Here are a few examples of Gothic aesthetics used in various forms...
Can you see the link between all of them?
Look at the following adverts. Do you think they can be considered as Art?
Here are a few sites you might want to look at for your research:
Official website from the tourist office
For photos and more information
Don't lose yourself in information and be efficient!
mr Desdevises
Hi
If you 're here, I probably told you you needed to improve your vocabulary and general level of expression.
Here are a few things I would recommend to move into the B2 or C1 level of the CEFR. The aim is to gain authenticity, by using the exact terms that native speakers would use for a given situation. It's not just about not making mistakes.
The press:
• UK: (remember what I keep telling you about the specific angle and reputation of these papers)
- the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
- the Times: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/
- the Daily Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
• US:
New York Times : http://www.nytimes.com/
Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
• On paper:
- Specific to learning English as a foreign speaker: http://www.ofup.com/langues/vocable-anglais/p374.htm
- Or cheap subscriptions for lycéens/students:
http://www.ofup.com/langues/newsweek/om34/206.htm
http://www.ofup.com/langues/the-economist/om34/278.htm
http://www.ofup.com/langues/time/om34/280.htm
- General interest:
NME : probably the most famous music magazine
Vanity Fair: an american women's magazine
For a list of specialist magazines you can get have a look at this link
• For your oral skills (Speaking and comprehension)
CNN student News, then look around the site for the scripts of each daily news bulletin
Good luck
Y Desdevises
Here are 5 some of the more downtempo songs you might not know by the Beatles:
You have been given either one of them or one of the more classic ones
Describe the instruments you can hear in the various sections (verse/chorus/bridge)
Do some research to find out the album, the year, or any anecdotes about the writing of the song
Say what the song is about in one or two sentences
Give your opinion about the song
• Blackbird
• I Will
• I'll Follow The Sun
• Here, There and Everywhere
• Read the short story "Why Honey?"
- Vocab: find the words that mean
p.97: "a violent reaction"; "things that are left"; "small explosive devices"
p.98 "someone looking after a shop's objects"; "put your amrs around someone"; "part of a ticket or form";
p.99 "look intensely"; "the luggage compartment of a car";
p.100: "increase in salary"; "leave a job"
p.101: "be on your knees"
p.102: "to be embarrassed"
- put inverted comas ("...") around the dialogues, which are unpunctuated
• Answer the following questions to help you with your analysis.
Who is writing? About who?
What was the first strange incident? How did the boy react? What does that show about him?
What happened when he got his first job?
Page 99, what is the boy’s version about the night before?
Page 100 what is the boy trying to prove with his essay?
Page 101, what is the mother trying to tell him? What is his reaction?
What do we learn about the boy by the end of the story?
Why does the mother say she is scared?
In your opinion who wrote to the mother?
Imagine what happens after this letter, in 5-8 lines. Use a 3rd person narrative and preterit tenses.
Like A Boomerang
Jack was accustomed to say all had started with a boomerang. For few weeks the Australian young boy had besought his mother to buy a boomerang. However she had always refused, giving the cost price as a reason.
Eventually, on a sunny and clear summer's day, Jack was given lift by his father called Chris to a toys shop. When they arrived, Chris said to his son to choose what he wanted. Jack gaped in amazement for a moment, wondering when his father would start laughing, but Chris looked at him seriously, so the boy took the precious boomerang and kept an unforgettable memory of this good afternoon.
The next day, Chris led them without telling anyone, to settle down in Asia. Jack was convinced his father had prefered go away rather than confess he was ruined, because of his boomerang. He admired his bravery and felt guilty. That's why he wanted to took back his new toy, but the assistant refused. So he decided to kept it, because it represented his father.
Few years passed and Jack received a letter saying that he was required in Europe for the First World War. The twenty-four-year-old man had to write his will. He found again his boomerang at the bottom of a drawer and took it, hopping that it would help him to find strenght and recomfort during the fights. Actually it didn't only help him to find strenght and recomfort, but especially the fights ! Jack put blades on each side of the boomerang and threw it on the other side. His arm always came back full of German blood. The young man was definitely an excellent thrower.
