HOMEWORK

Dear students,
I will remind you here that homework is an important part of your grade. These assignments are here to help develop your thinking and writing abilities in English. I have given you the option to do just ONE assignment a week, and even still many of you are not completing the homework assignments. I will also remind you that you receive a grade for this class, and if you do not do your homework it WILL AFFECT YOUR GRADE. You have until Friday night each week to do your assignment and turn it in, organize your time accordingly.

Thank you

Monday, January 19, 2015

Story Telling through Music

There are many ways that people tell stories. The oral tradition of story telling has been around since the beginning of time. When writing came into existence, those oral stories were then transcribed into writing. Lucky for us, though, oral storytelling did not stop.

One form of (very popular) oral story telling is music.  Sacred music tells us the story of the gods.  Popular music of different time periods tells us the values of its listeners and even what was happening at the time! Even classical music played with only instruments tells a story.

Listen to the song Travelling Soldier by The Dixie Chicks. It is a fairly "new" song, but tells a story that was common in the 1960s and 1970s in the United States. The US was fighting a war in Vietnam, and due to low enrollment in the armed forces (like the Army), the government drafted young men to go fight. If they didn't go, they went to jail instead. Many soldiers left behind sweethearts, and they shared letters (because there wasn't any e-mail!).


You can find the lyrics to this song here

Assignment:
Listen to the video and watch the video footage. If you need to, read the lyrics along with the song for better understanding.
Answer each of the following three questions with 2-3 well developed sentences.
1. Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?

2. What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?

3. The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?
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15 comments:

  1. UnknownJanuary 19, 2015 at 6:29 PM

    1) I think that they were truly in love,because no matter what he supposed to do their love just keep going,and the girl knew what he was doing but that doesn't affect their love she was just waiting the moment for see each other. And that is what love is about to be strong in the hard moments in life.When you really love someone you support everything for it.
    2) Honestly, nothing,because when you love someone is hard to know a notice like that one, there is not a easy way to know something like that about the person you love. But somehow, people should know that the boys who goes to the army has the probability to died,so i think she took the risk. Because obviously she love him.

    3) Well,there are two ways to think about it, but i prefer avoid heartbreak,because you are going to suffer, that is predictable.He is right away from you so,you are going to be sad because he is not with you,and also you are going to be worst when he died so i exhorted you not love guys in the army.That is my conclusion.

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  2. UnknownJanuary 19, 2015 at 7:51 PM

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  3. UnknownJanuary 19, 2015 at 7:54 PM

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  4. AnonymousJanuary 20, 2015 at 5:59 AM

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 20, 2015 at 10:22 AM

    1. Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?

    I think they were truly in love because they kept writing to each other. The communication between them shows us that the girl cared about him although the soldier was far away from her. I also believe that the affection of the couple gave the soldier a motive to keep fighting so he can complete his part in the army and come back to his sweetheart.

    2. What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?

    I think that kind of news wouldn't be easier for her in any way. The thing about losing the love of her life is pretty overwhelming so I imagine she would be devastated just with the fact that he would not be around anymore.

    3. The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?

    I believe that if you have love you will risk it all because the thing about love is that you can’t get away from it (speaking from the heart). I think that love is what keep us going through life and it gives joy, hope and peace to ourselves and that’s why people tend to take that risk.

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  6. UnknownJanuary 20, 2015 at 10:34 AM

    1. Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?
    If true love, because even after believing he is dead memories remain still flowing feeling and love.
    2. What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?
    It was not easy, painful, sad and lonely and desperate in their memories of true love never forget.
    3. The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?
    Life is a constant risk for that reason we take the risk as much in love as in our personal and business lives, but faith and hope prevails leads us to move forward.

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  7. UnknownJanuary 21, 2015 at 7:11 AM

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  8. UnknownJanuary 21, 2015 at 7:14 AM

    *Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?

    Of course I do, you know you are in love when it doesn´t matter where you are or what are you doing you can´t think in another thing than that special person and thats what they do, he was in the war fighting versus the enemy where he knows he can easily get kill and even with that in his head he was thinking about her and in Her side of the story she was waiting for him at home and she was sad when she realized he was dead.

    *What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?

    I´m pretty sure NOTHING!! Is hard to accept something like that even more when you are praying all day and all night to things end well and at the end of the day it doesn´t. Maybe she may feel better if she know that he read all the letters she sent to him before his dead.

    *The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?

    I think it is better to take the risk because it is really what you want to do in that moment, she was in love with him and I think she did the right decision to let him know that. We can´t forget things we really care just because life has put a rock in our way, we need to find the way to avoid that rock for the things we love and care because if we don´t do it then what is the difference between the things we love and things we don´t care?

