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 The Secret Garden-- by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The story is opens by introducing us to Mary Lennox, a sickly, foul-tempered, unsightly little girl who loves no one and whom no one loves. At the outset of the story, she is living in India with her parents—a dashing army captain and his frivolous, beautiful wife—but is rarely permitted to see them. They have placed her under the constant care of a number of native servants, as they find her too hideous and tiresome to look after. Mary's circumstances are cast into complete upheaval when an outbreak of cholera devastates the Lennox household, leaving no one alive but herself. She is found by a group of soldiers and, after briefly living with an English clergyman and his family, Mary is sent to live in Yorkshire with her maternal uncle, Archibald Craven. Misselthwaite Manor is a sprawling old estate with over one hundred rooms, all of which have been shut up by Archibald Craven. A man whom everyone describes as "a miserable hunchback," Master Craven has been in a state of inconsolable grief ever since the death of his wife ten years before the novel begins. Shortly after arriving at Misselthwaite, Mary hears about a secret garden from Martha Sowerby, her good-natured Yorkshire maidservant. This garden belonged to the late Mistress Craven; after her death, Archibald locked the garden door and buried the key beneath the earth.

Mary becomes intensely curious about the secret garden, and determines to find it. This curiosity, along with the vigorous exercise she takes on the moor, begins to have an extremely positive effect upon Mary. She almost immediately becomes less sickly, more engaged with the world, and less foul-tempered. This change is aided by Ben Weatherstaff, a brusque but kindly old gardener, and a robin redbreast who lives in the secret garden. She begins to count these two "people," along with Martha, Dickon Sowerby, and Susan Sowerby, as the friends she has had in her life. Her curiosity is whetted when she hears strange, far-off cries coming from one of the manor's distant rooms.

However, Mrs. Medlock, the head of the servants at Misselthwaite, absolutely forbids her to seek out the source of the cries. She is distracted from this mystery when she discovers, with the robin's help, the key to the secret garden. She immediately sets about working there, so that the neglected plants might thrive. Dickon, who brings her a set of gardening tools and promises to help her bring the secret garden back to life, vastly aids her in her endeavor. Dickon is a boy who can charm the animals of the moor "the way snake charmers charm snakes in India." He is only a common moor boy, but he is filled with so much uncanny wisdom that Mary comes to refer to him as "the Yorkshire angel."

One night, Mary hears the distant cries and, flagrantly disobeying Mrs. Medlock's prohibition, goes off in search of their source. She finds Colin Craven, Master Craven's invalid son, shut up in an opulent bedchamber. Colin was born shortly before his mother's death, and his father cannot bear to look at him because the boy painfully reminds him of his late wife. Colin has been bedridden since his birth, and it is believed that he will become a hunchback and die an early death. His servants have been commanded to obey his every whim, and Colin has become fantastically spoiled and imperious as a result. Colin and Mary strike up a friendship, but Colin becomes furious when she fails to visit him because she prefers to garden with Dickon. That night, Colin throws one of the infamous tantrums. Mary rushes to his room in a fury and commands him to stop crying. He tells her that his back is beginning to show a hunch; when Mary examines him, she finds nothing whatever the matter with him. Henceforth, she will maintain that Colin's illness is only in his mind: he will be well if only he makes up his mind to be.

Dickon and Mary secretly begin bringing Colin out into the secret garden. On the first of these outings, the children are discovered by Ben Weatherstaff, who has been covertly tending the secret garden once a year for ten years. Ben has done so out of love and loyalty for the late Mistress Craven: he was a favorite of hers. Weatherstaff refers to Colin as "the poor cripple," and asks if he has crooked legs and a crooked back. Colin, made furious by this question, forces himself to stand up on his own feet for the first time in his life. After this feat, Colin's health improves miraculously: the secret garden, the springtime, and Dickon's company have the same rejuvenating effect upon him that they did upon Mary. The children determine to keep Colin's improvement a secret, however, so that he can surprise his father with his recovery when Master Craven returns from his trip abroad.

The three children, along with Ben Weatherstaff, spend every day of the summer in the secret garden. Only one other person is admitted into the secret: Susan Sowerby, Dickon's saintly mother. Susan sends a letter to Master Craven, telling him to hurry home so that he might see his son; she does not, however, specify why, in deference to Colin's secret. Master Craven complies, and returns immediately to Misselthwaite. His first act is to go into the secret garden; he does so at the behest of a dream in which the voice of his late wife told him that he might find her there. Just as he lays his hand to the doorknob, Colin comes rushing out and falls into his arms. Father and son are reconciled, and the miracle of Colin's recovery becomes known to all.

