People have the right to make a protest, but…

On 25 May, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.A, a black American was killed by a policeman. This incident raised a storm of protest and now it is growing to a massive riot case. This disturbance can’t be quelled and getting spread all over the country.

I think people has right to make a protest and in this case the protester fight with good cause. There is deep-rooted racial discrimination in this country. People should protest it. Their claim is reasonable but lately some of the people turned into a mob and they destroy cars, buildings… also loot stores. However, their claim is reasonable, acting of violence never be allowed in any cases.

The terrorists who hijacked an airplane in this book “Skyjack!” have right cause for themselves but murder and violence are not allowed.

An after reading task, for OUP Bookworms "Skyjack!", by Teruki

The Railway Children - Steam trains in Japan

My mother's hometown is in Akashina, Azumino city. There're lots of things about a steam train. Then I always went Akashina, I would get on a train with my mother and sister. The steam train had run through the Shinonoi line from Shiojiri to Nagano until I was about ten years old.

It takes 20 minutes to get Akashina station from Matsumoto. My mother told me not to open a window widely. Suddenly the smoke entered in the train depend on the wind direction. The seats were made of wood, so it was not comfortable to sit. But it was a cozy space with my family.

My grandparents house and rice fields were by the train line.  The house was on the higher place than the Shinonoi line. So I could see the magnificent figure of the steam train, when I went out of the gate. In front of the rice fields, there was a small crossing, then the train whistle blew. I liked to watch the steam train at that time.

In early summer, I played with my younger aunts while grandparents planted rice. In fall, the season of rice harvest, I always waved the passengers in the train from the rice fields. They waved back from the windows. I wondered where people were going? At that time, the train was not so fast, I could see the features of people. It was really interesting.

Posted for Hiroko

The Brontë Story - A letter from Maria Brontë

To Elizabeth, Maria, Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne I love you all very much. I can't tell how much I love you. I am a lucky woman to have such a wonderful children. My life was full of happiness and love with you all. But I am afraid I have to say good-bye to you soon. Because I feel my body is getting weak and weak. I know I can't live long. I wish I could live till you all will grow-up. But I have to accept the reality. When I am gone, you will be so sad. But remember I will be always with you. Even you can't see me or remember my face, I will be with you in the heart of each of you. So, if you want to see me, just close your eyes, then you will feel me. After I am gone, my sister Elizabeth will take care of you instead of me. I asked her to do so. She has a strong conscience and is a determined Christian. I trust her. So, don't worry. But you have to help her doing what you can. Life is full of joy, but sometimes it isn't easy. I hope you all help each other and all of you have wonderful life. I'm sure your father will lead you to the right way.
Please study hard, work hard and enjoy your life. I'm always with you. I love you. Your mother Maria

Posted for Yasumi

Martin Luther King - A person who changed history in your country

Hideki Tojo

Hideki Tojo was born in Kojimachi District, Tokyo on December 30, 1884. He was an Imperial Japanese Army general and the 27th Prime Minister of Japan during much of World War II, from October 17, 1941, to July 22,1944.

As the Prime Minister he was responsible for ordering the attack on Pearl Harbor. After Japanese unconditional surrender in 1945, he shot himself in the chest with a pistol when American soldiers surrounded his house.  He attempted suicide but was unsuccessful. He was arrested and recovered in a U.S. Army hospital. He was tried by the International Tribunal for the Far East for war crimes. He accepted full responsibility in the end for his actions during the war.  He was sentenced to death on November 12, 1948 and executed by hanging 41days after on December 23,1948.

He was thought to be the villain of the war. However, the evaluation for him changes now.
According to the document, he endeared to evade war with the United States.  But he couldn’t.

In his final statement he apologized for the atrocities committed by the Japanese military and urged the American military to show compassion toward Japanese people, who had suffered devastating air attack and the two atomic bombs. 

