Chicken (review)

Controversial and appealing, Chicken, taken from Canadian author Kathy Stinson’s book “101 ways to dance”, tells the story of a teenage girl who plays a daring body-contact game with a boy from church. With Stinson’s story, young adults will find an engaging story about sexual curiosity.

When the teenage girl finishes painting the church basement, she remains alone with Bram, the new guy from British Columbia. The boy had received a letter stating that he will be a father. She knows that involving with him means troubles. However, she accepts playing Chicken with him. What are the rules? They place one finger on each other’s foreheads and go down their bodies until one says stop. Bram stopped, but she wants the game to keep on going. Just like her mother said, she is asking for it.

In Chicken, Kathy Stinson introduces an interesting topic for adolescents, curiosity for sex. Thoughts are racing in the teenage girl’s mind. But who can blame her? The awakening of sexual curiosity is a common matter in adolescence.

In most of it, Chicken is written in a thought-provoking dialogue style. The length of the story is quite short, but it can’t help but being attractive for adolescents.

With a short-sized but captivating narrative and a topic more than interesting for teenagers, Chicken becomes a must-read short story for young adults.

Lookin' 4 My Place

1900 Mansilla street

Ituzaingó

Buenos Aires

Brooklyn Broadcast Company

New York

13 April 2015

Dear President Smith,

I am a member of a company called “Young future” who worked hard on a great project, and I am writing in order to present it. It is a soap opera named ‘Lookin' 4 My Place’ and it focuses on teenage students who attend their last year of secondary school.

This tv show is intended to last from March to December, and the topics to be developed are urban tribes, sexual experience, teenage pregnancy and homosexuality.

The plot centres on Matias, a boy who is the new one at school. He was brought up in a gay family and this is why his mates bully him most of the time. He finds shelter in Agustina, a beautiful girl who looks forward to being a mother to leave home. Agustina has a friend called Paola who is scared of experiencing sexuality due to her moral values, imposed by her parents. The most polemical character is Dylan. He is the oldest in the course since he has retaken it twice. He is a member of a dangerous skinhead gang in the school. Not only teachers but also students leave him aside of the school community.

As the story develops, Paola falls in love with Dylan. This is a conflict because this romantic relationship between these opposite characters will be more than rejected by Paola’s parents and commented among their classmates.

‘Lookin' 4 My Place’ will be appealing for the adolescent viewers since the tv show explores the relationships between the four main characters during their last school year. 

I enclose a sample of this magnificent plot for you to have a copy and I look forward to hearing from you shortIy.

Yours faithfully,

Young Future.

“The rape of the wings”

by Daniela Uriona

740 million dollars collected and ranked second in the list of films with highest earnings in 2014 is not a surprise when talking about a Disney creation. Maleficent is one of the most popular and well-received releases for children in the current year. It is an adaptation of the extraordinary and acclaimed classic of Disney of all time: ´The sleepy beauty´. The successful film exceeded all expectations in the world of cinema. Directed by Robert Stromberg, and counting with outstanding actors and actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley and Lesley Manville, the high-grossing film was the favourite entertainment chosen by children at box–offices around the world.

The film let us find out the reason why Maleficent goes from an innocent fairy to a villain. Certainly, her change Iet us Iearn that she is not born wicked but turns into an evildoer due to betrayals, insincerities and deceits that she, unfortunately, experiences throughout her life. This teaching seems not to be the only one that the film portrays. Maleficent is a pure-hearted young fairy who spends her days pleasantly in a nonviolent forest kingdom. Everything is calm and placid. She is deeply in love with Stefan, a boy who belongs to the humans´ kingdom and really desires to be the king. Due to his greed and ambition, he cuts away Maleficent´s adored wings, Ieaving her devastated and forceless. As we can appreciate, he not only steals her heart but also something extremely valuable of her. This allegoric episode chosen to depict the change in Maleficent´s behaviour is by no means innocent at all. Undoubtedly, Maleficent symbolizes women´s rape in order to raise awareness in our society.

Three women are raped every minute in the world. Definitely, to be a victim of a rape is a very atrocious episode that, in most cases, needs psychological treatment. Shame, hatred, guilt, depression, low self-esteem, fear and isolation are some of the feelings that women experience after the rape. These change of attitude is clearly easy to find in Maleficent. After having Iost her wings, her pure heart becomes stone. This happened because of the brutal betrayal she experienced. After the tremendous episode, she finds hard to be the same natural fairy that she used to be. She is shocked and something certainly changes in her mind. She becomes the queen of revenge and obscurity. Without doubts, Maleficent´s personality is altered as many victims´s attitude because of rape, in our society.

