Snow Falling on Cedars

FACTS:

Why do they suspect Kabuo Miyamoto, a Japanese-American fisherman?
The local sheriff, Art Moran and his deputy, Abel Martinson, found Carl Heine’s body, a fisherman, trapped in the boat’s fishing net underwater. They discovered an odd wound on his head. A practicing physician, Horace Whaley, notes that the wound resembles wounds he saw during the World War II, on soldiers who had fought in hand-to-hand combat with Japanese soldiers.
Of particular interest is a dead engine battery that was found on the boat. The type of battery is different from the type that Carl normally used to power his boat but it matches the type of battery that Kabuo used on his boat.
Art Moran found one of the mooring ropes on Carl Heine’s ship did not match the other three ropes but did match those on Kabuo’s boat. Furthermore, one of Kabuo’s ropes is brand new. Art thinks that he lost one and had to replace it.
Art soon discovers the blood-covered gaff. Dr. Sterling Whitman, a haematologist testifies that the blood on Kabuo’s fishing gaff is human blood, type B positive. This type matches Carl Heine’s and is relatively rare. Kabuo, on the other hand, is type O negative, so the blood clearly did not come from him. But Dr. Sterling admits that he did not find any bone splinters, hair, or skin on the gaff. He says that it is more likely that the blood came from a minor wound the coroner found on Carl’s hand.
Etta Heine, Carl's mother, accuse Kabuo of murdering Carl for racial and personal reasons. Because Kabuo wants to buy the Heines’ strawberry farm but he simply showed up too late to buy the land.
Ishmael Chambers, a reporter, realizes with the help of the radio at the lighthouse archives that a large freighter, the Corona would have produced waves easily large enough to upend Carl’s boat and knock him overboard. He steals one of the carbon copies of the lighthouse report from that night’s log so he proves Kabuo’s innocence.

Ca. 340 words

(In fact it was an accident: Carl was in the midst of tying a lantern to the mast when a massive wave from the Corona crashed into his boat, throwing him from the mast. As he fell, his head struck the boat, knocking him unconscious. He fell into the water and drowned.)

Task 2:

I think real art always says something about human passions or feelings. For me, art is something that makes me see something in a different way. If someone just throws a lof of paint onto a canvas and you can't even see what it's meant to be how can you call it art? It doesn't shows your emotions. Also a photo isn't art for me. It can't convey your feelings. This photo is very simple. In the foreground there is a woman with a white dress, light green shoes and a red shovel. The very special thing is, that you can't see the whole woman, but only her legs. In the background there is a blurred garden with many flowers. In my opinion this photo isn't art because art is when you create something.

ca. 135 words

Task 1:

Dear Lisa,
How are you? I must tell you about a very interesting picture named "The Problem we all live with". It depicts a skinny black girl with a white pleated dress with a bow. She's a bit off centre. In her left hand she holds her school stuff: two or tree notebooks, a ruler and pens. She also has two white ribbons in her hair and white sneakers with white socks. On the right side there are marching two policemen with police badges. One has a dark suit with cuffs and the other behind him has a light grey suit with a laple and a tie. In front of the lean girl there are also two policemen with a dark and a light grey suit and polished shoes. All four policemen have a turn-up and a yellow arm band on their left arm. The white writing reads "Deputy Us Marshall". It's very illegible, unfortunately. The first man with the light grey suit on the left side has a writ in his suit pocket. In the background there is a wall with a ledge. On the ground there lies a smashed tomato who hurled at the wall. There are tomato spatter and bits of.
In my opinion the artist wants to express the racism of his time. I find the atmosphere the artist creates quite effective. What I find fascinating is the stark contrast between the black small girl and her dazzlingly white clothes. Never have I seen such a intriguing painting before.
Yours, Angela

ca. 250 words

letter

Dear Jane Hughes,

I read your article about the Brooklyn museum, which was very interesting.
In my opinion the row due to a British art exhibition is ridiculous and I am glad that the city’s mayor R. Giuliani gave in. I disagree with him, because art is something different for everyone. It is anyway difficult to describe.
There are people, who like “shock art” and they also have the right to see it in an art exhibition.
I personal think that the picture Virgin Mary of Chris Ofili isn’t “shock art”.
When an artist use blood or visceral organs that is disgusting and “shock art”! But on the other hand it’s also art and some people like it. I think such picture should alos be in an art exhibition although it’s barbarous.

