AMAZING PICTURES!!

Have a look at these pictures of an Orange Festival in Netherlands.

Have you ever seen anything like it?

Enjoy!

The Mirror has Two Faces: Thought provoking!

After last class' scenes, I would like to share these questions with you (and I expect you to join in the discussion, of course!).
. If you could talk to Rose and Hanna, what advise would you give each of them to improve their mother-daughter relationship?
. The dictionary defines self-esteem as "the belief and confidence in your own ability and value". What are your considerations about it? How can people build up healthy self-esteem? Can you recall any personal experiences in which your self-esteem was either lowered or boosted?

I'm looking forward to reading your comments.

THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES

Hi class!! Let's work with the movie we are watching in class, which I hope you're enjoying as much as I am!

About Rose's lecture on love:
* Do you think we are culturally preconditioned to fall in love? If you think we are, which are those conditions culture imposes on us?
* Do you believe the idea we have of romantic love manipulates our decisions concerning love and the ideal partner?

Please, answer the questions. You can also include comments on what other classmates have written.
Remember you have to post two questions about the lecture and answer questions someone else has asked.

Enjoy the activity! It involves thinking and writing about our beliefs.

Let's read a poem by Florencia and Valentina!!

This poem is based on a painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

WOMAN

20 years have passed since we got married
Our feelings haven’t changed, our love is the same
Without my husband I wouldn’t be who I am today
I wake up every morning, with him by my side
I wake up every morning, with my hurt beating utterly fast
The air is sweet, my life is complete
The sun brights, my smile shine shines
The smell of his hair, the strength of his arms
He is like an angel, that glitter in my eyes
If I were a swallow which had to fly away
I wouldn’t go, I would stay
With my man, the love of my life, I would always remain

MAN

20 years have passed since we got married
But my feelings have changed, my love is not the same
Without my wife, I would be on my clandestine love’s way
I wake up every morning with her perfume on my mind
I wake up every morning with my heart in another house
The air is cold, I need to hear her voice
The sun doesn’t shine if I am not by her side
The movement of her lips, the fragrance of her skin
She is like the moon, that light my lonely nights
If I were a swallow, I would fly away,
I would enjoy my freedom, I wouldn’t stay
With my dearest secret love, I would always remain

Nice poem! Now, let's learn something about the painter and his work.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919) was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style. He was a celebrator of beauty, and especially feminine sensuality and he was so passionate about painting that he even continued when he was old and suffering from severe arthritis. However, he painted with the brush tied to his wrists.
Renoir's paintings are notable for their vibrant light and saturated color, most often focusing on people in intimate and candid compositions. The female nude was one of his primary subjects. He enjoyed the Impressionist style and he liked to paint outdoor scenes showing everyday people dancing and having a good time. In these paintings Renoir mastered the display of light in a way that makes these scenes so vivid and spontaneous.

In characteristic Impressionist style, Renoir suggested the details of a scene through freely brushed touches of color, so that his figures softly fuse with one another and their surroundings. The works of his early maturity were typically Impressionist snapshots of real life, full of sparkling colour and light.

This is the painting that inspired the girls to become poets!

Let's enjoy some photos! Don't they look great?