Lecture on the American Constitution!

This lesson had the privilege of having an American visitor. Her name is Leann and she told us about the American Constitution. I was really impressed by what she taught us and the handouts and funny artworks she used to make us engaged. For instance, she made us read the constitution written on license plates for cars. (Try and read on the image above)It was also interesting to listen to a native English speaker, as her English is closer to how we aim to speak than our English, which is more or less influenced by Norwegian. We focused merely on the preamble, the first part of the constitution. It consists of as little as 52! Here it is:

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice and ensure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, ensure the blessings of liberty and our posterity, establish this constitution for the United States of America."

It is difficult to see what the content of the constitution really is because the meaning behind it is compressed into short sentences. Today we saw what each line of the preamble stands for and what history lies behind them:


“We the people of the United States”
- Americans is a proud people and with this they want to ratify their unity.

“in order to form a more perfect union”
-Prior to the constitution the Articles of confederation held America together as a state. The five commissioners who wrote the constitution were only supposed to improve this confederation. Nevertheless they wrote a new American constitution.

“establish justice and ensure domestic tranquillity”
- There shall be tolerance amongst people to provide justice and people shall feel calm and safe in their homes.

“provide for the common defence”
- The United States of America shall have an army to protect the nation.

“promote the general welfare”
- The goal must always be to better the everyday life of the American citizens.

“ensure the blessings of liberty and our posterity”
- Take care of our freedom and bear in mind the America which is to be delivered to our children.

“establish this constitution for the United States of America.”
- This speaks for itself. However, the fact that the American constitution is the eldest constitution still in use today is quite interesting!

Harvey Milk

Previous lesson we watched the American biographic film ”Harvey Milk.” (You may watch the trailer here!)The film is about a man by the same name who fought for the rights of the gay in America in the 60s and 70s. Early in the film, Harvey Milk and his boyfriend Scott Smith move to San Francisco, which is the only city in the US where gays can be more or less open about their sexuality. They buy a shop in which they in addition to running a business in engage homosexuals in different campaigns. In line of other accomplishments, the gays manage to boycott the beer label Coors and the gays are hired to do other types of campaigning as well. As the gays manage to get their voice heard through leading boycotts Milk realises he can expand his little gay community. He wants the acceptance for homosexuals to sweep the nation. As persistent as he is, he starts with the Castro Street where his shop is. He runs to for an election to be a supervisor for his constituency. His well-known statement: “It’s not just about winning” was important, as he did not win until the third time he ran for an election. Harvey Milk became a supervisor of San Francisco in 1977 and showed the US that homosexuals are well capable of running politics.

I have watched “Harvey Milk” twice and I really like this film. It shows us how it is possible to make a difference. As opposed to other films, “Harvey Milk” emphasises the difficulties and antagonism of trying to reach out in politics. This makes the film different to former films I have watched about making a difference. For Harvey Milk it was a long way to political importance but his activism never faded. This film can definitely be an inspiration and encourage people who wish to spread their opinion. Harvey Milk put down a lot of work and effort to reach the success he finally had which paid off for so many people other than himself. In my opinion, the most important message in “Harvey Milk” is that the people are the ones with the power to reform a society. You cannot expect the government to be rational. If you as a part of a minority feel as if you are treated unfairly, YOU are the person who has to do something!

The British Electoral System: First-past-the-post

Today we learned about British politics. In addition to reading about the English legal system we watched two films. One was merely a joke about a man who wanted to be a dictator and the other one described the English voting system thoroughly. What really interested me was how the constituencies and allocation of mandates worked.


As opposed to Norway, which has a proportional representation of members in their legislative branch (Stortinget) United Kingdom has a first-past-the-post system. This means that United Kingdom is divided into 646 constituencies, each with the right to one seat in the House of Commons. The sitting Prime Minister can hold elections whenever he wants within a period of five years. If he is very popular in one period, he might run an election because he expects to be chosen for another five-year period. When there is an election, parties campaign in each constituency. Through the country 646 elections are held. In each constituency, the representative with the most votes wins. This means that the total of representatives does not necessarily reflect the votes of the British people.


There are both positive and negative sides to this. Firstly, on the positive side, the representative who wins can perform a more accurate and targeted policy. They do not need to compromise to meet the other parties’ demands. Many people view proportional representation as a betrayal because the voters do not get what the majority voted for. They get a coalition between several parties instead. This makes the first-past-the-post representation strong-handed, especially because the representatives do not need to spend time compromising their political views.


There are some negative aspects to the first-past-the-post representation as well. As I have said already, this type of electoral system does not benefit the minority as well as in a proportional representation. When the first representative is past the post it does not matter how close behind the other candidates were. In a way you could say that those votes are wasted. Another problem with this electoral system is that there are more difficult for smaller parties to be represented. People tend to vote for the bigger parties they know have a chance of winning. The minor parties do not have a chance of winning and therefore it is hard for new parties to get a say in the British politics.

