Snow Falling On Cedars

Is a novel written by American writer David Guterson. We see the conflicts between the Americans and Japanese.

Kabuo Miyamoto, a Japanese American, is on trial for the murder of Carl Heine who is a respected fisherman. He was defended by his lawyer, the old Nels G.
The corpse is discovered in the fishing net from his boat, that has been found in the next morning.
Spearheading the prosecution are the town sheriff and prosecutor. They suspected Kabuo of the murder, because there is long quarrel between Kabuo’s and Carl’s family, over a piece of land. The field is contested in the trial because the land was originally owned by Carl. Kabuo's father approached Heine about purchasing seven acres of the farm.
In San Piedro Island, war erupted between the Us and Japan. Carl’s father died and his wife sold the land from Kabuo. When Kabuo returned he was extremely bitter. This is the reason why Carl’s mother, accuse Kabuo of murdering his son for personal reason.

The most people in the courtroom don’t believe Kabuo. Although there are no concert facts, it doesn’t look good for him.

One fact in the trial against Kabuo is the wound on Carl’s head. A doctor says that it is caused by kendo, a stick fighting, which Japanese are learned from they’re beginning. Another fact against him is the batteries. They were on the corpse boat, but they didn’t fit into his holder but in Kabuo’s they do fit. Last he gets also accused for not saying the truth. Kabuo’s wife asks Ishmael to write an article about the unfairness in the whole process. After that, it comes clear that Kabuo was guilty. Carl died because of an accident.

The truth is, that Carl wanted to get his lantern on his boat from the top while Another boat crashed into his boat because of the fog. Carl fell down and he hit the boat with the head and he got unconscious. After that, he fell into the water and drowned.

At the end the justice has won because nobody should be accused because of his nationality.

TASK 2

In my opinion art can be anything. Every person has another idea of art. I think its interesting to see what the artist wanted to express with his picture. The picture expresses a lifelike atmosphere with a woman in the middle. For me this picture is a photograph and it is art.

CORRECTION OF THE FIRST WRITTEN EXAM


TASK 1

Dear, Marina

Last night my sister show me a picture with the title “ The Problem we all live with”.

She found the painting in her new book “Artists”. The painter, who painted this picture is called Norman Rockwell. I’m going to send you the picture with my letter.

In this picture you see four policemen, called Deputy us Marshalls. In the middle of the policemen you see a small black girl. . In the upper right corner, there is blood on the wall. In my opinion the artist wanted to express the racism in the world, the violence ant the anger of the people. The girl expresses courage for me because she walks between the big policemen and is not scared about it. For me, the painting is very interesting and it makes me want to find out what the artist wanted to show us with his idea. I hope you enjoy the picture.

When I saw the painting my first thought was you. You are going to write me an answer. I’m interest of your answer and your thoughts and emotions about the picture.

Yours, Magdalena

Life after death

I totally agree with the opinion of Buddhists and Hindus that death is not the end of existence, but that there will be another type of life afterwards.
However, I disagree with the meaning that we have to undergo several rebirths until we reach the final goal.
I personally believe that problems in life are here to be solved, so that they will not occur again in our next life.
If, on the other hand, we are unable to solve them during the present life, they will come again. For example, when a woman is being hit regularly by her husband and she is just fleeing, she has not solved her problem directly; it will then arise again and again, maybe even after her transition into her next life. On the whole, I think that we shouldn’t too much bother about what is coming after death.

Letter

Dear editor,

I read the article “ Giuliani forced into climbdown” in the newspaper on Monday. It’s about a row between the mayor Mr Giuliani and Brooklyn museum about Ofili’s Virgin Mary. I disagree with the opinion from the mayor because he was against this art exhibition. Because he said Ofili’s Virgin Mary it’s a kind of “shock art” . I think every artist can shock with his art in another way.
In my opinion the picture is very amazing, because you don’t see that every day.
When I saw the picture it made me thoughtfully. For me, “shock art” is very interesting, because the artist shows what he feels an what he thinks in another way. I adore painters who aren’t ashamed for their art. Finally I want to say that every kind of art always says something about human passions or feelings. I totally agree with the end because the museum won.

Yours, Magdalena

MY FIRST LOVE

I still remember the day I have got to know my first love. It was in the time when I worked for Thornfield. I was about sixteen or seventeen years old. I can’t remember the age exactly. I liked the place at Thornfield very much, it was the best place that I had. I had much to work but it didn't disturb. The time was simply good for me there, because I liked the people very much who surrounded me. First life at Thornfield seemed very quiet, I only surrounded me by Adele, my pupil and the housekeeper of Rochester. By the time she got a friend of me, because she was always very kind and helpful. Before, I never had a real friend. My life changed drastically as, Edward Rochester, the owner of the estate arrived to us. First, I didn't have a lot to do with him. He was also much older than me. I think he already shut on the forty. I externally liked him, he was big, dark-haired, sporting and had an attractive face. But I already felt a feeling at our first meeting which, I didn't know before. Within the months following on this, we got to know us better and became friends. But this peculiar feeling got stronger and stronger. Until I recognized the truth of this feeling. I was in love into my work giver and friend. Whenever we met, tickled it in my belly and a smile conjured itself up on my face. But I was afraid to confess my feelings to him. He was my employer and to this still much more older than me. I knew that he didn't feel the same for me. But sometimes I couldn't conceal it any more and simply had to tell it to him. I wondered for a long time how I could tell him. I still know, when he picked me up with his black sports car. We briefly went to drink only a tea, then he brought me back again. Due to his atmosphere I didn't dare to confess my feelings to him. When I got out, he still gave me a letter with the label "my last thoughts". I read the letter, when I saw Rochester around the curve driving. He wrote in this letter about his senses of me and that he could conceal her no more. But he also wrote that he couldn't live with these feelings any more and that he would depart certainly on this following day. I didn't have a driver's licence. I nevertheless took the car from the housekeeper and went to the station. At the last moment I still could hold him back. I told him what I felt. In the end I was very happy despite of the events. Our relation held for only for 3 years. But I will never forget him.

