LITERATURE & CULTURE: FINAL PAPER

Love Story by Taylor Swift Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone

I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
We were both young when I first saw you
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"
I'm standin' there
Romeo, save me, they're tryna tell me how to
On a balcony in summer air
feel
See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
This love is difficult, but it's real
See you make your way through the crowd
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
And say, "Hello"
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"
Little did I know
Oh, oh
That you were Romeo, you were throwin'
I got tired of waiting
pebbles
Wonderin' if you were ever comin' around
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"
My faith in you was fading
And I was cryin' on the staircase
When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I
Beggin' you, "Please don't go, " and I said
said
Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone
Romeo, save me, I've been feeling so alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
I keep waiting for you, but you never come
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
Is this in my head? I don't know what to think
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring
So I sneak out to the garden to see you
And said, "Marry me, Juliet
We keep quiet, 'cause we're dead if they knew
You'll never have to be alone
So close your eyes
I love you and that's all I really know
Escape this town for a little while, oh oh
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
It's a love story, baby, just say, "Yes"
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"
Oh, oh, oh
But you were everything to me
Oh, oh, oh, oh
I was beggin' you, "Please don't go, " and I
'Cause we were both young when I first saw
said
you

Context and objectives

We have selected this song by Taylor Swift because it is a song that became very famous
recently in the popular app Tiktok and, at the same time, tells a story very similar to one of
Shakespeare's most famous novels: Romeo and Juliet. The song speaks of a forbidden
relationship in which parents are against Romeo and Juliet being together, as happens in the
original work. Taylor asks her lover to run away together and live happily their romance.
In this lesson, we will try to make students reflect on forbidden and unstable love stories that
may seem very romantic, but might hide a toxic background. We would also like students to
compare relationships like the one in the song with current ones.

Task trigger

We thought that a good way to introduce this text in class would be with an original "task
trigger". Ideally, we would screen in the classroom a video (like this: You're in the Last
Romanov Royal Ball | a playlist) that would take them to an environment of the past, like a
real dance in a large palace with people dancing the waltz. We think that playing waltz music
is a good resource because it evokes memories of scenes such as those in the Love Story
video clip, which will be screened afterwards. The aim is that students will be surprised while
coming into the classroom and having that background music as an audiovisual input. This
will also help them get into that romantic aura of the past and thus, they will understand and
connect better with the theme of the session.

Introduction (10 min)

First, we will ask the students about the ambient music that is playing. We will ask them if
they know what kind of music it is, if they have ever heard such a song, and if it reminds
them of anything. Surely, actual series like "Bridgerton" or "Outlander", which tell stories set
in that environment, will be mentioned.

We will start the class with a very creative activity; they will have to imagine a story. After
these questions that will have activated their prior knowledge about those environments, we
will ask them to close their eyes and picture a scene in their head;

"It’s the 19th century. You enter the autumn ball held at the Floyd Palace in
Aberdeen County, northern Scotland. There’s plenty of people. You look to your
right and there you see your beloved one, who has been waiting for you all
evening. You know it's not right for your families to see you together, but you
can't keep back the smile that slips out when you see each other… ".

Just at that moment, the song “Love Story” will start playing. Students will open their eyes
and see the video clip on the board. Previously, while reading that short story, we will have
given them the lyrics printed on paper and they will be able to follow along the meaning of
the song. In this way, they will be able to better understand the story. This activation activity
in conjunction with listening to the song may take about 10 minutes, at most. The main
problems will initially be text-related, as many students will probably not know some
compound verbs or nouns. This would not be a problem since a guide would be placed
under the letters with the translations of the most difficult words and verbs. In any case, we
believe that it is an affordable text that most of the class, either with a B1 or B2 level, can
understand with no difficulties.

