Методическая разработка "Диспут о любви"
методическая разработка по английскому языку (10 класс)

Диспут о любви. Для учащихся 10-11 классов

                                       A discussion about love

Teacher:  Good morning, dear boys and girls. I am glad to see you at our lesson. The lesson we are having today is an unusual one. We are going to talk about love, one of the most interesting and popular topics in our life. Well, you’ve had time to think about this problem. I think you are ready to start the discussion.

What is love and what to do to be loved?

It seems that there is no simpler thing in the word that love is and, at the same time there is no thing more complicated than love. What do you think about it?

P.:  Yes, you are right. Everybody feels love to another person but it is hard to explain what love is. Try to say what feeling means and you will see that the words are too poor.

T: Yes, you are right. Words are too poor when we are speaking about feelings.

P:  Life is full of love but I think not everybody can see that. We love our parents  and relatives, friends and pets, our homes and our Motherland. They are different kinds of love, but the most mysterious feeling is love between a man and a woman, of course.

P: There is an old legend about love. Once upon a time there were not men and women. The people at that time were stronger and wiser than gods. The gods did not like that. They decided to win people. The gods thought a lot and at last they decided to divide a person into two parts: a man and a woman and mix them on the  Earth. And they did it. Since that time people became weak. Each one tries to find the lost half. Those, who find each other, fall in love and become strong as gods.

T: Thank you very much. It’s a nice legend. As for me, I haven’t heard about it. There is a philosophy in this legend. When people love each other and they are together, they are strong because they are happy. But when people are apart, they miss each other and are weak. We are strong when the love is real. Love makes wonders with people. But how can we know that the love is real?

P: I think a real love makes people better and kinder. People in love want to be better and they become better. And the world around becomes better too.

P: It is interesting to know what some English proverbs say about love. Here they are: “Where love is all is”, “Love is neither bought nor sold”, “Love will find a way”, “Love makes the world go round”.

T: Thanks a lot. These proverbs can be the answer to our question “What is love?”

P: I know a Russian proverb about love. It says «Без любви, как без солнышка, нельзя прожить».

T: The next question is

                                              How to be loved?

In all times people have a lot of problems connected with  love. What do you think about it?

P: All over the world young people have problems connected with love. In many magazines for teenagers there are “Problem pages”. Young people send letters to the magazines asking for advices. Listen to one of them. “My name is Olga and I am 16 already. All girls in my class have got boyfriends because the girls are beautiful. But my face is not beautiful. I fell in love with a boy from our school but he will never know about it. I feel bad. Give me an advice, please. What should I do?”

T: Poor Olga. Of course, she has a problem. I think you have some ideas to help her.

P: One of Chekhov’s characters said that everything must be beautiful in a person – face, dress, spirit and mind. We don’t mean looks only when we speak about someone’s beauty. We want also to see a beautiful spirit and mind in a person. It is very important her or his character and actions.

T: But what is to be done if the face is not very beautiful? Should we take this fact too seriously?

P: Of course, not. There is a very good American proverb “Beauty is a very fine thing but you can’t live on it.” A modest, kind and honest person is loved by everybody. Do you think there is a beauty in a person who has good looks but doesn’t respect people? And those who wear nice clothes are not beautiful at all if they conduct with other people badly.

T: You are quite right. I know many young people who have good looks but they don’t respect others. Of course, they can’t be beautiful.

P: I know a very good English proverb about people of that kind “It’s not the guy coat that makes the gentleman.”

P: You may know people in ancient Greece thought much about the beauty of men’s body. They organized different games and competitions. There are many historical monuments which symbolize the perfect body and clothes.

T: To be fit and have a perfect strong body makes us really proud but now I would like to pay your attention to another kind of beauty. Life gives us a lot of examples when people during wars and peacetime in extraordinary situations gave their lives and saved other people’s lives showing their great heroism. What could be more beautiful than those people’s bright burning eyes and their most beautiful powerful actions and deeds! The names of  A.Matrosov, Z. Kosmodemyanskaya and all unknown soldiers and heroes will live in our hearts and memory forever.     Another example is the life of great outstanding people: writers, poets, composers, musicians. The features of those people were not always beautiful but they are known all over the world and the beauty of their masterpieces is really great. Can you give me examples?

P: Great Russian poet A.S Pushkin. He had ordinary features but his outstanding poems are still living nowadays and will live forever.

P: Famous Italian composer and violinist N. Paganini was not handsome. The features of his face were even ugly. He had long arms and legs but he was short and thin. His face was always covered with his hair. It was not pleasant to look at him but when he took his violin and began to play, he was the most beautiful person in the world. And his music was magic.

