REACTION ESSAY: SAME TOPIC AS ABOVE

Every day lots of accidents happen all over the world and as a result many people die or are injured very badly. One such person was Frenchman, Vincent Humbert, who was involved in a terrible accident and lost the ability to see, talk and move.

Vincent Humbert, who was 22 years old, died two days after his mother put an overdose in his drip. He was mute blind and paralyzed. He was just able to hear and think. He had lived in this situation for three years and knew he would never recover. He and his family suffered a lot of pain. It was impossible to communicate with other people for a man who could only use his thumb but he wrote a letter to President Chirac. In his letter, he explained his situation and asked him for the right to die but naturally, Chirac couldn’t accept his request. Before he died, his mother announced her plans to the media. After three long years, Vincent Humbert finally died peacefully.

Of course this situation was easy neither for Vincent or his mother.  He must have been sorry about his mother and his friends. He must have thought that there was no way out except for death. Can you imagine not being able to see, talk or move despite being able to hear and think? Maybe he finally became tired of his pitiful life. On the other hand, it is very hard for a mother to kill her own son. She had to make a really hard decision and she finally decided to stop her son’s pain.

In France, more than 80% of the people think the law against voluntary euthanasia should be changed. In various European countries, euthanasia is legal and maybe it will be legal in France too. Whether it is legal or illegal, it is really hard to be in that kind of situation and almost impossible to decide what the right course of action is.

                                                                                EGE KAYA / INT; third week of November

REACTION ESSAY: “THE ETHICS OF CLIMBING EVERST”

  bbc.co.uk/news

Mountain climbing is a sport which is very dangerous. It involves team work and requires ambition and physical fitness. In this sport, as the height of the mountain to be climbed increases so does the satisfaction derived. That is why Mount Everest is so popular with climbers. However, climbing Everest is very different from climbing any other mountain. It is one of the hardest climb and many climbers have died or were injured in the attempt. Nevertheless, the story of David Sharp differs from all the others.

David Sharp, an unlucky young man who tried to climb Everest, had been left behind by his own team for an unknown reason. This is not the weirdest and most tragic part of the story: another group of 40 climbers headed by Mark Inglis found him frozen but still alive and able to move his eyes. Because they were blinded by ambition and the desire for glory, none of them stayed with him to take care of him and continued their journey to the summit. No one knows what David Sharp’s last hours were like and how long it took him to die.

The question we need to ask ourselves is this: could they have done anything else? In my opinion a group of people could have turned back in order to save a human life and could have carried him down the mountain. They could have tried at least. However, according to the words of Mark Inglis’ team, he wasn’t healthy enough to withstand the journey.  We don’t know if this is true but if it is, there is something else that they could have done: one or two members at least could have forgotten about their ambition and could have stayed with him so that he could die in peace. I think making a person happy in his last hours is much more important than any success in life.

To sum up, this story is a controversial one; there may be some who would disagree but the decision to leave David Sharp alone is ethically wrong, in my opinion. If the weather conditions had been bad or if there had been some danger for the other climbers, it would have been excusable but this was not the case. In short, the behavior of Mark Inglis and his team was completely unjustified.

                                                                              BATIHAN TOSUN /INT; last week in November

REACTION ESSAY: HONOUR KILLING

Based on the text “My Daughter Deserved to Die for Falling in Love” which was posted on The Guardian website; guardian.co.uk

Honour killings are still common in some areas of the world. Many people have been killed for extremely strange reasons although they were innocent. Rand Abdel- Quader’s death was an honour killing too.

Rand Abdel-Quader, 17, was murdered by her father and two brothers due to being in a “relationship” with a British soldier. While she was helping displaced families as a volunteer, she met a British soldier, Paul. Being a student in the English department at Basra University, she knew English and acted as interpreter. They were working together and naturally they talked.  A few compliments by the British soldier led her to think she was in love.   Although Rand fell in love with him, Paul, the soldier, didn’t know about it. When her father discovered this, he and his two sons killed her. He said he didn’t regret anything and didn’t have a daughter. Surprisingly, he was released from police custody after what he had done and even congratulated by the officers. After the killing, Rand’s mother left home and got a divorce. Her ex-husband continues to live at home and draw a salary from the hospital he used to work at but doesn’t go into work.

