- Do you think Mr Botibol's life has been a failure?
- What does Miss Darlington do for a living? How important is this for the story?
sym‧pa‧thize ( also sympathise British English ) / ˈsɪmpəθaɪz / verb [ intransitive ]
1 to feel sorry for someone because you understand their problems :
I sympathize, but I don’t know how to help.
sympathize with
I can sympathize with those who have lost loved ones.
2 to support someone’s ideas or actions
sympathize with
The public sympathized with the miners’ strike.
1 to feel sorry for someone because you understand their problems :
I sympathize, but I don’t know how to help.
sympathize with
I can sympathize with those who have lost loved ones.
2 to support someone’s ideas or actions
sympathize with
The public sympathized with the miners’ strike.
- Do you sympathise with the main character in the story? Why (not)?
- Have you ever dreamt of being a great writer or composer or artist?
- Do you think some of the events in the story are too unreal and impossible?
- Have you ever heard of 'air guitar' or 'air drumming'? If not, check the videos below and trace a comparison between what these people and Mr Botibol do.
Air guitar
Air drumming
I dont't think Mr Botibol's life has been a failure I consider the business that was left by his father was a little success he has had. He might has been bored because he was unoccupied most of is time in fact of that he pretended he was someone who wasn't. At the first time I didn't sympathise with Mr botibol because he made me feel he was a little crazy. However I had thought,during my reading I understood he may has felt bored and also alone or he might has wanted to have some amusement in his life. I didn't dream of being someone but when I was a child I wanted to learn to play piano but nowday it isn't my interest. I disagree with the idea of the event in the story are unreal or imposible I believe Mr Botibol would will be an excellent conductor if he had taken some classes. Flavia Montiel.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Flavia. I completely agree with the idea that we tend to do crazy things when we're bored. And it can be fun, sometimes!
DeleteHello! I think Mr Botibol is a lonely person who has enough money to do whatever he wants but he can't share his life with no one. So He gets inside his own world and imagine things that he would like to do but he doesn't know how to live in the real world.
ReplyDeleteMiss Darlington teaches music and is important for the story because is the only person who follows Mr Botibol strange ideas.
I don't sympathise with Mr Botibol. I think that if you want to do something you should do it and not imagine doing it.
I always do what I like so I made my dreams come true. I wanted to be a musician and I became a musician and composer. I did it for a long time and later I've changed my mind so now I'm doing what I like that is learning English and Teaching.
I think everything is possible but Mr Botibol is scare of doing what he likes. Maybe He thinks he has no talent or he might be scare of people watching him doing what he likes.
Is the first time I hear about 'air guitar' or 'air drumming'. I don't like. I think that if you want to play an instrument you just need to learn. Doing what they do in those videos is like acting, if it is so, it is nice, otherwise make no sense.
Very interesting points, Leila. I think you are a good example of the expression 'when there is a will, there is a way'. Have you ever heard it?
DeleteHi! Well, I do sympathise with Mr Botibol.I think we're all looking for our purpose in life after all. Many people feel that having a purpose fulfilled it's what makes our lives meaningful. Some As everyone is different, they have different interests. For example, he enjoys classical music, and I enjoy playing computer games... I think all of us need something that gives us a sense of purpose.
ReplyDeleteI've always dreamt of writing books in English. I quite enjoy reading and writing, especially in English. My favourite books are The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and the stories about Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle.
I think it's unreal in somehow, because he thinks he's an excellent musician but never took classes... so... I disagree with the idea of he being a gifted musician with that personality of his... Besides, people need to study for a very long time to become a really good artist indeed. It doesn't come overnight...
Yes, I've heard of air guitar and air drumming. It's to pretend to play in order to joke around or to improve skills. I think it's great and funny, and that air guitar is just for having fun rather than improving skills. Air drumming is unbelievable, especially in this video. It's not that easy to pretend to play that instrument if you wanna do it right. I know that a lot of people do this with the drums when they are learning and want to improve themselves.
Mr Botibol maybe pretends to conduct an orchestra just for the pleasure of it, and not to learn. He tricks himself that he's really good at it...
Marce Vera
It's really funny the way people feel about music, isn't it! Thanks for your opinions, Marcela.