* Characters

1. Mary Lennox  -  One of the novel's two protagonists, Mary Lennox is a ten-year-old girl who, after the death of her parents in India, is sent to live with her uncle in Yorkshire, England. Mary changes drastically over the course of The Secret Garden: she evolves from a spoiled, unloved and unloving creature to a girl who is full of spirit and surrounded by friends. She begins the book as its central character, but is later displaced by Colin.

2. Colin Craven  -  The other of the novel's protagonists, Colin Craven is Archibald Craven's ten-year-old son and heir. He was born shortly after the death of his mother, and his father could not bear to look at him because of his resemblance to her. It is feared that he will grow to be a hunchback like his father, and he has been treated as an invalid since his birth. Colin's childhood has been entirely bedridden, and his servants have been commanded to obey his every whim. As a result, Colin is extremely imperious and gloomy; when we first meet him, he is certain he is going to die. By novel's end, however, he too will have undergone a transformation: he will have become a vigorous optimist, and will have won his father's love. Both his and Mary's conversions are effected by the magical properties inherent in the secret garden.

3. Dickon Sowerby  -  Dickon is alternately described as "a common moor boy" and "a Yorkshire angel"; he is both. Two years older than Colin and Mary, Dickon has lived on Missel Moor his entire life, and has a uniquely intimate relationship with the land. He is described as looking like the god Pan (the god of ...): he has rosy cheeks, rough curly hair, and blue eyes precisely the same color as the sky over the moor; he even carries a set of pan-pipes. Like Pan, he has the power to charm both animals and people: all the creatures who come close to him are instantly tamed, and he counts a fox, a crow, and two wild squirrels among his pets. His power to tame creatures works on Colin and Mary as well, and is one of the central causes of their wondrous transformations. He is the brother of Martha and the son of Susan.

4. Martha Sowerby  -  Mary's friend and maidservant, Martha is distinguished by her charming frankness and levelheaded approach to all aspects of life. Her simplicity and kindness are a great help to Mary upon the latter's arrival at Misselthwaite. In her very ordinariness, Martha represents the goodness of all the people of Yorkshire.

5. Ben Weatherstaff  -  Ben Weatherstaff is a gruff elderly gardener who is only permitted to stay at Misselthwaite because he was a favorite of the late Mistress Craven. He introduces Mary to the robin redbreast, and helps the children keep the secret of the garden. Ben himself clandestinely tended the garden during the ten years in which it was locked, out of love and loyalty for the Mistress Craven. Although he is rather rough, Ben's essential kindness is fundamental to his character.

6. Archibald Craven  -  The master of Misselthwaite Manor, who suffers from a crooked spine and general ill health. He has been in a crushing depression ever since the death of his wife, ten years before the novel begins. Archibald spends most of his time abroad, since he wants to see neither his house nor his son, Colin, because these remind him of his late wife. At novel's end, he undergoes a change of heart after his wife comes to him in a dream. Master Craven comes to embrace his son when he realizes that this latter is in perfect health.

7. Lilias Craven  -  Archibald's late wife, who died ten years before the outset of the novel. Her spirit is associated with both roses and the secret garden. Her portrait hangs in her son's room beneath a rose-colored curtain, and she is described by all who knew her as the gentlest, sweetest, and most beautiful of women. She represents an absent ideal.

8. Susan Sowerby  -  The mother of Martha and Dickon (as well as of twelve other children), Susan Sowerby functions as a symbol for the concept of motherhood itself. She is all-nurturing, all-knowing, and appears dressed in a hooded blue cloak like that of the Christian Virgin Mary (the mother of Jesus Christ). Both Mary and Colin express the wish that she were their mother; stories of her sustain each of them before their respective transformations.

2. Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character created by British author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A London-based "consulting detective" whose abilities border on the fantastic, Holmes is known for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to adopt almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science to solve difficult cases.

3. Child Protagonist: children are the main characters in a novel, play, movie. ex. Harry Potter, The Adventure of Tom Sawyer

Popular Child Protagonist Books (https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/child-protago...)

4. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain. Commonly named among the Great American Novels, the work is among the first in major American literature to be written throughout in vernacular English, characterized by local color regionalism . It is told in the first person by Huckleberry "Huck" Finn, a friend of Tom Sawyer and narrator of two other Twain novels (Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer, Detective). It is a direct sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer .

5. ”A Little Princess” is written by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The genre of the story is drama. Burnett has also written books such as “The Secret Garden” and “Little Lord Fauntleroy”, which in addition to “A Little Princess” has also been made into films.

“A Little Princess” is the story of Sara Crewe. She is placed in an all girl’s school when she is only seven. Here she is taught in subjects like History and French, and she lives a life in luxury. Unfortunately her father dies after a few years, which makes her life change radically and she now has to start working as a servant at the school.

Sara Crew is the main character in the book. She is skinny girl, has big green eyes and black half short hair. She is also relatively grown up in her manners for someone that young. This is quite obvious when she for example is being given reprimands, and don’t loose her temper. She also has a tendency of thinking of other peoples needs before her own, which very few children normally would have done. In addition, this behaviour make her seem very kind and lovable, even though she has been spoiled by her father from the day she was born. Sara is used to wear fur coats, the finest dresses and having all the toys a girl could want.

It is therefore a shock to Sara when Miss Minchin gives her the news that her father is dead. Miss Minchin is the headmistress of the school, and since Sara no longer as any money and is an orphan, she decides that Sara is to work as a servant at the school. This is a kind gesture in Miss Minchin’s opinion, for the headmistress has a cruel personality and the only thing she cares about is rules and money.

When Sara is working as a servant, she becomes good friends with Becky, the scullery maid. Becky helps Sara keep her mood up, when she has a rough time. Becky is a shy person, but becomes more sociable after she meets Sara.

In addition to Becky, Sara’s best friend at the school is a girl called Ermengarde. Ermengarde is not exactly an intellectual; she struggles with most of the subjects they are taught in, but Sara helps her with her homework, which makes her improve a bit. The two girls became friends when Sara was a student, and she is the only person that keeps contact with Sara when she becomes a servant.

Regarding the language in the book, it is quite difficult, considering the fact that it is a children’s book. This is because the author uses fairly much dialect, in the conversations between Sara and Becky, for example when Becy is telling Sara bout an event in town; “… watchin’ the swells go inter the operer. An’ there was one everyone stared at most”.  

The dialogues between Sara and Becky are the dialogues you mainly find in the book, there isn’t exactly much dialogue between other persons. Because of this we get the main part of information about events that occur and peoples opinions, through a sort of all knowing person that describe it for us. It is for instant through one of these descriptions we get to know the turning point of the story.

When we are being told about the Indian gentleman that moves in next door to the school, we can imagine that it is a sign that Sara will have her old life back. This is because she used to live in India before she moved to the school and became a servant. The Indian gentleman is therefore a symbol of her old life returning.

The theme of the book is probably about karma, and how you treat others. Take for example Sara, she is kind to other people and never does anything to hurt anyone. Miss Minchin on the other hand is cruel to others and she likes to be in total control over everybody. But in the end it is Sara that is rewarded for her kindness, when she gets her old life back.

After reading the book, I am of the opinion that the film is better than the book. This is because the book had a very quick ending, and you did not really get enough information to sympathize with Sara’s situation. In the film the ending is much more intense, because the police is about to take Sara away from her father, who does not recognise her. But even though the film is better I would probably recommend the book because it is well written and one would then have something to compare the film against.

 Tom Sawyer -  The novel’s protagonist. Tom is a mischievous boy with an active imagination who spends most of the novel getting himself, and often his friends, into and out of trouble. Despite his mischief, Tom has a good heart and a strong moral conscience. As the novel progresses, he begins to take more seriously the responsibilities of his role as a leader among his schoolfellows.

 Aunt Polly -  Tom’s aunt and guardian. Aunt Polly is a simple, kindhearted woman who struggles to balance her love for her nephew with her duty to discipline him. She generally fails in her attempts to keep Tom under control because, although she worries about Tom’s safety, she seems to fear constraining him too much. Above all, Aunt Polly wants to be appreciated and loved.

