Lesson 16: Skimming & Scanning

Probe Deeper:

Pulp Friction
Every second, one hectare of the world's rainforest is destroyed. That's equivalent
to two football fields. An area the size of New York City is lost every day. In a year, that
adds up to 31 million hectares -- more than the land area of Poland. This alarming rate of
destruction has serious consequences for the environment; scientists estimate, for
example, that 137 species of plant, insect or animal become extinct every day due to
logging. In British Columbia, where, since 1990, thirteen rainforest valleys have been
clear-cut, 142 species of salmon have already become extinct, and the habitats of grizzly
bears, wolves and many other creatures are threatened. Logging, however, provides
jobs, profits, taxes for the government and cheap products of all kinds for consumers, so
the government is reluctant to restrict or control it.
Much of Canada's forestry production goes towards making pulp and paper.
According to the Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, Canada supplies 34% of the
world's wood pulp and 49% of its newsprint paper. If these paper products could be
produced in some other way, Canadian forests could be preserved. Recently, a possible
alternative way of producing paper has been suggested by agriculturalists and
environmentalists: a plant called hemp.
Hemp has been cultivated by many cultures for thousands of years. It produces
fiber which can be made into paper, fuel, oils, textiles, food, and rope. For centuries, it
was essential to the economies of many countries because it was used to make the
ropes and cables used on sailing ships; colonial expansion and the establishment of a
world-wide trading network would not have been feasible without hemp. Nowadays,
ships' cables are usually made from wire or synthetic fibers, but scientists are now
suggesting that the cultivation of hemp should be revived for the production of paper
and pulp. According to its proponents, four times as much paper can be produced from
land using hemp rather than trees, and many environmentalists believe that the largescale cultivation of hemp could reduce the pressure on Canada's forests.
However, there is a problem: hemp is illegal in many countries of the world. This
plant, so useful for fiber, rope, oil, fuel and textiles, is a species of cannabis, related to
the plant from which marijuana is produced. In the late 1930s, a movement to ban the
drug marijuana began to gather force, resulting in the eventual banning of the cultivation
not only of the plant used to produce the drug, but also of the commercial fiberproducing hemp plant. Although both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew
hemp in large quantities on their own land, any American growing the plant today would
soon find himself in prison -- despite the fact that marijuana cannot be produced from
the hemp plant, since it contains almost no THC (the active ingredient in the drug).
In recent years, two major movements for legalization have been gathering
strength. One group of activists believes that ALL cannabis should be legal -- both the
hemp plant and the marijuana plant -- and that the use of the drug marijuana should not
be an offense. They argue that marijuana is not dangerous or addictive, and that it is
used by large numbers of people who are not criminals but productive members of
society. They also point out that marijuana is less toxic than alcohol or tobacco. The
other legalization movement is concerned only with the hemp plant used to produce
fibre; this group wants to make it legal to cultivate the plant and sell the fiber for paper

and pulp production. This second group has had a major triumph recently: in 1997,
Canada legalized the farming of hemp for fibre. For the first time since 1938, hundreds of
farmers are planting this crop, and soon we can expect to see pulp and paper produced
from this new source.

Pulp Friction: Timed Skimming Exercise

2:02
Your score is: 100%.

1. The main idea of paragraph one is:

A.

B.

Scientists are worried about New York City.

Logging is destroying the rainforests.

C.

Governments make money from logging.

D.

Salmon are an endangered species.

2. The main idea of paragraph two is:

A.

Canadian forests are especially under threat.

B.

Hemp is a kind of plant.

C.
D.

Canada is a major supplier of paper and pulp.

?

Canada produces a lot of hemp.

3. The main idea of paragraph three is:

A.

Paper could be made from hemp instead of trees.

B.

Hemp is useful for fuel.

C.

Hemp has been cultivated throughout history.

D.

Hemp is essential for building large ships.

4. The main idea of paragraph four is:

A.

Hemp is used to produce drugs.

B.

Many famous people used to grow hemp.

C.
D.

It is illegal to grow hemp.

?

Hemp is useful for producing many things.

5. The main idea of paragraph five is:

A.

B.

Hemp should be illegal because it is dangerous.

Recently, many people have been working to legalize hemp.

C.

Hemp was made illegal in 1938.

D.

Marijuana is not a dangerous drug.

Pulp Friction: Timed Scanning Exercise

2:15
Your score is: 100%.
1. How many species of salmon have become extinct in BC?
A.

27

B.

31

C.

137

D.

