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Essay Analysis from online … somewhere to begin from.

my new essay is on lord of the flies.

sc15pcz

Mar 26, 09, 12:14am

#1

you can combine topics as long as you show how they are connected in supporting your specific thesis on human nature and society.
1. character interpretation: choose one of the main characters and interpret the changes he goes through. what do these changes suggest about the novel's message regarding society and human nature? or, compare 2 or even 3 characters to show what ideas these characters represent regarding society or human nature.
2. symbolic interpretation: choose one or more of the main symbols and interpret the importance of that symbol in the novel. what do the symbols suggest about society and human nature. you might analyze changes in the conch throughout the novel and the changes in the tribe it represents. or compare changes in the conch to changes in the lord of the flies (pigs head) to explain how these changes reflect changes in the tribe. or compare different uses of fire. or examine piggy's specs, face paint, or any combination of these symbols. make sure that you compare each of them as you go and link them all together with a thesis regarding human nature and society. use symbol and symbolize only once or twice.
3. interpretation of irony: interpret various ironic situations and their importance in developing the novel's message regarding human nature and society. you might examine the boys' assumptions about grown-ups, the use of fire, their assumptions about the beast, the death of simon and their eventual rescue by the naval commander. in each case make sure you explain exactly how the situation is ironic: how is the reality or outcome of the situation the exact opposite of the characters expectations? what do these ironies suggest about human nature, society, or the nature of reality?
topic should have to do with human nature and society and the novel's message about them. you might also analyze what effect society has on human nature. what kind of societies or governments best keep human nature under control? can any government really suppress problems of human nature completely? why/why not?
i was thinking of maybe doing the symbolism one, the boys clothes fall apart as the novel goes on, and so does their social interactions, and their "humanity".
but then again this is humanity in a way, so i wasnt sure.
also maybe something about how golding uses piggy to keep the novel going, if they didnt have him for the other boys to ridicule and taunt, then they might just end up running around and hunting instead of hunting eachother.
maybe the littluns role, they serve as a gauge of the older boys' morality, how they treat the littuns is how they are. but maybe they might represent something else, innocence... maybe...
how golding uses the gentler characters, simon and piggy to enrage the other boys and get them to the point where they show their true humanity and loose all ties to society.
if you didnt read this book ill just post it somewhere else. i want to have an original topic, and im not sure what i am the most interested in.

sc15pcz
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sc15pcz

Mar 26, 09, 01:04am

#2

some ideas, a little more developed than the first. still cant choose one.
Are the littluns filler, or do they mean something more?
The littluns seem to just be in their own little group that does whatever they want, they build castles and play on the beach all day, but they can be useful. Golden uses the littluns to gauge the older boys morality, if they are cruel to them, then they are cruel in general. But they also seem to symbolize the connection between the boys and society, they are innocent and remind us of how people behave in society. The littluns cry a lot, and they are not scared to admit that they are frightened, and they don't go off and hunt or do any of that, they link the boys with their last shreds of normal behavior, and are not caught up in the older boys war.
Piggy, Ralph and Simon Made Me Do It
Would the boys become killers without Piggy, Simon, and Ralph?
Well, obviously they couldn't kill Simon and Piggy if they never existed, but if they were like the others, blood thirsty and savage, the others may have never been driven to kill at all. These softer characters are used to create a contrast between them that brings out the truth about humanity.
No Clothes, No Morals
As time on the island passes, their clothes fall apart, and with them their links to society, and their true human nature emerges.

sc15pcz
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lowryder49

Mar 26, 09, 09:50am

#3

history shows us that Humans tends to commit the same mistakes over and over again
Killing, rage adn anger are parts of human nature as well as loving, caring and nursing
lord of the flies topics are war, power, superiority,frienship these are a few

lowryder49
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EF_Kevin [Moderator]

Mar 27, 09, 12:28am

#4

I agree that symbolism is always a safe bet... and it can make for such a great essay. Symbolism is fascinating.
I really like your section about whether the Littluns are filler or something more!
Who is the kid that turned all evil? It would be cool to write about the changes he went through... but that would not be original.
Your ideas are good. Write some more of it!

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EF_Sean [Moderator]

Mar 28, 09, 06:16pm

#5

I like where you seem to be going with the clothes as symbolic approach. Clothes conceal us, after all, hide our bodies. If, then, as the clothes decay, we see the children's true nature, which is animalistic and brutal, it is presumably the case that the children's nature doesn't decay, so much as get revealed as the civilizing veneer of socialization wear's off. So, the clothing would then actually represent socialization. You can definitely build on that to create a solid essay. Good luck.

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sc15pcz

Mar 30, 09, 05:13pm

#6

i wrote this before i got any of your comments, but i couldnt decide so it is kind of a mixture of all of them. some of my classmates read it, and they didnt think it was too random but i do... does it fit together at all? it seems to me to just be a jumble but im not sure...
They Made Me Do it
SEE BELOW

sc15pcz
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EF_Kevin [Moderator]

Mar 31, 09, 04:16pm

#7

Everyone feels this way at one time or another; and no matter how much society tries to force it out of us, we still have our human nature under it all the facade of civility, and we will do what is necessary to survive.
How about that, with the semi-colon and a slight tweak.
This essay is great! I like the way you expertly attended to all the important things: narrative hook at the start, clear thesis, logical sequence of ideas. It is great!
The only gripe I have with you is that you oversimplify Golding's message. The story obviously shows that we have savagery beneath our civilized appearances, but I don't think he meant to say that we will always revert to our animal instincts. Instead, his exposition of the mechanisms that give rise to violence, and the factors that work against good leadership, gives readers real wisdom and insight. Golding shows a model of the human societal process... shows it in the form of a sort of experiment on an island, a "what if" scenario. Golding is showing something about human nature, and, more importantly, he is exposing the demons that need to be conquered if we are to succeed in keeping the violence out of society.

EF_Kevin
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EF_Sean [Moderator]

Mar 31, 09, 05:23pm

#8

The great flaw in your argument is that Ralph and Piggy don't in fact lose their morals. Both remain decent human beings standing up for what they believe is right to the very end. Piggy is murdered, and Ralph would have been, if not for the arrival of adults, or course, but they die, or come close to it, precisely because they refuse to give up their moral nature. So, perhaps you need to go a little deeper into your analysis than merely saying that everyone loses their morals when they don't have supervision. Why does Ralph lose out to Jack in the political battle? Why does Jack set the entire island ablaze in an effort to destroy him, even though he is smart enough to realize that this must surely end in his own destruction too? You might want to throw in some Freudian analysis here -- id, ego, superego. Also, what could Ralph have done to change the outcome? Why doesn't he?
"We need societies structure to keep us from reverting back to animals" But the larger society in the book is essentially on the verge of WWIII. That is, the planet itself is about to burn as the island does, only in a nuclear conflagration. So, even with society's structure, our destructive impulses can still emerge and destroy us.
Good essay overall, then, but try to dig a bit deeper to make it even stronger.