Unfortunately, Jack was hit by the ennemies shots. His last words applied to an American soldier, Bennett, who cames from a lost village in Ohio. Jack asked him to take the boomerang and to send it to his family, in Australia, but he died without having the time to reveal his adress. Few days later, the American was sent to another regiment.
At the end of the war, Bennett Johnson returned in his country and took steps to find Jack's family, but he didn't know his name and his requests were futils.
On a fine bright evening towards the end of September 2011, Tony had promised to his children to go to the park and was waiting patiently they were ready. He opened the window wich looks onto Central Park and blinked, blind with sun. He could see some kids who ran into the grass and who were playing together, roaring with laughter. Theirs mothers were sat down on the public benchs and kept an eye on them. He thought if Julia was still here, she would be talking with them, wearing her light dress as if she was about to fly away...But she quit them few years ago to lead her life what she wanted. She said it was the mere solution...
« Dad, what is it ? »
Joshua produced in his hand the object his father was so much attached. Tony wondered why nobody had never mailed it. Thanks to Internet, he could find an adress or something, who knows ?
« A boomerang, son.
- And why do you keep it in the attic ?
- That's a long story...
- Can I take it in the park ?
- Sure, boy, we'll learn how to throw it.»
And actually, they learned how to throw a boomerang. Tony was delighted to play with his children, he remembered him when he was their age. He wanted to demonstrate his strenght so much so that the boomerang disappeared in the vegetation. He was sorry for the children but above all for the young soldier who had, one day, fought his ennemies with this derisory arm. His great grandfather called Bennett told him the incredible story of this boomerang, on a winter's rainy night. This boomerang had gone through the First World War and he lost it in a park because of his stupidity.
They were coming back home when a woman's voice called them: «Is it yours ?» Tony turned his head towards her, but he didn't look at the boomerang. He just observed the brown-haired young woman with blue eyes, who was smiling to him.
He said: «Julia !»
And she answered, staring at children: «Sorry...»
But Tony didn't ask for apologies, he was too glad too see her. Not only he had recovered his boomerang, but thanks to it he had found again his wife.
And, first thing in the next morning, Tony posted the boomerang from the most close mailbox of his home, to the city hall of Sydney, Australia, with a letter explaining its story.
When the family Robinson got up this morning, it was unaware this day wasn't like the others. Emily slipped on her dressing gown and went to the mailbox. There was a parcel post and she didn't know what it could be. Her father, Luke snatched it from her hands and said, moved:
« The boo...booboo...boo-me-merang ! »
It was accompanied by two letters, one from the city hall, and the second from New York, a man called Tony Johnson. Luke explained to his wife and Emily an incredible story.
A young Australian, Jack was mobilized in 1914 and never came-back. He had written a testament, mentioning the existence of a boomerang wich nobody never found again. Jack's mother remarried and had two sons, including Luke's grandfather. Luke and his family had taken steps to find the boomerang, that's why they had contacted the city hall. Today, a New-yorker had sent to them the precious object, nearly one-hundred years later.
The child of the family, Emily, quickly appropriated the unexpected boomerang. The ten-year-old Emily was a little normal girl although she was suffering from a leukemia. When she was younger, she had spent many time in a hospital room, and had done a chemotherapy, even though she couldn't completely cure.
The spring holidays had started, therefore the Robinson went to the seaside to spend a day off. Emily didn't forget her new toy and she played with it during many hours. Her parents were delighted to see her having a good time.
