Women’s role in Chilean Education; the burden of our History in today’s decisions.

Reflections based on Virginia Woolf's A room of one's own.

The following essay seeks to put into discussion women’s role in Chilean education, from the establishment of an educational system in Chile to our current educational system. However, this essay is not intended to provide an historical text full of details and facts that may lead the reader to entangle himself/herself in a never-ending list of facts that would unequivocally lose the focus of this essay. Therefore, this essay is intended to discuss the role that women played, are playing and will play in Chilean education as a way of alleging the importance of an equal treatment among men and women, in terms of equal opportunities for both genres.

This paper will be based on the essay written by Virginia Woolf, A room of one’s own and the reflections I have taken from it and also from the main ideas presented in her essay, as a way of supporting and linking the ideas and thoughts emerged from my reflections, to the implications that A room of one’s own have upon Chilean education matters such as the purpose of studying for men and women and the difference between technical careers provided in vulnerable schools for men and women. In last place, this paper seeks to encourage teachers to crumble the unconscious gender discrimination that teachers have when they teach and educate men and women differently.

After explaining the purpose of this work I will present the structure that it will have with the intention of providing a guideline that will help the reader to follow the essay easily and without any misunderstanding or any misreading. First, this work will discuss the importance of using A room of one’s own in the classroom as a means of breaking the old chauvinism paradigm which declares that women and men do not have the same intellectual capacities. In other words, this paper will present some aspects of the Chilean educational history that helps to understand- but not to support, in any case- the existent differentiation in terms of role gender in the Chilean educational context. After that, this essay will discuss the current academic-occupational offer that exists in vulnerable schools for women and men, as a way of denouncing that there is still a huge difference in terms of equal opportunities for boys and girls.

Now, the main question is: why is important to discuss gender issues in a so-called postmodern society, where human and women’s right are so well assured? The answer may be simpler than it appears: our society-the Chilean especially- still have to work on assure the equality of treatment and disposal of opportunities for women and, in this sense, this issue must be considered inside the classroom if our society wants to achieve an equal treatment for both women and men. However, this is not just the only reason of why this issue is important to discus in schools but, it is also important in the sense that first, we must recognize that most of the differences in terms of gender treatment are not new, in fact, they come from the beginning of the Chilean educational system because men and women were not instructed for the same purposes. For instance, men were educated to be the intellectual power in our society, they were sent to the best schools. On the other hand, women were not sent to school, in fact, their purpose in life was to find a noble husband to marry, just like Virginia Woolf wrote: “Marriage was not an affair of personal affection but of family avarice”. So, women were forced by their families to marry men in order to be maintained by them. This brought of course many negative consequences in women’s life because they were restricted to be mere housewives with few independent aspirations. Regarding to this matter A room of one’s own is very important because it contains many characteristics that are similar to our Chilean past society. For instance, when Woolf writes about a well-known person in Cambridge who was openly reluctant to the idea of equal treatment between men and women, she uses this person’s own words to denounce the belief that men had regarding to women’s capacities and abilities. These words were: “the best woman was intellectually the inferior of the worst man”.

Even though in Chile there was a huge opposition (from men and the Church, as well), women were allowed to study. However, this allowance was extremely limited for women because when public schools for women were founded during 1890’s, the main objective was not preparing women for professional studies (Sánchez, 2007) but women were prepared for being good and serviceable wives. For example, after women were allowed to study, there was a huge allegation from men and the Church because they argued that if women start studying, they would leave aside their housework as mothers and as wives. So, these schools started to incorporate within their curricula, subjects related to housework and childcare (Godoy, 1995). Here was the beginning of the difference- in terms of academic and intellectual preparation- between men and women. Therefore, the educational gap among men and women increased through years that it still has consequences in our present.

The second topic of this essay is the current differentiation that exists in terms of academic-occupational offer in vulnerable schools for women and men. It is well know that these kinds of schools try to provide their students the necessary tools for they can cope with this system but, are these schools providing real, fair and equal opportunities for girls and boys? For example, many schools for women offer the secretarial and gastronomical careers. This lead us to think immediately in our past; the women’s role-according to men’s viewpoint- in society because it is rare to see a technologic career (which is unfortunately associated to men’s work) offered by a women’s school. On the other hand, it is very common to see careers as Business administration and Telecommunication in men’s school.