As if MaIeficent´s change in her behaviour isn´t enough, another coincidence between women´s rape and the scene brought into analysis, is the use of drugs.  Flunitracepan, rohypnol and XTC are common tools rapists use to carry out their objective and to reach their hideous goaIs. In most of the cases they put the drug into a drink. It can cause amnesia, tiredness or sleep. Having the victims completely sedated and in a state of unconsciousness, the abusers take advantage of the situation to attack their preys. As we can clearly appreciate in the story, the winged fairy is tricked. Stefan offers her a sleeping and unknown potion that she accepts without hesitating even for a second. Later while she reposes on the ground, Stefan executes the wings´ rape. When she wakes up the next morning, she notices what has happened to her and shrills in pain and horror.

It is no surprising that Angelina JoIie, the actress who performs Maleficent, is always present in events that deal with sexual violence and helps society focus on this subject that worries everybody. Being a well-known celebrity, her participation is really useful in those meetings which prevent and inform about the issue around the worId. One of them is “The gIobaI summit to end sexual violence in conflict” which took pIace in London on June, 13 th.  As she really cares about this humanistic matter, she is totally passionate about the controversial point. Certainly, this can be seen as a fact that encouraged her to perform the main character in the story and, through the film, to urge end to rape.  

The most relevant point when watching this movie is that a real daily fact that takes pIace in our society is being showed to children as many others means do. They only have to switch on the television or the radio to soak themselves with announcements of rapes.  Although they are aIways surrounded by examples of this problem, the film contributes in creating consciousness about the topic.   All of us agree with the fact that women´ rape has to be eradicated in our society and, clearly, Maleficent works as a tool to raise awareness about this increasing issue.

The functional crew

Students: Evelyn M. and Daniela U.

“Nothing in the world is particularly impossible if it is divided into tasks”, said by Henry Ford, this famous phrase summarizes the essence of the well-known manufacturing system called Fordism. Developed by this significant businessman during the 1940s and 1960s, Fordism was based on industrialized and standardized form of mass production. It was designed to make productivity more efficient. Certainly, hierarchical control, mechanization, specialization and fragmentation of work seemed to be the most relevant characteristics of this economical model. But... Do you have a minute? Have you ever thought that this popular economical method could be applied not only in factory workers, but also in animated trains in a TV show for children?

Division of labour is one of the particularities of Fordism that can be mainly appreciated in “Thomas and friends”. This is an animated children television series that deals with a group of trains and humans working on the railways of the island of Sodor. The tv show first appeared on the IVT network in October 1984. The series displays the tank engines´ adventures. All of them are managed and every member of the group is in charge of one specialized task. Without doubts,” Thomas and friends” reproduces the Fordist philosophy to its young audience.

“Wake up lazy bones! Do some hard work for a change!” This is the sweet way in which Thomas, the train engine leads on his partners when it is time to take on journeys and start work. He exposes leadership over the crew and, as one of the innocent songs affirms, he is the number one. Many times the sweet train is the one who organizes the teamwork. One clear example of this can be seen in one chapter called “Thomas, the manager”. Here, Thomas convinces his mates to push wagons of coal because the railway inspector is supervising their assignments. The devoted tank thinks that if the inspector sees locomotives working hard, then the crew will be consider as useful and efficient. Through this clear sample of Thomas´ attitude, one can notice that hierarchical roles are present behind the useful crew´s performance as it was in the industrial method, Fordism. Top managers, division managers, headquarters, short run coordinators, and longer run coordination were some of the roles executed in the factories in order to operate in the organizational structure of labour. In this case, Thomas would clearly represent a manager.

Take, for example, the figure of Sr Topham Hatt, the fat controller. The locomotives work under his strict and firm control. While we move our heads and sing along we will realize that “Sr Topham keeps an eye on every engine passing by” and that “every tank has to be useful and take care of his supervision”.This is another clue that allows us to recognize the controlling system in the TV programme that was implemented in the Fordist technical revolution. Strict control and discipline were the elements that led to an increment in the productivity. Unfortunately, the song is extremely fun and captivating to let us stop and reflect upon its real meaning.

What is more, catchy and entertaining, the following extract of a Thomas´s song make us enjoy it letting its chorus going round and round in our minds along the day. “All with different roles to play, round Tidmouth sheds or far away, Percy pulls the mail on time, Gordon thunders down the line. Emily really knows her stuff, Henry toots and huffs and puffs. Edward wants to help and share” In this way, the different characters’ roles are stated and so everyone is able to know the precise task that each employed locomotive is in charge of. For sure, this extract of the popular TV show soundtrack resembles functional division of labour and decomposition of tasks that took place in Fordism in order to transform the condition of production.

