Guideline for poster

presentation
History of Literature 22/04/2016
Students work in groups of 10 members to plan the poster
session together according to the outline provided by the
teacher. Reading the play (Pygmalion) and watching the
movie (My Fair Lady) are prerequisite requirements. Each
group will present their product on Roki A0 PAPER for 45
minutes. Two or three representatives will stay at your
poster(s) to welcome the visitors and tell them about your
products. The rest will move around in counter-clockwise
direction until you visit all the other 4 groups. Questions and
comments are encouraged during your visit to other groups.
Any visual aids and videos are highly appreciated. Creativity
is warmly welcomed. The teacher will act as a visitor on that
day.

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(OUTLINE FOR THE POSTER PRESENTATION)

PYGMALION by George Bernard Shaw
AN INTRODUCTION
To a generation of students spending their childhood with Disney films, George Bernard

Shaws Pygmalion is a familiar story: Eliza Doolittle is Cinderella, a beautiful

working girl turned princess by fairy godmother Henry Higgins- a phonetics
professor.
Beyond its fairy tale aspects, Pygmalion is a social commentary on the systems of
education and class in Victorian England. And most interesting to Shaw himself is the
dramas treatment of language, its power, and the preconceptions attached to it by
society.

FROM METAMORPHOSES TO PYGMALION TO MY FAIR LADY

My Fair Lady is an adaptation of Shaws play Pygmalion, which is based on a
classical myth, Pygmalion and Galatea, a story told by the Roman poet Ovid in a book
called Metamorphoses. The Myth of Pygmalion is about a sculptor who falls in love
with a statue he creates.
THE MYTH
Pygmalion was a prince of Cyprus
...

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The difference
between a lady
and a flower girl is
not how she
behaves, but how
she is treated.

PYGMALION is a play about the transformation

of from a .. into a

-Eliza DoolittlePygmalion

ABOUT THE STORY

(SUMMARY OF THE PLAY HERE)

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ELIZA&DOOLITTLE&

HENRY&HIGGINS&

COLONEL&PICKERING&

MRS&HIGGINS&

MRS&EYNSFORD5HILL&

MRS&PEARCE&

ALFRED&DOOLITTLE&

FREDDY&EYNSFORD5HILL&

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SYNOPSIS OF THE PLAY

ACT ONE

ACT TWO

ACT THREE

ACT FOUR

ACT FIVE

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INITIAL EXPLORATION OF THEMES

1.! SOCIAL CLASSES AND DISTINCTIONS
Pygmalion is set in the Edwardian era, which roughly corresponds to the reign of King
Edward VII, who ruled England from 1902-1910. The early 20th century was a time of
tremedous technological and social change. Industrial success widened the gap between rich
and poor. The wealth of factory owners grew substantially while wages for workers were
low. The wealthy enjoyed large country estates, exclusive parties, twelve course meals and
extravagant fashion. (Visual illustrations here)
In contrast, .

What social classes were portrayed in Pygmalion?Draw a tree

diagram to illustrate which characters fall into which social classes
in Pygmalion. What does Social mobility refer to?
Take note of any descriptions or dialogue that indicates class
differences in Pygmalion.
2.! TRANSFORMATION

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3.! LANGUAGE AND ACCENT

4.! MEN VS. WOMEN GENDER RELATION

Why cant a woman be like man?

Henry Higgins

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PLAY

Discussion the following questions to analyze playwrights purpose, theme, social
commentary, and literary techniques. Below are some thought-provoking questions
from each act.
ACT I

1.! A bystander defends Higgins with Its aw rawt: es a gentleman: look at

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his boots. What does this observation signify about social class and crime?
2.! Higgins identifies Elizas neighborhood and upbringing simply by listening
to her accent. Do such judgments and assumptions occur in our society?
Discuss.
3.! Compare Higgins and Pickerings treatment of Eliza.
ACT II

4.! What does the lengthy description of Higgins laboratory tell you about his
character? What is important to him? What is of no importance?
5.! Describe the irony in Mrs. Pearces warning to Higgins about his language
and manners.
6.! Why do you think Shaw created the character of Alfred Doolittle?
ACT III
7.! Shaw goes to great lengths to describe Mrs. Higginss drawing room.

Based on this description, compare Mrs. Higgins with her son.

8.! Mrs. Higgins says Henry offends all (her) friends. Based on what youve
seen of Higgins so far, how do you suppose he offends them? Does that
make his offensive behavior towards Eliza more acceptable? Explain.
9.! Why is Elizas lapse into the cockney dialect not only acceptable, but
admirable in this setting?
10.!Mrs. Higgins asks, what is to be done with her (Eliza) afterwards. Explain
her concern.
ACT IV

11.!Why does Higgins exclamation, Thank God its over! hurt Eliza?
12.!Give more than one reason Eliza decides to leave Wimpole Street.
13.!Is Freddy in love, or is he infatuated? On what is his admiration based?
How is his relationship with Eliza different than Higgins? How is it
similar?
ACT V

14.!Why is Alfred Doolittle so unhappy to be wealthy?

15.!Under what circumstances does Higgins want Eliza to come back? Try to
read between the lines.
16.!What is Elizas greatest concern about returning?
17.!Shaw purposely leaves the ending ambiguous. What is his purpose in doing
so?
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(Try to answer as many of the questions above as possible)

(FOR FREE WRITING AND MOVIE MAKING)

FREE WRITING
In your group, brainstorm and plan an essay in response to the following
prompts (no more than 1000 words, must be submitted to the teacher by
30/04/2016)

According to Professor Higgins, speaking with a proper accent means a

higher social status. If Eliza can speak with an upper-class accent, she
would be able to leave the street and find a respectable job. To what
extent do you agree or disagree with this belief?
If two job candidates are equal in education and experience, is it fair to
offer the job to the candidate who presents a more polished
image(accent, outfits, and manner referring to a higher social class)?
How is this image relevant to our modern society nowadays?

MOVIE MAKING
Make a short movie to show the difference in the way you dress, the way you speak, the way
you dance, the way you eat (e.g: holding knife and fork), the way you drink, the way you
walk and greet people between these two events:

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! Supposing youre invited to a state dinner at the White House. Professor Higgins
comes and coaches you in preparation for that special occasion.
! Youre going to a barbeque at a friends house.
The duration should be about 20-30 minutes. There is plenty of scope for creativity and
imagination here but you can refer to Elizas performance in My Fair Lady for some hints
of a duchessmanner. Group members will have an opportunity to demonstrate their acting
skill and creativity. The movie should be filmed clearly (HD quality) and dubbed in case
there is background noise. All the videos and the related files must be uploaded onto our FB
group by 22/04/2016

Why were the dress and language at these two events so different?
Emphasize the social class distinctions and expectations.

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