Reader response of "The Right Decision of Griet"

Wilkin – De La Rosa

Prof. Maria – Jerskey

12/02/10

“The Right Decision of Griet”

            After leaving Vermeer’s house, Griet had to make a decision about what to do next. Her options were to go back to her parents, to find Pieter at the meat hall and agree to marry him, to go to Van Ruijven’s house, or others. Finally, she decided to marry Pieter. Personally, I think she made the right decision.

            Pieter really loves Griet. He had been waiting for her two years. Since they met at the met hall, Pieter had shown to her a deep love. Now that she had the opportunity to marry him, she didn’t need wasting time to do it.

            Also, Pieter is a nice and hardworking person. He works hard with his father at the meet store. Now they will have the chance to have their own family and house. They are a good couple. They both are young. Consequently, they would become a respectable family if they work hard.

            Most of the other decisions would be wrong for her. For instance if she had decide to go to Van Riujven’s house,  she will find a person that only look at her with black intentions. He will use her only to have sex, and leave her as the other maid he had.

            As we Know Pieter really loves Griet. He is a nice and hardworking person. Most of the other decisions Griet had wasn’t good choice for her. At all, they will be a good couple.  

Reader Response "Advice to Griet"

Wilkin – De La Rosa

Prof. Maria – Jerskey

12/01/10

“Letter to Advise Griet”

Dear Griet:

 I have heard that Pieter asked you to marry him, and your parents are encouraging you to do this. But you are unsure and told him you are too young. As your best friend I know that it is not the only reason why you are hesitant to marry Pieter. You also feel something special in Vermeer. As many people, you have been confusing because you don’t know what would be your true love or what you really feel on each one. However, I will advise you that your best choice is Pieter.

Between Vermeer and you there are mutual attractions only, not love. Even though you and Vermeer feel some attractions, that doesn’t mean it is love. I know you have received a good treatment by him, and I know he is an excellent man, but you need to understand he is married, and he has children. He never would leave his family to be with you. In fact, he has never offered you to marry him as Pieter did.

Based on what we had talking about Pieter and you, I think you are wasting time. We know that he feels an immense love for you. He has asked you to marry him, and I don’t know what you are waiting for. I remember you told me the first time you saw him in his father’s meat store you feel a special magnetism from him when you looked each other. Since that you have seen he is nice person. Even though he not belong a wealthy family he is a responsible and worker man. You will make a good couple. You are both young, and will have the opportunity to have their own business and house. Also you can become a respectful family.

About your age, you have almost 18 years old, and it is a normal age to marry. There are many girls that marry at this age and sometime less.  I think it is not a reason for you refuse to marry Pieter. Remember you don’t need to make a decision because of your parents are encouraging you or my advise, you need to study the circumstance and choose the best option for you.     

Dear Griet as you can see Vermeer is a married man. Between you and him there are only attractions, not love. Based on what we were talking about Pieter and you, I feel Pieter truly love you, and you feel something very special for him. Consequently, I think Pieter will be your best choice. I hope my advice will help you to make the right decision.

Truthfully

Wilkin – De La Rosa

 

Reader response "Composition #6"

Wilkin – De La Rosa

ESR 098

Prof. Maria – Jerskey

11/16/10

Composition #6 (Revised)

“Corrupt Politics”

            The short story “One of These Days” illustrates that the more power a person has, the more corrupt he or she becomes. It is a very common act in political leaders. When they get power they change their behavior. They become dishonest, immoral, and start to do illegal actions.

I know someone named Carl Simpson. He had been an excellent teacher and professor in different schools and Universities in the Dominican Republic. He had been described as an honest and responsible person. He also had an impressive background. But these things have been tarnished since he started to get certain state’s positions such as Secretary of Education which is his present position, Dominican Port Authority director, Executive Director of the Airport Department, National Congress Member, and others.

            There is a new law in my country for politicians or people who gain or get any position in the state. It says that each person who gets a position needs to declare his or her fortune before getting it. It is to ensure that this person is not stealing money from the state after he or she gets the position.

