MI Project - Personality analysis

Introduction

           This project aims to analyze people’s personalities, especially those who are not conventional.

           The idea in this analysis is to observe how different people may be. There are many examples of personalities who played an important role in world history, even so they were seen as odd and some times hid a big load of suffering because of that. Thos theme besides dealing with the importance of the respect for the other person proposes a self-evaluation. If any one of us was treated like an odd one what would be the reaction, the feelings? A second thought is proposed with the choice of sick people who were not disabled by their sickness, the reality that most of the time the ones who have any disability develop an extraordinary ability in one specific are.

            So there is a lot of food for thought: the respect for humanity, acceptance, strength, self effort, and other ideas will come up throughout the project.

Objectives

• Develop respect for people.
• Observe personal characteristics by comparing different people’s attitudes.

  

Grammar points ðHow often/adjectives; How long does it take? ; Modals + perfects, if-clauses.

Vocabulary ðcontrast linkers, conjunctions.

Subject: people’s personalities

Interdisciplinarity: EFL – movies – music – psychology – history

Multiple intelligences: interpersonal – intrapersonal

How people can be different and be taken wrong sometimes, when they look too different from the social accepted patterns. Some people choose to be different because they don’t fit in, others are born with any disability which makes them even unaware of their unfitness.

*How do you evaluate the people around you?

*What models do you use to evaluate people?

*What is considered odd in our society?

*What do you consider odd and normal?

*Do you feel fit in the social patterns?

*How important is it to be in the social patterns, why are there people who choose to be out of them?

Picking up a movie to analyze

Musical/Intrapersonal

- ‘Minha amada imortal’ Immortal beloved

Bethoven’s biography, mix of romance and drama, more drama.

Pre readings

Beethoven - http://www.lvbeethoven.com/index_En.html
Lots of material, including excerpts from Beethoven’s music and a section (‘School’) aimed especially at students. Please note that this website appears to be a translation and so the English in some parts of the site is not perfect. Intermediate and above.http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beethoven
Beethoven entry from Simple English Wikipedia. Parts of the text could be used with pre-intermediates.http://www.edepot.com/beethoven.html
An extensive site containing everything from ‘Beethoven Jokes’ to ‘Beethoven Chat’. Intermediate and above.http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/beethoven/
An interesting webpage from the BBC about Beethoven. There are several links to video and audio material too. Intermediate and above.

-     Amadeus

Mozart’s biography, drama.

Post-reading

Was Mozart really like that? - "Amadeus" and Mozart: Setting the Record Straight. By A. Peter Brown.

http://www.mozartproject.org/essays/brown.html

-     Shine

A brilliant pianist born with mental disability, drama.

Pre readings

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

Pianist David Helfgott’s life, awards and external links

Logic/Interpersonal

-          Shine – a brilliant pianist born with mental disability, drama.

-          ‘Uma mente brilhante’ A Beautiful Mind

Nobel Prize in economy John Nash history, he had a serious mental disease since his early life, drama, thriller.

Pre and post readings

John F. Nash, Jr. -  http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1994/nash-interview.html

Interview in video, autobiography and Prize Seminar, December 8, 1994, The Work of John Nash in Game Theory

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/nash/

The movie transcripts and further details on the movie and the story, the desease discussions and the people and groups mentioned on the movie

http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/nash.htm

More resources on Nash’s history and works

http://www.math.princeton.edu/jfnj/

Home Page of John F. Nash, Jr. at Princeton University

-          ‘Prenda-me se for capaz’ Catch me if you can

Falsification genius Frank W Abagnale Jr real story, comedy, crime.

Pre and post readings

http://movies.uk.msn.com/film.aspx?P_MediaID=7786

Lots of background information, clips and interviews.

http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/scams/frank_abagnale/index.html

Frank’s history in the crime library

http://www.abagnale.com/index2.asp

Abagnale & Associates Website, security document consultant company since 1976.

Analyzing the movie

*What can be inferred from the movie about how they feel, what they think and believe?

*Make hypothesis about why they were misunderstood.

*Make hypothesis about what could have been different in their lives and which could have been the results.

Some movies have interesting comments of the directors about those personalities, after making your hypothesis check with the director if you got some strong ones.

e. g. Mozart must have been misunderstood doe to his exquisite manners.

            Beethoven should have expressed his feelings for his loved one, although he might never be able to be with her. On the other hand, if he had had a better sentimental life he could have lost some of his inspiration.

Logical thinking

Try to explain the character’s situations based on his historical moment.

Intrapersonal thinking

Try to explain the character’s feelings and where those feelings came from.

Interpersonal thinking

Analyze the character’s connections to the people around him.

Language in action

cause and effect: so/ As a result/ are due to/ The consequence of/ Owing to/

one effect of/ This is because/ as/ Hence/ consequently/ The effect of/consequent (levels)/ therefore/ (creates)/ As a result/ For this reason/ Thus/ as a consequence