Long time have passed after the end of the war, there is a question whether a person can judge war.
He might be the scapegoat that was convenient for both countries, the United States and Japan

Posted for Olga

Goldfish - The Mystery of the Stolen Pearls

Today, the insurance company announced the famous big pearls that calls the Leander pearls are found. They were stolen by Wally Sype. It was a maid-car robbery. Police announced he had hidden on the train, got into the mail car and shot the clerk. Then he took all the valuable mail and got away. But when they caught him later in Canada, they couldn’t get any of the stuff.  They sent him to Leavenworth prison for life, but they never proved he got the peals. According to one source, Mr. Sype said he never had the pearls. The pearls were on the train, and they were never seen again.

First of all, the pearls were bought by Sol Leander for his wife.  Just two of them cost two hundred grand at that time. The worth is not only how big they are.  The insurance company had been still offering a reward of twenty-five grand for them.

According to the insurance company’ announce, the rewards have given two people. There were some victims. It because the rewards were big, of course, and for a long time, nobody had found the pearls.

The insurance company has never said that who has got the rewards. But hopefully it will work for them that the pearls brought only for them who are lucky people, their own bright future. 

Posted for Naoko

The Railway Children - Living near a railway line

If I live near a railway line, I would think about going on a trip often. When I see people on a train, I wonder where they will go and who they are. It is a kind of magic of train that people forget about their real life and dream to go to a new world, just for a while.

When I lived in California, there was a canyon near my house. And under the canyon there was a railway line. Sometimes I saw the trains running and my children were excited to see them. It was nice to see trains running through the canyon.

For people who live in a country, trains associate journey and admiration for the city. But, for the people who live in a city, trains are daily transportation. In the big city like Tokyo, train comes every 5 minutes. It must be very noisy to live near the railway line in a city. When I go to Tokyo by train, I can see many houses very near the railway line. I always think it will be very difficult for me to live near the railway line. Because of noise and light I feel restless and can't sleep well at night.

Posted for Yasumi

The Brontë Story - Jany Eyre explained

To editor of Smith and Elder pubishing company,

I'm so glad to give me your sinsire advice. Along with your advice, I've written "Jane Eyre" in 3 volumes.

In volume one, Jane Eyre lives with an unkind aunt, and then goes away to a school called Lowood. She has lived eight years in this strict school. Enduring a miserable and poor life in this school, she becomes a strong woman.

In volume two, she puts an advertisement and then she gets a job of governess in Thornfield House. The master in Thornfield house falls in love with Jane, and tries to get married, even though he already has a wife who has been mad. Jane runs away from her master.

In volume three, a rector in Moor House helps Jane Eyre while wondering Moors. Coincidentally a rector and his two sisters are Jane's cousins. For the first time, she can gets true family. At last, the story is happy ending.

Jane Eyre is an independant woman. She always says her thought by herself, even though in front of the nobles. She says a genuine affection to the man. This is sensational, but her life will move women in the world.

I want to change my name "Currer Bell" No one thinks women can write good books, so I would like to use man's name. My sister's books, "Agness Grey" and "Wuthering Heights" are dicided to publish from Thomas Cautley Nawby publishing company. Please think about my book "Jane Eyre"

Posted for Hiroko

Martin Luther King - American Conscience Martin Luther King Jr. Dies at 39

Martin Luther King, an American Baptist minister as an activist fell caused a gunshot head wound on 4 April in Memphis. Just after 6 o’clock in the evening, he went out of his hotel room to fresh air. Suddenly there was the sound of a gun, his friends told. They ran outside and found him lying on the ground. An hour later Martin Luther King died in a Memphis hospital. He was thirty-nine years old.

He was born on 15 January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia as a child of a minister in an Atlanta church. He became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using the tactics of nonviolence and civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs and inspired by nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi. He led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and helped SCLC.

On October 14, 1964 King received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. Recently he expanded his focus to include opposition towards poverty and the Vietnam war. There were several famous speeches were given. “ I have a dream” “ Beyond Vietnam” and so on. It is certain that we have lost a great person.