Starting with the law I mentioned above, the journalist Nuria Piera has made some investigation about Carl Simpson, and it has shown that he has made some corrupt acts and illegal transactions in some of his positions. For example, Carl Simpson declared $300,000 dollars in fortune, when he started to work to the state. However a recent investigation by Nuria Piera shows that a house he has in San Cristobal costs more than the fortune he declared at the beginning of his position. Also, the transaction of this house was not clear. When he reported the price of the house, he reported $120,000 dollars, when this house really costs over $300,000 dollars. That is to say he did that in order to pay less tax. Moreover Nuria Piera discovered that when he was Dominican Port Authority director, there was corruption in his administration. Some companies did not pay their taxes in customs. To sum up his administration did not report many entries that were made and reported by checkers in the customs. The most impressive part is that despite making these intolerable acts, the government continued to offer new positions to him.  These are few examples of Carl’s corruption and abuse of power within the government.

As we can see Carl is a big example of people who are honest and have an excellent background before getting power, and then become dishonest, immoral and make illegal actions after getting it. It is what many countries are experiencing nowadays: corruption, abuse of power, and dishonest people within the government.

Reader response of "One of These Days"

Wilkin – De La Rosa

ESR 098

Prof. Maria – Jerskey

11/10/10

  

“One of These Days”

Summary:

Aurelio Escobar was introduced as a poor dentist without a degree. He was busy polishing false teeth early one morning when the mayor arrived to see him. At first he refused to see the mayor.  But the mayor, who had been suffering severe toothache for five days and was desperate, threatened to shoot him. Despite the Mayor would shoot him, Escobar was not scared at all, and he also had a gun to shot the mayor in case of the mayor attempted to. Later on the dentist lets him in, examined him, and then removed the infected wisdom tooth, without anesthesia. When Aurelio was pulling out the wisdom tooth he said "Now you’ll pay for our twenty dead men." In the end when the mayor has recovered and wiped his tears, he left, telling the dentist to send the bill. Then Escobar asked whether to send the bill "To you or the town?” the mayor replies, "It’s the same damn thing."

Part most I liked:

When Aurelio was pulling out the wisdom tooth without anesthesia, maybe he has intentionally made the Mayor suffer for something that the Mayor had made.

Part I found confusing:

When Aurelio Escobar said “Now you will pay for our twenty dead men”

Questions:

What Aurelio wanted to say when he said “Now you will pay for our twenty dead men?”

Why Aurelio did not want to attend the Mayor?

Interpretation:

This short story illustrates numerous things such as the abuse of power, and the corruption that exist among many political leaders.

Reader response "Composition #4"

Wilkin – De La Rosa

ESR098

Prof. Maria Jerskey

11/06/11

Composition #4 (Revised)

“True Value”

          A teacher is a person who provides schooling for others. A professor or teacher who facilitates education for an individual student may also be described as a personal tutor. They have a true value for students. However they are espoused to receive critiques. As a result of this many people cannot see the true value of a professor or teacher.

            I studied in a special program that LaGuardia Community College offers to those students who need to improve their English skill, called “CLIP.” In my first semester I took English classes with an excellent teacher named Vivian Wang. When I started to study in the program my English was very weak. I felt uncomfortable and worried, because I did not understand most of the class.

            At the beginning of the class I made some negative criticisms about the teacher Vivian Wang. I said that she didn’t have experience. Maybe I did not like the way she taught. For example, I did not like when another student corrected my essays, and sometimes she used this technique. Later on, I regretted and recognized I had a valuable and excellent teacher. When I passed to the next level I really had improved a few things in which I had problems. For example, when I started the CLIP my grammar and reading were very limited. Despite I am still improving these areas, I improved them after taking class with her.

            I have learned that we should not categorize the work of a person before analyzing it, or seeing the result of its work. When we do this, sometimes we cannot see the purpose of the work, and the true value of that person. That was the mistake I made.        