142

2. How much of the world's newsprint paper is supplied by Canada?

A.

B.

31%
49%

C.

34%

D.

19%

3. What equipment on a ship was made from hemp?

A.

ropes

B.

waterproof cloth

C.

engine fuel

D.

life rafts

4. What drug can be obtained from a relative of hemp?

A.

cocaine

B.

heroin

C.

amphetamine

D.

marijuana

5. Where was hemp farming recently legalized?

A.

B.

USA
Canada

C.

Singapore

D.

Netherlands

Lesson 20: Making Inferences

Probe Deeper: Do a research why poem analysis requires reading between the lines.

Visual poetry is a unique and mysterious creature, taking all manner of forms in
fact any form may conceivably become a poem, with the right adaptation. Above we see
Silencio by Eugen Gomringer, which expressly comments on the existence of space
and language as symbiotic beings. The silence in this poem is not in the words but in the
spaces between them, and so we realise immediately that in visual poetry we are being
asked to read beyond language and develop an understanding of form, of space.
Thus we are asked to read between the lines in visual poetry, to consider not only
what we are given in language but also the form and structure of the presented text. This
goes far beyond the usual line break question and instead pressures the reader to make
a cognitive connection between the meaning of the poem and the form it has been
given. Silencio is literally silence, it says nothing more and nothing less, but we are
given silence surrounding blank space, silence which is also surrounded by more space.
We are allowed to make assumptions in poetry and so we make our leaps and twirls,
deciding that truth of silence isnt the poems text, it isnt in the text of the world
instead it is in the unseen, the squares of empty space. I believe that we could say there
is something much more emphatic in the form of visual poetry which outstrips the

attempts of prose to make the same comment. While prose has the gift of narrative and
such structures which may also be formatted visually, aesthetically, it doesnt have the
immediate impact which poems like Silencio and the following Easter Wings by George
Herbert give.

Easter Wings George

Herbert

Why do we write visual

poems? Because they are
beautiful, certainly, but
they also bring another
level to the poem being written. Herbert uses the form of his poem purposely placed on
the side across two pages to evoke the image of bird wings to give a further dimension
to the depth of his writing. The poet is constantly looking for ways to give more to the
reader, and visual poetry is an excellent way to do that. It comments not only on the
content of the piece but also the author and reader in kind, by assuming a level of
understanding which ties creator and responder together.

Lesson 23: Critical Thinking & Reading

Probe Deeper: Look for schematic presentation of critical thinking and provide
explanation.

Process for Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is about being both willing

and able to
evaluate your thinking.
Sometimes our thinking might be
criticized because we dont demonstrate
that we have all the relevant
information required or because we make
unjustified inferences, use inappropriate
concepts, or fail to notice important
implications.
Our thinking may be unclear, inaccurate,
imprecise,
irrelevant, narrow, shallow, illogical, or
trivial, due to ignorance or
misapplication of the appropriate learned
skills of thinking.
On the other hand, our thinking might be criticized as being
the result of a sub-optimal disposition.
The dispositional dimension of critical thinking is focused
in learning and developing the intention to be truth-seeking, open-minded,
systematic, analytical, inquisitive, confident in reasoning, and prudent in
making judgments.
Failure to recognize the importance of logical dispositions
can lead to various forms of self-deception and closed-mindedness, both individually
and collectively. Critical thinking employs not only logic (either formal or,
much more often, informal) but broad criteria such as clarity, credibility,
accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth, significance and fairness.
Critical thinkers use a process that ensures that they
evaluate their argument from a critical perspective.

Lesson 25: Identifying Arguments

Probe Deeper: Research on how to write argumentative essays and write your own
argumentative essay.

How to Write an Argument Essay

By Grace Fleming
Planning Stage
For an argument essay to be effective, it must contain certain elements that will
persuade the audience to see things from your perspective. For this reason, you must
take a few minutes to plan and prepare before you jump into writing an argumentessay.
Find a Good Topic
To find good topic for an argument essay you should consider several issues that will
have two conflicting points of view or very different conclusions. As you look over a list of
topics you should find one that really sparks your interest.
While a strong interest in a topic is important, it's not enough to be interested. You have
to consider what position you can back up with reasoning and evidence. It's one thing to
have a strong belief, but when shaping an argument you'll have to explain why your
belief is reasonable and logical.
As you explore the topics, make a mental list of points you could use as evidence for or
against an issue.
Consider Both Sides of Your Topic and Take a Position
Once you have selected a topic you feel strongly about, you should make a list of points
for both sides of the argument andpick a side. One of your first objectives in your essay
will be to present both sides of your issue with an assessment of each. Of course, you
will conclude that one side (your side) is the best conclusion.
In the planning stage you will need to consider strong arguments for the "other" side.
Then you'll shoot them down!
Gather Evidence
When we think of arguments we might picture two red-faced people speaking quite
loudly and making dramatic gestures. But that's because face-to-face arguments often
become emotional. In fact, the act of arguing involves providing proof to support your
claim, with or without emotions.
In an argument essay you will have to provide evidence without providing too much
drama. You'll explore two sides of a topic (briefly) and provide proof as to why one side or
position is the best one.
Writing Stage
Once you've given yourself a solid foundation to work with, you can begin to craft your
essay. An argument essay should contain three parts: the introduction, the body, and the

