Dear Griet

All important decision must be made with absolute sincerity, especially with oneself. We cannot make life-changing decisions if our choices are made based on ulterior motives. You refuse to get married with Pieter because, according to you, you are “too young”. You, yourself, know that very soon you will have to stop using that excuse. You started a relationship with the butcher’s son and why did you do it? You did it out of love for your family because you wanted to help them have a better life and be able to enjoy meat every week. You never really wished for relationship with him. But now two years have passed since you started working in the Vermeer house, and Pieter thinks that it is time you were married and you still refuse him. As your friend, I think it is best we are frank with each other. The real reason you do not want to marry Pieter is because you are secretly in love with Johannes Vermeer. Believe me I understand your sentiment to him. After all, he is a well respected painter in the village and someone you admire a lot, and you better than anyone understands his sensibility and passion as an artist. However, he is not an option for you because he is marry, and he seems too serious a man to leave his wife. All that is left is for you to have an affair. Is that what you really want? To break up a family

If you have any feelings towards Pieter and can see that you may be able to love him in the future, I suggest you leave the Vermeer house and work somewhere else. This way you will not have anymore grief. It is best you consider Pieter, who has had his own business since he was young, is interested in making you his wife, and your parents will always have meat on their table. As for you, you will have your own house and a business. You will be respected in the village by others. This you would not have if you were with Vermeer. Happines is not just feelings but also it is based on our decisions, which we make with common sense.

You friend,
Light

"Condors Are Not Bury Every Day"

The Bible says' he who lives by the sword dies by the sword, I believe that this applies also for those who live in violence and abuse of power. Nothing can be more terrible than the power into the wrong hands especially in those who were always subordinate. Dazzled by the power come to commit atrocities that never thought they would be able to perform. Is an effect of the law of action and reaction that any act brings its own consequences, if we do good we will have our reward but if we act with malice, we will be victims of our own behavior and eventually receive a lesson by our mistakes. AlI this was learned too late for Leon Maria Lozano "The Condor" who starred one of the bloodiest events in the history of Colombia known as the Bogotazo, which began an era of political violence where thousands of people were killed in events spread across the country.

On April 9, 1948 was assassinated the leader of the Liberal Party Jorge Elieser Gaitan presidential candidate which was considered a hope for change for working people; from that moment began a terrible confrontation between the two existing parties, Liberals and Conservatives who had always struggles to perpetuate their power. The Liberal Party accused the Conservative Party have killed him. This was the day that Leon Maria Lozano, a seller of cheese from the market place in the municipality of Tulua became a hero when they prevented the mob murdered the priests of town armed with rifles without bullets and a stick of dynamite.

For a moment “The Condor” had a notion of power that never lose gain, but a great act of courage like that became power abuse, started to appear every day corpses in the streets with bullets in their heads and without any identity document that were not identified. The dead were from both sides, but more killing was against the Liberals, which were attributed to “The Condor“. Leon Maria had formed a pseudo- secret police sponsored by influential conservatives from the city.

The people from Tulua had to bury many dead before being convinced that this killing was led for Leon Maria Lozano former cheese salesman and a devout Catholic bean will become a cold and vicious man who led a band of snipers nicknamed birds. The government never process him had perhaps because politicians involved, but obeying the opulent clamor was forced to leave town. Took refuge in the city of Pereira, but there was overtaken by the vengeance of one of the many families which that went into mourning for his crimes. Leon Maria Lozano "the Condor" was killed in the street and died as he lived there in the middle of blood and violence, he and his family paid for the hatred and pain that he planted, people say he was responsible for the slaughter of the El Recreo town when was killed much of the civilian population of the Liberal Party. Now the widow was his wife who had to dress in mourning and his children who were orphans, but the worst is that will be remembered in the history of Colombia without any glory for shameful acts that he committed which were immortalized in a book and a movie entitled "Condors Are Not Bury Every Day". A very sad legacy for their descendants to be remembered as one and the most bloody and cruel men in the history of country.

