An Ecological Message: from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" by Coleridge

A Conversation About Books

THE SCRIPT

PRESENTATORE: Benvenuti a RadioMancini alla redazione di English Corner, uno spazio dedicato interamente alla cultura inglese. Oggi sono ospiti gli studenti della IIALM del liceo Mancini che partecipano al progetto di lettura Read on. Gli alunni Illustreranno la loro esperienza, esprimendo le loro considerazioni. Diamo la parola a uno degli studenti, Antonio.

ANTONIO: Buongiorno a tutti dalla 2 Alm .oggi discuteremo di libri. Con la nostra professoressa ci occupiamo del progetto in lingua inglese Read on: abbiamo letto un numero notevole di libri e questo ci ha permesso di appassionarci alla lettura e di migliorare la nostra conoscenza della lingua inglese. Stamane ci confronteremo con i compagni sui vari libri, esprimendo le nostre opinioni.

PRESENTATORE: Prima di cominciare quest’interessante conversazione, ascoltiamo un bellissimo brano di…

CRISTIAN: Today I’m going to ask my classmates some questions about books. Let’s start with Giulia. Which book have you read recently?

GIULIA: I've read the do-over by Lynn Painter. She's from Nebraska and she's my favourite English author because of her reletable characters, that are usually teens like us, and because of her easy-to-read rom-coms ; she creates playlists for each of them. The book is set in Nebraska on Valentine's day and it's about Emilie Hornby who, after living through a disaster of a Valentine’s Day, escapes to her grandmother’s house for some comfort. She passes out on the couch, but when she wakes up, she’s back home in her own bed—and it’s Valentine’s Day all over again. And the next day? Another horrendous V-Day. Emilie is stuck in some sort of time loop nightmare that she can’t wake up from as she re-watches her boyfriend, Josh,who cheats on her day after day. In addition, Emilie can’t get away from the enigmatic Nick, who she keeps running into in unfortunate ways. How many times can one girl passively watch her life go up in flames? And when something good starts to come out of these terrible days, what happens when the universe stops doling out do-overs?

CRISTIAN: Who is your favourite character and what made it stand out to you?

GIULIA: My favourite character is actually the protagonist, Emilie. She has what she thinks is the "perfect life" all planned out. When it doesn't go as planned she's devastated and after a while she gives in and starts living life without thinking about the consequences and that's what we should always do to start to really live.

CRISTIAN: what is the main theme of the book?

GIULIA: I think that the meaning behind the time loop is not to plan life because fate has already planned everything for you. But so many people are obsessed with what's going to happen in the future that they don't appreciate the present and don't live at their best. It made me think all of the times that I really wanted to do something but I didn't because I was scared of the consequences but after reading this book I learned that we only have one life and we should live the present or we're never going to live our best life.

CRISTIAN: Let’s move on to Federica. What is the last book you have read ?

FEDERICA: The book I’ve read recently is The Canterville Ghost which was written by Oscar Wilde.

CRISTIAN: What was your first impression? Did it change as you read? Was the end satisfying?

Well, at first, I didn’t have a positive impression of the book and thought it wouldn’t be enjoyable. However, by the time I finished it, I found myself very satisfied. The end was better than I expected it to be!

CRISTIAN: is there a part of the story you would have explored in a deeper way?

FEDERICA: Not everything is perfect though: I personally think that the part of the story where Virginia is with the Ghost should have been more detailed. I am curious of what they had done!

Overall, it’s a great book that I would recommend to all teenagers of my age.

CRISTIAN: Enrico, which book do you want to talk about?

ENRICO I’d like to talk of Oliver Twist

CRISTIAN: do you want to tell the plot of the novel?

ENRICO:. The novel tells us the story of a young boy, Oliver, who loses both his parents. As a child, he is sent to a workhouse, where, after receiving a bunch of humiliations, he rebels against the adults in charge. From that moment on, he experiences a series of events that shape his journey towards freedom and independence. Oliver is sent to work for a coffin maker as an apprentice, to learn a profession, but overwhelmed by the harsh conditions, he escapes and finds shelter in the apartment of a group of criminals, led by the old Fagin, a man that will take care of the boy. Oliver becomes part of their group. However, he is unjustly punished for a theft and captured by the police. From then on, Oliver fights for independence from the criminals and the villain Bill Sikes, and dreams of living a better life with a man, Mr. Bronlow, who adopts him and offers him a fair chance.

CRISTIAN: Would you recommend this?

ENRICO I’d highly recommend it

CRISTIAN would you like to talk about your experience during the reading of Charls Dickens’s novel?

ENRICO: My experience reading Oliver Twist and other Dickens novels was overwhelmingly positive, so I would definitely recommend them, in particular Oliver Twist,  especially to anyone who feels that life is filled with injustices and is searching for personal affirmation in an unfair world.

