von Friedemann Winkler
- Englisch-Arbeit (10. Klasse)
- 1-stündig
- Note 1
Assignments:
1. Imagine you have the chance of working as an assistant teacher for German at an English school. Think about what sort of work you might have to do there and write your own letter of application for a work placement. Why do you think could the students benefit from your work? In return, what is it you could learn from working abroad?
2. Have a look at the poem below. After having carefully read it (at least twice) write a short interpretation, including analysis and comment.
The Icingbus (Der Zuckergussbus)
the littleman
with the hunchbackedback (<-hunch - buckel)
creptto his feet
to offer his seat
to the blindlady
people gettingoff
steered carefully around
the black mound
of his back
as they would a pregnantbelly
the littleman
completely unaware
of the embarrassment behind
watched as the blindlady
fingered out her fare
. . . . . . . . . . .
muchlove later he suggested that instead
ofa wedding-cake they shouldhave a miniaturebus
made outof icing but she laughed
andsaid that buses werefor travelling in
and notfor eating and besides
you cant taste shapes
1.
Dear Sir or Madam,
My name is Friedemann Winkler and I live in Celle, Germany. I will spend four weeks of my next holidays in Doublin and I am very interested in collecting some work experience at your school for three weeks. As I am not sure whether I am able to teach any other subject in English than German I would prefer to work with one of your German teachers.
I think I could learn a lot and I am prepared to work and study hard for this if given the chance. As German is my mother tongue I think the students at your school could benefit from my work, too. They could hear somebody speaking German almost perfectly and who is also able to explain the grammar to them.
I often helped other students when they had not understood everything. I think they liked my “extra lessons” and learned much, therefore I am writing this letter well prepared. It was always my dream to become a teacher in my later life and I hope you will give me the chance to test it a little. I am enclosing my CV and looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Thank you for your consideration.
Yours faithfully
Friedemann Winkler
2.
The poem “The Icingbus” is about an old, hunchbacked man offering his seat in a bus to a blind lady. Both are outsiders and the other people in the bus do not want to stay near them. But the old man is unaware of them. He only looks at the blind lady.
Later they decide to marry and the man wants to have a bus made of icing as a wedding-cake, but the woman says that a bus is for travelling and not for eating.
I think the poem says that the good character of somebody is more important than his outer appearance. The woman cannot see the old man and she loves him. Otherwise she could have prejudices, because the man does not look handsome and fashionable. Considering this you can say the text is criticism against prejudices. When you look at the structure, the looks, of the text you first can not understand its message, because first you are able to see only single words, some even written together so you could think that it is a mistake. But if you read the text twice and think about it, you will get the message. Then the form the poem is written in is not important any more.
I do not really like the poem, because there are so many poems like this which are against prejudices. I also dislike the form the poem is written in. There is no punctuation for example and I do not like the words written together.
But maybe the author does not want me to like it. As I already mentioned the poem is not written to be liked but to be understood. You have to think about it. If this is what the author wants he is successful in my case.