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4 November 2009
Dear Telekolleg students,
It’s ‘raining cats and dogs’ , as we say in Merry England, so today, I’m going to write you a long letter about, among other things: WORDS. I think this letter can help you in the English exams next year, so please read it carefully.** Don’t worry if you don’t have enough time to read the whole letter today. If you READ a few paragraphs every day, you WILL FINISH this letter before the next letter comes***!
In a few days time Germany will be celebrating (G) the victory of a special sort: The victory of many courageous (G) women and men who, twenty years ago, stood up to (G) the SED dictaturship (G). In the first ‘Monday demonstrations’ in Leipzig they had seen the brutality (G) of the members of the Ministry of State Security (G) – who had even beat women, hoping to provoke (G) the men among the demonstrators (G) to attack(G) the members of the ‘Stasi’ This would have given them the excuse they wanted to handle (G) the demonstrators with even more brutality. As we know the Stasi did not succeed and on the 9th of November and in the succeeding (G) months, the wall fell.
From your Telekolleg history lessons you know that the 9th of November was also the day when two shameful (G) events also took place in Germany: Hitler’s attempted coup d’ètat (G) in 1923 and the terrible pogrom against Jews in 1938. Nobody in Germany will or should forget these events, but on Monday the main emphasis will be on celebrating**** (G) the magnificent triumph (G) of courage and humanity (G) over the forces of repression (G) and fear that we saw twenty years ago- a triumph which miraculously (G) was possible without a shot being **** fired!
In Great Britain, we also have a celebration (G) at almost the same time.
I must admit (2) that although I love England, the country where I was born, I am always very relieved (4) that I don’t have to be there on the evening of November the 5th! That is the time when thousands of English kids (and sometimes thirty and forty year-old kids!) celebrate (G) Guy Fawkes Night. Guy Fawkes and 13 other Catholics took the decision (2) in 1605 to blow up (G) the Houses of Parliament in London with 35 barrels (G) of gunpowder (G) . Under the reign (G) of Queen Elisabeth, Catholics had been discriminated (1) against and most of the Protestants in England had prejudices (2) about them. So the Catholics were delighted (2) and very enthusiastic (2) when after Queen Elisabeth’s death in 1605, her successor (G) King James I. came to the throne (G). However, unfortunately the treatment (4) Catholics got under James I. was in no way (G) better and Guy Fawkes and his friends were determined (2) to change the situation. They were convinced (2) that if they blew up (G) the Houses of Parliament , they would kill the King, the Prince of Wales and the Members (G) of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics.
However, it became clear that innocent(G) people would be killed or injured (G) in the attack and that is why one of the group sent an anonymous (G) letter to warn (G) his friend Lord Monteagle to stay away from the Parliament on November the 5th. The letter was immediately (4) sent to the King and the King’s security service (G) made plans (G) to stop the conspirators (G).
Guy Fawkes , who was in the cellar (G) of the parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder when the King’s men stormed (G) in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured(G) and executed (G). Only one of the group survived (3) by fleeing (G) to France. The others were eventually (3) trapped (3) and shot or hanged (G).
For the people of Britain, even in such an unstable period (G) of British history as the 17th century (G) the whole episode (G) was like a bolt from the blue (3) and since that day they have celebrated ‘Guy Fawkes Night’ by building**** big fires (which are called ‘bonfires’) On top of the bonfires they put effigies (G) of Guy Fawkes: They put straw (G) or old papers in old clothes (usually from their parents!) and put masks on their ‘guys’(G) . As on New Year’s Eve (G) in Germany, the children in England (and not only the children!) spend large sums (G) of money on fireworks (G) which they let off (G) on Guy Fawkes Night. Where do they get this money from? Well, if you are in England in the weeks before Guy Fawkes Night, you will be approached **(1) by courteous (1) children -mainly (1) boys - wheeling prams* with their ‘guy’ in them. They will ask you to ‘Rememember, remember the 5th of November’ and they’ll also ask you, courteously (1), for a ‘penny for the guy’ – but they’ll certainly expect (1) you to give them more than a penny!!
The Queen and the members of Parliament also ‘remember the 5th of November.’ The Queen enters Parliament only once every year. On the so-called (G) ‘State Opening of Parliament’. Before that, however, some people, called the Yoemen of the Guard’ search (G)
the cellars under the Houses of Parliament).However, they haven’t found any more gunpowder since 1605!*****
I, personally, think that it is a great shame (1) that we still have this celebration (G) in Britain (They even have the celebration in New Zealand and in parts of Canada).For me, the day after ‘bonfire Night’ is one of the most unpleasant days in the year: The air smells horrible and the ground is littered * with the remains* of rockets (G) and other fireworks. However there is another more important reason why I’m not at all keen (2) on ‘Guy Fawkes Night’ (or ‘Bonfire Night’, as it is also called): Guy Fawkes and his friends had a barbaric(G), inhumane (G) plan, but we should not forget their terrible ordeal (4) – the torture and execution. Nor should we forget the persecution* Catholics suffered* for many centuries in Britain. I prefer celebrations like the Notting Hill Carneval in London which encourage (1) children to be tolerant(G) of people of all religions and cultures.
I hope, dear students, that you didn’t have too many difficulties with the vocabulary in what I have written. I also hope that you recognise (erkennen) many of the words from the ‘Arbeitsbögen ‘. The numbers after many of the words will tell you where you can find the words, or words which are derived (abgeleitet) from them:
(1) Learning to be less British (The Business World AB 4-6)
(2) Not a job for a woman? Fast Track English-Part One (AB 10 – 13)
(3) A bolt from the blue. Fast Track English – Part Two (AB 17 – 19)
(4) I was very relieved Fast Track English –Part Two (AB 20 – 22)