An Essay on Matchbox by Afrida

Sleeping Fire

The roaring, blinding flames lie undisturbed in an enchanted sleep. The disguised flames lay enclosed and protected in a rectangular enclosure and they wait, like a dying plant desperate for a drop of water, for the moment when they will awaken from their sleep and sizzle to life.

A matchbox is an object we use and see in our everyday life. Therefore we may take its value and importance for granted. But fire is no ordinary discovery. It can perhaps be called ancient mans greatest discovery.

A matchstick is a thin, smooth slice of wood, delicately cut into a rectangular stick. The tip of this stick however, is covered with a charcoal like black substance. This is the resting place of the birth of the flames. These flames will only awaken from their deep slumber when they are scratched along the side of their rectangular enclosure.

The matchstick scratches itself along the side of the matchbox in a swift movement and then all at once, as if by magic, a mesmerizing flam of crimson yellow and blood red appears. The flame is not tame and will not stay obediently at the tip of the matchstick. It slowly and threateningly makes its way down the thin slice of wood until eventually it reaches the end of the stick where it meets its fate. All too soon, the flame disappears as quickly as it appeared, leaving no trace that it ever existed.

In a traditional fairy tale, the sleeping princess is locked away in an eerie and irksome tower of a castle in a land far away from civilization.  In a similar manner the matches are forever locked away in a dismal prison- a cardboard box. This prison can range in all shapes and sizes just like in a fairy tale.  However, no matter what the size, what the shape, its properties are still the same.

The smell of a match box remains a mystery to all for it has to particular smell. The mystery of the fell of the matchsticks has been uncovered. The wooden stick is smooth but the black tip is a sharp contrast for it is rough.

The matchbox has clearly found its place in our lives. Its importance is unimaginable and we are ignorant creatures if we fail to recognize this.

How to Report from Seely or Enjoying English

1. Read - Underline - reread
2. Write short summary in 100 words.
3. List of difficult words
4. Interesting phrases that you plan to use in your own writing.
5. Poems - Write what you think of the poem - its story, its rhyme, its content, - use lot of quotations.
6. Assignments - Write at least ONE assignment from EACH unit.

But you can also report on anything else you may have done.

A daylong feast in Stories-Ideas-Debates in British Council, Dhaka

The program shall include the following. Population - 1000.

1. Dress-code - Formal - Suits, Saree, 
2. Half the participants shall debate - 5 min each - 
3. Book introduction - 10 persons - 
4. 3 age group - 30 people for 3 Desks - enter for further activities - empty lawn - Hall - Sit - 
5. Art Exhibition - Stories about Famous Writers - Recorded Music - Writers' Photo and Portrait & Books - Free Food - Cultural Dress as you Like (Indian, Bangladeshi, Western, South-East Asia)
6. Entrance Requirements - 
1. Bring your copy of the favourite story/book/novel
2. One Bengali & One English Author
3. 5 to 18 
4. School ID card

Game Addicts and Other Things

http://news.yahoo.com/video-game-addiction-tied-depression-anxiety-kids-20110117-060409-195.html

O Level Students Class timing for Friday.

Dear Students,

Please students attend classes on Friday at 8.00 am as usual. Please notify me through an SMS.

Mamun

A well drafted narrative from Raiya

This is my story on the "Ash Tree" topic we did in class today. I have made it bigger and edited some points. Hope you like it. 

It has been over three months since we moved to our new house in Waterford,Ireland . The house is big and it is situated right on the brink of a hill. The view from our balcony has always been exceptional . I had liked everything everything about our house except the Old Oak tree that was rooted right in our lawn. Since the very first day we have moved here there was a feeling inside me that had always forbidden me to go near the tree. 

       When I first came into the house it took me sometime to get used to the tree. The barks of the tree had fallen off, twigs were lying everywhere, it was tall and crooked, and the leaves had died and lost its colours. At night I had difficulties sleeping and I had blamed the tree for it. My mother used to tell me "Don't be afraid. Imagine its a guardian angel from above." But I never believed her. For some reason the tree always seemed like a cat with sharp nails, ready to pounce on me. 

       One night my parents had to go to a dinner party. By seven the night seemed to grow darker and darker. It was a cold rainy night and the fire had to be kept on for warmth. I was crouched between two pillows in the living room watching television and had covered my body with a blanket because every minute the room seemed to grow colder and colder.Our entire house seemed dark and lost in the hill top. Only the Oak tree shadowed and sheltered it. For the first time I felt that our house was being protected by an Old Oak tree.

         The night grew more restless every minute. A storm had arrived and thunders roared in the sky. The swishing sound of the wind blowing past our house grew louder. I was terrified. The oak tree moved from side to side like a flying ghost in a horror movie. Then suddenly there was a knock at the door.The horror grew in me and some crazy ideas flew into my head. I thought what if it was a burglar,a ghost or even the oakk tree had come alive? I did not know what to do. The rain had picked up its speed. There were thunders outside and the knock at the at the door became louder and louder. A man screamed saying something I could not  hear because of all the whirl of the wind. The oak tree swayed in front of the house like an angry beast.The rain drops were falling very heavily on the rooftop as if a hail storm had started. The trees outside moved from side to side at a much faster speed. 

          Then suddenly my worst nightmare came true. The door knob turned and a man wearing a yellow raincoat came in from the back kitchen door. My heart jumped into my mouth and I was turning pale with fear. The Oak tree swayed faster and faster as if it was aware of the intruder and did not like the fact that someone had entered my house.The wind was probably blowing at its fastest now. 

          I looked back in fear and it took me some time to realize that the man was my father standing behind me with my mother. I was relieved to see them. Slowly the rain died down and the Oak tree eventually stopped swaying just like my nervous tension had stopped reaching a higher level. I exhaled a sigh of relief. The demoniacal sound of the wind had died down and I guess I can now say that my mother was right. The Oak tree was a guardian from above that was sent to protect my house and shelter it from all the heat and outside danger. 

Writing Demands in Class and MATILDA

We read about different writing demands made by different teachers as part of school curriculum - we used the book by John Seely. We read the first chapter of the Roald Dahl's novel Matilda.


Please bring at least 20 words with you for writing/using those in your essay/composition tomorrow Saturday.