Dedicated to LEE4 girls!

http://youtu.be/UdITqp3EmHI

“This boy was 8 when his village in Darfur was attacked in 2004. His
drawing describes this attack"

Manuel Bravo. The gentlemen and the comrades. 160 x 221 mm.
Valencia. Residencia Infantil Colonia El Albal, Onteniente. BNE
Dib/19/1/681.

Jesús Martín. [Scribbles with a man]. 156 x 217 mm. Castellón.
Colonia Escolar Oropesa. BNE Dib/19/1/151.

Cerillo, Rafael. 13 years. Bombardment of the queue for milk.
172 x 238 mm. Teruel. Colonia Escolar Germán de
Araujo. Alcañiz. BNE Dib/19/1-524.

Barrio, Jaime. 12 Jahre. A Street in Madrid: Scene of the Child before the
War. 171 x 232 mm. Alicante. Residencia Infantil nº 6, San Juan.
BNE Dib/19/1/82.

"Through little eyes"

ISFD 41

LANGUAGE AND WRITTEN EXPRESSION 4

Paper's Topic: “Through little eyes”, Spanish Civil War

Student:Irusta M. Soledad                         

Teacher: Saubidet, Stella

“Through little eyes”, Spanish Civil War

The Spanish Civil War was fought from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939 between the Republicans, who were loyal to the established Spanish Republic, and the Nationalists, who were a rebel group led by General Francisco Franco. Spain was thus left militarily and politically divided. These two different groups fought for the control of the country. Death totals still remain debated, but it is believed that Franco's ensuing 'white terror' resulted in 200,000 dead people and that the 'red terror' killed 38,000. Beyond the conflict itself human suffering and loss will never be restored, many atrocities were committed; many children were killed and tortured. The children who survived had contact with pain, cruelty and death, thus examining this confrontation from their testimony, we will be able to reaffirm war worthless insights, the way it destroyed and transformed victims’ life, as well as compare it with modern infants.    

During the war Spanish government tried to protect the weakest members of the society for that reason they organized the evacuation from war zones of non-combatant population, especially children aged five to fifteen, resorting to a system of school colonies, on its own territory as well as in foreign countries. During the time they spent in colonies children reflected their feelings about war in drawings: bombardments, the separation of the country, the separation from their parents, their loneliness, anxiety and many more. We would have to analyze each of them in order to comprehend them individually. In addition these documents are valuable because on the one hand, they contributed to help their authors confront psychological traumas and on the other hand, they offer a pictorial narration of the events during the fight.

Most of these productions dialed with themes that referred to life before the war, the evacuations and humanitarian support, war experiences and the life in the colonies. The evacuations are often represented in the drawings. Buses and trains full of children and their guardians, who travel from the endangered areas to other regions, while they are being bombarded, are seen in these drawings. Sometimes, the buses and trains with children suffered air attacks. Possibly, the children chose this subject so frequently, because the evacuation was a traumatic experience in their lives, which they confronted with conflicting feelings. On the one hand, they may have felt happy to leave the dangerous, badly supplied combat zone, and experienced the evacuation as an exciting adventure.   On the other hand, they were separated from their parents for the first time and apart from the grief of separation, they were afraid of the new and unknown situation that awaited them in the school colony. 

Furthermore most children reflected anxiety in their creations, which in psychoanalysis, is the feeling of fear whose cause is unknown to the individual. Sigmund Freud explains that ‘anxiety is the affect for which all “repressed” affects are exchanged’  and Jacques Lacan further claims that anxiety is ‘the central affect, the one around which everything is organized’   and it is ‘the only affect that does not deceive.’ In the case of children who were separated from their parents were forced to begin an unknown new life as the only possibility to save their lives. Their lives were marked since then though if they wished to recover they would have to work on approaching their own trauma and understand past memories to bury the painful ones. Indeed these representations must be worked through over time in order to afford the trauma and create a better future. Elaboration is needed to do it thus these drawings symbolize the real psychic reality which at the same time cannot be explained logically but indeed express children´s innocence facing the most senseless and cruel disastrous of human misery, that is war.