No more reason to kill that belong to different political ideology so he paid with blood, the blood he shed. There were many birds (snipers) in Colombia at that time but Leon Maria Lozano was not a bird but a "condor."

"A Modern Problem"

Conflicts between couples fail to be normal in a relationship when communication begins to fail. It is important to understand the expectations of the other person before reaching the marriage and take into account the things that our husband or wife need to be happy, putting yourself in the other person place helps to get a better perspective of the problem and be more fair taking a decision. In my opinion Michael forgot this by describing his wife as an unrealistic person.
Michael and Jane were married after completing college, three years after them twin daughters were born. Now Jane wants to work as she did before giving birth, and she has searched for day care for her children which she thinks is perfect, but her husband is opposed because he thinks that his daughters are too young to be all day at day care. Jane knows that the more time passes without working more difficult will return to the job market, and she feels she needs to share with other adults because now easily lose patience with her daughters. Jane knows that extra money would be helpful but her Michael believes it is not necessary. He does not understand why Jane does not just have a happy life with her family.
I think it is very important to take care of our children, but equally important is concern for the happiness of our spouse, it is obvious that Michael and Jane have different definitions of a happy life, for him is enough to share with his family for her happiness includes professional accomplishment. I feel that her arguments are stronger and defined,she knows the emotional stability of each of the partners is important for the welfare of the whole family.
My recommendation for solution this problem is the dialogue thinking each in the other and knowing that not only got married to be happy but also to make the other person happy too.

I do not understand how Michael says "Jane never talk about wanting a career."
I think he should imagine that if she went to college was because she wanted a career.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring"

Griet is a girl of sixteen who lives with her parents and brothers, Agnes and Frans, in Delft, Holland, , who will work in the "corner papists" as a servant in the house of a Catholic marriage where she was to live and is only allowed to leave on Sunday. Griet has the job to help his father, a tile painter, who become unemployed after an accident where his exploits tile oven and leave it blind. The day before she leaves her father hands her his favorite tile that may have something to remember home. Her new bosses is a painter named Johannes Vermeer and his pregnant wife, Catharina, who have five children and were expecting a sixth. Griet has trouble adjusting to her new life, including her new room a small hole below the storage room, and complete the difficult task of hand washing the clothes of ten people, helping with cleaning of the and grocery shopping, on top of that she had to clean Vermeer's studio, leaving nothing out of place. When cleaning the studio, Griet becomes caught in a painting of the Crucifixion, perhaps by her Protestant religion and she is also impressed by the portrait of the wife of Mr. Van Ruijven, which is the first painting by Vermeer that she sees. The neighborhood where the family lives of Griet was hit by a plague that prevented her from visiting his family causing great concern and sadness.
The only part of her job that she enjoy and feel quiet is when cleaning Vameer's study, Griet has begun now interested in something that the artist showed her and called the “camera obscura.”
Griet returns to his old neighborhood, which was quarantined, and discovers that Agnes had died . She considers her home is not the same as it once was, but had not visited in many of Sunday she was away. In addition, parents mourning the death of Agnes was very difficult to be there. In Vermeer's house was a celebration in honor of the birth of their sixth child, Francisco, where more than one hundred people attended, including wealthy merchants and shopkeepers, as Van Ruijven, who expressed his fondness for Griet. One day, while cleaning the windows in the study of Vermeer he walks in and immediately was inspired he sees her unofficial assistant standing against the light of the sun to make Griet, giving in his task that he never allowed anyone else, the purchase of pigments and blending of colors that you used for his paintings. This opened the eyes of Griet for a world of color, ranging from a wide range of hues, she never knew existed. At this point she was faced with the problem of Vermeer's work as an assistant in secret as a maid. She was overloaded and can not manage aid Vermeer and complete their chores without being discovered. However, Tanaki unknowingly presents a solution when he complains of not being able to sleep because of snoring and the nurse suggest to Vermeer in his room Griet and moving Griet to the attic where she could, without suspicion, to work for him. Your agreement does not remain a secret to Cornelia, who maliciously takes upon herself to reveal Griet assistance to his father. Maria Thins, who also learns of this, sees to it that Tinaki does not tell Catharina, after she notices a red dye staining Griet’s clothing. Although Griet’s secret is not totally exposed, both Tinaki and Cornelia make Griet’s life more difficult and burdensome. Her only relief was assisting Vermeer in the studio and admiring his paintings.
Griet did not tell his mother or would Pieter Vermeer painting it, and Vermeer was uncomfortable because I could not find the right pose for her, and was pleased with the early works. The missing detail of the paint Griet Catharina was discovered the day wearing a pair of earrings that shone so brightly, both Griet and Vermeer knew what was missing from his portrait, the use of light that is included in all tables . At first, she refused to use for the portrait, knowing the consequences it would bring for her, but insisted Vermeer. When he finally agreed, he had her ears pierced to wear heavy pearls. Catharina Griet is expected to finally discover the painting. However, it did not expect was that it would ensure that Cornelia Catharina discovered sooner rather than later. Catharina Griet enraged and accused of being a thief and she fled before being expelled from his house as Maria Thins, Vermeer Tanaki and looked without an ounce of courage to explain that he had played all a small part in the maintenance of Painting a secret.

