Come vivevano in Inghilterra all'epoca della Regina Vittoria? Quali erano i valori, gli usi e i costumi? Come trascorrevano la vita quotidiana? Come era la moda e quali erano le differenze tra le classi sociali? In questo video in inglese, da noi realizzato, vi presentiamo lo "spirito dell'epoca" al tempo in cui l'Inghilterra era l'Impero più potente del mondo e la Regina Vittoria (1837 - 1876) era 'Imperatrice delle Indie'.
How do you like it? Looking forward for your comments!!!
Studying Edgar Allan Poe we wondered why nowadays
people are so attracted to these kind of stories. In the last two years the 54%
of tickets sold in cinemas are meant to horror or
thriller movies; in addition in the ranking of the most read books in the USA
in 2015, 6/10 are thrillers. Even if in Italy this kind of stories is not as
popular as in the USA, a detective story book come up at the third place of the
most enjoyed books list; this masterpiece was written by Andrea Camilleri who
is one of the most appreciated writers of this genre. Moreover, in Scandinavia,
because of their lack of famous traditional literature, this new genre is
developing very much and becoming appealing in the world (all the stories are
set in snowy places and murders are so cruel and violent). Children are also
part of the audience with video games and spooky TV fictions.
Why is this genre irresistible?
Brain scan research in 2010 by Thomas Straube at the
Friedrich Schiller University of Jena shows that scary movies actually activate
fear responses in the visual cortex – the part of the brain responsible for
processing visual information, the insular cortex, the thalamus and the
dorsal-medial prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain associated with
planning, attention, and problem solving. According to a study at the School of
Communication at Purdue University, one reason for the appeal is how you feel
after the movie. This is called the ‘excitation transfer process’. After watched
this kind of film any positive emotions you experience are intensified. Furthermore,
some people may like scary movies because they enjoy the adrenaline rush of
being scared while being safe. Other interesting aspects are that these books
and films arise motivation as people like suspense, solving a crime or simply
peeping into others’ incredible bad lives. To sum up, watching horror movies
would not traumatize your psyche if
you are conscious of being mentally strong enough to watch them.
But do not let children watch
these kind of movies because they are in the most fragile period of their life
and they could be shocked.
Abbiamo immaginato di essere giornalisti del ‘New York Tribune’
(fondato nel 1841) al tempo di Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849), autore di “The
Raven”, “The Black Cat” e altri racconti horror. Riportiamo, di seguito, il
nostro articolo sulle misteriose circostanze della sua morte. Ci siamo basati
su fatti storici veramente accadutilink fonte
NEW YORK Tribune
A STRANGE EVENT IN
BALTIMORE
A month ago, a body was found along the main street of
Baltimore. We are writing about this event because some strange circumstances
have been noticed during the investigation. Police is still working on this
case but it is thought that the corpse belongs to a foreign traveller who was
going to Philadelphia. The causes are still unknown but the police has got his
own opinion: the deceased was identified with the name of Edgar Allan Poe, a
poet who lived in Boston. The first hypothesis is that he died because he used
to abuse of drugs, such as opium, and get hardly drunk. In fact on October 3rd some
witnesses saw him in a pub called ‘Gunners Hall’ stupefied with drink and
wearing bad trousers, a filthy shirt and hat. But someone disagrees with this reconstruction.
In fact Poe’s doctor, John Moran, after
having analyzed his corpse, excluded that his death had been caused by the use
of alcohol or drugs, although the doctor is not considered reliable by the
police because he submitted different and discordant depositions.
According to some other eyewitnesses, before Poe died
he had gone to vote for the municipal election at “Ryan’s Fourth Ward Polls”. The poet could have been involved in a fraud there, which is called “cooping”. This practice
consists in kidnapping the victim and obliging him to vote for a candidate. A
man named Joseph Walker found him lying on the street outside the polls. The
poet was in bad shape so he was taken to the Washington Medical College Hospital
in a carriage where he died after a few days of terrible agony on October 7th
at the age of forty.
There are also other strange facts related to Poe’s death that the
police is analyzing. The first one is that the poet’s luggages were not found immediately, but only some
weeks later thanks to his cousin, and, weird enough, each one of them had been
found in different places.