Content and Materials

1. Look at the words and expressions below. They are taken from the lyrics of the
song you just listened to. Could you guess what their meaning is? Match them
and use the dictionary if needed. (15min)

❖ all there's left to do ❖ pebbles

❖ we'll make it out of this mess ❖ sneak
❖ scarlet letter
❖ tryna
❖ knelt to
❖ pulled out
❖ go pick out

Definitions:

a) It is a red 'A' letter that, in the past, was used to indicate adulterer. It is a reference from the
american novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, written in the 19th century
b) All that has not been done yet but will be done in the future
c) Small rocks
d) To get onto one or both knees
e) To move silently
f) To manage with some difficulty
g) Trying to
h) To choose, to select
i) To extract, to remove

Teacher support will always be provided, specially for those students with language
problems or difficulty with using the dictionary. After making sure everyone has understood
the text and the video, we will move on to an activity for discussion. First, we will ask them
about the type of relationship they see in this text;

2. Discussion (I). Read the following two questions and share your answers with
your classmates in small groups. (10 min)
 - What type of love relationship do you see in the text? Could you describe it with 3-4
adjectives? Here are some examples.

special non-realistic magic old-fashioned selfish

unhealthy beautiful ideal present inspiring

3. We want our students to reflect on how idyllic the relationship seems and how many
literary works have dealt with forbidden relationships in
their plots. This is when we will subtly introduce them to
the story of Romeo and Juliet. We will project an image of
the famous couple and ask them if they know those two
characters. Together with the students, we will recall the
plot of Shakespeare's novel. Following, we will show them
this part from the novel:

"These violent delights have violent ends

And in their triumph die, like fire and powder,
which as a kiss, consume"
- Romeo and Juliet, Act II, scene IV

The idea is to open a small debate on the topic of the fragment. How love is described as an
insane act that drives the lovers mad and how they live it with an unconscionable violence,
which leads to death. Thus, we will reflect on uncontrollable and toxic love, which although in
adolescence can be seen as something beautiful and romantic, it is excessive and can bring
bad consequences.

4. Discussion (II). Read the information below about the love story between Romeo
and Juliet. After that, answer the questions and share your answers with your
classmates in small groups. (20-25 min)

Romeo and Juliet needed to maintain their relationship secretly from their families, so they
were always in fear and suffering. Romeo and Juliet are emotionally unstable, infatuated
with each other and they get married in a hurry. All these Romeo and Juliet emotional
instabilities are causing their relationship to be unhealthy.
Activity. Some UK students of English and Literature at college were asked some questions
about this song. These are some of the ideas they shared. Do you agree or feel identified
with some of them? Mark them with a X if you agree.

● “Romeo and Juliet should not have ended up together just because Juliet felt alone and
needed someone to be rescued from her parents. She should have asked for advice or help
from a friend first.”

● “They are an example of pure and true romantic love. Love can hurt sometimes, that's why
in the novel they both die. It's just a metaphor.”

● “I think Romeo is a very nice person because he agreed on marrying Juliet. If he hadn’t said
“yes” and hadn’t married Juliet, he would have been a very mean and unfair person.”

● “In my opinion, the relationship described in this song does not exist anymore in the world.
Now people do not believe that they have to find his/her “half-orange” to feel complete and
happy forever.”

● “Well, this song is a very good example of how a toxic relationship starts, especially because
neither she or he are aware of the relationship of dependence they are going to build. I
wouldn’t like to feel rescued by anyone but by myself.”

● “Honestly, when I was at high school, I used to think this was a good example of a healthy
relationship between a couple. After reading a lot and having many conversations about
romantic love with my friends, I am far from this point of view and would not like to be in a
relationship like that.”

5. Final task. (20 min) The last part of the session will
consist of creating, in groups, their own romantic but
healthy movie poster. The advertised movie will have to
be about a current couple that you consider healthy. It
can be a famous couple, friends or family relatives. In
addition, the title will have to be their names and the
students have to come up with a subtitle. They will be
encouraged to be creative. This task could be
implemented as homework or in the multimedia
classroom at the school.