HSC English First Paper - Unit Fourteen - Art and Music
Unit Fourteen: Art and Music
Lesson-1: What is Beauty?
1. Warm up activity:
□ In a group, discuss what you mean by beauty; and
its place in art.
□ Discuss any work of art you have seen (a
painting, a sculpture, a photograph, an embroidered quilt and why you consider
it beautiful).
Beauty is easy to appreciate but difficult to
define. As we look around, we discover beauty in pleasurable objects and sights
- in nature, in the laughter of children, in the kindness of strangers. But
asked to define, we run into difficulties. Does beauty have an independent
objective identity? Is it universal, or is it dependent on our sense
perceptions? Does it lie in the eye of the beholder? -we ask ourselves. A
further difficulty arises when beauty manifests itself not only by its
presence, but by its absence as well, as when we are repulsed by ugliness and
desire beauty. But then ugliness has as much a place in our lives as beauty, or
may be more-as when there is widespread hunger and injustice in a society.
Philosophers have told us that beauty is an important part of life, but isn't
ugliness a part of life too? And if art has beauty as an important ingredient,
can it confine itself only to a projection of beauty? Can art ignore what is
not beautiful?
Poets and artists have provided an answer by
incorporating both into their work. In doing so, they have often tied beauty to
truth and justice, so that what is not beautiful assumes a tolerable proportion
as something that represents some truth about life. John Keats, the romantic
poet, wrote in his celebrated 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' 'Beauty is truth, truth
beauty,' by which he means that truth, even if it's not pleasant, becomes
beautiful at a higher level. Similarly, what is beautiful forever remains true.
Another meaning, in the context of the Grecian Urn—an art object—is that truth
is a condition of art.
Poetry in every language celebrates beauty and
truth. So does art. Here are two poems from two different times that present
some enduring ideas about beauty and truth. The poems are by Lord Byron
(1788-1824), an English poet of the Romantic tradition, and Emily Dickinson
(1830-1886), an American poet who wrote about the human scene, love and death.
A. 'She Walks in
Beauty' by Lord Byron
1
She walks in
beauty, like the night
Of cloudless
climes and starry skies;
And all that's
best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect
and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to
that tender light
Which heaven to
gaudy day denies.
2
One shade the
more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired
the nameless grace
Which waves in
every raven tress,
Or softly lightens
o'er her face;
Where thoughts
serenely sweet express,
How pure, how dear
their dwelling-place.
3
And on that cheek,
and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm,
yet eloquent,
The smiles that
win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days
in goodness spent,
A mind at peace
with all below,
A heart whose love
is innocent!
B. I Died For
Beauty' by Emily Dickinson
I died for beauty,
but was scarce
Adjusted in the
tomb,
When one who died
for truth was lain
In an adjoining
room.
He questioned
softly why I failed?
'For beauty,' I
replied.
'And I for truth -
the two are one;
We brethren are,'
he said.
And so, as kinsmen
met a-night,
We talked between
the rooms,
Until the moss had
reached our lips,
And covered up our
names.
2. Byron's poem is about a women's exceptional
beauty which reflects her inner goodness and grace. Why does he associate her
with night and starry skies?
3. What imagery does Byron associate with the
woman?
4. Was Byron writing about his love for the young
woman or simply celebrating her beauty?
5. What impression of beauty do you get from your
reading of the poem 'She Walks in Beauty ?
6. Dickinson's poem expresses an optimism for the
afterlife. Show how it is done in the last two stanzas of the poem.
7. 'Despite the uneasy feeling created by death and
the speaker's position inside a tomb, 'I Died For Beauty' is ultimately
comforting.' Discuss.
8. 'I Died For Beauty' has a regular abab rhyme
scheme. Can you remember any poem that you have read with a similar rhyme
scheme? Write four lines of the poems in your notebook.
9. In 'I Died For Beauty,' the man who died for
Truth says that Truth and Beauty are the same. Do you agree? Why?
10. Column B lists the meanings of words in column
A but not in a proper order. Match the words with the meanings provided:
|
Column A
|
Column B
|
|
aspect
|
plural
form of brother
|
|
gaudy
|
next
to one another
|
|
impair
|
tiny
flowerless plants that grow in tufts or mats in damp places
|
|
scarce
|
facial
expression; countenance
|
|
adjoining
|
to
make or cause to become worse; damage or weaken
|
|
brethren
|
cheap
and showy, flashy
|
|
moss
|
barely,
hardly
|
Lesson 2: Folk Music
1. Warm up activity:
□ In the class, give a talk on what you know about
Baul / Bhatiyali / Bhawaia songs of Bangladesh.