Posted for Naoko

Goldfish - Nazi treasure

It is said the number of art objects such as paintings, sculptures and art prints which Nazi looted from Jews and other countries is 600,000. The art works, Chagall, Matisse, Renoir, etc. which cost 1 billion were discovered in 2012 at the apartment of Munich. But over 100,000 artworks have not been discovered yet.

This book's author is Kouichi Fujita who worked in Berlin as a correspondent of Mainichi news company. He wrote this reportage in April 2011. He wrote about 'Room of amber ', 'Gogh collection ' and Vermeer. Hitler persisted in Vermeer. He wanted to open Linz Museum. But he couldn't do because the war situation became worse for Germany.

I was surprised that 'Astronomer' of Vermeer was looted by Nazi.So, there is Swastika which was symbol of Nazi on the back of 'Astronomer'. I saw it at Louvre Museum. It was a small but very wonderful painting. Most of the artworks which Nazi collected were changed to gold by the help of Swiss Bank and British Bank. Then they were sold and disappeared as the cost of war.I think some people have the artworks which were looted by Nazi. Perhaps they will not be discovered easily.

I hope that all artworks are discovered and can see them at the museums in many countries. The wonderful artworks are not Nazi treasure. They are our treasure forever.

Posted for Olga

The Railway Children - Moving House

I don’t have any experiences about moving house in my childhood. When we moved to Yokohama, I was only four, so I don’t remember it. Next we moved when I was eighteen. But a lot of my friends left our town. Sometimes I envied them. Because they would have the new life, new house, new friends, and new experiences.

One day,a new student came to our class in my elementary school. Maybe I was nine or ten years old. She is elegant. We were surprised because she moved from London. Her Japanese was a little bit strange, but her manners were very beautiful. We were so surprised when she ate a piece of apple at the school lunch. We have never seen a person who ate the apple hiding around her mouth by her hand , especially did by a child . Of course some boys teased her. Because nobody ever imagined someone eats a piece of apple carefully with a beautiful manner. Actually I think she was surprised more than us.

After a while, she became my best friend. When we went to her house, her mother welcomed me and our friends. She and her mother sometimes spoke in English. We gradually got a hard friendship. It is the good old days.

After several years, she had moved to Singapore. We missed each other, so wrote many letters until she came back to Tokyo. Of course she is still one of my best friend.

Posted for Naoko

The Brontë Story - A book review

Jane Eyre 

This is the story of a little girl called Jane Eyre. Her parents die, so she lives with an aunt and her children. Then Jane goes away to a school called Lowood. Jane ‘s best friend is Helen. Helen falls ill at the school and dies. Then Jane works as a governess in Thornfield Hall. She meets Rochester and falls in love. But she knows his terrible secret. Jane leaves Thornfield Hall. Then she meets Sant John. Sant wants her to go India with him as a wife.

What kind of decision dose she make? What kind of action does she take finally?

Most of readers will notice that Jane is a new type of woman who has an iron will. She isn’t so beautiful but is full of deep culture with wisdom. She gives decision based on a keen sense of morals. She has a job. She makes money by herself not by a husband.

This book’s author is Currer Bell. He is one of the man who understand women’s thought. He wants to tell us the importance of women’s independence. Ladies, stand your own feet even if it is men’s society.

This is a wonderful and beautiful book. This is the best book in 1847. I think this book will get the sympathy of many women even in 100years.

Olga Urakawa

The editor of ‘English Life’

Martin Luther King - A newspaper article

Martin Luther King was shot dead. 

On 4 April, King was shot in Memphis. When he stayed in the hotel in Memphis with his friends, after 6 o'clock in the evening, he went out of his hotel room to get some fresh air. Suddenly there was the sound of a gun. His friends ran outside and found King lying on the ground. One of his young supporter, Jesse Jackson, held him in his arms. An hour later Martin Luther King died in a Memphis hospital. He was thirty-nine years old, a leader of Black American.