CRISTIAN: Thanks Enrico , now it’s the turn of Francesca.can you talk about the book you have just read?

FRANCESCA: I have just read the Elephant Man.

CRISTIAN: is there a specific moment or scene that you like most ? Why or why not?

FRANCESCA: A specific moment I like much in The Elephant Man is when John Merrick is shown kindness and acceptance for the first time by Dr. Treves and others. It was touching because it highlights the power of compassion in transforming someone’s life, especially for someone who have been treated so cruelly before.

CRISTIAN: What do you think the author was trying to comunicate through the story’

FRANCESCA: I think the author was trying to communicate the importance of empathy and seeing beyond physical appearances. Through John Merrick’s story, the author shows how society often judges people superficially, but true humanity lies in recognizing the inner worth and dignity of every individual. It’s a message about compassion, acceptance, and the value of kindness.

CRISTIAN: Thank you Francesca.

CRISTIAN: Pierfrancesco, can you talk about a book that you like?

PIERFRANCESCO: I ‘ d like to talk about A Christmas Carol.

CRISTIAN: Do you think the book’s title reflects its story or themes?

PIERFRANCESCO: Yes, the title A Christmas Carol perfectly reflects both the story and its themes. The word “Carol” refers to a Christmas song, evoking the spirit of the holiday. This ties closely to the plot, which revolves around Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation and the awakening of values such as generosity, hope, and redemption.

CRISTIAN: What emotions did the story evoke in you?

PIERFRANCESCO: The book evokes a wide range of emotions:

  •  Compassion, for the struggles of characters like Tiny Tim and their resilience.

  •  Hope, for the message that change and kindness are always possible.

  •  Joy, for the uplifting conclusion celebrating Christmas spirit and Scrooge’s redemption.

CRISTIAN: Can you Describe the book with three words.?

PIERFRANCESCO: Redemption, Generosity, and Christmas.

CRISTIAN: now let’s talk to Carmine. Have you read a book recently?

CARMINE P.: I have read Percy Jackson , written by Rick Riordan, an American writer that has written this book for his son. The first book talks about a teenager that was attacked by his math teacher, she was a moster and the main character kills her. After that the character reveals his identity: he is an halfblood son of Poseidon.

CRISTIAN: What is your favourite character? Why?

CARMINE P.: My favourite character is Annabbeth Chase, dauther of Athena. I love her because she is a reletable character. I always feel like her becase she uses her brain to defeat her enemies.

CRISTIAN: Did you learn something new or gain a new prospective from the book?

CARMINE P.: I learned a lot of things about Greek mitology, and about my self because this book explores every kind of teenager problem, so this book helped me to improve myself.

CRISTIAN: They made a film about it, Didn’t They? Did you watch it? If yes, did you liked it’

CARMINE P.: They made a film and a series, I watched both and in my opinion the film is worst than the book. The series is acceptable and I like it.

CRISTIAN: It’s Matteo’s turn. Which book do you want to talk about?

MATTEO: I really enjoyed Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It's a powerful exploration of ambition, responsibility, and the consequences of playing god. The novel tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who becomes obsessed with creating life. After succeeding in bringing a creature to life, he is horrified by its appearance and abandons it. Left alone, the creature experiences rejection and isolation, leading to tragic consequences as it seeks revenge on its creator. The book delves into deep themes of loneliness, morality, and the dangers of unchecked ambition. It’s both haunting and thought-provoking, making it a timeless classic.I’d recommend it because it raises profound moral questions and is a gripping exploration of human ambition, empathy, and the consequences of our actions.

CRISTIAN: What do you think about the author’s writing style? Was it engaging?

MATTEO: Mary Shelley's writing style in Frankenstein is both engaging and sophisticated. She uses a variety of narrative techniques, including the use of framed narratives, where multiple characters tell the story from their perspectives, creating a sense of depth and complexity. This structure keeps the reader intrigued by revealing key plot points gradually and from different angles.

CRISTIAN: Were there any passages that stood out to you? Can you tell us?

MATTEO: A passage that really stood out to me and that made me really think is when the creature of frankestain expresses his loniless and his pain ."I am malicious because I am miserable. If you only knew how little it is that I am made to endure! I would wish to be with you, and I would wish to feel the same sympathy that you feel. I am more than human, but I am a creature of suffering."

In this passage we realize how Frankestein is more than a monster but in every sense a human able of learning and in particular feeling emotions even stronger than we do.

CRISTIAN: Andrea, what book did you like?

ANDREA: I read A Christmas Carol and I liked it very much because I think it's very interesting and exciting. I love Christmas and this is the main topic of the book. I recommend it to all my friends and family.

