Category Archives: Literature

Posts to introduce literary works and authors. Flipping the classroom & Blended Learning.

TODAY I RISE

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My dear students, we are at the end of our journey together. If we read the news, the world still seems to be full of hatred, violence, revenge, injustice and madness. I want instead to end the school year with something contemporary to convey a positive message .

I’ve therefore decided to show you this short movie (click link) ‘Today, I Rise’ by Alexandra Feldner, that will only take you a few minutes to watch, but hope will inspire you forever.

  1. We’re going to WATCH the FILM WITHOUT SOUND. What do you think the film is about?  How does the film make you feel?
  2. Now we’re WATCHING IT WITH SOUND ON. In your group decide what the message of the film is. Write it down and be ready to report to the rest of the class.

Here’s the PDF of the paper with the text I’ve given you in class.

Today I riseDownload

The short film and poem seem to be inspired by the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou -(April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014 was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist) which is about the centuries of mistreatment and oppression of black people, and about the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.

  • Can you find any similarities between the two poems?

I have finally chosen Michelle Obama’s last official speech addressing to young people like you.

INDIVIDUAL TASK: Make a personal comment connecting “Today I rise” to your daily life. Anything you cannot accept the way it is and can change? Anything you’d like to improve or do differently? Anything you’d like to commit to? LEAVE IT AS A COMMENT BELOW.

May the future bring you love and peace or al least bring you the wisdom to accept its imperfections.


INTRODUCING WORDSWORTH

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daffodils

What does this image of a field of daffodils make you think of? Which feelings does it convey? What is Nature for you?

I’m now going to introduce you to the great romantic poet from the Lake District William Wordsworth. I want to start with a video by BBC FUTURE LEARN ‘William Wordsworth: Poetry, People and Place’  a free online course by the University of Lancaster What are the qualities that made Wordsworth’s poems rise to prominence? 

TASK: take down some notes of the most important ideas that made the PREFACE TO THE LYRICAL BALLADS the Manifesto of British Romanticism.

Interesting is the video on ROMANTICISM – by the School of Life – to introduce the era.

If you wanna visit Wordsworth’s Cumbria and the places that inspired his poetry here’s a beautiful website of photography. And the 10 best photography locations of the Lake District.   You can also explore his sister Dorothy’s  cottage in the next video.

The next video is the poem Daffodils read by the incredible actor Jeremy Irons whose “liquid” voice is stunning. In my opinion it is just a brilliant, magic and a moving example of poetry reading. As someone commented : “He could read the phone book and make it sound wonderful.” 🙂

While surfing the net I also found a rap version of the same poem, an attempt to make a literary classic … more contemporary so to speak.  How do you like it? Does it sound significant or like a parody to your ears? How does it make you feel? ? Be ready to discuss in class orally.

It’s all by now. Hope one day you’ll visit the Lake District as, if you like hiking, it’s an area you should take into consideration 😉