Griet did not tell her mother or Pieter that Vermeer would be painting her, and Vermeer was uncomfortable because he could not find the correct pose for her, and was unsatisfied with the initial paintings. The detail missing from Griet’s painting was discovered the day Catharina wears a pair of pearl earrings that shined so brightly, both Griet and Vermeer knew what was missing from her portrait—the use of light that he included in all his paintings. At first, she refused to wear them for the portrait because she knew the consequences that would bring for her, but Vermeer insisted. When she finally accepted, she had to pierce her ears to wear the heavy pearls. Griet expected that Catharina would eventually discover the painting. However, what she did not expect was that Cornelia would see to it that Catharina found out sooner rather than later. Catharina was enraged and accused Griet of being a thief and expelled her from her home, as Maria Thins, Tanaki and Vermeer watched without an ounce of valor to explain that they had all played a small part in keeping the painting a secret.

At the end, Griet finds herself in the center of the market deciding upon what direction her life would take, and ten years later we learn that she had accepted Pieter’s marriage proposal and works with him the meat shop. Only a few months before, she had learned of Vermeer’s death and was not worried about ever having to see him in the market place again until the day Tanaki appears in her shop and informs her that her presence is required at Vermeer’s house. Catharina, who still expressed her contempt for Griet, handed her the pair pearl earrings. Although at first, she refuses to accept them, Catharina insists that it was Vermeer’s last will. On her way home she stops at a pawn shop and trades them in for twenty guilders. She keeps five and hands over the other fifteen coins to Pieter to settle a debt that the Vermeer’s owed him, and to which he always jokingly commented that it was the price he paid for being with her. She handed them over to him, however, to salvage the debt and consider herself a free woman.

"One of These Days"

Aurelio Escovar was a dentist without a degree, who awoke on a warm day at six in the morning to start his day by polishing false teeth while awaiting the arrival of his clients. Escovar was lost in his thoughts as he stared outside a window when his eleven-year-old son told him the mayor had arrived and wanted him to pull out his aching tooth. Escovar’s first order to his son is to say he was not in the office, but his son tells him of the mayor’s threat to shoot him. When the dentist hears this he is not startled, but calmly removes a revolver from his drawer. When Escovar witnesses the mayor’s releases the revolver because he noticed he was poorly shave and sleep deprived, signs of the pain that he was suffering. Escovar checks the mayor’s wisdom tooth and tells him that he cannot use anesthesia because he has an infection. The dentist uses a pair of hot forceps to grasp the tooth; not with rancor, but with “bitter tenderness.” The pain the mayor suffers is excruciating and described as the feeling of an “icy void in his kidneys.” The dentist tells him that that was a small payment for the twenty men that died. At the end, the mayor, in an air of arrogance, simply tells the dentist to send him the bill; in a derogatory manner tells him to send it to him or the town because they were both the same.

