This I Believe:

NPR (National Public Radio) has an essay contest called “This I Believe,” in which people from around the world (famous and ordinary people) submit inspirational essays about something they strongly believe.

·  Go to our class website: www.ecc6.blogspot.com

·  On the left, read the information under

"Week 3: Assignment."

·  Click on the link to read and listen to the essay by the famous writer Isabelle Allende.

Read and listen to the essay, “In Giving I Connect With Others,” and then try to answer the questions below. (Use your own paper if necessary.)

1. Why did Isabelle Allende and her family have to flee to Venezuela?

2. (Para. 1): How old was Isabelle Allende's daughter, Paula, when she died? What caused her death?

3. (Para. 2): look up these words in a dictionary and write their definitions below.

a. grieve (v) =

b. agony (n) =

4. Reread paragraph 2: According to Allende, has she changed very much in the last 50 years? Explain.

5. (Para. 2): In the last sentence of this paragraph, Allende says: "I still crave justice." What does this mean? Use a dictionary to understand the verb crave, if necessary.

6. (Para. 3): Allende says her daughter taught her this lesson: You only have what you give. It’s by spending yourself that you become rich. What does this mean TO YOU?

7. (Para. 4): Allende was inspired by her daughter's "life of service." Who did Paula help, how often did she work to help them, and how much money did she earn?

8. (Para. 4): In this paragraph, when talking about the end of her daughter’s life, Allende describes her daughter’s eyes as “somber pools that reflected no light.” Find and write a definition for the adjective “somber.”

somber (adj) =

What do you think the whole expression means?

9. (Para. 5): At the end of this paragraph, Allende uses the word frankly. Look up this word in a dictionary (or ask your teacher) and write the meaning below.

frankly (adv) =

10. Allende says there is no point to have experience, knowledge, or talent if you don't share it with others. She also says about her wealth: I don't intend to be cremated with any of it! To understand what she means, you need to understand what it means to be cremated. When people die, some are buried, and some are cremated.

What do you think Allende means when she says: I don’t intend to be cremated with any of it! Talk with a partner or ask your teacher for explanation (if necessary).

11. Explain how Paula's "spirit" continues to "live on" in her mother.

12. Write about someone YOU know who gives time, care, or help to other people. You can also write about how YOU help others in your life.