Page 33 - English Expedition Class 6

Writing

Severn’s speech is eff ective because it uses powerful language aimed at persuading her listeners to
act on their words. Read the speech again and notice how she repeats the phrase ‘I am only a child’ to
highlight the carelessness of the adults. Do you think her technique is eff ective?

Look for other phrases or structures that are repeated in the speech for emphasis. Using these,
write a short speech on the topic of wildlife conservation. Begin like this: ‘I am only a child . . .’

Activity

Severn’s speech is a call to adults for changing their ways and doing more to protect the environment
and the future of mankind. However, adults are not the only ones who can help the environment; the
responsibility belongs to all of us. One of these responsibilities is to reduce the use of plastic in our
day-to-day lives.

Plastic is inexpensive and durable. While these qualities make it useful, it also means that it is
produced in large quantities but is slow to degrade and diffi cult to recycle. Plastic debris clog our
oceans and are toxic to marine life and, through the food chain, humans too. Around the world,
about eighteen billion pounds of plastic waste fl ows into our oceans each year. This is the equivalent
of fi ve grocery bags full of plastic trash sitting on every foot of coastline around the world. Now
imagine how these would look on your favourite beach!

Read more about the topic and make posters about plastic pollution in our oceans, encouraging
people to say ‘no’ to plastic whenever possible. You can put up these posters in your school to create
awareness about this issue.
Remember that a poster should have:

• a relevant picture/drawing/photograph
• a slogan

You may also add a brief message and your name to it if you want your readers to get in touch with
you regarding the issue.

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