W12 - Stonehenge u4d22

STONEHENGE

BY RIO ALMA, Manila/England

Objectives: • Explain how element and genre come together through an example literary text. • Demonstrate a more appreciative way of looking at landmarks and other cultural icons. • Responding critically to the poem and articulate this response through an educational brochure of a landmark or tourist spot of the student’s choice.

The Author

Background: • It is located in Wiltshire, England. • It is a monument built in the Neolithic and Bronze Age. • Stonehenge is a large circle of standing stones.

How was it built?

First stage: • The first Stonehenge was a large earthwork probably built around 3100 BC. • They formed a circle. Archaeologists found cremated human bones, but they were probably from part of a religious ceremony. • After that, the monument didn’t change until 1000 years later.

Second stage: •It started around 2150 BC. About 82 bluestones from the Preseli mountains in south-west Wales were brought to the site. This journey was nearly 240 miles. •Once there, the stones were set up in the center to make an incomplete double circle.

Third stage: •It started in 2000 BC. The Sarsen stones that they used were probably brought from the Marlborough Downs area near Avebury, about 25 miles north of Stonehenge. •These were placed in an outer circle. Inside the circle, there were also five trilithons, that still remain today.

Final stage: •After 1500 BC the bluestones were moved into the horseshoe and circle that we see today. •Most of the bluestones have been removed or broken.

Possibilities: • Stonehenge was an astronomical observatory. They could predict eclipses, lunar phases and seasons. Nevertheless, it was possible that it was not the original function because it took more than 1000 years to finish it.

Possibilities: • Stonehenge was a cemetery. Scientists found human bones buried there. • Stonehenge was a religious temple. People went there because the Druids could give them magic power and cure their illnesses.

Incredible theories: • Stonehenge was built by Apollo’s followers who lived in the north of Europe and were documented in Greek mythology. • Stonehenge was a place where UFOs landed.

Incredible theories: • Stonehenge was built by the wizard Merlin. He made it himself by raising the stones with his magical power.

Activity: Answer the following: 1. Find and tabulate at least three allusions in the text and identify their original meaning as well as their function in the poem. 2. How are the stone monuments described by the author? How does he perceive them? 3. What does the author mean by “materialistic mind”? 4. What is the author’s criticism to these thoughts from a materialistic mind?

The Allusion • What is it? Allusion is a literary device in which the writer or speaker refers either directly or indirectly to a person, event, or thing in history or to a work of art or literature. • Why is it important? Allusion connects the content of a text with the larger world. Allusion calls to mind the ideas and emotions associated with a wellknown event or published work. Those ideas and emotions then contribute to what the author conveys.

The main question:

•How does Rio Alma’s poem invite us to re-examine the ways we look at landmarks that are of significant cultural value to the people?

In the poem: • Landmarks have a cultural significance. They are important to people. They serve as memorials, not just picture/selfie backgrounds. • There seems to be a difference between the intended meanings of the landmarks and the way it is perceived by those who visit them. • We fail to see and understand the cultural or historical values of these landmarks most of the time.

Rio Alma’s themes: • Change the way we look at landmarks. • The present is not superior to the past. • Always balance conceit with humility. • Peace and violence, humility and conceit, the hubris and the fall of men – all are part and parcel of history. Landmarks are but artifacts left of this continuum.

Evaluation: • In groups, complete the table on the Wonders of the World on pages 135-136. • Focus on the importance of finding a common ground where both your personal opinions and the landmark’s history meet. • Groups will present their outputs to class.

Thank you for listening!

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