The second unusual event is that doctor John Carter’s walking stick was
found in Poe’s right hand on the
day of his body discovery. This stick is not a common one because there is a
blade in its inside. Therefore the police thought that Poe might been used it
to defend himself against his aggressors.
We still wonder - ‘Is his death a murder or suicide?’
Actually, there are no more news about his death but
we will continue investigating to keep you informed.
“Pride
and Prejudice” by Jane Austen On the 2nd of
December 2015 we went to the cinema “Garden” in Rende (CS) with our English
teacher, Mrs Cuconati, to see “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen, performed
by the theatre company “Palchetto Stage”.
After the
show, we politely asked Jonathan Blakeley, Mr. Darcy in the play, an interview.
We’ve been very much impressed of the brilliant work the company did to
dramatize the novel.Here’s what
he said about the play.
1)
When did you read the book the first time?
I had studied Pride & Prejudice in book form at
school during English Literature class, it's a common book for students aged
14-16 to study in what are considered as GCSE study years in England. I haven't
read the book in its entirety myself however I know that Steve and Kate (Mr and
Mrs Bennett) are both big fans of the novel.
2)
Where are you performing right now?
We
actually finished our tour on the 19th February in the town Crema which is just
south of Milan, so we are all back home in London now. Our tour ran from
October 21st - February 19th, and we covered the entirety of Italy in the five
months we were touring.
3)
How many years have you been acting?
I
have been acting professional (since leaving drama school in New York City)
since 2010, so that would be nearly six years both in New York and in London as
well as touring with productions around the USA and one production in Dublin,
not forgetting our tour of Italy!
4)
Have there been some troubles in re-adapt the text to the representation?
The text wasn't adapted by the actors but by the
tour companies Palketto and APL, it's a tricky script to squeeze into 1 hour
and 40 minutes, you have to hit key points, so at times it felt rushed however
I feel we got a good grip on it as actors to make it work for you.
5) What kind of relationship do you have
with the other actors?
The
relationship is a strong one, none of us knew each other before the show so you
have to get to know one another very quickly, this is common in theatre, you
rarely work with the same people. I feel very fortunate to have spent my time
in Italy with my cast and of course my Italian crew who travelled with us,
almost like a family, we have all become close because of the Tour and I am truly
thankful for that.
6)
What do you feel when you are on stage?
It
varies from performance to performance, sometimes you're very connected with
the stage, actors, audience and context of the play from your characters
perspective and sometimes those are missing which can make the performance very
interesting. When it all comes together and works there is no greater feeling,
it's like an electric pulse that runs through your spine, down to your feet and
into the stage, it's exciting and can move you in unpredictable ways, that's
when theatre becomes alive.
7)
Would you like to act again in our Country?
I
would yes! I had a great experience performing for Italian audiences and being
able to perform in some truly stunning theatres. Italy in itself is one to truly
behold, your history, architecture, art, geography, food, or......people are
what makes it such an attractive and vibrant place to visit. However the
driving could improve slightly.
8)
Did you notice some differences between the Northen and the Southern students’
reaction to the play?
There
were some differences yes but nothing drastic. For instance in the south the
audiences were a lot of receptive and vocal, you would cheer, clap and shout
out during the play, which happened occasionally in the north but nowhere near
as much. This is unheard of in England, the audience is normally very refined
and quiet until the very end, so it was welcome and exciting to perform for
such a vibrant audience.
9)
We noticed that you talked really slowly and punctuated - how difficult it was
to change your language to the foreign
students?
At
first in the rehearsal process it was difficult, in England naturally we speak
to each other a lot faster and with less stress on certain words and sound
within the words along with less gesturing! However it became second nature by
the start of the tour and hopefully as an audience you could all understand
what was being said.
10)
How did you enjoy the role of Mr Darcy, one of the most fascinated characters
created by Jane Austen?
It
was great to play such an iconic character. Mr Darcy has this large cult
following that really has put him on the map as one of the leading male figures
of romance not just in literature but also in life. Throwing away any
stereotypical judgments I had of him during rehearsal was tricky, I had to make
him my own version of Darcy in my own unique way, like any actor does when
playing a character. He was fun to play, multilayered and often times
surprising, he was wonderful.
