American Dream - Made in Heidelberg

Listen to Catalin Voss (there is some background noise - try not to be distracted...)

Is this an American Dream come true? Do you think he is just super-super special, or could this be you or one of your classmates? What do you think drew him to California that he couldn't have achieved here? Please comment!

American Dream - Quotes

Here are some more quotes about the American Dream. Which one do you like best? Which one do you feel best sums up the essence of the American Dream? Why and How? Thanks for letting me know in a comment!

“If wealth was the inevitable result of hard work and enterprise, every woman in Africa would be a millionaire.”  - George Monbiot

“Dat's what they say of this cauntry back home, Kath: 'America, the land of milk and honey.' Bot they never tell you the milk's gone sour and the honey's stolen.” - Andre Dubus III, House of Sand and Fog (also a great movie I highly recommend!)

“My fellow Americans, this is an amazing moment for me. To think that a once scrawny boy from Austria could grow up to become Governor of California and stand in Madison Square Garden to speak on behalf of the President of the United States that is an immigrant's dream. It is the American dream.” -  Arnold Schwarzenegger

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Americans have so far put up with inequality because they felt they could change their status. They didn't mind others being rich, as long as they had a path to move up as well. The American Dream is all about social mobility in a sense - the idea that anyone can make it. - Fareed Zakaria

This is the city of dreamers and time and again it's the place where the greatest dream of all, the American dream, has been tested and has triumphed. - Michael Bloomberg

I am the American Dream. I am the epitome of what the American Dream basically said. It said you could come from anywhere and be anything you want in this country. That's exactly what I've done. - Whoopi Goldberg

And you have to remember that I came to America as an immigrant. You know, on a ship, through the Statue of Liberty. And I saw that skyline, not just as a representation of steel and concrete and glass, but as really the substance of the American Dream. - Daniel Libeskind

When you start a company, it's more an art than a science because it's totally unknown. Instead of solving high-profile problems, try to solve something that's deeply personal to you. Ideally, if you're an ordinary person and you've just solved your problem, you might have solved the problem for millions of people. - Brian Chesky

“In the face of impossible odds, people who love this country can change it.”

― Barack Obama

“If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our Democracy; Tonight is your answer.”― Barack Obama

“The American story has never been about things coming easy. It has been about rising to the moment when the moment is hard. About rejecting panicked division for purposeful unity. About seeing a mountaintop from the deepest valley. That is why we remember that some of the most famous words ever spoken by an American came from a president who took office in a time of turmoil: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”― Barack Obama

"America is the sum of our dreams. And what binds us together, what makes us one American family, is that we stand up and fight for each other's dreams, that we reaffirm that fundamental belief - I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper - through our politics, our policies, and in our daily lives. It's time to do that once more. It's time to reclaim the American dream." - Barack Obama

How Strong is the American Dream?

I chose the quote by Michael Bloomberg in which he's speaking about the American Dream in New York. He calls this city the 'city of dreamers'; in a positive way. He's talking about the kind of dreamers to whom nothing seems impossible and every goal is achievable. If you misunderstand this term, you could possibly think about the kind of dreamers who have great ideas and plans but actually do nothing to make them become reality. This would be just the opposite of atypical American citizen. That's what Bloomberg would say. I think to him New York represents the whole United States, where, according to his quote, the American Dream has been tested – and triumphed.

It's pretty clear that he's referring to 911, which was actually a tough event for all Americans and so it also influenced the American Dream in some way. What does that even mean? Does the 'American Dream' mean that every citizen in the US has the same dream? Or is it the dream of the government?
It's none of that. This expression describes the feeling many people in the USA have. It's not an actual dream; it's the freedom of dreaming. Americans have all different and individual dreams. But one thing they all have in common: they believe in the realization. No matter if your dream is to get money, the 'Pursuit of Happiness', founding a family, building a house or even to change the world; if you truly believe in it you're part of the phenomenon that's called the 'American Dream'.
America was founded by people who think like this and the system was created in a way that has room for endless possibilities. Capitalism in American is very fundamen-tal because it's the system in which you can climb up higher than you've ever imag-ined and fall lower than you've ever feared.

