The Nightingale and the Rose Oscar Wilde

The nightingale and the rose  About the author  About nightingale  About rose  Text analysis  Word study

About the author  Oscar Wilde 奥斯卡. 王尔德  Irish poet and dramatist. He wrote many poems, fairy tales and stories.

 His years of triumph ended dramatically, when his intimate association with Alfred Douglas led to his trial on charges of homosexuality (then illegal in Britain). He was sentenced two years hard labour for the crime of sodomy.

 道林 · 格雷的画像（ The Picture of Dorian Gray ， 1891 年） 道林 · 格雷的画像  温德密尔夫人的扇子》（ Lady Windermere`s Fan ， 1892 年）  《无足轻重的女人》（ A Woman of No Importance ， 1893 年）  《真诚最要紧》（ The Importance of Being Earnest ， 1895 年）  《理想的丈夫》（ An Ideal Husband ， 1895 年）  The Happy Prince And Other Tales The Happy Prince And Other Tales

Aestheticism: Art for art’s sake  His lifestyle and humorous wit made him soon spokesman for Aestheticism, the late 19th century movement in England that advocated art for art's sake.

 A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament. Its beauty comes from the fact that the author is what he is. It has nothing to do with the fact that other people want what they want.

 Indeed, the moment that an artist takes notice of what other people want, and tries to supply the demand, he ceases to be an artist, and becomes a dull or an amusing craftsman, an honest or dishonest tradesman. He has no further claim to be considered as an artist.

Oscar Wilde’s Quotes  Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.  Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.

 There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.  A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.

 Men become old, but they never become good.  Rich bachelors should be heavily taxed. It is not fair that some men should be happier than others.

 Women know life too late. That is the difference between men and women.  Women are meant to be loved, not to be understood

 One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry.  A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.  Young men want to be faithful and are not; old men want to be faithless and cannot.

Nightingale

The nightingale is famous for its song, which is sung by the male both by day and by night. However, he sings mainly in the mornings and evenings. Because nightingales are shy birds, often hiding in dense shrubs, they are more easily heard than seen.

The nightingale is a bird who sings of love, but it is also a symbol of the connection between love and death. In the famous love story of Romeo and Juliet, for example, the nightingale's song signifies that the lovers will remain together, but in danger of death. Although the song was considered a good omen in some areas, in others it was thought to announce a death or to be the cry for help of a soul in purgatory. Nightingale symbolism

In Christian tradition, the song was said to express a longing for paradise or heaven. According to St. Bonaventure, the last song of the nightingale was its most beautiful because it looked forward to its release from this life. Nightingales were believed always to die at the same time of day as Christ, at 3 p.m., the ninth hour. Because the nightingale was thought to sing with increasing joy at the approach of dawn, it symbolized the Christian soul joyfully anticipating the arrival of Christ, the light. Nightingale symbolism

A nightingale legend  There is a beautiful legend about the nightingale in the Geek mythology. The daughter of the Pandareus Aedon, was the wife of Theban king Zethus. They had a daughter called Itylus. Aedon once killed Itylus unfortunately.

 Form then on Aedon had been caught in endless sorrow and self-accusation. Then Gods made her become the nightingale in pity. Herefrom nightingale needed to utter sad calls to express the sad memory to the daughter in the evening.

To the Nightingale Anne Finch  Exert thy voice ，  sweet harbinger of spring ！ This moment is thy time to sing ， This moment I attend to praise And set my numbers to thy lays. Free as thine shall be my song ， As thy music, short or long.

To the Nightingale Anne Finch  Poets wild as thou were born Pleasing best when unconfined ， When to please is least designed ， Soothing but their cares to rest. Cares do still their thoughts molest ，

 And still the unhappy poet's breast ， Like thine ， when best he sings ， is placed against a thorn. She begins. Let all be still!

 Muse ， thy promise now fulfill! Sweet, oh sweet ， still sweeter yet! Can thy words such accents fit, Canst thou syllables refine, Melt a sense that shall retain Still some spirit of the brain, Till with sounds like these it join ？ 'Twill not be! then change thy note ； Let division shake thy throat. Hark ！ Division now she tries ；

 Yet as far the Muse outflies Cease then ， prithee ， cease thy tune. Trifler ， wilt thou sing till June ？ Till thy business all lies waste ， And the time of building's past ！ Thus we poets that have speech,

 Unlike what thy forests teach ， If a fluent vein be shown That's transcendent to our own ， Criticize ， reform ， or preach, Or censure what we cannot reach.

In the Greek mythology, Aphrodite ran through the rose grove in order to find her sweetheart. Why does the rose stand for love?

Unfortunately the rose pierced her hands and her legs. Her blood stained the petal of the white rose,so the white rose turned into a red one.Now the rose is the symbol of the constant love! Why does the rose stand for love?