So, why is it that young children are exposed to this economical system and its characteristics in a TV show that is supposed to entertain? Not all the TV programmes should be consumed as innocent or harmless amusement for our kids. “Thomas and friends” is a reflection of a way of production. Really attractive and by using beautiful colours and charming trains , it goes straight to our children´s minds. This show, full of different characters, inculcates not only how to work always on the same task, but also to be cautious about whom our superiors are. The whole series is a clear example of this, and behind the trains, engineers of their own world, there are many steady and severe ideas that not all parents would want their children to learn, yet.

The rain’s power

It was about to rain and it was a dark and cold evening. A group of ants called ‘The Red Army’ was afraid of the huge drops which were a threat for its anthill. In order to go through the tempest, they strengthened their enormous shelter with branches and leaves.

When the neighbour communities saw how safe their shelter was, they immediately wanted to join the Red Army. The old Queen Margaret totally refused the idea. But the King ordered to remove some extra supplies out of the anthill: ‘-That’s craziness! We will not help them’, said Margaret furiously. Surprisingly, a defiant and rebellious voice was heard. ‘What’s wrong with that?’ said little Red ant. ‘It makes new room for new people’. When the Queen was about to reply the little daring girl a sudden shower broke out. It was in that moment that the King allowed the other communities to come in.

Even though the Queen was against that decision, all the communities worked together to undergo the deadly weather.

Exquisite cadaver

Love was you and me together. We used to be one soul. Even though, I didn’t want this to change, our fate was already written. I assume the pen was held by her. I would have never figured out that she used to visit me and her eyes were not upon me but on my grandmother. It was a pleasant breezy evening, I opened the door and I found them not drinking tea, not talking, not cooking but kissing. The passion in their lips was extreme. Her wrinkled hands held her skinny face that used to be mine. The disgusting scene made me feel shocked and I was only able to close the door. The noise let them know that they were not alone. As I left, I realized that my reality was not what I thought. It was a dark day and there was smog everywhere. Anxiousness was running through Dan´s veins. He felt nervous about his first experience piloting, and the weather was not helping.

He turned off the engineer, got off the car and went to the instructor´s office. There was music on, but no one answered when he knocked the door.  Raindrops began to fall on his head while he paced the landing track, his opportunity vanishing as the hours passed.

Dan decided to walk towards his car. But suddenly he heard a noise on the sky and turned his head up. It was his instructor in the plane he had been waiting for all day long. It was late anyway. The plane arrived late, so the pilot returned home.  The passengers had been waiting at the airport for ten hours and started to complain. As I was the check-in receptionist, everybody shouted at me angrily. The situation got worst when people destroyed the airport hall. All the employees were evacuated by the police. I decided to quit my work, because it wasn´t the first time that such dangerous disorder took place. The only person I would miss was my boss, William. I was in love with him, though I wasn´t sure if he felt the same.   That day, when I was at home he called me and I decided to start again.

It had been two years without seeing each other. He had gone to study abroad and I didn't want to follow him. At that time our relationship wasn't as good as the beginning of it. He had changed pretty much the last years. He priorized his carrer more than our relationship. I still was with him but I felt lonely. During these two years I went out, met new people even I got a new job. My life was normal, stable. I almost believed that I had forgotten him but last week he called me and we met each other. As soon as I saw him my heart exploded in happiness. All my feelings woke up again.He stared at me and at that moment he said: " Love was you and me together."

Flash fictions

Ice-cram rain and me on diet.
(whole class)

I´ll miss you pencil. The sharpener.

Troubles in the sky. Batman frowns.

Brains off, we are on Earth.

(Nahir P., Amílcar F., Mariana F.)


Pill forgotten. Baby's born. Game over.

New house. Single bed. Who´s out?.

Young lover. Discovered. Rest in peace.

(Lorena B., María Paula Ch., Patricia A.)



Joyful weekend gone; lifeless Monday on.

Freedom of thought? Vote for me!

Never mind. My coffee’s already cold.

Smoking… pencil with its top on.

Just a sheep following the herd.

(Gabriel C., Evelyn M., Daniela U., Jessica V.)


No money=no marriage=no boyfriend

No money=no marriage=avoid divorce

No boyfriend=no marriage=no money.


(Melina A., Carina C., Fedra DB., Florencia P.)