the USA- the country that offers him everything he ever dreamed of. That's why he says, he wish they could just to go on like this indefinetely.
What place for God in Europe?
Group 1, question 1: Why has religion become a difficult topic in Europe according to the first section of the article? (Paris)
The history of Europe is full of violence based on religious motives. That's why Europeans are very careful concerning religion because they are always reminded of misery experienced in the past. As a result Europeans rather disassociate themselves from religion. In addition the european governments' inability to integrate the increasing number of Muslims into european society is a further reason for religion becoming a difficult topic. This difficulty is reinforced by the islamistic terrorists' attacks, for instance the bombing of the train station in Madrid in 2004 and the assassination of a Dutch filmmaker.
By Deborah, Sarah, Capt. Eddie & Stanislav
Homework 23rd January 2011 - translation
The war in Iraq is the direct result of the work of US city-planners in the mid-1920s and it was inevitable - not because of weapons of mass destruction, as claimed by the political right, nor because of western imperialism, as claimed by the left. The undeniable cause of this war and the ones to follow it, is America’s love affair with cars.
In the early 19th century buses replaced trams, and then cars replaced buses, while General Motors bought up the last tramways to close them down.
Cars offered an escape from dirty, crowded cities to leafy garden-suburbs, with the freeways serving as escape routes. So America turned itself into a nation of home-owners living in vast suburbs spread so widely that servicing them economically with public transport has become impossible.
Today the US transportation sector is almost totally dependent on oil, and supplies are running out. America needs oil and Saddam Hussein has been sitting on it – the second largest supply in the world.
Ian Roberts, The Guardian, Saturday January 18, 2003 (adapted)
Translation
Der Krieg in Irak ist das direkte Ergebnis aus der Arbeit der US-Stadtbauer der Mitte 1920er Jahre und es war unvermeidbar – weder wegen Massenvernichtungswaffen, wie die politische Rechte behauptet, noch wegen des westlichen Imperialismus, wie es von der Linken behauptet wird. Der unbestreitbare Grund dieses Krieges und derer die dem folgen werden, ist Amerikas Liebesbeziehung zu Autos.
Im frühen 19ten Jahrhundert ersetzten Busse Straßenbahnen und dann ersetzten Autos Busse, während General Motors die letzten Straßenbahnschienen aufkaufte um sie stillzulegen.
Autos boten eine Flucht aus den verdrecken, überfüllten Städten zu belaubten Vorstadtgärten, mit Autobahnen, die als Fluchtwege dienten. So wandelte sich Amerika zu einer Nation von Hausbesitzern, die in riesigen Vororten wohnen, die sich so weit ausdehnten, dass es wirtschaftlich unmöglich wurde, sie mit öffentlichem Transport zu bedienen.
Heute ist der US-Transportbereich komplett ölabhängig und die Vorräte gehen aus. Amerika braucht Öl und Saddam Hussein war darauf gesessen – dem zweitgrößten Vorrat der Welt.
The End of Backpacking?
Translation for Monday, 21st February 2011
Karten des 13. Jahrhunderts zeigten eindeutig den Weg nach Paradis auf, einer Insel östlich von Indien, die so unerreichbar war, dass niemand beweisen konnte, es sei ein Mythos. Die Bestimmungsorte, die mittelalterliche Gelehrte in die Mappa Mundi eintrugen, erscheinen dem modernen Reisenden zum Lachen schlicht. Trotzdem setzten wir, mehr denn je, die naive Suche nach unserem Ideal des verlorenen Paradieses fort. Heutzutage, während die Bibel des Rucksacktouristen ihren 30. Geburtstag feiert, ist das Streben nach Abenteuern niemals mehr verbreitet gewesen. Exotische Reiseziele, die für die Durchschnittsfamilie der 70er unerreichbar waren, sind jetzt leicht zu erreichen. Ursprünglich war der Reiseführer ein Lotse für einen wagemutigen Jugendlichen ohne Geld – eine Antithese zum Luxus konservativerer Ferien. Trotzdem ebnete der berühmte Reiseführer Lonely Planet den Weg für den Massenmarkt, indem er solche abgelegene Reisziele erschloss. Die Autoren waren glücklich genug voller Inspiration zu sein, in einer Zeit, in der sich der Urlaubsmarkt dramatisch änderte.
Composition 3
You just have returned from a disastrous, but expensive holiday. Write a formal letter of complaint to the travel agency. Be diplomatic but firm.
20th February 2011
To whom it may concern,
I have just returned from my disastrous holidays in Egypt. When I was booking my fife –stars hotel, it was promised to me, I would be more than just completely satisfied and I would love to spend my next holidays in there. Unfortunately I have say this is not the case.
I have spent more than 1500 Euros for the flight and seven days residence. I have to admit, my first impression about this 5-stars hotel was very breath-taking, because of the beautiful green plants, the huge pools and the traditional Egyptian architecture. The first day, that I have spent there was all in all very impressive, but ne next six days were the most horrible days in my whole live.
I could not sleep any night without being awoken by the screams that came from the outside. It was the Egyptian population demonstrating against its president. Although being in a resort that was divided from the rest of the city, like a separate village, I felt was very frightened. I feared that the Egyptians would break the fences and the thin walls that should guarantee the visitors’ security and let out their frustrations on me and the other people who were staying in this hotel. During the following days the situation did not become any better. Now it was not only the Egyptian civilians who could be seen from the balcony, it was the military that showed their presence in tanks and other military vehicles. Both sides engaged in bloody conflicts with each other. I feared for my safety and could not even telephone home or just write a simple e-mail to my family, because all the lines were interrupted.
To sum it up, I have spent a huge amount of money for spending six days full of anxiety, not leaving my hotel room and not knowing whether I would be hit or even killed.
I am writing to you, in order to claim the full amortization of the 1500 Euros. If you do not agree with my demand I would have to inform my lawyer.
Truly yours
Rach
Questions on the text
2. Outline the particular role of backpackers!
The backpackers play an important role in building up a world, in which different nations, cultures and mentalities are treated respectfully. Backpackers are those tourists who learn most about foreign insights. These travellers can be regarded as the only existing global community. Moreover backpackers spend 70% of their money on local businesses, for instance small restaurants or cheap local hotels, estimates Mark Hampton of the University of Surrey in Britain. This differentiates them from tourists who live in big hotels, who needn’t to spend any of their money on local services because the have all they need at their hotels.
3. What kind of experiences from his youth does the author mention and why does he refer to them?
The author writes about the experiences of backpacking he made 30 years ago. He went to Europe each summer where he backpacked, spent the nights on beaches or in hotels that he could afford without spending a lot of money. Furthermore he remembers taking some rides on a motorcycle and watching French kids on television. He was cooking himself and when the money got less, he simply went to hospitals and sold his blood. The author says he has experienced much more about the world during these journeys than in his whole years at school before. He was so fascinated about backpacking, so that he hoped his children would make the same experiences like him. I think the author refers to his experiences from his youth to encourage the readers to travel like he did when he was younger – only with a bag on the back – that’s why he mentions all the positive aspects of backpacking. In addition he wants to criticize the terrorists and to express his hate against them, because they may hinder people from experiencing that, what he has had.