 Huckleberry Finn -  The son of the town drunk. Huck is a juvenile outcast who is shunned by respectable society and adored by the local boys, who envy his freedom. Like Tom, Huck is highly superstitious, and both boys are always ready for an adventure. Huck gradually replaces Tom’s friend Joe Harper as Tom’s sidekick in his escapades.

 Becky Thatcher -  Judge Thatcher’s pretty, yellow-haired daughter. From almost the minute she moves to town, Becky is the “Adored Unknown” who stirs Tom’s lively romantic sensibility. Naïve at first, Becky soon matches Tom as a romantic strategist, and the two go to great lengths to make each other jealous.

 Joe Harper -  Tom’s “bosom friend” and frequent playmate. Joe is a typical best friend, a convention Twain parodies when he refers to Joe and Tom as “two souls with but a single thought.” Though Joe mostly mirrors Tom, he diverges from Tom’s example when he is the first of the boys to succumb to homesickness on Jackson’s Island. As the novel progresses, Huck begins to assume Joe’s place as Tom’s companion.

 Sid -  Tom’s half-brother. Sid is a goody-goody who enjoys getting Tom into trouble. He is mean-spirited but presents a superficial show of model behavior. He is thus the opposite of Tom, who is warmhearted but behaves badly.

 Injun Joe -  A violent, villainous man who commits murder, becomes a robber, and plans to mutilate the Widow Douglas. Injun Joe’s predominant motivation is revenge. Half Native American and half Caucasian, he has suffered social exclusion, probably because of his race.

3. Sibling rivalry(兄弟鬩牆) is a type of competition or animosity among siblings, whether blood related or not. Siblings generally spend more time together during childhood than they do with parents. The sibling bond is often complicated and is influenced by factors such as parental treatment, birth order, personality, and people and experiences outside the family. Sibling rivalry is particularly intense when children are very close in age and of the same gender and/or where one or both children are intellectually gifted.

4. An arthropod(節肢動物) is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton (external skeleton), a segmented body, and jointed appendages . Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda, and include the insects, arachnids , myriapods, and crustaceans .Arthropods are characterized by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chitin, often mineralised with calcium carbonate. The arthropod body plan consists of segments, each with a pair of appendages . The rigid cuticle inhibits growth, so arthropods replace it periodically by moulting.

5. --cide => 死亡

• suicide 自殺 
  
• insecticide 殺蟲劑
  
• homicide 謀殺
  
• genocide 種族清洗

1. The Wizard of Oz is a American musical comedy-drama fantasy film and the most well-known and commercially successful adaptation based on the novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. 

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is an American children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum

Characters:

1. Dorothy

A young and sprightly girl, Dorothy lives with her aunt and uncle on the bleak Kansas prairie. She is energetic and delights in her dog Toto. After a whirling cyclone lands her house in Oz, she embarks on a journey to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz how to return to Kansas. Dorothy is sweet and simple and represents traditional and idealistic moral values. She lives in the present and does not trouble herself with much anxiety or worry. Throughout her journey, her goal is to return home despite the wonders and magic of Oz.

2. Wicked Witch of the East

3. Witch of the North

One of the two good witches, the Witch of the North greeted Dorothy upon her arrival in Oz. She is small and elderly and very kind. Although she cannot help Dorothy get back to Kansas, she gives her a mark of safety on her forehead.

4. The Scarecrow

5. The Tin Woodman

6. The Cowardly Lion

3. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas--by Sam Smith

1. Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales . Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories, called eventyr in Danish or "fairy-tales" in English, express themes that transcend age and nationality. Andersen's fairy tales have been translated into many languages and become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes ", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling", and many more.

(1)The Emperor's New Clothes: it is a short tale about two weavers who promise an emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, no one dares to say that he doesn't see any suit of clothes until a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" 

(4) The Snow Queen: it is an original fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen. The story centers on the struggle between good and evil as experienced by Gerda and her friend, Kai.

(5) The Ugly Duckling: it is  a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen. The story tells of a homely little bird born in a barnyard who suffers abuse from the others around him until, much to his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a beautiful swan, the most beautiful bird of all.

• Don't write facts, write the conclusions!
• Use color!
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7. 影本: xerox copy 

    複本: c.c --> carbon copy

8. The International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, commonly known as the NATO phonetic alphabet and also known as the ICAO radiotelephonic, phonetic or spelling alphabet and the ITU radiotelephonic or phonetic alphabet, is the most widely used radiotelephonic spelling alphabet .