conclusion. The length of these parts (number of paragraphs) will vary, depending on the
length of your essay assignment.
1. Introduce your topic and assert your side
As in any essay, the first paragraph of your argument essay should contain a brief
explanation of your topic, some background information, and a thesis statement. In this
case, your thesis will be a statement of your position on a particular controversial topic.
Example introductory paragraph with thesis statement:
Since the turn of the new century, a theory has emerged concerning the end of the
world, or at least the end of life as we know it. This new theory centers around the year
2012, a date that many claim has mysterious origins in ancient manuscripts from many
different cultures. The most noted characteristic of this date is that it appears to mark
the end of the Mayan calendar. But there is no evidence to suggest that the Maya saw
any great relevance to this date. In fact, none of the claims surrounding a 2012
doomsday event hold up to scientific inquiry. The year 2012 will pass without a major,
life-altering catastrophe.
2. Present both sides of the controversy
The body of your essay will contain the meat of your argument. You should go into more
detail about the two sides of your controversy and state the strongest points of the
counter-side of your issue.
After describing the "other" side, you will present your own viewpoint and then provide
evidence to show why your position is the correct one.
Select your strongest evidence and present your points one by one. Use a mix of
evidence types, from statistics, to other studies and anecdotal stories. This part of your
paper could be any length, from two paragraphs to two hundred pages.
Re-state your position as the most sensible one in your summary paragraphs.
Tips for Your Essay:
Avoid emotional language
Know the difference between a logical conclusion and an emotional point of view
Don't make up evidence
Cite your sources
Make an outline
Be prepared to defend your side by knowing the strongest arguments for the other side.
You might be challenged by the teacher or by another student.

Argumentative Essay
Same Sex Marriage
Same Sex Marriage also known as gay marriage or equal marriage it is marriage between
two persons of the same biological sex or gender identity. In the 20th and 21st centuries various
types of same-sex unions have come to be legalized. Same-sex marriage is currently legal in
eight European countries: Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain,
and Sweden; Luxembourg, Finland, France and the United Kingdom are currently in the process of
legalization. Politicians in the United Kingdom have expressed their intention to promote
legislation to allow same-sex marriage. Other types of recognition for same-sex unions are as of
2012 legal in the following European countries: Andorra, Austria, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Isle of
Man, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.Many
people have their own beliefs and reasoning's when it comes to Gay/Lesbian Marriage. God made
a man and woman to join hands together and say vows in the right way but however in some
states it is a legal to get married with your same sex. So, a man is for woman and woman is for
man.
Three reasons why other person wants to legal the same sex marriage: First is, they have
said all have a sin nature, with weaknesses to sin in particular ways and some people express
their sin nature is one way, other people express theirs in other ways. Homosexuality is just one
way in a fair and balanced way. Secondly, Marriage is a basic human right and an individual
personal choice and the State should not interfere with same-gender couples who choose to
marry. Thirdly, ending discrimination enhances the human spirit and makes all our lives better.
To refute these three reasons why sex marriage should be legal I would say that the truth is
even though all of us have a sinful nature it does not mean we will take advantage of the grace
of God. We made by God to glorify Him and to do of His will not to do what we wanted because
more of the time what we wanted are not suppose to do. Also, the Pro says that they have the
right to be married. Yes, it is right that marriage is a personal choice but it does not mean that
you are able to be married with your same sex and not considering the laws of God about
marriage because it is the Sacraments of Matrimony so it is sacred and Holy. The next one is they
have said that it is a discrimination part to them if it will not be allowed but not legalizing the
same sex marriage proposal does not mean gays and lesbian are being discriminated it is just
their decision is not acceptable with God and also in the Christian country like Philippines thats
why same sex marriage in the Philippines cannot be approved or be legalized in our country. In
addition, there are four other reasons why it should not be legalized in the Philippines. First,
becauseGay/Lesbian marriage violates traditions; Secondly, Gay/Lesbian couples can't produce
children; thirdly, having a mom and a dad is better for children than having two moms or two
dads and the last one is homosexual behavior is immoral and should not be encouraged.