King was born on 15 January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was a minister in Atlanta church. After he graduated Morehouse college in Atlanta, he went Crozier, a college for ministers in Pennsylvania. He became a minister in Montgomery.

He married to Coretta Scott, and they worked together to fight segregation in South. He became famous by the bus boycott in Montgomery and the sit-in at an Atlanta restaurant. He believed that non-violence was the only way to win the fights for black rights. On 28 August 1963, he made a remarkable speech " I have a dream" in Washington D.C.. In 1964 he won the Nobel Prize for his civil rights work, he was only thirty-five years old. He had been working on his job for 12 years, and still in the middle of the way to his dream. But people in the world will never forget him.

Police said there was no witness and evidence, so it will take time to find the criminal, but they do their best to catch the criminal.

Posted for Yasumi

The Wind in the Willows - A thank you letter

Dear Mrs. Keeper's daughter,

Sorry l haven't written for a while but I've been spent very tough days. I hope you're well. I have no words to express my gratitude. I am writing this letter in my Hall now. I think I was saved by the grace of you.

In prison you heard my rubbish story. At that time, I thought I hadn't been silly at all. Although I was in prison, I had such a foolish thinking. How foolish I was! Now I know I was silly, dangerous and boastful. I want you to know the reason of changing my thinking. Please read my story about escape.

I wore an old washer woman's dress which you bought and I passed the guards of the castle entrance easily. Then I got on the train. In the morning I met a barge -woman who said I was a fat lazy little toad. I stole her horse which I sold to a man later. At that time, I said to myself. What a cleverToad I am! I am ashamed of me in that time. I was just a criminal and an escaped prisoner. How silly I was!

I came to a road and began to walk. Then a terrible thing happened. The person whose car I had stolen recognized me. They chased me through a wood. I dropped into the deep water. When I was too tired to pull myself out of water, the Rat helped me.

The Rat told me about my Hall. The Stoats and the Weasles and the Ferrets - they had taken my Hall. They had been living there.They had got guns knives and sticks. They kept guard round the house night and days.They said they were going to stay there for ever. At first I couldn't believe it. But my good friends, the Rat, the Mole, the Badger and I made a plan to get the Hall back.

When they held a big birthday-party we run into dining hall. W could go there because there was an underground tunnel. They didn't have any guns or sticks with them at the party. So we could chase them and beat them and hit them with our weapons. What a battle it was! But we won the battle. Our attempt was a great success.

I have fortunate to have good friends. I changed my ways and became a sensitive animal. Still now I love to talk. But it isn't only about myself. It is about my likable friends. I am a very different Toad. I'm going to talk if you will visit our river under the Willows. Of course you had better come here in spring. It will be very peaceful and beautiful. Maybe you will like here.

See you again next spring!

Toad

Posted for Hiroko

The Last Sherlock Story - Doyle Sherlock vs Dibdin Sherlock

Sherlock Holmes in this story is very different from the one in Conan Doyle's story.

Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle was one of my favorite books when I was a child. He was very smart, brave, intelligent, and logical, a kind of perfect man. He could find any kind of criminals and he was a hero. He did not take cocaine at all, of course.

Also, he did not get bored by himself. With his intelligence and observational talent, his brain always worked busy. So, he did not need to take cocaine to amuse himself. And he knew how dangerous it was to take drugs. It could destroy a human. He was smart enough to know nobody could be an exception. Also, he never killed innocent women and cut their bodies in pieces. 

Sherlock Holmes in this story takes cocaine and he thinks he can control it, but he can not. He is a criminal, really. He kills women to entertain himself. He looks down poor people. I do not believe it. Sherlock Holmes in this story is also smart, logical and intelligent. But on the other hand, he is selfish, weak and immature. And he can not be a hero.

Posted for Yasumi

Rabbit-Proof Fence - The Long Walk

The Long Walk. This is the true story of Slawomir Rawicz, a Polish Army lieutenant who was arrested by Soviet Army during World War II. He and six others escaped from a Siberian camp. They walked 6500km, Mongolia, Gobi Desert, Tibet, the Himalayas from Siberia for one year.

