Mathew Arnold (1822-1888) was a British poet and cultural critic. The document provides activities for students to learn about Arnold's life and work, including listening to and analyzing his poem "Buried Life." Students are asked to research Arnold, collaborate to reconstruct his biography, listen to and take dictation of the poem, discuss vocabulary words from the poem, recite their favorite verse, and bring another Arnold poem with an illustration to the next class.

1. MATHEW ARNOLD
1822-1888
Life and works

2. Activity 1
 At the end of the previous class, I will give
this assignment to the students.
 Find out who Mathew Arnold was and what he
did in his life as preparation for our next class.
 In our next class we shall start by reporting on
your findings.

3. Activity 2
 Class collaboration.
 Reconstruct the biography of Mathew.
 Go to your classmates and find out what
information they have about.
 Reorganise your finding in a chronological
order.
 First the name of the person from whom you
got the information, the date and the event.

4. Activity 3
 Listen to this poem: “Buried life”, by Mathew Arnold
 You shall listen to this ascept two times.
 On the third listening you shall write down what you
hear as some of dictation
 Now we shall listen again to correct.
 Finally we shall read the poem.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKUcYwo8SzY

5. Buried life by Mathew Arnold
But often, in the world's most crowded streets,
But often, in the din of strife,
There rises an unspeakable desire
After the knowledge of our buried life,
A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
In tracking out our true, original course;
A longing to inquire
Into the mystery of this heart which beats
So wild, so deep in us, to know
Whence our lives come and where they go.
And many a man in his own breast then delves,
But deep enough, alas, none ever mines!
And we have been on many thousand lines,
And we have shown, on each, spirit and power,
But hardly have we, for one little hour,

6. Buried life
Been on our own line, have we been ourselves;
Hardly had skill to utter one of all
The nameless feelings that course through our breast,
But they course on for ever unexpress'd.
And long we try in vain to speak and act
Our hidden self, and what we say and do
Is eloquent, is well—but 'tis not true!
And then we will no more be rack'd
With inward striving, and demand
Of all the thousand nothings of the hour
Their stupefying power;
Ah yes, and they benumb us at our call!
Yet still, from time to time, vague and forlorn,
From the soul's subterranean depth upborne
As from an infinitely distant land,
Come airs, and floating echoes, and convey
A melancholy into all our day.

7. Activity 4
 Vocabulary
 In groups of 3 discuss the meaning of the following
words according to the context in which they are used
in the poem:
 1. din
 2.Restless
 3. tracking
 4. Whence
 5. delves
 6. Mines
 7. course
 8. Forlorn
 Compare your findings with other groups
 Find out other meanings of the same words in an
English dictionary

8. Activity 5
 Recite the verse you love most of this poem ( use
gestures to express your feelings)
 Tell us why it is so special to you
 Look for the entire poem and read on your own.
 For the next class bring each a poem of Mathew
Arnold acompanied by a drawing of your own. We
shall make a collection of his poems for our class
library.
END