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sc15pcz

Apr 1, 09, 02:11am

#9

sean, i get what you mean about ralph and piggy, but there is one point where they are so caught up in the hunters dance that they want to join in and kill simon. they do not loose their morals, but they arent completely intact either.
will work on the rest, just wanted to say that.

sc15pcz
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sc15pcz

Edited by: sc15pcz Apr 1, 09, 02:47am

#10

maybe a little better, not sure if i caught everything. ill change more of the stuff you said sean, i just need to have this done tonight for the second draft to show my teacher, and i already blew it by falling asleep.
They Made Me Do it
Have you ever been so mad you wanted to kill someone? Been so angry you just wanted to rip their head off? Everyone feels this way at one time or another; no matter how much society tries to force ...
SEE BELOW

sc15pcz
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EF_Kevin [Moderator]

Apr 1, 09, 05:25pm

#11

The boys are all "going native" to one extent or another, and loosing their footholds that keep them from going over the edge; however, it is sometimes hard to tell ...
Above, that was a run-on sentence without the semi-colon. I had not noticed it before! You tried to use "however" in the way you would use "but"; however, "however" cannot be used as a conjunction. "But" can be used in a compound sentence, but "however" needs its own sentence.
This is really quite a great essay, and the last paragraph leaves no doubt tha you understand the theme. It would be better, though, if you add a few sentences about how the society on the island is like a model that shows how larger societies sink into violence -- as a result of the savage ways to which we resort we are frightened.

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sc15pcz

Apr 10, 09, 12:33am

#12

so, my teacher didnt really think the ideas were connected. he said to have two of the paragraph topics be the theme and the other two the body, but im not exactly sure what he meant. i tried rewriting it like he said but i got stuck. help? suggestions? im pretty much at a block and cant seem to write anything else. thanks.
SEE BELOW

sc15pcz
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EF_Kevin [Moderator]

Apr 10, 09, 01:59pm

#13

Have you ever wanted to kill someone?
I like it! You toned down this opening in a good way. The mention of killing someone is enough to grab the attention. In general, it will be good for you to eliminate unnecessary sentences in your writing. Same for all of us.
Most would say no; however, if you think about it we get outraged very easily, and sometimes it takes all our self-control to keep from lashing out.

sc15pcz:

Humans fear what they do not understand, and unfortunately we understand very little. It is up to us to try to explain the mysteries of our world in order to maintain civility, and refrain from aggression.

Excellent! Now, reread your whole essay and think of it as advice you were writing for kids who were about to become policy-makers, senate, congress, etc. The essay is all very good. But I think you are neglecting the fact that the lessons in the story are most useful for those who would participate in government -- an important thing to at least acknowledge.