Cross-country skiing!

It is a common myth that Norwegians are born with skis on. Believe it or not, this is not true. However, most parents introduce their children to their first cross-country skis when they are very young- even before their balance is fully developed. Nevertheless, most Norwegians never get to the level of becoming professionals although we do have famous skiers such as Bjørn Dæhlie, Ole Einar Bjørndalen and Marit Bjørgen.

Most of us are satisfied when we get to a level in which we are capable of using our skiing skills for being as typical a Norwegian you could possibly be. This includes packing a rucksack with dry mittens, toilet paper, a chocolate bar called Kvikk Lunsj (quick lunch), juice and matches and everything else you might need during a skiing trip. In most cases, Norwegians go cross-country skiing with their family, even if the age and speed varies. It is nearly a written rule that either the skis are to clingy or they are too slippery. The wax is never perfect. Your hands are always cold and your parents are always annoyingly thrilled that the whole family does something as idyllic as this.

These are the rules of the Norwegian cross-country skiing, if you are not performing on a professional level of course. In spite of the fashion changes in ski outfits and ski-waxes, the rules have persisted and probably will exist for as long as the Norwegians and the myth that we are born with skis on does.

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the ending of the Cold War!

During the Cold War Soviet and USA had fought a war in which no battles took place. It was a Cold War, meaning that the two countries prepared for the breakout of a new war by aggressively building up their military equipment and armies. People feared that a nuclear war would happen, seeing both countries had developed nuclear weapons. Both USA and Soviet spent all their money on military expenses. Famine spread and in Soviet, people needed coupons to buy everything, even socks! Luckily, the Cold war ended when the Berlin wall fell between communist East Germany and democratic West Germany in 1990. We say that the Iron Curtain lifted. The countries that had been under the rule of Stalin and his communist USSR gradually became independent. Among these countries were Afghanistan, Moldova, Gerogia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Baltic States Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. By this time, Mikail Gorbachev was the leader of the communist party. He was known to be a milder leader than Stalin was and it was due to him that Soviet’s republics could gain independence. He opened up for more liberal ways of politics, as well as introducing new economic reforms; glasnost and perestroika.

Norway's Weather

When I tell foreigners I’m from Norway they almost exepctionless burst out: ”Oh isn’t it freezing there and snow and everything?” It is. Still this is only the case a few months a year. What distinguishes the Norwegian weather from the weather in other parts of the world is the variation throughout the year and from place to place also. In Oslo, our summers can be really hot. Up to 30 degrees and sunny. Unfortunately this seldom lasts for many days. Our autums are beautiful with leaves in red, orange, brown and yellow. Around October time the frost arrives. This autumt is no exeption. As for today (13th of October) the sun is shining but the morning were frosty. The first fall of snow normally happens in November, for then to disappear again, before a proper snow fall in December or January marks the beginning of the white period of the year. The last bit of snow usually abandon us in the middle of april. After this a wet and blossoming spring is to come before summer arrives within the change from june to july.

Temperature and rain varies a lot from place to place due to the difference in how high and how far north people live. Norway merely is a big crowd of mountains which streches 1700 km from the south to the north so you can understand that people might live in different climates. You can see the same pattern of seasons in all parts of Norway though. However there are places where the snow never disappears and villages down south where it never lays. So if people starts complaining about our cold weather I say they should come to Norway and test out our variation!

"Down and out in Paris and London - a tramp's diary or a fictinal novel?

In our previous lesson we read an excerpt of Down and Out in Paris and London written by George Orwell in 1933. It is a novel about the rough life of the tramps in London. Considering the time this novel was published I assume the poverty portrayed is due to the post WW1 economical recession. Loads of people in Europe and the United States lost their wages. Banks and businesses got bankrupt and people comsumes less and less. This was both because the crisis at the stock market in New York in 1929 and the general post war economical challenges. Down and Out in Paris and London deal with the consequences of this era in London.Through the eyes of a newly became tramp he explains how it is like living in a lodging house. The tramps eats only a meal a day of toast and margarine.
It is difficult defining what type of genre the story is. Considering George Orwell lived in Paris under sordid conditions while writing it seems to be a bit biograohical. Still, through style of writing and literary devices it appears as more of a short story, rather than a diary or recall. In The New Yorker Ligaya Mishan dwells on how we can categorize Down and Out in London and Paris. According to her article the difficulties of labelling the story is reflected by Orwell’s pickiness about the title. Before publishing it had various titles such as “Days in London and Paris,” “Lady Poverty,” and “Confessions of a Dishwasher” before the publisher and Orwell landed on “Down and Out in Paris and London”
I must say that when I first read the extract of Down and Out in Paris and London I got the impression that I was reading a historical novel. With its litertary devices such as symbols, dialogues and description of events the story appears as a fictional novel. Here is an example of which: “One morning we tried for a job as sandwich men. We went at five to an alley-way behind some offices, but there was already a queue of thirty or forty men waiting, and after two hours, we were told that there was no job for us” At the same time I suppose it is written with a personal view. Orwell writes from a first person narrative point of view. Additionally he resembles the life of the tramps so well and with a curiousity so vivid it feels like a diary. I do not believe Orwell could write such a realistic novel without adding a touch of his personal experience. I therefore conclude that Down and Out in Paris and London ia a fictional novel spiced up with personal experiences.