Same Sex Marriage is marriages compose of either same man or same woman. There are
three reasons why they have wanted Same Sex Marriage will be legal in the Philippines.
First, all have sinned so it is their way to commit it; Secondly, Marriage is a civil liberty;thirdly, to
end distinction and to have freedom. It should not be legal because of three reasons; first, we
should follow God because He is our Creator; secondly, choosing your partner in life should
consider Gods will; thirdly, you can have freedom but you should understand that it has
limitations, discipline and responsibilities. In addition, there are other reasons why it should not
be allowed: it is a violation to our traditions; partners are not able to have a child except if they
will adopt a child and lastly it is debauched so it should be prohibited in the Law.
Many people have their own beliefs and reasoning's when it comes to Gay/Lesbian Marriage.
God made a man and woman to join hands together and say vows in the right way but however
in some states it is a legal to get married with your same sex. So, a man is for woman and
woman is for man.

Famous People

Quotable Quotes

Bernard M. Baruch

Be who you are and

say what you feel,
because those who
mind don't matter, and
those who matters
dont mind.

Dr. Seuss

Frank Zappa

Mae West

You know you're in

love when you can't fall
asleep because reality
is finally better than
your dreams.
So many books, so
little time.
You only live once, but
if you do it right, once
is enough.

Speakers Purpose

To persuade

To inform

To persuade

To inform

Robert Frost

Mark Twain

Elbert Hubbard

In three words I can

sum up everything I've
learned about life: it
goes on.
If you tell the truth,
you don't have to
remember anything.
A friend is someone
who knows all about
you and still loves
you.

To inform

To persuade

To inform

Lesson 24: Recognizing Authors Purpose and Point of View

Lesson 29: Figurative Language

Probe Deeper: Look for poems written by William Wordsworth. Pick out stanzas/lines
that have figurative language. Explain each line and stanza.

Figurative Language
lonely as a cloud

Meaning
-

Comparison of the cloud to a lonely human.

Comparison of daffodils to a crowd of people

When all at once I saw

a crowd,
A host, of golden
daffodils;

Beside the Lake,

beneath the trees,

A violet by a mossy

stone
Fair as a star
The Child is Father of

The waves beside them

danced.

Comparison of Lucy to a star

This assertion shows great significance as children tend

to have a more pure connection to nature than men.

In the night, the stars always shine until the night broke.

Human attributes or feelings as if it were alive that is the

trees. The writer imagined trees can flutter and dance
like human attributes.

The writer imagined waves can dance. Waves are a non

human thing but the writer gave the characteristics of
human to it.
-

This Sea that bares her

bosom
We have given our
hearts away.

Comparison of Lucy to a violet

-

the Man.
Continuous as the stars
that shine.
Beside the lake,
beneath the trees;
Fluttering and dancing
in the breeze.

Comparison of daffodils to dancing humans

There is a thing which is given human attributes or

feelings as if it were alive that is the sea. The writer
compared the sea to a woman and of the moon to a
person who sees the woman.
The author felt that most people loose their heart and
because they prefer to get world pleasure.

Lesson 22: Summarizing

Probe Deeper: Look for an article on the relationship between good education and job.
The Connection between Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship
Ive been thinking a lot on these topics lately. In part in preparation for tomorrows talk on the
topic at the EO Alchemy conference. In part because what were doing at RG Labsintersects all