Reader response of "The Lottery"

Wilkin – De La Rosa

ESR.098

Prof. Maria - Jerskey

10/27/10

"Lottery"

The short story “The lottery” by Shirley Jackson took place in a small village, on a warm June 27th around 10: 00 am. The population of the rural community was about three hundred people. The main characters in this story were Joe Summers, the person who conducts the lottery. Bobby Martin, the boy who loads his pockets with stones that he will use after townspeople draw lottery numbers. He also helps build a pile of stones. Mr. Graves, a Postmaster and Mr. Summer's assistant. Clyde Dunbar the Village resident who broke his leg and cannot attend the lottery, also Tessie Hutchinson, the woman who arrived late to the lottery, and her husband Bill. Steve Adams, first villager to draw from the lottery box and the Old Man Warner, the oldest man in the village. This story is about a traditional event, called the lottery, in which one person in the town is randomly chosen, by a drawing, to be violently stoned by friends and family. The yearly event was conducted by Mr. Summer. In the first round of the lottery, the head of each family drew a small slip of paper; Bill Hutchinson got the one slip with a black spot, meaning that his family has been chosen. In the end, each Hutchinson family member drew a slip, and Bill's wife Tessie, who had arrived late, gets the marked slip. In keeping with tradition, which has been abandoned in at least some other neighboring communities, So, Tessie is then stoned to death by everyone present as a sacrifice.

Part most I liked:

None one I did not agree with this tradition.

Part I found confuse:

Questions:

Why Mr. Hutchinson did not defend his wife?

What is the meaning of the black box?

Interpretation: 

This short story shows the weakness of mankind.  Also, it teaches us that even though people know something is wrong or bad they continue do it.

Reader response of "Composition#3"

Wilkin-De La Rosa

ESR098

Prof. Maria - Jerskey

10/23/10

Composition #3 (Revised)

“Conflict”

            Frequently we face many different conflicts. Good friends, married couples, children and parents, sibling, etc. have disagreements or conflicts, and when they do, there are ways of resolving conflicts that actually make your relationship better. Everyone tries to solve them in their own way. Some of them can be resolve and others cannot be resolved. Even when they are negative, we can learn from them.

            Once, I was involved in a quarrel between a friend named Juan and me. It took place at our job. During that time he was supervisor in the shipping department, and my job position was checker in the same department. He had made several mistakes as supervisor. As a result of this our manager was looking for someone to replace him, and the first person he selected was me. So, the conflict started when Juan heard that I was the person our manager had selected to replace him.

Before that we were very good friends. We had lunch together, and helped each other. But after this circumstance he completely changed his way with me. For example, he began to eat with other friends, and gave me the worst routes to check. Moreover he started to talk nonsense. He said he would lose his position because of me, and he was thinking that I had said bad things about him to our manager. But he was wrong, because I had never had a conversation with our manager about him.  In addition, all the time he was looking for a reason to suspend me, but he never found it.

After some unpleasant moments that I had due to this conflict, I decided to find a solution to this problem. So I talked with another friend named Pereira, who was Juan’s brother in law, and also his best friend. I explained everything that was happening between Juan and me. We analyzed the situation. After we analyzed it, we realized that maybe he was making unfounded assumptions, or maybe someone had told him something about me. So, I came to a decision; I had to talk with him to make clear this unpleasant clash. When I met with him, I told him that I wanted to resolve this conflict. So, I explained to him that I did not want his position; also I had never said any bad comments about him. “Perhaps,” I said, “you are making assumptions about this circumstance.” He answered that it was his fault, because he had to study the circumstance before he made assumptions about me. “He told me that he had thought that I had said bad things about him because some people had talked nonsense about me.” He told me he believed in me. He apologized and we hugged each other. Later on, he improved his job and continued as supervisor and I was promoted as assistant supervisor.

As you know, there are different ways to resolve a problem. To resolve the conflict between me and him, I used the healthy way of analyzing the situation, and talking to resolve it. Juan and I remained friends after an unpleasant circumstance. We learned that we shouldn’t make assumptions about others or something before analyzing the circumstance.