11) Tle last Blog For Eng102 , Not The End

On the homer bookstore's bags, there is a sentence which I learn it is latin. It says "verba volant, scripta manent" so, "talking flies, writing remains". Maybe it is not a good translation but please accept it :).
In manty times, I prefer to write my ideas because I don't want to forget it. Also, reading my ideas after writing make me proud of myself. when I read my writings, I have a chance to interpret and assess my thoughts like a strange. And "BINGO"!! I am a good writer :) When I read, I appreciate my thought and expression of myself.
I know it seems like a little bit megalomania but I can not reject that I am good at writer :)

And I tried to attend "blog-race" by trusting my writing skill. But it is not about skillful, it is about time management :( I wrote blog less than I can write in this semester. But it is not important, I have this page and I can write when I want :). However, there will be a difference, sometimes ı will write in Turkish :p I hope that is not problem for Sonja :)

Yes, this is my last blog for ENG102 course, but not the end for blog. We will keep in touch Sonja :)

And now, I have .. I have.. boğazımda bi düğüm var sanki.. we allways spend time fastly, but everytime we miss the past..
And again.. again.. again.. Iwill miss all of you, esspeciall Sonja.

See you!

( Her defasında "zaman bir an önce geçsin" isteriz ama her zaman geçmişe dönüp " ne güzel günlerdi" diye iç çekeriz!!

And if you want to read my other writings, You can read them from my facebook.. but they are in Turkish Language or I have a notebook ı write on it when inspiration come, I can send my writings to you)

10) Pub-quiz, Cookie and tiramisu party, photos and GOODBYES :(

Last Lesson of Semester

Today both one of the better and worst day on Eng102 class.. Firstly, there was a strictly competition in pub-quiz.. Unfortunately, my group was looser but I wan to say that "önemli olan yarışmaktı" :).

Then, Sonja's cookies and Elif's tiramisu ( I don't know how it is written in English :)) were so delicious. Photographes we taken and the paper Sonja prepared will be nice memories. And I will really miss Sonja and my class.

This semester I was more participating than 1st semestre and, at this time, I won't have any remorse because of being not active on eng lessons. At the end of 1st semester, I was upset because ı was not aware of how Eng101 lesson is enjoyable. There were subject on this course which changed my ideas completely. Now, I am more sensitive about race-gay-lesbian discrimination, I can see how media shape, I'm more aware of how woman body is used, how adolescents' life was shaped and I can understand people who commit a crime and why they become bad people. And I think, being e person who is able to interpret the subjects which are accepted, damned, ignored, banned, missunderstood or humiliated directly by society makes me different person from ordinary people in society. End101 and 102 cources gives me this perspective. Also the lessons became more efficient by Sonja :)

Thank you for all, Sonja :) And I hope that you can find students like us in London :)

9) The pub-quiz preparation - Martin Luther King "I have a dream"

The Ways of Meeting Oppression

You can watch one part of Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech in the biggest demonstration of USA nation until 1963 at the bottom. They got together in order to gain citizenship rights to Negros. However, I realize that there are not only black people in demonstration area, but also white people in there! It shows us that the white citizenship in USA are also disturbed from segregation. They don't protest white society they, protest governments.
And Martin Luther King said that " We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt!"

Martin Luther King examined Three Ways of Meeting Oppression

Oppressed People cope with their oppression by three ways.

1) Acquiescence: Some oppressed people accept oppression because they don't want struggle and they see the acquiescence as freedom!! This is a kind of negative freedom.

But this is not a way for a real freedom. " To accept passively an unjust system is to cooperate with that system; thereby the oppressed become as evil as the oppressor." (M.L.K.)
And a Negro never win his freedom by acquiescence!

2)Physical violence and corroding hatred: Some of the oppressed people resort to violence to gain freedom.But also Martin L. King support that the way of violence never gives the freedom and peace! Besides, violence and hatred create more insolvable issues for both oppressed and oppresser.
Blacks' next generations will struggle with a huge aloneness in society also it caused destruction on both oppressed and opressor people's psychological and physical entities.