What I am trying to point out here, is that there is a huge burden that our society bears which must not be omitted just because we are accustomed to it. Not because society considers normal that women study to be secretaries or cooks and men study to be administrators or computer engineering, teachers must recognize this issue as normal, on the contrary, this knowledge can be of great help in order to realize of the immense injustice against women in our society through years and, A room of one’s own can be a powerful tool for using it in the classroom because it depicts common characteristics from the author society and our society, in terms of women’s role.

Taking into consideration that our society loads an extremely chauvinist belief regarding to women’s role, especially in educational matters, it is teachers’ task to overcome and change this misconception, in the sense that in our daily practice with students we should not be transferring the chauvinist understanding of the world, accepting what the established system says. In other words, Virginia Woolf’s A room of one’s own can be suitable for using it in a men’s school as well as a women’s school, as a way of promoting the awareness of the mistreatment which women carried for many years that still has its consequences in today’s world.

To conclude, this essay was intended to promote awareness among teachers and students about women’s role in Chilean Education and how this role had a considerable influence over their personal growth and academic opportunities, especially in vulnerable schools which offer limited-according to my own understanding- chances for they can cope with this system with the best tools they can have. However, even though it has been a significant change in the role of women in our society, we still have to improve many aspects of it and, this is when the importance of teachers takes place, because it is their duty to break the existing difference among women and men inside schools.

WORKS CITED

- Godoy, Lorena “Disciplina y desacato: Construcción de la identidad en Chile, Siglo XIX & XX”. 1ª Parte: “Armas ansiosas de triunfo: dedal, aguja, tijeras…La educación Profesional femenina en Chile, 1888- 1912”. Ediciones Sur. Santiago, Chile. 1995.

- Sánchez, Karin. “Educación secundaria femenina en Chile: esfuerzo compartido entre particulares y el Estado 1877-1912”, en Revista Bicentenario, volumen 6, nº 1, 2007, pp.39-70.

- Woolf, Virginia. “A room of one’s own”

OUTLINE FINAL ESSAY!

1. Purpose of the essay.
2. Explanation of its arguments.
3. Description of the structure of the essay.
4. Discussion of women's role in Chilean educational History
5. Discussion of the difference in term of opportunities for women and men in vulnerable schools.
6. Conclusion.

Juan: "The Waste Land"

When I read Juan's post about "The waste Land" by T. S. Eliot I immediately thought: “He had pretty similar ideas and thoughts about this poem as me”. Juan, as well as me, had problems understanding the poem because, apart from its difficult language, it has many paratextual information. In his blog, Juan explains that it was very difficult for him to fully understand the meaning of the poem. But, anyway, he liked it and also he wrote he wanted to know more about the context of the poem, in order to understand it better.

I think Juan did a great job. I could notice his interest about the poem. He developed his ideas in a clear way. It was very easy to understand what he wanted to express.
Oscar.

...Hopeless in the lonely nothingness...

I will write about my impressions and thoughts that this poem produced in me.
In order to understand the whole picture of this poem it is compulsory to read and reflect, first, on the title and also to reflect on each subtitle.
The waste Land immediately calls the reader to think of an empty land, to a place where there is nothing but misery and pain. The title speaks by itself and invites us to locate ourselves in the emptiness.

The first subtitle is The burial of the dead and, as the main title, located us again in a dark place, where the process of death is taking place. The second subtitle is A game of chess and it makes us think, what do death and game have to do with each other? Here, T. S. Eliot plays with our problem of understanding the meaning of the poem when he presents death and game in the same train of thought, within this poem. The third subtitle is The fire sermon and it tempts us to try to guess what sermon was the one that appears in this part. The fourth subtitle is Death by water and as it is regular in the author’s mood, death is again present. The last subtitle is What the thunder said, here the image of nature, especially a thunder that depicts the power of nature beyond men’s power.

If we analyze the five subtitles we can infer that the meaning of the poem has to do with a desert place, where there is death, where there is worldly needs, where religion seeks its place in a without faith world, a place where nature is angry with humans because of the harm they have done upon it. This the waste land that T. S Eliot is depicting; where he is hopeless in the lonely nothingness.