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sc15pcz

Apr 13, 09, 11:47pm

#14

i had to rush at the end but here it is. i kind of lost interest in the topic because i didnt do it right away...
56093
An Adaption to Ruthlessness
What would it mean to be the lord of the flies? William Golding entitles his work the Lord of the Flies leading one to wonder weather he refers to the decapitated pigs head or to Ralph. The fly is an ignoble creature. It is small. It is a bearer of germs. It is known to feed on feces. If Golding perceives the boys as flies, his view of human beings is completely pessimistic. His premise is that if left alone on an island away from the supervision, rules, and laws of adults, boys would revert to a state of total savagery and would proceed to murder one another. Survival of the fittest would be enacted. To become a lord or ruler of such creatures would require becoming the most violent and vicious person among the group. In short this ruler would rule over insignificant creatures and thus be no true lord at all. Ralph is not able to maintain his rule over the boys because his power stems from his ability to think with forethought rather than physical strength. Ultimately Ralph's intelligence cannot overcome jack's force. One of the true marks of maturity is learning that simply because you can, doesn't mean that you should. In a human context, what does it take to maintain rule, intelligence or strength? Golding puts forth the idea that force is superior to intelligence in the quest for power.
In the beginning it appears that Ralph is the logical leader of the group, but if Ralph hadn't been so calm, Piggy so smart, and Simon so gentle, the other boys would still have come to kill. These softer characters were used as a catalyst to expose the true nature of the boys. They were all just looking for food and playing at first, but when the hunters start messing around and let the fire go out, Ralph says the "smoke is more important than the pig, however often you kill one" (81), and he is not impressed by their kill. They are angry because they think their game is impressive, and they do not appreciate him telling them that all their manly efforts were not of any use. Jack uses this annoyance towards Ralph to his advantage; planting the idea that Ralph is an annoying know-it-all and causing the rest of the hunters to want to show off more to spite him. He revs them up into a frenzy until all they want to do is "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood" (69), and all Ralph's ideas about keeping the fire going seem to be a joke. The hunters feel that they are too strong to take orders from a weakling that "[is] not a hunter. [And would] never have got [them] meat" (126). They don't know anything about him, so when Jack says, "He just gives orders and expects people to obey for nothing" (126), the hunters start to question the idea that they will be rescued with fire, and begin to follow Jack even more. Piggy and Simon are similar to Ralph, being smart and unique. They consider the consequences of their actions, rather than just going for whatever whim comes their way. The hunters don't like this. They want to be able to do what they want, when they want, so when the odd ones tell them to behave, they get annoyed and think they are better than them and shouldn't be ruled by the ones who are not the most vicious or violent. They are not the lord, and therefore are nothing.
That which we want the most is often the worst possible thing for us. It is important in life to know when to draw the line. To know what is ok, and what is going too far. The flies have lost this sense. They can no longer tell the bad from the good, they simply do what they feel is necessary to survive, so when they attack they never think to stop. Never think it is wrong to kill another boy. Thus as the boys forget about their civility, the reader begins to wonder how far they have really gone, and Golding uses the littluns to remind us of the empire waiting for them back home. They act as a gauge, to tell us how far each character has fallen. The littluns are around six, terrified of everything, spend all their time eating and playing, but are essentially harmless. They aren't expected to do anything, but what really shows a persons character is how they act towards those who cannot protect themselves. If you go and poke a baby with a stick, you cannot be a very nice person. Some people pretend, but on the island with no consequences, how they act towards the weak shows a lot about who they are. Ralph, being the leader, is not mean to them, and tries to include them in meetings by using "simple words so that even [they] would understand"(79); however, he doesn't find them useful. This demonstrates his nature. He is a pensive boy who finds delight in swimming, and simple things, and does not find the affairs of others particularly intriguing unless they directly affect him. This is displayed when he tells them to make sure they do not go to the bathroom near the food, water, or tents, and also when they start all the talk about the beast which makes all his followers begin to question him. Piggy is similar to Ralph in that respect, he is not mean, but does not think they warrant his attention. He feels that they are childish, and he is above their games, saying, "If the littluns climb back on the twister again they'll only fall off in a sec. So they might as well sit on the ground and listen" (84), in a rather irritated manner. Correspondingly, Piggy always feels that he is smarter than everyone else, and he comes up with most of the good ideas, even if no one listens to him. Simon on the other hand goes out of his way to be kind to them, bringing them "fruit they [cannot] reach" (56), and looking out for them when no one else does, which exemplifies his kind, caring nature, to sacrifice himself for the well-being of others. One of the middle kids (neither bigun, nor littlun), Maurice throws sand in their eyes and rocks around them; however, when they are all at a meeting he "save[s] them" (87) crying out, "Look at me!" (87), and pretending to fall over in order to make them laugh and avoid their crying. This is not a completely selfless act, in that he would have to wait for them to stop, nonetheless, he still tries to help, which is illustrated later when he follows the rest of the hunters, not exactly wanting to kill, but simply trying to avoid being singled out like the other three, and saving his own skin. This leads to Jack who is mean and thinks they are a "useless lot of cry-babies!" (83), and it would "serve [them] right if something did get [them]" (83) for causing all the trouble about the beast. When Jack's tribe splits off, he leaves all the littuns with the nicer characters who care if they are unhappy or in danger, which shows how he is savage, and will waste no effort in trying to help out little children, simply hunting and killing whatever he can. It's like stealing candy from a baby, if you do it to make yourself happy, then you are a horrible person, and you can't deny it.
Golding uses clothing as a symbol for civilization. Every morning we put on clothes without thinking about their function. Clothes provide warmth and preserve modesty. They also maintain cleanliness and give a protective covering to the skin. The first description of Ralph is that he is trailing his school sweater by one arm and that the clothing he still wears is causing him to sweat. Thus his clothes do not suit the climate or circumstances in which he finds himself. As the book goes on, the boys' clothing deteriorates with their morals. It is a logical response to a tropical climate to wear less clothing. The boys take off their shirts and shoes to remain cool. This is liberating in a physical sense as well as a mental one as they would not be permitted to do this at home. They run around and play enlivened by this new freedom from the restrictions of vestments. The longer they live in this state of virtual nakedness, the dirtier and more ragged they become. The longer they exist without the restrictions of civilization, the mental reaction to autonomy is moral deterioration. Even at the beginning of the book when Ralph pulls off all his clothes, he stands "among the skull-like coconuts" (10), which foreshadows the future. A person who sheds all clothing and discards all morals is less protected from death. Near the end of the book when all the boys' shorts are in tatters and are being held up by mere threads as well as their links to society, Ralph makes one last attempt to rein them in. He puts on his shirt from the first day even though it is stiff with sweat and very uncomfortable. Just as in a restaurant a sign will warn "No shirt no shoes no service", the wearing of clothing represents accountability and responsibility or the consciousness that human nakedness requires covering to be civilized. As the deterioration of morality intensifies, the boys begin to rely more on their fear of danger to make decisions. Unlike animals who navigate their world with instinct, the fear begins to overshadow their common sense. They completely loose their minds when the "demented" dance starts. "Out of the terror (rises) another desire, thick, urgent, blind"(152). They are overcome by their fear and their instincts turn to bloodlust. They are possessed with the urge to kill and they cannot stop themselves. Then at Castle Rock, all the hunters chant and yell, and the "storm of sound beat at them, in an incantation of hatred"(180). Roger is gripped "with a sense of delirious abandonment" (180), and he leans on the lever, causing the boulder to crush piggy. Every time the boys start to chant someone dies. After that the hunters give up all control, and Jack shouts, "There isn't a tribe for you anymore!"(181) They all proceed to attack him with spears and every last trace of humanity is gone. The alpha instinct in Jack to lead overcomes him and he gets the whole tribe to attack. The bloodlust is summoned and the façade of civility is discarded like an unwanted garment.
As the boys deteriorate, they begin to rely more on their fear to determine danger than common sense, more animal than human. When the "demented" dance starts they loose their heads, and "out of terror [rises] another desire, thick, urgent, blind" (152). They are overcome by their fear and it turns into bloodlust, they are possessed, and cannot stop themselves from killing, nor do they want to. Then at castle rock when all the hunters are chanting and yelling, and the "storm of sound beat[s] at them, in an incantation of hatred" (180), Roger is gripped "with a sense of delirious abandonment" (180), and he leans on the lever and the boulder crushes Piggy. When they let themselves be taken over they let all their human thoughts fall away. The sound revs them up, and every time they start to chant, someone dies. After that the hunters give up control all together and Jack shouts "there isn't a tribe for you anymore!" (181). They have fallen into an animalistic state, and Ralph is forced to run for his life as they stab at him. Every last trace of their attempts at society is gone. The alpha instinct in Jack to be leader overcomes him and he gets the whole tribe to attack. Underneath it all, the bloodlust comes out, the façade crumbles, and there is nothing you can do about it, its just human nature.
We need society's structure to keep us from reverting back to animals. When all the hallmarks of civilization have been striped away it is all we can do to refrain from using our instincts to make decisions, and attacking whatever we fear. It is important to try to understand what we fear, or we will live in fear forever, and that fear will turn to aggression and we won't be able to resist. It is our ability to consider the consequences of our actions that separates us from animals. We can consider all angles of a situation, and determine weather it is better to stay and fight, or run and hide. Golding uses the island as a model of larger societies to illustrate how they sink into violence, which makes everyone scared, which in turn brings more carnage. Just like Bush's "war on terror", everyone fights out of fear, fear of loosing what they have. Most do not simply fight for the sake of fighting. Humans fear what they do not understand, and unfortunately we understand very little. It is up to us to try to explain the mysteries of our world in order to maintain civility and refrain from aggression, or we will undoubtedly be doomed to repeat, over and over, all the violence.

sc15pcz
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Winpapamon

Apr 14, 09, 03:54am

#15

Should parents be responsible if their children behave badly?
Most children in the duration between childhood and adulthood may be problem-makers of society because they start to learn about the life only at that time.In some places,parents neglect or do not know what their children did wrongly and they have not been nothing to do with their children did.This essay will discuss whether parents should pay attention to their children' committing.
Parents are the very first teachers of their children.Only parents should guide when children start to observe about the environment.In addition,children do not have anyone to rely on except parents.That is why,parents should keep an eye on their children's deed and always take care of their children's behaviors.
There are many excuses for which parents should not take responsibility if their children commit some crimes.One of those is because parents are earning money to support their children's requirements such as educational fees,living,food supplies,clothes and others.For these reasons, they cannot care well about children.What is more,adolescents do not want to stay under the control of parents.They desire to make own decisions and to face everything and to be free from parents' management.Furthermore,some adolescents do not let their parents know what they will do and they did.They want to be secretive on parents.
From my point of view,the phenomenon of that children act badly does not deal with parents because parents are responsible to guide them right from wrong. That is why they are called parents.In my opinion, humans should be effected by the consequences of that they did.It is not for their parents.