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  9. UnknownJanuary 21, 2015 at 1:27 PM

    1. Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?
    I think they were in love because they committed themselves to writing letters to each other about their feelings and desire. This signifies that they were in love, because you wouldn’t just write letters to a stranger about your feelings. Thus, I believe that the day they saw each other at the coffee shop was love at first sight.


    2. What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?
    I don’t think anything could have made the news easier of a loved one passing away. Such a person would be irreplaceable, and mourning him her would be a must.

    3. The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?
    By choosing to love you, you choose to live. Making it all worth it, because as Erica Jong once said," if you don't risk anything, you risk even more".

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  10. UnknownJanuary 23, 2015 at 10:10 AM

    1. Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?
    I do think they were in love because they knew since the first time they saw themselves that they were made for each other. Also because she waited for him and respect his absence, and the boy never fail in sending her his letters


    2. What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?
    I suppose that it wasn't easy for her, because she loved him and when someone you love is gone it hurts a lot and it takes time to realize that they are not with us anymore.

    3. The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?
    It's better to take the risk, because when is about love you have to do what you feel in the right moment, just to feel alive and that is worth it

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  11. UnknownJanuary 23, 2015 at 2:18 PM

    1-I do, we just have to see the way they look at each other , the way they acts and just with little things they're happy and smiley everytime they're together. I think when you 're in love little things are the most important and counts .

    2- It wasn't easy for her cause if I were in her shoes I'd be really really sad and depress. It was an impact news because when someone you love is gone it really hurts I can imagine if someone you love is dead.

    3- I prefer to take the risk, you will never have something you what easily we have to fight for what we want and for love too if the person you fall in love deserve that and I think she was right .

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  12. UnknownJanuary 23, 2015 at 3:12 PM

    1. Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?

    I think they were truly in love, no matter how far they were from each other, they both were attached to the strong feeling they had. Eventhough they haven’t a constant communication they believed in each other, also when she thought he was dead she didn't stop loving him and after he went to war he didn't stop thinking and loving her. They believed in their truly love.



    2. What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?

    Nothing. Imagine find your one truly love and then you have to lose him...forever, there's nothing in the world that have made easier the soldier's death. And that everything they lived together in a certain way was dead too.



    3. The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?

    If is worth it put your heart on in, you better take the risk instead of regretting. A heartbreak is terrible but a least you try, it teaches you. For you to find the true love you must be courageous and be willing to take the risk.

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  13. PedrodejesusprJanuary 23, 2015 at 4:27 PM

    1. Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?

    I do think they were truly in love. Because of the way they both ketp waiting, loving, thinking about each other, without losing hope.

    2. What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?

    Maybe some kind of support from her family or close friends could had made it easier. But it was certainly a shocking notice for her, the one she truly loves, the one who truly love her, and she kept waiting to come back to her side, is now dead, and that's a hard thing to go with.

    3. The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?

    Personally I think that's better to risk for love. Because, if you don't take some risks, if you are not courageous ennnough to make "the jump", knowing that we could either fall or fly, we would achieve many wonderful things in life. Things as love.

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  14. UnknownJanuary 23, 2015 at 8:47 PM

    1. Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?
    Yes, I do believed they were in love by the way they were writing letters showed that they care for each other. I also think they were in love for the allegiance of the girl, saying that she would not be with anyone else and she was going to wait for him, and eventhough he was going through difficult moments at war he wrote letters with love for her.

    2. What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?

    The love they had for each other, and the satisfaction that he died loving her, she kept the memory of that love. Also the support of family and friends could alleviate this painful loss.

    3. The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?

    I believed it is better to take the risk, is like jumping off a cliff with no intent of looking down, don't care if is going to hurt like hell when you crash. All you care about is that just for that period of time you felt like you could fly.

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  15. UnknownJanuary 24, 2015 at 10:41 AM


    1. Do you think that the sweet girl and the soldier were truly in love? Why or why not?

    I do think they were in love. You just have to look how they see each other to realize that. Also that love is shown when the girl waits for him unless she knows he probably won't come back again.

    2. What might have made the news that her "boyfriend" was dead easier for the girl?

    I think it was very hard for her to realize that notice, but I do believe that it was a little easier for her because she leaned in the things they both shared together. The girl may had the satisfaction of knowing how true was their love.

    3. The girl probably knew that something terrible could happen to the soldier, but she wrote him letters anyway and put her heart into it. Is it better to take the risk for love or to avoid heartbreak?

    Is probably very hard to love someone who you know won't come back, and also that might be death already, but is better to take the risk and show your deeply feelings because, according to her story, she didn't know exactly if he was alive or not. At least you have the certain you did what you feel was correct at that moment.

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