Saturday, November 29, 2008

Incongruity

On Channel 4 there was the Thanksgiving Parade, whereas on Fox News there was ongoing coverage of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, which used to be called Bombay. On the one hand, we were enjoying the giant balloons representing American pop culture float down Broadway past the grandest store of all, Macy's; on the other hand, we were watching in horror the unfolding events in two of the grandest hotels in India, if not the world. On Broadway the spectators were laughing, and the performers were singing and dancing. On the streets of Mumbai, the people were screaming and fleeing from the shooting, and blood was running in the streets and restaurants. In front of Macy's the world laughed, while in front of the Taj the world cried. Alas, the incongruity of human existence!

Places
Mumbai -- Bombay--the financial capital of India, a southern coastal city of 13 million people
India-- the world's second most populous country with over 1 billion people, a subcontinent in Asia
Macy's-- the world's largest department store, with its headquarters in New York City on Broadway and 34th Street
Taj Hotel -- a 4,000-room hotel in Mumbai

Vocabulary
terrorist -- unlawful use of violence to try to force governments to act according to the terrorist political beliefs
giant -- very big
pop culture -- popular culture, such as current music, art, movies, cartoons, and so on
unfolding events -- as something is happening
grandest (grand, grander, grandest) -- majestic
fleeing -- running away
incongruity -- lack of harmony or logic

Vocabulary Exercise
1. The Winter Palace is the ___________________ palace in the world.
2. Madonna once represented part of American ______________________.
3. He was a member of the ________________ group that hijacked the TWA plane.
4. Now you can watch news all night to follow __________________ around the world.
5. There was ______________ between his point of view and his actions; they contradicted each other.
6. The cats were ___________ from the dogs.

Grammar Point--
Handling contrast in your writing: Use whereas, while, on the one hand, on the other hand.

Write a sentence that shows contrast.______________________________