Winpapamon
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English Creative Writing Assignment:

You have finally been rescued from your island – OR – you died there and someone found your journal (Diary). Since we last discussed this 100 days have passed. You learned to survive but also to face new challenges. Your assignment for today is multi faceted:

1) Give a BRIEF description of how you arrived on the island and the people that are there with you.
2) Describe BRIEFLY the events of those first 14 days.
3) Give us an OVERVIEW of what happened during the 100 days since we last saw you. Explain the main problems and challenges and also how you overcame those new challenges.
4) Describe IN DETAIL the last 5 days before you were discovered or died and the first 5 days of being back in the REAL world. How have you managed to cope with the pressures of life, the media (newspapers / TV etc)
5) You have been offered a contract by a film studio to make a movie about your adventures. As part of the deal you are allowed to pick the actors who will play you and the other lead characters. Tell me who you would pick and why they would be good at playing your part in the movie. You also have to DRAW a detailed MAP of the island to show where things took place.
6) Now that you are back in the ‘real world’ what do you intend to do? Life can never be the same for you. The island has changed you. What now?

Second Semester English Project - Arlinda Y 10

Arlinda has chosen to write about those things that keep us awake at night; those thoughts that haunt us in the middle of the night and give us those cold sweats. What worries us - is the tile of her second semester project. It covers a variety of things that every teenager thinks about and loses sleep over.

A creative, well constructed presentation both interesting and intriguing. Discover what is on the mind of your teenager today!

TOEFL Practice Essay 3: Mario 9B

22. In general, people are living longer now. Discuss the causes of this phenomenon.

 

People in the world are now living much longer. For example in Europe and North America, the average life expectancy has risen to 68 years for men and 73 years for women. In India life expectancy has been much lower. But improved health and living conditions has now lifted the average life expectancy there to 56 years.

 

One of the causes that the life expectancy is increasing is the agriculture. Now the agriculture is improved. This means that the people in the world are better fed.

 

Another cause that people now live much longer is the public health. The public health is improved very much nowadays. There are better living conditions so people live longer because they are protected a bit from diseases.

 

The last cause is the medicines. The medicines are now better used. There are new medicines in hospitals. So people now have a cure for almost all the diseases. A lot of new chemicals are now discovered. The technology is improved so there are machines that cure diseases.

 

In conclusion, the people are now living longer for different causes. Some of these causes are: public health, improved agriculture, improved technology, medicines, new chemicals etc. This is a bad thing because there are a lot of natural resources that are being finished and can’t be renewed like coal etc. and the all this because of the population size.

TOEFL Practice Essay - Arber 9A

No. 24 "Teens with jobs" is this the right thing to do for the children of tomorrow or is it beneficial for teenagers and also the world or is it another form of slavery? Do teens really need jobs or can they do fine without one?

Teenagers have to start learning the value of money and that with money comfort can be bought and with comfort comes happiness (most of the times). Some teens are forced to do a job since their family is poor and needs money to survive so all the family has to work to help. Other teens are sent by their parents to work so that they can learn what having a job feels like. Some teens go to work for extra money for their own benefit since their parents won't give them money so they work for money to probably get them that movie or dress they wanted.

Now this seems fine but there are problems with this (like everything else involving money in this world). Some jobs have bad working hours so some teens leave school so that they can work to feed their poor family (this seems to only happen in poor countries). Other jobs are under-paid so teens are abused this way and no one seems to care. Finally some jobs involve a large amount of physical labor this is fine if the job is paid well but most hard work jobs are low paid.

So are teens having jobs a good idea? Well I think yes it's a good idea, teens need to learn to handle money and a job. As long as the job is well paid and not hard to do then why not get a job - a decent job, not one that takes advantage or abuses the teenager. "Money will never make you happy, and happy will never make you money!" The Marx Brothers.

Semester English Project - Beaches of the World Xhoia and Jola Y9B

For their semester English presentation project Xhoia and Jola of 9B chose the 'Worlds Top Ten Beaches' as their topic. This involved a lot of research for the information as well as the photographs. As far as I know neither Xhoia nor Jola have actually managed to visit any of the top ten but they are all on their 'hit list' for the coming years!

Well researched and complied. Oral presentation excellent. (Grade 5)

TOEFL Practice Essay - Xhoia 9B

22. In general, people are living longer now. Discuss the causes of this phenomenon. Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

We all know that human populations are increasing and scientists can easily prove that. Over the last 300 years there has been a huge increase in human populations. We are going to reveal together the causes of this increase. All these reasons are based on facts that we can also find in scientific books.

One of the most important things is the improved medical care, including control of diseases and improved public health. If those things are improved then lives get better, less people die, more of them are careful, eat better food, go to the doctor, etc. Also there are some drugs that can control diseases inside the body, and there are others which totally destroy diseases. With public health we can have better sanitation and water supplies.

Another reason is the improved agriculture and the increase in amount of buildings and places to live. Improved agriculture means more food, more food means that all people are fed properly and don’t die of starvation. Buildings are needed for people without shelter so they don’t die of the cold outside.

There is also the last but not the least of importance, the war. We know that in wars hundreds and thousands of people die. But now countries can deal with each other about their problems without including war, so less people are dead.

So, these were the things I wanted you to know about the causes the increase of human populations all over the world. These were the reasons of this phenomenon. We hope it will not continue forever or everybody would die of the lack of food, diseases, wars, lack of shelter, etc., etc.  Help be part of the solution, not part of the problem - one person can and does make the difference!

TOEFL practice essay #3 ~ Ledio 9B

Some people believe that the Earth is being harmed (damaged) by human activity. Others feel that human activity makes the Earth a better place to live. What is your opinion? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.


The Earth’s natural resources are being damaged a lot by human activity. Since the last century the Earth’s natural resources have suffered very harsh damage. The environment and the climate are suffering changes. Carbon dioxide released by cars has caused an increase in the Earth’s temperature, which is leading our planet towards global warming. The humans’ excessive use of energy has led to the extinction of some fuels, which are very important for our technology.

Global warming is a much discussed topic in recent years and it is becoming a serious threat to humanity each day that passes. Governments are making many promises, but there are few actions. The plans that are made and talked about aren’t put into action. If the situation continues like this, then after seventy years our planet will be flooded by a large mass of water and countries, cities and towns will be lying underwater endangering the existence of humanity as we know it. Another problem is the pollution of the seas. The toxic wastes of ships and industries are released into the ocean. The seas are becoming polluted by the large quantity of toxic wastes released by human industries and washed away into the oceans. In this way much aquatic life will die because of poisoning. Oceans may become polluted and the sea will become useless.

