昔日文章

Can you imagine how hard it would be for a painter to paint the ceiling of a chapel with his head tilted upwards? Michelangelo (1475 – 1564) was asked by the Pope to decorate the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel（西斯丁小教堂）within the Vatican（梵蒂岡）. He worked for four years, painting on a scaffold the nine scenes and over 300 people from the Book of Genesis（《創世紀》）. With his imagination, no two of the 300 people look alike. Michelangelo was considered the greatest living artist in his lifetime.  Michelangelo was born in Italy. His mother died when he was only six years old. As a child, he loved watching painters working at nearby churches. As he had little interest in school, his father sent him to be apprenticed to a painter when he was thirteen. There, he learned the technique of fresco.  Later Michelangelo was sent to a powerful family to continue his training under a sculptor. When he was twenty-four years old, he completed the “Pieta”（痛苦之母雕像）. It is regarded as one of the world’s masterpieces of sculpture. It is the only piece of work that Michelangelo signed.  Michelangelo became famous and was asked to produce a large statue of “David”, a biblical figure who killed the giant Goliath with a stone from his sling. Can you guess how tall the statue of David is? Michelangelo carved it out of a huge marble block and it measures about 5 metres tall.  In 1546 when he was in his seventies, Michelangelo was made chief architect of St. Peter’s Basilica（聖伯多祿大殿）within the Vatican. The basilica is the burial site of St. Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, and many popes.  Wi t h a b r i l l i a n t mind and unfailing determination, Michelangelo produced many influential works and is considered as the “father and master of all the arts”.  Glossary Scaffold: 建築架 Apprenticed: 當學徒 Fresco: 壁畫 Sculptor: 雕刻家 Masterpieces: 傑作 Statue: 塑像 Marble block: 大理石 Apostles: 宗徒

   Socrates was a famous philosopher and teacher in ancient Greece. While many teachers of his time told students directly the facts and information, Socrates wanted his students to question things. “What is wisdom?” “Is our government good?” “Why do you think that it is the right thing to do?” This teaching method, which has become the well-known “Socratic Method”, is the oldest but still the most powerful teaching technique to foster critical thinking.  Socrates was born approximately in 469 BC. He never wrote anything. We learned about him through the writings of his student, Plato, who was also a Greek philosopher.  As an adult, Socrates was a stone-cutter and then served in the army. When he grew older, he spent most of his time discussing all sorts of things in the marketplace in Athens. He challenged people to think better by showing them the problems in their logic. Eventually, he had a group of young students who wanted to learn from him. He taught them without charging any fee. Socrates was poor and hated wealth, which he thought would corrupt people.  In 399 BC, some of the people of Athens were angry at Socrates for the way he was teaching young people. They accused him of disrespecting the gods of Greek belief and corrupting the youth. He was convicted and sentenced to death. He thought that it was morally right to defend his principles and did not escape from the prison as suggested by his friend. So when the guards gave him a cup of poison, he drank it and died.  Glossary    Greece: 希臘 Critical thinking: 思辯能力 Plato: 柏拉圖 Athens: 雅典 Logic: 邏輯 Corrupt: 敗壞 Disrespecting the gods: 不尊敬神     Poison: 毒藥

   Hayao Miyazaki is also known by his nickname “the Japanese Walt Disney” because he is Japan’s most famous animator, film director and producer. Some of his successful animated films include “Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” (《風之谷》), “Princess Mononoke” (《幽靈公主》) and “Spirited Away” (《千與千尋》). Have you watched any of them?  Miyazaki was born in Tokyo in 1941 during the Second World War. His father was an aeronautical engineer. In his childhood, Miyazaki drew aeroplanes. Some of his animated films showed his love of aviation and carefully-designed aircraft. When he was attending high school, he was especially interested in the Japanese-style comics called “manga”.  Later while he was studying political science and economics at university, he was a member of a children’s literature research club. In the club, he had exposure to fables and tales from around the world. After graduation, he joined an animation studio and started to pursue his animation career. He is a perfectionist who still uses a pencil to draw his animated characters instead of relying on computer graphics.  Miyazaki does not create animated films purely for entertainment. Can you tell what messages he wants to convey? In his films, Miyazaki talks about the overuse of natural resources, the cruelty of war and the innocence of children. He often speaks against video games and television which hinder people from appreciating nature and life.    Many of Miyazaki’s films became international hits and award winners. In 2002, “Spirited Away” won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature.       Aeronautical engineer: 航空工程師 Manga: 日本漫畫 Fables: 寓言 Tales: 童話 Animation studio: 動畫工作室 Perfectionist: 完美主義者 Computer graphics: 電腦繪圖  

   Which mouse did Walt Disney talk about? Mickey Mouse was created by Disney in 1928. He appeared in the world’s first cartoon with sound. Since then, Mickey Mouse has become one of the most famous cartoon characters in the world.  Walt Disney (1901-1966) was an American cartoonist, film producer and director. As a child, he loved drawing and had a very active imagination. When he was studying at high school, he became the cartoonist for the school newspaper. When World War I broke out, Disney tried to join the army but he was too young. So he spent a year with the Red Cross and was sent overseas to drive an ambulance. Later he returned to the USA to pursue his career in the field of art.  Disney and his brother Roy opened Walt Disney Productions to make animated films. Disney was a great storyteller. With the use of technology, he turned a lot of fairytales into wonderful, enjoyable films. Can you name a few animated films? These classics include “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”《雪姑七友》, “Pinocchio”《木偶奇遇記》, and “Alice in Wonderland”《愛麗絲夢遊仙境》. Through his films, Disney tried to show us the fun and joy of living, and that we should follow our dreams.    Disney’s other dream was to build a theme park to bring joy and inspiration to all the world. In 1955, the first Disneyland was opened in California. There is one in Hong Kong as well and it is one of the theme parks in Hong Kong. Have you been there yet?    Glossary Mickey Mouse: 米奇老鼠 Cartoon characters: 卡通人物 Film producer: 電影製片 Director: 導演 Pursue career: 發展事業 Animated films: 動畫電影 Theme park: 主題公園