The part I like most is when Escovar disregards the revolver on his desk the moment he sees the pain the Mayor is suffering a he walks into the office. The reason is because at that moment the dentist sets aside his resentment or dislke for the mayor and acts like a professional, even though he isn't one officialy, and makes the mayor's health a priority.

What would be the reason behind Escovar holding a grudge towards the Mayor?

Why does Gabriel Garcia Marquez describe the mayor as being a military man? Does this in any way reveal a backgruond to this story?

My interpration of short story is that Gabriel Garcia Marquez wanted to focus on the character of these two professionals. One was an unlicensed dentist, who despite this flaw was humble and ethical. On the other hand, the mayor who is also a military man, is clearly someone of status who is arrogant and condescending.Yet, in a turn of fate the mayor is forced to humble himself before Escovar.

My Dear Friend Sara

People try to be nice when they first meet you. They are worried about giving a good impression, and because we do not perceive that they are nervous we misunderstand how they act when they try to be our friend. I remember a woman named Sara who started her first day in the office where I worked years ago, and I thought she was very annoying. She was someone who talked all the time and made jokes that I did not find funny. I thought she just wanted to attract attention and would probably be someone problematic for me.

After a few months of training, my boss told me that Sara was going to be working with me on my team. This was not good news for me. However, I knew that it was not an option, but an order I had to comply with. I thought that if I was going to work with her, it would be best to get along with the person I was going to share eight hours of the day with. After the first week I noticed that she was always the first one to arrive at the office in the morning and usually one of the last one’s to leave at night. I remember that my impression of her started to change the day I had to hand in a report to my boss outlining the complaints that the customer service department had received that month, and I could not find the report on my computer drive! I remember she came over to me and told me to take a deep breath and relax. She helped me find it in a hidden folder where I had saved it accidentally.

About a month or so more went by and she continued to surprise me. Not only did she bring us coffee and bagels one morning, but she was very efficient at her job and responsible. The day that completely changed my impression of Sara was a about a week before Christmas when another coworker of ours, Eliana, had been robbed on her way home and she came in the next day crying because she needed the money to make the rent that month. Sara, then, decided to take up a collection amongst the other coworkers and handed it to her a few days later. When Eliana received it she was surprised and touched, especially because it was more money than what she had lost. From that moment on I saw Sara in a new light.

This experience made me think that one cannot judge someone without knowing the reasons behind the way he or she acts. I now know that Sara acted strangely the first few days I met her because she was nervous about keeping her job and about getting along with her coworkers. If I had not been forced to work with her perhaps I would have never gotten to know who Sara really was. It is interesting to look back and realize how our prejudices or lack of communication can lead us to make wrong conclusions about people. Until today Sara and I are close friends.

"The Lottery"

This story takes place in a small village of about 300 people on 27 June. The villagers gathered every year on the square between the post office and bank in the draw for the lottery, which only lasted two hours, giving everyone enough time to return to their daily lives. The draw, which was once pieces of wood, built around a black box that now held the papers. Mr. Summers was the officer in charge of announcing the names of one representative from each household and each family to approach the black box and retrieve a document. The black box itself was the paraphernalia of all that remains of a long list of rituals lottery once had, as a song and a salute. That day, Ms. Tessie Hutchinson was the last to arrive, she confessed to Mrs. Delacroix had forgotten what day it was, and then joked saying to Mr. Summers that she could not draw the lottery, leaving dirty dishes in the sink, Mr. Hutchinson reveals the role of Tessie was marked with a black dot that Summers was in the office of the company's coal last night. Ms. Tessie, said the draw had been unfair, but was ostracized by his family and villagers, including children, adolescents and adults, each took the stones, and went upon her.


What is the origin and this ritual?

Was the harvest more important for the people in this town than the life of a person?