Bloomberg mentions that the American Dream has been tested on September 11th; in a way that nobody expected. Knowing that there exist people out there who hate America enough to sacrifice thousands of lives, including their own one, is hard for every American. But the American Dream has survived, the catastrophe has never been forgotten, but America has learned a lot. They’ve learned that not everybody loves their ideology and it’s necessary to fight them and to think about the future, not about the past. 911 failed in some way: it could not kill the dreams and the hopes. That’s why the American Dream triumphed: it doesn’t falling is bad but you got to get up and keep dreaming.

This phenomenon also appears in the picture I chose. It shows a former white wall that has been written on. Different colors and handwritings show thoughts and feelings about 911.
In the center somebody has painted the twin towers, somebody else wrote the phrase ‘Osama must die’ all over it. Below you can see one word that’s written very big and in capital letters: ‘REBUILD’. I’m going to talk about these later. For me it is very remarkable that many quotes say something like ‘God bless Amer-ica’. You can see much patriotism in that.
No matter how much the terrorists hated America, the Americans will never stop loving their country. They have this kind of patriotism that you won’t find in Germany or even in Europe. The connection to the home country is much bigger in America. The reason for that might be the fact that they seem to have their own philosophy. You may remark that that’s not necessarily something special because you can think like them even if you live in Europe or China or elsewhere. The difference is that they’re able to live their philosophy and dream because they created their system in a way that leaves a lot of space for living their dreams.
Another interesting quote on the wall is ‘No fear, we will survive’. That underlines my thoughts about the immortality of the American Dream. Even if everything seems lost and hopeless, you will be able to win back your spirit through the love to others, to your country, or even through the hate on your enemies; you don’t want them to take away your hope so you keep on living, hoping and dreaming.
That’s a thing that we really need to have more in Europe. Around here, if something goes wrong, you either blame yourself or, even worse, you blame others. Anyway, you give up your dream and that’s the real moment of your personal loss.

The quote you read fist when you have a look at the picture is ‘Osama must die’.
For the writer, Osama Bin Laden represents all enemies and haters of the American way and he wants them down. He is not able to accept any other solutions; if there is any opposition, it needs to be eradicated.
That’s a disadvantage of the American thinking: it’s intolerant.
Americans love their country but sometimes they disrespect others for being different. That’s a very radical way of freedom isn’t it?
The weakness of America is its uncontrolled strength and power. For example, the NSA is on all of us to find possible enemies of America. In Germany and Western Europe nobody blinks an eye.
Everybody seems to have accepted the USA as a superpower. Every GPS signal is running on American satellites. Europe does in fact have its own GPS system but it’s so bad that it’s hardly ever used. It’s a normal thing that the USA has the power over almost every modern technology, space shuttles and also got the biggest military force.
It’s okay because everybody trusts and partly supports America in their decisions. But my opinion is that it’s dangerous to leave so much power in the hands of people who are so radical against any possible enemy. (UL)