In many poor countries these effects are being shown and because of this tourism in those countries is very weak. Marine tourism is the most beneficial tourism in the world. The sea has to be protected at every cost. Not only seas and oceans are at risk, but also rivers are affected by toxic wastes. If it continues like this many countries will remain short of water and a big part of the population will die because of thirst.

Humans are always working harder and harder to develop their technologies and they’re using all the natural resources available in the Earth to achieve this aim quickly. The necessity in the last century for building nuclear power stations has increased very much the level of radioactivity in the air. Just in Tirana, because of the high levels of carbon monoxide released by cars, the air has become so polluted that the chances of getting cancer are six times higher than the rest of the European Committee. Tirana is not the only capital with this condition; some well-known capitals share this problem such as those of Belgium, Germany, and France.

I personally think that it is our responsibility to save the planet. It is time for the leaders who rule the world to use their influence and power in the war against global warming and against the destruction of the planet. It is a shame that in the 21st century, the century of development, there are still leaders that think making war, which does not profit anyone, instead of reaching an arrangement between them and starting to work towards the problems that face humanity today such as poverty, global warming etc.

' Enis Notes' ~ Macbeth in a nutshell!

Macbeth Act 1

Act 1- Scene 1

Three Witches meet in a desert place with thunder, lightening and rain. They vow to meet again when some mighty battle is over before the sun sets on the heath. They will meet with Macbeth. There is something murky, something terrible in.....

Act1- Scene2

1. The sergeant describes a battle in the war between: Norway and Scotland.

2. Who were the heroes in the battle? Macbeth and Banquo.

3. The Thane of Cawdor was a Traitor. King Duncan sentenced him to death and gave his title to Lord of Ross.

4. What do we learn about Macbeth’s character in this scene?

He is considered a strong and brave man and with those characteristics he is honourable.

Act 1- Scene 3

1. What do the witches predict for Macbeth?

a) He will become Thane of Cawdor.

b) He will become king.

2. What do they predict for Banquo?

They predict that his sons are going to become king.

3. Explain the dramatic irony in the witches’ first prediction.

The dramatic irony in the Witches prediction that Macbeth will be "Thane of Cawdor" lies in the fact that the audience knows from the previous scene that King Duncan has already given the title to Macbeth, making the prophecy true - though Macbeth is not yet aware of the fact.

4. When the predictions come true immediately, what does Macbeth think about the other predictions?

He is very surprised about the accuracy of the witches’ predictions and starts to believe that the witches predicts were actually going to happen.

5. What does Macbeth plan to do about the possibility of becoming king?

Macbeth whispers to Banquo that, at a later time, he would like to speak to him privately about what has transpired.

Act 1- Scene 4

King Duncan greets Macbeth and Banquo returning from battle. Duncan is in such good spirits he decides to name his successor.

1. To whom does King Duncan give the tile Prince of Cumberland?

He gives the title of Cumberland to his son, Malcolm.

2. What does Macbeth think about this?

He announces his joy but he knows that Malcolm stands in the way of the crown now.

Act 1- Scene 5

1. Lady Macbeth reads a letter. Who sent it to her?

The letter was sent to her by Macbeth.

2. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth: “Yet do I fear thy nature. It is too full O’the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way.” What does she mean by this?

She thinks the time is right to murder the king but she also thinks Macbeth is too kind for this, so she fears it.

3. What message does the servant give to Lady Macbeth?

The servant gives news that Macbeth is approaching.

4. Explain Lady Macbeth’s soliloquy (lines 44-58)

She resolves to put her natural femininity aside so that she can do the bloody deeds necessary to seize the crown.

5. Macbeth arrives. What do he and Lady Macbeth have to discuss?

They discuss the king’s forthcoming visit.

6. What advice does Lady Macbeth give her husband?

She tells her husband to have patience and leave everything to her.

Act 1- Scene 6

King Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s palace along with Banquo, Lennox, Macduff, Ross, Angus, his sons and attendants.

Act 1- Scene 7

In this soliloquy Macbeth is thinking over the plot to kill King Duncan. He is having second thoughts.

1. List four reasons Macbeth finds to talk himself out of committing the murder. (Lines 1-27)

a) Killing Duncan will result in vengeance.

b) There are compelling reasons against the murder.

c) Heaven itself will abhor the deed.

d) Only ambition pushes him on to do so.

2. How does Lady Macbeth convince him to go through with the murder?

Lady Macbeth accuses him of being a coward and lacks a great deal of manliness. She says she would kill her own child rather than break such promises.

Act 2- Scene 1

Macbeth and Banquo meet up at the court at Macbeth’s castle. When Banquo mentions that he had a dream about the Weird Sisters, Macbeth wants to discuss his desire to become king of Scotland. Banquo also wants the prediction made about him to be fulfilled, but he is not willing to do anything dishonourable to make it happen. He says he is loyal to the king.

1. Banquo leaves and Macbeth is left with his thoughts. Explain Macbeth’s soliloquy and his feelings as he goes to commit the murder.

He starts imagining a dagger floating in the air. He tries to grasp the dagger but he cannot. He sees the dagger blood-stained and awful images of what might happen go into his head.

2. What does the ringing of the bell mean?

The ringing of the bell means that Duncan is dead.

Act 2- Scene 2

1. After Macbeth murders King Duncan he agonizes over something. What is it?

a) He is obsessed with his inability to say “amen.”

b) He will never sleep again.

c) By a voice crying that he has murdered sleep.

2. What mistakes does Lady Macbeth scold Macbeth for? (She later fixes it.)

She tells him to smear the blood on the guards to make it look like they did it and then bring back the dagger but he didn’t.

Act 2- Scene 3

1. Explain how comic relief is provided by the porter’s speech.

Porter images himself as a hell Gate keeper and talks about admitting a greedy farmer, a liar, and a cheap tailor. He says this is the effect of too much drinking to Macduff.

2. What has Macbeth done when he says: “O, yet I do repent me of my fury?”

3. What are Malcolm and Donalbain?

Malcolm and Donalbain are Duncan’s sons.

4. What do they decide to do after King Duncan is murdered? Why?

They decide to resolve by fleeing so Malcolm goes to England while Donalbain goes to Ireland.

5. Explain the dramatic irony when Macduff says: “O gentle lady!” ‘Tis not for you to hear what I can speak...

Macduff considers Lady Macbeth gentle and thinks that this is too horrifying for a woman to hear.

6. What does Banquo decide to do, and why do you think he did not accuse Macbeth of the murder?

Banquo decides to investigate the murder but he does not think Macbeth did it because he knows that Macbeth would not have the guts to do such a thing, even though he did.