Money + Gifts = Love... isn’t?

According to my own understanding the main conflict in the story (“The Rocking Horse Winner” by D. H. Lawrence) is the cold way of treatment that the mother had with her son. D. H. Lawrence represented this issue in a careless and materialistic mother who has raised her son based on the importance of material things as a response to low love levels. In other words, the mother was always concerned about providing her small son as many material things he wanted, which was, of course, insufficient because they were a poor family.

Paul’s mother raised him with the belief that love brings happiness, which was an important element in Paul’s behaviour because he started foreseeing the results of horse races, which led him to start betting in order to get more money to give his mother.

Misunderstanding love with money can lead to the belief that this feeling can be measured and therefore be bought. To conclude, giving money or presents in order to receive love is an important issue to bear in mind in this materialistic and technological society.

More space, more opportunities, more equality!

There is a real need to have a space, both real and metaphorical to write. Just like Virginia Woolf wrote in her essay, women need a physical space to put pen to paper all their thoughts and ideas and also they necessitate a space in their society to express their feeling concretely.

What Virginia Woolf is doing in her essay is to call for more participation from women’s part in the writing process of their society. She is demanding more room for her genre when she says they need more space to write. The author claims an equal role for women in society. She has pointed out that many women do not have the same opportunities than men have when the writing process is taking place.

In the same way, Woolf is claiming for more internal space for women to write. In other words, she is arguing that women need to free themselves from men’s (and sometimes themselves) yoke if they want to have a real space to express themselves.

To conclude, Virginia has raised an important issue, the necessity of more space for women’s development in a chauvinist society.

A boy alone in the city... "Oliver Twist".

Have we ever stopped to look at the children wandering in our city? Have we stopped and think about why they are there instead of being at school or at home? It seems we have been accustomed to see them, that we almost do not notice their presence. In the film Oliver Twist there is a boy who is an orphan and who tries to survive in the promising city of London. However, when Oliver arrives to London he realises that living there is very difficult for everyone- except for the wealthy people, of course- so he has to face the cruel reality: or he starts robbing people for surviving or awaits starvation.

The fact presented above led me to think that in some cases, the lack of opportunities for children, teenagers and adults might lead them to incur in delinquency. The need for survival guide poor people to steal –so, if poor people rob for surviving, why some wealthy people rob? Juts for surviving? I do not think so!-.

Oliver, just like thousands of children here in Chile, swarm in the streets looking for an opportunity. The problem is: are there enough chances for children and their families to survive and to have a comfortable way of living, when there is a huge socio-economic gap that impede people to have a decent life.

The mistaken word!!

What is the cost of progress? Till what point people are going to leave aside their health in order to achieve the progress of the society?

When I think of progress, the first question that appears in my mind is: progress, for whom? Is progress implying a progress for all the people who belong to the society? Or it is just for some of them? The issue here is the term itself. We all want progress for our lives and society but, what are the risks, advantages and disadvantages of it? I think that just few people stop to think about this issue.

Many politicians fill their mouths with sweet words about progress, that it is needed, that we must work for it... however, do politicians realize that progress means?-at least for me- it is an improvement for ALL the people, in terms of life standard, security, education, health, etc.

The term itself is so overused that just few take into consideration its real meaning. It seems that progress implies improvements for the dominant class, which unfortunately, seems to “represent” to majority of people.

Self-esteem or arrogance? What is the limit?

When I think of Victor Frankenstein I start thinking about myself. In occasions, I have felt I can do whatever I want; whenever I wish, just because, and without any other reason that just feed my ego. Victor Frankenstein believed he was untouchable. He thought he was invincible and that the power of his own mind could achieve everything. But he was wrong, he just played to be God, he tried to change the course of the nature and he lost his battle against it.

Sometimes I have felt in the same way Victor Frankenstein did when he believed in the almighty power of his mind. I have caught myself with thoughts like “I can do this, it is very easy” when I have been faced with very difficult situations. But, how far am I from the reality? Is this feeling of “I can do it” real and healthy? Is my self-esteem alright or it is something very different? Like arrogance, for example.