Rand was studying English at Basra University and was the one person who spoke English. She was helping the Iraqi volunteers who she was working with to communicate with Paul. According to her father, she humiliated him by speaking to a foreign soldier. She didn’t sleep with Paul and their relationship was nothing more than a friendship but that was enough for her father.  He believed she deserved to die. Obviously, people have been misinforming people concerning religion. Everyone should be educated to prevent such misunderstandings. The officers’ attitude was also very odd: even though Rand’s father should have been punished, he was supported and congratulated. This is enough to see how bad the situation is in Iraq. Rand’s mother said that her husband was a different person on the day he murdered their daughter. It is possible that he bowed to public pressure which can be very strong in such communities. Such pressure can push people to commit crimes that they would never commit under normal circumstances.

Honour killings sound unreal and ridiculous but a lot of people are suffering from these wrong beliefs. The only way to stop them is to educate future generations.

                                                 İREM GÜNGÖR/ INT; mid. December

COMPARISON CONTRAST ESSAY:

 Same topic as above. This one is your typical 60: grammatically correct, simple and straightforward but lacking the sparkle of the previous essay. I will leave you to decide which one deserves the higher grade. After all, no one is going to use the same style when writing about movies and the law of diminishing returns for example… So why should we worry?

There are a wide range of activities available when one is bored or feels sad. Some people go swimming, some go fishing; it changes from person to person. Watching a DVD at a cinema and watching a DVD at home are enjoyable pass times too.  Watching a film at a cinema has far more advantages than watching a DVD at home.

First of all there are some preparations one has to make before going to the cinema: for example, purchasing a ticket, dressing, leaving the house and so on. These preparations are necessary when watching a film at a cinema but not if you are staying home. After all these preparations, people can go to a cinema without any problems. Although going to a cinema is more tiring, it is better than staying in your living room. Because always staying in the same place is boring, people want to go to other places. Thus, going to the cinema becomes more exciting. Watching a film at a cinema is worth everything for some other reasons too. For Example, the sound quality is much better than the DVD player. The effects are better too.  People can watch all the details easily at a cinema because the screen is large and there are more than six loud speakers. While watching a DVD at home, people usually fall asleep due to the comfortable chairs. Tickets cost more than buying a DVD and you can watch a DVD again and again but going to a cinema once affects one much more than watching a DVD at home. Both my friends and I watched Avatar. When we compared our experiences, they were different since I went to a cinema and they watched it at home.

In conclusion, watching a film at a cinema brings more satisfaction. Because the quality is better, it is worth everything.

              AHMET ORHAN/ INT, first week of January

COMPARISON / CONTRAST ESSAY:

Watching a film at the cinema or watching a DVD at home.

The first version is not a style that is “approved” officially, but no one can deny that it is very, very proficient, which is why I am posting it. If a student can write like this, is it right to slap him down? I think not… Also, it is very unwise to get too hooked up on specific “types of compositions”. Most essays are, after all, basically opinion essays of one form or another.

The cinema industry has developed very fast in the last century. There are lots of films on the market in which millions of dollars have been invested. Thanks to technology, perfect visual effects – even 3D sound effects – make movies more attractive. So where is the best place to watch these movies? Is it better to go to the cinema or do you think none of the seats in the movie theatres equal your sofa? I think if you have the technology, it’s better to watch films at home.

DVD players are more useful than one may think. Consider the things DVD players do. Imagine you are going to go to the cinema with your girl friend: first you get dressed, leave the house get in your car, then you go and pick up your girl. When you arrive at the movie theatre, you must purchase tickets and start to wait. If you are lucky, you can find a place at the back of the theatre. If not, when the movie begins, there will be people who are late who will pass in front of you. Believe me; there will always be people who are late. Think about that little girl crying in the front row; don’t you want to wring her neck? Now you see what DVD players can do. You call your girl friend; she comes over. There’s no waiting, no late comers and no howling child.

The advantages of the DVD player don’t stop there. You can pause or turn the volume up or down whenever you like. The late Michael Jackson apparently closed down a movie theatre to watch Jurassic Park. If you were him, you could do the same thing at the cinema but this is not the case for the average John. Consider the size of the screen: now you can buy 120 inch 3D lead TV’s and really good home theatre systems. I have tried it and it really rocks. Another superiority of a DVD is that you save money. Buying a DVD costs less than going to the cinema. Plus, if you like the film you can watch the DVD again.

