oral presentation (tu, VA, kim trang, thuy linh)

Group: Tu, Van Anh, Kim Trang, Thuy Linh
Format: a cosy chat among family members
Characters: Trang: mother, V.Anh: father, Tu and Linh: children
Situation: after the children have finished their homework, their parents asked
them some questions about their recent study and then the family discussion began.

The jacket
Summary:
The story “Jacket” talks about a girl named Young Twaine living in South Sea
Island. She had a happy life with her family in her hometown. Her study was also
very good, so she was sent to her Aunty’s house in New Zealand for better
education because school in Island wasn’t good enough for her. Having difficulties
in communicating as well as keeping up with new friends, Twaine felt very
stressed. It’s tragic that her parents didn’t have money to give her, so she depended
almost on her aunt. This made the aunt very angry because she had to pay for
everything. Twaine didn’t get any money every day so she couldn’t go to school.
She realized that everything here required money, which made her frightened. She
really missed her home. One day, rainy and cold, Ta – the son of her Aunt gave her
some money to get downtown. There, Twaine stole a jacket from a shop because
she was very cold. After that, she soon regretted having done it. A few days later,
she decided to take the jacket to the shop. They caught her and called the police.
Luckily, the police lady was nice. She called her teacher and everything was
alright. The teacher also promised to give Twaine some extra lessons so that she
could catch up with her friends.
Feeling-comment:
I think this is a happy ending, which makes readers sympathetic for Twaine. I feel
so sorry for her and I wish that if only her aunt could have given her some money
to buy warm clothes, if only her parents could have cared for her more. She seems
to be ashamed of that sin. It’s obvious that Twaine wasn’t a shoplifter on purpose.
You know, how can a shoplifter take what he stole back to the shop? Moreover,
she was remorseful for doing that. Fortunately, the police, her friends and teacher

believed her, and made her feel better. She would be helped to catch up with her
friends. That’s so good!


Reading this story, I have found out that in this world, there are a great number of
children not having enough good study conditions including studying environment,
money for studying facilities or even money for food, warm clothes and bus
tickets. So my children, you’d better treasure what you have and try to study as
hard as possible. You know, you don’t have to suffer from such financial problem
like this unlucky girl in this story!

My little ghost
Summary:
Avusi was a child and lived with his mother in a small village on the coast in
Papua New Guinea. His mom’s job was looking after somebody’s children every
day, so he always stayed at home with his grandfather and the old man said to the
young boy that his mom worked in a house full of white ghosts. Obviously, she
denied. He insisted on coming with his mom and eventually she agreed. They
arrived at the house and Avusi was astonished at its size and beauty. It was like a
palace. He had a terrible fright when he entered the room. His mom reassured him
that they were not ghosts. One of them came toward him and grabbed him round
the waist. Avusi really didn’t hope that and he shut his eyes. But after a while he
realised that this baby ghost felt like him.The baby smiling at him was Brandon.
There and then Avusi learnt that not everyone had the same skin colour as him.
Comments – Feelings:
This story is looked on the bright side so the main character – Avusi is a naïve
child. He believed in his grandfather at first and worried about his mom’ job.
He would feel safe about what he knew surely and would be afraid of what seemed
to be a little vague.
He was also eager for going to work with his mom to be able to see white ghosts

though he was quite scared. Avusi was a really lovable child . He was interested in
new things. Through Avusi , we can realize that chilren are optimistic , carefree
and intelligent. They always think and act positively without worries. This is the
brightest story of the whole series. It brings us ease and a comprehensive view
about children.


Progress
Summary:
Marina Salcedo, a senior clerk working for 20 years in a Ministry had to go to
Manila to complete the procedure for her promotion that was 5 years overdue. She
was in a bad financial situation.
In the capital, she stayed in her cousin’s house. She brought along the food and
tried not to bother her cousin as much as possible.
Unfortunately, she had to go through endless bureaucratic red-tape in the Ministry
in Manila. The so-called people-in-charge found ways in order to take bribes from
her. Marina had to tighten her belt just to save some money.
Chief Lobo wanted her to treat him to a dinner at a luxurious restaurant. Even more
terrible, he asked her to go to a motel with him and she had to pay the money.
Eventually, he got what he wanted, and so did she.
On the way home, wanting to save her money, Marina walked to her house.
Tragically, she was robbed of her bag containing all of her important papers for the
promotion. She knew that she had to go to the capital again, and the traumatic
experience let her extremely down.
Comment-feeling:
- This is such a miserable story, even the most sorrowful one of all the whole series
“Playing with fire”.
- The story is full of bureaucracies: not only in Marina’s Ministry in her hometown
but also in the Ministry in the capital.
+ in her Ministry: her chief asked her to buy him expensive material while

she was in Manila.
+ in Manila:
* the greedy officials made her wait too long because she didn’t gave
them any extra money. After she did, they turned out to be helpful.
* in this Ministry, she had to undergo a lot of complicated and
unnecessary official procedures like filling the form with several silly
questions.


=> I feel pity for this unfortunate woman as well as angry with the blameworthy
folk in government offices. They lacked both responsibility and humanity. They
showed no sympathy for the poor clerk.
And Chief Lobo’s desire for sex from Marina was the last straw. This was such a
morally bankrupt behavior that I wished I could have punched him on his face.
As if Marina wasn’t unlucky enough, she had her bag grabbed while walking
home. All of the bad luck happening to the poor woman made the whole story
seem heart-rending. However, this story is just the clear reflection about bitter
reality in anywhere over the globe, and I hope someday, this knotty problem will
no longer exist.