three of these areas very directly. And in part because

some of the statistics and trends right now are
downright scary.
First off, it feels like we have a burgeoning
employment crisis in this country. I wrote about this a
bit in my TechCrunch article A Tale of Two Countries. In
the bigger cities (and especially the ones with a heavy
emphasis on technology) its boom time. Theres a lot
of cognitive dissonance involved with living in Silicon
Valley and hearing about how hard it is to hire and seeing the acquisitions and funding valuations
at all-time highs and then to go back to Minnesota (where Im from) or Kentucky (where my wife
is from) and hear people there talk about a radically different economy. I was in Detroit last
month and that city is probably prime example of a scenario thats playing out in Cleveland,
Memphis, St. Louis and a whole host of other less technologically advanced cities around the
country.
Some of the statistics are pretty crazy. Mean duration of unemployment is at 40 weeks.
Thats twice as long as the worst its ever been over the last 70 years. U-6, the governments
measure of under-utilization is 16.5%, up from 15.8% in May. Almost 50% of Americans are living
on some form of government benefits. Wild stuff. And Ive been reading guys like Tyler
Cowen, Thomas Friedman and W. Brian Arthur and theres some serious, serious cause for
concern.
Sure, weve been in bad situations before. The stagflation of the 1970s. The fall-out from the dot
com bubble in the early 2000s. Heck, fall 2008. But this time something feels different. It doesnt
feel like a traditional cyclical downturn. Weve developed an incredible amount of technological
sophistication in the last decade. And, as I referenced in the Tale of Two Countries article, I tend
to believe Paul Grahams viewthat as you have increasing sophistication of tools, you are going
to to have an increasing gap in levels of productivity (the most productive person is going to be
much more productive than the mean). And if wealth follows productivity (I tend to
believe it does) then with the increasing sophistication in the tools you are going to
end up with an increasing level of income inequality. And thats what seems to be
happening right now. The people at the top (presumably those with higher productivity) are
doing very well. But there is an increasing number of people being left behind (as evident in the
unemployment and under-employment numbers).
Which brings us to education. Im fairly convinced that the vast majority of the unemployment
were seeing, and will likely continue to see, is structural unemployment. Were training
people for jobs that dont exist while at the same time were not training enough
people for high-demand jobs. Today Chris Dixon pointed to this as an example of structural
unemployment and I think hes right. Technology companies cant hire fast enough. But step

outside of technology and other tech-focused industries and it quickly becomes a wasteland.
Compensation is rising for engineers, designers and pretty much anyone who is tech-savvy. But
are we seeing an accompanying increase in demand for computer science degrees? No, actually
its just the opposite. Check this out:
There were 43 percent fewer graduates and 45 percent fewer CS degree enrollments in 20062007 than in 2003-2004, according to the Computer Research Association.
One answer to this might be that despite growing demand for people with these skills and
increased compensation, people are simply preferring to not work in technology. But that doesnt
really make sense. After all, people are spending more and more time with technology (e.g.,
Facebook, gaming, etc.). Why wouldnt they want to pursue careers in the space as well. Well one
reason would be that our education system is not providing them with the foundational
knowledge to go after more advanced careers in technology.
Salman Khan, perhaps the most innovative thinker in education in a decade, makes this point
really well in his must-watch TED Talk:
Whether you get a 70 percent, an 80 percent, a 90 percent, or a 95 percent, the class moves on
to the next topic. And even that 95 percent student, what was the five percent they
didnt know? Maybe they didnt know what happens when you raise something to the
zero power. And then you go build on that in the next concept. Thats analogous to
imagine learning to ride a bicycle, and maybe I give you a lecture ahead of time, and I give you
that bicycle for two weeks. And then I come back after two weeks, and I say, Well, lets see.
Youre having trouble taking left turns. You cant quite stop. Youre an 80 percent bicyclist. So I
put a big C stamp on your forehead and then I say, Heres a unicycle. But as ridiculous as that
sounds, thats exactly whats happening in our classrooms right now.
The modern equivalent to unicycling might be writing code. Were not doing a good
enough job teaching people fundamentals and then were seeing them not pursue careers where
that fundamental knowledge is pretty much a prerequisite. And then were wondering why we
have a problem with unemployment despite that fact that so many companies cant find enough
qualified people. Is it starting to become clear how inter-related these things are.
So finally we come to entrepreneurship. And this is where, for me at least, the lightbulb went off.
According to the Presidents Job Council (and similar research done by the Kauffman Foundation
and others), almost all net new job creation is coming from start-ups. Not big companies. Not old
companies. Small companies that are less than five years old are keeping an economy thats
already in rough shape from being much, much worse.
But theres a governor on the growth for many of these startups. Want to guess what it is? They
cant hire enough people with the technical skills to help them growth. And heres
where we enter either a vicious cycle or a virtuous one. More startups, more jobs. Fewer startups,