CRISTIAN: What’s your favourite book, Maristella ?

MARISTELLA: The Canterville Ghost.

CRISTIAN: What is it about?

MARISTELLA: I like it for the Themes of Redemption and Forgiveness. Under the humor there is a deeper story of redemption. Sir Simon's transformation from a tormented ghost to a forgiven soul is touching and uplifting. The book is short and easy to read, accessible for All Ages.

CRISTIAN:. What did you read,Ugo

UGO: I read a very beautiful novel: Dracula. I love it because this novel inspires some others horror story. We can say this is the horror’s progenitor. I recommend to everyone because it is full of twists and turns.

CRISTIAN: Simona, do you like this activity ?

SIMONA: I really enjoyed this experience and I recommend it to anyone who loves reading because it’s a funny way to experience books, sharing your ideas with your friends.

CRISTIAN: And you Aurora, do you enjoy reading books? Do you recommend it?

AURORA: Yes, I do. I think that this is a funny and interesting activity that helps you learn English and read different books.

CRISTIAN would you recommend it’

Yes, of course

An interview with William Shakespeare

A Leap into the past

This year we have studied William Shakespeare and his works .Our class 3BSA has been very interested in this topic that we have dealt with great pleasure . Therefore some days ago Our English teacher had a surprise for us: a time machine capable of transporting us to any era. After much excitement and discussion, we decided to journey back to 1601, to the heart of Elizabethan London, to witness a live performance at the Globe Theatre.

As the time machine activated, we found ourselves amidst the bustling streets of London, the air filled with the scent of roasted chestnuts and the sounds of merchants. We made our way to the iconic Globe Theatre, eager to experience the magic of Shakespeare’s plays firsthand.Suddenly we met Shakespeare and we began our conversation

Student: Mister Shakespeare, it’s an honour to meet you.

Shakespeare: The pleasure is mine. You seem… out of place.

Student: Indeed, I come from the future. My class and I travelled back in time to meet you and ask some questions.

Shakespeare: Fascinating. What brings you to my abode?

Student: We attended a performance of “Hamlet” at the Globe. I was particularly intrigued by the female characters, especially Ophelia and Gertrude.

Shakespeare: Ah, Ophelia and Gertrude. Their stories are very complex.

Student: Ophelia’s descent into madness was heartbreaking. What inspired you to create such a tragic character?

Shakespeare: Ophelia represents the innocence and vulnerability that can be crushed by the machinations of court politics and betrayal. Her madness is a reflection of the chaos around her.

Student: And Gertrude? Her quick remarriage to Claudius raises questions about her loyalty and motivations.

Shakespeare: Gertrude’s actions are open to interpretation. Is she complicit, or merely a woman trying to survive in a patriarchal society? I leave that to the audience to decide.

Student: In “Romeo and Juliet,” Juliet is portrayed as a young girl even though determined. How did you approach describing her character?

Shakespeare: Juliet embodies youthful passion and the struggle between personal desire and familial duty. Her courage in pursuing love, even in the face of dire consequences, is a testament to her strength.

Student: Lady Capulet, on the other hand, seems distant from Juliet. Was this intentional?

Shakespeare: Lady Capulet represents the traditional expectations placed upon women, often at the expense of emotional connection. Her relationship with Juliet highlights the generational division.

Student: And what about “Othello,”? Desdemona’s unwavering love and tragic end are powerful. What message were you conveying through her character?

Shakespeare: Desdemona’s purity and devotion contrast sharply with the jealousy and manipulation that lead to her death. It’s a commentary on the destructive power of unfounded suspicion.

Student: Emilia’s role is also significant. Her realization and confrontation of Iago’s deceit add depth to the narrative.

Shakespeare: Emilia serves as a voice of reason and truth. Her courage in exposing the truth, even at great personal risk, underscores the importance of integrity.

Student: Lastly, Lady Macbeth’s ambition and subsequent guilt are central to “Macbeth.” What drove you to craft such a multifaceted character?

Shakespeare: Lady Macbeth challenges traditional gender roles, displaying ambition and strength. However, her descent into guilt-induced madness reveals the psychological toll of unchecked ambition.

Student: Your portrayal of women is remarkably nuanced for your time. What influenced this approach?

Shakespeare: I sought to reflect the complexities of human nature, regardless of gender. Women, like men, possess a spectrum of emotions and motivations worthy of exploration.

Student: Thank you for your time, Mister Shakespeare. This conversation has been enlightening.

Shakespeare: Safe travel, my friend to the future. May your journey be filled with discovery.


