2 Read the conversation first. Then in pairs take turns to talk about
• what decision the members of the club want to make.
• what ideas they reject.
• what idea they accept.
• who is the author of the play they choose.
• what the topic of the play is.
• what the message of the play is.
• who is going to play the main part.
Model: Who is going to play the main part in the play they choose? — They gave the main part to Lisa Korolyova because...
Jasper: What shall we stage this year, friends? Shall we do another popular musical?
Mary: Oh, why should it be a musical again? Every year the summer camp stages "Grease" or "Mamma Mia". Let's do something different this year.
Jasper: So what do you want to do instead? What about Chekhov's "Three Sisters"? That would be a very unusual choice for a summer camp.
Jessica: What about a classical play, but let it be funny too?
Jasper: Oh, I've got an idea. We can stage Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion". It's very witty.
Lisa: I thought it was an ancient Greek myth. Is it witty?
Jasper: You are talking about a different thing. There is a myth about
Pygmalion, a sculptor from Cyprus. He makes a statue and calls her Galatea. She is so beautiful and realistic that the sculptor
falls in love with his own work. He is so much in love that he prays to Aphrodite to bring the statue to life and the goddess grants his wish. This myth inspired hundreds of poets and playwrights and each of them had his or her own interpretation of the events. Some of them believed that Pygmalion and his Galatea lived happily ever after, but some thought that Galatea, who became a real woman, disappointed Pygmalion. Her personality was not as beautiful as her face and body. And Bernard Shaw had his own version too.
Kate: Do you think the campers are going to enjoy a Greek myth?
Jasper: Oh, no. Shaw just took the idea of the myth. His play is about the people who lived in London at the beginning of the 20th century.
Mary: And what is it about?
Jasper: It starts with early evening in Covent Garden. People are on their way home after the theatre. They are caught in a heavy summer rainstorm and take shelter under the portico of St Paul's Church in Covent Garden. A Cockney flower girl called Eliza Doolittle tries to sell some flowers to the ladies and gentlemen there. Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, makes a record of Eliza's accent. He finds it totally disgusting, and tells the girl that her accent will keep her in the gutter for the rest of her life. It turns out that one of the people in the crowd is Colonel Pickering, an expert in Indian dialects, who has come all the way from India to meet the famous Henry Higgins, the author of "Universal Grammar". The two men are delighted to meet each other and leave together.
Lisa: Well, I'm afraid I don't understand. What is "Cockney" anyway? And why is Eliza's accent disgusting? She is a Londoner, after all, so what problems can she possibly have with English?
Jasper: Let me explain. It is important to understand that at that time in English society, the way a person spoke was a symbol of their social status. There were different accents used on the British Isles, but only one variety was considered correct. Nowadays we know this variety as the Queen's English or RP, short for "Received Pronunciation". Received in this expression means "received in the best society". RP was typically used by graduates of Cambridge and Oxford, most of whom belonged to the aristocracy. So the moment one opened his / her mouth, the person was immediately placed, that is his financial status, place of birth, education and position in society became clear. The accent put very strict limitations on people's lives. Those whose English accent was not good enough couldn't hope to get good jobs. Even to work in a shop a girl was expected to have a proper accent. As Bernard Shaw wrote, "It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him." The hated accent was, of course, the RP, and one of the most despised accents was the so-called "Cockney English", spoken by the people who lived in the poor quarters of London's East End. It used to be referred to as unworthy of being the speech of any person in the capital city of the Empire. Nowadays RP is still considered the accent of Standard English. Although it has lost its critical importance, accent still acts as a class barrier.
Alice: This is all very interesting, but what's the message of Bernard
Shaw's play then? Did he support all that snobbery? Aren't personal qualities much more important than a person's accent?
Jasper: Of course, they are. Bernard Shaw would agree with you, and this is exactly the message of his play. He showed that anyone can learn to speak correctly, but really important qualities like kindness, honesty and dignity cannot be taught.
Mary: I like this idea. Let's stage "Pygmalion". Besides, we've already got our Eliza.
Jane: Really? Who are you talking about?
Mary: Our Lisa Korolyova, of course. Her Russian accent sounds funny anyway, so she will be perfect for this part. Lisa: But I'm not sure... Jasper: I think Mary is right. You'll make a good Eliza. Mary: But we also need Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering, and there are no boys in our club. Jasper: Leave it to me. I think I know two guys who would be glad to help.
Lisa: Who? Jasper: You'll see. It's a surprise.
