Vanderbilt-Pakistan Lesson 8

April 2013

Curiosity by Alistair ReidCuriosity may have killed the cat; more likelythe cat was just unlucky, or else curiousto see what death was like, having no causeto go on licking paws, or fatheringlitter on litter of kittens, predictably.

Face it. Curiositywill not cause us to die--only lack of it will.Never to want to seethe other side of the hillor that improbable countrywhere living is an idyll(although a probable hell)would kill us all.Only the curioushave, if they live, a taleworth telling at all.

Curiosity by Alistair Reid

Questions• The phrase “curiosity killed

the cat” is common in English. It’s a phrase meant to discourage asking too many questions and tell people to mind your own business.

• The author speaks of two kinds of death. What are these two kinds of death?

Curiosity may have killed the cat; more likelythe cat was just unlucky, or else curiousto see what death was like, having no causeto go on licking paws, or fatheringlitter on litter of kittens, predictably.

Face it. Curiositywill not cause us to die--only lack of it will.Never to want to seethe other side of the hillor that improbable countrywhere living is an idyll(although a probable hell)would kill us all.Only the curioushave, if they live, a taleworth telling at all.

Which would you prefer: a long life without curiosity or

dying early from constantly pursuing your curiosity?

(Curiosity = asking questions)

Ozymandius by Percy Shelley

I met a traveller from an antique land,Who said—

“Two vast and trunkless legs of stoneStand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,Half sunk a shattered visage lies…”

And on the pedestal, these words appear:My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains…”

Ozymandius by Percy ShelleyQuestions

• “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone stand in the desert… Near them, on the sand, half sunk a shattered visage lies.” What is this section describing?

• Describe the contrast between the words “My name is Ozymandius, King of Kings” and “Nothing beside remains…”

I met a traveller from an antique land,Who said—

“Two vast and trunkless legs of stoneStand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,Half sunk a shattered visage lies…”

And on the pedestal, these words appear:My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains…”

How much influence do you think one ruler can have?

Are all leaders and people meant to be forgotten someday?

How long can manmade creations survive? (These are the Easter Island statues, or the Maoi, which were made almost a thousand years ago).

Think of an ancient (old) manmade structure (a statue, building,

sculpture, painting, etc.) that you are familiar with and write a few

sentences about why it has lasted so long. How long in the future do

you think it will last?