3BSA

Alunni: Armando Sarno, Luigi De Vivo, Federico Savignano e Luigi Tangredi

A Conversation Between Two Romantic Poets

 

Exploring Shakespearean Plays: the main role of women

Shakespeare’s themes

Women and love

An obsessive desire for love and power lies at the center of Shakespeare's tragedies. In these dramatic plays-also in the sense of a game-Shakespeare's heroines play an active role. Juliet is a 14-year-old girl who, in her absolute love for Romeo, finds the strength to oppose her parents, her relatives, and an entire society that denies her the right to love. Few scenes in Shakespeare are as brutal as the one in which Juliet's father, upon hearing that she refuses to marry Count Paris-her family's chosen husband- savagely insults her, while her mother refuses to respond to her pleas for help.

Women and vulnerability

Shakespeare emphasizes this aspect of her character, often portraying her as wishing she were a man; Macbeth himself remarks on how much more of a man she is than he is. Through Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare explores this dimension of human nature more effectively than he does with most of his male characters-perhaps with the exception of Richard III.Shakespeare's tragedies, women often embody vulnerability, caught in the tension between their own desires and the oppressive forces of society and the men around them. Desdemona and Ophelia are both tragic examples of how female vulnerability is exploited and ultimately leads to their downfall. Desdemona, in Othello, is a woman who loves with an intense sincerity, but her vulnerability lies in her unquestioning loyalty to her husband, Otello. Despite her strength of character, her innocence and trust make her susceptible to Otello's growing jealousy and doubt.

Ophelia, on the other hand, in Hamlet, represents a different kind of vulnerability. She is a woman without agency, controlled by the men around her -her father, Polonius, and her lover, Hamlet. The loss of her father, combined with Hamlet's rejection and cruelty, drives Ophelia to madness. Her vulnerability is not only emotional but also reflects her limited role in a world where her identity is defined by the men she serves or loves.

Women and power

In the eternal struggle for power that runs through world history and everyday society, Shakespeare's heroines do not conform to stereotypical female behavior. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is not merely a complement to her husband, but rather the driving force of the play: the witches' prophecy and Macbeth's ambition seem to serve merely as tools for her immense desire for power. Shakespeare emphasizes this aspect of her character, often portraying her as wishing she were a man; Macbeth himself remarks on how much more of a man she is than he is. Through Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare explores this dimension of human nature more effectively than he does with most of his male characters-perhaps with the exception of Richard III.

FRANKENSTEIN OR THE MODERN PROMETEUS

SHAKESPEARE OUR CONTEMPORARY

"Shakespeare forever"

Over four hundred years have passed since William Shakespare stopped writing, however his poetry and plays are as vivid and alive today as they were back then. Who doesn't know the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet or the famous soliloquy of Hamlet:“to be or not to be”? But with so many modern stories and writers, why should students continue to study Shakespeare?

There are several reasons why everyone should be encouraged to read the plays of one of the world's most famous literary figures. His works certainly have extraordinary storylines, his plots and his writings still inspire the modern books, films and TV series.

The themes are universal and the characters are so interesting, for instance the most famous stories talk about Macbeth's desire of power and ambition, the tragic love of Romeo and Juliet due to the conflict between their families, the evil influence of jealousy that takes Othello to kill his wife and himself and also the revenge and the doubts of Hamlet after the murder of his father.

Shakespeare has explored every area of human emotions and has created characters that grab the audience's attention. There are a lot of different characters like kings, villains, murderers, lovers and witches. Reading Shakespeare also encourages readers to use the imagination and learn about different topics of today’s world like the ambition of politicians or the femicides due to jealousy or love.

Another important part of Shakespeare’s plays is his language,in fact he introduced a lot of new words and phrases that are still in use today such as:”A heart of gold”,”Knock Knock!Who’s there?” and ”All of a sudden”.Unfortunately many people who use these phrases don’t know that they are using Shakespeare’s language.

There is no better way to become a better reader than to study Shakespeare,it can be difficult,but it can be rewarding.His writings and themes are timeless and full of meanings that are still important today.We can still learn a lot from his plays,we can understand the history behind his writings and we can learn by the messages left by him.

To sum up, “Shakespeare was not of an age, but for all time”, his plays were read in the past, read in the present and will continue to be read in the future. He will always be a modern writer.

written by Delia Luciano and Fausto Cipriano
class 3BSA

LAVORI REALIZZATI DAGLI ALUNNI DOPO LA LETTURA DEI LIBRI, NELL'AMBITO DEL PROGETTO "READ ON"

Literature & Music: il magico legame tra letteratura e musica, quando poesia e note si incontrano

A cura della prof.ssa Patrizia Martone e della classe 5 ALM.

JOURNEY THROUGH NINETEENTH-CENTURY ENGLISH LITERATURE ...

