Ставрополье - край дружбы и добра
проект по английскому языку (10 класс) по теме

                        ГОРОДСКАЯ КОНФЕРЕНЦИЯ «КРАЙ ДРУЖБЫ И ДОБРА»    

                             THE LAND OF FRIENDSHIP AND GOOD SPIRIT

Compere 1:  Good morning dear teachers, boys and girls! Today we are going to represent Pyatigorsk.

Compere 2:   Well, we live in the Caucasus and Pyatigorsk is the nearest town. If you have a look at the map of the region where the mineral spas of the Caucasus also known as Mineralniye Vody are located, you will find Pyatigorsk at once. Firstly,  because it is the central city. Secondly, it is the biggest town in the region. And finally, Beshtau and Mashuk, the two tallest peaks in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus Range are located in Stavropol Territory. I’ve found some pictures of the surroundings, have a look at them. You know, Pyatigorsk is situated on the Podkumok river near the mount Mashuk. Low-lying Mt. Goryachaya (Hot Mountain) is one of Pyatigorsk natural wonders that owe its origin to the local hot mineral springs.

Compere 1:  Wait a moment! Let’s begin from the times of yore… the historical past of the region is so fascinating! Do you know that Pyatigorsk is one of the historical cities of Russia? It has a glorious history.

Compere 2:   Everyone has heard the marvelous legends of Caucasus.

Compere 1:   But I can’t help telling the legends today because they are so romantic! As that mountain folk goes, the Caucasus was a flat steppe land, where Narts, a tribe of giants, dwelled. Their Golden Age would have lasted forever had not the crafty Elbrus fallen in love with Mashuka, his son's darling bride to be. He declared a fight against his people. The battle raged all night, even though the two opponents, Elbrus and Beshtu, were dead. But as wars ever end, when the dawn broke, not a living soul was left on the field. Thus did the tribe of Narts become extinct, its place was taken by mountains.

Compere 2:   It’s only a legend about strong, nice people who lived there.

Compere 1:   I am afraid you are wrong! Many a true word is spoken in legend. Do you remember the history of Sarmatians and Alans?

Compere 2:   Yes, of course, nothing special…

Compere 1:  You can’t say so! I’ll prove you now…

           In 2004 there was a new Hollywood version of history about the well-known king Arthur on screens of cinemas. The director of a film Antoine Fukua shook the public by a new vision of this initially legendary plot. According to this version King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table were the Roman allies, special troops protecting the borders of the Roman province Britain from the attacks of Saxons.  King  Arthur and his warriors were Sarmatians-Alans from the steppes of the Northern Caucasus. By the way, the producer was consulted by a famous British historian John Mattews. This version of historical events is becoming more and more popular. The Roman historian Amian described Sarmatians-Alans:  «They are tall and handsome, fair-haired, they have a furious look and are fast».

But a real shock was caused by the book of Littlton and Linda MakLor «From Skifia to Camelot», published in New York and London in 2000. Having investigated parallels between the legendary eposes of ancient British and Narts, they proved the Scythian basis of the Arthurian cycle. According to researchers, the image of Holy Graal, goes back to a sacred bowl of Narts – Nartamonga. The Greek historian Herodot mentioned that Scythians had a cult of sacred bowls.

The image of King Arthur, his life and death, is in many aspects similar to the image of Nart hero Batradz. There are also other similarities, for example, a well-known motive of a sword in a stone which is taken by Arthur that serves as the central element of its recognition as the king of Britain.

The image of Arthur is connected with a symbol of a dragon. Dragons were depicted on flags of aggressive Sarmatians and Alans.

But when could the Iranian myths get to territory of the Roman Britain?

It is known that Emperor Mark Avrely employed 8.000 skilled horsemen who were directed to the Adrian’s wall in Britain. Sarmatian shamans initiated the caste of aeds – storytellers, and they were represented by the image of Merlin the Magician in the English folklore.

Could the mythical king Arthur be a real historical person? According to historians there was a certain military leader living in 5th century «Alan king» Goar (Эохар), who served the Romans for 40 years.

 Compere 2:   It’s interesting but it’s a very old story. Do you think Pyatigorsk is considered to be a historical town because of this fact?

Compere 1:  Of course, not. It is connected with the names of famous people: Alexander Pushkin, Michael Lermontov, Vissarion Belinsky, Alexander Alyabyev, llya Repin, Leo Tolstoy and others.  Pyatigorsk was a new Parnassus for Pushkin, for Lermontov Pyatigorsk was his be-all and end-all, the last in its most tragic sense. The poet’s prose work “A Hero of Our Time” is up to this day the best of all guides because of its lyrical descriptions of places in the Caucasus that are associated with his name. His hand wrote many charming images of these places,

"Where the Podkumok rushes, rumbling,

 Where behind Mashuk day rises

 And beyond Beshtu's crags ends,

 tumbling."

