НОУ «Международная школа завтрашнего дня»

ЮАО г. Москвы

Билингвальная литературная гостиная

для старшеклассников по теме:

“Who, Being Loved, Is Poor?”

подготовили

учителя английского языка

Верютина Анжела Борисовна

Шестакова Светлана Юрьевна

г. Москва

2012

Ключевые слова: love, bilingual literature club, Robert Burns, O’Henry

Вступление

Данное мероприятие, посвященное Дню Святого Валентина, позволяет старшеклассникам познакомиться с темой любви через поэзию шотландского поэта Роберта Бернса и прозу О’Генри, американского писателя. А переводы стихотворений на русский язык, использованные на мероприятии, еще раз дадут возможность убедиться, насколько тема любви вдохновляет и окрыляет. Поэтому литературная гостиная была названа билингвальной.

Подготовка к литературной гостиной заняла один месяц. Часть учащихся старших классов была разбита на две творческие группы: группа Роберта Бернса и группа О’Генри. Другая часть являлась аудиторией. Учитель при подготовке исполнял роль наблюдателя и консультанта. В каждой творческой группе был назначен свой руководитель из числа учащихся. После того, как был собран материал по заданной теме и распределены роли, участники посещали репетиции согласно запланированному графику. Чтобы данное мероприятие соответствовало духу литературной гостиной, учащиеся приняли решение провести его за столиками с зажжёнными свечами и книгами Роберта Бернса и О’Генри. Также в конце они организовали своими силами чаепитие и конкурс чтецов на английском и русском языках.

Цель обучения:

- научить учащихся любить творчество Роберта Бернса и О’Генри, посвященное теме любви

- закрепить пройденный материал по элективному курсу «Английский язык и литература»

- научить переносить знания в новую ситуацию общения

- расширить словарный запас учащихся

Развивающая цель:

- развивать познавательные интересы

- развивать и формировать интеллектуальную сферу

Воспитательная цель:

- воспитывать чувство любви к литературе

- воспитывать этику взаимоотношений

Методическая цель:

- создать на мероприятии условия для духовного развития личности

Ход мероприятия

(The music plays. Participants are divided into 2 groups sitting around the tables: Robert Burns’ group and O’Henry’s group. On the tables there are burning candles and the books by Robert Burns and O’Henry)

Narrator: Love… It makes the world go round! But what do we know about love? Let’s listen to some famous people.

(PowerPoint Presentation: slide-show with the quotes by famous people about love. The last quote is by Robert Burns)

Robert Burns (1759-1796)

Narrator 1: Robert Burns, a poor man, an educated man, and a ladies' man, is representative of Scotland, much like whisky, haggis, bagpipes, and kilts. He lived a life shortened by rheumatic heart disease, (1759-1796), but his life journey through poverty, informal education, disappointed love, nationalism, and literary and financial success can be identified by all Scots and common men the world over. He has become almost a national symbol of all things Scottish. His life is like a love story with a happy ending.
Narrator 2: Robert Burns’ family raised seven children on sparse, rented farmland on the west coast of Scotland. The family cottage still stands as a proud tourist attraction. The family farm was not successful and the family moved from farm to farm. Life on the farm in western Scotland was harsh and Robert worked long hours with his father.
Burns’ father recognized the value of education and he managed to hire a local teacher to tutor Robert. He was an extremely bright student, mastering Shakespeare, current poets, French, Latin, philosophy, politics, geography, theology, and mathematics. His father read the Bible during the evenings around the cottage fireplace and Robert became an expert on the Bible and a devout Church member.
Narrator 3: Robert Burns wrote his first poem at age 15. The poem was called "Handsome Nell" and was about his first love for a girl named Nellie Blair. Throughout his life, Burns was a charming and witty man, attracting the attention of numerous women. A dozen or more women can be identified as the inspiration for various poems. Burns wrote many famous love poems, including "A Red, Red Rose" and "One Fond Kiss."
Here's an excerpt from "Handsome Nell."
"O once I loved a bonnie lass,
Aye, and I love her still;
And whilst that virtue warms my breast,
I'll love my handsome Nell."
Burns, in a later comment on this poem, stated that he had "never had the least thought or inclination of turning poet till I got once heartily in love, and then rhyme and song were, in a manner, the spontaneous language of my heart."
Narrator 4: In 1786, at age 27, Robert Burns went through a major turning point in his life. He suffered a disappointing love affair with Jean Armour, who was pregnant with his twin sons. The local community and Armour's father were outraged by the affair and her father rejected Burns’ offer of marriage.
Dejected and depressed, Burns made plans to leave Scotland and sail to Jamaica in the West Indies. To finance the trip, Burns submitted a volume of his poetry for publication.
The publication of 612 copies in a simple, unbound volume was called "Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect," also sometimes known as "The Kilmarnock Edition." The poems were well received in Edinburgh by socialites who were enchanted by the poems and amazed that a poor farmer could write so well.
So, instead of planning his escape to a new world, Burns planned a trip to Edinburgh. His confident manner, ingratiating style, and his obvious wit and intelligence brought Burns popularity and admiration. Soon, a second publication of his work was executed in Edinburgh.
Narrator 5: During his stay in Edinburgh, Robert Burns met printer James Johnson, who planned a project to print all of the folk songs in Scotland. Burns collected over 300 songs and wrote a few himself, including "A Red, Red Rose."