fewer jobs. Startups throwing up their hands because they cant find the engineers, designers
and product people to achieve their goals? Fewer startups. Fewer jobs. So the education sector
fails the entrepreneurial sector which causes the entrepreneurial sector to fail the economy
because it isnt creating enough jobs.
And theres one more problem here, perhaps an even bigger one and thats the our current
education system does a very poor job of preparing people to become entrepreneurs. To
understand why you have to go back to the formation of the modern education system. When
you do the research you realize that the modern education system was essentially created to
produce good factory workers. The skill set, and more importantly, the mind set required to be a
good factory worker stands in almost direct opposition to the mindset required to become an
entrepreneur. We dont teach people to fail in school. We fastidiously get them to avoid failure.
We dont have people learn by doing. We have them learn by listening to someone or reading
something. We dont reward out-of-the-box thinking and breaking the rules. We penalize those
things. And because of how the system is structured, we end up with far, far few
entrepreneurs than we could have.
This is probably over-simplifying things and Im most definitely not an economist. But the more
that I read on these topics, the more interconnected they seem. You can throw money at
programs for promoting entrepreneurship, fixing education or creating jobs but until you step
back and see the whole system, youre missing critical information.

Nick Joaquin
Poet, fictionist, essayist, biographer, playwright, and National Artist, decided to quit
after three years of secondary education at the Mapa High School. Classroom work
simply bored him. He thought his teachers didn't know enough. He discovered that he
could learn more by reading books on his own, and his father's library had many of the
books he cared to read. He read all the fiction he could lay his hands on, plus the lives
of saints, medieval and ancient history, the poems of Walter de la Mare and Ruben
Dario. He knew his Bible from Genesis to Revelations. Of him actress-professor Sarah K.
Joaquin once wrote: "Nick is so modest, so humble, so unassuming . . .his chief fault is
his rabid and insane love for books. He likes long walks and wornout shoes. Before
Intramuros was burned down, he used to make the rounds of the churches when he did
not have anything to do or any place to go. Except when his work interferes, he
receives daily communion." He doesn't like fish, sports, and dressing up. He is a
bookworm with a gift of total recall.
He was born "at about 6:00 a.m." in Paco, Manila, on 04 May 1917. The
moment he emerged from his mother's womb, the baby Nicomedes--or
Onching, to his kin--made a "big howling noise" to announce his arrival.
That noise still characterizes his arrival at literary soirees. He started
writing short stories, poems, and essays in 1934. Many of them were published in
Manila magazines, and a few found their way into foreign journals. His essay La Naval
de Manila(1943) won in a contest sponsored by the Dominicans whose university, the
UST, awarded him an A.A. (Associate in Arts) certificate on the strength of his literary
talents. The Dominicans also offered him a two-year scholarship to the Albert College in
Hong Kong, and he accepted. Unable to follow the rigid rules imposed upon those
studying for the priesthood, however, he left the seminary in 1950.
He is included in Heart of the Island (1947) and Philippine Poetry Annual: 1947 1949 (1950), both edited by Manuel A. Viray.

Lesson 21: Drawing Conclusions

Probe Deeper: Look for short stories written by Filipino authors.
THE CENTIPEDE
by Rony V. Diaz

WHEN I saw my sister, Delia, beating my dog

with a stick, I felt hate heave like a caged,
angry beast in my chest. Out in the sun, the
hair of my sister glinted like metal and, in her
brown dress, she looked like a sheathed
dagger. Biryuk hugged the earth and
screamed but I could not bound forward nor
cry out to my sister. She had a weak heart and she must not be surprised. So I held
myself, my throat swelled, and I felt hate rear and plunge in its cage of ribs.
I WAS thirteen when my father first took me hunting. All through the summer of that
year, I had tramped alone and unarmed the fields and forest around our farm. Then one
afternoon in late July my father told me I could use his shotgun.
Beyond the ipil grove, in a grass field we spotted a covey of brown pigeons. In the open,
they kept springing to the air and gliding away every time we were within range. But
finally they dropped to the ground inside a wedge of guava trees. My father pressed my
shoulder and I stopped. Then slowly, in a half-crouch, we advanced. The breeze rose
lightly; the grass scuffed against my bare legs. My father stopped again. He knelt down
and held my hand.
Wait for the birds to rise and then fire, he whispered.
I pushed the safety lever of the rifle off and sighted along the barrel. The saddle of the
stock felt greasy on my cheek. The gun was heavy and my arm muscles twitched. My
mouth was dry; I felt vaguely sick. I wanted to sit down.
You forgot to spit, my father said.
Father had told me that hunters always spat for luck before firing. I spat and I saw the
breeze bend the ragged, glassy threads of spittle toward the birds.
Thats good, Father said.
Cant we throw a stone, I whispered fiercely. Its taking them a long time.
No, youve to wait.
Suddenly, a small dog yelping shrilly came tearing across the brooding plain of grass
and small trees. It raced across the plain in long slewy swoops, on outraged shanks that
disappeared and flashed alternately in the light of the cloud-banked sun. One of the
birds whistled and the covey dispersed like seeds thrown in the wind. I fired and my
body shook with the fierce momentary life of the rifle. I saw three pigeons flutter in a
last convulsive effort to stay afloat, then fall to the ground. The shot did not scare the
dog. He came to us, sniffing cautiously. He circled around us until I snapped my fingers
and then he came me.
Not bad, my father said grinning. Three birds with one tube. I went to the brush to
get the birds. The dog ambled after me. He found the birds for me. The breast of one of
the birds was torn. The bird had fallen on a spot where the earth was worn bare, and its
blood was spread like a tiny, red rag. The dog scraped the blood with his tongue. I

