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When I Was One-And-Twenty
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by A. E. Housman |
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When I Was One-And-Twenty
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When I was one-and-twenty |
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I heard a wise man say, |
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"Give crowns and pounds and guineas |
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But not your heart away, |
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Give pearls away and rubies |
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But keep your fancy free." |
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But I was one-and-twenty, |
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No use to talk to me. |
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When I was one-and-twenty |
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I heard him say again, |
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"The heart out of the bosom |
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Was never given in vain; |
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'Tis paid with sighs aplenty |
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And sold for endless rue." |
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YAnd I am two-and-twenty, |
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And oh, 'tis true, 'tis true. |
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A. E. Housman
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(1859-1936)
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| English scholar and poet, Alfred Edward
Housman is best known for his collection of lyric poems, A Shropshire
Lad. Influenced by his childhood home on the hills of Shropshire and his
intellectually gifted mother, Housman formed his sensitivity to earthly
beauty and human morality. As a lad, his mother's death when he was twelve
and his failure to pass the final examinations in Oxford and leaving without
a degree in 1881 were influential to him. However, serving as a clerk
in the Patent Office in London, he spent his evenings in the British Museum,
writing poetry and perfecting his knowledge of classical authors. At this
time, he wrote many scholarly articles, which resulted in his appointment
in 1892 as professor of Latin at University College, and professor of
Latin at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1911, until his death in 1936. |
| Housman's poems may show simple yet meaning-
ful choice of words, which was attained by his painstaking efforts. He
showed great talent and received great popularity in both the classical
form of the poems and the somewhat seemingly old themes, such as the passing
of first love, the brevity of life and the youth, the beauty and indifference
of nature and the unpredictable and meaningless death. Neverthe- less,
it is the unique style and essence of his poems that truly attract his
readers for all times. |
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| The poem is one selection from Housman's
main work, A Shropshire Lad. The rhyme scheme is ABABACAC, with short
iambic meters. The theme is typical of Housman's idea of mourning for
the passing and uncertainty of the youth's love. In the first stanza,
the crown (equal to 5 shillings), the pound (equal to 20 shillings), the
guinea (equal to 21 shillings), or the precious jewelry, like pearls and
rubies are all symbols of high value. However, to a young man seeking
love, all those valuable things along with his fancy heart could be given
away. Though the advice is from a wise man, the craze for love makes the
youth ignore it. After one year's torture by love, the lad finally realizes
that to fall in love and give one's heart away only leaves you in pain
and sorrow. Fortunately, through one year's tragic experience, the youth
becomes more mature, wiser and have a brand new idea toward love and life. |
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| Pre-reading Activities: |
| 1. |
Teach students one English
song, "Puppy Love", by playing the tape of the song and
explain the meaning. |
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| 2. |
The whole students learn the song
chorally. |
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| While-reading Activities: |
| 1. |
Play the tape of the
poem "When I Was One-and-Twenty" by A. E. Housman. |
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| 2. |
Introduce the author and the theme
of the poem. |
| 3. |
Explain the word usage, phrases,
stanza, rhyme rhythm and symbols. |
| 4. |
Show the cloze test rewritten from
the poem. |
| 5. |
Students fill in the
blanks and read the whole paragraph to get further impression of
the poem. |
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| Post-reading Activities: |
| Role-play: |
| 1. |
Divide the students
into several groups andeach group present one mini-play transcript. |
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| 2. |
Each group perform their
play by portraying the roles of the Adviser, the Sweetheart, andthe
Youth. |
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| Composition Practice (Choose either
one.) |
| 1. |
Write one composition
on "A Piece of Advice"to write about one piece of advice
that is most influential to you in life. |
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| 2. |
Write about your first "Puppy
Love". |
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| 1. |
The Wordsworth Poetry
Library. (1994). The Works of A. E.
Housman. Denmark: Wordsworth Editions Ltd. |
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| 2. |
Abramas, M. H. ed. (1974).
The Norton AnthologyOf English Literature.
台北: 歐亞書局 |
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| 3. |
彭鏡禧, 夏燕生: 好詩大家讀: 英美短詩五十首賞析,
台北: 書林出版有限公司. (1989). |
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| 4. |
宋美 :
三民高中英文第三冊教師手冊, 台北: 三民書局.(1999). |
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