• what decision the members of the club want to make.
• what ideas they reject.
• what idea they accept.
• who is the author of the play they choose.
• what the topic of the play is.
• what the message of the play is.
• who is going to play the main part.
Model: Who is going to play the main part in the play they choose? — They gave the main part to Lisa Korolyova because...
Jasper: What shall we stage this year, friends? Shall we do another popular musical?
Mary: Oh, why should it be a musical again? Every year the summer camp stages "Grease" or "Mamma Mia". Let's do something different this year.
Jasper: So what do you want to do instead? What about Chekhov's "Three Sisters"? That would be a very unusual choice for a summer camp.
Jessica: What about a classical play, but let it be funny too?
Jasper: Oh, I've got an idea. We can stage Bernard Shaw's "Pygmalion". It's very witty.
Lisa: I thought it was an ancient Greek myth. Is it witty?
Jasper: You are talking about a different thing. There is a myth about
Pygmalion, a sculptor from Cyprus. He makes a statue and calls her Galatea. She is so beautiful and realistic that the sculptor
falls in love with his own work. He is so much in love that he prays to Aphrodite to bring the statue to life and the goddess grants his wish. This myth inspired hundreds of poets and playwrights and each of them had his or her own interpretation of the events. Some of them believed that Pygmalion and his Galatea lived happily ever after, but some thought that Galatea, who became a real woman, disappointed Pygmalion. Her personality was not as beautiful as her face and body. And Bernard Shaw had his own version too.
Kate: Do you think the campers are going to enjoy a Greek myth?
Jasper: Oh, no. Shaw just took the idea of the myth. His play is about the people who lived in London at the beginning of the 20th century.
Mary: And what is it about?
Jasper: It starts with early evening in Covent Garden. People are on their way home after the theatre. They are caught in a heavy summer rainstorm and take shelter under the portico of St Paul's Church in Covent Garden. A Cockney flower girl called Eliza Doolittle tries to sell some flowers to the ladies and gentlemen there. Henry Higgins, a professor of phonetics, makes a record of Eliza's accent. He finds it totally disgusting, and tells the girl that her accent will keep her in the gutter for the rest of her life. It turns out that one of the people in the crowd is Colonel Pickering, an expert in Indian dialects, who has come all the way from India to meet the famous Henry Higgins, the author of "Universal Grammar". The two men are delighted to meet each other and leave together.
Lisa: Well, I'm afraid I don't understand. What is "Cockney" anyway? And why is Eliza's accent disgusting? She is a Londoner, after all, so what problems can she possibly have with English?
Jasper: Let me explain. It is important to understand that at that time in English society, the way a person spoke was a symbol of their social status. There were different accents used on the British Isles, but only one variety was considered correct. Nowadays we know this variety as the Queen's English or RP, short for "Received Pronunciation". Received in this expression means "received in the best society". RP was typically used by graduates of Cambridge and Oxford, most of whom belonged to the aristocracy. So the moment one opened his / her mouth, the person was immediately placed, that is his financial status, place of birth, education and position in society became clear. The accent put very strict limitations on people's lives. Those whose English accent was not good enough couldn't hope to get good jobs. Even to work in a shop a girl was expected to have a proper accent. As Bernard Shaw wrote, "It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him." The hated accent was, of course, the RP, and one of the most despised accents was the so-called "Cockney English", spoken by the people who lived in the poor quarters of London's East End. It used to be referred to as unworthy of being the speech of any person in the capital city of the Empire. Nowadays RP is still considered the accent of Standard English. Although it has lost its critical importance, accent still acts as a class barrier.
Alice: This is all very interesting, but what's the message of Bernard
Shaw's play then? Did he support all that snobbery? Aren't personal qualities much more important than a person's accent?
Jasper: Of course, they are. Bernard Shaw would agree with you, and this is exactly the message of his play. He showed that anyone can learn to speak correctly, but really important qualities like kindness, honesty and dignity cannot be taught.
Mary: I like this idea. Let's stage "Pygmalion". Besides, we've already got our Eliza.
Jane: Really? Who are you talking about?
Mary: Our Lisa Korolyova, of course. Her Russian accent sounds funny anyway, so she will be perfect for this part. Lisa: But I'm not sure... Jasper: I think Mary is right. You'll make a good Eliza. Mary: But we also need Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering, and there are no boys in our club. Jasper: Leave it to me. I think I know two guys who would be glad to help.
Lisa: Who? Jasper: You'll see. It's a surprise.