2c og Skotland: marts 2011

onsdag den 30. marts 2011

Scottish traditional culture

Whiskey:

“Scotch” or a Scotch whisky is the name of whiskey from Scotland.

Under British law, whiskey among other things must meet the following conditions to be called Scotch whisky:

At first the whiskey must be matured for at least 3 years in oak casks.
Secondly the maturing must have happened in a customs warehouse registered in Scotland.
Finally the alcohol percentage must be at least 40%.

Scotch whisky is also grouped by the area it is produced in. For instance highlands and lowlands whisky. The difference is often in the process of maturing and the alcohol percentage.

Known Scottish whiskey brands includes:
Dalwhinnie, Talisker and Cragganmore.

Sources:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotch_whisky)
http://www.scotch-whisky.org.uk/swa/43.html

Bagpipe:
The origin of the bagpipe is actually unknown. But there are some people who claims that it goes back to the old Egypt, Persia and Greece, while other think that it goes back to the old Roman empire where the emperor Nero has played the instrument. We can therefore conclude that it isn't a Scottish invention. The story then says that the bagpipe was brought to Ireland and Scotland by the Romans, and for some reason it later became their mark.

The reason why the bagpipe maybe can be traced back to such old civilisations is because that many herdsmen had the necessary materials at hand. These materials was a goat or sheep skin and a reed pipe.

Although the bagpipe is played in many countries of the world it is associated with Scotland. It has long been used by Scottish regiments to play military music.
The bagpipe was developed as an outdoor instrument, as a way to stir soldiers to war. Its very high volume allowed it to be heard over the sound of battle.

Sources:
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagpipes)
http://www.bcfpb.com/id11.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090516234156AAvtLkQ

Tartan:
Tartan is a pattern, woven coloured stripes. Often seen on Scottish kilts, and associated to Scotland.
It is the national dress of Scotland.

In the end of the 18th century the Scottish Regions each had different patterns of tartan, and some Scottish clans also had their own tartan, if it was a very big or very important clan. Often you could tell where people where from by the pattern of their tartan.

Today we see tartan everywhere, on different items of clothing. But also on other materials than clothing

søndag den 20. marts 2011

A short description of a scene from Train Spotting

One of the important scenes in ”Train Spotting”

I believe that one of the most important scenes in the movie, Train Spotting, is the scene where our protagonist is laying in bed in his old bedroom from when he lived with his parents. This is the turning point in the movie where the protagonist becomes clean and realizes that he has to choose the right path. He sees amazing and terrifying things when he is sobering up from a bad trip. The dead baby for example. And that is why he know he has to stay sober. You can say that it is the point of no return for the protagonist in the movie.

I apologize for the short description of this scene. It’s late and I’m having hangovers. Now let us have a nice trip!

lørdag den 12. marts 2011

Classical Architecture in Edinburgh

Opgave: Fremlæggelse på stedet indeholdende:

a. Præsentation af bygningen, dens opførelsesår, arkitekter, oprindelige formål, historie, evt. nuværende brug/fremtid.

b. Grundplan: rektangulær, kvadratisk, rund, fundament, fremspringende mure, antal rum (hvis muligt).

c. Søjler: antal og placering, dorisk, jonisk, korintisk, kapitæler, overbygning.

d. Skulpturudsmykning: gavle, metoper, frise.

e. Hvilke antikke forbilleder er der? Forskelle og ligheder med antikken? Hvilke klassicistiske træk er der? Historicistiske træk?

f. Tolkende del: kunstnerens/arkitektens budskab, slutning fra værket til typiske træk ved tiden og samfundet, ”tidsånden”. Hvorfor er der anvendt græsk/romersk arkitektur? Hvilke værdier ligger der i den klassicistiske arkitektur, og hvordan hænger det sammen med punkt a?

Forberedelse: find oplysninger og billeder på nettet i denne time. I kan jo selv finde ud af en masse om arkitekturen ved at se på forskellige billeder og bruge jeres oldbog.

Produkt: mundtlig fremlæggelse hvor man peger og fortæller. Et ark til udlevering med ”key facts” (navne, årstal, søjletyper etc.), da det er svært at tage noter, når man står op. Man kan få sin oldlærer til at lave kopier af arket før på fredag…

God fornøjelse!

1 & 2 Old Royal High School & the Robert Burns Monument

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Royal_High_School,_Edinburgh

http://www.robertburns.plus.com/MonumentsEdinburgh.htm

3 & 4. The National Monument & Nelson Monument on Carlton Hill:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Monument,_Edinburgh

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Wars

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Monument,_Edinburgh (Ikke særligt klassicistisk, men alligevel.)

http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/national_monument.htm

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Architect-flags-up-plan-to.2521669.jp

Bemærk: “folly” kan også betyde ”kunstig ruin/tempel.”

5 & 6. The Dugald Stewart Monument on Carlton Hill: