[文學/英語教學] 英語聽力訓練教案/電影/傲慢與偏見Pride and Prejudice
British Accent + Movie
Script: http://www.script-o-rama.com/
Pride and Prejudice (2005) by Joe Wright
Summary
Elizabeth, the second daughter of all in Bennet family, is a girl in a merely lower middle class in countryside. Unlike her two sisters, Lydia and Kitty, she is thrilled by but doesn’t obsess with party and men, dwelling in her imaginary world in books and spitting out wise but bitter remarks. Her elder sister, Jane, is a gorgeous sweetheart who is too shy and hesitant to show real affections. In a party, they meet up Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingly, two rich men who happen to have a vacation around this small town. Jane and Mr. Bingly fall in love immediately and keep in touch with this warm, hostile, and humrous man for a long time. Elizabeth, however, can’t read the burned heart of a man with cold face. She misunderstands Mr. Darcy as a disagreeable man, and Mr. Darcy doubts the lovely plots set by Mrs. Bennet to marry her two poor daughters to upper class men. Mr. Bingly, is more innocent and doesn’t really believe that sweet Jane is the kind of girl. However, they lose connection for a while because of the disturbance from Mr. Darcy and his family fearing for the unmatched marriage.With the disguise of pride in Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, and the inherent prejudice toward different classes, the two young people lingers in miscommunication and didn’t reconcile and reveal their true feelings until they meet up again in Mr. Darcy’s place. Eventually, after all those tearful moments, the two couples shines with happiness and draws the romantic story to a perfect end.
Comprehensive Question
1. Please imagine yourself as Elizabeth and think about the reactions of Mr. Darcy. How would you describe or criticize him? Please give me one descriptive sentence and a more analytical one. A:
2. (T/F) Elizabeth is a very agreeable lady, while Jane is a tolerable one. A: F. The truth is the opposite. The comment is by Mr. Darsy and Mr. Bingly
3. What are the most proper implications of this movie (please take a look at the critique part, multiple choice question)
(A) The movie adaption of Pride and Prejudice is a classic, authentic piece to accurately depict the time of Jane Austin’s.
(B) “Oh dear, your hands are so cold” suggests that Elizabeth is submissive in a relationship in the movie and the context.
(C) The design of movie poster foreshadows the empowerment of women as one of the theme in this movie.
(D) The movie is full of American and British actors and actresses according to their English accent.
A: (C)(D). (A) The movie has a more modern, strong woman with youthful perspective in love. (B) This line suggests that Elizabeth can heal and warm Darcy in this relationship.
4. Everyone has some advantages and shortcoming. Can you tell me one advantage and one shortcoming of one character?
A: Jane is sweet but too shy. Elizabeth knows a lot from book but very bitter. Darcy is loyal to friend but judge people by their class/but act cold toward someone he’s attracted to. Bingly is warm but too innocent/but too easily to be convinced.
5. If you speak to one of the character, they might understand your English. Please speak in a way they usually speak or might understand. (too be aware of the difference and point out those difference in British and Standard American English)
Vocabulary
1. Amiable
l Definition: pleasant and friendly
l Original sentence: - Is he amiable?- Who?- Is he handsome? - He's sure to be.
l New sentence: Emily is a really amiable and sweet girl. She always takes peeople’s need into consideration.
2. quizzical
l Definition: seeming to ask a question without saying anything
l Original sentence: - The person with the quizzical brow?- That is his good friend, Mr Darcy.- He looks miserable, poor soul.- He may be, but poor he is not.
l New sentence: A quizzical look always makes me creepy. If you want to say something, just ask
3. stout
l Definition: strong and determined
l Original sentence: I wonder who discovered the power of poetry in driving away love.- I thought poetry was the food of love. - Of a fine, stout love. But if it is only a vague inclination, one poor sonnet will kill it.
l New sentence: Your stout heart and great tenacity shall lead you through the hardship
4. Spinster
l Definition: a woman who is not married, especially a woman who is no longer young and seems unlikely ever to marry
l Original sentence: It is a shame she's not more handsome. -There's a spinster in the making and no mistake. -The fourth with a Miss King of little standing, and the fifth again with Jane.
l New sentence: It is an ideal life for me to be a spinster. Who cares if you’re supposed or marry or not if you have money?
5. Imposition
l Definition: a situation in which someone expects another person to do something that they do not want to do or that is not convenient
l Original sentence: My goodness, did you see her hem? Six inches deep in mud. -She looked positively mediaeval. -I feel such a terrible imposition. They're being so kind to me.
l New sentence: It wouldn’t be an imposition to pick your daughter up. My son will be in the cram school around the corner, so it is fine with me!
6. Dote
l Definition: to love someone completely and believe they are perfect
l Original sentence: Tell your sister I long to see her.- I've already told her once.- I do dote on her.
7. New sentence: The mother dotes on her new born baby and is showered with happiness.
8. Embroider
l Definition: to decorate cloth or clothing with patterns or pictures by stitiches
l Original sentence: You young ladies are so accomplished. - What do you mean?
l - You paint tables, play the piano and embroider cushions.
l New sentence: The embroider cloth seems to be taken a lot of effort and patience to finish it.
9. Folly
l Definition: the fact of being stupid, or a stupid action, idea, etc.
l Original sentence: I find it hard to forgive the follies and vices of others
l New sentence: Don’t call other people folly because we’re not smart in every way.
10. Exemplary
l Definition: very good and suitable to be copied by other people
l Original sentence: It's many years since
l I've had such an exemplary vegetable.
l New sentence: His tact was exemplary, especially considering the circumstances.
Critique
The movie is a great piece for advanced listening for three reasons. First, the British accent in Pride and Prejudice, out of surprise, is extremely easy to be understood. The British accent represented in this movie is actually learned by American and thus the accent is lightly affected by American Standard English. If people are newbie to British accent, try those movies which has more American actors and actresses starring in, or have a taste on a British-like movie produced an American movie company. Second, the pace of the movie and the pace how they speak are pretty slow, so we listeners can definitely listen carefully to every word. The actors and actresses picked up few lines because language to show their courtesy and suppressed feeling. But, the landscape and the phenomenon are the focus in this dreamlike reality with war of love, class, gender equality, and of course, pride and prejudice. Third, the lessened distraction is by the learned plot beforehand. The movie has the famous, classic plot of how the two couples of different classes miss each other but become happily in the end, so listeners can put more effort into the word choice, intonation, tone, and connotations of the movie.
The movie is also very refreshing and inspirational because as we can see the poster for the movie, the female protagonist, takes up the largest space of the picture, smiling and facing up to the sunlight. The pattern foreshadows that Elizabeth as vital figure and will lead a happy life in the end. At the same time, Mr. Darcy is distant as small person, tired and showered with water all over. I think these aesthetic choices respond to the moment when Elizabeth finally holds up Mr. Darcy’s hand and says, “Oh dear, your hands are so cold” in cold morning mist. Elizabeth is the person stronger and heals Mr. Darcy in this movie multiple times with directed, designed scene with a more youthful perspective in love that is not in this Jane Austin’s novel.
With these advantages, I think Pride and Prejudice directed by Joe Wright is a perfect choice and people should give this delicate, marvelous recreation in 2005 some respect because it is definitely another story with Elizabeth’s new narrative.
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