Unfortunately, the next day the child had a temperature. An intense fever is one of the symptoms of her disease and she had to be hospitalized, so her parents were worried for her. Her state of health was stable. A marrow transplant could save Emily, nonetheless her form of leukemia was scarce and the Sydney hospital didn't have the means to operate her. The mere solution was to go in the USA. Luke and his wife got in touch with the Mount Sinai Hospital, in New York, where there was a famous practitioner who could operate Emily. However it was very expensive and the Robinson couldn't leave their job. Emily remembered on a Saturday morning, her father was came back from the mailbox with a mysterious expression. She thought maybe he had received another boomerang, but it was just a letter from USA. A correspondence was became established between him and the Johnson. Luke had told them about Emily's leukemia and Tony, Julia and their children suggested they could put up her during her hospitalization. The Robinson accepted with gratitude and consequently, Emily led the Australian soil a week later with a nurse. Before leaving, the child said to her parents:
«Whatever the result may be, I go towards my destiny.»
Two weeks later, Emily had a successful operation and got on well with the Robinson sons, who played boomerang with her.
The Sock
My father told me the story of this little sock I had always known. When he was 5, he became friend with a little girl who was Swedish, and who always wore a little pink dress with sparkles on it, because she worked in a circus. She was very brainy, and she had a dream but she lived in poverty. She absolutely wanted to go and see the International circus. She saved money for 2 years, but it wasn’t enough, so she besought her father to buy the places. He finally accepted but on the way to the show, they had a terrible car accident. It has killed them immediately. My father was completely ruined. He went a last time to the circus, and visited the caravan where she lived. He found a sock that she had been wearing really often. He picked it up, to remember all the time of his first best friend. He always kept it with him, during 15 years, until he meet my mother. She was joyful and he fell totally in love with her. He left the sock in a little box, in the attic of their flat, and never touched it again. Him and my mother decided to marry, and to move into a bigger house. They began to tidy the flat, and my mother found the box within the sock. She thought my father had a hidden child, and they argued for hours. My mother finally left the flat. She came back 3 hours after, crying and apologizing. My father explained her the whole story, and she obviously understood. The day after, she offered my father a beautiful little charm. He put it into the sock, and put both back into the box. For my first birthday, 3 years later, my mother offered me the sock, which I never wore. I kept it under my pillow, as a kind of lucky charm. Today is the 1st birthday of my little girl, and I’ve put the sock under her pillow.
The Pouch And The Key
"-Mummy, why do you have a key around your neck?
- Darling, sit down, I will explain you something ... When your grand-mother was young, she was take in a concentration camp, because she was jewish. It was very hard for her, you know. She passed her day to work for the nazi with nothing to eat. Around her, her family and friends was ill, and most of them die not a long time next their arrivals in the camp. One day, an officer, named Klaus came to announce her the death of her father. In shock, she passed out and the officer catch her! Klaus found her very pretty. He was very thoughtful with her and little by little, they started to know each other. And one day, they had a kiss and fell in love ! The deutsh officer made easier her life, without be see of his superiors! Because of your grand-mother, his state of mind changed and realized that the people who were arrested by the nazis were like him: Human! And one night, he decided to take out, Anna, your grand mother of the camp. During the meal, Klaus came to her booth and took her arm. Then, they ran to a little door where they were no soldiers. Klaus open it with a little key and gave it to her, in order she remember to him forever. Then, she kissed him and left, but nazis soldiers arrived in running to them! Klaus shout her to run away! The nazis took him and kill him with one shot.
Anna realized few days later that she was pregnant of me! She never get married again, and that why I'm an only child and you don't have aunts and uncles! But before she die, she left me this key and saying to me that this key was the "key of hapiness". It was true. Few days later my sixteen, I had this key around my wist tied with a string but the key fell. However, a nice pretty boy picked it up and gave it to me! We became very good friends, and then we fell in love! This boy became your father, sweet heart! Now I think it's your turn to have this key! An if you have children, you could tell them the story of this key!"
She took it from his neck and put it in a little pocket in leather and gave it to her daughter!
"I hope that key brings you luck !"
mrdesdevises@hotmail.fr