P: Another example is Beethoven, a famous German composer and musician. At the end of his life he became absolutely deaf but he continued to compose his masterpieces. Let’s listen to his most outstanding “Moonlight Sonata”. Try to breathe these great sounds and see the beauty of this outstanding man. (Music)

P: One day the great English poet and dramatist W.Shakespeare met a black lady and fell in love with her. There was nothing special in her look but their love was great. Later he wrote one of his most outstanding sonnets in her honor. Will you listen to it?

                                                 Sonnet CXXX

My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun                                   Ее глаза на звезды не похожи,

Coral is far more red than her lips red;                                      Нельзя уста кораллами назвать,

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun                          Не белоснежна плеч открытых кожа,;

If hair be wires, black wires grow on her head.                         И черной проволокой вьется прядь.

I have seen roses damasks, red and white,                                 С дамасской розой, алой или белой

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;                                         Нельзя сравнить оттенок этих щек.

And in some perfumes is there more delight                               А тело пахнет так, как пахнет тело,

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.                         Не как фиалки нежной лепесток.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know                                     Ты не найдешь в ней совершенных линий

That music hath is far more pleasing sound;                              Особенного света на челе

I grant I never saw a goddess go                                               Не знаю я как шествуют богини,

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.                Но милая ступает по земле.

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare                              И все ж она уступит тем едва ли,

As any she belied with false compare                                       Кого в сравненьях пышных обозвали.

                                                                                                                      ( Перевод С.Маршака)

T: There are a lot of examples from the life of outstanding people but

 Have you ever thought of how to become a famous and interesting person?

P: I think during all his life a person must try to do his best: to be the best pupil at school, the best sportsman, the best friend. the best specialist, son and so on. Everybody must live today as the last day.

T: I completely agree with you. We have only one life and we must live each day as if it is the last day in our lives, respecting other people, to be critical about our services, to try not to have special privileges in the life. We must always be honest and modest, be ready to help each other every minute. Now let’s return to our discussion about love. I think we have given the helping hand to Olga and everything will be all right in her life.

 Today we haven’t said any word about unhappy love. Do you think there is such kind of love?

P: I don’t think so. Love is love. The loving man must be happy. If someone is unhappy with his love that means this love is not a real one. The person loves himself only.

P: We know a lot of examples of great love but I think everybody must strive for his or her own happiness. An English proverb says: “Love is not found in the market”.

T: As for me, I believe in love according to that nice legend about two halves. If the two are to be together they will be together. If the half is yours you will be one whole. Speaking about unhappy love, W. Shakespeare wrote a lot of sonnets connected with this problem because he was often unanswered in his love. Will you listen to his sonnet?

                                                    Sonnet 49

Against that time, if that time come,                                         В тот черный день, пусть он минует нас

When I shall see thee frown on my defects,                              Когда увидишь все мои пороки,

When as thy love hath cast his utmost sum,                            Когда терпенья истощишь запас

Called to that audit by advis’d respects;                                  И мне назначишь приговор жестокий,

Against that time when thou shalt strangely pass,               Когда, со мной сойдясь, в толпе людской,

When love, converted from the thing it was,                          Меня едва одаришьвзглядом ясным

And scarcely greet me with that sun, thine eye,                     И я увижу холод и покой

Shall reasons find of settled gravity;                                         В твоем лице, по-прежнему прекрасном

Against that time do I ensconce me here,                                В тот день поможет горюмоему

Within the knowledge of mine own desert,                             Сознание, что я тебя не стою,

And this my hand, against myself uprear,                               И руку я в присяге подниму,

To guard the lawful reasons on the part:                               Все оправдав своей неправотою

To leave poor me thou hast the strength of laws,                 Меня оставить вправе ты, мой друг,

Since why to love I can allege no cause.                                   А у меня для счастьяя нет заслуг.

                                                                                                                                  (Перевод С. Маршака)

T: How do you like it? Unhappy, unanswered but honest feelings of a man in love are incredible.

P: Speaking about unanswered love you must ask yourself: “If somebody doesn’t love me, can I say that I have done everything to be loved?” Think about it and there will be no problem with unhappy love.

P: Let’s hope for the best. I think all of you will meet his or her greatest love of the life and you will be the happiest people in the world.

T: Our lesson has come to an end. I am so much grateful to everybody for your excellent work. Our discussion was great. I am happy to have such clever pupils. Your English was perfect. Thank you very much.