Japanese English

Today in class, we read three texts concerning Japanese English. Erle and I took notes from the texts and talked around the themes. I like working with tasks on my own or with classmates. Therefore, this was a terrific way to lean about the developing of Japanese English. If I could have done something differently, I would have discussed the themes even more.

The first text was about the developing of Japan. Japan surrendered after World War 2, and after six years of American occupation the Japanese society and culture were compared to “a boy of twelve”. Now, the Japanese have adapted to the western society, and have had a huge growth within comics and technology. They have actually gone by us when it comes to technology within computers and cars.

Japan is also big within Manga and Anime (Japanese comics and animated films). These days we can see Japanese cartoons on western television, like pokémon and digimon. Manga is copied and used in videogames, music videos and advertising agencies. Manga has dominated the 20th century. The fascination of Manga and Anime lies in the thought of the future and its technology. Manga and Anime are not only pure fun, but bring up important questions concerning the world today.

The second text was about the triumph of Japanese English. The Japanese study English grammar thoroughly and often understand it better than the native speakers. An example of this is the English native speakers’ problems choosing between “who” and “whom”. They don’t know which one to use, but the Japanese do.

The third text was about English in South-East Asia. India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, and was a British colony until 1947. Hindu is the official language, but English is an “associate” official language. It’s an important language for the national, political and commercial communication. India has been exposed to English longer than any other countries where it is a second language, and 1/3 of the population can carry a conversation in English. Indian English has developed distinctive words, idioms, grammar, rhythms and is constantly changing. Mastering English has become a passport to success in India.

English does only have a short story in China. For a long time, China deliberately shunned contact with the west to minimize foreign influence on its people. After the establishment of new China in 1949, Russian was the only foreign language taught in the country. A national campaign against American imperialism and British colonialism branded English unpatriotic. In the 1970s, English became the main foreign language in Chinese schools. The Chinese now regard English primarily as a necessary tool that can facilitate access to modern scientific and technology advances to countries where English is the major language. Today, the number of people studying English in China is much larger than the combined population of all countries where English is the mother tongue.

Japan was never a British colony, but British engineers were involved in developing Japanese infrastructure in the 19th century. The borrowing of western words causes some pronunciation problems in Japan, as the Japanese language doesn’t have sounds like “f” and “v”, and doesn’t distinguish “I” and “r”.

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December in Norway

My favourite month is finally here.
A month full of snow, the month of the year.
The streets are decorated with Christmas decorations
and people are running in the streets full of joy and fascination.

December has arrived, and children are ice-skating on the lakes.
Fathers are shuffling snow while mothers are inside baking Christmas cakes.
It’s a month full of stress and lots to do,
right now your family is probably running around trying to find a gift to you.

December is the most beautiful time of the year,
a time when people show that they really care.
It’s a month filled with happiness, a month filled with love,
and the children are looking for Santa Claus and his reindeers on the sky above.

I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year,
spend time with your loved ones and show that you care.

Interview of Khaled Hosseini - Part 2

Interview of Khaled Hosseini - Part 1

Khaled Hosseini is the writer of the book The Kite Runner. Here is an interview of him talking about his master piece.

The Kite Runner - The movie

I have written about The Kite Runner in several posts. I’ve told my opinion about the book, and the book compared to the movie. Still, I don’t think the film has been presented the way it deserves. Since I loved the book, I don’t think the film reached the same level. Still, the film is worth seeing.

The film is based on historical facts, but is mostly about being human in an environment that is constantly changing. It also reflects the issues being a child in an area were conflicts affect their lives daily.
The film doesn’t contain all the scenes from the book, and a lot of details are excluded. Still, the film manages to present the action in a decorous and captivating way.

The Kite Runner - Book VS Film

The Kite Runner, a novel written by Khaled Hosseini became an international bestseller. The book is divided into three parts, the main character Amir’s childhood, Amir’s life as an adult and the journey back to Afghanistan to save the son of Hassan. The Kite Runner has been published in over 40 countries, and in 2007 it was adapted into a movie.

