Hovhannes Shiraz

Shiraz was born Onik Tadevosi Karapetyan in the city of Alexandropol, then part of the Russian Empire (now Gyumri, Armenia). His mother, Astghik, was widowed by the Armenian Genocide shortly before his birth. Shiraz grew up in a considerable poverty. His first work called Beginning of Spring was published in 1935. Novelist Atrpet gave the talented poet the epithet «Shiraz», because «this youth’s poems have the fragrance of roses, fresh and covered with dew, like the roses of Shiraz» (Shiraz being one of Iran’s major cities, famous for its roses and poets). Another version of his pen name is «Shirak azn»—a child of Shirak, the region he was from. In 1937 Hovhannes Shiraz entered the Armenian Literature Department of Yerevan’s State University, where he studied until 1941. He also studied at the Moscow Maxim Gorky Literature Institute. In 1958, he published the first volume of his anthology Knar Hayastani (Lyre of Armenia). The second and third volumes were published in 1965 and 1974. These collections include the best examples of Shiraz’s poetry.

Shiraz mostly wrote and published poetry. He is an author of very popular patriotic and love poems included «Ani», «My Mother», «May my love remain a secret», «Siamanto and Khjezare», «Expromptu», «Like the Pagan Love», «My Holy Homeland», «The Fate of Armenians», «To Andranik», etc. He wrote «The Armenian Dante-esque» about the Armenian genocide, a subject that was banned in Soviet Union. The first version of this masterpiece was written in 1941. Only short passages from this work were published in Soviet Armenia during his lifetime, and some chapters were published in Beirut and Tehran. The entire poem (over 8000 lines) was published in 1990 in Yerevan.He was buried at Komitas Pantheon, in Yerevan, along with other distinguished Armenians.He first married famous Armenian poet Silva Kaputikyan. His son with Kaputikyan, Ara Shiraz, was a sculptor. Shiraz had seven children with his second wife, Shushanik Shiraz (Aristakesyan, 1937-2006), one of whom was Sipan Shiraz, a poet.Yerevan school #169 and a street in Julfa, Isfahan are named after him. The Hovhannes Shiraz House-Museum is located in a nineteenth-century building in Gyumri.

King Tutankhamun (or Tutankhamen) ruled Egypt as pharaoh for 10 years until his death at age 19, around 1324 B.C. Although his rule was notable for reversing the tumultuous religious reforms of his father, Pharaoh Akhenaten, Tutankhamun’s legacy was largely negated by his successors. He was barely known to the modern world until 1922, when British archaeologist Howard Carter chiseled through a doorway and entered the boy pharaoh’s tomb, which had remained sealed for more than 3,200 years. The tomb’s vast hoard of artifacts and treasure, intended to accompany the king into the afterlife, revealed an incredible amount about royal life in ancient Egypt, and quickly made King Tut the world’s most famous pharaoh.

There are many theories as to what killed King Tut. He was tall but physically frail, with a crippling bone disease in his clubbed left foot. He is the only pharaoh known to have been depicted seated while engaged in physical activities like archery.

Because Tutankhamun’s remains revealed a hole in the back of the skull, some historians had concluded that the young king was assassinated, but recent tests suggest that the hole was made during mummification. CT scans in 1995 showed that the king had an infected broken left leg, while DNA from his mummy revealed evidence of multiple malaria infections, all of which may have contributed to his early death.

Grammar/Exercises (Much,many,little,few,a lot,plenty)

Grammar

We use much and little with uncountable nouns.

much time         little energy

we use a lot of/lots of /plenty of with uncountable and plural(countable) nouns

a lot of luck             lots of time         plenty of money

a lot of friends       lots of people      plenty of ideas

We use much/many especially in negative and interrogative sentences.

We didn’t spend much money.

Do you know many people?

In positive sentences a lot (of) is more usual.

We spent a lot of money.

He goes out a lot.

Little and few (without ‘a’) are negative ideas.

We must be quick.There is little time.

He isn’t popular.He has few friends.

A little and a few are more positive.

We have got a little time before the train leaves.

Do you speak English? “A little ”

When did you see him? “A few days ago”.

Exercises

1.Put in much or many

1. 1.Did you buy… food?
2. There aren’t … hotels in this town.
3. We haven’t got … petrol.
4. Were there…. people on the train?
5. Did … students fail the examination?
6. She hasn’t got…. money.
7. I haven’t seen him for … years.

2.Fill in much/many/a lot of

1. Sue drinks….. tea.
2. We didn’t spend … money.
3. We’ll have to hurry.We haven’t got…. time.
4. He always puts …. salt on his food.
5. I use the phone … at work.
6. Did it cost… to repair the car?
7. I don’t know …. people in this town.

3.Complete the sentences. Use much or many with one of these words.

books, countries, luggage, people, time, times

1. I don’t read very much.I haven’t got many books.
2. Quick! We must hurry. We haven’t got much time.
3. Do you travel a lot? Have you been to much countries.
4. She hasn’t lived here very long, so she doesn’t know many people.
5. Have you got much luggage? No, only this bag.
6. I know Paris very well. I’ve been there many times.

4.Put in little/a little/few/a few

1. Do you mind if I ask you …. questions?
2. This town is not a very interesting place to visit, so …. tourists come here.
3. I don’t think he would be a good teacher.He has got … patience.
4. Would you like milk in your coffee? Yes, please …..
5. Have you ever been to Paris? Yes I have been there … times.
6. There was … traffic so the journey didn’t take very long.

5.Put in a little and a few + one of these words.

air, chairs, days, friends, letters, milk, times

1. Last night I wrote ….  ……. to my family and friends.
2. Can I have …. ….. in my coffee,please?
3. Are you going out alone?  No, I am going  with … …..
4. Have you ever been to Rome? Yes, …. ……
5. There wasn’t much furniture  in the room –  just a table and …
6. I’m going out for a walk. I need ….. fresh ….

Easter:The Parable of the Sower

Reading and discussion

The Parable of the Sower

 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
    though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Questions for discussion

1.What is a parable?

2. What did the good soil symbolize in this parable?

3.How many  different types of soil were there in the parable and what were they?

4. Lesson learned.

Select the right answer.

1. What happened to the seed that fell on the path?

a) It started to grow but could not take root.

b) Birds ate it.

c) It got choked out.

2. What happened to the seed that fell on rocky soil?

a) It started to grow but could not take root.

b) Birds ate it.

c) It got choked out.

3. What characterizes people who are like the seed that fell among thorns?

a) As soon as they hear what God says, Satan swoops down and takes it away.

b) They hear what God says but the worries of life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for other things make them unfruitful.

4. Why did some seed produce a crop?

a) It was a special kind of seed.

b) It fell on good soil.

5. What characterizes people who are like the seed sown on good soil?

a) They hear God’s word and obey it.

b) When troubles come they quickly fall away.

1. Do you know the answer
2. You don’t know the answer
3. Does he have breakfast at 8.00
4. He doesn’t have breakfast at 8.00
5. Do the children like sweets
6. The children don’t like sweets
7. Did he brake his arm
8. He didn’t brake his arm
9. Does he trust you
10. He doesn’t trust you
11. Did Jane ring the bell
12. Jane didn’t ring the bell
13. Did she lose her way
14. She didn’t lose her way
15. Did they play the game
16. They didn’t play the game