Narrator 6: One of the results of his travels throughout Scotland was that Robert Burns ingratiated himself to everyone he met and he rose to national prominence and popularity.
Another happy outcome of this turning point in Robert Burns's life is that he was able to return home and marry his beloved Jean Armour, now with the blessing of her family.
Robert Burns continued to collect and write songs for The Scots Musical Museum, an anthology of traditional Scottish lyrical poems, until his untimely death from rheumatic heart disease in 1796.
Within a few years of his death groups of Robert Burns's friends and fans gathered to promote his memory and to celebrate his life. By 1801, five years after his death, groups met on the anniversary of his death, but later they began to meet on the anniversary of his birth, January 25. Now there are many Burns clubs and societies who celebrate his memory with dinners, including haggis, and readings of his works.

Russian people know Robert Burns’ poems very well thanks to movies, where the songs with his text sound. One of these films -  Hello, I'm Your Aunt!" Russian director Victor Titov shoots this film (musical comedy, based on the play Charley 's Aunt" byBrandon Thomas) in 1975. The tango "The Love and the Poverty" from this film became very popular in Russia. 

Narrator: Let us listen to the song sung by a famous Russian actor Kalyagin in the comedy “Hello, I am your aunt!” The words of this song are written by Robert Burns and translated into Russian by Samuel Marshak.

O poortith cauld, and restless love,
Ye wrack my peace between ye;
Yet poortith a’ I could forgive,
An ’twere na for my Jeannie.

O why should fate sic pleasure have,
Life’s dearest bands untwining;
Or why sae sweet a flower as love
Depend on fortune’s shining?

This warld’s wealth when I think on,
Its pride, and a’ the lave o’t —
Fie, fie on silly coward man,
That he should be the slave o’t!

Her een sae bonnie blue betray
How she repays my passion;
But prudence is her o’erword aye,
She talks of rank and fashion.

O wha can prudence think upon,
And sic a lassie by him?
O wha can prudence think upon,
And sae in love as I am?

How blest the humble cotter’s fate!
He woos his simple dearie;
The silly bogles, wealth and state,
Can never make them eerie.

Narrator: Not only poetry but also prose by many writers is dedicated to the topic of love. One of such writers is O’Henry . William Sydney Porter (O. Henry) was a prolific American short-story writer, a master of surprise endings, who wrote about the life of ordinary people in New York City. A twist of plot, which turns on an ironic or coincidental circumstance, is typical of O. Henry's stories.

(The music plays. On the screen there appears the picture of O’Henry)

O’Henry (1862-1910)

Narrator 1: O. Henry led an extraordinary life, which is clearly reflected, in his short story “The Gift of the Magi.” Critics have considered his work as anecdotal and devoid of complex characters and themes. In 1906, O. Henry published “The Gift of the Magi,” a short story centered on the theme of “self-sacrifice [as] the highest evidence of love.” The story however, is more complicated than the simple theme leads readers to think. Upon studying the text, along with information on O. Henry’s life, a connection between the two can be found.

O. Henry had a troubled childhood, which made his future very complicated. He was born in Greensboro North Carolina in 1862 with the name William Sydney Porter. His mother died from pneumonia when O. Henry three from pneumonia. Soon after that, O. Henry’s father took him to live with his grandmother. During his teenage years, he worked in the family’s pharmacy, which did not work out for O. Henry so he moved to Texas and became a bank teller. Working at the bank as a bank teller had gotten him into a lot of trouble. O. Henry had been convicted of embezzlement and was sentenced five years in federal state prison. Determined not to let this get in the way of his success, O. Henry began writing.

Narrator 2: O. Henry had a very successful writing career, even though he had so much to overcome. In addition to imprisonment, he never had proper schooling. During his childhood he learned more about “hard knocks and experience,” (Law 194). He used these experiences to create a successful career, with over ten volumes of short stories. Also, he began the magazine, Rolling Stone. Although the magazine failed, O. Henry did not allow his career to be ruined and began to write for the Houston Post, as well as continue his short stories. Overall, his career was very productive, and resulted in many stories, which are still famous today.

In 1906 O. Henry published “The Gift of the Magi.”

While it does not immediately seem like it, “The Gift of the Magi” may be based on a true story. Many similarities can be found between the setting of “The Gift of the Magi” and O. Henry’s life. Like the characters in the story, O. Henry lived in New York. His experiences in New York inspired his story to also take place there. Also, O. Henry had difficulty earning enough money, a struggle Della and Jim also shared.