( I saw the similarities between the way of violence and the condition of Turkey. Kurds established PKK to gain their rights in Turkey as oppressed society but PKK is called as " Terror Organization". Killing and being killed gave nothing to Kurdish society. in contrast,as well as Turkey's policy, they caused underdevelopment of East of Turkey.)

3) Nonviolent resistance: According to Martin Luther King Jr. the best way to achieve freedom and rights is nonviolent resistance.
" The nonviolent resister agrees with the person who acquiesces that one should not be physically aggressive toward his opponent but he balances the equation by agreeing with the person of violence that evil must be resisted." (M.L.K.)

The violence and acquiescence never solve problems but resisting to injustice nonviolently and being patience in the way of having citizenship rights and fighting with racism pass people from segregation to equality.

8) Final Presentations and Sleeplessness

Again finals..
Final presentations started at this monday. today I and my friend Didem and Reşide presented our final presentation. My subject was Great Depression and how Great Depression place in the novel The Bluest Eye. Actually, I would like to examine Great Depression subject deeply with its all causes, effects and processes which drive the world into economic problems but I have no time also only one part of G.D was placed in novel. It was unemployment. That's why, I only gave information about unemployment and the examples about unemployment in novel.

Generally, I like our presentation, also I was glad to have Great Depression to present. So, it was not difficult to find information and prepare slides. but it was hard to present it because I slept only 1 hour 20 minute at all night before presentation. Because I had a few work apart from presentation and I should have not slept in order to do all my jobs.

I stood with a redbull :) but despite everything, in my opinion. my presentation was good :)

thankfully, there is redbull :))

http://www.reklam.tv/player/PlayerPublic.swf?v=8CB21573B0B063A

7) The Bluest Eye - Autumn

The Concept of Beauty

MacTeers and Breedloves are black families who live in Lorain, Ohio. The narrator of book is nine year old Claudia. As far as Claudia, life is hard for them because they are black peeople suffering from povery.eing black, being poor and being woman... These declare claudia's weakness.

Claudia's hatred to white people comes from whites' thingking about they are supperior. Therefore she hates the dolls named Shirley Temple (a hugely popular child actress of the day) and the popular children’s dolls of the 1940s. Because " all the world had agreed that a blued-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured." ( p. 20)
She hates from their whitnesses because they are black and being black was not a concept of beauty.

But Pecola isn't angry to their whitnesses and blue eyes... she accepts America’s white beauty standards. She drinks lots of milk to be like a white because drinking milk is a value of white society.

She wants to have blue eyes and she has prayed for a long time to be blue-eyed. She desires it because she thinks if she have blue eyes she can see the world more beautiful and also white can like her and respect her. she can exist in whites' life thanks to her blur eyes.

Breedloves believe the are ugly, Actually they were not ugly but they don't seem like a white. Their lips, eyes, skins, cheeks are different. They are ugly because they believe that they are ugly.


******************************


And I want to ask! Why are we trying to fit into beauty concepts? being thin, being white, being blonge, being blue,green,grey eyed! I think, There is no a single beauty concept, and cannot be!! Because every person's physical and personal qualities posses different brilliance. Every person is beautiful with her/him pure existence.

6) A Coronach for Black Society by Salif Keita - Folon

Regarding The Bluest Eye

When I listen the song " Folon" at first time, it affected me so much. I don't know why!? Maybe, Salif Keita's fascinatic voice causes that but even though I don't know the language it makes me feel a pain in my heart. Then, I researched information about Salif Keita and his song "Folon", I understood why I feel these strong feelings because the song tells how black people live in past and how they live now. He mentions what they faced in the past and how these change. The lyric of "Folon" in Mali language and English translation below;

fôlon, é té nyinika
fôlon, né té nyinika
fôlon, a toun bé kè t'ni dén
fôlon, ko kow koun bé kè
fôlon, môgow ma koté

kouma diougou bé môgo mi kono
hèrè bi môgo mi kono
kongo bé môgo mi laaaaa
fôlon, kow ko koun bi la
fôlon, é koun té sé kô fô.

sissan, é bé nyinika
sissan, né bé nyinika
sissan, an bé bè nyinika
sissan, ko kow koun bé kè
sissan, môgow ma ko bala

(translation)

In the past, no one questioned to you
In the past, no one questioned to me
In the past, that’s how it used to be
In the past, whatever happened
In the past, no one wanted to know

People who had suggestions to make
People who could think for themselves
People who were hungry
In the past whatever happened
In the past, you could not speak about it.