Gli alunni Paolo Grimaldi e Francesco Dello Russo, alla fine dell’anno scolastico 2021/22, hanno realizzato un interessante lavoro digitale illustrando gli autori e le tematiche trattate del Romanticismo Inglese.

Read On! Project — Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson

Nel corso dell’anno scolastico 2021/22, gli studenti della classe IV ALM sono stati coinvolti nel progetto Read On e con grande motivazione e interesse, dopo la lettura di alcuni libri, hanno realizzato dei lavori digitali.

THE WOMAN QUESTION — FEMALE CONSCIOUSNESS

Nel corso dell'anno scolastico 2021/22 con la classe V ALM ho trattato la "questione femminile" e le figure delle scrittrici nella letteratura inglese e in ambito europeo, nel corso del novecento. Alcune studentesse della classe: Martina Iandolo, Mariarita Lavanga, Francesca Laudando e Gabriella Giro si sono dedicate particolarmente a questo lavoro e attraverso una ricerca più dettagliata hanno sviluppato questa tematica con una breve introduzione e con dei PowerPoint su alcuni famosi romanzi, soffermandosi in particolare sull'analisi di alcuni personaggi femminili.

— THE WOMAN QUESTION —

“

The best thermometer to the progress of a nation is its treatment of its women. There is no

chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved.

 

”

Throughout the centuries the condition of the woman has always been characterized by a situation of inferiority on social, juridical and political plain. This situation that improved slowly during the last years, was a big issue of the previous ages. The term “Woman Question” was used in England in the Victorian era, during the 17th and 19th century in coincidence to the ideological and social change of European society. On the ideological side, the philosophy of the Enlightenment and its political application (democracy) stated that all human beings and therefore also women, were equal and had the same rights. On the social side, the Industrial Revolution destroyed the old family economy and needed women as single workers and so, again, in theory made them equal to men in social status and money-earning power. In reality although many women now worked with men in workshops and factories, they were subject to discrimination, with worse jobs and wages, and had to work at home. During that period even elementary schooling was thought to be superfluous for women, let alone higher education. And we should remember that woman in higher classes enjoyed less freedom because of the rigid code of sexual and social behaviour imposed by the Victorian standards. In the early 19th century the advance of the middle-class in Europe worsened women's condition. Despite single voices of protest, such as Mary Wollstonecraft's with her A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, usually considered the first feminist pamphlet, the Napoleonic civil code spread in many European countries. It sanctioned woman’s legal inferiority with respect to man. This reflected the bourgeois idea of the family. But at that point things were about to change. Women's meetings and demonstrations started to be common and thanks to that, some women started to gain access to colleges and professions. One of the most famous examples was certainly Florence Nightingale, who became a national legend for her work in hospitals. An influential voice of support for women came from John Stuart Mill, who spoke in favor of female emancipation. Another important step in this process was also the introduction of the so-called Married Women’s Property Act in 1882. With this act women were allowed by law to own property after they got married. By the end of Queen Victoria’s reign the situation had improved on the educational side, but especially on the social side. Women during this phase were very active and they began to organize in associations. Even if women didn’t get the right to vote until 1918, the first petitions to Parliament asking for Women’s Suffrage dated back to the 1840s. Since the appearance of the first novels in the late 18th century women usually emerged simply as characters. They could be lovers, objects of their man’s sexual desire, or in a more spiritual view, they may be praised as goddesses or they may be heroine, as Shakespeare’s tragedies showed. But under every perspective they were always subordinated to the ethical, social and political values created by men in male-dominated world. In fact we shouldn’t forget that all the portraits of women we have in literature and arts until the Romantic age, were done by men. Women will become the makers of literature only with the successful works of Jane Austen and Mary Shelley. Women also became Romantic heroines, with strong and independent minds, thanks to Dickens and Brontë sisters’ works. In their masterpieces women began to be described as intelligent, independent people often in contrast with the accepted ideas of their role as wives,

mothers, sisters.