Arrogance makes people thing they are superior when they are not. It makes people think that they can do everything just because they are better than others. Was Victor Frankenstein arrogant? Or was he just very self-confident?

I just hope not be almost dying for realizing my mistakes just like Victor did. I hope it was not too late for regretting all what I have done wrong in my life.

Nature...Have I stopped once to contemplate you?

Daffodils, by Wordsworth

Daffodils are reflection of nature in our lives, the essence of the simplest form of life. In this nonstop life, where humans do not have the time (or the will) to stop and contemplate nature, Daffodils come to amaze our sight and to teach us that there is beauty and peace in nature that has been hidden to our eyes due to our blindness caused by our too rationalized life.

However, when we start realizing that there is more than just concrete, reason, and objective elements in our existence, we allow nature to show us the mighty power of it, where beauty has its maximum expression.

When the author refers to “A poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company” is trying to express that there is no comparison when eyes are opened to the attractiveness of nature. Nothing can be more gorgeous that witnessing and being able to read nature’s words.

The hopeless world... in "When I have fears that I may cease to be"

The following post will touch upon the topics presented in the poem when I have fears that I may cease to be of Coleridge.

The first theme existing in the poem is the transient and superfluous of life. Here the author is expressing his disappointment with the world he is living. He knows he will not be remembered, that all his existence will not be more than a remembrance is someone’s mind. He will not endure and the wind will take his last breath and all his life without anyone who remembers him. That is why he has fears the he ceases to be who he is now.

Another aspect within this poem is the pity he feels about not being remembered by his lover. He will not be able to look his lover’s face again and she will not remember him because his life is fading like sunlight in the twilight hour.

One last element of this poem is the author’s awareness of the human feelings fragility when death comes. He know that when he dies, everything in what he believed, he loved, he thought will vanish with his last heart beat. That is why he witnesses when love and fame in the nothingness sink.

Nature and Poetry in Kubla Khan

“It is essential to poetry that it should be simple, and appeal to the elements and primary laws of nature; that it should be sensuous, and by its imagery elicit truth at a flash; that it should be impassioned, and be able to move our feelings and awaken affection”.

The following entry will be devoted to the discussion of Coleridge’s Poem Kubla Khan and the relation between this poem and the quote presented above, as a way of stating the similarities that are between these two elements.

When we refer to the term simple, it is not intended to minimize poetry to its basic structure but, it implies to the simplicity of nature, the simplicity of the world that surround us, where the hand of the man has not arrived yet. That is what is referring the term simple here.

A second aspect of the quote is that it say that poetry should be sensuous, which it might mean that it should be connected to the inner part of the human being, like feelings for example. There is no better way to know a person in depth but knowing his/her feelings. To be aware of the deepest thoughts and sensations of a person means to be in touch with his/her soul.

A third aspect of the quote presented above is when it refers to the imagery as a path to awake the affection. Through the beauty of the imagery included in a poem, through its power of conviction with its deep words, we can travel to the inner part of our soul, where affection lives inside of our heart.

Blake and the Bible...

After reading “the little black boy” by William Blake it is pretty obvious the existing connection between Blake’s words and some passages of the bible. This is exemplified in the very third line of the poem, where the word “angel” is quoted. Much is the closer relation between angels and the bible; in fact, these beings were the ones that appear many times in some passages of it.

Another connection within the Blake’s poem and the Bible is the verse where God is named as the one who will have the two boys, the black and the white, sit in His knees when everything else has passed, when the end of the days has come, at last. Here, Blake calls directly to the belief that, even though on the earth there are differences among people, in the Kingdom there will not be any difference among people, everybody will be the same in front of God.

The unadorned truth or a dishonest truth? Reflections about the poem “Truth” written by Geoffrey Chaucer

The following paper will be devoted to the analysis of the poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer , Truth with the purpose of discuss the elements included in the poem, which make it contemporary and applicable to today’s world. Besides, this paper will discuss if there is a genuine intention of being honest, just like the poem asks everyone who reads it.

