2202111 English One                                                               Unit 1 Supplementary Reading

The Wedding

(1) Only in the 20th century has the question arisen of whether the traditional wedding has anything at all to do with the language of love. In the West, where love is increasingly viewed as a private affair, the more elaborate rituals of marriage may sometimes appear irrelevant to a highly personal emotion. Full-scale wedding ceremonies may seem dominated by embarrassing relatives and over-expensive trappings of material and social status. Yet a traditional wedding continues to capture our imagination, and without doubt it remains the most evocative spectacle in the drama of love.

(2) For thousands of years marriage has been a formal rite of passage, made into a piece of high theatre. Earlier societies, to whom order in human society was inseparable from a greater natural harmony, imbued marriage rites with a sacred significance because they seemed to affirm the continuation of life itself. Fertility symbols are present in marriage rituals from very diverse cultures. Among the many examples still found in a traditional Western wedding are tossing the bridal bouquet, showering the couple with confetti and applauding the first cut of the wedding cake. In modern Japan many weddings continue to be solemnized by Shinto priests, or kannushi, reflecting the ancient religion’s close associations with fertility and renewal.

(3) A Hindu marriage ceremony involves the sacrifice of rice grains and clarified butter – both symbols of fertility and prosperity – to the fire god, Agni, who witnesses the couple’s vows. In the Hindu tradition the marriage sacrament, or vivaha, is recognized as one of the four great life stages, introducing the shared responsibilities of bearing and raising children. A formal, seven-step dance legalizes the couple’s union and emphasizes their hopes for fruitfulness and marital harmony.

(4) Even in a secular context the language of marriage vows is solemn and a failed marriage is very painful – especially when there are children. The English poet Walter de la Mare perceived the power of the emotional bonds that it creates: “The bridge between ‘single’ and ‘married’ spans life’s most crucial Rubicon. It is one singularly easy to cross, but not to retraverse.” Easier divorce has not made this less true emotionally.

(5) Although the forms and styles of weddings have varied widely to reflect the values of individual societies, their intention remains essentially the same. The union of a couple, often confirmed in a contract of marriage, is surrounded with as much social, religious, magical and legal pomp and circumstance as possible. The laws, duties, vows and customs of these incurably optimistic ceremonies were all designed to make the marriage permanent as well as fruitful – although we all know the inconsistencies of the human heart. Weddings at their best are personal rather than formulaic, welcoming families and friends into shared happiness. The creation of new and delightful forms is a tribute to the human powers of love and imagination.

From The Secret Language of Love by Megan Tresidder

Questions

Answer the following questions in complete sentences in your own words. (25 points)

1) What question arose in the 20th century? What answer seems to be given by the writer? (2 points)

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2) According to the writer, what is “the most evocative spectacle in the drama of love”? (1 point)

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3) Did people in the past consider a wedding sacredly significant? Why or why not? (3 points)

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4) Fill out the outline below. (6 points)

Main Idea:  Fertility symbols are present in marriage rituals from different cultures.

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  1. tossing the bridal bouquet

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a. Shinto

3. Hindu

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  2. ______________________

5.)Why does the writer include a quotation from the English poet Walter de la Mare in paragraph 4? (2 points)

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6) According to the last paragraph, what is the purpose of weddings? (2 points)

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7) Do it’s in “The English poet Walter de la Mare perceived the power of the emotional bonds that it creates…” and “It is one singularly easy to cross, but not to retraverse.” refer to the same thing? If yes, what is it? If not, what does each of them refer to? (2 points)

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8) Guess the meanings of retraverse and formulaic from context clues. (2 points)

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9) Write a summary of the passage in no more than 50 words. (5 points)

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