Unit 7 The Monster Teaching plan综合教程四

UNIT 7 THE MONSTERTeaching Objectives1)Get the gist of the text.2)Master the following key words and expressions: roll into one, for the sake of , feelout of sorts, darkly, pull wires, between the lines, What if…, downright.3)Master the use of some prepositions and coordinators.4)Analyze the structure and rhetorical features of the text and get the message of thetext.5)Be able to describe about an eccentric person.Warm-up ActivitiesDiscuss the following questions as the lead-in to the text.1)What is a monster? Have you ever seen one?2)What kind of man is comparable to a monster?3)Can you think of any famous European composer of the 18th and 19th century?Cultural background1. List of some common musical instruments1) Stringed Instruments 弦乐器Viola 中提琴Cello 大提琴Guitar 吉他Violin 小提琴Harp 竖琴2) Keyboard Instruments键盘乐器Piano 钢琴Pipe organ 管风琴3) Percussion Instruments打击乐器Triangle 三角铁Drum 大鼓Cymbal 钹Gong 锣Tambourine 铃鼓Xylophone 木琴Dulcimer 扬琴Chimes/Tubular bell 管钟4) Wind Instrument 管乐器；吹奏乐器①Brass Instruments 铜管乐器French horn 法国号Bugle 单号/军乐号Cornet 短号Trumpet 小号②Woodwind Instruments木管乐器Clarinet 单簧管Bassoon 低音管/巴松管Flute 长笛Oboe 双簧管Saxophone 萨克斯Accordion 手风琴harmonica 口琴2. List of some musical termsThis is a list of musical terms that are likely to be encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes.cycle套曲: a set of songs intended to be performed as a groupsuite组曲: an instrumental piece consisting of several shorter piecessonata奏鸣曲: a piece of music for one instrument or for one instrument and piano, usually divided into three or four partssymphony交响曲: an elaborate musical composition for full orchestra, typically in four movements, at least one of which is traditionally in sonata formconcerto协奏曲: a musical composition for a solo instrument or instruments accompanied by an orchestra, especially one conceived on a relatively large scale overture序曲: an orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, suite, play, oratorio, or other extended compositionprelude前奏曲: an introductory piece of music, most commonly an orchestral opening to an act of an opera, the first movement of a suite, or a piece preceding a fugue impromptu即兴曲: a short piece of instrumental music, especially a solo, that is reminiscent of an improvisationaccompaniment伴奏: the part of a piece of music that supports the tune or someone singingsolo独奏；独唱: a piece of vocal or instrumental music or a dance, or a part or passage in one, for one performerensemble重奏；重唱: a group of musicians, dancers, or actors who perform together chamber music室内乐: music for a small ensemble of instruments, intended for performance in a room or chamber, as opposed to a church or larger buildingduet二重奏: a piece of music written for two performers. On the piano such a piece would involve two players on one instrument.trio三重奏: a composition designed for three players or the name of a group of three playersquartet四重奏: a composition for four players or the name for a group of four playersText ITHE MONSTERDeems TaylorGlobal ReadingI. General analysis of the textThe text argues that Richard Wagner’s monstrous behavior can be forgiven because of his miraculous achievements in music.II. Structural analysis of the textThis essay on a famous man, whose name is not revealed until almost the end of the piece, is a study of monstrous conceit. Filled with biographical details that keep the reader guessing to the last moment, the essay concludes with a challenging view on the nature of genius: If a genius was so prolific, “is it any wonder that he had no time to be a man?”The text can be divided into three parts:Part I (Paragraphs 1 –9): This part describes a man who seems to have rolled all kinds of demerits into one, a real monster.Part II (Paragraph 10): This part serves as a transitional paragraph, which clarifies who this monster really is, i.e. a famous musician by the name of Richard Wagner.Part III (Paragraphs 11 –13):The last part justifies all the peculiar behavior of Richard Wagner.III. Rhetorical features of the textThe repetitive use of the third person pronoun he creates suspense in the reader’s mind. This is one of the effective ways to hold the readers’ attention and make them read on. If we use the terminology of functional linguistics and discourse analysis, this use of he is cataphoric in nature. Another typical example is “He’s the biggest slob I know. He’s really stupid. He’s so cruel. He’s my boyfriend, Steve.”Moreover, a series of the superlative forms of adjectives and inverted sentences are used to emphasize the extreme extent of his peculiar conceit.For example:He believed himself one of the greatest dramatists in the world, one of the greatest thinkers, and one of the greatest composers. (Paragraph 2)Never for one minute did he look at the world or at people, except in relation to himself. (Paragraph 2)Detailed ReadingQuestions1. Does the man’s appearance, described in the first paragraph, give one any impression of “grandeur”? (Paragraph 1)Answer: No. He was a little man with signs of ill health, sick in both body and nerves. This is by no means an appearance that may bring one a sense of grandeur. Then what makes a man with such a poor look have “delusions of grandeur”? The only explanation isthat “he is a monster of conceit”.2. What further evidence is provided of the monster’s conceit? (Paragraph 2)Answer: To prove his conceit, the second paragraph describes him as so egocentric that he cared about nothing but himself; he had such a strong sense of self-appreciation that he saw himself not just as the greatest musician, polemist and philosopher, but also as the world’s finest living poet and playwright. And the third paragraph tells that he never expected criticism or allowed disagreement.3. What facts are given to show that he was a versatile man? (Paragraph 4)Answer: Besides his activity as a composer and a librettist Wagner wrote an astonishing number of books and articles, in fact about 230 titles. His literary spectrum ranges from theories of opera to political programs. He has been classified as an anarchist and a socialist and, simultaneously, as a proto-fascist and nationalist, as a vegetarian and an anti-Semite ... In fact, his name has appeared in connection with almost all major trends in German history of the 19th and 20th centuries.4. How does the writer describe him as an emotional person? (Paragraph 