 Grimm Tales (or Children's and Household Tales) is a collection of German fairy tales. The first volumes were much criticized because, although they were called "Children's Tales", they were not regarded as suitable for children, both for the scholarly information included and the subject matter. Many changes through the editions – such as turning the wicked mother of the first edition in Snow White and Hansel and Gretel .

1. The Grimms protested the abolition of their current German Constitution

2. The Grimms also wrote "A German dictionary"

3. Who directed the recent film based loosely on the life of the Brothers Grimm? Terry Gilliam 

4. "Hansel and Gretel" (糖果屋) is a well-known fairy tale of German origin , recorded by the Brothers Grimm. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children save their lives by outwitting her.

5. The Pied Piper of Hamelin (約翰魔笛手) is the subject of a legend from the town of Hamelin in the Middle Ages. The man was a rat-catcher hired by the town to lure rats away with his magic pipe. When the citizens refuse to pay for this service, he retaliates by using his instrument's magic power on their children, leading them away as he had the rats. 

6. "The Frog Prince; or, Iron Henry"  is a fairy tale. In the tale, a spoiled princess reluctantly befriends the Frog Prince (meeting him after dropping a gold ball into a pond), who magically transforms into a handsome prince. Although in modern versions the transformation is invariably triggered by the princess kissing the frog, in the original Grimm version of the story the frog's spell was broken when the princess threw it against a wall in disgust.

7. "Snow-White and Rose-Red"  is a German fairy tale . 

 fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features European folkloric fantasy characters, such as dwarves, elves, fairies, giants , gnomes , goblins , mermaids , trolls , or witches, and usually magic or enchantments . Fairy tales may be distinguished from other folk narratives such as legends (which generally involve belief in the veracity of the events described) and explicitly moral tales, including beast fables .

 Aesop's Fables is a collection of fables credited to Aesop and the stories associated with Aesop's name have descended to modern times through a number of sources. They continue to be reinterpreted in different verbal registers and in popular as well as artistic media.

1)The moral: 'One man's meat is another man's poison.' The fable is?
 #The ass eating thistles

An Ass was loaded with good provisions of several sorts, which, in time of harvest, he was carrying into the field for his master and the reapers to dine upon. By the way he met with a fine large Thistle, and, being very hungry, began to mumble it; and while he was doing so he entered into this reflection: "How many greedy epicures would think themselves happy, amidst such a variety of delicate viands as I now carry! But to me this bitter, prickly Thistle is more savory and relishing than the most exquisite and sumptuous banquet. Let others choose what they may for food, but give me, above everything, a fine juicy thistle like this and I will be content."

Every one to his taste: one man's meat is another man's poison, and one man's poison is another man's meat; what is rejected by one person may be valued very highly by another.

2) The moral: 'When a neighbor's house is on fire, you better look at yours.' The fable is? 
 #The farmer and his dogs

There was a farmer who was trapped on his country estate by a winter storm. He didn't have any food, so first he ate his sheep, then his goats. When the storm got worse, he even slaughtered the oxen who pulled his plow. When the dogs saw what was happening, they said to one another, 'Let's get out of here now! Since we can see that the master didn't even spare the oxen who labour on his behalf, how can we expect to be spared?' 
The story shows that you should especially avoid someone who does not even spare his own people.

3) The moral: 'Misery loves company.' The fable?
#The fox without a tail

A Fox, caught in a trap, escaped with the loss of his “brush.” Henceforth, feeling his life a burden from the shame and ridicule to which he was exposed, he schemed to bring all the other Foxes into a like condition with himself. He publicly advised them to cut off their tails, saying “that they would not only look much better without them, but that they would get rid of the weight of the brush.” One of them said: “If you had not yourself lost your tail, my friend, you would not thus counsel us.”

4) The moral: 'There is always someone who is worse off than you are.' The fable is?
 #The hares and the frogs

The Hares, oppressed with a sense of their own exceeding timidity, and weary of the perpetual alarm to which they were exposed, with one accord determined to put an end to themselves and their troubles, by jumping from a lofty precipice into a deep lake below. As they scampered off in a very numerous body to carry out their resolve, the Frogs lying on the banks of the lake heard the noise of their feet, and rushed helter-skelter to the deep water for safety. On seeing the rapid disappearance of the Frogs, one of the Hares cried out to his companions: “Stay, my friends, do not do as you intended; for you now see that other creatures who yet live are more timorous than ourselves.” 