Rawicz was prisoned and was sent to Siberia although he hadn’t done anything crime. He had to work there for twenty-five years. The weather of Siberia was severe, the labor was tight and the prisoners died one after another. So Rawicz and the others escaped from the camp. They began a long journey to India on foot.

At the time of escape, they had only some bread, an axe and a knife. One died in the severe nature. But the kindness of Mongolian who appeared occasionally helped them. They met the girl who ran away from Kolkhoz on way and calm time came. But a happy time was moment.

They had to cross the Gobi Desert on foot. It was the most terrible time in this trip. They walked in the extreme state. They were robbed of the physical strength and two of them died. But they continued to walk. Finally, they arrived at India.

I was deeply impressed that they had helped each other without losing hope to live even if it had been long severer trip. This story taught me the importance of what I didn’t give up till the last.

Posted for Olga

A Christmal Carol - Bob Cartchit's diary

Today was a Christmas Eve. It was cold and quiet day as past years. Mr. Scrooge looked unhappy and crosses. So it was too cold to work in office as every past year.

His nephew Fred came to the office today to say Merry Christmas to his uncle. But Mr. Scrooge answered to him, “Bah! Humbug! “ Fred said “You are too rich to be unhappy.” But he was not hurt. He said “Christmas is just a time when you spend too much, when you found yourself a year older and not an hour richer, when you have to pay your bills.”

I really hope Mr. Scrooge will be changed. But it would never happen for him. Even if such a thing happens all over the world it will not happen to him. Fred invited Mr. Scrooge to his house in Christmas dinner. He said that he wanted and asked nothing of Mr. Scrooge. But Mr. Scrooge didn’t answer to his nephew, I thought sorry for both of them.

Our little son Tiny Tim looked badly. I am so worried about him. But today, our sweet daughter Martha comes back. We are so happy to see her. We had a happiest time tonight. And we really appreciate God and Mr. Scrooge. My wife wants to say something different, but I think we have to say thank you for Mr. Scrooge. Anyway his money paid for today’s dinner. God bless Mr. Scrooge too.

Posted for Naoko

Rabbit-Proof Fence - A survival journey

His name was Junichi Toda. He was an ordinary office worker. But he didn't succeed his job. And even though he had been seeing a girl friend for five years, he didn't get along well with her. He wanted to change his life.

One day he climbed a mountain in Saitama prefecture in August. That was not a dangerous mountain. His climbing experience hadn't been even for one year. When he went down the mountain, he lost the way and fell down the cliff. He broke his left leg badly. He tried to stop the wound with T-shirt and an umbrella without panic. Then he covered with a plastic bag. But he couldn't go home. No one knew where he was climbing.

The food he had was the only seven candies. The second day he poured out his belongings in the mountain stream. He hoped that someone would find them.

Next day, he ate all of candies. He was't thirsty, because he was by the mountain stream. But he didn't have any food. So he ate ants and earthworms. On the other hand, his family had given out leaflets to the people in Chichibu area.

The ninth day they found the eyewitness. They asked the search party to find Mr. Toda in Mt. Ryokami in Chichibu. Two weeks later, he was rescued.

After he was operated on his left leg nine times, he could walk and got married his girlfriend and became a father of two children. Now he thanks everyone supporting him. I think it is wonderful that no one give up all hope.

Posted for Hiroko

A Christmas Carol - Christmas Eve diary

It was a hard day, as usual. I worked at the cold dark office all day long. Today, Mr. Scrooge's nephew came to the office to say Merry Christmas to him. But, Mr. Scrooge said Christmas was humbug and he just said "good afternoon". He is very strange and mean. He doesn't care about other people, especially poor people.

Tomorrow is a Christmas Day. Everybody wants to be happy, cares each other, loves each other. Mr.Scrooge is a rich man and he is very good at business, but he doesn't look like happy. If he cares about others more, he could be happier. Maybe something very sad had happened to him before and he became such a mean man. But I like his nephew. He is a nice man.