Who to travel with?

As travelling is one of my favourite parts of life I have done some thinking about whom to travel with and why. Here are my results of resonation:

A travel contains many aspects which make them vary a lot and provide different experiences, knowledge and memories. In my opinion your travel companions is the most decisive of all factors. You can go as a group, a couple, with your friends, your family or by yourself.

Travelling alone does for many people sound like a lonesome experience. If you go to a country where they do not speak your own language it can be difficult to socialize and you could end up quite lonely and be eager to speak to someone. I think travelling alone requires you to be mature and independent; then you can get a good relaxation or have an educational experience.

When you are travelling with your friends you probably have other intentions, often primarily having fun. If you fancy getting to know people travelling with friends will make that a lot easier. You could do activities and meet new people together and go out at nights. The disadvantage of going on a holiday with a big group of friends is that you can find it difficult agreeing on how to spend your time.

When you are travelling to unsecured destinations or to get an instructive experience I think the best companions you can take with you are your family members. It is safe to travel with your family and you can get to learn a lot because family holidays are often recognized to contain a lot of museums and cultural experiences. What might not be so good about it is that it requires a lot of compromising because in a family there is most likely to be different ages and needs to be satisfied.

Does it matter by Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)

DOES it matter?--losing your legs?...

For people will always be kind,

And you need not show that you mind

When the others come in after hunting

To gobble their muffins and eggs.

Does it matter?--losing your sight?...

There's such splendid work for the blind;

And people will always be kind,

As you sit on the terrace remembering

And turning your face to the light.

Do they matter?--those dreams from the pit?...

You can drink and forget and be glad,

And people won't say that you're mad;

For they'll know you've fought for your country

And no one will worry a bit.

Why does the poem appeal to us?
“Does it matter” appeals more to us than "The soldier" by Rupert Brooke (which was also in our book) because it is easier to understand the content. We manage to put ourselves in the position of the soldier spoken of, whereas in the other poem they speak more of England and the effort and consequently the lives given for the sake of England by the soldiers.


What three effects of the war on a soldier does this poem touch on?
Three effects of the war are mentioned in the poem:
- Getting hurt physically (losing your legs)
- Losing one of your senses (losing your sight)
- The dreams and thoughts you gain from being a soldier in which you will never escape (those dreams of the pit)


It is often argued that the two great wars were fought by working-class men on both sides and that the people they were fighting for, were often more the enemy than the people they were fighting against. Does this poem reflect this attitude? Explain!
This poem reflects the attitude that whom you fight for are more the enemy than the people you fight against. It does so by explaining how war can destroy you both physically and mentally and afterwards saying that “no one will worry a bit.” The people you fight against are often more your friends if you do not consider they are fighting for your enemy. All soldiers are in the same situation even if they fight for different teams.


This poem has enjoyed a bit of revival if late. What reasons do you think there might be for its newfound popularity?
The poem has experienced a revival of late. The reason is because of the glorification of war has been condemned in the previous decades. We now care more about how terrible it is being a civilian in a war. Additionally wars are still happening making this topic relevant.

Me and my hometown.

My name is Ingrid and I am 18 years old. I am Norwegian and I live just outside Oslo in Norway with my parents and two younger brothers. I am currently doing my final year of a three year course at Sandvika college. Last year I did my second year at York college in England. It was a good year and I have learned to love England. I am most definately going back there for uni. I spend a lot of my sparetime being with friends and family, doing homework and working in an old people's home.

The place where I live is called Bærum. It is considered to be the snobbiest place in Norway even though this is mainly an exaggerated reputation. Norway is, nevertheless, a country in which the inhabitants are very rich in comparison with other countries. People around here are always dressed nicely and quite posh. Most people live in big detached houses with gardens. Bærum is a suburb outside Oslo. There are loads of local centers, one near me called Bekkestua. Bekkestua has loads of shops, services and a very cute red Mc Donalds. I really like it here but I am sure I will move somewhere a bit more interesting as soon as I get the chance!