Oral presentation analysis

      Preparing and delivering an oral presentation requires a good use of language, presentation techniques, appropriateness to audience and a specific purpose. The theme to develop was LISTENING, and each member of the group tried to concentrate on the requirements to deliver the lesson successfully. In order to create a warm atmosphere and attract audience attention we made a power point presentation. Slides were useful to help us not to forget important details during the presentation and clarify doubt. We followed an approach which consisted of explaining the theoretical aspects by starting from examples, which was an excellent technique, due to the audience could follow the presentation without major inconveniences. Dividing the sub- themes within the group was a great choice due to the fact that it allowed us to focus on details and in the creation of the appropriate and creative examples.
       At the very beginning of my performance, I was very nervous, which affected my speech as regards fluency and accuracy. But as I got involved in the presentation, I was able to concentrate on the topic and develop the presentation efficiently. Even though my anxiety  I tried to pay attention to intonation and correct pronunciation. The audience seemed to be immersed in the presentation, taking notes and listening carefully.

    I think it was a very good experience, not only because the topics developed were useful, but also it prepared us for future important presentations. Presenting our ideas and arguments verbally to a group of  peers provides us an invaluable opportunity to develop our confidence and self esteem.

Essay: The never- ending struggle for a true Democracy ( 2nd version)

The never- ending struggle for a true Democracy

         Revolutions are prolonged and often unpredictable struggles to transform existing political, social and economic relationships, but also battles for power and control. They involve many different types of actors and methods of mass mobilization, and they go through different phases marked by momentous events. This aspect is particularly well illustrated by recent events in Egypt, where it seems that, after of years of struggle to achieve democracy, Egypt´s ability to democratize hangs in the balance.

        In order to illustrate this, it is necessary to highlight some of the more momentous events. The revolution can be said to have begun in January 2011, when President Hosni Murabak was overthrown in a popular revolt. After some months of chaos and uncertainty, elections were held and were won by the once outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Mohammed Morsi become Egypt´s first democratically elected leader with just under 52 % of the vote. 

       It appeared that Egypt’s revolution was over and that order and democracy had prevailed but, as was explained at the outset, revolutions are prolonged struggles, and this one still had some distance to run. The new government soon came to be seen as dishonest and corrupt. Liberal and activists accused Morsi and the Brotherhood of trying to monopolize power, and failing to implement social and economic reforms. At the same time, Egyptian people grew exhausted by unemployment, high levels of inflation and taxes, unstable international markets, and low wages. Moreover, they felt the Morsi government was betraying hopes for democracy. One observer, Hazem Kandil, an Egyptian political sociologist at Cambridge University said the people had begun to see the Muslim Brotherhood as 'a gang of killers who have been holding people hostage.'

        The unpredictable nature of revolutions, and the seemingly never- ending power struggles they set off, is revealed in what happened next. Seizing the opportunity that popular disenchantment with the government offered them, the military intervened and overthrew Morsi, replacing him with Adli Mansur.However, the chaos continued, this time involving massive protests by the Muslim Brotherhood. The authorities responded forcefully. On August 14^th the army moved brutally against the Muslim Brotherhood’s sit-ins, proclaiming a state of emergency and killing and arresting thousands, demonstrating the dark side of the Arab awakening. In addition, on September 23^rd, an Egyptian court issued an injunction dissolving and confiscating the Brotherhood’s assets. If confirmed, this action against a major political grouping would further reduce hopes of the new government fulfilling its promise to restart a democratic political process that would include Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters. In a statement issued from an office in London, out of reach of the Egyptian police, the Brotherhood called the outcome “an attack on democracy,” accusing the court of overstepping its authority and failing to allow the group to present a defense.

       This remarkable sequence of dramatic events seems to clearly demonstrate what was pointed out at the beginning. Egypt is undergoing a prolonged struggle for democracy, involving a series of battles for control and a large cast of actors. These include the military establishment, the masses that support the Muslim Brotherhood, and a large group of liberal and secular activists who are unhappy with both the military and the Islamists. The struggle to resolve this complex situation goes on.

Sources

BBC. Egypt: Back to a Generals' Republic?.Retrieved from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12315833. 2013

Current Situation in Egypt. Retrieved from: http://middleeast.about.com/od/egypt/tp/Current-Situation-In-Egypt.htm

Egyptian-Crisis-In-2013.htm Egyptian Revolution of 2011.  Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_Revolution_of_2011. Manfreda, P.  (2013). 

Furious Egyptians vent anger against western 'conspiracies. Retrieved from:  http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/18/us-britain-israel-plotting-egypt. (2013)

What's Going On In Egypt: A Brief Explanation. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/14/whats-going-on-in. (2013)

Graphic organizer:

 

Outline:

 Introduction:

 Argumentative thesis statement:
(...) “after of years of struggle to achieve democracy Egypt´s ability to democratize hangs in the balance”.

Supplementary material:

1 Mubarak was overthrown in a popular revolt

2- Failure to implement social and economic reforms.

3 Suppression of the Brotherhood.

Conclusion

(...) Egypt is undergoing a prolonged struggle for democracy, involving a series of battles for control and a large cast of actors (…)The struggle to resolve this complex situation goes on.

Entry #11: Metacognitive Analysis

Metacognitive Analysis 

         Write Academic writings have been a tricky challenge, due to the fact that I had never done something similar before. Throughout the year, I have made my best effort in expressing myself on paper. Undoubtedly, I have learned a variety of writing elements and principles to guide my writings. Even though I still need more practice, currently I can consider myself a more effective writer, able to cover a number of different styles of writing. I have not only a clear idea about the steps to follow for each style of essay but also I am aware of the importance of the Genre. 

        After grappling with difficult topics and, being discouraged by some failures in the learning process, I have reached to the conclusion that writing is not just taking notes of thoughts that you have in your mind as a brainstorm of ideas. On the contrary, you need to take the suitable time to think about the ideas you will include in your writing, concentrate on the paragraph structures, topic sentences, supporting ideas, the writing process itself, and the final edit of your work .Lastly, the creation of a clear, cohesive, coherent and thoughtful writing.

1-Discouraged: to make somebody feel less confident or enthusiastic about doing something

 • Discourage somebody: don’t be discouraged by the first failure—try again!

 • Discourage somebody from doing something: the weather discouraged people from attending.

 2-Thoughtful: showing signs of careful thought

 • player who has a thoughtful approach to the game 

3-Grappling:  1- to take a firm hold of somebody/something and struggle with them. 

• Grapple (with somebody/something. Passers-by grappled with the man after the attack.

• Grapple somebody/something (+ adverb/preposition). They managed to grapple him to the ground.

                  2- To try hard to find a solution to a problem 

• Grapple with something. The new government has yet to grapple with the problem of air pollution. 

• Grapple to do something. I was grappling to find an answer to his question. 

4-Undoubtedly: Used to emphasize that something exists or is definitely true.

 • She has an undoubted talent as an organizer. 

• Adverb: There is undoubtedly a great deal of truth in what he says. 

 5-Effective: Producing the result that is wanted or intended; producing a successful result 

• Long prison sentences can be a very effective deterrent for offenders. 

• Aspirin is a simple but highly effective treatment. 

• Drugs that are effective against cancer

 • Some people believe that violence is an effective way of protesting. 

• I admire the effective use of colour in her paintings.

Source:

Word Reference. http://www.wordreference.com/. Web. 14 Sept. 2013