English through poetry, songs and films
Στόχος του εκπαιδευτικού υλικού είναι να εμπλουτίσετε τις γνώσεις σας στα Αγγλικά, με αφορμή ποιήματα, τραγούδια και αποσπάσματα ταινιών.
Υπάρχουν συνολικά εννέα ενότητες, τρεις για κάθε κατηγορία περιεχομένου, οι οποίες μπορεί να περιλαμβάνουν κατά περίπτωση κείμενα, φωτογραφικό υλικό, βίντεο, ηχητικά αρχεία, συνδέσμους σε σχετικές ιστοσελίδες καθώς και ασκήσεις ή σύντομα κουιζ για να ελέγξετε και να εμπεδώσετε τις γνώσεις σας.
Καλή διασκέδαση!
So much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
In this unit, we will deal with the poem The Red Wheelbarrow, which was written by William Carlos Williams (1883-1963) in 1923. It is a very short poem, without rhyme and a great example of imagism.
Imagism (from the word image) was a movement in early 20th-century Anglo-American poetry that believed in the precision of images and clear language. Imagist poets experimented with non-traditional verse forms. An important characteristic of Imagism is its attempt to isolate a single image to reveal its essence.
Σε αυτή την ενότητα, θα ασχοληθούμε με το ποίημα Tο Κόκκινο Καροτσάκι (The Red Wheelbarrow),το οποίο γράφτηκε το 1923, από τον William Carlos Williams (1883-1963). Είναι ένα πολύ σύντομο ποίημα, χωρίς ομοιοκαταληξία και ένα εξαιρετικό παράδειγμα "εικονισμού".
O "εικονισμός" (imagism από την λέξη image, εικόνα) ήταν ένα κίνημα της Αγγλο-αμερικανικής ποίησης των αρχών του 20ου αιώνα που πίστευε στην ακρίβεια των εικόνων και στην ξεκάθαρη γλώσσα. Οι εικονιστές ποιητές πειραματίζονταν με μη παραδοσιακές μορφές ποιητικού λόγου. Ένα σημαντικό χαρακτηριστικό του εικονισμού ήταν η απόπειρα του να απομονώσει μια και μόνο εικόνα για να αποκαλύψει την ουσία της.
2. Let's welcome the Beatles on stage...
The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool, in 1960. There were four members in the band - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. In the early 1960s, their huge popularity resulted in the word "Beatlemania"! Moreover, they were the best-selling band in history!
Some of their most famous hits were "Let it Be", "Help!", "Hey Jude", "Imagine", "Yesterday", "She loves you" and "Can't buy me love".
The band broke up in 1970 and each member followed separate but successful musical careers.
Unfortunately, Lennon was shot and killed in December 1980, and Harrison died in November 2001. McCartney and Starr remain musically active.
Click to go to Our Dictionary!
3. And now it's time for a film...
We will watch the final scene from the 2006 biographical drama The Pursuit of Happiness (To Κυνήγι της Ευτυχίας, in Greek) starring Will Smith and his real-life son Jaden Smith.The plot is based on the true story of Christopher Gardner.
In 1981, Christopher Gardner's wife abandoned him and their son. He didn't have any money then and they were homeless for nearly a year. This scene shows him finally getting a job as a stockbroker and crying from happiness.Enjoy!
Click to go to Our Dictionary!
4. Let's enjoy the first lines of another poem! 
Endymion (1818) by John Keats (1795-1821)
5. Do you know Johnny Cash?
John R. "Johnny" Cash (February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author who was considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He is remembered as a country music icon but his songs included other genres such as rock and roll and blues.
Cash was famous for his deep, distinctive voice, for his rebellious but humble behaviour, for giving free concerts inside prison walls and for his dark performance clothes, which earned him the nickname "The Man in Black".
He traditionally began his concerts with the phrase "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash." His best-known songs include "I Walk the Line", "Folsom Prison Blues", "Ring of Fire", "Get Rhythm" and "Man in Black".
The younger years of his life and the passionate love story with his second wife, June Carter are the main themes of the 2005 biographical movie "Walk the Line". The actor Joachin Phoenix played the role of Johnny. In 2003, Johnny recorded the romantic song "Rose of my Heart" written by songwriter Hugh Moffatt. "Rose of my heart" is still very popular as it expresses perfectly the love between two soulmates.
Click to go to Our Dictionary!
6. Do you believe in UFOs and extra-terrestrials?
E.T. is a 1982 American science-fiction film by the famous Hollywood director Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of Elliott, a lonely boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. Elliott helps the extraterrestrial return home while trying to keep it a secret from his mother and the government.
The idea for E.T. was based on an imaginary friend Spielberg created after his parents' divorce in 1960.
E.T. was a blockbuster and received four Academy Awards (Oscars), including the one for Best Visual Effects. Critics loved the film and described it as a timeless story of friendship. One critic wrote "This is not simply a good movie. It is one of those movies that win our hearts."
Click to go to Our Dictionary!
7. And the last poem for our course is...
FOG (1916) by Carl Sandburg (1878-1967)
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
This poem is only six lines long and is an innocent expression of finding beauty in an ordinary world. In this poem, Carl Sandburg compares the behaviour of a weather phenomenon (fog) to that of a cat.
The fog approaches, covers and then leaves the city slowly and silently, just like a cat. It's a very memorable and clever metaphor.
Click to go to Our Dictionary!
8. Let's enjoy one of the most romantic ballads by "The Pretenders"...
The Pretenders are an English-American rock band formed in Hereford, England, in March 1978.
"I'll Stand by You" is a 1994 song recorded from their sixth studio album, "Last of the Independents:. It was The Pretenders' most recent significant hit single, and their last successful single in North America.
"I'll Stand by You" has also become a major hit for British girl group Girls Aloud in 2004 and Carrie Underwood in 2007, who recorded it for charity purposes (charity single).
The song is a ballad that promises love and faithful assistance in times of personal darkness.
Click to go to Our Dictionary!
9. Are you ready to embark on an epic adventure in the desert?
Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 British-American epic adventure film based on the life of T. E. Lawrence. The film stars Peter O'Toole in the title role.
The film depicts Lawrence's experiences in Arabia during World War I, in particular his attacks on Aqaba and Damascus. Its themes include Lawrence's emotional struggles with the violence in war, his personal identity, and his divided allegiance between his country, Britain and his new comrades within the Arabian desert tribes.
Lawrence of Arabia was a huge success and it remains popular among viewers and critics. The dramatic music and the superb performance by Peter O'Toole are memorable and the film as a whole is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential films in the history of cinema. Its visual style influenced many directors, including George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg, who called the film a "miracle".
Click to go to Our Dictionary!
Additional suggestions...