I am going to write about the conflict between Amir and Hassan, and how it compared in the movie and the book.

In the book, it says;
“I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it. I waited another thirty minutes. Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies.”

The entire situation starts at the kite competition, when Amir wins the local tournament. He manages to cut the line of the last kite, and Hassan runs to find it for him. Hassan always finds the kites, and this time it lands in an alley. After a while, Amir starts wondering where Hassan is. He looks for him in the streets, and can finally hear some well-known voices. It’s Hassan, but also Assef and his gang, a group of boys who dislike Amir and Hassan. Because he is afraid, Amir decides to hide behind a wall of stone, close enough to see everything that is happening. Assef and his boys demand Hassan to give them the kite. He refuses because it is for Amir, and they decide to punish him. It ends with the boys raping Hassan, while Amir is watching. He is too afraid to do anything, and returns home full of shame.

This episode destroys Amir and Hassan’s friendship. They don’t spend time together as they used to. Hassan goes to bed after he has done his chores, and Amir stays out of his way. Amir doesn’t tell his father, Baba about the episode because of the fear of his reactions. He can’t handle having Hassan and his father as their servants any longer, and therefore decides to place the watch under Hassan’s mattress. Baba confronts Hassan with the episode, and Hassan says he did it even though it was a lie. Baba forgives him, but Ali feels ashamed. Ali and Hassan decide to leave, and Ali never sees Hassan again.

The conflict between Amir and Hassan is quite similar in the film compared to the book. Still, the book made a greater impression on me. Khaled Hosseini describes the rape of Hassan and the consequences of Amir’s actions, in a brutal but also apprehending way. The film doesn’t give me the same feelings I get while reading the book.

The film got a lot of positive reviews, but it’s nothing compared to the book. The Kite Runner is a book worth reading. It is an unforgettable story about friendship, betrayal and price of loyalty described in an interesting and apprehending way.

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The Kite Runner 2

I have just finished reading The Kite Runner, a book I absolutely recommend. I wrote an entreaty on the blog earlier, and will now continue writing the rest of the plot and my opinion about the book.

As I wrote earlier, Hassan was raped by Assef and his gang while Amir was watching. Amir was too afraid to help Hassan, and runs home fool of shame. This episode destroys their friendship. They don’t spend time together as they used to.

Amir doesn’t tell his father about the rape of Hassan because of his fear of Baba’s reactions. He can’t handle having Hassan and his father as their servants any longer, and therefore decides to place his watch and a handful of Afghani bills under Hassan’s mattress. Because of this incident, Hassan’s father, Ali decides to move. This is the last time Amir and Hassan sees each other.

Five years later, Amir and Baba have to escape from Afghanistan. They end up living in California, where Baba starts working at a gas station, while Amir starts taking classes at a local school to develop his writing skills. After a while, Amir meets a girl named Soraya Taheri. He falls in love with her, and at the same time his father is diagnosed cancer. It’s a hard time for Amir, and Soraya becomes an important part of his life. They develop a special bond, and decide to get married.

After Baba’s death, Amir and Soraya moves in together, and Amir manages to become a successful novelist. 15 years later, Amir receives a call from Rahim Khan saying he has to come to Pakistan. Hassan and his wife were killed by the Taliban, and their son, Sohrab was taken to an orphanage. Rahim wants Amir to rescue Sohrab. Therefore Amir leaves to Pakistan, a dangerous journey he will never forget.

I am not going to reveal Amir’s journey to Pakistan or the ending of the story, in case some of you are going to read the book. The Kite Runner is an unforgettable book based on the true story of the Russians invasion of Afghanistan. It’s extremely well written and an interesting story for any ages. Read the book, and you will understand what I am talking about and why the book made such a strong impression on me.

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