Unfortunately a certain propagandistic value of those drawings, which took up the topic of the evacuations that were exhibited outside Spain, cannot be denied. Teachers in schools and school colonies of the Republican zone collected them, converting them into historical documents.  Moreover these drawings were used during the war as propaganda, which informed the international opinion about the situation of the children inside the territories governed by the Republic with the purpose of raising funds in countries that sympathized with Republican ideas in order to finance school colonies themselves.  In other words they were used to show that the administration of the Republic was well organized and knew how to evacuate the weakest members of society from the endangered zones. The Republic proved with these drawings that the aid proceeding from foreign countries was spent meaningfully, and at the same time, served as an implied request for further donations.

In the end of the war Nationalists prevailed, and Franco ruled Spain for the next 36 years, from 1939 until his death in 1975. For over 100 years, children’s drawings have been the object of educational and psychological research and they were used for the first time in the Spanish Civil War. We conclude that the deep impression that war machine and the devastating and deadly effects caused in children is painfully present in nearly all drawings.  War drawings reflect real perceptions of the effects of bombs, attacks, air bombardment, loneliness, cruel evacuation, anxiety and many more, which destroyed children entire minds and devastated their futures. In contrast to our actual children their closest contact with such violence could be through reading magazines, viewing movies or listening to stories of adults, who lived during war time. Though luckily it is impossible to reconstruct the exact situation children experienced during the Spanish civil war, each single testimony, evacuations, separation from their parents, anxiety, and unreachable elaborations they contribute to complete the existing traditional historical consideration about war, and help humans to avoid being indifferent to war, which is “always destructive”.

Sources:

·         Roith C. They Still Draw Pictures: The Spanish Civil War Seen with

Children’s Eyes.

http://www.ual.es/~chroith/pdf/CDCW.pdf

·         Kasten J.  Campos de Heridas: Castile as Trauma Space in Post-Spanish

Civil War Cultural Productio.

http://www.inter-disciplinary.net/at-the-interface/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/kastentrpaper.pdf

Entry # 10

Irusta M. Soledad

Professor Saubidet Stella

Language and written expression IV

13 July 2013

A different flight

During life people face different kinds of obstacles which lead them to make efforts to solve them. Although if we consider the admirable way in which people with disabilities conquer everyday problems, as well as everyday life, we would be completely surprised. Their special characteristics cause a striking impact in the rest of the people who more than once consider and treat them as if they were not humans. Thus, this demonstrates they are not comprehended or understood properly. Despite discrimination, nothing can prohibit them to express their feelings, sensations, dreams, imagination and soul manifestation. Therefore arts become to disability people a medium to conquer life, promote their inclusion in society and being comprehended as equal humans.  

Arts include disabled people in performance and artworks where the primary goal is more than an artistic or esthetic achievement. Arts provide an opportunity to show themselves beyond any limitation as well as discovering their lives worth, which indeed increases their self worth feeling. That is to say people with disabilities often think they are incapable of doing something interesting however, providing them different opportunities to do so; they are capable of renouncing to this negative idea and confront any prejudice.  Nevertheless debility people if being accompanied and supported constantly find ways to transform themselves into the opposite of everybody ´s views about them, no matter the kind of disability they suffered. In that way their identity is spread to a wide audience which at the same time demands even greater effort from them.

Disability people require some amount of help and accommodation from others to find themselves in a productive artistic environment. Most of the people who collaborate are close relatives who at the same time admire and congratulate their efforts. However, some people do not move from an esthetic perspective view of art which does not enable them to enjoy beauty in a more complex and profound sense. Therefore they consider disability people´s performance a humiliating and ridiculous way to produce displeasure.  Thus they abstain of discovering desires, wishes, dreams, even the unseen aspects of the people they love most. Although they are supposed to give help and support, instead they do not contemplate arts possibility of social inclusion neither believe arts could lead to conquer the unexpected.