American Dreams and American Nightmares

American Patriotism
American Patriotism is about sharing love and pride of the United States of America. We in Germany and in other countrys are often talking about this patriotic and optimistic thinking which is apparently popular in the United States. But can we generalize all Americans? Or is this just one more prejudice! And if it's just a prejudice, is it true ore just speculation ?
First I would say that mainly every country is a little bit patriotic. There is always something humans are prowd of. For example the Americans have a diverse scenery. Also the diverse culture which is known as " melting pot" and "salad bowl" is a reason to be proud. There is probable no other country that has such a diverse population.  All these are aspects of the American Dream. Liberty, individualism and freedom are positive qualities that are associated with America.
American Heroes
Alexander Hamilton, Ronald Reagan, Samuel Adams... There are many importand people that are known by nearly every American. For example, Franklin was a member of the committee of five who drafted the declaration of independence. In one of his speches he said the well known words: "Where liberty is, there is my country". America's first president George Washington (1732 -1799) was a a strong military leader. He also founded the "Stars and stripes". Also Thomas Jefferson took part in the American History. He wrote "an expression of the American mind" known as the "Declaration of Independence". Today they have the day of American Independence, where they celebrate American Independence from England.
All for America, America for all (charities)
In quote three Obama says "America is the sum of our dreams. [...] I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper [...]". This thought is the main reason for the charity organisations. The idea of helping others to be a strong nation can be found in many countries. (In Germany we have HARTZ 4 and also social organisations like "Brot für die Welt").
Crushing blow - 9/11
On the last picture you can see the patriotism, the optimism and pride for America. It seems to be a wall which was painted by childrens. In the middle you can see the Twin towers and around them are people's associations of the attack. Patriotism is shown by the words:"I love America forever" and "God bless Amerika". At the left side near the bottom somebody painted a heard and wrote in it " all people". This fits perfect to what Obamas says in quote 3. In many sentences you can read optimism  about the future, too. Some of them are: "No fear we will survice", "We will never forget. Hope you are saver now" and "God bring them to heaven". On the bottom there is a word: "REBUILD". All this shows the positive side of the picture, but we also can get an insight into the anger and the grief. In the middle of the wall are the following words in big letters: " OSAMA MUST DIE!". Although it is not proved beyond doubt many Americans believe that Osama had planned the atack on 9/11. The words "Osama must die" express the anger and the  rancour against the terrorists. Also the grief and helplessness.
From rags to riches
Another fact of the American culture and the main point of the American Dream is the idea of social mobility better known as "from rags to riches". This is why so many people want to immigrate to America. They are fascinated by the freedom and the opportunity. Maybe today the idea behind  "from rags to riches"  it is just a dream. Because for poor people without any many it is nearly impossible to get rich. For those they have the charity organisations which are good, but probably not enough to give them the opportunity to get rich. And in this big country there are many unemployed people living on the streets.
Spes ultima dea est
In the end I asked myself: Is the American dream still alive or has it become the American Nightmare? I dont know, but what I really know is that this dream and all those thoughts: Thoughts of liberty, freedom.. will live on in the minds of the Americans. In every crisis there is hope and optimistism. And for me I think there are many reasons for the Americans to be proud. Obama is and was Optimistic. Most of the American people are optimistic. That's important. The dream is still alive.  (JK)

Is the American Dream Over?

“American Dream, the: The idea that the U.S. is a place where everyone has the chance of becoming rich and successful. Many immigrants to the U.S. in the early 20th century believed in the American Dream.”
This is the official definition of the American Dream that you find in every single dictionary. But not only in dictionaries, but also in the Minds of many people, the U.S. is the country of unlimited possibilities, the famous “from rags to riches”-story is known and believed by a lot of people. And without doubt it was exactly that country, to which millions of refugees and other foreigners immigrated and where they got the possibility to start life new, to try to live their dream.

For example Daniel Libeskind, who is a famous American architect who designed the Freedom Tower and the Jewish Museum in Berlin. He says: “And you have to remember that I came to America as an immigrant. You know, on a ship, through the Statue of Liberty. And I saw that skyline, not just as a representation of steel and concrete and glass, but as really the substance of the American Dream.”                                 And that quote shows exactly what the dictionary said, America as a sort of monument of the American Dream, the Skyline as substance of the American Dream.  It´s also an example for the American Dream, Libeskind came as an immigrant and is now a famous architect. Libeskind also mentions the Statue of Liberty, the first thing with Ellis Island the first thing immigrants saw of America, together with Ellis Island. It’s a very famous monument, very well visited by tourists and owner of a great story.

But now, the situation has changed a bit. If you look at picture Nr. 1, you can see a picture taken at the coast of New York. You can see a poster and the Statue of Liberty on the background. In front of the poster there are some people, maybe even tourists, who ate reading what is written: “Important Government Shut Down-Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Shut down”, which means, that both have been closed by the government. It is a picture taken recently, at the moment the U.S. has big problems with their finance crisis. They shut down a lot of things in the last weeks, on order to try to save at least a big of money; they have arrived at the ‘tip of the iceberg’, they are almost bankrupt. But not just the government has problems paying back the money they owe to the banks. Also a lot of families are desperate, because they are not able anymore to pay back their debits.
So we now have those two situations around the Statue of Liberty-now and then. It is the monument for freedom and hope for many immigrants who came to the U.S.  and are still coming to the U.S. even maybe for those,  who are thinking about immigrating to the U.S. in the future- and now it’s been shut down by the government together with Ellis Island, which also plays a big part in American history. And seeing how hard it is for many American families to survive, I think we have to ask ourselves if the American Dream is still alive or if it’s “over”,  has the American Dream ended?
In my opinion, yes. The U.S. are not that country unlimited possibilities anymore, at least not the “rags and riches” type. Maybe fo well educated people, who have studied and learned a job which is needed in the U.S., but not for refugees who are in search of a better way of life.  (HS)

