B2 – Upper Intermediate
Most people have a favorite artist and they know a lot about them, including their lifestyle, favorites, daily activities, and so on. But often, they naively believe that they know everything there is to know about them. Some even think their favorite artists aren’t capable of doing negative things. However, artists are human beings who are bound to make mistakes and have problematic sides, too.
What if their negative sides came to light? Would you ignore it or utterly stop supporting them?
Read the article to know if it’s really possible or impossible to separate the art from the artist.
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “nuance” mean, “There’s a lot of nuance (hence why there’s plenty of books written on the subject).”? Use this word in a sentence.
- Explain the meaning of “heinous” in your own words. “But something like the Harry Potter books have themes that are so intertwined with J.K. Rowling’s heinous and ignorant world view that it’s almost impossible to separate the two.” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “mainstream” mean, “You can’t say Michael Jackson didn’t impact pop music and the presence of black artists in mainstream media, and you can respect that.”? Give some synonyms of this word.
Discussion Questions:
- Do you have a favorite artist? If yes, do you know a lot about him/her? How would you react if you learned about your favorite artist’s negative side?
- What do you think about thinking too highly of an artist?
- Do you think it’s possible to separate the art from the artist? Elaborate. How can it be done?