rebelliouspacifist

[rebelliouspacifist]

Sonnet 130 William Shakespeare

My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun; Coral is far more red than her lips' red; If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun; If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head. I have seen roses damasked, red and white, But no such roses see I in her cheeks; And in some perfumes is there more delight Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks. I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go; My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground.   And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare   As any she belied with false compare.

Sonnet 130 is very much different from anything that we would usually read. It is a ''reversed'' love poem. Shakespeare goes out of his way to explain all the terrible things about his loved one.

The author compares his partner to many beautiful things in the world, such as the sun, roses, her voice with the music, etc. However, this comparison sort of has a negative connotation. Every wonderful metaphor that he uses is followed by him saying that his mistress is nothing like that. Complaining about her breath, hair like black wires and her walk, he makes us all believe that he feels no affection for this woman, whatsoever. The mistress is definitely the center of the poem, but, why would someone write about someone else's flaws?

In the end, the author reveals to us that this type of love is not that common, actually it is quite rare. He loves this woman with all her flaws and he does not want to compare her with beautiful things if those comparison's were not true. In a way, he does not feel like giving her false compliments because he would misrepresent and undermine her. This truly portrays how a woman's beauty is not her main quality. Many believe that if they boast someone's physical appearance, they are being nice and socially acceptable. Shakespeare shatters this belief within this poem, not by saying his mistress is pretty, nor by saying he loves her despite her flaws, but he accepts them because they are nothing unusual and worth noticing.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45108/sonnet-130-my-mistress-eyes-are-nothing-like-the-sun

[rebelliouspacifist]

Humanizing learning and testing in schools

Articles:

1. Humanizing Language Testing

 http://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume22/ej85/ej85a5/

2. Dramatic Performance in Teaching Drama in EFL Contexts

https://www.tesl-ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume13/ej52/ej52a4/

When it comes to humanizing language testing, it refers to imparting human qualities on some of the most popular language tests in the world, such as IELTS. The aim was to make these tests more adequate for test-takers from different social and cultural backgrounds. Numerous interviews were conducted in order to gather more information about personal experiences of the test-takers. The feedback was mostly negative, as the participants complained how these tests tend to be dehumanizing. Some even claimed they felt like criminals.

To an extent, the idea of humanizing was also applied in the article titled ''Dramatic Performance in Teaching Drama in EFL Contexts''. The point of this article was to explain the experiment conducted among 60 Iranian students. The experiment lasted for one semester and it included two groups: experimental and control group. The focus of the experimental group was to perform two dramas on stage, whereas the control group had to analyze these plays in class. The results were better with the experimental group as they were more motivated and less bored than the others. These two articles could be connected in the sense that they both include the humanizing factor. Even though the first one is more focused on tests, it still shares some features with the second one, such as learning being stress-free. The experiment humanized teaching drama by trying out new methods, which proved to be effective. Teaching, learning and testing in an educational institution are intertwined, thus these two articles are connected.

[rebelliouspacifist]

EKV

Ekatarina Velika was a Yugoslav rock band, more specifically, established in Belgrade, Serbia in 1982. The group is generally called EKV, and the English version of the name would be ''Catherine the Great''.

The band consisted of three main members: Milan Mladenović - frontman; Margita Stefanović - keyboardist; Bojan Pečar - bassist. There were other member as well, such as Ivan Vdović VD and Srđan Todorović, who is also an actor. However, most of the other members did not stick around for a long time.

Within 10 years, all members of the group died young and in a tragic way. However, the group dissolved after its frontman died. Milan Mladenović was only 36 when he died of pancreatic cancer. Ivan Vdović, the band's drummer was the first registered person in former Yugoslavia that was HIV/AIDS positive. He died when he was only 31. The bassist, Bojan Pečar was a drug addict (like other members), but the official cause of his death was a heart attack.

Special attention needs to be devoted to the band's only female member: Margita Stefanović Magi. She was an icon of the entire region. She was called The Rock Princess or The Black Angel, and her music did not leave anyone indifferent. She started her music career as a pianist and playing classical music. Somehow, she ended up in an underground rock band and stayed there until the very end. Even though her music brought joy to many hearts, her life was not all that bright. After her father's death, Magi became a drug addict. She tried to rehabilitate, but failed each time. She sold two apartments and ended up homeless. She died at 43 and the cause of her death was intravenous use of HIV-infected drugs.

The band's tragic destiny makes their music even more interesting, because it creates a dark atmosphere that goes perfectly with their songs. EKV's legacy will remain forever.

[rebelliouspacifist]

Who was Audrey Hepburn?

You may have heard about or seen the iconic movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s, or perhaps you have seen a photo of a woman with a bubble gum, next to the similar picture of Marilyn Monroe. That woman’s name was Audrey Hepburn and she played the leading role in the aforementioned movie.

Why is Audrey Hepburn an important historical figure?

Every teenager looks up to many celebrities while growing up. Nowadays that could be Billie Eilish or different YouTube sensations. The point is, some of them are good role models, whereas the others are not. However, when I was a teenager, my role model differed immensely from those of my peers. 

For starters, the person I praised the most has already been dead for years. Audrey Hepburn was an incredible actress who left an admirable filmography behind her. I have seen one of her movies and decided to investigate further. What I discovered was not only her Hollywood work, but some other facts that make her even more fascinating. 

She was born in Belgium on May 4, 1929. During her university days in Netherlands, Nazis invaded the country and Audrey is said to have delivered messages for the resistance movement. Hepburn and her mother struggled to survive these hard times.

In her early days, she studied ballet and her dream was to become Prima Ballerina. However, due to the consequences of the war, Audrey suffered malnutrition and this idea did not come through. After that she took up acting and starred in many films.

When she decided to take a break from acting, Audrey Hepburn took up a role of a humanitarian and worked with children in need for the rest of her living days. She became ambassador for the UNICEF and worked on numerous projects.

Audrey Hepburn died in 1993, losing the battle against the colon cancer.

This biography of hers only highlights some of the most important parts of her life. There are plenty more layers to this amazing lady who is considered to be the icon of style and elegance, even today.

[rebelliouspacifist]

Arctic Fox

The arctic fox (vulpes lagopus) is a type of mammal that can endure incredibly low Arctic temperatures. This animal is often referred to as the white or polar fox. The fact that an arctic fox can survive low temperatures is due to this animal's incredible ability of adaptation. An interesting information is that this mammal preserves body fat during fall, in order to survive the winter.

The arctic fox's fur is completely white, which, apart from being enchanting, serves as a type of camouflage during snowy days. However, as the season changes, so does this animal's fur; it becomes gray/brown.

Furthermore, their life span varies between 3 to 6 years. Arctic foxes are also omnivores, which means that they can have both plant and/or animal based meals. Usually, they pray on small creatures such as fish and seabirds, but they also eat insects, seaweed and berries.

Personally, I find arctic foxes stunning and I believe that they are the true representatives of the expression ''foxy'', which means alluring. These animals are also quite clever and have keen senses, which can, for example, help them find seal lairs from great distances. In addition, their physical resemblance to dogs, such as samoyeds, is uncanny. To conclude, polar foxes are both beautiful and smart and should be appreciated much more.