A Land of Opportunities

When people think of the American Dream, they often think about the famous phrase “from rags to riches”, which was the main reason for many people to emigrate to the USA. The concept of the American Dream is that everyone can be successful, rich and wealthy.
Before I describe the American Dream, mention reasons for immigration and tell something about the American Nightmare, I will describe a quote and a picture which are related to the American Dream.
In the second picture you can see a little boy who is holding his hand on the hand of the president Barack Obama. The boy is an African-American inhabitant and they are standing in a big room. The message of this picture is that the little black boy wants to feel Obama´s hair. He can´t believe that they have the same hair and a black person with curly hair can become president. If you compare the picture with the following quote you can see a lot of similarities.
The quote is    by Daniel Libeskind who is a famous American architect and who designed the Freedom Tower. In the quote he says that he came as an immigrant to America and when he passed the Statue of Liberty he saw a representation of the substance of the American Dream. The message of this quote is that first of all it does not matter who you are or where you come from because even as an immigrant you can become successful and rich.
The message is also that the Statue of Liberty represents freedom and strength and therefore the American Dream.
In my opinion the quote and the picture show that symbols like the Statue of Liberty make people feel united and it gives them hope that immigrants can also become successful.
After comparing the picture and the quote I would like to continue with writing about why people immigrated to the U.S. in the past.
When Columbus discovered America in 1492 a lot of Europeans and people from all over the world started to dream the American Dream. A lot of Europeans had heard that they would be able to practice their religious faith freely in America and for all of them America became a land of solving problems like poverty and hunger. As a new land America was settled by a lot of people who believed that hard work and ambition will help them to become successful and rich.
When the immigrants entered America they had to pass the Statue of Liberty which is now a symbol for the American Dream and a sign for freedom,liberty and individuality.
In 1981 the former president Ronald Reagan spoke about the power of the American Dream and said that everybody has the right to have goals, dreams and hopes because these dreams will be the dreams of his administration. These words showed that it is really important to believe in your dreams but moreover to fight for your dreams. You have to fight for your dreams because if you want them to become true you need to do something for it because nothing is for free in this world. These are the facts which represent the American Dream.
Nowadays people move to America because it is a society in which man and woman, Black and Whites, Protestants and Catholics have the right to reach their aims. That´s why you can find so many immigrants in America. They feel that they are treated equally and as soon as they have a passport, they are real Americans.
In addition, patriotism and optimism are important aspects of the American Dream. Americans are really proud of their country and that´s why every morning children sing their national anthem in school and always say " God bless America."
Another reason for immigration is the significance of independence and democracy. Everybody has the right to state his or her opinion without any fear. Therefore, a lot of people who grew up in a dictatorships and didn´t have the right to tell their opinion or the right to take their own decisions moved to America because they knew that they would receive all these rights there. Being independent is also really important because it shows that you are confident and strong.
Besides, the American dream represents the innovation of new ideas and a modern life. It encourages you to start your own business and to be our own boss.
However, In my opinion America is not just about the American Dream. It is also about the American Nightmare.
A lot of people relate 9/11 and therefore the terrorism to it. On September 11, 2001, four coordinated terrorist attacks took place in New York City and Washington. Four passenger airliners were hijacked by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda and tow of them flew into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center where about 3000 people died. This day was a shocking day for all Americans and they realized that America has a lot of enemies.
Another American Nightmare is that the inhabitants are allowed to have guns for their safety which is in my opinion not acceptable. As a tourist I would feel really uncomfortable to walk around the streets in New York knowing that someone could kill me in one second.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the American Dream still represents freedom, liberty, individuality, optimism, hopes and patriotism but it doesn´t necessarily means that Americans have a better life than others because somehow there still is the fear of terrorism and guns.  (NS)

American Dream

Today, many people immigrate to the United Staates of America in search of the American dream. But what is the American dream? It can be seen in different lights. Everybody has his own opinion. It is the pursuit of happiness, prosperity and freedom. Everybody has the opportunity to achieve his goals. No matter how much money you have or where you are form, you can become rich and famous. But is that real? What are the problems with the American dream?