picked up the birds and its warm, mangled flesh clung to the palm of my hand.
Youre keen, I said to the dog. Here. Come here. I offered him my bloody palm. He
came to me and licked my palm clean.
I gave the birds to my father. May I keep him, Father? I said pointing to the dog. He
put the birds in a leather bag which he carried strapped around his waist.
Father looked at me a minute and then said: Well, Im not sure. That dog belongs to
somebody.
May I keep him until his owner comes for him? I pursued.
Hed make a good pointer, Father remarked. But I would not like my son to be
accused of dog-stealing.
Oh, no! I said quickly. I shall return him when the owner comes to claim him.
All right, he said, I hope that dog makes a hunter out of you.
Biryuk and I became fast friends. Every afternoon after school we went to the field to
chase quails or to the bank of the river which was fenced by tall, blade-sharp reeds to
flush snipes. Father was away most of the time but when he was home he hunted with
us.
BIRYUK scampered off and my sister flung the stick at him. Then she turned about and
she saw me.
Eddie, come here, she commanded. I approached with apprehension. Slowly, almost
carefully, she reached over and twisted my ear.
I dont want to see that dog again in the house, she said coldly. That dog destroyed
my slippers again. Ill tell Berto to kill that dog if I see it around again. She clutched
one side of my face with her hot, moist hand and shoved me, roughly. I tumbled to the
ground. But I did not cry or protest. I had passed that phase. Now, every word and
gesture she hurled at me I caught and fed to my growing and restless hate.
MY sister was the meanest creature I knew. She was eight when I was born, the day my
mother died. Although we continued to live in the same house, she had gone, it
seemed, to another country from where she looked at me with increasing annoyance
and contempt.
One of my first solid memories was of standing before a grass hut. Its dirt floor was
covered with white banana stalks, and there was a small box filled with crushed and
dismembered flowers in one corner. A doll was cradled in the box. It was my sisters
playhouse and I remembered she told me to keep out of it. She was not around so I
went in. The fresh banana hides were cold under my feet. The interior of the hut was
rife with the sour smell of damp dead grass. Against the flowers, the doll looked
incredibly heavy. I picked it up. It was slight but it had hard, unflexing limbs. I tried to
bend one of the legs and it snapped. I stared with horror at the hollow tube that was the
leg of the doll. Then I saw my sister coming. I hid the leg under one of the banana pelts.
She was running and I knew she was furious. The walls of the hut suddenly constricted

