03/21/16
Myanmar Literature
Myanmar has a long history of literature. The
earliest extant of Burmese literature is the Myazedi inscription. It narrates
about the great Buddha by a prince and the gift of slave villages to the image,
ending with a prayer to the donor and his friends. Over a thousand dedicatory
inscriptions, containing eloquent poems and prayers, were created that time.
In the fifteenth up to the nineteenth century,
palm-leaf (with stylus) and folded paper became common. Such writings were
filled with Buddhist piety and courtly refinement of the language. The authors
were monks, educated courtiers, and court poets. Prose works were few during
that period, mostly about Buddhist scriptures and chronicles of kings. Poetry
was varied, historical ballads, panegyric odes, story verses and nature/love
poems. Writers used the “mixed style” of writing by combining prose and poetry
together.
With the founding of the University of Rangoon
in 1920, came a significant increase in Myanmar literature.
Activity
7:
Find the main idea of the topic.
·
Main
Idea
o
Development
and history of Myanmar literature.
·
Details
o
Earliest
extant of Myanmar literature.
o
Authors
and history of the scriptures.
o
Rise and
development of literature.
Activity 8:
·
Inevitable
o
Unavoidable
·
Fleeting
o
Short
time
·
Transitory
o
Temporary
·
Utilitarian
o
Useful
·
Amass
o
Gather
·
Insatiable
o
Desire
·
Exploit
o
Utilize
·
Rampant
o
Violent
04/04/16
An idiom is a word
or phrase which means something different from its literal meaning. Idioms are
common phrases or terms whose meaning are not real, but can be understood by
their popular use.
Because idioms can
mean something different from what the words mean it is difficult for someone
not very good at speaking the language to use them properly. Some idioms are
only used by some groups of people or at certain times. The idiom shape up or
ship out, which is like saying improve your behavior or leave if you don't,
might be said by an employer or supervisor to an employee, but not to other
people.
Idioms are not the
same thing as slang. Idioms are made of normal words that have a special
meaning known by almost everyone. Slang is usually special words that are known
only by a particular group of people.
To learn a language
a person needs to learn the words in that language, and how and when to use
them. But people also need to learn idioms separately because certain words
together or at certain times can have different meanings. In order to
understand an idiom, one sometimes needs to know the culture the idiom comes
from.
A better
understanding of an idiom is that it is a phrase whose meaning cannot be
understood from the dictionary definitions of each word taken separately.
04/05/16
Activity 15: Odds on Ads
Ads are used by
celebrities to perform social functions and maintain popularity. These are no
different in Burma. In a media-influenced society, advertisements provide celebrities
with a short term financial reward and an opportunity to promote their status.
Though some actors
have used their fame to voice criticism against junta policies, most see
advertising in practical terms of maintaining a career. Many live near the
relatively small Yangon CBD, in some of the few middle class (by Burmese
standards) suburbs, where they may find it difficult to maintain anonymity. It
is not uncommon see singers and actors in the street, during social encounters
or even whilst they are shooting a new TV commercial.
The popularity of
celebrities in Burma, in this sense, gives their patronage an extra sense of
familiarity in advertising work.
Activity 16: Propaganda
Propaganda is a
publicity to promote a product or idea. In order to spread propaganda, various
techniques are used.
·
Bandwagon
o
This
technique involves encouraging people to think or act in some way simply
because other people are doing so.
·
Association
o
This
technique involves making a claim that one should act or think in a certain way
because of the high social status associated with the action or thought.
·
Repetition
o
Repeats
a product’s name and information many times to the ad.
·
Emotional
Words
o
Makes
the target audience feel connected to the product.
Adjectives and Compliments
An adjective
complement is a clause or phrase that modifies an adjective or adds to the
meaning of the adjective. It is a noun clause or a prepositional phrase.
A noun clause is
simply two or more words that act like a noun. It can be the subject of a
sentence, an object of a verb or preposition, or they can complement a subject
or adjective. It contains a subject and a verb and since it takes the place of
a noun, it is a dependent clause and cannot stand alone as a sentence.