Act 2- Scene 4

Ross and an old man are riding along discussing the terrible murder. Along comes Macduff. He suspects Macbeth because he has killed the only ones who could lead them to the murder.

1.  Where is the coronation to be held?

Scone

Act 3- Scene 1

1. What does Banquo reveal to us in his opening speech?

In their conversation Macbeth learns that Banquo is going on a mission and Fleance (Banquo’s son) will be going with him. Macbeth wishes Banquo a safe trip and tells him be sure to return in time for the coronation feast that evening. Macbeth is again left with thoughts. –Line 47-71 comprises the third of Macbeth’s four soliloquies in the play. This one shows his uneasy state of mind and his determination to thwart or block the witches’ prophecy that Banquo will be the father of kings.

Banquo shoes his fear that Macbeth has become king by using evil means.

2. Complete the following paraphrase of Macbeth’s soliloquy by filling in the blanks.

To be the king means nothing unless I am secure in the position. I have deep fears about Banquo and his loyal nature. Banquo is not only daring and courageous, but he has wisdom to guide him to act in safety. Banquo is the only one I fear and my own genius is rebuked by him just as Mark Antony was by Caesar. He challenged the sisters when they put the name of king upon me, and told them to speak to him; then they like a prophet hailed him as the father to line of kings. The witches said that I would become king but have no successor in my blood. If this is true, then I have defiled my mind, murdered the gracious Duncan disturbed all of my peace and my eternal jewel. I have given to the common enemy of man. I did all of this to make way for the seeds of Banquo to be kings. Rather than let that happen I will fight against fate to the death!

Macbeth proceeds to hire some murderers to attack and kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, on the road.

Act 3- Scene 2

Lady Macbeth emerges as a lonely, pathetic figure. She no longer takes a lead in making plans; her husband now assumes the role. Her close relationship with Macbeth no longer exists. (She knows nothing of Macbeth’s plan to murder Banquo and Fleance.) Macbeth has become a prisoner of evil who suffers from the fear of discovery by day and the torments of nightmares by night. The ill-gotten crown has brought only mental anguish to Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

1. What do you think Macbeth means when he says, “Things bad begun make strong themselves by ill.”?

He hints that bad things are going to happen.

Act 3- Scene 3

1. What went wrong with Macbeth’s plot to have Banquo and Fleance murdered?

They managed to successfully murder Banquo but Fleance managed to escape.

2. How does this relate to the witches’ prophecy?

The witches said that Banquo’s son would be king and he managed to escape which means that the prophecy could be real.

Act 3- Scene 4

1. What two things does Macbeth now plan to do? Why?

a) To visit the witches because he was curious about the prophecy.

b) To kill anyone in his way to keep the title as king.

Act 4- Scene 1

Macbeth seeks counsel from the weird sisters who show him a series of apparitions:

1. Explain the message given to Macbeth by each of the following apparitions.

a) An Armed Head - forecasts Macbeth’s eventual fate in the hands of MacDuff.

b) A Bloody Child - the death of Macduff’s child.

c) A Child Crowned, with a tree in his hand – Malcolm’s victory.

2. How does this make Macbeth feel?

He feels very angry.

Finally the witches show Eight Kings, the last with a glass in his hand; GHOST OF BANQUO following.

3. Explain the irony in the following statement by Macbeth;

“Infected by the air whereon they ride

And damn’d all those that trust them!...”

He is talking about himself. He says he trusts the witches and all those who do are damned.

4. What does Macbeth decide to do next?

He decides to kill every member of Macduff’s family.

Act 4- Scene 2: Macduff’s Castle

Lady Macduff converses with her son. She is upset because her husband has gone off to England leaving his family unprotected.

1. What happens to them?

Lady Macduff and her son are talking about what would happen if MacDuff died. Then a messenger comes and warns them of danger. A murderer then comes and kills Lady Macbeth’s son.

Act 4- Scene 3

Malcolm, King Duncan’s son, and Macduff are discussing plans to return to Scotland with an army to overthrow Macbeth...

Ross enters with news of Duncan’s family.

1. How does Macduff respond to this news?

At first, he didn’t believe it but when it sunk in he wanted revenge.

2. What does he vow to do?

Macduff, now with the help of Malcolm and the King of England he will overthrow Macbeth.

Act 4- Scene 1: Essay

Three witches are all gathered around making a magic brew. It is a dark room with only one candle to light it. There are shelves with disgusting things everywhere. The witches are standing over the cauldron saying the magic words and placing the right ingredients inside. They put in slow-worm sting, young owl wings, mummified corpse’s stomach and throat, roots of poisonous plant, piece of poisonous tree, eye of newt, toe of frog, wool of bat, tongue of dog, lizard’s leg, scale of dragon, tooth of wolf, shark, liver of Jews, gall of goat, nose of Turks, Tartars lips, finger of a new born baby ditch-delivered by a prostitute. They boil the things together mixing it with a huge wooden spoon and laughing that evil laugh. The steam would come out an unusual colour and the witches would drink it, the stew as red as blood.

 

Act 5- Scene 1

1. What visions plague Lady Macbeth?

The visions of blood-stained hands that wouldn’t come off plagued Lady Macbeth.

2. How does Lady Macbeth’s condition differ from Macbeth’s at the time?

She was having regrets about the killing of King Duncan while Macbeth wasn’t and continued to kill people in his way.

Act 5- Scene 2

1. Explain the conversation of these Scottish lords: Menteith, Caithness, Angus, and Lennox.

Outside the castle, a group of Scottish lords discusses the military situation: the English army approaches, led by Malcolm, and the Scottish army will meet them near Birnam Wood, apparently to join forces with them. The “tyrant,” as Lennox and the other lords call Macbeth, has fortified Dunsinane Castle and is making his military preparations in a mad rage.

Act 5- Scene 3

1. What does Macbeth’s opening speech tell us?

That Macbeth is frightened now that they are after him but he is trying to convince himself that he should not fear.

2. What does Macbeth’s speech to Seyton tell us?

That Macbeth is prepared for war and is not thinking of backing out.

3. What is Macbeth resolve to do?

He plans to go to war and that the doctor should cure Lady Macbeth.

Act 5- Scene 4

1. What news does Seyton bring to Macbeth?

Seyton brings the news of the queen’s death (Lady Macbeth).

2. How does he express futility of life?

He expresses it by saying that life is “a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing.” He is saying that life is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Act 5- Scene 6

1. What happens here?

Outside the castle, the battle commences. Malcolm orders the English soldiers to throw down their boughs and draw their swords.

Act 5- Scene 7

1. Explain the final scene.

On the battlefield, Macbeth strikes those around him vigorously, insolent because no man born of woman can harm him. He slays Lord Siward’s son and disappears in the fray. Macbeth is captured. He is taken and his head cut off. The King is Dead ~ Long Live the King!

TOEFL practice essay 3 ~ Enxhi 9A

22. In general, people are living longer now. Discuss the causes of this phenomenon. Use specific reasons and details to develop your essay.

The earth has been around for billions of years. Humans first occupied it before hundred of thousands of years. As the years past by the human brain developed more and more and their lifetime became longer and longer due to the reducing of ignorance. We are now on the 21st century and our fellow occupiers have reached the longest years of life compared to our ancestors. The causes of this phenomenon have been the development of technology, medicine and the improvement of public health through hygiene.

Technology has evolved with high paces during the last century. People have been able to build machines which make our life much easier. Nowadays we have many different construction-work vehicles such as bulldozers, cranes, excavators, cement mixers and many more. Egyptians build the pyramids by man work for 20 years when we can now finish them with less than an year. Besides reducing time they have improved our health. Many of the slaves in Egyptian times have either died because of over forcing their bodies by lifting heavy weights and working for hours under the hot sun or have had health problems. Technology has improved human health in many ways. Thanks to technology now we don’t have to eat raw and rotten food. There are ovens and microwaves to cook it and freezers to prevent it from becoming rotten. Everything we eat and drink is sterilized due to very powerful high technological equipment, therefore enhancing our life conditions.

Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch were the first ones, in the 19th century, to discover that some diseases were caused by microbes. Today, not even can we identify disease organisms, we can also cure them and vaccinate against them. Sicknesses such as measles and chickenpox used to be deadly and had no cure. When an epidemic struck it wiped out a huge number of people. They are no more threats to humans. Although there are still diseases which scientists have yet not found a cure for, different products have been produced to prevent it. For example: there is no cure for skin cancer, but sunscreen has been invented to prevent it.

Human hygiene is important. It reduces the risk of germs getting into our organism. The basics of hygiene and public health are taught at early age. Now people know it is very important to wash our hands as frequently as we can, have a regular bath, brush our teeth at least twice a day and disinfect any cuts we get on our bodies. People now know the fundamentals of health care. They know which foods are healthy and which are not. They know it is important to exercise to have a healthier body and live longer.

People are living longer. Now they are self cautious about their health and have learned a lot from their ancestors’ mistakes. Due to the theory of evolution their brains have enlarged and with it come special technological equipment, perfected medicines and hospitals and knowledge of which things are good for their health and which are bad. They have a more developed mind so we can easily say knowledge makes life greater!

UPDATE: REMINDER - Academic Fair

Memorial International School of Tirana would like to remind all parents that the 'Academic Fair' will be held at the school on Friday, 9th of May. Every student will have some work on show. The students have participated in various projects and assignments during the second semester to show 'how' what they learn in school can be 'applied'.

Parents are asked to encourage their children in these final two weeks to complete their projects and work hard in refining their work. Students have plenty of time 'in school' to work in their groups as well as with their teachers.

Full details of times and activities will be announced next week.

TOEFL Essay Week 2 - Xhoia Y9B

 

Some people think they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher, some do not. My opinion is that both these things are true, so each of them has some particular reasons for agreement or disagreement. These are the things I would like to present to you today and to talk about. I’m here to tell you the reasons why I agree with them both.

I think that with a good teacher near you can gain extra info. He can add things to make it sound easier. But, some students can take that extra information from other books, from Internet or other sources. So they don’t need a teacher to give them this kind of info. There are also some teachers that can’t give extra info too. In this case it is better not to have a teacher, because he would make things more difficult.

A good teacher is always beside you to explain you the lessons with fewer words so you can understand them better and faster. So, the presence of a teacher can make a lot of people feel more secure and calm. But, there are always some people that do not like to have someone close because that makes them feel nervous. In this case a teacher would be the wrong decision because the teacher’s job is to make the student understand something and create a strong relationship teacher-student.

In a book you can find things you don’t understand. That’s why teachers exist. We know that we can find that thing easily through the internet, but that’s not the same. An excellent teacher can take that thing you didn’t understand, and transform it into a few words and make you think “was it really that easy??”. Some students find it hard to pay teachers, but you can also find teachers who don’t accept payments.

So, these were my opinions for this difficult choice. I hope you enjoyed reading my essay. Thanks!!!

 

TOEFL Practice Essay - Week 1 - Silvester Y11

1. Your government has announced that it wishes to build a military base near your community. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this new influence on your community. Do you support or oppose the military base.

I would personally support the idea that a military base is due to build in my community. The military base would have many advantages for the local community. One reason why I think the military base should be build is because it will provide jobs and revenue to the local residence. Second, we may get a sense of identity that reaches far beyond the community. This are some reasons why I believe the military base must be build in my community.

The military base will provide jobs and increase our community’s revenue. This means that there will be less jobless people and that there will be a higher sense of security in the region. The military base would be available at all times in case of an emergency providing us with the protection we need. This is one reason as to why I support the construction of a military base in my community.

Another reason why I support the construction of a military in my community is because we may get a sense of identity which shall reach far beyond the community. The base may have an important role and achieve an accomplishment which may give us a sense of identity and even a place in history. Many military bases such as the Mexican military base have achieved victories in history. This is another reason why I support the construction of the base.

Finally, the military base shall provide our community with jobs and maybe a place in history. So why should we not give it a try and help our community to achieve a victory on our economic and our vanity?

TOEFL practice essay ~ Week 2 ~ Alba H 9A

Technology has expanded so much in the last couple of decades. Lots of new things have been invented and lots of other things have been improved. They all have one thing in common; all technology is used to help make our lives easier. The telephone lets us communicate in the comfort of our homes and cell phones let us communicate when we’re on the go and don’t have time. Lastly, and I think, most importantly, the Internet. Internet lets us communicate on different sides of the world. It educates us on many levels. It even helps us with the skills that we need in daily life. So, is the invention of the internet a positive or negative thing for our civilization?

Internet is a positive aspect to our civilization. Internet helps us with many different things. For example, it is rigorously used for research! Many students use it for information for essays, homework or projects. It is the number one dictionary in the world. You would need all the dictionaries in the world to even come close to the internet resources. Also, the internet helps you with your computer skills. This is very helpful in ordinary life. Most jobs require you to know your way around a computer. It is also very helpful for entrepreneurs that want to start a new business. They can learn how to make their own web pages!

Unfortunately, the Internet has many negatives as well. Most people, who use the Internet, are not using it for the proper reasons. Many men and women get addicted to online things, such as: gambling, pornography, and even violence. By violence I mean guns, knives and other weaponry. Most even get addicted to the internet, and stay on for hours at a time! For example, online chats and messenger! This isn’t a very good thing for your eyes! The more you stare at the screen the worse it looks! Your vision starts to go down hill from here! Also, another negative for internet is pirating. A lot of pirating is done through the internet. Also, plagiarism, which is against the law but most have done it anyway's!