5) The moral: 'When you choose allies, look to their power as well as their will to help you.' The fable it came from?

#The lion and the dolphin.

A Lion, roaming by the sea-shore, saw a Dolphin lift up its head out of the waves, and asked him to contract an alliance with him; saying that of all the animals, they ought to be the best friends, since the one was the king of beasts on the earth, and the other was the sovereign ruler of all the inhabitants of the ocean. The Dolphin gladly consented to this request. Not long afterwards the Lion had a combat with a wild bull, and called on the Dolphin to help him. The Dolphin, though quite willing to give him assistance, was unable to do so, as he could not by any means reach the land. The Lion abused him as a traitor. The Dolphin replied: "Nay, my friend, blame not me, but Nature, which, while giving me the sovereignty of the sea, has quite denied me the power of living upon the land."

Let every one stick to his own element.

6) The moral: 'The best laid-out scheme often has a kickback.' The fable is?
 #The horse and the lion

A Lion, who had got old and infirm, saw a fine plump Nag, and longed for a bit of him. Knowing that the animal would prove too fleet for him in the chase, he had recourse to artifice. He gave out to all the beasts that, having spent many years in studying physic, he was now prepared to heal any malady or distemper with which they might be afflicted. He hoped by that means to get admittance among them, and so find a chance of gratifying his appetite. The Horse, who had doubts of the Lion’s honesty, came up limping, pretending that he had run a thorn into one of his hind feet, which gave him great pain. The Lion asked that the foot might be shown to him, and pored over it with a mock earnest air. The Horse, slyly looking round, saw that he was preparing to spring, and vigorously sending out both his heels at once, gave the Lion such a kick in the face, that it laid him stunned and sprawling upon the ground. Then laughing at the success of his trick, he trotted merrily away.

7) The moral: 'Quality is more important than quantity.' The fable?
 #The lioness

A controversy prevailed among the beasts of the field, as to which of the animals deserved the most credit for producing the greatest number of whelps at a birth. They rushed clamorously into the presence of the Lioness, and demanded of her the settlement of the dispute. “And you,” they said, “how many sons have you at a birth?” The Lioness laughed at them, and said: “Why! I have only one; but that one is altogether a thorough-bred Lion.”

The value is in the worth, not in the number.

A Wolf passing by, saw some shepherds in a hut eating for their dinner a haunch of mutton. Approaching them, he said: “What a clamor you would raise, if I were to do as you are doing!”

Men are too apt to condemn in others the very things they practice themselves.

9) The moral: 'He who tries to outsmart his neighbor winds up outsmarting himself.' The fable?
 #The thief and the boy

A Boy sat weeping upon the side of a well. A Thief happening to come by just at the same time, asked him why he wept. The Boy, sighing and sobbing, showed a bit of cord, and said that a silver tankard had come off from it, and was now at the bottom of the well. The Thief pulled off his clothes and went down into the well, meaning to keep the tankard for himself. Having groped about for some time without finding it, he came up again, and found not only the Boy gone, but his 0wn clothes also, the dissembling rogue having made off with them.

10) The moral: 'Don't stretch your arm any farther than your sleeve will reach.' The fable?
 #The Monkey and the Camel.

The beasts of the forest gave a splendid entertainment, at which the Monkey stood up and danced. Having vastly delighted the assembly, he sat down amidst universal applause. The Camel, envious of the praises bestowed on the Monkey, and desirous to divert to himself the favor of the guests, proposed to stand up in his turn, and dance for their amusement. He moved about in so very ridiculous a manner, that the Beasts, in a fit of indignation, set upon him with clubs, and drove him out of the assembly.

It is absurd to ape our betters.

 John Denver--Today

 Two kinds of poetry

       lyrical poetry 抒情詩  is a form of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. 

       narrative poetry 敘事詩 is a form of poetry that tells a story, often making use of the voices of a narrator and characters as well; the entire story is usually written in metred verse. Narrative poems do not have to follow rhythmic patterns. The poems that make up this genre may be short or long, and the story it relates to may be complex. It is usually well it normally dramatic, with objectives, diverse characters, and metre. Narrative poems include epics , ballads, idylls , and lays .