                                  Izmail-Bei.

In mid-October, when autumn praises the summer green with its orange flame, Pyatigorsk is the place of the traditional Lermontov poetry festival. Prominent  writers and poets, singers, musicians and other performers as well as poetry lovers from all over Russia and from abroad come to Pyatigorsk to take part in the event.

Compere 2:   I read a very interesting book in summer. Guess about whom? Yes, about Lermontov. Do you know that his ancestors were from Britain?

              Now listen. It began in 1057 when Malcolm, the son of King Dunсan, was at war with Macbeth. The certain Lermont is registered the twelfth among Malkolm’s soldiers. James Lermont built a strong castle on the Peninsula. The historians believe that he came from the North from the Vikings’ lands and he had the same blood as the Ruriks.  During several centuries this surname was well-known in Scotland. The property in the Scottish noble families was inherited by the elder son, the younger had to look for a job. In search for a better life in 1613 George Lermont, a 17-year-old boy, arrived in Russia and served for the 17-year-old tsar Michael Romanov. Thus the Russian branch of Lermontov began.        

               By the way, another Lermont, George's relative, sailed off with James Cook's expedition to Australia in the 18-th century. And nowadays there are two national heroes with the surname of Lermont in Australia. A lake and a city are named in their honour.

               The family tree of Lermont- the Lermontovs is full of legends and mystical stories. One of them tells about Thomas Lermonte or Thomas the Rhymer. This bard, the poet and the foreteller lived in Scotland in XIII century. Some of its prophecies came true.  The death of Thomas the Rhymer was mysterious: as the legend says, the bard left following two white deer sent after him by  the queen of fairies. Before leaving he said that he would return. M. Lermontov was impressed by this beautiful legend in his youth and his poems are spiritually close to the poetry of the Scottish bard.

Compere 1:  Don’t  you think that the Caucasus resembled  Scotland to Lermontov? They have a lot in common: mountains, climate, mountain dwellers…

Из Гёте 

Горные вершины 
Спят во тьме ночной; 
Тихие долины 
Полны свежей мглой; 
Не пылит дорога, 
Не дрожат листы… 
Подожди немного, 
Отдохнёшь и ты.
                               1840

The mountain summits
Gloomy, now rest;
The vales, grown silent,
Bathe in the night's mist;
The road is tranquill,
The foliage is calm…
You but wait a little
For your rest to come.

            Having seen these places for the first time in his boyhood, Lermontov had a life-long love for the Caucasus. Later, exiled here by the Tsar, he described Pyatigorsk and its surroundings in his romantic verses. The picturesque grotto on the southern slope of the Mikhailovsky Spur, which Lermontov chose as a place of assignation between Pechorin and Vera, the main characters of his immortal novel, is now named after him. The Yelizavetinsky Spring, the site of the Academy Gallery, the Aeolean Harp Pavilion and other sights that the poet described in his “Princess Mary” are included in a top-popular tourist excursion. Thousands of people come to Pyatigorsk to "breathe in Lermontov".

              Pyatigorsk is famed not only for Lermontov but also for its scenic beauties and healing waters. It is a large modern city where people of different nationalities live. One can visit museums, beautiful Orthodox and Catholic churches, the mosque, the synagogue.

 Compere 2:   And now QUIZ on the Caucasian distinguishing features:

1. What is the meat dish which is common for all nations? SHASHLYK
2. Name the hat of the mountain dweller. PAPAKHA
3.  What is the height of Mt Mashuk?   993METERS ABOVE THE SEA LEVEL
4. What is the name of the national Caucasian dance? LEZGINKA
5. Name Caucasian bread. LAVASH
6. Why is Mount Goryachaya called so? HOT MINERAL SPRINGS
7. What is the symbol of Mineral Body region? THE EAGLE
8. Where did the famous Ostap Bender gather money?  LAKE PROVAL
9. What historical monuments on the slope of Mashuk do you know? THE YELIZAVETINSKY SPRING, ACADEMY GALLERY, the AEOLEAN HARP PAVILLION, MONUMENT ON THE PLACE OF THE DUEL OF LERMONTOV, THE MONUMENT TO LERMONTOV…
10. Name poems, novels where the action takes place in Pyatigorsk. “PRINCESS MARY”, “A HERO OF OUR TIME”, “ISMAIL-BEI”…