English lesson 3
Presented by Dina Viktorovna Polyakova
FINDING THE MEANING AND THE WRITER’S INTENTIONS
As we said before the traditional "listen and repeat" represents the first step in our attempt to accustom students enjoying whichever texts in a foreign language and reaching a personal appreciation of them.
Enjoyment, however, must not be confused with appreciation. It is one thing to gain pleasure from a text (like beautiful expressions, poems, fine passages of prose, etc.) and quite another to be able to explain why we liked it.
Before the student could say why he liked the text he has just listened or read, it is first necessary that he understood its meaning well.
For this reason, a careful repetition or re-reading of the text appears to be an unavoidable step.
Consequently, the student is invited to relate the general meaning of what he has listened or read in the simplest way, without putting his own ideas and feelings.
This general meaning, in practice, should be based on a repetition of the whole text, but the student should outline only the main event by means of a single sentence (that is: in few words).
Afterward, if the student offered a satisfactory general meaning, he is invited to closely examine in a more detailed manner what the text literally says. He is confined himself to study what the text says and express it orally or, preferably, in writing.
We have not to forget how is hard to define why certain texts (prose, poem or expressions) gives us pleasure, and the delight we get when listening or reading fine prose or poetry often comes from its musical qualities or from the striking way an author uses words.
In any case, we have not also to forget that this can be only a partial explanation of the inner beauty that might give us the deepest meaning of an efficacious, valid communication, able to talk to our mind.
And we know, that the special quality of a communication often depends from the different structural language devices that an author used in speaking or writing, in order to give efficacy to his ideas, thoughts, descriptions.
However, the student in his detailed meaning of the text has to report, by his own words, only the listened or read conceits, without any personal interpretation and, for now, ignoring all above said language devices.
In other words, the student must write an accurate précis of the text without omitting essential information, preferably dividing it into single paragraphs. That is, he has to recount the essential parts of the text in his own words.
In this way, the student accomplishes the second important step towards text appreciation.
Finally, the student is invited to express what, on his opinion, were the intentions of the author of the text he has just examined.
Sometimes, these intentions are implied rather than directly stated. However, not all texts conceal deep or particular meanings.
Unfortunately, many passages, expressions, as well as even poems often result to be nothing more than as graceful as useless words.
In short: not always an author was able to reach the purpose he both wanted and took aim at.
It is a task of our student to be able to define it.
Only in this way, the third great step towards real comprehension and fertile appreciation has been happily accomplished.