Lessons

Arthur, legendary king of the Britons in ancient times, and the major figure in Arthurian legend. Arthur
expelled foreigners from Britain, brought peace to the country, and established a kingdom based on justice, law,
and morality. He held court at his castle at Camelot and instituted an order known as the knights of the Round
Table. Eventually his realm crumbled, and his illegitimate son Mordred grievously wounded him in battle.
Many versions of Arthurian legend say that Arthur will someday return, when he is again needed by Britain.
King Arthur Legend and lore surround the life of Arthur, a medieval king of the Britons. According to
legend, Arthur was raised unaware of his royal ancestry and became king by pulling a sword from a stone. He is
depicted here in a painting by Eleanor Brickdale.Hulton Deutsch Collection Limited/Woodfin Camp and
Associates, Inc.
From Bulfinch's Mythology: Arthur
In his retelling of the early life of King Arthur, the semi-legendary 6th-century king of the Britons, American
mythologist Thomas Bulfinch acknowledged that historians have disputed Arthur’s existence. Some evidence,
however, such as references to the king and his court in traditional Welsh poetry, suggests that Arthur was
actually a historical figure. Bulfinch bolstered his version of Arthur’s sensational exploits with support from
literary sources, including various English poets and the 12th-century Welsh writer Geoffrey of Monmouth.
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II LEGEND

Arthur Receiving Excalibur According to legend, soon after King Arthur became ruler of Britain, he received
his magnificent sword Excalibur from a hand that rose mysteriously from a lake. With Excalibur, Arthur led his
armies to many victories over Britain’s enemies.Corbis

Arthur is the son of King Uther Pendragon and the lady Ygraine (who was married to Gorlois, the duke of
Cornwall, when Arthur was conceived). After Arthur is born, the magician Merlin gives him to a man named
Hector (also called Antor) to be raised with Hector’s son, Kay. Arthur grows up as a commoner, but then he
alone succeeds at a test devised to choose Uther's successor: Arthur draws a sword from a stone (or, in some
versions of the story, from an anvil).

King Arthur and His Knights Legend tells that once Arthur became king of Britain, he embarked on a series of
wars to guarantee Britain’s independence and security. Early texts state that he defeated the Saxons, Picts, and
Scots, as well as overrunning Ireland and Iceland. Later, he battled the Romans.Culver Pictures

Because of his humble origins, Arthur must overcome strong opposition from the British nobles to his royal
claim, but eventually he is crowned. To help him in his task of leading Britain, he receives a great sword,
Excalibur, offered by a hand that rises mysteriously from a lake. To defeat Britain's enemies, Arthur undertakes
a series of wars, conquests, and invasions. After Arthur completes these, Britain has a long period of peace and
security. Arthur sets up the Round Table as a meeting place for his knights. The shape of the table ensures that
all who sit around it are equal in status.

The Passing of Arthur According to legend, King Arthur was seriously wounded in battle by his illegitimate
son, Mordred. Arthur’s half sister Morgan le Fay and a group of women then took him away to the island of
Avalon to heal. English photographer Julia Margaret Cameron portrayed the scene in her 1875 image The
Passing of Arthur.Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis

Arthur meets and marries the lady Guinevere, but she and Lancelot, one of Arthur's favored knights, eventually
fall in love, and their relationship divides Camelot. The ruin of the kingdom is hastened by the quest for the
Holy Grail, the sacred cup used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. However worthy an enterprise the quest may
be, it takes Arthur's best knights away from court and leads many of them to their deaths. Once Arthur
discovers Lancelot and Guinevere's love affair, his own system of justice requires that he condemn his wife to
death. Lancelot rescues her, however, initiating a war between his forces and those of Arthur and the knight
Gawain.

During the conflict with Lancelot, Arthur learns that the Romans plan to attack him. He fights and defeats them,
but at the same time his illegitimate son (or, in some texts, his nephew), Mordred, tries to usurp the throne.
Arthur then battles Mordred in a terrible conflict on Salisbury Plain that leaves many knights dead. Arthur kills
Mordred, but before dying, the young man gravely wounds the king.

Facing death, Arthur orders one of his knights (Bedivere or Girflet, depending on the story) to throw Excalibur
into a lake, so that the sword cannot fall into the wrong hands. Versions of the legend differ about Arthur's fate
thereafter. Some say that he dies and is buried, others tell that a boat (usually containing a number of women,
including Arthur's half sister Morgan le Fay) takes him away to the island of Avalon. Many works promise that
Arthur will return when Britain again needs him to subdue the nation’s enemies and to bring peace and security
to the land.

Information about Merlin’s life varies widely from story to story in the body of Arthurian legend. In one
version, he is conceived when his father, an incubus (male demon), lies with his mother, a nun at Carmarthen in
southwestern Wales, while she is asleep. Some early tales portray Merlin as a warrior who goes insane after a
battle, gains the gift of prophecy, and flees to spend his life in the Caledonian Forest in Scotland. Most later
versions of Arthurian legend present Merlin as an aged magician whose life is marked by marvelous deeds and
experiences.

According to tradition, Merlin arranges for the conception of Arthur when King Uther Pendragon of Britain
falls in love with Ygraine, a married woman. Merlin transforms Uther into the likeness of Ygraine’s husband,
so that he may lie with her. Arthur is then conceived. After Arthur is born, Merlin takes him and gives him to a
man named Hector to be raised as a commoner. After Uther dies, Merlin notifies the barons of Britain that God
has established a test to determine the successor to the throne. In front of a cathedral has appeared a large stone
topped with an anvil, in which a sword is embedded. The rightful king will be able to withdraw the sword. Only
Arthur can do so, and he becomes king. In several Arthurian tales, Merlin’s demise comes about when others
use magic to entrap him.