— THE NEW WOMAN AND THE FEMALE CHARACTERS OF THE 19TH CENTURY NOVEL —

In the course of the 19th century a new figure of woman was presented. She became, unlike tragic heroines, aware of their destiny as social being. A new myth was described, the one of the “fallen woman”, a woman who, in order to fully live her own life, especially her sentimental life, escapes from the control of the traditional male figures (father, husband, brother. As a result, she becomes a social outcast and ends up badly. This is the case of Tess of the D’Ubervilles, written by Thomas Hardy. Tess is first cheated and seduced by a man, and when she later marries another man, she finds prejudice against womens’ sexual experience is so strong that it ruins her life. Two of the most influential Romantic figures were the Swiss-born, aristocratic Madame de Staël, a novelist and a literary critic, and George Sand, a novelist and a poet whose life-style was, at the time, very unconventional. In Italy women writers came later with Matilde Serao and Grazia Deledda, internationally acclaimed. If we have to talk about the first convincingly modern portrait of a woman, we should talk about Madame Bovary, by the French writer Gustave Flaubert. It is the story of a married woman’s life, her aspiration to love and happiness, her unfaithfulness to her husband and her final tragic death. But we shouldn’t make a mistake by considering her a “ fallen woman”, because Flaubert succeeded in proposing her tragedy with dramatic objectivity rather than passing judgment on her. Against all the conventions we have also Anna Karenina, by Lev Tolstoy. In this work there isn’t the poor woman who is left alone but her own husband, but, surprisingly, we are witnessing a reversal of roles. As a matter of fact the main character, a young noblewoman, leaves her husband and son in order to live with the love of her life. A similar example can be searched in the famous play Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. In this work, the female protagonist, Nora, suddenly discovers that her husband has always treated her like a doll, not as an existing and real human being. When she realizes this enormous lack of love, she decides to leave home. As we can imagine the play made a huge scandal throughout Europe, since it was a pitiless attack on middle-class values, founded on the subordination of women.

— FEMALE CONSCIOUSNESS —

The role of women in the family and in society, their psychological and intellectual characteristics and their relationship with men were amply debated in the 20th century. In this debate a significant place was occupied by the literature itself, especially the literature of female writers. In fact this period was a very exciting time for female novelists, who produced unique works. Since literature began this was the first time that women not only tackled issues concerning women that were considered controversial like sexuality and feminism, but also did so in a way that put the reader in the mindset of the female protagonist. The highlight of this “new literature” has to be searched in Virginia Woolf’s essays or pamphlets. We’re talking about A Room of One's Own (1929), a series of lectures delivered by a woman to a women's audience at a women's college on the subject of women and literature. This masterpiece can be seen as the first phase of the modern consciousness of women. In her work Woolf's arguments are clearly presented: in the past, women had no existence save in the fiction written by men; even if a woman had the same gifts as a man, social disadvantages would prevent her from writing or performing any other important activity. Woolf stresses the necessity for women to gain economic independence and intellectual freedom and for this reason this work had, at that time, a great impact on the feminist movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Thanks to this, a new feminism began to form and express itself, especially in the United States with the founding of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the institution by President Kennedy of a Commission on the Status of Women. The women's movement of the 1960s and 1970s drew inspiration from the civil rights protests and was made up mainly of women belonging to the middle class. They shared the spirit of rebellion that affected large segments of middle-class youth in the 1960s and which developed especially in schools and university campuses. Another factor linked to the emergence of the women's movement was the sexual revolution of the 1960s, which in turn was sparked by the development and marketing of the birth-control pill: this gave women the possibility of deciding if and when they wanted to become pregnant. Feminism reached its peak in the early 1970s, when in 1972 an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution was passed by the American Congress. Later, in the last part of the 20th century, several women writers explored female consciousness with increasing awareness of their intellectual and emotional potential. They didn't just denounce the oppression of a male-ruled society and join in protest against sexual discrimination, they looked for and found new ways of expression, not any longer dependent on male cultural tradition. For example the American poet Sylvia Plath became a charismatic figure for the feminists of the 1960s and 1970s, when, after she committed suicide, she became a symbol of the tensions and the sufferings to which many women are subjected in society. Ideologically, Plath's poems start from the position stated by Virginia Woolf in A Room of One's Own - the limits imposed on women by historical and social circumstances - and then describe a woman's struggle for happiness and integrity in a sexist world. Another writer who showed great originality in dealing with the theme of female condition in society is the English Angela Carter. She chose to be provocative not by taking aggressive political or social stances, but by rewriting traditional stories and myths from a female point of view: in doing so she also explored sexual politics and fantasies in original ways. Her The Passion of the New Eve, an unusual female utopian story, centers on a man who undergoes a forced sex-change operation and re-evaluates everything he once believed about power, gender, and sexual identity. As we could expect it became a sort of feminine manifesto for women writers.

Another story and career to remember is the one of the American Toni Morrison. She was the first black woman writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature. In her work she effectively combines the issues of race and gender in American society and she shows the effects of both racial and sexual oppression, describing the difficulties of African American women living in a society dominated by cultural values which are imposed by a white, male model.