The Gift of the Magi

Compiled by Angela Paulk and Nadezhda Prokhorova

Screenplay based on the short story by O. Henry

Characters: Della (Mrs. James Dillingham Young)
Jim (Mr. James Dillingham Young)
Madame Sofronie
Narrator
Setting: New York City, in an apartment in the late 1920s – early 1930s.
Props: table, mirror, coins, hair combs, a watch chain

SCENE 1

NARRATOR: Think back a few decades. Times were hard in America during the Depression era. People had little money and the cost of living was high. It’s Christmas time in New York City, Christmas Eve in fact – the 24th of December. A young married couple is anxious to celebrate their first Christmas with each other. They are not wealthy and not exactly beggars, but they lead meager lives. There are two things in their young family that are worthy enough to be treasured: Della, the young wife, has hair envied by all women, and admired by all men; and Jim, the young husband, owns a watch that has been passed down from generation to generation – a truly fine antique. The story begins with Della.

(Scene opens with Della at a table counting her money – three times she counts the coins. She’s crying.)

DELLA: (crying and sobbing) Christmas Eve and I have no gift for my dear Jim – NOTHING, and I have saved for months. One dollar and eighty-seven cents is all I have.

(Della wipes her tears and walks to the mirror. She looks into the mirror admiring her long hair. It’s beautiful as she swings it side to side turning her body from left to right.)

DELLA: I have to find a gift for Jim. He is so good to me. I have no choice – I must sell my hair.

(Quickly putting on her coat and hat she runs out of the apartment and down the street.

SCENE 2

NARRATOR: Della has made the decision to have her hair cut in order to earn money for a gift for her dear Jim. She is now in the beauty shop of Madame Sofronie, a strange and stingy woman. She has been asking to buy Della’s hair for years.

(Della enters Madame Sofronie’s store.)

MADAME SOFRONIE: Well, if it isn’t Della Young. How can I help you, dear?

DELLA: Will you buy my hair?

MADAME SOFRONIE: I buy hair. Take off your hat and let’s have a look at what you’re offering.

(Della’s hair falls from her hat and she swings it back and forth.)

MADAME SOFRONIE: Twenty dollars. Twenty dollars is what I will give you for your marvelous hair.

(Madame Sofronie is touching and lifting Della’s hair.)

DELLA: Cut it quickly please.

SCENE 3

(Back in the apartment)

NARRATOR: Next Della rushed to the boutique where she knew she’d find what she wanted. A watch chain – the perfect color and length to hold Jim’s antique watch. She purchased the watch chain and hurried home to make their Christmas Eve dinner.

DELLA: Jim will love my gift for him! I’m so pleased. But what will he think of my hair? He’s always loved my long hair.

(She examines herself in the mirror.)

(The sounds of footsteps can be heard on the staircase and the door to the apartment opens.)

DELLA: (under her breath) Oh please let him think I am still beautiful.

(Jim enters)

JIM: Merry Christmas darling! (He says without looking at Della as he takes off his coat, scarf and hat.)

(Slowly turning to speak with her, he is struck dumb when he sees Della without her hair. His mouth is wide open.)

DELLA: (Her eyes have begun to water.) Jim, it will grow back. Please don’t think I’m ugly. I’m still the same Della you married. Please say something.

JIM: Della, my love, I will always consider you beautiful – you are my wife and I love you. But... but... oh here. (He gives her a small package.)

(Della opens the package and finds a set of beautiful combs she’d been admiring for months – they were made of real tortoise shell and encrusted with shiny gems – she turns them over and over again.)

DELLA: (Screaming with delight.) Oh Jim! They’re beautiful! But...but.. (She touches her shorn hair.) Oh! Jim, it will grow back. My hair grows really fast – you’ll see. (Della remembers her gift for Jim.)

DELLA: Here Jim, I bought this for you – for your beautiful watch. (She gives Jim the package and he unwraps it holding the watch chain stupidly in his hand.)

JIM: Oh! Della – it’s wonderful, but I sold my watch to buy your combs. Oh, Della (He hangs his head).

(They look at each other and smile – they hug and stifle their tears)

JIM: So, we’re having pork chops for dinner huh?

DELLA: Yes, I’ll get dinner started.

NARRATOR: The Magi, as you know were wise men – wonderfully wise men who brought gifts to the Baby Jesus in the manger more than 2,000 years ago. Some say they invented the art of gift giving.

While Jim and Della gave each other gifts that proved to be useless, they, in fact, gave each other the greatest gift either of them could ever hope for – each other. They both gave up something very dear and important to themselves (making sacrifices) in order to make the other happy. So while their gifts may seem foolish and futile, I think the Magi would agree that these young lovers were wise indeed.

(The music plays. The literature club continues with the poetry recitation contest, games, and tea party)

Использованные материалы и Интернет-ресурсы

1. http://www.reelyredd.com

2. http://robertburns.narod.ru

3. http://eng.1september.ru

4. http://www.study.ru/books/o._henry/

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