5)Answer: He had a mood as changeable as a six-year-old child. For example, he would get mad when something was against his desire, and forget all about it when something pleasant happened. And he would be grieved on one occasion but become merciless on another.5. How was he financially supported? Did he earn himself a good living with his great talents? (Paragraph 6－7 )Answer:He lived on others’ money. Throughout his life, he found many benefactors, among whom King Ludwig II and Otto Wesendonck were two of the most generous ones. In 1864 King Ludwig II, his greatest benefactor, invited him to settle in Bavaria, near Munich, discharging all his debts and providing him with money. Another generous patron Otto Wesendonck, whose wife was stolen away by Wagner, supported him economically by buying the publishing rights of his works. However, later it turned out that he had to give up his publishing rights because Wagner had sold them again to others.Although these benefactors had provided him with a great sum of money and never got any repayment, Wagner kept living in debt and had a narrow escape from being thrown into jail for debt because he was such a lavish spender.6. What was his attitude toward love? (Paragraph 8)Answer: It seems that he was a playboy. He divorced his first wife Minna Planer after 26years’marriage (1836－1862) and stole away other people’s wives, e.g. Jessie Laussot, Mathilde Wesendonck, Cosima von Bülow, the last one was the wife of the conductor Hans von Bülow, and Liszt’s daughter.7. Why do you think Wagner made so many enemies? (Paragraph 9)Answer: This was also due to his conceit. He could not tolerate anyone who disagreed with him, even over some trivial points like weather. He was under such a delusion of grandeur that he would do anything to defeat them in order to defend his image as a perfect genius rather than keep them as friends.8. How does the author justify Wagner’s arrogance and extravagance? (Paragraph 11－12) Answer: The author says that Wagner was among the greatest dramatists, the greatest thinkers and the most tremendous musical geniuses in our world. His immortal works far exceeded in value the tortures his arrogance inflicted upon others and the debts he owed.Text IISIMPLE HABITS, DEEP THOUGHTSLead-in Questions1) Einstein is probably one of the most influential figures in science in the twentieth century, but more importantly, he was a man of great character. Besides his scientific achievements, what do you known about Albert Einstein as an ordinary person?Key:a. Einstein’s early years did not mark him as a genius. His parents worried because he was so slow to learn to speak. He was a poor student, and some of his teachers thought he might be retarded (mentally handicapped).b. As a keen and talented violinist, music was one of Einstein’s life-long passions.c. Einstein himself had always opposed war. He spoke against it during the First World War, and throughout the 1920s and 1930s. He was a supporter of disarmament and of a Jewish state.2) In what way do you think a great man distinguishes himself?Key:Here are some qualities that may distinguish a great man from others: persistence, diligence, humanity, generosity …Main ideaQuestions for discussion1) In what way was Einstein “simple” and in what way was he “deep”?2) What is the main idea of relativity? How did he explain his theory of relativity to a group of young students?3) What do you know about his political stands?4) What eccentricities of Einstein are described in the text?5) There was something unusual in both Albert Einstein and Richard Wagner. In what ways were they different from each other?Key to questions for discussion1) He was simple in his habits. He did not pay much attention to his personal appearance. His clothes were baggy and he wore bedroom slippers when walking on the streets. He was simple in his life, having little interest in money and living in a simple home. He was easy-going; even a twelve-year-old girl could be his regular visitor and keep a simple relationship of exchanging arithmetic homework for cookies. However, he was serious in his research work, deep in his political thoughts on Nazism and anti-Semitism, and firm in his pursuit of world peace.2) Basically the theory proposed, among other things, that the greatest speed possible is the speed of light; that the rate of a clock moving through space will decrease as its speed increases; and the energy and mass are equal and interchangeable. To illustrate his profound idea, Einstein compares it to the ways one feels when he is sitting with a nice girl and when he is sitting on a hot stove.3) He insists on real political liberty, toleration and equality of all. Everyone should be able to express their political opinions freely and any individual opinion should be respected.4) His carelessness to his appearance, his shyness to attend public celebration for his birthday, his little interest in money by asking for a small salary, turning down a good offer for a talk on the radio and losing a check by using it as a bookmark.5) Wagner was arrogant, aggressive, and self-centered whereas Einstein was modest, amiable and easy-going. Wagner was a monster but Einstein was absolutely a gentleman.Memorable quotesThere is no great genius without a mixture of madness.－AristotleAristotle (384－322 BC) was a Greek philosopher who made important contributions by systemizing deductive logic and wrote on physical subjects. His philosophy had a long-lasting influence on the development of all Western philosophical theories.Genius is a promontory jutting out of the infinite.－Victor HugoVictor Hugo (1802－1885) was a poet, novelist, and dramatist and the most important French Romantic writer of the 19th Century. Hugo is best known for his novels Notre-Dame de Paris (also known as Hunchback of Notre-Dam) (1831) and Les Miserables (1862).Questions for discussion:1)What is a great man in your eyes?2)What are the qualities that a great man is supposed to possess?Keys:1) A great man is a highly influential individual who, due to either his personal charisma, intelligence, or wisdom, utilizes his power in a way that has a decisive historical impact.2) Qualities that distinguish a great man from the ordinary people may be: vision, integrity, courage, understanding, the power of articulation, profundity of character, self-discipline, compassion …。