Entry 1_Vương Thị Thanh
                                                           Entry 1
                                    Item 1. Story

I have not always been a teacup. There was a time in my life when I was just a lump of clay. Then my master took me and began to pat and mold and shape me. It was very painful and I begged him to stop, but he only smiled and said:

- Not yet!

I got so sick I thought I was not going to make it, but then he finally let me off. Then he placed me on spinning wheel and I went ‘round and ‘round. I’ve never understood why he wanted to burn me; I yelled and begged for him to stop, to let me out. I could see dimly through the glass in the oven door, but he only smiled, shook his head and said:

- Not yet!              

Then all of the sudden, my Master picked me up and started sanding and brushing me. Then he took a paintbrush and started painting colors all over me. The fumes were so strong I thought I was going to pass out. I pleaded with him to stop, but he continued to smile and said:

- Not yet!

Then he placed me in another oven. This one was twice as hot as the first. I knew that I would suffocate. I begged, pleaded, and cried, but he still only smiled and said:

- Not yet!

Then the door swung open and Master said:

- Not yet!

He lifted me up and he placed me on a shelf to rest. Later he came to me with a mirror and told me to look. As I looked at myself, I could not believe my eyes. I said:

- Oh my, what a beautiful teacup. Then the master explained: “I want you to understand that I knew it hurt when I patted and molded you. I knew the spinning wheel made you sick. But if I had left you alone, you would have dried up and always have been just a lump of clay. You would not have had any personality in your life. I knew it was hot when I put you in the first oven, but if I had not, you would just have crumbled. I knew it really bothered you to be brushed and painted, but if I had not, you would not have had any color in your life. Oh, how I knew the second oven was hard for you! But you see, if I had not put you there, you would not have been able to stand the pressures of life. Your strength would not have lasted, so you would not have survived for very long. So you see, when you thought it was all so very hard I still had you in my care. I knew all along what you would be today. I had the finished product in mind from the day I first touched you!

Source: Special English magazine No.100, News agency Pulishing House, 2010.

Rhetorical devices:

- Metaphor: a lump of clay (a person).

                     the teacup (the success, glory and happiness people gain after all).

                     the miserableness which the lump of clay experienced (the challenges, difficulties and pressures of life which people must suffer and overcome).

- Repetition: 

        + words: not yet, begged, pleaded, ...

        + structures/sentences: I knew..., but if i had not...

- Parallelism: I begged, pleaded, and cried.

Message: 

- The path to reach the peak of glory and happiness is a long and miserably hard process in which people are required to have the firm stuff to overcome all obstacles.

- people need to learn the way to face up with challenges difficulties in their life.

- To have a meaningful life and to get a new thing, we have to change.

                                              Item 2. Poem

                                   The look of love

                                                                   Diana Krall

The look of love is in your eyes

A look of your smile cannot disguise

The look of love is saying so much more than just words could ever say

And what my heart has heard, well it takes my breath away.

I can hardly wait to hold you, feel my arms around you

How long I have waited

Waited just to love you, now that I have found you.

Do not ever go

Do not ever go, honey !  

Source:  Special News magazine No.52, News agency Pulishing House, 2010.

Rhetorical devices:

- Rhyme: say-away, around-found.

- Hyperbole: what my heart has heard.

- Simile: The look of love is saying so much more than just words could say.

- Repetition: The look of love, do not ever go.

Message:

Love is naturally wordless when the desire and emotions of people falling in love are so clear and strong. Thus, they can feel it through not only their sweetheart's gestures but also their eyes and smiles. Overall,the path of love is felt from heart to heart.

                                                   Item 3. Song

                                Heal the world

There is a place in your heart and I know that it is love
And this place could be much brighter than tomorrow
And if you really try, you will find there is no need to cry
In this place, you will feel there's no hurt or sorrow
There are ways to get there, if you care enough for the living, make a little space, make a better place.
Heal the world, make it a better place for you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying, if you care enough for the living, make a better place for you and for me.
If you want to know why there is a love that cannot lie
Love is strong, it only cares of joyful giving
If we try, we shall see in this bliss we cannot feel fear or dread
We stop existing and start living.
Then it feels that always love's enough for us growing
So make a better world, make a better world

And the dream we were conceived in will reveal a joyful face
And the world we once believed in will shine again in grace

Then why do we keep strangling life, wound this earth, crucify its soul?
Though it's plain to see this world is heavenly, be God's glow!

We could fly so high, let our spirits never die
In my heart, I feel you are all my brothers
Create a world with no fear, together we will cry happy tears

See the nations turn their swords into plowshares
We could really get there if you cared enough for the living
Make a little space to make a better place

Heal the world we live in; save it for our children.

Rhetorical devices:

- Repetition: heal the world, there is, make a better world...

- Rhyme: tomorrow-sorrow, try-cry, place-race, living-giving, face-grace...

- Antithesis: we stop existing and start living.

- A rhetorical question:  Then why do we keep strangling life, wound this earth, crucify its soul?

Message:

The name of the song is the most meaningful message that the author wants to convey to readers. All of us should have a hand in healing the world, repelling wars to make a better world for entire human.