OLIVER TWIST

By Charles Dickens

It was cold winter night in 1830. A poor girl was alone in a town in England. She had no home and no money. She walked trough the street and looked for a room with a bed. She was going to have a baby and she was very tired. She could not walk any more and fell down in the street and did not move. Then, some people took her to the ‘workhouse’—a home for very poor people. In the cold, unfriendly work house, a baby was born. His name was Oliver Twist. Several second later, his mother closed her eyes – and dead. Poor Oliver was alone in the world, without any friend.

The work house did not keep young children. The men there sent Oliver to an old woman, who was called Mrs. Mann. She was unkind to Oliver and gave him very little food. Oliver stayed there for nine years.

One day Mr. Bumble, a fat keeper from the work house, came to take Oliver away. He was promised to have a better life with him. But, in fact, poor Oliver had a very hard life. All the children had a hard life there. The rooms were cold; they had no warm clothes; they had only a small cup of soup for their dinner. They were always hungry.

One night, the keeper shut Oliver up in a cold, dark room. He slept on the stone floor. In the morning, Mr. Bumble kicked Oliver to wake him up. He led him into the garden and took off his clothes. Then he put him in a bath of cold water. This happened everyday for a week.

Oliver could not stand living there. He decided to run away and go to London and get a job. By climbing over the wall, he escaped from the workhouse.

When Oliver reached London, he was afraid. He was a stranger, without friend in a large city. Then a boy whose name was Jack Dawkins called ‘Artful Dodger’ took Oliver to an old house in the poorest part of London to meet Mr. Fagin.

Fagin was very friendly. He gave Oliver some supper and then gave him some strong drink. In one morning, Mr. Fagin and the boys played a strange game to teach Oliver how to steal. Dodger and Charley Bates lead him to the street. Charley stole money of a reach man. Then he run away. Oliver was afraid and run. Unfortunately, he was accused as a thief. A hundred people tried to catch him. A big man shot him with stone. It cut Oliver on the head - and he fell. A policeman arrived. He took Oliver away and put him on prison. But the old gentle man—Mr. Brownlow who kept the bookshop saved him. He was very pleased. He gave Oliver a home and was very kind to him.

Fagin was afraid if Oliver told the police that he was a thief. He sent a poor girl whose name was Nancy and Bill Sikes to look for Oliver. They were difficult to find him. Then one day, Mr. Brownlow sent Oliver to the bookshop. He gave the boy some books and a 5£ note for the shopkeeper. Unfortunately, Nancy and Bill Sikes found him and took him back to Fagin’s house. Poor Oliver had to stay with the thieves again.

Fagin and Sikes planned to have Oliver steal in a reach man’s house. Their plan was heard by Nancy. She was now a little sorry that she brought him back to Fagin’s house. Nancy then told Oliver about their plan. She reminded him that Sikes is very dangerous and has a gun.

Next night, Sikes and another thief took Oliver to the reach people’s house. He had Oliver steal. But Oliver made a bang and he was detected. Two man in the house shot him. He fell like a dead person. Sikes brought Oliver out of the house and run. Many people cached them. He dropped Oliver in some grass beside the road – and escaped. Oliver stayed in the grass all night, in a deep sleep.

Oliver woke up in the morning. He tried to get help but none could. At last he reached a Rose house. Rose opened the door and looked at him and saw the blood. She took him into the house. Oliver told Rose his sad life with Fagin and the thieves. She took care of him. He was happy in his new home.

Oliver happiness didn’t take place a long time. Someone named Mr. Monks—another young friend of Fagin saw him when he was sat by a window and read a book. Monks told Fagin where Oliver was. Monks did this because he is Oliver’ brother and he wanted his money which left by their father to Oliver. He wanted Oliver to die.

Monks asked Fagin to kill Oliver. But their plan was heard by Nancy. Then Nancy told their conversation to Rose that they wanted to kill Oliver and Monks afraid of her because Rose is sister of Oliver’s mother. After that Nancy went back to Fagin. But poor Nancy was too late. Fagin found out and one of the thieves killed her.