In the 20^th century, many people immigrated to the United Staates of America because they wanted to life a better life. Right now, It is different. The situation has changed. The gap between rich and poor is huge. Many people don't have enough money. They work hard every day but they are poor. An example for this would be the city of New York. New York is a huge city with millions of inhabitants. There are huge skyscrapers and the Times square. But this is just Manhattan. New York has problems, too. An example for this would be the Broonx. The Broonx has changed a lot. Some parts are very fashionable, today.

Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York said: „ New York is the city of dreamers where you can achieve the American dream. It has been tested and it has triumphed“. The poor people are able to dream, but they will not achieve it, because they don't have money and education. You need money and education to achieve the American dream in New York. Boomberg said it has triumphed. That is not true. On the one hand, it has triumphed. The people who live in Manhattan are happy and rich. They have already achieve the American dream.On the other hand, it has not triumphed. New York has a poor part, too. The people in the Broonx are poor and they suffer. What I want to say is that it is both true and false. Manhattan is the American dream and the Broonx is the opposite of the American dream. Terrorism is an American nightmare. In 2001, two airplaines flew into the World Trade Center. 3000 people died.

Picture number 5 shows a wall next to the World Trade Center after the attack. The twintowers are in the centre. The American flag is on the top of the left tower. The towers are surrounded by writtings. In the middle is a sentence with states that Osama must die. The people want revenge. Osama was the chief of the perpetrators. On the picture are peace signs and sentences to the people who died on September 11. The World Trade Center represented capitalism. 3000 would not have died, if the World Trade Center had not been there. Capitalism is a following of the American dream. Consenquently, they died because of the American dream. Another point is that America has a big problem with illegal immigrants. They want to come to America to achieve the American dream. But they are not allowed to pass the border. Consequently, they immigrate without permission. In America they work hard under bad conditions. They will not achieve the American dream. They will stay poor. What it want to say is that they work hard but they are not able to be succesful, because they do not have money or education. The American dream is possible, but it is pretty unlikely.

In my opinion, the American is not alive anymore. People come to America with the dream of the American dream. But they will not be succesful. You need money and education. If you do not have money or education, you have to be extremely lucky. There would not be the huge gap between rich and poor without the American dream. (LH)

New York, the Mirror of the American Dream.

Life, Liberty, Pursuit of happiness. The American Dream, the dream of becoming rich, being individiual and living free. Year after year, day after day people come to America to find their personal American Dream. They come from all over the world to find peace and happiness. The probably most famous place of the American Dream, where it can be seen most clearly, is New York City.
New York represents all sides of the American Dream in one big city. Michael Bloomberg, mayor of New York City from 2002 until today said in his quote that New York is the place for dreamers and the biggest Dream the American Dream has been tested and triumphed there. The quote shows how important New York City is for the American Dream.
It is a place full of people from different countries and cultures, skin colours and religions. But exactly that is what makes this city so special. All cultures melt together to one big culture, a process which is
called 'melting pot'.
New York is defined by the American Dream, but is has also had bad times 9/11 was one of these, two planes flew into the twin towers and thousands of people died.The city was in shock, a nightmare for all of America. 9/11 is also an example for the fact what happens in America, to America or
what America does is mostly reflected in New York City.
Another example are the polticial fights in the American goverment, that are happening at the moment. America could be bankrupt any day and also this can be seen in New York. The statue of Liberty and Ellis Island have been closed down for a few days or weeks. On picture one you can see exactly this problem. You can see a sign in front of the river,with the statue of Liberty in the background. The sign says 'Important Gouverment shut down' and probably explains the closing of the statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Three men are looking at this sign. How this nightmare will end, we will only know in a few days.
New York is a city of dream and dreamers, of fulfilled dreams and hopeless dreaming, of the American Dreams and American Nightmares. It is a living example for the American Dream and like Bloomberg said, it 'has been tested and has triumphed' in this magical city, but has also had downs.
New York, New York.

