Malala Speech

 Shot in the head by the Taliban simply for going to school, Malala Yousafzai has not only recovered from appalling injuries, but has gone on to become a champion for the rights of children everywhere to be educated.

This pattern of power-build followed by drop-back to humility reappears in the fourth paragraph. Malala uses the technique of climax, where numbers are grouped so that they climb in a sequence from small to large:

“There are hundreds of human rights activists,…. thousands of people have been killed by terrorists and millions have been injured.”

It is a speech filled with passion, with emotion, with skill, incredible belief, and daring hope.

It is a speech we all should hear, and delivered by a woman whom we all should hope we will hear a lot more of.

Gran Torino

Walt Kowalski is an embittered Korean War veteran who has just lost his wife. The world has changed around him as well. His once all-white neighborhood is now mostly Southeast Asian and he has a Hmong family living next door. He doesn't get along with his sons and is out of touch with his grandchildren, all of whom seem more interested in getting his house than anything else. His pride and joy, however, is his mint condition 1972 Gran Torino. When the Hmong teenager who lives next door, Thao, is challenged by his cousin and other local gang members to steal it, Walt almost shoots him. Gradually, however, he realizes he has more in common with his neighbors than his own family and becomes something of a neighborhood hero when he prevents the gangbangers from forcing Thao into their car. He gradually takes Thao under his wing, teaching him a few things about life and helps getting him a job. Walt's intervention has a price, however, when the gang shoots up Thao's house and attack his sister Sue. For Walt, it's time to take action, though not in a way you would expect.

About the Nobel Peace Centre visit

I enjoyed the excursion to Oslo, it was good fun. The centre had managed to answer the “question” very well and I was intrigued by all the information we were fed. First we discussed some quotes written on a wall by the entrance, and then we went in and learnt about general information about the worlds’ population; internet access, mobile access and computer access. After a bit we listened to a man a little more and he talked in a very exciting way and had a charismatic fashion to him. We then watched a short interview with Edward Snowden which was very interesting.

This is a voluntarily made blog we had to make in our International English lessons :) I hope you enjoy reading my blog.