ReplyDeleteI think Mr Botibol's life has been a failure in business terms but, on the other hand, he carried out his dream of being a great composer although he was just pretended to be one in a room of his house.
ReplyDeleteMiss Darlington is a piano teacher and she is very important in the story because she has the same taste in music than the main character and maybe the same dreams.
I sympathise with Mr Botibol because I also love music and although I play some instruments I don´t like or I don´t dare to perform in front of other people maybe beacuse I think I need more practise.
As a child I dreamt of being a great musician but now I prefer to go to concerts to see my favorites bands.
I don´t think some of the events in the story are too unreal and impossible because I know people who does that for example ones who do 'air guitar' and 'air drumming', I don´t know if they really knows how to play an instrument but they pretend they are playing one as Mr Botibol does in the story.
Diego Flores
I think the problem that Mr Botibol has is that he is not a successful person and the way he found to scape from that problem is pretending to be someone else. In this case, he is bethoven or any famous musician. I don't sympathise with Mr Botibol because I think it is not a good idea to "scape" from your problems and not accept who you really are. You can't change your situation if four aren't conserned about it. Maybe Mr Botibol did that because he had a low steem, but there are many healthy ways to deal with that problem.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I don't think that the events of the story are too unreal, i saw myself mimicking songs and playing imaginary instruments. But buying a piano just for mimicking, I think it's too much.
Well, to finish with I want to share a link which was useful for me to understand the parts of an orchesta and the instruments.
Hope you like it!
http://study.com/academy/lesson/instrument-families-of-the-orchestra-string-woodwind-brass-percussion.html
Ludmila
Great video, mate ;)
DeleteI think Mr Botibol s' life has been a kind of failure, so he tries to escape from reality doing something amuses him and makes him forget about it, thats why i do not think he is crazy for pretending to be a composer or orchestra director, many people imagine things that after became a real success.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the story it is so incredible to know that Miss Darlington teaches piano, it is important because i hope she teches him and they could really play something. if that it is what he want.
I symphatise with Mr Botibol, but sometimes it is annoying that he thinks so negatively, he can use that imagination that has to motivate himself and learn to play and compose once and for all i see that they have real passion for music.
I did never imagine composing songs or playing an instrument i really prefer listen to my favourite artits and admire people who do it.
unreal and impossible things it is what i like in storys but i think that the fact that he never had a any little success in his life its really sad and unreal for me.
yes i have heard about 'air guitar' or 'air drumming' in fact, while i was reading the story I thought about it, for me it is the same that pretending doing something but I just see it as a hobby or way to feel the music differently like Mr Botibol does.
Florencia Martinez
Hello!
ReplyDeletea) I think Mr Botibol´s life could be a failure in the past, but selling the company in my opinion was a wise decision.
b) Miss Darlington is a piano teacher in the Old Academy. Is realy important to the story as well for the main charecter, because its related on what he ´do´. They both have a great passion about orchestas ( Chopin nocturnes mainly) and live shows concerts.
1. I do sympathized with the main character. It´s quite interesting the way he has to be reserved for the outside world, and his introverted personality. I understand that this kind of persons who tent to be shy, develop a great imagination and in some cases tent to create imaginary worlds so far away from reality. In the other hand, as my personality is in some occations reserved, I can related to him, but in different ways, I invest my time on doing things that have a real porpose. And not just to be a waste of time.
2. Of course, as I am a very artistic person., but I only create art for my self or make piece of drawings for my relatives. Yes I have dreamt about being succesful on that, but I always have my feet on the ground. I didn´t have the opportunitie to work on that, I choose to go on a diferent direction on my life.
3. No, I think if you have the amount of money all that excenticities requiere you can do it. And as well having the encouragment to do it. Like convert the house on a small concert hall, demands a lot of effortto pull all together.
4. Yes, this is the first time I heard about it. I think this people manage to develop a skill turning all their imagination into that. In my opinion it has to be done with a lot of enthisiasm and love for this musical expressions. Bouth, the main charecter and the people on the video, shows a great passion about music. Even if it´s not a real profession, their create it with imagination like the air guitar or Mr Botibol who pretends to be an orchesta composer and director. They made it with dedication and deserved respect. I believed you have to give a credit for doing that.