This paper will have the following structure, as a way of presenting the ideas and arguments in a clearer and more organized way. First, it will be presented the central argument of this work, which declares that the poem Truth and its content, still is contemporary and if it can be applicable to today’s world. Second, it will be discussed if the term “truth” and everything that involves it is needed now and why. Then, in the third part of this work will be presented a discussion about the meaning or hidden message of the poem providing current examples regarding to some fragments of the poem, as a way of comparison between today’s life and Chaucer’s poem. In fourth place, this paper will discuss the possible moral contained, in order to provide facts that support the idea of the lesson of the poem. In the fifth part it will be exposed the reason of why this poem was chosen. Moreover, it will be presented the implication of being aware of the content of Truth and its applicability to an EFL classroom. Finally, this paper will present conclusions about the development of this essay.

Now, having exposed the structure of this work, it is significant to start its development. Then, the first question that needs to be answered is presented in the following way: is Truth contemporary? Can we apply it to today’s world? First of all, it is necessary to know what truth is, in order to say if it contemporary or not. Truth is “the quality or state of being true (…) a fact or belief that is accepted as true” (Oxford, 2004). So, one aspect that can be extracted from this quote is that Truth cannot be classified into any specific time or period of time. It is the same to talk about truth two centuries ago than now. For instance, in the time of the old Greece, in the medieval times, twenty years ago or even today, people have the same understanding about the concept of truth. Maybe there are some differences regarding to the assertions of the term itself but its meaning, in the deepest understanding, remains the same. So, this is the first argument that supports the idea of the contemporary of truth. Now, it is necessary to reflect on the idea if we can apply Truth to today’s world. According to the arguments presented above, it can be said that it is applicable for the reason that Truth is timeless and that way, it can be applicable in our current society.

Truth is timeless but that does not mean that our society needs it. So, do we need truth in our world? Why? The answer to this question might be quite intriguing for, if we are living in a world that is corrupted and full of liars, full of people who want to cheat others, where it seems that the only way of surviving and getting someone else’s acceptation is through presenting a friendliness mask, which hides the real and dishonest face, because just very few people are prepared for facing and listening to the truth. So, according to these facts we do need more truth in our lives but, is everybody prepared for it?

After presented the necessity of truth in today’s world, it is relevant to mention the two implications regarding to the meaning given to truth in the poem. The first meaning is related to find it, profess it but as a way of obtaining salvation for a future life in Heaven, which is explicitly in the poem and, the second is to find the truth, profess the truth but not for obtaining the salvation but, for being honest just because. For example, the poem says: “stick to the high road and let your spirit lead you”. Here, Chaucer is explicitly calling people to follow the correct and honest side of truth for; their spirit will lead them to Paradise and also when the poem says: “leave this world from which you are enslaved. Cry mercy to Him” it is, again, calling people to act and behave like good citizens in order to save their souls. However, this assumption may lead people to be false because it would be a dishonest truth, in the sense that people will only try to be honest and good citizens just because they want to be saved from falling in Hell and, consequently they will not be honest just for the reason of being honest. In this sense, the author is presenting Truth as a path to Heaven and not as an end itself.

Subsequent to the explanation of the meaning and the message of the poem Truth, the paper will discuss about the moral implicit on it. When Chaucer, in the first line of the poem, wrote: “Flee from the crowd and dwell with truth”, he is teaching and calling to the reader to follow the path of being honest, he saying that people need to stay away from the unkind crowd. In other words, he is requesting to follow the difficult and lonely road of being honest.

Following to the explanation of the moral, it will be presented the reason of having chosen this poem regarding to its applicability to an EFL classroom as a way of bringing this topic closer to the education field. It was chosen because teaching values in this postmodern society, where personal interests are more important than collective interests, where our fast consumer society has led people to be very individualistic, it is compulsory to humanize the teaching-learning process and, presenting these kinds of poems is appropriate.

As a way of conclusion, it can be said that Chaucer, with his poem Truth, is calling people to be honest but with a purpose; obtaining the salvation. In this way, it is not an honest truth. People should be honest just because, for the reason that just trying to get something in exchange for something it is not the way honesty should be. Our society needs more truth and teaching this inside the classroom, it is a good starting point and that is why Truth is so contemporary and applicable to today’s world.

