Holly's Secret Garden

     Two striking forms of subversion find expression in feminist discourses. They are the anti-narrative and parodic strategies respectively, which are aimed to fight against the patriarchal discourses. 

    

從「羅密歐與茱麗葉」看莎士比亞的語言魅力

莎士比亞原著「羅密歐與茱麗葉」所改編的現代版，由李奧納多和丹克萊兒主演。故事發生的時間從十六世紀移植到二十世紀，服裝、場景自然要做大幅度的創新。比方古時的街上械鬥用的是劍，現代版改成槍；而古樸的卡氏宅第也被豪華的巴洛克建築所取代。每個角色都穿上最現代光新亮麗的衣著，但所說的語言，卻是中古英文。這景象令人感覺時空的錯置，有如現代的我們，用文言文「汝」、「余」來稱呼「你」、「我」。古人說古語很自然，現代人說古語，則顯得突兀不協調。但也正因為怪誕，更能凸顯這種語言的獨特。莎翁在本劇中，運用諸多奇巧的比喻，讓這對熱戀的少男少女，講出文壇上不朽的機鋒之詞。所以這齣劇可看之處，不在於那陳腔濫調的故事: 兩家世仇的兒女，因家族的恩怨無法結合，最後雙雙殉情以明志。這樣的劇情，恐怕早已經不起時代的考驗，怎能成為英國文學的經典之作呢?所以它不朽的原因不在故事情節，而在於語言中巧喻的極致發揮。

所謂巧喻(英文為 “conceit”一字)，指的是運用奇巧、繁複、誇張、渲染的方式來比喻兩個不同的事物。本文試以三個片段來闡釋這種修辭方式。首先以羅密歐與茱麗葉在舞會上一見鍾情，進而彼此調情開始:

The efficient way of learning English vocabulary is dividing words into their prefix, root and suffix. The film Akeelah and the Bee best shows this method. The following is the detailed analysis of the new words in this film.

「拼出新世界」(Akeelah and the Bee)這部影片，以英文拼字比賽為主軸，探討黑裔美國人如何在白人主流文化中找到自我的價值。片中主角是十一歲的非裔女孩Akeelah，她所具有的拼字才華，讓她得以在白人的社會綻放光芒，也使得她生長的黑人社區受到全國的注目。本片可屬勵志型電影，主角原本是一文不名的弱勢者，經由不斷的努力奮鬥，最後終於功成名就，得到主流社會的認同。就追逐美國夢的典型電影而言，本片不算太特別；但就學習英文字彙的角度而言，本片卻是最好的導引。

The ceremony of pardoning a turkey dates back to Lincoln’s time. It was in 1863, when he set aside Thanksgiving as a holiday for the American people. When his cook came for the turkey for the Thanksgiving feast, his son wept loudly to beg for its life, for the turkey had then become his pet and friend. Lincoln did spare its life to show his mercy. So the tradition goes down in history. In this annual ceremony of turkey pardoning, President Obama emphasizes the American spirit---compassion, ingenuity and strength besides the traditional parting words for the turkeys. The following is his speech in 2009:

a true love story

    “Christian the Lion”is a story about true love. It illustrates the spirit of compassion, which involves concern for others’ needs. As an expression of true love, compassion knows when to let go of others while attachment holds firmly onto others.

     Dalai Lama has also given instruction on this.  We often confuse the emotions of compassion and attachment, mistaking one for the other. What we call compassion is true sympathy for others without any projection or expectation on our parts. But attachment is another thing. It is motivated by our desire for gaining something in return from others. It is easy for us to show good will to our close friends or family. By doing this, we get some feedback from them. But it’s difficult for us to show benevolence to our enemies because we may get nothing but hostility in return. So, what we do most often in our daily life is attachment instead of compassion. And it takes a subtle mind to distinguish between the two.

I like this story. It illustrates how we should manage our time and what we should regard as our priority in life. If we ponder over this question, we will live a more meaningful life.

THE BIG ROCKS AND THE JAR
A science teacher wanted to demonstrate a concept to her students. She takes a large-mouth jar and places several large rocks in it. She then asks the class, "Is it full?" Unanimously, the class reply, "Yes!"
The teacher then takes a bucket of gravel and pours it into the jar. The small rocks settle into the spaces between the big rocks. She then asks the class, "Is it full?" This time there are some students holding back, but most reply, "Yes!"
The teacher then produces a large can of sand and fills up the spaces between the gravel. For the third time the teacher asks, "Is it full?" Now most of the students are wary of answering, but again, many reply, "Yes!"
Then the teacher brings out a pitcher of water and pours it into the jar. The water saturates the sand. At this point the teacher asks the class, "What is the point of this demonstration?"
One bright young student raises his hand and then responds, "No matter how full one's schedule is in life, he can always squeeze in more things!" "No," replies the teacher, "The point is that unless you first place the big rocks into the jar, you are never going to get everything in. The big rocks are the important things in your life--your family, your friends, your personal growth. If you fill your life with small things--as demonstrated by the gravel, the sand, and the water--you will never have the time for the important things.
So, what are the "Big Rocks" in your life? Spending time with your parents, your children, your spouse, your friends? Taking the seminar or class to get the information and perspective you need to succeed? Making the time to set goals, plan or evaluate your progress? When you are hassled because there is no time, remember the story about the Big Rocks and the Jar!

Here is a summary practice for this article:

The Big Rocks and the Jar is a story about time management that uses a glass jar,     , pebbles, sand, and        to illustrate how to prioritize your day. The      represents time, and each item that goes into it represents an activity with a       relative to its size. The general idea is to fill your glass jar first with       . These represent the       things in your life, such as family and friends. Next, fill in the space between the rocks with      . These are next on your       of priority and get done only after your number one priority 'rocks' have been        . Each new item added to the jar is of lesser       than the one added before.