Why did the villigers not stone Old Man Warner who was so pleased with the lottery?

Maybe after 77 lotteries Warner wanted to know what it feels to win.

Would Mrs. Hutchinson have thought it was unfair if an other family won the lottery.

"Client Conflicts Bad for Sales"

During the years I worked in customer service, I learned that conflict is something that should be avoided at all times. Honesty and consideration are required in order to keep customers. Conflicts can occur mainly through poor communication. In this case, I witnessed that the salesman intentionally communicated to us poor information to meet a sale, which ended in a conflict.

A long time ago I went with my friend to a small store in Manhattan because she wanted to buy a cologne for her boyfriend. After choosing the one she liked, my friend told the salesman that it was for a gift and asked if it could be exchanged in case her boyfriend did not like it. The salesman said "Of course!" A week later we went back to the store to exchange the gift, but the salesman refused to do so. My friend reminded him calmly that he had already said he would exchange the gift, but he answered with a smirk, “We don’t do returns or exchanges.”

My friend kept on insisting that the salesman exchange the gift, until the he remarked: “It’s almost closing time. What are you going to do if I don’t exchange the cologne, spend the night?" My friend became irate and didn’t want to leave the store. While they argued, I went to the manager’s office and explained to him the situation. I said to the manager: “We would not be here insisting, if we had not asked the salesman if the store did exchanges.” The manager was very courteous and explained to me that they, in fact, did not do returns or exchanges, but that in my friend’s case he would make an exception. He went with me back into the store and he ordered the salesman to exchange the cologne. My friend was content and the salesman was left bitter, but he learned that lying was not the best way to make a sale.

This experience gave my friend and me a lesson: if you do not want to have disputes with sellers, first, make sure the store policy includes returns and exchanges, and, second, never buy in small shops, and finally try to avoid conflict as much as possible, but if you have no other option defend your rights.

"A Chip of Glass Ruby"

This drama tells the story of the Bamgee, a poor family of Muslim origin who lived in the suburbs of Johannesburg during Apartheid regime in the 1950s. With the help of a duplicator machine Mrs. Bamgee began to make flayers denouncing abuses and stringent lows of the government. the duplication of these pamphlets cause problems between the family because Mr. Bamgee not understand how a traditional Muslim woman can engage in a such radical act as this work, but his eldest son jimmy supports his mother because he understands the importance of the she does and also he became an activist in his school,increasing conflict in the family.

One night the police arrested Mrs. Bamgee and took the copy machine, left the family devastated by lack of mother. The pain and uncertainty of the Bamgee family grew upon to know her mother has Starting a hunger strike in jail. Mr. Bamgee plunged into depression and angry with his wife refuses to visit her, then the eldest daughter of Mrs. Bamgee, Girlie, makes him understand that her mother always think in others before herself.

Yusuf Bamgee finally understood the reason why they fell in love with his wife, a widow with five children, she is a under full woman. The following Sunday Mr. Bamgee went to the jail to see his wife, he was happy that the strike was over, . he brings her flowers and the best pears from his store. He really feels that she is special.

"My Mother, Whom I Love Dearly"

Ten years ago my father was the victim of a robbery that ruined completely
his business. Since then I am the only financial support that my family has
in Colombia. A few years later my father died during the process of buying a
new house. He had to sell his home because the city remodeled the streets.
I traveled to Colombia for my fathers and offered to continue helping my
mother, but I explained to her how difficult it would be for me to pay my
rent, my expenses and theirs. It would be easier for me to cover the
expenses if we bought a house. I explained my preoccupation with being
the only support. Despite having agreed with me, my mother didn’t want to
buy the house because the money we had saved up wasn’t enough to
purchase the one in the area she wanted.
My mother never understood the reasons for why we couldn’t buy in the
area she wanted and that it had to be in a less affluent neighborhood. She
never fully grasped that our economic situation had changed and that my
father was no longer with us, and that I was struggling to help them. I lost
my job and with passing time it became harder and harder to help them
because she would use the money that my father had left us.
This was very difficult for me to accept because if my mother would’ve
listened to me, I would’ve been able to achieve my goal of buying a house.
At this moment I’m trying to understand and accept her the way she is.
Again, I am trying a new plan to get ahead and help my mother, who I love
dearly.