me. I felt sick with a nameless pain. My sister snatched the doll from me and when she
saw the torn leg she gasped. She pushed me hard and I crashed against the wall of the
hut. The flimsy wall collapsed over me. I heard my sister screaming; she denounced me
in a high, wild voice and my body ached with fear. She seized one of the saplings that
held up the hut and hit me again and again until the flesh of my back and thighs sang
with pain. Then suddenly my sister moaned; she stiffened, the sapling fell from her
hand and quietly, as though a sling were lowering her, she sank to the ground. Her eyes
were wild as scud and on the edges of her lips,. drawn tight over her teeth, quivered a
wide lace of froth. I ran to the house yelling for Father.
She came back from the hospital in the city, pale and quiet and mean, drained, it
seemed, of all emotions, she moved and acted with the keen, perversity and deceptive
dullness of a sheathed knife, concealing in her body that awful power for inspiring fear
and pain and hate, not always with its drawn blade but only with its fearful shape,
defined by the sheath as her meanness was defined by her body.
Nothing I did ever pleased her. She destroyed willfully anything I liked. At first, I took it
as a process of adaptation, a step of adjustment; I snatched and crushed every seed of
anger she planted in me, but later on I realized that it had become a habit with her. I did
not say anything when she told Berto to kill my monkey because it snickered at her one
morning, while she was brushing her teeth. I did not say anything when she told Father
that she did not like my pigeon house because it stank and I had to give away my
pigeons and Berto had to chop the house into kindling wood. I learned how to hold
myself because I knew we had to put up with her whims to keep her calm and quiet. But
when she dumped my butterflies into a waste can and burned them in the backyard, I
realized that she was spiting me.
My butterflies never snickered at her and they did not smell. I kept them in an unused
cabinet in the living room and unless she opened the drawers, they were out of her
sight. And she knew too that my butterfly collection had grown with me. But when I
arrived home, one afternoon, from school, I found my butterflies in a can, burned in
their cotton beds like deckle. I wept and Father had to call my sister for an explanation.
She stood straight and calm before Father but my tear-logged eyes saw only her harsh
and arrogant silhouette. She looked at me curiously but she did not say anything and
Father began gently to question her. She listened politely and when Father had stopped
talking, she said without rush, heat or concern: They were attracting ants.
I RAN after Biryuk. He had fled to the brambles. I ran after him, bugling his name. I
found him under a low, shriveled bush. I called him and he only whimpered. Then I saw
that one of his eyes was bleeding. I sat on the ground and looked closer. The eye had
been pierced. The stick of my sister had stabbed the eye of my dog. I was stunned. ,For
a long time I sat motionless, staring at Biryuk. Then I felt hate crouch; its paws dug hard
into the floor of its cage; it bunched muscles tensed; it held itself for a minute and then
it sprang and the door of the cage crashed open and hate clawed wildly my brain. I
screamed. Biryuk, frightened, yelped and fled, rattling the dead bush that sheltered
him. I did not run after him.
A large hawk wheeled gracefully above a group of birds. It flew in a tightening spiral
above the birds.

On my way back to the house, I passed the woodshed. I saw Berto in the shade of a
tree, splitting wood. He was splitting the wood he had stacked last year. A mound of
bone-white slats was piled near his chopping block When he saw me, he stopped and
called me.
His head was drenched with sweat. He brushed away the sweat and hair from his eyes
and said to me: Ive got something for you.
He dropped his ax and walked into the woodshed. I followed him. Berto went to a corner
of the shed. I saw a jute sack spread on the ground. Berto stopped and picked up the
sack.
Look, he said.
I approached. Pinned to the ground by a piece of wood, was a big centipede. Its
malignantly red body twitched back and forth.
Its large, I said.
I found him under the stack I chopped. Berto smiled happily; he looked at me with his
muddy eyes.
You know, he said. That son of a devil nearly frightened me to death
I stiffened. Did it, really? I said trying to control my rising voice. Berto was still
grinning and I felt hot all over.
I didnt expect to find any centipede here, he said. It nearly bit me. Who wouldnt get
shocked? He bent and picked up a piece of wood.
This wood was here, he said and put down the block. Then I picked it up, like this.
And this centipede was coiled here. Right here. I nearly touched it with my hand. What
do you think you would feel?
I did not answer. I squatted to look at the reptile. Its antennae quivered searching the
tense afternoon air. I picked up a sliver of wood and prodded the centipede. It uncoiled
viciously. Its pinchers slashed at the tiny spear.
I could carry it dead, I said half-aloud.
Yes, Berto said. I did not kill him because I knew you would like it.
Yes, youre right.
Thats bigger than the one you found last year, isnt it?
Yes, its very much bigger.
I stuck the sliver into the carapace of the centipede. It went through the flesh under the
red armor; a whitish liquid oozed out. Then I made sure it was dead by brushing its
antennae. The centipede did not move. I wrapped it in a handkerchief.
My sister was enthroned in a large chair in the porch of the house. Her back was turned
away from the door; she sat facing the window She was embroidering a strip of white

cloth. I went near, I stood behind her chair. She was not aware of my presence. I
unwrapped the centipede. I threw it on her lap.
My sister shrieked and the strip of white sheet flew off like an unhanded hawk. She shot
up from her chair, turned around and she saw me but she collapsed again to her chair
clutching her breast, doubled up with pain The centipede had fallen to the floor.
You did it, she gasped. You tried to kill me. Youve health life you tried Her
voice dragged off into a pain-stricken moan.
I was engulfed by a sudden feeling of pity and guilt.
But its dead! I cried kneeling before her. Its dead! Look! Look! I snatched up the
centipede and crushed its head between my fingers. Its dead!
My sister did not move. I held the centipede before her like a hunter displaying the tail
of a deer, save that the centipede felt thorny in my hand.