Anyway, it is Christmas Eve tonight. We had Christmas Dinner with all my family. How wonderful! I am a lucky man to have such a lovely wife and good children. Poor tiny Tim, he can not walk by himself, but he is lovely. I love him very much.

Mr. Scrooge gave me a half day off tomorrow. I wish I could have a day off, but I don't want to lose my job. I hope Mr.Scrooge will change his mind next year and he will be more gentle and generous.

Posted for Yasumi

The Last Sherlock Holmes Story - Holmes's final diary

April 1891 SWITZERLAND

I won’t have forgotten forever that I did have an irreplaceable friend Dr. Watson. I have enjoyed the life myself. Especially I have lived with my best friend Dr. Watson. I knew that something was wrong since I found my bedroom door was locked in Watson's house. I knew what happened. Dr. Watson was not Dr. Watson. He was not my best friend Dr. Watson. We had solved many cases together. There were some cases which we couldn’t forget. One of them is Berlin case “one in three”. But he couldn’t remember it. He forgot it. It surprised me and I doubted him.

When I tried to hit the man who came in the room I rested, he jumped away. And he wrote the letter to Lestrade, which said that I was the White Chapel murderer. What rubbish! He wasn’t Dr. Watson, of course.

Moriarty had killed my poor friend and taken his place. I saw him injecting himself with cocaine, but Dr. Watson would never, never do that. So I understood.

I’ll go to the Reichenbach Falles today. That is a wild and lonely place. He has asked me to walk with him. Certainly, he will try to kill me. But he will not succeed because I have put blanks in his gun. 

But I am sad, so sad. Because I lost my friend, Dr. Watson. When had he killed by Moriarty? Why I couldn’t help and save him? I’ll try to get the answer, but I don’t want to know it actually.

Posted for Naoko

The Wind in the Willows - a letter to a rescuer

Dear Mrs. Keeper's daughter.

Sorry l haven't written for a while but I've been spent very tough days. I hope you're well. I have no words to express my gratitude. I am writing this letter in my Hall now. I think I was saved by the grace of you.

In prison you heard my rubbish story. At that time, I thought I hadn't been silly at all. Although I was in prison, I had such a foolish thinking. How foolish I was! Now I know I was silly, dangerous and boastful. I want you to know the reason of changing my thinking. Please read my story about escape.

I wore an old washer woman's dress which you bought and I passed the guards of the castle entrance easily. Then I got on the train. In the morning I met a barge -woman who said I was a fat lazy little toad. I stole her horse which I sold to a man later. At that time, I said to myself. "What a clever Toad l am!" l am ashamed of me in that time. I was just a criminal and an escaped prisoner. How silly I was!

I came to a road and began to walk. Then a terrible thing happened. The person whose car I had stolen recognized me. They chased me through a wood. I dropped into the deep water. When I was too tired to pull myself out of water, the Rat helped me.

The Rat told me about my Hall. The Scots and the Weasels and the Ferrets - they had taken my Hall. They had been living there.They had got guns knives and sticks. They kept guard round the house night and days.They said they were going to stay there for ever. At first I couldn't believe it. But my good friends, the Rat, the Mole, the Badger and I made a plan to get the Hall back.

When they held a big birthday-party we run into dining hall. W could go there because there was an under ground tunnel. They didn't have any guns or stick s with them at the party. So we could chase them and beat them and hit them with our weapons.

What a battle it was! But we won the battle. Our attempt was a great success. I have fortunate to have good friends. I changed my ways and became a sensitive animal.

Still now I love to talk. But it isn't only about myself. It is about my likable friends. I am a very different Toad.

I'm going to talk if your will visit our river under the Willows. Of course you had better come here in spring. It will be very peaceful and beautiful. Maybe you will like here.

See you again next spring!

Toad

Posted for Olga