□ Request someone in the class to sing a few lines
of a folk song; four of you should then talk on the theme, lyrics, style and
impact of the song.
2. Here is an excerpt on Bengali Folk Music written
by the late Mridul Kanti Chakravarty, who was an expert in music and also sang
Baul songs. We reproduce the excerpt published in Banglapedia, courtesy of the
Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Read the excerpt and answer the questions that
follow:
Folk music consists of songs and music of a
community that are uninfluenced by any sophisticated musical rules or any
standard music styles. Bangladesh has a heritage of rich folk music which
includes both religious and secular songs.
Folk music may be described as that type of ancient
music which springs from the heart of a community, based on their natural style
of expression uninfluenced by the rules of classical music and modern popular
songs. Any mode or form created by the combination of tune, voice and dance may
be described as music. Thus, the combination of folk song, folk dance and folk
tune may be called folk music. For example, Baul songs are a combination of
tune, music and dance.
Folk music has the following characteristics: (i) It is composed by rural folk on the basis
of ancient rules transmitted orally; (ii) These ancient rules of music have not
been influenced by classical or modern music; (iii) Folk songs may be sung in
groups or individually; (iv) No regular practice is required for folk music;
(v) It is composed and performed by illiterate or semi-literate people; (vi) It
is a spontaneous expression in easy language, local dialect, and simple tune;
(vii) Both words and tune are appealing; (viii) despite its universal appeal it
uses local dialect; (ix) It depends upon nature and the rural environment; (x)
It is an explicit manifestation of the joys and sorrows of daily life; (xi) It
uses simple and natural rhythms; (xii) It contains a strong emotive expression
of human love and separation.
In Bangladesh folk music has great variety, with
songs being composed on the culture, festivals, views of life, natural beauty,
rivers and rural and riverine life. These songs are also about social
inequality and poverty, about the material world and the supernatural. Mystical
songs have been composed using the metaphors of rivers and boats. Since the
country is basically riverine, the Bhatiyali forms an important genre of folk
music. Folk music is formed and develops according to the environment.
Differences in the natural environment are reflected in the people of the
different regions. The dialects too vary across the different regions.
Bangladeshi folk music therefore varies from region to region. Thus there are
the northern Bhawaiya, the eastern Bhatiyali and the southwestern Baul songs.
The culture and the lifestyle of the different
tribes have also influenced folk music. Tribes like the Santal, Garo, Hajong,
Chakma, Manipuri, Tripuri, Manna etc. have interacted with ethnic Bengali
culture and lifestyle over the years. The interaction has been clearly
reflected in the richness of folk music.
Folk songs may be sung individually or in chorus.
Folk songs sung individually include Baul, Bhatiyali, Murshidi and Marfati,
while songs sung in chorus include Kabigan, Leto, Alkap and Gambhira. Some
songs are regional in character, but others are common to both Bangladesh and
West Bengal. Similarly, some songs belong distinctively to one religious
community, Hindu or Muslim; others cross religious boundaries. Some songs
belong exclusively to men, others to women, while some are sung by both men and
women. Thus only women compose and sing Bratagan and Meyeli Git, but both men
and women participate in the Toof-beating' songs that are sung while beating
down and firming rooftops.
Different folk songs belonging to different regions
of Bangladesh are listed below:
Baul and spiritual songs : Birbhum and Kushtia
Jarigan
: Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Faridpur,
Murshidabad.
Bhawaiya
: Cooch Bihar, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Rangpur,
Pabna.
Gambhira
: Rajshahi, Malda.
Wedding songs
: all regions.
Roof-beating songs : the northern regions of
Bangladesh.
Sari
: the lower marshy regions of
Sylhet and Mymensingh.
Bhatiyali
: nearly all regions of Bangladesh.
Pastoral songs
: Dhaka, Mymensingh, Faridpur, Sylhet, Habiganj.
3. Answer the following questions:
a. How is folk music defined in the excerpt? Can
you add some thoughts of your own to the definition provided?
b. What are the characteristics of folk music?
c. According to the excerpt, folk music has great variety
in Bangladesh. What are some other varieties of folk music that you know about?
Which aspects of our folk music do you like?
d. The excerpt suggests that the culture and
lifestyle of the different tribes of our country have influenced folk music. Can
you give some examples in support of the observation? How many tribes or ethnic
groups have been mentioned in the excerpt?
e. The excerpt mentions several types or classes of
folk songs from different regions of Bangladesh. How many of these are you familiar
with? Give a brief assessment of them.