It is sometimes difficult to believe these special people were able to innovate and captivate the entire world because of their outstanding productions but this is definitely truth.  All over history different disability people have showed the world that despite their limitations, they were able to succeed in life through art development.  One of the greatest classic music authors Beethoven who has changed music´s paradigm, had the ability to compose after losing his hearing. Different attempts were made to help him feel the sound vibrations he played after his total loss of hearing though he continued composing.  It is not necessary to change arts paradigm but to enrich it, is more than enough. There are different organizations (Betania) that promote art development with disability people and ensure arts result a good therapy that allows them to confront any impediment of life, feel part of a society and principally being comprehended as equals.

We conclude that despite a few considerations of arts as a humiliating and ridiculous way to expose disability people, arts pursue more than an esthetic goal that contributes to express their most profound feelings leading them to conquer life, promote their inclusion and being comprehended as human equals.

                                                              

Sources:

Argento Nacer A. Discapacidades en el desarrollo. Develando el trastorno del aprendizaje no verbal  (2013) El cisne digital. http://www.elcisne.org/noticia/develando-trastorno-aprendizaje-no-verbal/2879.html

Learning disabilities in the arts (2013) http://www.ncld.org/parents-child-disabilities/social-emotional-skills/learning-disabilities-arts

Prepared by Cornell University Library PSEC Documentation Committee. November 2002; Revised April 2011. Citation Management. (2013, May 16)

http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/apa

     Wikipedia Foundation Inc. (2013) Disability in the Arts. (2013, July 07) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disability_in_the_arts

Entry 8. Second version: Immigration challenge

The moment people migrate another country several conflicts in relation to differences among people cultures and ways of life emerge.  In most cases unemployment, discrimination and social exclusion are the main cause that lead these people to suffer profound depression, stress and sadness.  Thus immigrants become vulnerable and completely exposed to be treated in a bad way as if they were not human equals because of not belonging to the culture of the country of arrival. Therefore, access to adequate health care, education, public services, and so on in the foreign country are completely restricted.  As a matter of fact, in most cases immigration results in negative traumatic experiences that generate feelings of anxiety and abandonment, which are indeed a great challenge. 

Entry 9 - Conclusion paragraph:

In conclusion, expert testimony, public opinion and empirical evidence confirm that the use of cell phones while driving is a completely dangerous negligence that subsequently affects driver´s ability non favorably causing fatalities such as people´s deaths and injuries. Despite a minority of people consider traffic regulations as inefficient, research indeed re affirms “laws” concerning people´safety are needed to be imposed in order to reduce risks.

Entry 8. Immigration challenge. (Irusta - Miranda)

The moment people migrate another country several conflicts in relation to differences among people cultures and ways of life emerge.  In most cases unemployment, discrimination and social exclusion are the main cause that lead these people to suffer profound depression, stress and sadness.  Thus immigrants become vulnerable and completely exposed to be treated in a bad way as if they were not human equals because of not belonging to the culture of the country they arrived. Therefore, access to adequate health care, education, public services, and so on in the abroad country are completely restricted.  As a matter of fact, in most cases immigration results in negative traumatic experiences that generate feelings of anxiety and abandonment, which are indeed a great challenge.

Meta cognitive reflection

The moment I was asked to create a free paragraph and then exchange it with a peer I thought it would result in chaos. However I surprised myself when the main meaning of my production definitely did not change. Thus the three conforming parts of a well written paragraph depend one another subsequently the body itself conducted us directly to the creation of a topic and closing sentence suitable for it. I enjoyed this unusual experience which confirmed theoretical aspects concerning paragraph´s structure we had explored.

In favor or against (Irusta- Miranda)

Racism is a clear and cruel reality in our society that affects especially vulnerable people. Since childhood people are accustomed to discriminate anyone who differs from what they are, who do not correspond to a standard culture, on the basis of the belief that they are remarkably above them. Thus people who discriminate are not aware at all about the amount of suffering caused to other´s integrity. In most cases these people are not capable of expressing their dreams and desires freely, the presence of opportunities to progress within any society are fewer in comparison to other members, moreover their self steem is so profoundly damaged that “different people” finally believe that, for no reason at all, mistreating them is definitely worthy. Each time someone is treated unfavorably an entire “future” is restricted. Therefore, minorities are usually excluded from the common places and this brings about frustration.