Yours Angela

Charlotte Bronté

Jane Eyre

Hey! My name is Angela Duelli. I live in the Victorian period and I’m a poor young girl. My best friends are Rose and Mrs. Herbert, together we are a pickpocket gang.
One cold day Rose and I took a walk, but I forgot my coat. We didn’t go back to get it because we thought we could steal something. Suddenly we saw a desperate woman lying on the ground. As soon as we ran to her, we tried to speak with her but she was at the end of her nerves and didn’t notice us. She had a precious coat over her arm, so we used this moment and stole it. As I put it on, I recognized that it was a coat from a man. A little while later the woman asked,”What are you doing?” Rose and I were terrified and asked stupidly, ”Can we take this coat?”
I thought if she says “no” I would run away!
To my amazement she said, ”Never mind! As long as you find a way how I can get away from here.”
“That can be done. What is your name? Do you have money?”
“Jane Eyre. Yes.”
I heard wheels and I saw a coach coming along. I stopped it and asked to be taken as far as the woman’s pound would pay for. The inside was empty. I helped her to enter and the coach rolled on its way.
Afterwards Rose and I spoke about Jane Eyre. Rose thought that she was Mr. Rochester’s fiancée, but I could not believe that. When I put my hand into the coat-pocket I felt something hard. I pulled it out and I saw jewels!!

Changes in the book:
Chapter 31 Flight
… It was soon after midnight that I rose and, taking nothing except my money and by mistake Mr. Rochester’s coat. …

Explication: Mr. Rochester put his jewels which he wanted to give to Jane in his coat and forgot it there.
335 words

Report

3) The killing of Nancy

Young prostitute was strike dead

London (S.K.,A.D.). Last night a young girl was found in
an old apartment. The police think that the young woman
was killed by a stick and they don't exclude the murderer
was a jealousy offence. A good friend of the prostitute
told the police, something interesting: The girl maybe
sneaks something about the “notorious pickpocket gang” on.
The woman was identified as Nancy and she was a member of
the “notorious pickpocket gang”. Nancy W. was living in
this apartment with the criminal Bill Sikes. The man was
very rude and Nancy’s lover. Maybe he was her pimp. Bill
is using a wooden stick and so the police make a decision:
he is the murderer. He is the owner of a dangerous dog
with the name “Bulls-Eye”. The police ask for some
indication of the stay from Mr. Sikes. He has long black
hair and a full beard. His dog is white and “Bill-Eye” has
a black spot around his left eye.
Her best friend Alice McKee told reporters,: Nancy was a
honest girl. She has a bad fate, she works as a prostitute
since she was 13. now she is 17. I found her dead and
blood smeared in Bill’s apartment. He was very rude to her
and other persons. I think Bill is capable of the
murderer.”
Please inform the police for other indications.


237 words

Interview

Interview with a person, who lived in the Victorian time

Note: In the Victorian time about two thirds of the population lived under the bread line.
I’m a scientist, who studied this time. Some days ago I had found an article about a poor person named Jack. Jack complained about his bad situation. So I made a interview out of this article:
Interviewer: Good morning, Sir. Can I ask you some questions?
Jack: Good morning. Why certainly!
Interviewer: What is your name?
Jack: Street sweeper Jack.
Interviewer: Oh... that’s really your name?
Jack: No, but my friends gave me this name.
Interviewer: Ok. So what is your job, Jack?
Jack: I’m a street sweeper, but sometime I work as a story-teller.
Interviewer: And how much money do you earn?
Jack: I earn only a few pounds and I work the whole day.
Interviewer: Where do you live?
Jack: I live in London by a family with five children. I can sleep in a tiny room with a bed and a small table. For that I have to give the family the half of my wage.
Interviewer: Do you think that you will have a change to get a better life?
Jack: You must now I’m a happy man and I think always positive, but sometimes I want an other life and I do not think that I have this change in London, maybe in America?
Interviewer: Which other life do you want? Only a example.
Jack: I would like to have a lot of money, a good job for example judge, a beautiful house with a garden, children and a wonderful wife.
Interviewer: What do you think about the difference between poor and rich?
Jack: I agree with the people who say that is unfair, but I don’t get upset about it, because I put up with my life.
Interviewer: Thank you for the interview and your valuably time.
Jack: My pleasure! Goodbye!


Ca. 320 Words