VI Olimpíadas da Língua Portuguesa

Decorreu hoje, às 10.00 horas, a fase nacional das VI Olimpíadas da Língua Portuguesa, na escola Aurélia de Sousa, no Porto.

A ESEQ fez-se representar por um grupo de sete alunas, do 11º e do 12º anos de escolaridade. Os resultados desta fase serão conhecidos em julho e desejamos toda a sorte às nossas meninas!

Writers' Corner #16

The Impact of Technology on Teens

Technology is a big part of our lives nowadays, whether we like it or not, and without it, most of us would be clueless on what to do.

Teens are definitely avid users of it, being the cellphone one of the most important things for them. It’s made the world so much smaller, and without any effort, we can talk to anyone. It helps us to make friends. It also helps with school, like doing projects, and homework on your phone or computer.

On the other hand, we can also lose friends if we are too attached to our phones or computers. If we prefer to stay at home playing games, instead of going out with friends, we might loose them. That’s when people have an addiction, which can be very bad for their lives.

In conclusion, I think technology is definitely very important, but there should be a line that shouldn’t be crossed, so that it doesn’t become a problem.

Vasco Castro, 9ºB

Writers' Corner #15

My Dream Job

My dream job is to be an actress, or an actor, as they now like to be called. I have had this thought ever since I started doing oral presentations at school. I really love being in front of the whole class and pretending to be someone else.

There are two types of actors: theatre actors and TV and movie actors. They don't differ a lot, but there are some particularities to both.

To be a theatre actor not only do you need to be very theatrical and dramatic, (and I've been told I'm both) but also very imaginative so that you can improvise on the spot if you ever forget your lines.

Now, to be a movie actor you must have basically the same qualities as a theatre actor, but you also need to be pretty (and I'm only saying this because I've never seen an actor with an “ugly cry-face”, somehow they always look gorgeous). And I suppose it would help if you had an acting degree, too (which I don't!).

I think that the best option for me would be the second one because I'm known to be very clumsy, and there are no “do overs” in theatre acting.

Will this dream ever come true? Who knows?! Maybe if I ever decide to get an acting degree and get out of my comfort zone, then there might be a possibility.

Catarina Miranda, 11ºK

Writers' Corner #14

A Tiny Gesture, an Unforgettable Reward

I've always been the one to notice and value small things, whether it is a bit of sand different from the others, a little flower that rises from the grass a bit higher than the rest or, in this case, a gesture, which despite being small, was filled with kindness.

It all happened around five years ago, when I went on a trip to Poland with my brother and my parents.

We were having a nice time, exploring the streets of Warsaw, when I noticed an old lady sitting by the side of the road asking for money. We kept on walking, but as we were about to cross the road, I turned to my brother and asked:

“Did you see that old lady back there?”

“Yes,” he responded “I feel quite bad for her.”

“Me too,” I agreed.

My dad, who was listening to our conversation, still says to this day, that he felt really proud of us at that moment. He quickly stopped walking and said:

“Do you want to help that poor woman?”

Both my brother and I said yes and so my dad handed us both five zelots and we gave them to the lady.

What happened next filled my heart completely.

The old woman got up, hugged us and gave us a big open smile.

This moment is something that I'll never forget even if I live to be a hundred.

Estrela Esteves, 9ºA

Philip Roth (1933 - 2018)

O escritor norte-americano Philip Roth morreu aos 85 anos, ontem à noite, em Nova Iorque. Deixa obras que publicou ao longo de quase seis décadas, reconhecidas pelo público e pela crítica literária, muitas delas retratando o anti-semitismo e a cultura na América, a morte, a luxúria. 

Com mais de três dezenas de obras publicadas, Philip Roth é o autor de livros como A Mancha Humana, O Complexo de Portnoy ou O Escritor Fantasma. Foi com a obra Pastoral Americana que venceu o prémio Pulitzer de ficção em 1998. Apesar de ser anualmente apontado com um dos favoritos ao Nobel da Literatura, nunca chegou a receber essa distinção.

Júlio Pomar (1926 - 2018)

Pintor e escultor, nascido em Lisboa em 1926, Júlio Pomar é considerado um dos criadores de referência da arte moderna e contemporânea portuguesa. O artista deixa uma obra multifacetada que percorre mais de sete décadas, influenciada pela literatura, a resistência política, o erotismo e algumas viagens, como a Amazónia, no Brasil. A obra foi dedicada sobretudo à pintura e ao desenho, mas realizou igualmente trabalhos de gravura, escultura e assemblage, ilustração, cerâmica e vidro, tapeçaria, cenografia para teatro e decoração mural em azulejo.

A morte de Júlio Pomar, ontem, deixa o mundo das artes mais pobre.
(Na imagem, o quadro "O Gadanheiro", um dos mais famosos da sua autoria.

Writers' Corner #13

The cartoon “Rat Race” makes a comical and sarcastic approach to today’s reality behind consumerism.

In fact, as we can see in this “Rat Race”, the rats are running through corridors with the desire to achieve their life goal. This desire is constantly being increased by the posters and propaganda on the walls. However, after every new corner, all they find is more and more path to be walked.

This story is a metaphor of today’s consumer society. Nowadays, people are surrounded by advertising and are eventually overcome by it. So to satisfy their desire to have the latest and most modern things, they just buy everything, whether it is necessary or not. This has become such a prominent and notable aspect of our society to the extreme point of being considered a disease.

These people buy everything new, influenced by marketing, with the hope of feeling fulfilled, but what they eventually end up with is buyer’s remorse.

In conclusion, I think that, unlike the rats in the cartoon, people should stop paying attention to what is around them, and start focusing on what really matters in their life.

Daniel Silva, 11.º B