REFERENCES

Oxford University Press, “Concise Oxford English Dictionary” 11th. Edition 2004

You and I….are two of a kind?

OUTLINE!
1. Introduction about how Jew people were treated in the time the film was settled.
2. Summary of the film.
3. How the otherness and empathy is reflected in Shylock.
4. Opinions about the film.
5. Conclusions about the otherness’ topic that still is a current issue in our society.

The following paper will discuss how Jew people were treated everywhere they lived in order to contextualize the latter arguments that are going to be presented in the text. The film that I saw was The Merchant of Venice. The following arguments of this paper are going to be narrated through the character of Shylock, which is one of the main characters of the film.

When the film starts the first shot that is shown is where a text appears with the following passage: “The Jews were forbidden to own property. So they practiced usury, the lending of money at interest. This was against Christian law”. This opening immediately show us that the only way of living that Jews had was living from lending money because they cannot do anything else but this. So they were forced because of social restrictions and force law to live from the interests obtained from this lending. This helps us to contextualize our understanding of the way of living of Jews in order to not fall into prejudices against Jews.

Then, after this introduction, the films shows the plot which is going to be the developed through different actions within the film. Here, the main struggle is revealed: Bassanio needs money for his conquest because he is in bankruptcy. He needs to travel to another place with the purpose of marrying a lady who owns a huge fortune. So Bassanio decides to borrow money to his best friend Antonio, who is an important Merchant of Venice, but the problem is that Bassanio needs a large amount of money, reason that leads to Antonio to borrow this amount to Shylock, the Venice’s Jewish moneylender. In exchange for the loan Shylock asks for one pound of Antonio’s flesh in case he can’t pay back his debt.

After many events happen, Antonio’s deadline for paying his debt to Shylock came but he can’t pay it so Shylock decides to levy that was agreed. So the case is taken into a court where is decided what Antonio and Shylock must do to solve their contract.

After having summarized the film I am going to discuss how otherness and empathy is reflected in the character of Shylock. This character was always basing his actions according to his beliefs. Shylock represented himself as a resigned person who is almost accustomed to be bad treated by everyone just for being a Jew. In fact, in the film he says: “that’s how our people are used to live, resigned to be badly treated by you, Christians”. In this way, he is declaring his condition but not accepting it. These words implied his odiousness to the way Christians treated Jews.

Shylock was surprised when Antonio asked for his monetary help, he argued Antonio, who used to call him a dog, that: “how a dog can be owner of money? How was it possible that a noble Christian was asking for money to a wicked Jewish?” with this speech Shylock tried to make Antonio understand that now he was considering a person who was not worthy of compassion, according to his Christian beliefs.

When Antonio was not able to pay his debt, Shylock decided to fulfill his part of the contract and he to protested for was he deserved; a pound of Antonio’s flesh. The arguments that Shylock used were that the way that Christians treated Jews taught him to treat Christians, an eye for an eye. If Christians showed him what mercy was, he was going to be merciful with them in the same way that they were.

Through these arguments we can see that Shylock supported his actions in the fact that Christians had their own ways of behaving and thinking, according to their beliefs and that was commonly accepted by everyone. So, in the same way, the way of thinking and behaving of Shylock should be accepted and tolerated by everyone in Venice.

I really enjoyed the film because it made me see the Jews point of view. Unfortunately, it is very common to associate Jews with moneylenders because our assumptions and prejudices about them. But this film taught me that if they were living of the lending, it was because they were forced to do so, they couldn’t do anything else just because they were Jewish. I know that maybe this was not the purpose of the movie but as there are different ways of seeing, there are also many ways of interpreting films.

As a way of concluding this paper I would like to mention that Shylock was always reminding others how they behave and the way others think in order to support his acts reflecting himself in the other. In other words, Shylock pointed out the bad things in others, which was very unpleasant for many people. This is important because many times we do not accept the bad things in ourselves, we tend to think that we are almost perfect but, when someone tells us something against what we believe we tend to criticize that person without accepting the other’s point of view. We should accept what the other thinks about us in order to improve and grow as a person. So, if you and I are two of a kind, why don’t we accept the bad and good things about us?