05/02/16
Activity 19:
Speak up, let’s talk about it
·
Opinion
Signal Words
o
Opinion
is a statement that presents an idea with little or no evidence. In order to
identify an opinion, various signal words are used.
§
may
§
ought
§
could
§
might
§
possibly
§
sometimes
§
often
§
I think
§
it is
believed
§
usually
§
seem (s)
§
probably
§
many
people believe
§
everyone
§
no one
§
everybody
§
always
Activity 20: First Impression
Modernity in Burma has
improved lifestyle, culture, and tradition. Because of modernity, the
traditional cultures and traditions were preserved and prospered to the next generation.
Examples are various
traditional literatures, like the Mayazedi inscription, the oldest surviving stone
inscription, and the Jataka tales, a voluminous body of literature native to
India concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha.
Traditional cultures
that have been influenced by Buddhism have been around until today. Music like Burmese
Saing Saya Kyaw Kyaw Naing has made more widely known in the West. Dances like yodaya
aka, a Thai-influenced dance, retains its unique qualities that distinguish it
from other regional styles.
Ancient tradition
and modern culture can coexist. It improves Burmese lifestyle and tradition in
all aspects.
Activity 21: The F’s (Freedom, Fight for
Freedom)
·
Identify
each word
o
Spire
§
Conical
structure
o
Saffron
§
Reddish
Spice
o
Callousness
§
Cruelty
o
Stillness
§
undisturbed
movement
o
Serene
§
Peaceful
o
Finery
§
expensive
or ostentatious clothes or decoration
o
Fiercer
§
Quick tempered
05/09/16
Activity 23: Character Revelation Figure
Analyze the
characters from the story “The Country’s Good Son”.
·
The Characters
|
o
The
soldiers
|
§
They
showed courage and happiness. They will to fight for their country’s freedom
by telling their story to Lin Aung with optimism.
|
o
Lin
Aung
|
§
Felt
respect for the soldiers and hoped to contribute to his country like them.
|
·
|
o
The
story reveals about the will of Burmese people to fight for their freedom
while maintaining a positive outlook
|
Activity 24: Frequency Word List
Find the meaning of
each word and phrase.
·
1.
|
o
Sad
|
§
Gloomy
|
o
Offered
to sacrifice one’s own life
|
§
Would
fight gladly, would die gladly
|
o
To
lose a leg
|
§
To die
for freedom
|
·
2.
|
o
Very
different
|
§
Contrast
|
o
Burden
|
§
Problem
|
o
Respect
|
§
Admiration
|
·
3.
|
o
Honor
|
§
Praise,
salute
|
o
Good
sons
|
§
Heroes,
patriots
|
Activity 26: PS at your fingertips
Summarize the story,
“The Country’s Good Son”.
“The
Country’s Good Son” is a story about a boy who sells slippers and meets two
soldiers who explained about their pride in defending their country’s freedom.
The story starts out when Lin Aung helped his mother sell the slippers in their shop, one busy Sunday. A soldier then came to Lin Aung to buy one slipper, the left side. Lin Aung became curious of why the soldier wanted only one slipper. The soldier told the boy that he will look for a partner so the two slippers will be bought. Lin Aung saw the soldier walking away, limping. So the young man came back with another soldier, whose left leg was lost. Lin Aung then realized that the first soldier had lost his right leg and his partner has a missing left leg.
The story starts out when Lin Aung helped his mother sell the slippers in their shop, one busy Sunday. A soldier then came to Lin Aung to buy one slipper, the left side. Lin Aung became curious of why the soldier wanted only one slipper. The soldier told the boy that he will look for a partner so the two slippers will be bought. Lin Aung saw the soldier walking away, limping. So the young man came back with another soldier, whose left leg was lost. Lin Aung then realized that the first soldier had lost his right leg and his partner has a missing left leg.
The soldiers told Lin Aung of how
proud they are for losing their legs because it was worth defending their
country. Lin Aung felt respect for the soldiers as he gave them the slippers.
After the soldiers left, Lin Aung wanted to contribute to his country like the
soldiers that spoke to him.
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