Rose tried to bring Oliver to Mr. Brownlow to save him. At last they met him. Rose told him what happened after Oliver left his house, about Monks, Fagin and their plan. Mr. Brownlow went to the police and told them about Nancy’s story about Fagin and Monks.

The police went quickly to Fagin’s house and put Monks and Fagin on prison while Sikes died because he was fallen when he tried to escape.

Oliver got father’s money. His “bad day” was over. He lived with Mr. Brownlow happily. He was not alone again because he had Rose—his aunt and Mr. Brownlow—a rich and kind hearted man.

Synopsis by Asip L. S.

Using Blog for Teaching English

Methods, Advantages, and Challenges of Blog in Teaching English

Being future teachers, we have to study Blog as one of the sophisticated media especially for teaching English. It is needed because we live in globalization in which the development of technology and information is like the contagious disease. Because of that we have to adjust ourselves with this context.

Using Blog as a media for teaching English still faces many obstacles. First, some teachers do not know how to use it in the classroom. Second, some teachers don not know the advantages of using Blog. And the last, there many challenges that we have to encounter.

Using blog in classroom needs another media such as telephone network, computer, hot spot, etc. it also should be supported by the qualified teachers. It is very different if we compare it to other countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Taiwan. In those countries, using Blog as a teaching media is not strange. They have supporting equipments and many qualified teachers.

If we already know the advantages of using Blog, we will be more aware to apply a Blog in our teaching. Blog can be used for creating variation in teaching method, being representation of a teacher when he/she could not come to the class, creating interesting teaching situation, and so on and so forth. In brazil, Argentina and Taiwan, for example, Blog can be used for language practices, expressing ourselves, recording studets presentation, doing conversation, creating text and voice messaging, taking photograph and sending comment, etc. if they can take the advantages of Blog as fully as possible, we also can get it.

Challenges that we have to encounter in using Blog are limited supporting equipments, high cost, unqualified teacher, the gap of technology development between the city and countryside is very wide so only in few schools Blog can be applied. Because of that, government and all stakeholders should cooperate to encounter these challenges and find out the real solution.

In short, using Blog for teaching English is useful even applying it is still difficult.

Aku Mushku?

Lima menit saja aku lewatkan untuk termenung hari ini. Hari yang belum tentu ku temui lagi. Aku termenung menyepi, menyendiri bukanlah diempat yang sunyi–ditemapat yang tidak ada seorang pun, di gua atau di suatu ruangan yang gelap gulita dan tak ada suara. Seketika aku terbangun dalam menung. kulihat kemaksiatan ada dimana-mana, ku dengar kejahatan melalui berbagai berita, dan lain, dan lain.

Kadang aku bertanya-tanya apakah aku termasuk salah satu aktor pembuat kerusuhan, salah satu dalang pembuat kerusakan, salah satu penebar kedengkian dan kejahatan, atau aku sekedar figuran yang turut menyukseskan semua kelaliman dan kezaliman?

Tiba-tiba saja ku teringat syetan, ya syetan anak cucu buyut Iblis laknatullah. semakin mengingatnya semakin aku benci padanya. Pasti, pasti, pasti dialah biang kerok semua ini. Dia, dialah yang harus bertanggung jawab.

Ternyata pikiran seperti ini tidak hanya terjadi padaku. Ku kira akulah yang pertama. Ternyata, sudah sejak dulu iblis di hina, sudah sejak dulu syaiton atau syetan dijadikan kambing hitam atas kelemahan dan dosa-dosa yang dilakukan manusia.

Kasihan, sungguh kasuhan dia. Iblis itu sudah dilaknat Allah, dikeluarkan dari surga disediakan neraka pula sebagai tempat kembalinya untuk kehidupan yang nyata. Nah, sekarang difitnah lagi oleh manusia. Kawan, kasihanilah Iblis janganlah selalu dia yang kita kambing hitamkan. Janganlah kita selalu mengkambing putihkan diri kita–ada gitu istilah ini.
Ingtalah, iblis, syetan dan kawan-kawannya hanya menggoda, mengiming-imingi, membisikkan jalan yang salah dan dia tidak bisa memaksakan kita menuruti keinginannya. Yang jadi biang kerok adalah kita. Ya kita, kita yang menggembalakan nafsu kita secara liar. Kita yang tidak bisa mengendalikan hawa nafsu sehingga hawa nafsu kita mudah tergoda, mudah diimng-imingi, mudah dibisiki syetan. Padahal kalau nafsu kita menolak, syetan ga ada apa-apanya. Karena itu Rasulullah mengingatkan kepada kita bahwa musuh yang paling kuat dan berbahaya bagi kita adalah hawa nafsu yang tidak terkendali.

Hawa nafsu itu merasuk dalam tubuhku, mengalir dalam setiap sel darahku, karena itu, aku adalah musuhku. Doakan kawan aku bisa mengendalikannya. Amin.

Wallahu A’lam bimurodih

Aku Mushku?

Lima menit saja aku lewatkan untuk termenung hari ini. Hari yang belum tentu ku temui lagi. Aku termenung menyepi, menyendiri bukanlah diempat yang sunyi–ditemapat yang tidak ada seorang pun, di gua atau di suatu ruangan yang gelap gulita dan tak ada suara. Seketika aku terbangun dalam menung. kulihat kemaksiatan ada dimana-mana, ku dengar kejahatan melalui berbagai berita, dan lain, dan lain.

Kadang aku bertanya-tanya apakah aku termasuk salah satu aktor pembuat kerusuhan, salah satu dalang pembuat kerusakan, salah satu penebar kedengkian dan kejahatan, atau aku sekedar figuran yang turut menyukseskan semua kelaliman dan kezaliman?

Tiba-tiba saja ku teringat syetan, ya syetan anak cucu buyut Iblis laknatullah. semakin mengingatnya semakin aku benci padanya. Pasti, pasti, pasti dialah biang kerok semua ini. Dia, dialah yang harus bertanggung jawab.

Ternyata pikiran seperti ini tidak hanya terjadi padaku. Ku kira akulah yang pertama. Ternyata, sudah sejak dulu iblis di hina, sudah sejak dulu syaiton atau syetan dijadikan kambing hitam atas kelemahan dan dosa-dosa yang dilakukan manusia.

Kasihan, sungguh kasuhan dia. Iblis itu sudah dilaknat Allah, dikeluarkan dari surga disediakan neraka pula sebagai tempat kembalinya untuk kehidupan yang nyata. Nah, sekarang difitnah lagi oleh manusia. Kawan, kasihanilah Iblis janganlah selalu dia yang kita kambing hitamkan. Janganlah kita selalu mengkambing putihkan diri kita–ada gitu istilah ini.
Ingtalah, iblis, syetan dan kawan-kawannya hanya menggoda, mengiming-imingi, membisikkan jalan yang salah dan dia tidak bisa memaksakan kita menuruti keinginannya. Yang jadi biang kerok adalah kita. Ya kita, kita yang menggembalakan nafsu kita secara liar. Kita yang tidak bisa mengendalikan hawa nafsu sehingga hawa nafsu kita mudah tergoda, mudah diimng-imingi, mudah dibisiki syetan. Padahal kalau nafsu kita menolak, syetan ga ada apa-apanya. Karena itu Rasulullah mengingatkan kepada kita bahwa musuh yang paling kuat dan berbahaya bagi kita adalah hawa nafsu yang tidak terkendali.

Hawa nafsu itu merasuk dalam tubuhku, mengalir dalam setiap sel darahku, karena itu, aku adalah musuhku. Doakan kawan aku bisa mengendalikannya. Amin.

Wallahu A’lam bimurodih