Comments about the letter to the Faery Queene

First of all, it is important to know that this letter was written with a non-explicit intention. If the reader only follows what words say, he or she can easily loose the attention point and can misunderstand the function of the letter readily. Not everything that it is written must be seen literally but the reader should read between lines in order to get the real meaning of the epistle.

This letter is an allegory which leads us immediately not to rely on what it is explicitly written but we ought to be aware of its intended meaning. The author wrote this with a clear point; get from the Queen the support needed for his resourcefulness. What Spencer is trying to convey is his critique about the social and politic issues of his time. But, he is aware that criticizing directly to the dominant power was a suicidal act. So that is why he decided to write this letter with an intended connotation but that it was hidden behind kind and nice words.

After presenting some aspects of the allegory written by Spencer I am going to give my understanding about what a moral virtue is, in order to discuss my point of view from this term.

Moral virtue has to do with consistency, if a person declares that he or she is going to act according to the moral rules of his/her time this person is bound to the words pronounced by him/her. In other words, the person must do what he/she has said; otherwise this person is not going to be consequent with his/her thoughts and beliefs.

Women... do we really know about them or we just think we know them?

If I’d start thinking about this question without knowing anything about women I would say that women want to be loved above all things. However, this assumption of mine has to do with all the prejudices that we, as men, tend to have towards women. So the first thing that I should do before trying to answer this question is to throw away all kind of preconceptions and wrong thoughts about women. Then I could respond, free of misassumptions.

What women love most is that men know exactly what they really want. Girls hate being almost shouting to men’s faces what they need. They want to have a sensitive but, at the same time, a strong and mature man, who always be there when they need. But not as a way of protecting them but, a man who can be respectful about their thoughts and beliefs without looking down one's nose at them.

Regarding to Chaucer’s tale, the woman described, tried to find all what it was written before. The only problem was that her society was not able to recognize what she really deserved or wanted. She was not an advanced woman, she only fought for what she deserved; her own happiness.

Truth...

Chaucer called this poem “truth” because is calling us to follow the road of being honest, the path of being trustful with your fellowman. It is called “truth” because we are surrounded by too much lie and craving for money, which makes the chase of truth a matter of real significance.

If we analyze the phrase “for greed entails hate and social climbing uncertainty” we can relate it to our own society, where the economic system has forced to people to wish and buy everything, even unnecessary stuff for their “personal fulfillment”. The desire of having more and more material goods has led to people to forget the real meaning of life; happiness and simple thing values.

It is easy to recognize the religious implications in this poem because the author is implicitly calling us to follow the “right path” of being a good person in order to reach the heaven, where all good fellowman live in eternal grace.

After reading this poem, the first thought that came to my mind was the time when the new Iphone was going to be put up for sale here in Chile. Many people got crazy for buying it. They even slept outside stores the day of the sale of the Iphone, with the purpose of being the first one in having it. While, on the other side of town, people were dying of hungry. Our two sad sides of our country

Epic story

When I think of an epic I
immediately tend to relate it to a hero, to bravery, to wars and fights against evilness. An epic story has to have a hero and, of course the counterpart: his/ her enemy.
An epic story has also count with a journey that has to be made by the hero. He/she is the one who has to begin this journey and within it learn and grown in spirit, strength and values. At the end of this trip the heron has to reflect on what he/she has been through.

The person who studies literature and understands it will become, not a specialist in literary analysis but an expert in being human

I have read a lot of books. The range of books I have studied is quite huge. I have read from easy and short books like “The three little pigs” to very difficult and extensive ones like “Dubliners”. But none of those readings have given me the authority to say that I am a know-all reader. In fact, reading has opened my mind, it has increased the points of view I have about the world. Reading such a quantity and variety of books has enlarged my own knowledge about human beings.

The more I read the more I get a bit closer to the understanding of being a human. Reading, more than increasing the knowledge about literature, it increases our understanding of the world and the relationship between men and women. Literature opens our eyes and liberates us from the limits of our senses. It takes us to other worlds through the pages of books.

The question to reflect on is: am I reading literature to becoming a master of books or am I reading for my own realization as a human? The answer is simple: I read because I like reading and the more a go through a book, the more I know about myself.