Today, you are supposed to take part
Today, I’m supposed to take part
Today, we are all supposed to take part
Today, whatever’s happening
we’re all asked to take part
Today, people want to know

In the past, people did not want to know


We have read The Bluest Eye written in 70's nowadays. We witness to Black Peoples conditions in poverty, ignorance, dearth and being rejected in the past. But today, A Black person is the president of world. One of the member of the most oppressed race is USA president, Barack Obama and, Today, They can pursuit their rights, they take part in World, they can speak, they can ask. Now they can exist and tell it clearly.

I strogly recommend to listen The song "Folon". It is really one of the most beatiful song in world, of course this is my idea :)

5) Break?! Are you sure?

How kind of break is this?

now I'm at 5th day of holiday.. but it is not different from a school day!! I'm really so so so sooooooooooo angry because of these homeworks!! I want to ask you my all teacher!! Is it really a holiday break? or is it a homework break? I couldn't finish all of these bulshits althought I study!! And I know when I came to istanbul you will say that " heyy you were responsible to do all..!!" but maybe you cannot understand that I MISS MY MOTHER .. BECAUSE I SAW HER ONLY TWICE TIME IN A YEAR!!

POOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFF!!!

Sabancı I hate you and all of your ...!!

4) Have you ever seen a "Hanife"?

A young scapegoat

Sevgi Soysal interprets a severe issue of Turkey in the story "Hanife" on her book "Barış Adlı Çocuk". Hanife is just 15 years old young girl. She wants to be important because nobody care about her, her mother as well. For the first time, Hasan gives she something to make her feel herself important. To be with Hasan in hayloft can seems dangerous for her life, but she already doesn't have anything to lose in her life. She is already scapegoat. I doubt whether, in villages like Hanife lives, there are girls who have different fortunes from Hanife or are happy to have their life.

Let change the story process. If Hasan didn't rape hanife and she wasn't sacrificed for honor, What would happen? Would Hanife be good and glad her life? It is slight probabilty!! She either gets married with a man who is not accepted by Hanife or she always be under the pressure and no chance to tell anyting. She have only right to consent what society give her.

it is awful, isn't it? Can you imagine it? or Have you ever seen a "Hanife"?

Yes, I saw! She was 17 years old and she were gotten married with a 58 year old aged man by her father for money. Also, aged man have already 6 wifes. After nearly 9 months, they have a son. A few year later, the son died and old man divorced the little girl. She had no crime to be punished. Nevertheless, the man must punish someone because of death of his son and the scapegoat was ready to be punished.

Now, she is a 23 years old widow woman. She couldn't feel in love another man and she will never feel in love in future. If she wants to be with a man, she will announced as a whore! So, she has been convicted to be alone her lifelong or she will be gotten married with another old man who want to be with her.

Now, tell me! Is it better that death?

I say " NO!". We can be far away from girls like Hanife in our daily life we used to see but everyday hundred of girls and women in Turkey still suffer from being not "Man" and "scapegoat". You may not do something for make their conditions better, but you can give thanks for not being in their shoes as a girl.

3) Presentation weeks

Practice Presentation

Eventually, presentation weeks started in Sonja's secions. I didn't hear that another teacher has had students prepare "practice presentation". However, in my mind, it is really efficient activity because we can see our faults and mistakes at the first time as practice presentation. Therefore, we can prepare better final presentation at the second time. For example, last semestre, when I was at Sonja's course again, I and my friends determined our defficiencies we couldn't be aware during powerpoint slides preparation, and we bewared of making same mistakes. After all, it became precisely satisfaying final presentation.

Again this semestre, my presentation group faced several problems at this time. I and Zeynep were extremely sick. Hence, Reşide and Didem were obliged to prepare whole presentation. We cannot help them. Our presentation was really good, slides were so funny and our classmates appreciated all of us but we couldn't manage order of slides, it was mixed up. And the must important issue; it couldn't be a team work because of that Reşide and Didem were so tired :( So, we decided to that we will do our presentation as soon as we take the presentation subject :)Just in case..