Of course it is a really good activity to go out to the cinema with your friends and family but it is an expensive hobby if, like me, you watch movies every day. Watching films is supposed to be relaxing and we don’t have to make it stressful by worrying about being late or finding a seat in the front row.  “Home sweet home” this is the best option.

           SARP YILDIZOĞLU /INT, first week of January.

COMPARISON CONTRAST ESSAY: CHOOSING A HOUSE (Students are given a worksheet with the photographs of two radically different houses. Information concerning the houses is also provided. They are then told that a couple with two teenage children and two cars need a house and told to decide which one they should buy. They are told they have got to do this by comparing the two houses)

Mr. and Mrs. Jones are looking for a house in Smalltown where they have both found new jobs. They have two children of school age and can afford to pay 350.000 pounds. They have two cars. The local estate agent in Smalltown , Grab and Grab, have sent Mr. and Mrs. Jones information about two houses. One of them is a modern house and the other is an old house.  On looking at them, it is clear that the old house would be a much better choice.

 Regarding accommodation, the family has two children so the house should have three bedrooms at least. While the old house has three bedrooms, one single and two double, the modern house has two double bedrooms. But the two houses are similar to each other in that they have two reception rooms. But there is one important difference: there is a large open fireplace in one of the reception rooms of the old house. The new house’s kitchen is well equipped; however, the old house’s kitchen is attractively large; with some modernization, it will be more useful and beautiful than the other one. The new house has a double garage which can house their cars but the old house has a huge garden and they can park there.

 As regards location, both the old and the new house are near the town center. However, the old one is a bit farther: it is 30 minutes on foot and 10 minutes by bus. One can’t really say that that is too far; they have two cars or they can walk. The old house is on the edge of Mary Ann’s Wood and is approached by a private road, which must be very attractive. On the other hand, the new house is in a residential area. It is also in very good nick unlike the old house which needs some repairs.  There is one similarity between the houses: they both have gardens. While the new house has a front garden, the old house has front and rear gardens as well as an orchard. Also it is surrounded by woodland so it is a peaceful place far from the hustle and bustle of the town.

As for price, the old house is 320.000 pounds whereas the new one is 350.000. If the family chooses the old house they will have to pay 30.000 pounds more; money they could use for renovation. There is another important difference between the houses though: the old house is freehold which means it will be theirs for keeps whereas the new one is leasehold. This makes the old house a better buy financially as well.  Therefore, they should go ahead and buy the old house without wasting another minute.

                                                                      İREM GÜNGÖR / INT. Third week of December

COMPARISON CONTRAST ESSAY: CHOOSING A HOUSE

Choosing a house is the hardest decision a family can make. When trying to decide whether or not to buy a house, it is a good idea to try and evaluate all the features of the house we are considering. There are thousands of different kinds of houses built for all sorts of different families. Mr. and Mrs. Jones, who have two children and are moving to Smalltown because they have found jobs there, should buy The Haven.

Everyone wants to live in an old classic house. In such a house, the owner can smell the scent of history in every part of the house.  Unfortunately, most people have to own new houses as there aren’t enough old antique houses to go round in cities or towns. This family can easily afford to buy The Haven and save 30.000 pounds with which they can easily modernize the old places and build a garage in one of the big gardens for their two cars. Every house has a garden but only a few of them have such big ones. The Jones family will be able to do organic farming in the orchard if they buy The Haven. They have two children so they should have three bedrooms; hence, the first house is not convenient for them. They could possibly divide one of the bedrooms with a partition wall but it may not be feasible.  Every woman’s dream is having a large kitchen but in modern houses the kitchens are smaller. Because of this The Haven, the old house, will be better for Mrs. Jones.  What is even better is the fact that they can have a romantic time in front of the fireplace in The Haven. How would this be possible in a modern house?  The Haven is farther to the town center but they can drive, take the bus or walk to town. They could walk through the woodland which would be good exercise and very pleasant.

There is one more point: The Haven is freehold, and freehold houses are much better value than leasehold houses. What’s more, they could get a mortgage if they buy The Haven, which would give them plenty of money for renovations in the short term. We don’t make these kinds of decisions everyday so we should be very careful when we decide to buy a house where we will live for the rest of our lives.    

                                               ILGAZ ÇAKIN /INT. Third week of December