The texts in this blog are published with their original spelling and grammar. No comments and teacher feedback are included.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Who wants to be a star


(review by Gabriela Koch)


This is a fiction written story especially for students in their first year of English. It is written in natural and simple English by Margaret Iggulden and J. Allen. The Story is about Tina, who is 13 and is a famous TV star. Her mother has plans for her but Tina is unhappy and she `disappears´ to the countryside to learn another way of life.

Monday, September 20, 2010

The Black cat and other stories

Author: Edgar Allan Poe.
(Review by Carlos Rojas)

In ‘The black cat and other stories’ we can find the best Edgar Allan Poe’s tales.In each tale,the atmosphere is a very important point to considerer.Gloomy countrysides,sick characters,darkness and things like that,are described by the author.
‘The black cat’,one of Poe’s most famous stories,is a narration about a man,which drinks a lot of alcohol.One night he killed his cat and some months later his dead cat came back to take revenge.
‘The oval portrait’ describe the story about a traveller that arrived at a mountain castle.This traveller found a book,which told him the portrait’s horrible secret.
‘Berenice’ is the story of a strange man’s proposal of marriage to his cousin and her terrible fate at his hand.He is a really mad man.
In ‘The mask of the red death’ another famous story of this author,a prince tried to escape of a horrible epidemic locking the doors of his castle.
There are also a film about this story,in which Vincent Price ( as prince Prospero ) is the main actor.Vincent Price interpreted several films based on Edgar Allan Poe’s tales like:’Pit and the pendulum’,’The raven’,’The Usher house’,etc.
If you like stories about death,horror,mystery,castles,evil,etc,’The black cat and other stories’ is a good book and is highly recommended.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

William Wilson

 by Edgar Allan Poe.
(Review by Lucía Rivero Boni)

Wiiliam Wilson is a short story about the rivalry of two boys. Their lives were connected because of some curious coincidences: they have the same name, age and birthday date. They felt from each other a mixture of hate and admiration. But during the years, these feelings got worse:
“His only purpose seemed to be to annoy me and spoil my success. There where times, though, when I could not help noticing that he showed a certain sympathy, perhaps even love, towards me. I did not like this behaviour because I thought it meant that he was sorry for me.”
In this story E.A. Poe showed us how our mind plays tricks on us. The author paid particular attention to psychological issues at the time of writing.  This is an intriguing tale where more than one will feel identified with the plot.

House and Philosophy: Everybody Lies

 (The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series)
by Henry Jacoby (Author) and William Irwin (Editor)
Review by Marina Alustiza

Each of the chapters of ‘House and Philosophy’, written by a different philosophy expert and then edited by Henry Jacoby, acts as a new whole meaning and explores different aspects and layers of the show while relating them to a philosophical theory; and at the same time gives the readers an insight into the House M.D. characters, and challenges them to think, specially about Gregory House: a brilliant but misanthropic diagnostician  who does not seem to care about other people's feelings; a sociopath who rebels against rules and any form of authority trying to interfere with what he wants to get or do. And although he is a drug addict who abuses his staff, does not see his patients as human beings, insults anyone who disagrees with him and takes pleasure in making others feel as miserable as he does; he saves lives by solving medical mysteries or ‘puzzles’ as any other doctor could do. Highly recommended for the ones who want to think critically about House.

The Kybalion

(review by Verónica Fernández)


“The lips of wisdom are closed,
except for the ears of understanding”


Philosophy is one of the main achievements of humanity. However, part of it has been secretly hidden from the eyes of civilization till very recently. This is the case of the hermetic teachings, root of occultism and esoteric knowledge, which had been created by Hermes Trismegistus in ancient Egypt and only regarded as oral tradition. Based in several principles, the book introduces an alternative perspective about existence. Today, you are able to discover the mystery of Hermetists by reading “The Kybalion”. Get prepared for bringing into a new light your interpretations about the nature of the world and reality!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Exquisite cadaver

She lost one of the buttoms of her coat while she was preparing to leave. Outside was rainy and cold in the street, so nothing could happen. She continued walking to Harry's house. Hanna was his best friend and when she learnt about Harry's story she wanted to support him. When Hanna arrived she saw that Harry was crying outside because he knew the truth about his parents who had a double life.
His mother was a strange woman. She had a beautifyl figure, the kind you can see in the cover of models magazines. She was fair skinned; here hair was deep black, gently waving, up to her shoulders, like a cascade in dark unruly waves, with chocolate brown eyes. She was smart and cunning. She looked like a perfect wife and a perfect mother.
Harry’s father was a distinguished man among his friends and a perfect husband. A nice person, who had an unconditional love to his wife and his family. He always wore a simple, elegant suit and took care of his appearance. 
He usually gave presents to his wife. One day he bought a beautiful red coat with three golden buttons and gave it to here because it was their anniversary. 
Some days later she arrived very late home. She put here coat over a chair and she went to sleep. 
Harry woke up and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. He paid attention to the red coat. He noticed that on button was missing.
The next morning, when his father went to his job, Harry and his mother were having breakfast when somebody knocked at the door. It was Harry´s father’s friend. 
Harry saw that this man was talking with her mother and gave something to her. When he realized that what was the thing that the man had given to his mother, he kept in silence. 
He waited for his father and when his father returned Harry said to him: She lost one of the buttoms of her coat.
She knew that it would be a disaster when she gets home. Oh! Only thinking about these evil eyes staring at the missing button made her shiver. Who was to blame? “Only me!” she cried.
The next five minutes were full of strategies but she had no doubt that there was no way out. She knew by heart all the pain that losing a button will cost her.
Ten minutes later, there she was in front of the evil eyes as expected. Staring. She felt condemned at once. A terrible scream started the endless punishment. 
In despair, as the evil eyes came closer and closer, she found the button in her pocket by chance.  “Here it is! Here it is! I have it!” she mumbled.
She had the strangest epiphany in her short life. Closing her eyes tightly she threw the button away, hoping her mother and her evil eyes would run after it. Actually, she did. And she ran furiously straight to the wall because she was arriving late to school. Her day had been horrible and she was tired.
That day, her mother had bought a new sweater that it had cost $100.000 but her mother didn´t want to lend it to anybody.
That´s why she wanted to grab it and take it to show her friends. Then she caught it because her mother was working and didn´t notice.
At the end of class, she ran to house but she stumbled on the way and she lost a button from her mother's sweater when she was coming from school.

Groups in order (phrases in bolt indicate connecting sentences used by two groups):
  • Romina Sandoval and Belén Peirano
  • María Belén Brea Aguirre and Carlos Rojas
  • Verónica Fernández and Lucía Rivero Boni 
  • Nahir Milla and Catalina Alonso


Sunday, May 2, 2010

Flash fiction

After reading some six-word flash fiction by different authors, we attempted our own. Enjoy them!


Light has gone. The cane has come. (Marina Alustiza)


- We’ve survived a long marriage. Haven’t we?
- My wife doesn’t think so, darling.
(Verónica Fernández)


Mum, can you see the tiger of the circus? Mum! Mum? (Nahir Milla, Catalina Alonso)


In those eyes I saw my own demise. (Lucía Rivero Boni)


I’ll keep you locked in my head until we meet again. (Belén Aguirre)


That last kiss I´ll cherish until I see you again. (Belén Aguirre)


I wish I couldn´t  remember but your memory visit me in my dreams. (Belén Aguirre)


The murdered was never discovered. I buried him. (Carlos Rojas)