2) Research Paper

Honour Killing

"Töre" is a concept which belongs to Turkish Society. It is a kind of unwritten constitution which includes customs, traditional and moral rules and determines the places of different gender in society. In Turkey, the patriarchal society, on one hand that "unwritten constitution" regulates the society and try to keep it well-behaved, on the other hand they try to achieve organization by oppressing to women. The "chastity" builds up the principal structure of Töre in turkey and generally it is depended on women. The chastity equals woman. They must obey strictly to rules and breaking of traditional laws requires the most severe punishment. The woman must maintain her life under the shadow of rules by neglecting her thoughts and emotions. If there is a fault it must be punished, and usually it is resulted by homicide. The name of that kind of homicide is "honour killing". As far as I'm concerned, the honour killing is one of the critical issue which waits for solution at short notice, since still, in ever year, there are hundreds of women who suffer from honour killings especially in the east of Turkey. Therefore, I decided to do research on the subject of Honour Killing in Turkey and possible solutions about that situation. Even if it seems a little research for eng102 research paper, i hope i will analyse that subject deeply in my future academic and business life to provide abstract solution to society.

1)The Graduate

The Confused Young Boy

We started the new semester with the film called "The Graduate". It tells a story about a young boy Benjamin who is a new graduated from college and a middle aged woman Mrs. Robinson who tries to seduce Benjamin.

The whole story shows us what teenagers need sexually and emotionally. Also how they struggle when they really feel in love.

The process Benjamin has is passed by every healthy person. That duration is a kind of time which people recognise their body, feelings to opposite sex and role in society. Also it is times of firsts. Therefore, it is healthy to meet true people who can advise resonable.

Benjamin started to learn woman's body by Mrs. Robinson. it was only a sexual relationship but it was not ethic in society. Even though it is wrong, Benjamin wanted to have this kind of relationship because it was a natural desire and there were no one to show him the true ways. Actually, there was no one to try to listen and understand Benjamin and he hugged the first person who respond his needs. She can be a exit door for Ben from the confusion in his mind. But it was not an escape because that situation will affect the real love of Ben.

He found the innocence in Elaine. He felt in love to Elaine but there was a problem. She was Mrs. Robinson's daughter. But he didn't withdraw from Elaine. Because the real requirement of Benjamin was the pure and innocent relationship with a woman. All people he surrounded care about only for themselves and have expectations about Benjamin, But Elaine was not.

It was really attractive movie because it points out the adolescences who are ignored and neclected. In additon, during the watcing movie I tought that who Benjamin looks like. At the end of movie, in the cast, I learnt that he was Dustin Hoffman :)

finaly, i recommend everybody to watch "the graduate"

10) The Last Blog

BLOGING AND THE END OF SEMESTRE

The first semester of freshman year passed fastly. It was totaly full with projects, presentations, exams, homeworks etc. there was no time to spend for myself. however, i can never catch up my lessons because of that i couldn't realise some of the enteraining works from lessons. The blogging is one of entertaining work from Eng 101 but it is too late to be aware of this :)..

But it doesn't end, i will continue to write blog after the first semester.

And also i want talk about general Eng 101 lesson. The subject in Eng 101 course was generally about sexual preferences of people, differences between gender and reality TV. Firstly, I saw these subject unnecessary, especially gay & lesbian subject can drive me crazy, but now i can develop empathy. And also I reached the source of the problem,the place of females on society, The source is media and ads. Eng 101 couse makes me more aware about social problems.


And lastly, thank you Sonja for your feedbacks and helps... if i have a chance, i want to be in your class at Eng 102 course but i will be regular at second time :)

See you

9) The Truman Show

when i watched the film The Truman Show first in 1998, i was 12 years old and it was impressed me so much. After watching film i started to think that i am a person as Truman and there is someone who follow me and watch me.. it seems psychopatic but i was only 12 years old.. However, my opinion has changed after years and I decide the tought of film.. It was that the boss who manage, organise and display Truman life on TV is the god. He or she ( whatever he or she is) creates a life to us and only watch from his place.. He must has a purpose to do that and it must be entertainment. i think he entertains when he watch us, if he/she presents!!

