Unit4 MonaLisaSmile

Unit 4 ————孙锐1. How do you understand the title of Mona Lisa Smile? Is “looking happy”different from “being happy”?①I think the title of Mona Lisa Smile has three meanings. First, the movie mainly shows the story between the young woman teacher Katherine and her girl students. Form hostile in the beginning to friends at last, Katherine helps the girls to find the value of their lives. The girls call her “Mona Lisa Smile”, Katherine, just like Mona Lisa. Second, Mona Lisa Smile is the representative work of Renaissance(文艺复兴的代表作), Katherine is just a modern woman waken by Renaissance. Third, and also the last one, Mona Lisa Smile represents Katherine’s constant pursuit of life and art. She dreams to go to Italy and do her best to make the dream come true; Mona Lisa Smile is created in Italy, which is her dream.②I think “looking happy”is different from “being happy”.” looking happy”is just like Betty at first, she married with the man both she and her mother like, abundant life makes she lost, she doesn’t have her own idea, just live for others. In other people’s eyes, she is happy, but she is really not happy, and this is “looking happy”. At last, she gets divorced bravely and finds her own value. At the final of the film, she rides the bicycle to see Katherine off, it’s a very moving scene, but we know Betty is really happy, that is “being happy”. In all, “looking happy” is happy in other people’s eyes, “being happy” is happy in one selves’ eyes.2. What do you think of Katherine Watson? Is she a good teacher? Do you like her teaching style?I think Katherine Watson is a very brave and modern woman. She knows what she wants clearly and seeks the life and art firmly. She loves art, then she tries her best to go to Italy just for further study in art; she doesn’t want to get married with a man that cannot understand her, then she refused her boyfriend’s proposal. She doesn’t care what people says to her, she just wants to live for her dream and never gives up. Dream is beautiful, with dream, she can keeps making great efforts and never feel tired.She is certainly a good teacher and I like her teaching style very much. Teacher is a holy job, not just teach us knowledge, but also teach us how to live and how to make our life meaningful. Although Katherine doesn’t teach her students knowledge in the books, she teaches them how to understand art by themselves not just pick in established books. In this way, students can learn skills, but not learn by rote(死记硬背). This teaching style can help us develop the good habit to think by ourselves, develops the learning skill of us, we can speak whatever we want to say, it’s very interesting.3. What do you think of the university life of these girls?The university life of these girls isn’t colorful compared with us. Before Katherine Watson comes to this university, they just want to study and find a good man to marry with, and the final goal is to get married. They don’t know the meaning to learn, and they learn just for find a good man. How pitiable their university life is! But I must admit that their atmosphere of study is much denser than us now. They all can prepare lessons before class and remember very well. That’s very unthinkable in nowadays. Next, most of these girls choose to get married when they meet the suitable man. This is very rare at this time, almost strange. Although these girls study very hard, they don’t use the knowledge correctly and they don’t put study at the first place. We all know that when we was very young, we had been told that study is the only way to change our lives, most ofus tried our best to get further education just because we believe that knowledge will change our destiny. In all, before Katherine’s coming, these girls’ university life is meaningless! But at last, most of them start to find the thing they really want to do, and this makes them find the meaning of their lives.4. If you were John, will you go to Yale University or get married? Why?If I was John, I will go to Y ale University. Because I like learning laws and Y ale University is one of the best universities in the countries. After graduating from the university, I can do things I like and support my life. I think woman shouldn’t depend on man in any case and woman is not the accessory(附属品) of man, woman should be independent. And in other points, if my boyfriend really loves me, he should support me to do everything I like, and getting married needn’t be so impatient. Since we love each other firmly and believe each other, there will be no problems that can destroy us. For me, dream is very important and getting married and going on with study is not a conflict. Why can’t I going on with my study first and getting married several years later? Time can’t stop the real love. If we separate just because I will go to Y ale University, I think I don’t need to go on with this man, he can’t understand and support me at all, we must have problems soon or later. It’s better to be unhappy in a short time than in a long one. That’s all, thank you!5. What do you think of the ending of the film?At the end of the film, Katherine Watson decides to go to Italy, and all her students see her off by bicycle. I think this is a beautiful ending. All the students including Betty are affected by Katherine, and they understand and accept her minds, also support her. This is a happy scene, at least, Katherine’s behavior and minds is supported by her students, although many other teachers in Wellesley can’t understand and even can’t tolerate her teaching style. A teacher’s success or fail is appraised by her students, not by other teachers or any other people. So, from this point, Katherine is a really successful teacher. On the other hand, all her students also have a good ending. Betty gets divorced, but she enjoys the quiet life and keeps learning; John didn’t go to Y ale University, but she find her love and would like to be a housewife for her lover, she also find her really happiness; and many other students also find their way in the life, they all realized that they should make their lives meaningful. At the final of the film, Katherine is on her way to dream, so do her students; free bicycles represent the new world for all.6. What is the most inspiring quality of Katherine Watson?I think the most inspiring quality of Katherine Watson is that she never gives up whenever she meets difficulties and she is very brave and modern. She knows what she wants clearly and seeks the life and art firmly. She wants to be a teacher in Wellesley, then she comes here alone; She wasn’t accepted by the students at first, then she tried her own teaching style and never complains; She was blamed by the headmaster because of her “incorrect” content of teaching, she would rather go away than change the teaching style; She loves art, then she tries her best to go to Italy just for further study in art; she doesn’t want to get married with a man that cannot understand her, then she refused her boyfriend’s proposal. She doesn’t care what people says to her, she just want to live for her dream and never give up. Dream is beautiful, with dream, she can keeps making great efforts and never feel tired. She is much braver than many people at that time. I should learn from her that never gives up in the way to catching dream, do my best and the effects I paid will finally get back. That’s all, thank you.。