Intro
1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.
2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.
When the Eiffel Tower was first built, many Parisians hated it and called it an eyesore. Today, it is a famous symbol of Paris and one of the most beloved monuments in the world.
Public art such as monuments, statues, and murals are meant to make a city more beautiful. But it can be controversial if the public considers it ugly or strange. Sometimes public art is used as propaganda, to glorify unpopular leaders. Yet, like the Eiffel Tower, a piece of public art that is hated at first may become a cherished symbol over time. Hear Amy and Jason talk about the public art in their city.
Dialog
1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.
2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.
Amy |
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Amy: Oh my gosh, have you seen the new mural that they’re putting up like right outside the office?
Jason: No, there’s a new mural?
Amy: Of course there’s a new mural! I mean, it seems like in this city they just love to put up some more public art, you know? Almost every day I feel like I see a new statue or mural or something.
Jason: Would you prefer blank walls throughout the city?
Amy: Not necessarily, but I just think a lot of public art is kind of bad. It’s just not that good, and it seems like they put it up to try to make the city look better, but it’s like, sometimes a house that is covered in lots of statues or something, lots of furniture that’s, like, ugly furniture or decoration, it would just look better without any decoration at all. And I feel that sometimes it’s the same for a city. Like less is more.
Jason: I guess I can see that. I guess I just like colors, like I like for there to be interesting colors on walls that aren’t advertisements.
Amy: Well, that’s true. I mean, I like public art if it’s good art, but I just think…
Jason: And statues! Like historical figures. It’s always fun to have an old statue of the town founder and things like that, you know?
Amy: Well, that’s true, but sometimes they erect statues of figures who later become really unpopular or do really horrible things, like…
Jason: Well, then you can put funny hats on them!
Grammar Point
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Discussion
Amy has just seen a new mural, and she doesn’t like it. She feels annoyed by how much public art there is in her city. Although she appreciates the idea of art for everyone to enjoy, she thinks a lot of public art is bad. She thinks it is better to have no art than bad art.
Jason disagrees. He likes public art because it adds color to a city. He says that public art is nicer to look at than advertisements. He also likes statues of historical figures.
Amy points out that sometimes, statues are built of unpopular leaders. But Jason thinks it is interesting to learn about the history of a place through its public art.
Is there a lot of public art where you live? Do you like public art, or do you think that it can sometimes make a city uglier instead of more beautiful?
Comments
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China |
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Egypt |
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Philippines |
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China |
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Russian Federation |
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Kazakhstan |
I think that public art makes a city look unique and individual. I live in Ust-Kamenogorsk in Kazakhstan. During the Soviet times it was a Russian city. I mean that Russian culture was prevailed mostly. Now when Kazakhstan has declared independence there appears a lot of monuments of Kazakh leaders and heroes, and charachters from Russian and Kazakh fairy-tales. It makes our city so unlikeable to other cities of Kazakhstan.
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You can enjoy here some examples…
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Brazil |
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