 Carpe diem is a Latin aphorism, usually translated "seize the day", taken from book 1 of the Roman poet Horace 's work Odes 

 To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time (BY ROBERT HERRICK)

1. To kill a mocking bird (殺死一隻知更鳥 / 梅岡城故事) is a novel by Harper Lee

 Themes: Southern life and racial injustice, Class, Courage and compassion, Gender roles, Loss of innocence

 Summary: Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill, who visits Maycomb to stay with his aunt each summer. The three children are terrified of, and fascinated by, 

their neighbor, the reclusive Arthur "Boo" Radley. The adults of Maycomb are hesitant to talk about Boo, and, for many years few have seen him.The children feed one another's imagination with rumors about his appearance and reasons for remaining hidden, and they fantasize about how to get him out of his house. Several times the mysterious Boo makes gestures of affection to the children, but, to their disappointment, he never appears in person. Judge Taylor appoints Atticus to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has been accused of raping a young white woman, Mayella Ewell. Although many of Maycomb's citizens disapprove, Atticus agrees to defend Tom to the best of his ability. Other children taunt Jem and Scout for Atticus's actions, calling him a "nigger -lover".Scout is tempted to stand up for her father's honor by fighting, even though he has told her not to. Ewell attacks the defenseless Jem and Scout  and one of Jem's arms is broken in the struggle, but amid the confusion someone comes to the children's rescue. The mysterious man carries Jem home, where Scout realizes that he is Boo Radley. Boo asks Scout to walk him home, and after she says goodbye to him at his front door he disappears again. While standing on the Radley porch, Scout imagines life from Boo's perspective, and regrets that they had never repaid him for the gifts he had given them.

 Four major lessons

(1) Put yourself in one's shoes

(2) Don't kill mocking bird

(3) Keep fighting even if you know you'll lose

(4) The world is very unfair

 What is this story about?  It's about racism, friendship, and rape.

 Who is the central character(protagonist)? Scout

 Who kill Robinson? The police

 Who is Boo?  Boo Radley is a very quiet, reclusive character, who doesn't actively present himself until Jem and Scout's final interaction with Bob Ewell.

 Maycomb was an old town, but it was a tired old town when I first knew it. In rainy weather the streets turned to red slop . . . [s]omehow it was hotter then . . . bony mules hitched to Hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. Men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon, after their three-o’clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum. . . . There was no hurry, for there was nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with, nothing to see outside the boundaries of Maycomb County. But it was a time of vague optimism for some of the people: Maycomb County had recently been told that it had nothing to fear but fear itself.

1. "What Are Little Boys Made Of?" is a popular nursery rhyme dating from the early 19th century.

What are little boys made of?

2. John Denver and the Muppets--12 days of Christmas

3. Why mosquitoes buzz in people's ears is an African legend. In this origin story , the mosquito lies to a lizard , who puts sticks in his ears and ends up frightening another animal, which down a long line causes a panic. In the end, an owlet is killed and the owl is too sad to wake the sun until the animals hold court and find out who is responsible. The mosquito is eventually found out, but it hides in order to escape punishment. So now it constantly buzzes in people's ears to find out if everyone is still angry at it.

characters:

(1) Mother Owl: woke up the sun each day, so the day can come

(2) Mosquito: Shannon

(3) Iquana: frighten

(4) python: scare

(5) rabbit: startle

(6) crow: alarm

(7) monkey: kill

4. The Bluest Eye is a novel by American author Toni Morrison. The story is about a year in the life of a young black girl named Pecola who develops an inferiority complex due to her eye color and skin appearance. Pecola is continually reminded of what an "ugly" girl she is, fueling her desire to be white with blue eyes. The novel explores the younger years of both of Pecola's parents and their struggles as African-Americans in a largely White Anglo-Saxon Protestant community. 

5. Beasts of the Southern Wild is a American fantasy drama film. Faced with both her hot-tempered father's fading health and melting ice-caps that flood her ramshackle bayou community and unleash ancient aurochs, six-year-old Hushpuppy must learn the ways of courage and love.

Midterm exam

1. Lowly Worm is a fictional character created by Richard Scarry; he frequently appears in children's books by Scarry, and is a main character in the animated series The Busy World of Richard Scarry and Busytown Mysteries. In The Busy World of Richard Scarry he is voiced by Keith Knight.

