Lesson Four Wisdom of Bear Wood
Background Information
I. Author关不上的窗下载
下载歌曲到mp3
Michael Welzenbach (1954—2001) was an art critic as well as a poet and novelist. He wrote some of the most stimulating criticisms of art and music for the Washington Post.
II. Robin Hood
Robin Hood is a legendary hero of a series of English ballads, some of which date from at least the 14th century. He was a rebel, and many of the most striking episodes in the tales about him show him and his companions robbing and killing representatives of authority and giving the gains to the poor. Their most frequent enemy was the Sheriff of Nottingham, a local agent of the central government. Others included wealthy ecclesiastical landowners
Robin treated women, the poor, and people of humble status with courtesy. A good deal of the impetus against authority stems from the restriction of hunting rights. The early ballads, especially, reveal the cruelty that was an inescapable part of medieval life.
The authentic Robin Hood ballads were the poetic expression of popular aspirations in the north of England during a turbulent era of baronial rebellions and agrarian discontent, which culminated in the peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Robin Hood was a people’s hero as King Arthur was a noble’s.
III. Berkshire
Situated in the heart of southern England, the County of Berkshire, also known as "Royal Berkshire" is home to several well-known towns and cities, such as Windsor, where the famous royal retreat Windsor Castle can be found. Another royal connection is the Town of Ascot, famous for its very popular annual horse racing festival—"Royal Ascot". Berkshire also boasts many picturesque villages with views across the River Thames absolutely stunning.
IV. Rural Life in Britain
Cottages: Picturesque cottages are most people’s idea of the typical country building. Cottages dating from the late 16th century are generally the earliest to survive.
All manner of materials were used to build England’s country cottages: stone, slate, wood, flint, clay, cob, thatch, boulders and pebbles, and turf. Whatever material was used, traditionally this would have reflected what was locally available.
Whilst colorful flowers, always important to the cottage dweller, were haphazard in their planting, vegetables were grown in orde red rows. Edibles were grown, not only for the cottagers’ own table but also to be sold as a means of supplementing their income. The garden was not solely inhabited by plants, for the keeping of bees, and sometimes pigs, which was once a common sight in the cottage garden. The cottage garden provided the opportunity for the annual village show to develop, with every keen gardener hoping his produce would scoop the top prize.
Part One: Introduction to the Text
1. The story is about a friendship betw een two souls who are “seemingly different” in every way: one is an American boy of twelve; and the other is an old English woman.
2. The story is not very subtle, nor is it particularly dramatic, but it is nevertheless beautiful. It is beautiful not just because it contains some beautiful descriptions of the Wood, but because it is about a beautiful friendship.
Part Two Detailed Discussion of the Text
1. The Structure of the Text
It can be divided into three big parts:
The first part describes the loneliness of the boy and his roaming in the woods.
The second part describes the boy’s encounter with the old lady.
The last part describes the death of the old lady and the boy’s nostalgia for her.
2. Detailed Discussion of the text
甄妮1) The theme of the story is summed up at the very end. It is about “ a wisdom tutored by nature itself, about the seen and the unseen, about things that change and things that are changeless, and about the fact that no matter how seemingly different two souls may be, they possess the potential for that most precious, rare thing---an enduring and rewarding friendship.”
2) The story is not very subtle, nor is it particularly dramatic, but it is nevertheless beautiful. It is beautiful not just because it contains some beautiful descriptions of the Wood, but because it is about a beautiful friendship.
3) What is interesting is the fact that this is a friendship between two souls who are “seemingly different” in every way: one is an American boy of t welve,; and the other is an old English woman.
4) Why can they become good friends?
A: They are both lonely: the boy is lonely because he is in a foreign country with his father, the woman is lonely because she has just lost her dear husband.
B: They have the common interest in nature and knowledge.
C: The shortbread the woman keeps supplying for the boy is also one of the reasons.
D: The real reason for their friendship is the old woman’s selfless interest in the boy. It is often said that true love is in the giving and not in the taking. So is friendship. The woman not only gives the boy good food to eat, she also gives him a new vision of the beautiful nature, the key to the treasury of human knowledge, and above all, her care, concern, love and affection. Does she get anything in return? Yes. Through giving, she cannot help receiving. Although totally unaware, the boy has given the woman great consolation too. He is the real good companion of the woman. He brings great happiness and consolation to the woman. That is what she really needs in her deep heart.
5) In this world, there are many things you can see and there are many things you can’t see, and friendship is what you can’t see, unlike your worldly belongings, because it exists deep in your heart.
In this world there are also things that change and things that do not change, and true friendship does not change. It is rare and precious. It is enduring and rewarding.
Part Three Vocabulary —the usage of suspect, regard, earn, incline and identify
1.suspect
(1) to think that sth is probably true or likely, esp. sth bad
(2) to think that someone is probably guilty
(3) to doubt the truth of sth
(1) to look at attentively; to observe closely
(2) to consider or look upon in a particular way
(3) to have great affection or admiration for
give one’s regards to somebody
in this regard
with regard to
as regards
regardless of
3.earn
(1) to receive a certain amount of money for the work you do
(2) to get sth you deserve
4.incline
(1) to think that a particular belief or opinion is most likely to be right
to be inclined to do
手心里的爱5.identify
(1) to recognize and correctly name someone or sth, or to discover
the nature and origin of the thing
identity (n.)
identification (n.)
identical (adj.)
Part Four Grammar Focus
1. Ways of expressing adverbial
2. Ways of expressing apposition
3. Prepositions
Part Five More work on the Text.
1. Oral Work;
2. Vocabulary Exercises;
3. Grammar Exercises;
4. Written Work (Topic): Friendship
1. Why did Bear Wood become the boy’s favorite? What was so special about it?
2. Why did the boy remember so fondly his days in the Bear Wood? What did he mean when he talked about wisdom as a legacy?
3. What are the “seen and unseen”; “things that change and things that are changeless”?
4. What do you learn from their friendship?
Text Appreciation
I. Text Analysis
Plot of the story
Setting of the story
Protagonists of the story
Writing techniques of thestory
Theme of the story
你带来一片温柔
Have you got the key elements in the story?
Plot: the cultivation of friendshipbetween a boy and an old lady
Setting: Bear wood
Protagonists: "I" and Mrs. Robertson-Glasgow
Writing techniques: go to Writing Devices
Theme of the story: go to the next page
Theme of the Story
喜气洋洋猪八戒片尾曲True friendship is both rare and precious. It exists deep in heart and does not change. It is enduring and rewarding.
The theme is summed up at the very end.