Also, reality tv gives us the chance to be god.. we can watch people on screen and we enternain while watching. It is the cause of wattching and loving reality tv for people.

Finaly, still the truman show is the best movie i have ever seen and also my favorite film.

8) Boys Don't Cry

Yesterday, I and my friends Elif and Burak presented the film called Boys Don't Cry. The preparation of presentation gave our 6 day. We make comprehensive research to create a very good presentation. The powerpoint slides of presentaion included not only information about film but also some videos from some scenes of film, pictures from film and connections from FBI research and documentary Tough Guise.
I think the presentation was really good and our film was so attractive.. We presented that film willingly.




Ascene from Boys Don't Cry also from Presentation ;

7) Killing Us Softly

g1
Woman Body Used by Ads

All of documentaries, films and lectures which we must watch and read for Eng101 lesson, provide me more information about social problems we faced in our hole life and ability to interpret social consequences.

The documentary Killing Us Softly is one of the important part in Eng101 class for me, because it makes me more aware about the used woman body on ads on TV, newspapers, bilboards and magazines.. Actually, usually I criticize the abuse of women in society, this was caused by feminist aspect of my personality.

I accept that I am a feminist. Therefore, I try to change something in my environment if I encounter a dominance of masculinity on women and misuse females. I was aware of men dominance society and something must be done to change it in order to provide equality between man and women. But i wouldn't know, by which way, we can change that unbalanced structure in society.

By Killing Us Softly, I found that the most effective source of maculine world is ads because media uses everything about women as sexual, soft, vulnerable or thin to sell products.. And ads creates a woman model which only interests her beauty in order to be loved by man. Thus, women adopt the ideas in ads and they permit a men dominance world.


At the end of the conference, the speaker gives us the solution of these problem. That is to change ads and to change our attitudes deeply in our culture by education.

6) Tough Guise 2

Who Gives The Concept of Being "Real Man" ?


The documentary Tough Guise 2 prove what makes men tend to violence and crime. The masculine culture gives men some features. some of these are being tough, powerful, muscular, respected and independent. The most significant part of culture which makes males tend to have these features is media. The "real man" model is given people by media by programmes which present men commiting crime as heroes and repectful people.
90% of crimes were commited by man because in the media, the being man means being violent.
Having a muscular and big size body, being powerful, strong and violent make you a respected man. Also, a Real Man cannot show his weaknesses, he always be quite and hide his emotions.
Obviously, these are not acceptable and common-sensical because all of these cases create an psychologically unhealthy male gender in society. The sexual violence and assaults against women and being dominance on women are results of that kind of culture.

The documentary impressed me so much, since it is interpreted by a man named Jackson Katz. The documentary was a kind of given real face of men by a man. It must be not easy for a man.

Tough Guise

5) Marked Woman & Presentation

The lecture "Marked Woman" was my and my presentation group friends Elif and Burak's practice presentation subject. While we were reading and researching the background of Marked Woman and its author Deborah Tannen, we encounter of remarkable observations of Deborah Tannen.
In lecture, she tells a conference she attanded with three women and eight men. During the conference, Tannen realize how women's hair style and clothing changes whreas men have standart hair and clothing style and she support her observations by some historical and social researches.

while we prepare the presentation with my friends, we conflicted with Deborah Tannen in a lot of cases. So, after the presentation of Marked Woman, we presented our conflicts against Deborah Tannen's views.

Despite everything, it was a good presentation for one's first experience. I have never made a professional presentation until this time. However, I was so relaxed and happy to give this presentation because it had funny slides and all friends in class participate our discussion questions and they told their opinion about subject.

4) Happy New Year

In every begining of year, I scan entire last year on my mind.. I try to find what the year taught me. In this year's eve, I saw that 2009 was really efficient year.. maybe we lost a lot of valuable things in 2009 as in every last years we passed, but 2009 taught me that the loosing sometimes becomes the winnig.. if we can learn something from our faults and losses, we can transform them to experiences and use them as our benefits.
this was classically well known quotation but i can understand that more clearly now.. and thanks to my faults in 2009, 2010 will be better year than all of last years..

I hope that every people who complain from 2009 what an ugly year, realize the truth and apply them to their life like me..

Happy New Year Friends :)