MEANING OF ROSE COLORS  Red Roses symbolize sincere Love, Respect, Courage & Passion Pink Rose conveys admiration, gentleness, grace, gladness, joy and sweetness

MEANING OF ROSE COLORS  White Roses express Purity/heavenly, secrecy, silence, innocence and charm Yellow Roses indicate joy, gladness, friendship and "I Care"

MEANING OF ROSE COLORS  Red & White Roses together signify unity

1 You are only in my heart 3 I love you 10 Perfect 99 Forever love % love 108 Proposal of marriage

2) Don‘t cry because it is over, smile because it happened. 不要因为结束而哭泣，微笑吧，为你的曾经拥有。 1) To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. 对于世界而言，你是一个人；但是对于某个人，你 是他的整个世界。 3) No man or woman is worth your tears, and the one who is, won‘t make you cry. 没有人值得你流泪，值得让你这么做的人不会让你 哭泣。 Sentences of love

Read the poem written by Robert Burns, discuss with your partner and make comments on the poem

A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns

O MY Luve's like a red, red rose 啊，我爱人象红红的玫瑰， That's newly sprung in June: 它在六月里初开； O my Luve's like the melodie 啊，我爱人象一支乐曲， That's sweetly play'd in tune! 美妙地演奏起来。

As fair thou art, my bonnie lass, 你是那么美，漂亮的姑娘， So deep in love am I: 我爱你那么深切； And I will love thee still, my dear, 我要爱你下去，亲爱的， Till a' the seas gang dry: 一直到四海枯竭。

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear, 一直到四海枯竭，亲爱的， And the rocks melt with the sun; 到太阳把岩石烧裂； I will luve thee still my dear, 我要爱你下去，亲爱的， When the sands of life shall run. 只要是生命不绝。

And fare thee weel, my only Luve, 再见吧－－我唯一的爱人， And fare thee weel a while! 我和你小别片刻； And I will come again, my Luve, 我要回来的，亲爱的， Tho' it were ten thousand mile. 即使是万里相隔。

The nightingale and the rose Text Analysis

Structure  Nightingale struck by the “the mystery of love”  Nightingale looking for a red rose to facilitate the love  Nightingale sacrificing her life for a red rose  Student discarding the red rose

Questions What is the genre of this story? And its characteristics?

Questions Fairy tales, Characteristics:  - fairies play a part - contain supernatural or magical elements - children’s stories - full of veiled comments on life

Suggested Answers  Characteristics: 1) personification of birds, insects, animals and trees 2)vivid, simple narration --- typical of the oral tradition of fairy tales 3) repetitive pattern

What do they symbolize?

Questions 1. What are the symbolic meanings of “Red rose”, “Lizard” “Butterfly” and “Nightingale”?

Red rose --- true love, which needs constant nourishment of passions of the lovers. It can be divided into three stages: love in the heart of a boy and a girl; love in the soul of a man and a maid; and love that is perfected by Death, that does not die in the tomb.

Lizard --cynic (cynical people) cynic: a person who sees little or no good in anything and who has no belief in human progress; person who shows this by sneering and being contemptuous.

Nightingale --- a truthful, devoted pursuer of love, who dares to sacrifice his own precious life Student --- not a true lover, ignorant of love, not persistent in pursuing love

What kinds of figurative speeches are used in the text?  Personification  Simile and Metaphor  Climax and Anticlimax

Personification --- give human forms or feelings to animals, or life and personal attributes to inanimate objects, or to ideas and abstractions. e.g.Time, you old gypsy man, Will you not stay, Put up your caravan Just for one day?

Simile and metaphor Simile: …her voice was like water bubbling from a silver jar. …as white as the foam of the sea… Metaphor:...and the cold crystal moon

Climax --derived from the Greek word “ladder,” implies the progression of thought at a uniform or almost uniform rate of significance or intensity e.g. I came, I saw, I conquered. Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.

Anti-climax: --- stating one’s thoughts in a descending order of significance or intensity, often used to ridicule or satire. eg. As a serious man, I loved Beethoven, Keats, and hot dogs. For God, for America, for Yale. You manage a business, stocks, bonds, people. And now you can manage your hair.

Inversion  …yet for want of a red rose is my life made wretched.  …Crimson was the girdle of petals, and crimson as ruby was the heart  She passed through the grove like a shadow and like a shadow she she sailed across the garden.  Night after night have I sung of him.

The nightingale and the rose Word Study

 for want of: for the lack of  For want of a better word, let’s call it Me-firstism.  For want of something better to do she decided to try gardening.

Word Study  wretched ： Characterized by or attended with misery or woe:  a wretched life  a wretched inn  wretched weather  wretch n.

Word Study  sing of: to proclaim or extol something  sing of the great victory  sing of the warrior’s prowess in battle

Word Study  dance to the sound of the harp: dance to the music of the harp  The snake would then dance to the music.  The soldiers marched through the square to the drumbeat.

Word Study  fling: to throw with violence  flung the dish against the wall  fling oneself:  The little girl flung herself into her mother’s arms.  Fling oneself into a new task.

Word Study  something of: to some extent  He is something of an economist among us because his grandfather used to own a little store.  She is something of a dentist in our village although the methods she uses are quite crude.

Word Study  bloom  N.  The gardens are all in bloom.  They are in the bloom of youth.  V.  These flowers bloom in the spring.  come into bloom  in full bloom

Word Study  nip sth. in the bud: to prevent sth. from becoming a problem by stopping it as soon as it starts.  Their policy was to throw the first person who dared to protest openly into prison so as to nip the protest in the bud.  You must take immediate action and nip it in the bud. Otherwise this economic slowdown could easily snowball into a serious recession.

Word Study  out of sth.: using sth. as the material  you can’t build a big house out of sand  we can’t produce anything out of nothing.

Word Study  delicate: 1.pleasing to the senses, especially in a subtle way  a delicate flavor; a delicate violin passage. 2. exquisitely fine or dainty  delicate china. 3. requiring tactful treatment  a delicate situation; a delicate subject 4. Easily broken or damaged, fragile  Delicate plants must be protected from cold wind and frost.

Word Study  go with:  1)match  This color does not go with that.  This furniture does not go with the color of the walls.  2) go along with  Happiness doesn't always go with money.