Arrested boy released

London (mr). Yesterday the ten-years-old boy Oliver Twist, who was convicted of pick pocketing and stealing a man’s kerchief in front of a bookstore, was released and stays now at Mr Brownlow‘s house. The reason for this changing of the magistrate Mr Fang’s mind was the bookseller of the bookstore who was an eyewitness. He went to the magistrate and told that two other boys tried to steal the kerchief. “I just saw how the two other boys threw the kerchief to Oliver Twist. I felt sorry for him and so I tried to tell the truth,” the bookseller said.Some hours before three boys went nearby the bookstore and noticed Mr Brownlow in front of the store who was interested in a book. Two of those boys crept to the man and stole the kerchief in his pocket. The bookseller who noticed it raised the alarm while the two unknown boys ran towards Oliver Twist and gave him their booty. So Oliver was charged, chased and finally taken to a magistrate where the boy collapsed because of thirst. The magistrate, however, didn’t believe that the boy was ill and convicted Oliver until the bookseller told the magistrate what really had happened. After this the boy was released and taken to Mr Brownlow’s house who took the boy to his heart.“I really knew all the time that this boy wasn’t a thief. When I looked into his face I saw that this face wouldn’t lie and so I decided to give him a new home. Now he is still ill, but he already feels better and he’s got medical care and an own room in my house,” Mr Brownlow, who saved the boy’s life told.The bookseller who exonerated Oliver Twist also said, “I feel very sorry for the boy because he really wasn’t guilty. When the two other boys gave Oliver the kerchief he was so perplexed that he didn’t know what to do when he was persecuted and I can understand that he ran away.”So far the police are still searching for the real thieves, but there’s doubt that they get caught because there are so many thieves in London and there is no good personal prescription of the two other boys, but maybe Oliver Twist can help the police to catch the thieves.words:391

Interview

As part of our series about the Victorian time at the end of the 19th century.
Today we are talking to Mr. James Brown, 110 years old man who can tell us a lot about the Victorian time in Great Britain.

I: Mr. Brown can you please tell our readers something about your family and how you lived?
B: Well, I was born 1897 into a very poor family in Brixton. My father died before I was born and my mother had to bring through me and my other 7 siblings. My mother worked as a cleaning help in a rich family. She had to work very hard and long but didn’t get paid a lot.
I: That sounds quite hard. Did you children also had to work?
B: Of course we had to. I had to start with 10 years because I was a boy. Near our house a cotton factory had opened and they asked all children in our neighbourhood to come to work.
As we had nothing else to do and we needed the money I started there. I had to pick up cotton balls and put them on a production line. It was very boring and exhausting because it was incredible hot in the factory.
I: Was there anyone who had taken a look on the children?
B: Well in late 19th century there were laws enacted for the protraction of children. For example no child under the age of 10 was allowed to work in a factory or in the underground. My oldest brother though had to work with 5 years because there haven’t been any laws.
I: Did all children had to work?
B: Of course not. Children from rich families could go to school. At home most of them had their own room, where they could sleep ate and play.
I remember a girl from the neighbourhood, who was rich. She had a huge dollhouse and least 15 dolls. Children as me could only dream of having a toy.
I: Why couldn’t you attend school?

B: Well, from the age of 4 to 10 we had go to school. There was a school in every village. Afterwards we could have, but we had to go to work. Otherwise our family would have had less money and we wouldn’t have been able to survive therefore we all went to work somewhere.

I: Compared to nowadays was school different or the same?
B: In a way yes. For example our teacher sat in front of the class as it is also now. In every class there was a picture of the Queen Victoria and a bible. Though there were also differences, so the boys had separate lessons, for example maths and science. The girls had other specifies lessons but I don’t know what exactly. But I guess that the girls were mainly educated in housework because that was the main duty of women in our time.
I: But wasn’t I also the fact that woman got more duties, rights and respect in the Victorian time?
B: Oh yes that’s right, women became more important. In general the mother of a house was the moral guardian. Also fashion became interesting for women and the wanted to show there own identity. Therefore more and more magazines and newspapers occurred which were mainly read by women. In my own family though it was different. As we had no father are mum had no time for fashion or such things. She had to get us through and keep the household up.
I: As our last question to you Mr. Brown. Please describe the life in general in the Victorian time?
B: For my family it was a hard time. In review I think it was a very important time for all of us. Industries developed, so lather a lot of people had a good work. Too the people started to think about several things, as religion. The began to doubt if it was right what we were told about 100 of years.
I: So after all we could say the Victorian time was a hard but at the same a very important time for our country.
Thanks you Mr. Brown for giving our readers a view into life at that time.
B: You’re welcome. Thanks you.

To our regret we were informed a week after the interview that MR. Brown has passed away.

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