American Dream - Your Perspective: American Dream and American Nightmare. DA

American Dream and American Nightmare
What actually is the American Dream?
The American Dream is a strong part in the American society. It says that every person can improve his life with hard work and determination, whether he is black or white, healthy or sick, young or old. In other words every American can work hard to gain prosperity, without a single dollar. This has become the proverbial term: ,,from rags to riches”.  The American Dream is not exactly defined; it is based on the dreams and wishes of different people. At the beginning I will tell you something about the American Dream.
When America was found many Immigrants came to America, with the hope that they would be part of the whole American Dream. They wanted independence and the feeling of being free. The Immigrants came with the hopes that they have the right to state their opinion without fear and they could express their religion. Some of the main elements of the American Dream are individual freedom, self-confidence, equality of opportunity, hard work and success. Therefore, a lot of immigrants moved to America. They wanted to change their life. The American people are very proud of their country and have also a strong connectedness to the country, which you can see well on their national anthem.
There is still another side of the American Dream; it’s called the American Nightmare. But before telling you something about the dark side of the American Dream I will compare a picture and a quote, which show the two sides of American History very well.
In picture five you can see a wall with sentences, for example ,,be strong”, ,,peace”, ,,freedom”, ,,be good to each other”, ,,America forever” and much more. All these sentences are main elements of the American Dream. But on the wall you can also see words like 9/11 or a picture of the Twin-Towers with the sentence: Osama must die. That shows the horrible side of America. The terrible event on 9/11 forced the people to rethink their Dreams. Many people lost their family, their house or their job. On 9/11 four airplains were hijacked by the terrorist group Al-Quaida and two of the airlines flew into the Twin-Towers of the World Trade Centre. Many people died and this event has roused many people. But the words like ,,America forever” or ,,freedom” on the wall, shows that the Americans still fight for their luck and have hopes. Their still going on and doesn’t give up.
If you compare the picture with the following quote you can understand exactly what the American Dream means.
In the Quote Barack Obama, the US president said, it’s time to reclaim the American Dream. It’s part of us and make us to one big family. He said exactly what the American Dream means. He said we must believe in it and not give up.
I think, today it is difficult to implement the American Dream. Many people lost much because of the horrible events (Nightmares) for example 9/11 or the depression. They don’t believe that the American Dream existed. But there are some people who believe that the American Dream is still alive and can be achieved. I can only agree, but I personally also think that the American Nightmare destroyed the Dream for many people.

"Argo"

This is the movie about the Iran hostage crisis I mentioned today. It is indeed based on a true story!

Preparing for Klausur on October 17, 2013

Composition: American Dream, American Nightmares

You'll get images and quotes

You pick at least one picture and describe it.

In your essay, you refer to at least one of the quotes.

Make sure your composition consists of:

an introduction, main body, conclusion

Leave space between paragraphs!

Preparing for this Klausur:

- review your essay on 9/11

- reread the article “Dreams in a Land of Opportunity”

- reread the article “Focus on Facts” on American core values, make sure you understand the concepts of “American Dream”, “Frontier Spirit” , “Protestant Work Ethic” (= Benjamin Franklin, the thirteen virtues and the lightning rod .-))!)

- make sure you understand the preamble to Declaration of Independence (“life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”)

- listen/review the short talks on American history

- review/do worksheet “describing a picture”

How I will grade:

- Content and language count 50:50

- I value individualism and I like structured writing. Please hand in your best effort at making a coherent (zusammenhängend) statement! That means, spend some time (at least 15 minutes!) at the beginning of the Klausur to organize your thoughts.

 (That also means, you will be well prepared if you think and/or talk to your class mates now about questions like: Is the American Dream still alive? If yes, where do I see that? If no, why not? Are the U.S. still an “exceptional” nation, as Obama insisted in a speech before the U.N.? Which challenges did the American people have to overcome in their history that I find interesting?...)

You will have monolingual dictionaries at your disposal.

Whenever in doubt, use common sense! You can write about many different things, and I am sure you’ll do your best! Keep in mind that I always focus on what you are good at, even though I have to grade you. So if you know a lot about  American involvement in World War I, for example, find a way to compare and contrast what you know with an image or quote. If you find the events of 9/11 interesting, find a way to describe that in relevant detail. Surprise me!!! 

Welcome to English, Class of 2015!

Hi Everbody,

We will work in the computer room once in a while. I would like to use this blog to share information, especially links to good pages to study grammar and vocabulary.  If you're interested we can also use this to share the essays you'll write (of course, correct versions!)

For now, this is the link to the vocab learning system I mentioned:Anki