Analysis of Juror Number Seven from Twelve Angry Men

Juror number seven is a person completely unconcerned about his responsibility as a juror; he really does not care that a man's life is in his hands—“Suppose we’re wrong! Suppose this whole building fell on my head. You can suppose anything.” He does not really care to analyze the doubtful details, the only thing that mattered to him was to vote and to end soon because he had tickets for a baseball game, “This better be fast. I got tickets to a ball game tonight. Yankees - Cleveland. We got this new kid pitching, Modjelewski or whatever his name is. He's a bull, this kid.” He insisted that the accused was guilty, but could not provide any reasons for his argument, and was more worried about the heat or the game. Unlike the others, this juror did not make any contribution to the case because when he spoke it was only to make jokes, complain about how hot it was, and to ask if it would end soon, “So now where are we? I'm telling you, we can yakety-yak until next Tuesday here. Where's this getting us?” From his behavior I dare to say that he did not pay attention during the process of evidence and the testimony of witnesses.

Sunday in the Park

Morton, his wife and their three year old son Larry enjoyed the Sunday afternoon in the park, everything was peaceful and quiet until a fat kid named Joe who playing next to Larry threw sand on his head. The mother wanted to protect his son, but she decided to wait while looking around for the adult who accompanied the child. The only person in the park was a man on a bench, who the wife thought was the boy's father.

The child threw sand on her son’s head again; this time she rebuked the boy seriously. The response of the man on the bench was to urge his son to continue throwing sand because it was a public sandbox. Morton tried to talk the man calmly and reasonably, but the man didn’t let Larry’s father talk. The man knew he was taller and stronger than him and could easily beat Morton in a fight. Although Morton was very angry, he did not want to fight. Because of the tense atmosphere, the family left the park while the father gave reasons to his wife and himself for failing to defend their rights. His wife  agreed, but inside her heart she felt that her husband didn’t protect them from the bully, she thought of this while Morton lost patience with their son, who did not want to leave the park, and inadvertently the mother heard herself threatening her husband the same way the man on the bench did.

"Twenty"

I remember when I was in high school, my literature teacher spoke about Pablo Neruda and introduced me to his books. I thought that Twenty Love Poems and a Song Despair was the most beatiful book I had read in my life.  Today I want to talk about the poem "Twenty".  This poem brings me back to my teenager days.
In "Twenty" the writer evokes with nostalgia his ex-girlfriend, but more than describing her, he describes the feelings that experienced. First, he felt loved, second, he felt in love. Is easy for the reader to percives loneliness and melancholy and how the pain intensifies thoughout he poem, finally acceptance of his loss.
I don't remember any special circunstances about this poem in my high school years,  I think ths is one of my favorite poems because of my romantic nature. This poem is significant for me because I shared it with my best friend, who shares my taste in literature and also thought it was romantic; so much that he gave me a book entitled Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair and One Hundred Love Sonnets the following Valentine's Day.

"Reunion"

Charlie wanted to see his father, whom he had not seen in three years. Charlie's father met him in the train station and Charlie thought he resembled him, and asked himself if he shared his same limitations. They went to a lot of restaurants, but they never ate anything because his father just ordered drinks in a nasty way and the waiters told them to leave. Time passed and Charlie had to go back to the station to catch his train. His father offered to buy him a newspaper to read on the train. He went up to a newsstand and spoke to the clerk in the same nasty way; the clerk didn't pay attention to him and turned away. Charlie said goodbye and went down the stairs to the train while his father insulted the seller in the newspaper stand, and that was the last time Charlie saw his father.

Questions:

1. Why was Charlie's father so nasty when he talked to other people?  

2. Was Charlie's father an alcoholic?

3. Was Charlie underage?