Entry 7. In favor or against

The existence of superior or inferior considerations in relation to differences between people´s race, colour skin, physical or mental abilities restrict human lives. Since childhood people are accustomed to discriminate anyone who differs from what they are, who do not correspond to a standard culture, on the basis of the belief that they are remarkably above them. Thus people who discriminate are not aware at all about the amount of suffering caused to other´s integrity. In most cases these people are not capable of expressing their dreams and desires freely, the presence of opportunities to progress within any society are fewer in comparison to other members, moreover their self steem is so profoundly damaged that “different people” finally believe that, for no reason at all, mistreating them is definitely worthy. Each time someone is treated unfavorably an entire “future” is restricted. Therefore limiting other´s lives does not enable humans to discover the enormous beauty present within the “difference among them” which simultaneously make them unique.     

Structured paragraph writing (Irusta-Miranda)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cnc2BQm6U0PW1n9D37-oSp9OpmNYC94ol1-i8PhF8uQ/edit?usp=sharing

The danger of a single story

Each time a story is read or written there is a dangerous risk people are exposed to. On the one hand reading and writing are processes that indeed open people´s minds, stimulate their imagination and transport them to explore situations unseen by eyes. Nevertheless most people are not aware of the hidden aspects about them.  The moment a story is created power conditions it to become a “single one”. Single stories show only one perspective of the matter in concern. They are able to embody people as one thing and only one, over and over again. Subsequently stereotypes become representative of a whole society, which might not present untrue information about them but incomplete. Thus this partial view makes our human recognition more difficult to obtain, emphasizing our differences rather than our similarities. In order to equilibrate visions, readers and writers should be aware of the existence of many stories, reaffirming there is never a single one. Therefore if we can picture in our minds stories variety of societies, places or even humans, we will definitely gain a kind of paradise. 
                                                                                                        Chimamanda Adichie

Adichie, C. (2012). About the author. [ONLINE] Retrieved from: http://www.halfofayellowsun.com/content.php?page=book&n=2&f=2. [Last Accessed 05/22/13]

One single story

Across the lines, Tracy Chapman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YQeNIppTYw

Sources APA citation style

Sources: APA citation style

     Prepared by Cornell University Library PSEC Documentation Committee. November 2002; Revised April 2011. Citation Management. (2013, May 16)

http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/apa

      http://linguistics.byu.edu/faculty/henrichsenl/apa/APA07.html (inc bibliografy)

APA CITATION STYLE

APA Citation Style

Academic writing is presented in a clear and consistent way in order to ensure and achieve reliability to the audience.  APA citation style refers to the rules and conventions established by the American Psychological Association for documenting sources used in research papers which require both in-text citations and a reference list. For every in-text citation there should be a full citation in the reference list and vice versa. Within this blog you will find different formats of the most common types of sources used in academic research.

Books

Important Elements:

·         Author (last name, initials only for first & middle names)

·         Publication date

·         Title (in italics; capitalize only the first word of title and subtitle, and proper nouns)

·         Place of publication

·         Publisher

·          

Source	Example Citation
Book by a single author	Rollin, B. E. (2006). Science and ethics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Book by two authors	Sherman, C., & Price, G. (2001). The invisible web: Uncovering information sources search engines can’t see. Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books.
Book by three or more authors	Goodpaster, K. E., Nash, L. L., & de Bettignies, H. (2006). Business ethics: Policies and persons (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Book by a corporate author	American Medical Association. (2004). American Medical Association family medical guide (4th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Article or chapter within an edited book	Winne, P. H. (2001). Self-regulated learning viewed from models of information processing. In B.J. Zimmerman & D.H. Schunk (Eds.), Self-regulated learning and academic achievement (2nd ed., pp. 160-192). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Articles from Print Periodicals (magazines, journals, and newspapers)

