The Old Man and the Sea - Defeat as Victory

"He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream". This is the simple beginning of the famous story which most kids have known at school. But in spite of its simplicity, this is the tale of life and death where an old fisherman struggles proudly against a big fish to regain his good reputation. Ernest Hemingway published The Old Man and the Sea in 1952 and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. This delightful story has deep ideas about the difficulties in life and how to overcome them, and we can approach it by watching a wonderful animated video that won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film, together with some tests to get a good grip on this moving story.

The Tragedy of Hamlet

A scene of Hamlet, by Eugène Delacroix

Hamlet has always been the most influential of William Shakespeare's fictional characters. The Prince of Denmark is a human symbol of doubt and madness, but he is also the token of love. His love for Ophelia is the only positive feeling in this tragedy full of death and hatred. This play is a must for anyone who wants to understand human feelings in depth, and students can approach it by carrying out the following activity based on a 25-minute animated video with some original dialogues from the play in subtitles. The tragedy of these characters will show us powerful human passions, and will also teach us to be more humane and thoughtful - that is Shakespeare's goal and the ultimate meaning of Art and Literature in all times.