Dopo aver letto la bellissima
e toccante lettera che John Keats (1795–1821) scrisse alla sua amata Fanny
Browne (cliccate sul link per sentirla declamare direttamente dal poeta), abbiamo
immaginato come lei gli avesse risposto
November 10th, 1819
My beloved,
I
see the truth from your ink, your letter astonished me so much that I almost
burst into tears reading it.
I believe that
our love is deep and it will overcome your illness and all our problems.
It’s so sad
waking up in the morning and not find you next to me.
Do you
remember when we used to be happy without any bad thoughts in our mind? When we
were in the countryside near Heamstead; I remember that we were laughing
thinking about all the things we had done since we first met; we were planning
our future together thinking about the amazing things we would do.
I have in my
mind that day when we were having a picnic and you said I look like the pink
peony near the tree where we used to kiss.
Now my lonely
heart need your love, my eyes need your vision, my ears need your pleasant
voice and my lips need your kisses.
Not your
kindness and thoughtfulness were to have any fault in them, but my soul is too
weak at the idea of losing someone I truly love, for my heart would be
shatter’d.
I can perceive
an absolute element, an unusual power that gives you the force, a power that
depends on love. I think love is the key, the only comfort, that is independent
from corporal evils.
Maybe it is
destiny that we can’t stay together in this life, but when I will die my body
will be burned and my ashes will be spread on the ground of your grave, a
flower will grow and we will stay together united by the nature, forever.
We started this new year school talking about a
special girl who stands for the right of education for all children in the
world: Malala Yousazfai. In 2009 she started to blog for the BBC URDU. She
wrote about her desire to go to school and her life as a subjugated to the
Talibans who are an Islamic fundamentalist group leading in Pakistan. On the
morning of October 9, 2012, Malala was shot when she was on a bus by two
members of the Talibans. They stopped the bus, asked for her specifically and
fired three shots at her head. Luckily she survived. In October 2014 she was
announced she would have received a Peace Noble Prize, being the youngest girl
who has ever reached such a goal. Accepting the award she said: "This
award is not just for me. It is for those forgotten children who want
education. It is for those frightened children who want peace. It is for those
voiceless children who want a change.” In 2013 she also opened a school for
Syrian refugee girls in Lebanon, all expenses covered by the Malala Fund. To
better understand how such a young girl can be so powerful we could read her
book, “I Am Malala”, in which she narrates her life and her battle against
abuses. Despite of the fact that she is still in a dangerous position, Malala
puts all her efforts in the fight for girls' education and empowerment, and
inspires them to raise their voices and unlock their potential. She is also a
spokesperson for the million of girls being denied a formal education because
of social, economic, legal and political factors, for, as she says "if one
man can destroy anything, why can't one girl change it?"
Please give a look to her amazing story clicking down here
Siamo gli alunni del Liceo Classico Statale “Gioacchino da Fiore” di Rende (CS), benvenuti nel nostro blog!
- PERCHE’ AMIAMO LA NOSTRA SCUOLA
Studiamo in un ambiente accogliente, sereno e sicuro che include tutti ed è attento ai bisogni di ciascuno. Il liceo classico fornisce un metodo di studio solido e una forma mentis duttile. Si spazia dalla cultura umanistica a quella scientifica. Svolgiamo diverse attività laboratoriali: teatro, cinema, musica, inglese (Cambridge PET - FIRST) e partecipiamo a competizioni di latino (Certamen Syracusanum), olimpiadi di italiano e matematica e gare sportive.
- PERCHE’ NE SIAMO ORGOGLIOSI Una recente ricerca condotta dalla “Fondazione Giovanni Agnelli” rileva che il Liceo Classico 'Gioacchino da Fiore' è al primo posto tra i licei classici a Cosenza e nell'interlandper media di voti e crediti ottenuti dagli studenti all'università (clicca qui per l'articolo).
- PERCHE’ APRIRE UN BLOG
Desideriamo far sentire la nostra voce, diffondere le nostre idee e avere uno spazio da condividere. Questo blog è il frutto delle attività laboratoriali durante le quali impariamo a progettare, a comunicare e collaborare, a sviluppare la nostra creatività e il senso critico, utilizzando la tecnologia in modo corretto e produttivo.
Vogliamo confrontarci su diversi argomenti e avere un riscontro attraverso il forum e altri social media. Vi invitiamo a lasciare i vostri commenti.
L’avventura sta per cominciare. Noi siamo pronti... Bloggiamo?