Important Elements:

·         Author (last name, initials only for first & middle names)

·         Date of publication of article (year and month for monthly publications; year, month and day for daily or weekly publications)

·         Title of article (capitalize only the first word of title and subtitle, and proper nouns)

·         Title of publication in italics (i.e., Journal of Abnormal Psychology, Newsweek, New York Times)

·         Volume and issue number

·         Page numbers of article

·          

Source	Example Citation
Article in a monthly magazine (include volume # if given)	Swedin, E. G.  (2006, May/June). Designing babies: A eugenics race with China? The Futurist, 40, 18-21.
Article in a weekly magazine (include volume # if given)	Will, G. F. (2004, July 5). Waging war on Wal-Mart. Newsweek, 144, 64.
Article in a daily newspaper	Dougherty, R. (2006, January 11). Jury convicts man in drunk driving death. Centre Daily Times, p. 1A. Rimer, S. (2003, September 3). A campus fad that’s being copied: Internet plagiarism seems on the rise. New York Times, p. B7.
Article in a scholarly journal	Stock, C. D., & Fisher, P. A. (2006). Language delays among foster children: Implications for policy and practice. Child Welfare, 85(3), 445-462.

 

Web Sites

Important Elements:

·         Author (if known)

·         Date of publication, copyright date, or date of last update

·         Title of Web site

·         Date you accessed the information (APA recommends including this if the information is likely to change)

·         URL (Web address) of the site

Source	Example Citation
Web site with author	Kraizer, S. (2005). Safe child. Retrieved February 29, 2008, from http://www.safechild.org/
Web site with corporate author	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2008, February 15). Stop underage drinking. Retrieved February 29, 2008, from http://www.stopalcoholabuse.gov
Web site with unknown author	Penn State myths. (2006). Retrieved December 6, 2011, from http://www.psu.edu/ur/about/myths.html
Page within a Web site (unknown author)	Global warming 101. (2012). In Union of Concerned Scientists. Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/global_warming_101/

I am a writer

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At the moment I consider myself a writer, though I was not until the day I first met a special person who had modified radically my view point about it. I had spent my entire life without caring much about “writing matters” because they resulted senseless and bored to me. However, there was something inside this special person that moved my soul and mind leading me to experience writing from a different perspective. I believe that some people have an ability to change other people´s lives without any logical reason in the same way this friend changed mine. One of the most crucial aspects he taught me is to explore author’s words and feelings beyond lines which guided me to begin my own way into the writing world. Therefore writing has enabled me to express my ideas, desires, feelings and transformed me a complete free woman.

Above all, I must admit that I am just an amateur who is far away from being a professional or famous writer. Though I still consider myself a “writer” because during a short period of time I was able to build a solid confidence with no pressure at all to write whatever came to my mind. Little by little writing tasks stopped being slow and tedious to become some powerful energy that captured my attention.

At first I became a “reader”. Each time I read a text I concern every detail, such as the appropriate combination of words, the meaning beyond them, the effect the author intends to cause, and of course I always evaluate the possibility to apply similar sources or phrases in my productions. I believe reading is a necessary tool to get into the writing world because it gives us the possibility to be in the other side, to become “audience”. Thus being audience we are able to interpret someone else´s words, as well as the feelings these words could generate inside us which is closely related to my responsibility as a writer.

Then I realized that so as not to enclose myself within the writing matter, I needed to find a motivation, the one I had lost. This lost motivation came from my classmates who taught and showed me we all belonged to the same learning process where we had fun and learned from others, with no prejudge at all. I think this motivation indeed helped all of us to build a better relationship and create a good climate and atmosphere during the lessons we shared.

All in all I decided to leave aside any judgment or insecurity, relay on my feelings, and write whatever I wanted taking into consideration my pears opinions about it, which their absence  had prevented me to succeed in to becoming a good writer.