Themes: friendship, lost/found, dream/adventure, magic/spell 

2. Nursery Rhyme: is a poem or song for children in Britain and many other countries. For example, Mother Goose is a collection of nursery rhymes and fairy tales.

(1) Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater is an English language nursery rhyme . It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 13497.

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,

Had a wife but couldn't keep her;

He put her in a pumpkin shell

And there he kept her very well.

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,

Had another and didn't love her;

Peter learned to read and spell,

And then he loved her very well.

(2) "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is an English language nursery rhyme of nineteenth-century American origin.It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 7622.

Mary had a little lamb,
His fleece was white as snow,
And everywhere that Mary went,
The lamb was sure to go.

He followed her to school one day,
Which was against the rule,
It made the children laugh and play
To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,
But still it lingered near,
And waited patiently about,
Till Mary did appear.

"Why does the lamb love Mary so?"
The eager children cry.
"Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know."
The teacher did reply.

(3) "Peter Piper" is an English-language nursery rhyme and well-known tongue-twister .It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19745.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers;
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked;
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

(4) "Jack and Jill" is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The rhyme dates back at least to the 18th century and exists with different numbers of verses each with a number of variations. 

Jack and Jill went up the hill

To fetch a pail of water.

Jack fell down and broke his crown,

And Jill came tumbling after.

(5) "There was an Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe" is a popular English language nursery rhyme , with a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19132. Debates over its meaning and origin have largely centered on attempts to match the old woman with historical female figures who have had large families, although King George II (1683–1760) has also been proposed as the rhyme's subject.

There was an old woman who lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she didn't know what to do;
She gave them some broth without any bread;
Then whipped them all soundly and put them to bed.

(6) "Little Miss Muffet" is a nursery rhyme, one of the most commonly printed in the mid-twentieth century.It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 20605.

Little Miss Muffet

Sat on a tuffet,

Eating her curds and whey ;

Along came a spider

Who sat down beside her

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

(7) "Little Bo Peep" or "Little Bo Peep has lost her sheep" is a popular English language nursery rhyme .It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 6487.

Little Bo-Peep has lost her sheep,

and doesn't know where to find them;

leave them alone, And they'll come home,

wagging their tails behind them.

(8) "Georgie Porgie" is a popular English language nursery rhyme.It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 19532.

Georgie Porgie, Puddin' and Pie,

Kissed the girls and made them cry,

When the boys came out to play,

Georgie Porgie ran away.

(9) "Wee Willie Winkie" is a Scottish nursery rhyme whose titular figure has become popular the world over as a personification of sleep. The poem was written by William Miller.

Wee Willie Winkie rins through the toon,

Up stairs an' doon stairs in his nicht-gown,

Tirlin' at the window, crying at the lock,

"Are the weans in their bed, for it's now ten o'clock?"

"Hey, Willie Winkie, are ye comin' ben?

The cat's singin grey thrums to the sleepin hen,

The dog's speldert on the floor and disna gie a cheep,

But here's a waukrife laddie, that wunna fa' asleep."

Onything but sleep, you rogue, glow'ring like the moon,

Rattlin' in an airn jug wi' an airn spoon,

Rumblin', tumblin' roon about, crawin' like a cock,

Skirlin like a kenna-what, waukenin' sleepin' fock.

"Hey Willie Winkie, the wean's in a creel,

Wamblin' aff a bodie's knee like a verra eel,

Ruggin' at the cat's lug and raveling a' her thrums-

Hey Willie Winkie – see there he comes."

Wearit is the mither that has a stoorie wean,

A wee, stumpie, stousie, that canna rin his lane,

That has a battle aye wi' sleep afore he'll close an e'e-

But a kiss frae aff his rosy lips gies strength anew to me.

(10) Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle and one of the best known in the English-speaking world. Though not explicitly described so, he is typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg. The first recorded versions of the rhyme date from late eighteenth century England and the tune from 1870 in James William Elliott 's National Nursery Rhymes and Nursery Songs. 

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again.

(11) "Hey Diddle Diddle" (also "Hi Diddle Diddle", "The Cat and the Fiddle", or "The Cow Jumped Over the Moon") is an English nursery rhyme .

Hey diddle diddle,

The cat and the fiddle,

The cow jumped over the moon.

The little dog laughed,

To see such sport,

And the dish ran away with the spoon.