Late Show: "Social Networking"

Gli alunni della classe V ASA, nell'anno scolastico 2020-2021, al termine del loro percorso scolastico di scienze applicate, grazie alle loro competenze informatiche e tecnologiche, hanno realizzato un video originale e simpatico sui "social network". Gli studenti hanno interpretato diversi ruoli e, in maniera creativa, hanno illustrato la complessa realtà dei "social network", evidenziando in maniera realistica ma anche con umorismo i vantaggi ma soprattutto le criticità, i rischi e i pericoli di questo mondo, in particolar modo per i giovani.

prof.ssa Patrizia Martone

Social Networking

Gli alunni della classe IV ALM hanno trattato la tematica dei social network e hanno realizzato dei lavori digitali grazie alla loro competenza tecnologica. Fin dalla loro comparsa i social network hanno determinato una rivoluzione in ambito comunicativo. Dal momento che l'uomo è per natura un essere sociale non deve stupire che siano stati creati degli strumenti come questi per stabilire delle connessioni. Tuttavia il loro impatto ha superato i limiti della comunicazione tradizionale e ha portato delle conseguenze nel cambiamento delle interazioni sociali. Sono molti i vantaggi dei social network ma esistono purtroppo anche numerosi svantaggi e rischi che gli alunni hanno cercato di evidenziare nei loro lavori.

prof.ssa Patrizia Martone

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Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' & Beckett's 'Waiting for Godot'

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        Estragone  :  E adesso che facciamo?
        Vladimiro  :  Non lo so.
        Estragone  :  Andiamocene.
        Vladimiro  :  Non si può.
        Estragone  :  Perché?
        Vladimiro  :  Aspettiamo Godot.
      

— Samuel Beckett, 'Waiting for Godot' (1952 'En attendant Godot', 1954 trad. in inglese)

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'Waiting for Godot' è una delle opere più originali dell'inizio del secolo scorso, la sua peculiarità è l'assenza di eventi salienti nella trama e di qualsiasi senso logico. I personaggi non danno risoluzione alla vicenda poiché il vero protagonista, quello che potrebbe muovere i fili, è invece l'assente Mr Godot. Quest'opera teatrale è un dramma segnato da attesa e staticità; i personaggi rimangono immobili sulla scena, incapaci della pur minima azione e ricordano l'inerzia di Amleto nel decidere. Nell'opera shakespeariana veniva contrapposto l'essere al non-essere, corrispondenti all'opposizione tra l'agire e il non-agire; in Beckett, invece, si nascondono le miserie ed inquietudini umane, riflesso dell'esistenza dell'uomo moderno. L'opera è caratterizzata dall'essenzialità dello stile e da un linguaggio didascalico e mimico.

Created by Luca Dello Russo 5ASA.

George Orwell and Social Media

L'alunna Dorotea Serrelli della classe V A s.a. presenta il romanzo di George Orwell "1984", in cui i mezzi di comunicazione di massa esercitano un controllo del pensiero della popolazione. La studentessa evidenzia l'attualità di George Orwell, analizzando i social networking, che influenzano i nostri sentimenti e costituiscono un efficace mezzo di persuasione e manipolazione del pensiero nella nostra società.

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Virginia Woolf, 'To the Lighthouse' (1927)

The lighthouse is the central symbol of the novel both as a physical element and a metaphorical one. Its light marks the passing of time and reassures the sailors, or the people looking at it. In a certain sense, it could be argued that Mrs Ramsay was like a lighthouse, the essential point of reference in her family’s life. Refer to the texts you have read.

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"La vita non è una serie di lampioncini disposti simmetricamente; la vita è un alone luminoso, un involucro semitrasparente che ci racchiude dall'alba della coscienza fino alla fine" .

— Virginia Woolf, 'To the Lighthouse' (1927)

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'To the Lighthouse' è un romanzo della scrittrice britannica Virginia Woolf, fu pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1927. Il romanzo segue la tradizione modernista in cui la trama ha un'importanza secondaria rispetto all'introspezione psicologica dei personaggi. 'To the Lighthouse' prende ispirazione dal ricordo che l'autrice aveva delle vacanze passate ogni estate in Cornovaglia. La Woolf racconta che per circa 40 anni era stata ossessionata dalla prematura perdita della madre e che un giorno, attraversando Tavistok Square ebbe l'idea del romanzo, che scrisse di getto; alla fine, la sua ossessione sparì, come se la stesura del romanzo avesse attivato delle proprietà terapeutiche, che avessero, a loro volta, rimosso delle emozioni inconsce che riappacificarono Virginia con i fantasmi dell'infanzia.

Created by Luca Dello Russo 5ASA.

The most famous modernist novels

I più famosi romanzi modernisti

Video realizzato da Silvana Musto 5ASA.

Compare and contrast two of the most famous modernist novels: J.Joyce 's" Ulysses" and virginia Woolf 's "Mrs Dalloway".