USA
 Americans celebrate an enormous variety of festivals and holidays because they come from around the
globe and practice many religions. They also celebrate holidays specific to the United States that commemorate
historical events or encourage a common national memory. Holidays in America are often family or community
events. Many Americans travel long distances for family gatherings or take vacations during holidays. In fact,
by the end of the 20th century, many national holidays in the United States had become three-day weekends,
which many people used as mini vacations. Except for the Fourth of July and Veterans Day, most
commemorative federal holidays, including Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Presidents’ Day,
are celebrated on Mondays so that Americans can enjoy a long weekend. Because many Americans tend to
create vacations out of these holiday weekends rather than celebrate a particular event, some people believe the
original significance of many of these occasions has been eroded.
Folklife Festival, Seattle The Folklife Festival—with its live musical acts, food stalls, and other forms of
entertainment—draws thousands of people from the Seattle, Washington, area each Memorial Day
weekend.Leo de Wys, Inc.
Because the United States is a secular society founded on the separation of church and state, many of the
most meaningful religiously based festivals and rituals, such as Easter, Rosh Hashanah, and Ramadan, are not
enshrined as national events, with one major exception. Christmas, and the holiday season surrounding it, is an
enormous commercial enterprise, a fixture of the American social calendar, and deeply embedded in the
popular imagination. Not until the 19th century did Christmas in the United States begin to take on aspects of
the modern holiday celebration, such as exchanging gifts, cooking and eating traditional foods, and putting up
often-elaborate Christmas decorations. The holiday has grown in popularity and significance ever since. Santa
Claus; brightly decorated Christmas trees; and plenty of wreathes, holly, and ribbons help define the season for
most children. Indeed, because some religious faiths do not celebrate Christmas, the Christmas season has
expanded in recent years to become the “holiday season,” embracing Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights,
and Kwanzaa, a celebration of African heritage. Thus, the Christmas season has become the closest thing to a
true national festival in the United States
 Unit 15 : Vote for me!
Tapescript:

First female: When I heard that Vice President Gore was going to appeal against the result in Florida, I
thought, hey, this is democracy in action .The system works. But when it went on and on, he still didn’t
concede. I thought, oh my God, when is he going to give up? I mean, I know it’s the most important position in
the country, maybe in the world, but at the some stage you gotta say: Ok that’s it. The other guy won. Really,
most of us stopped listening when the result still hadn’t been announced after three weeks.
First male: Listen, the 2000 election was the most ridiculous and embarrassing election in the history of
democracy. But what we have also seen is that the system works. No one can get to be the president of the USA
if there is the any doubt about the result .And we have an independent judiciary system which actually works. I
mean, these court hearings are boring as the hell, but it works!
Second male: Look, why are you asking this question? Look at what goes down in the other places before you
start mouthing off about this system. The US does it right!
Second female: I think the whole process has been very boring .some of those court hearings were a perfect
cure for insomnia. I think Al Gore should have conceded defeat a lot earlier. But at the same time, I think it
shows that the process works. I mean, what is the alternative?
Third female: I think what this shows us is that the from now on, we have to consider from the popular vote,
and abandon this antiquated electoral college system .The next US president, whoever he or she is, should the
candidate who has received the most votes from the people, not from the electoral college delegates.

Appeal against- formally object to

Concede- to accept defeat
Court hearing –proceeding in court, usually regarding a civil rather than criminal act
Go down - slang word meaning to happen
Mouth off- slang word meaning to complain.

Americans celebrate an enormous variety of festivals and holidays because they come from around the
globe and practice many religions. They also celebrate holidays specific to the United States that commemorate
historical events or encourage a common national memory. Holidays in America are often family or community
events. Many Americans travel long distances for family gatherings or take vacations during holidays. In fact,
by the end of the 20th century, many national holidays in the United States had become three-day weekends,
which many people used as mini vacations. Except for the Fourth of July and Veterans Day, most
commemorative federal holidays, including Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Presidents’ Day,
are celebrated on Mondays so that Americans can enjoy a long weekend. Because many Americans tend to
create vacations out of these holiday weekends rather than celebrate a particular event, some people believe the
original significance of many of these occasions has been eroded.
Folklife Festival, Seattle —with its live musical acts, food stalls, and other forms of entertainment—
draws thousands of people from the Seattle, Washington, area each Memorial Day weekend. Leo de Wys, Inc.
Because the United States is a secular society founded on the separation of church and state, many of the
most meaningful religiously based festivals and rituals, such as Easter, Rosh Hashanah, and Ramadan, are not
enshrined as national events, with one major exception. Christmas, and the holiday season surrounding it, is an
enormous commercial enterprise, a fixture of the American social calendar, and deeply embedded in the
popular imagination. Not until the 19th century did Christmas in the United States begin to take on aspects of
the modern holiday celebration, such as exchanging gifts, cooking and eating traditional foods, and putting up
often-elaborate Christmas decorations. The holiday has grown in popularity and significance ever since. Santa
Claus; brightly decorated Christmas trees; and plenty of wreathes, holly, and ribbons help define the season for
most children. Indeed, because some religious faiths do not celebrate Christmas, the Christmas season has
expanded in recent years to become the “holiday season,” embracing Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights,
and Kwanzaa, a celebration of African heritage. Thus, the Christmas season has become the closest thing to a
true national festival in the United States.