One of the defining characteristics of the C1 level is the ability to show range, which basically means that any advanced speaker should be able to choose from a varied menu of options. Bizarrely enough, I tend to find that many students focus way too hard on the acquisition of new vocabulary. They seem to be convinced that a knowing lots of different terms, big words or unusual turns of phrase will enrich their oral expression and they are absolutely right on the money. Having said that, it is also true that, ultimately, any description gets boring when it's made up of sentences which start like this: "Jenny is...".
Consider the difference between these two sentences:
"To me family comes first"
"My family is extremely important".
See? You can say the very same thing without resorting to the rather basic structure "My family is...". Anyway, today I just wanted to remind you of the fact that, in our context, the word range refers to a variety of options: semantic, morphological or syntactical. In the video below I discuss a couple of ideas that may help you avoid using the phrase "he is very important". I hope it's useful.
As many of you are already aware of, Blade Runner
(1982) is a major obsession of mine. Some months ago, I posted some thoughts on the film. Suffice it to say that Blade Runner was the first movie I ever
watched in its original version and it had a profound effect on me. But if I
bring it up today it’s because the movie is set in Los Angeles and the story
takes place precisely in November 2019.
Acid rain does not soak our cities, but climate change
has become quite a pressing issue. Massive animal extinction is not a reality
(yet) but there are thousands of endangered species. We don’t have androids
walking the streets. However, different forms of artificial intelligence (Siri,
Cortana, Alexa) are now part of our lives. As a matter of fact, experts predict
that sentient A.I.s will come to exist sometime around 2060: the so-called
singularity. And we don't see lots of cars flying overhead, but some prototypes have actually been manufactured. In short, Blade Runner was not exactly off target. Nevertheless it is not the film's predictions that I care about but rather its dazzling production design, its gorgeous photography, the poignant performances and its hypnotic soundtrack. Part of the appeal of the film has to do with the issues it addresses. Blade Runner, whichin many ways was ahead of its time, dealt with matters which are painfully relevant today: environmental decay,
artificial intelligence, the seat of personal identity, the essence of humanity,
the role of women in our society... and yet, there is a theme that permeates the whole story and elevates the film: death. Yes. Death. That pesky little problem we all face eventually.
Why am I talking about it now? Well, the fact that I turned fifty last week may have affected
my criteria for choosing this particular video. The truth is the clock is also ticking
for you. So let's celebrate Blade Runner by watching the clip below these lines. A little bit of context might be in order now.
Roy Batty, the blond character in the scene, is a
replicant, i.e. an artificial being designed by multimillionaire genius Eldon
Tyrell who deliberately programmed a four-year lifespan into his creatures so
as to prevent them from getting out of control. Batty knows that his own death
is only days away and decides to turn up at his maker’s house to demand a stop
to his impending end. So, when he walks into Tyrell’s chambers and plainly
bellows: “I want more time!” we can identify with the dying replicant. “What
seems to be the problem?” asks Tyrell, coolly. “I want more life, father”. Who cannot relate to that? Isn’t it a universal desire?
Aren’t we all soon going to find ourselves bargaining for some extra time? Food for thought.
Let’s now take a look at the language in the clip. The scene has interesting
expressions. “To meet one’s maker” is a standard euphemism for dying and “the facts of life”
refers to something that must be accepted and cannot be changed, however
unpalatable. The scene also contains a truly memorable line:
A light that burns twice as bright burns
half as long
and you have burned so very very brightly, Roy.
Isn't it beautiful? By the way it, is interesting to realize that many writers equate
life with light. Yes. An unforgettable example springs to mind. In his memoirs (entitled Speak Memory), Vladimir Nabokov wrote: the
cradle rocks above an abyss, and common sense tells us that our existence is
but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness.
Anyhow, even though it is Roy Batty’s final soliloquy that has become part of cinema history (the
moving forty-two words we know as “the tears-in-rain monologue”), today I encourage you to dwell on Tyrell’s very last words, for they are indeed wise: "Revel in
your time!".
N.B. Writing assignments. C1.1 students: exam Task on
page 15 of the textbook. C1.2 students: 280 words describing a city or a person that has undergone significant changes.
Fun fact: the original line in the scene above was
slightly less elegant (I want more life, f***er). Clearly, the tone of
the scene called for a loftier word choice. I trust you can guess the deleted term.