 
Comparison between joyce’s Ulysses and WOOLF’S Mrs Dalloway

             

James Joyce (1882-1941) and Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) belonged to the first generation of Modernists and it’s possible to make a comparison between their literary production analyzing their masterpieces: Ulysses and Mrs Dalloway.

Ulysses is one of the greatest examples of reworking of myth in Modernist literature. Joyce uses the epic model to stress the lack of heroism, ideals, love and trust in the modern world.

The plot utterly takes place in Dublin in a single day which involves the life of three characters: Leopold Bloom, an advertising agent, Sthephen Dedalus, a sensitive young man with literary ambitions, and Molly Bloom, Leopold’s wife.

Leopold Bloom, compared to Homer’s Ulysses, makes common actions: he wanders  throughout the day in the streets of Dublin making errands, stopping at the advertising office and joining a funeral. He is distressed with two deep emotional burdens: the unsolved grief over his baby son’s death and the crumbling relationship with his unfaithful wife.

Stephen Dedalus, compared to Homer’s Telemachus, has only a brief unsatisfactory meeting with Bloom, particularly at the brothel, and at the end they go their separate ways.

Molly Bloom is different from Penelope: she hasn’t slept with her husband since the death of their little son Rudy, and she has been unfaithful to Leopold Bloom with her concert manager.

In this novel the author masters all his different writing techniques going from the stream-of-consciousness to the cinematic technique transposed in literature with flash-backs, close-ups, dramatic dialogues, or the juxtaposition of events and creating the collage technique, through which he brings unity and order from the apparent randomness of the events narrated.

The language is full of symbolism along with a richness and wide range of vocabulary and images. 

 

Mrs Dalloway takes place in London on a single day, during which the protagonist, Clarissa Dalloway, is busy running errands and making plans for the evening dinner party.

Virginia Woolf focuses her narration pointing out the depths of human nature through the various characters that Clarissa runs into that day, or simply brushes during her daily activities.

Woolf’s characters are also described, while carrying out their day, as engrossed in their flow of thoughts providing the readers with fragments of their past experiences in order to give her characters a more round and profound existence even if apparently concerned with the immediate happenings of their day.

As in Ulysses, three main characters are involved in the plot:

·       Clarissa Dalloway, a lady married to Richard Dalloway, a Conservative Member of Parliament. This marriage forced her to give up her true love for Peter Walsh. She is battered between her need for independence and self-fulfillment and class consciousness. She is obsessed with the perfection of her home and her strenous effort to live up to her ideal of womanhood; she forces herself to deny her most natural emotions limiting them to the point that she is in constant inner conflict.

·       Peter Walsh, Clarissa’s first love, who visits her home unexpectedly bringing back memories of their past mutual feelings and who also casually sees Septimus Warren Smith and his wife going to Sir William Bradshaw’s for an interview;

·       Septimus Warren Smith, a soldier of World War I, is described by Woolf as a sensitive young poet who enlisted to join the war for patriotic reasons and is berated by guilt because of his best friend’s death in the war. Despite the medical treatments, he suffers from panic attacks and a sense of inadequacy that will drive him to committing suicide immediately after his interview with Dr. Bradshaw.

Even though Clarissa and Septimus never meet during the entire unfolding of the novel, they are connected in many ways.

On the one hand, Septimus is unable to separate outside reality from his inner personal responses, he relies on his wife for stability and expects her to protect him from difficulties related to human life. In fact, he decides to kill himself because of his inability to react and his psychological collapse.

Clarissa, on the other hand, is always aware of the fact that the external world is totally separated from her inner consciousness and, at the end, she does come to terms with her delusions, accepting the passing of time.

Both Joyce and Woolf use the narrative technique of the interior monologue with some differences.

Joyce’s characters show their thoughts in an incoherent way and the author sometimes use a syntactically wrong way; in fact, in Ulysses, to convey the life of an individual in a single day, Joyce uses the “stream-of-consciousness” and the interior monolgue in order to show the chaotic flow of thoughts in the human mind, characterized by juxtaposes disparate and apparently incongrous images.    

 

 

 

Dislike Joyce, Virginia Woolf never lets her characters’ thoughts flow without control and she maintains grammatical structure of sentences; in addition to that, in Mrs Dalloway, Virginia Woolf doesn’t use the interior monologue to describe characters’ psyche, but to express characters’ emotions. Moreover, Joyce uses the first singular person, while Woolf uses the third singular person.

In their works, Joyce and Woolf introduce the new conception of time developed by the philosophers James and Bergson. They make a distinction between historical time, external, chronological and objective, and the psychological time, internal and subjective.

Finally, the epiphany’s technique used by Joyce is similar to Woolf’s events of being, moments during the characters can see reality behind appearances.

 

Student: Dorotea Serrelli

Class:5°Asa

Date:29/03/2021