4. Look up the meanings of the following words and
terms in the dictionary and write sentences using them:
a. classical
b. mystical
c. note
d. tempo
e. rhythm
5. According to the excerpt, music is a mode or form
created by the combination of tune, voice and dance. Is this a complete
description, or may you add anything more to the description?
6. Explain briefly what the following terms mean:
a. classical music
b. riverine life
c. regional character
d. lifestyle
e. chorus
7. Find the noun forms of the following verb words:
a. describe
b. transmit
c. compose
d. vary
e. interact
f. reflect
8. Find at least five adjective words used in the
text and make sentences with them.
Lesson 3: Crafts in Our Time
1. Warm up activity:
□ Can you distinguish between art and craft?
□ How many different crafts do rural people engage
la now? What do these have to do with their lives?
2. Read the text and answer the questions that
follow:
A craft work is an applied form of art, a social
and cultural product reflecting the inclusive nature of folk imagination. A
craftwork, which usually doesn't bear the signature of its maker, retains a
personal touch. When we look at a tirirty year old tu&shlkantha we wonder
at its motifs and designs that point to the artistic ingenuity and the presence
of the maker in it The fact that we don't know her name or any other details
about her doesn't take anything away from our appreciation of the artist
Indeed, the intimate nature of the kansha and the tactile feeling it generates
animate the work and make it very inviting.
A craftwork is shaped by the interaction of individual
creativity and community aesthetics, utility functions and hinrmn values. It is
distinguished by its maker's desire to locate himself or herself in the wider
and ever-changing cultural aspirations of die community, and subsequently of
the markeL But even whoi the market is an important factor, community
aesthetics remains the factor determining the form and content of the craftwork.
The exquisite terracotta dolls from Dinajpur dating back to early 1940s that
form a part of the Bangladesh National Museum's collection were mostly bought
from village fairs by some patron. They were no doubt meant to be consumer
items, but the dolls reflect community aesthetics in such a manner that the
market has not been able to impose ita own preferences on them.
A craft work thus is a dynamic object-always
evolving, and always abreast of changing tastes and preferences. It also
IUJAUILULI a way of life and a cultural flavour. Therefore changes in lifestyle
and material conditions tie expected to have their impact on crtftwarfcft and
their production. But certain forms, shapes, styles and aeafoetic preferences
change little over time, suggesting that a craflwotk can fuactico as a stable
signifis- of community values and desires ova- time. Mechanical and mass
production tab away tins ftehng of assurance and stability and the sense of
continuity that the handmade cmftworit evokes,
In the clash between expectations of pure, handmade
creftworits and the market need of mechanically produced raaftworks, two
contesting views merge: on foe CDC hand, traditionalist! contend that the
society needs to preserve the authenticity and naturalness of craftwo*fl and
their association with domesticity and environment; and, on the ofoer,
promoters of nmcliTim production argue thni foe machine has helped restore the
appeal of the crafts due to their cheaper production colts.
There are no easy solutions to the problems that
ciaflwuiks face in our time.
Crafts foot are disappearing can and should be
revived, evra where the machine has made the prospect difficult And crafts that
we still practiced can be safeguarded and made to consolidate their position
further. This con be done by providing grants, loans, assistance and other
support to foe producers, and helping than find i comfortable customer base.
But more importantly, craftwork can be branded and successfully marketed
throughout the oountiy and beycod as there are always bxiyere and users of
handmade products who feci a strong attraction towards such cultural products.
3. Answer the following questions:
a. In the text above, what are the main ideas
presented?
b. What, according to the text, are the distinctive
qualities of a craftwork?
c. Write a page on what, in your opinion, are the
differences between a handmade craftwork and a machine produced one.
d. The text considers the mechanical production of
craftwork a challenge to the preservation of its authenticity. Do you agree?
e. What role does the market play in promoting
crafts? How can we successfully use market forces to brand our craftworks both
within and outside the country?
4. Write a passage on each of the following crafts:
a. woodcraft
b. jewellery
c. pottery
d. embroidery
5. Use the following words in a paragraph on the
enduring appeal of craftwork:
a. distinctive
b. dynamic
c. continuity
d. naturalness
e. exquisite
6. Find the meanings of the following words and
then make sentences with them:
a. inclusive
b. motif
c. ingenuity
d. tactile
e. aspiration
f. significance
g. safeguard
7. The following words may be adjectives or verbs.
For each word, provide its noun form:
a. animate
b. retain
c. evolve
d. mechanical
e. stable
8. Provide the verb forms of the nouns below:
a. assurance
b. preference
c. continuity
d. association
e. production
f. solution
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