So, the internet has its positives and negatives. The internet is very helpful for education, research and information. Also, it improves your computer skills, which are needed for daily life. At the same time it’s not so great because many vile things are done online. For example, plagiarism and gambling! The internet is both good and bad! Both sides are important! You can never have the good with the bad! So, internet is very important for our civilization! Technology has changed so much and it will continue to change dramatically! Changing our society and our lives one day at a time!

TOEFL Practice Essay - Week 2 - Iris Y. 11

15. Neighbours are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good neighbour? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

In our traditional culture neighbours are the people who can help you when you don't have sugar or watch the house when you leave. I love my neighbours and I would never change them for anything.

Its not always such a perfect relationship. Sometimes when you want to be alone and relax there is a knock on the door and a neighbour feels lonely. You want to sleep and they are loud. You want to have a party and again a knock on the door saying you can't. Yet in times when you need them they are there to help you, feed you, watch you and hopefully if they are smart neighbours give you advice.

Never underestimate the power of neighbours. Never undervalue their strength. Keep a close relationship, say hello and you will all have a healthy relationship. In my personal experience I have always loved my neighbours. They helped me when I needed them, stayed with me when I was alone and fed me when there was nothing to eat. Of course like all neighbours she gossiped about those who she didn't like, sometimes she would not like the way I dressed or the friends I had.

Even though your neighbours might not be on the same page as you, they are still in the same book. 'Good fences make good neighbours', I absolutely disagree.

TOEFL practice essay Week 2 ~ Irene Y11

15. Neighbors are the people who live near us. In your opinion, what are the qualities of a good neighbor? Use specific details and examples in your answer.

Neighbours are some people that you cannot really avoid having unless you live in the middle of the countryside or on a desert island. You cannot choose them and of course you have to have a good relationship with them, because one day you may be alone and need someones help. The can be there for you, just because they are very close to you. If your neighbours are good, you are very lucky, but if the do not you may suffer.

Most neighbours are very annoying, because they have nothing else to do than gossip and judge everything you do and have, especially if they are old ladies that do not have any other interesting activities. For example in my case, my neighbour is a lady who always sees and examines us from head to toe. She knows our schedule and if one day we don't follow it she starts asking us different strange questions that most of the times frustrate us and drive us crazy, but we try to be calm because we have to keep good relations with our neighbours and every malignant person.

Sometimes bad neighbours cause you a lot of trouble without even thinking about the consequences of their actions. In my previous apartment in Greece, I used to have the best neighbours anyone can have and I strongly believe and support them. They were the most benign people I have ever met. They were a family with two children, a boy my brother's age and a girl my age. We were very close to them, exactly like we were siblings. Every single hour we were together. The doors of our houses were never closed so that we could enter each other's homes very quickly and without ringing the bell.

We used to share everything, our toys, our clothes, our food, everything from the smallest thing to the most important one. Nora, my neighbour, was definitely my best friend, but I actually felt like was my sister. We have grown up together and as a result we have the same style, the same haircut, the same tastes. We will never forget each other no matter where we live or with whom, we will always be a part of each other's life.

As a conclusion, we can say that our neighbours may become part of our lives. But they have to fulfill some qualities, like offering love, and help. By this you can both be happy and not afraid of the people living next door.

TOEFL practice essay ~ Irene Y11

Topic: How does advertising influence people’s behavior? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answers.

Scientists and many other people believe that advertising has revolutionized our technology, but I personally am in a dilemma, because I strongly believe and can support that advertising has both advantages as well as many disadvantages.

The role of the advertisement is supposed to be to inform people of new products or services and their functions. They helps people become aware of what is available. But, unfortunately for us advertising is full of half truths and lies. In order to make people buy their products, firms use different ways.

First of all, people buy things that they don’t really need, just because they advertise them it doesn’t mean that they are better than products that are not being advertised and these products may be better and are obviously cheaper. Advertising influences our psychology and it affects us all day every day. We try to spend as much as we can afford and this leads to over consuming.

Advertising attracts more children and women because they are more flexible and vulnerable and in the case of children innocent, and they stay more hours at home watching TV. Children watch the new toys; they get excited and they want to have them without looking at the other toys. In the case of women, they watch the new machines that theoretically help them to do their housework and they think that these can make their life easier, so as a result the buy them.

Secondly, advertisements are very annoying to me, because they interrupt you while you are watching your program and most of the times they last more than the program itself. Advertising is also full of sexist stereotypes, because instead of focusing on the product, they use women as objects to draw attention.

According to me advertising is a great advantage for a company that wants to promote it’s products and of course competition between companies. In my opinion, we should have other aims in our lives from buying whatever we see, because in this way we are going to suffer from over consuming. But, of course we should never forget that advertisements carry advantages too.

TOEFL practice essay - Marco Y 10

Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons to develop your essay.

Learning takes place everywhere and anytime, in fact, you start learning when you are just a little kid, for example, you learn that fire burns after you get burnt, you learn from your experiences. There are plenty of things to learn both in school and outside of school, in school you learn necessary things such as writing or reading or any other subject that is needed to take part in society.

After elementary school there are more difficult schools which teach you how to think or to see things not just as a name someone has given them. These are advanced schools and are always based more on philosophy, these things that I’ve mentioned are necessary to get a good job and earn good money.

However, things learned outside school are needed to survive in the ‘real’ world, because, for example, if you don’t know that a knife can cut then you’ll probably cut your self badly one day.
There are kids that from the moment of their birth have had everything they have wanted and they have never had to make any effort to earn the things they have wanted. These people sometimes do not study much at school, they are sheltered from life because of their status and their families position and money. Sometimes their life is secluded from the ‘real’ world the rest of us live in. In some cases they don’t have any life experience and so it will be much harder for them to get a job because they have never had to work.

Those people who have been pretty much on their own will be more likely to get a job if they studied. They know how to survive. I think you should have both a school education and out of school knowledge, so that you have a complete education. This prepares you to find a job and have life’s lessons, so you do not lose your job. I think they both are very important and as I have explained, we should have them both.

TOEFL Practice essay - Franklie Y 11

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: 'Universities should give the same amount of money to their student;s sports activities as they give to their university libraries. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion.

It is my dream to go to college and get a sport scholarship as a soccer player. Today the importance of sports has reached high levels compared to the years before. I believe that sport is knowledge just like reading. Colleges have to give the same amount of money not only to a library but also to sports.

Sport has evolved with humans. Its importance is not minimal; vice versa it is more than entertainment. It is a culture that makes each state be accentuated in the eyes of the world. There is no objection that books are what make us understand the past and the present. They are what make us smart. They are truly important.

I prefer sports and hope that one day the same amount of money given to the library would be given for sports.

This is Franklie's first attempt at a TOEFL essay.