Language EnhancementDecember 28, 2012

Topics: Music and Social Change

1. Exam Outline

2. Some ideas about Love

3. Song: Do they know it’s Christmas?

4. Song: Happy Xmas (War is Over)

5. Song: Fortunate Son

6. Poem: The Road Not Taken

7. Homework

Exam Outline

• Written exam – Friday, January 11, 2013, 8 am – 9:40 am• Notes, dictionaries and other aids are permitted

• Part A: Match the underlined idiom, word or phrase with the definition that best fits (20 marks)

• Part B: Choose 10 idioms or terms from a list, write a sentence which properly uses the idiom and clearly demonstrates its meaning (20 marks)

• Part C: Read a passage and answer questions (10 marks)• Total marks: 50

Love (Ideal vs. Practice)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (from the Bible, 圣经新约 , 哥林多前书 , 第 13 章 )

Personification (拟人 )– giving human feelings, actions, or qualities to non-living objects or ideas

Exercise: replace “Love” with “I” or your name, and read the paragraph.

Love is…

Patient

Kind

Not rude

Not self-seeking

Not easily angered

Love…

Does not envy

Does not boast

Does not delight in evil

Keeps no record of wrongs

Rejoices with the truth

Love always…

Protects

Trusts

Hopes

Perseveres

Does not delight in evil – isn’t happy when bad things happen to others, or with wrongdoing

Keeps no record of wrongs – does not keep reminding someone about past mistakes

Love

“Love is not an affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.” (C.S. Lewis)

Feeling:emotionsentimentsensation

Steady:constantuniformregularcontinuous

Wish:desirehopewantlonging

Ultimate:maximumhighesttotalfinal

Good:benefitadvantagewellbeing

“as far as it can be obtained” – (to the maximum extent)/(to the greatest limit) that it can be achieved or realized

Music and Social Change

• Popular music in the west can offer reflections on contemporary culture, engage in social protest, or even advocate for social change

• “social protest” – to criticize social conditions• “to advocate for” – to promote

• E.g. “Luka” – domestic violence, “Cat’s in the Cradle” – family relationships, “Yes we can” – American presidential election, Barack Obama

Song: “Do they know it’s Christmas?”

1. What words or phrases associated with the Christmas season can you find?

2. What do you think is the main issue or problem that this song talks about?

3. What words or phrases indicate the kind of crisis in Africa that the song talks about?

The Christmas season is usually a time when warm feelings of peace and happiness for the world are expressed;

• Band Aid – charity music band of British and Irish musicians

• “band aid” – leading brand of bandage (绷带 ) used for first aid (急救 ) treatment; also used to indicate an emergency, short term solution to a problem;

• E.g. “The government’s actions are only a bandaid for the current economic situation.”

• Purpose was to raise money for relief of the 1983-85 drought and famine (荒旱 ) in Ethiopia (埃塞俄比亚 )

• Sold one million copies in the first week alone

Song: “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”

1. What groups of people does this song mention?2. What phrases or sentences encourage the

listeners of the song to participate in some kind of action?

3. What is the cultural and historical context of the song?

John Lennon, formerly of the band The Beatles, and his Japanese American wife Yoko Ono

Song: “Fortunate Son”

1. What do you think is the mood of this song? What kinds of feelings or emotions are expressed in this song?

2. Who are the different “sons” mentioned in the song?

3. What do you think is the main point xpressed in this song? What is the historical and cultural background of this song (look at the year)?

4. Why do you think the singer uses the grammatically incorrect “It ain’t me, I ain’t no senator’s son” instead of “It isn’t me, I’m not a senator’s son”?

Born/made to (…)

To be born with a special talent or ability (to do something); to be destined (to do something);e.g. “Yao Ming was born to play basketball.”

e.g. “Barack Obama was born to be the first African-American president.”

Wave the flag

Red, white and blue

Star Spangled

American flag – symbolizes passionate patriotism

Hail to the Chief

The US president is known as the commander in chief; this song is played when the president enters a room;

Cannon

Usually fired (21 gun salute) to honour someone important;

Born with a silver spoon in his mouth – E.g. George W. Bush was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

Rummage sale –

An event to sell excess or old or used things for very cheap prices.

Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand, Lord, don’t they help themselves, oh.But when the taxman comes to the door, Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale.

To help yourself – to take everything that you want

Why would the house of a rich person look like a rummage sale when a tax collector comes?What did they do with all of their wealth and expensive things?What do you think this paragraph is criticizing?

Poem: The Road Not Taken

I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, And I -I took the one less travelled by,And that has made all the difference.

What do you think this poem is about?

What did the narrator choose?

For what different reasons do we sigh? Why do you think the narrator will “be telling this with a sigh” in the future?

Why do you think the narrator’s choice “has made all the difference”?

Homework (Final Assignment):

• Choose a Chinese pop song (old or new) that speaks about cultural or social issues, or personal change and translate it into English.

• Include any historical or cultural notes that you think are necessary to understand the song.