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eng.1september.ru Учебно-методический журнал Английский язык

No.9–10

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Do not pray for easy lives.Pray to be stronger men.

John F. Kennedy

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2019АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT“Pray Tell Me.” How to Conduct

a Lesson about Religions ........................ 4

Grammar Nonsense: Stative Verbs .......... 6

METHODS OF TEACHINGBibliotherapy ......................................... 8

Teacher's Toolkit: Elllo and More .......... 12

FOCUS ON LANGUAGEWorld Religions Vocabulary ..................14

Lexical Lab .......................................... 17

Topic Vocabulary ..................................18

LESSON PLANSReligious Intolerance on the Rise ...........19

Faith and Religion ................................ 26

TEXTS FOR READINGModern Spirituality ...............................30

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh ..........32

On Prayer ............................................34

8 Things about Jesus Christ Superstar ... 36

Religious Motifs

in the English Literature ....................... 38

Common English Sayings

from the Bible .......................................41

Fire of Pure Being ............................... 42

Lincoln in the Bardo ............................ 44

5 Easter Traditions

No Longer Practiced ........................... 46

The Rasputin Enigma .......................... 48

Gagarin ............................................... 60

TESTSFive-Minute Tests ............................... 49

PREPARING FOR EXAMS“On a Wing and a Prayer” ................... 49

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIESПрактика устной речи .........................52

The Rise and Fall of Tea Clippers ......... 56

Religious Talks .................................... 58

FOR YOUNG LEARNERSThe Time to Rhyme ............................ 59

3English

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Editorial September–October 2019

Welcome to the autumn issue of English!

Well, when we were launching our triptych, named after

the famous novel Eat. Pray. Love, we seem to have over-

looked what preparing the second issue in the series would

imply… Obviously, being caught up with the gleaming per-

spectives of writing about food, we didn’t give a thought to

what we were actually going to do when it comes to talking

about praying.

To say that we have spent the previous months in pro-

found meditations, addressing all imaginable and unimagi-

nable gods and deities, is to say nothing. But luckily, our

prayers (and promises not to ever do this again) were heard

and our authors were granted with inspiration to design top-

ic-related materials appropriate for teaching English.

Self-mockery aside, religion and religious matters are

indeed among the topics to be avoided in the classroom.

Firstly, not every class demonstrates the required level of

tolerance to guarantee security and respect to those who ex-

press their views. Secondly, religion is a very private mat-

ter, and no one should ever be made to talk about their reli-

gious views (if they do not volunteer themselves). Finally,

religion and faith are more than emotionally charged topics.

And we know, for learning to happen the aff ective fi lter of

the students should be neither very high nor very low.

In the light of this, fi nding materials for a religion-related

issue indeed turned out to be a certain quest. What we have

managed to collect, though, seem to carry a good potential

for exploration in the lessons.

As you will soon discover, the Focus on Language sec-

tion is much bigger this time. This happened because we

felt it our duty to complement the usual pages with cards

providing a more exhaustive list of religion-related vocabu-

lary that would cover terms and notions from all world re-

ligions.

The LexicalLab corner contains a set of activities for a

video that explores the notion of the Protestant work ethic.

What is more, it is in this material that an important idea is

voiced: you do not need to be a religious person to have a

strong ethic.

The topic naturally unfolded to a much grander issue

– ethical values, which we very often come in touch with

through our beliefs. This point of view is fabulously de-

veloped in the lesson plan designed by Irina Kostyukovich

especially for our journal. We highly recommend that you

take your time and appreciate the way the author interwove

such themes as stereotypes, judgementalism, intertextuality

and critical thinking into a neat 45-minute lesson plan. This

is the art of making things happen by simply pulling the

right strings.

The texts for the reading section cover much more than

usual and comprise a rather unique set of texts that, we be-

lieve, in no other circumstances would appear on the pages

of the one journal. The subsection opens with an essay by

a contemporary American writer on modern spirituality.

It’s followed by two interrelated materials devoted to an

outstanding fi gure in British and Russian culture – Metro-

politan Anthony of Sourozh. On the following spreadsheet

you’ll have a chance to learn about the world-renowned

daring and successful attempt to “translate” a religious sto-

ry into the language of pop culture.

Then, further, the “strangerer”:

• a literary text touching the sophisticated world of

Greek mythology and worship through the prism of clas-

sical studies;

• an essay by David Wansbrough about a rather contro-

versial person, Grigori Rasputin;

• an overview of religious motifs in the English litera-

ture and a glimpse of the long-forgotten ways to celebrate

Easter.

The issue rounds up with a story by Evgeny Kunitsyn

about a person who to some extent was perceived if not as

a god, but as a certain deity in Soviet times; one whose im-

ages were engraved on buildings, after whom squares were

named and who was the fi rst man to travel in space – the

habitat of gods.

Until the very last moment, we were uncertain about the

connection between the topic of prayer and language teach-

ing. But luckily, we found one. In all the materials we read

through, there was one repeated idea – it is not only who

you are addressing that matters, but how you are doing it.

In other words, it is the choice of words that really mat-

ters. And isn’t it the aim of language studies? To enable our

learners to choose the most suitable words for the given

context?

We think it is. That is why we made it our motto for this

issue – praying not for life to be easier, but for us to be

stronger. Because in the latter, there’s some room left for us

to take action as well.

By Elizaveta Paremuzova,Editor-in-Chief

4English PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

September–October 2019

“PRAY TELL ME.”How to Conduct a Lesson about Religions

Level: Intermediate – Upper-IntermediateAge: 15+Aim: activate vocabulary; help students con-verse about religions and faiths.Duration: 2 lessons, 45 minutes each, or one 90-minute period.Equipment: Web access if possible; news items and illustrations. Materials: carefully selected basic texts; any-thing suggested by students.

Note to the teacher. It is very important to remember that this is a lesson of English, NOT a lecture on religion. We should begin with the usual vocabulary work and guide our students’ discussions to activate the relevant lexis, and to understand that any such conver-sation requires some basic knowledge, a lot of tact and mutual tolerance. To be diff erent does not mean to be bad. Thus if some students say that they or their family defi nitely follow a reli-gion while others may say that they have none, everybody should be able to express their views freely, with due consideration for others.

Glossary. This can be done as a class ac-tivity.

If you start with a few defi nitions, you and your students may fi nd a lot of new informa-tion. Ask them to compose a short list of the words they think should be used in this unit. Have them write the words down on the board and in their notebooks. You may get a rather disjointed set of words which are loosely con-nected with the topic. For instance:

Religion, pray, prayer, church, believe. Long-term EL teaching shows me that most

students cannot give any concise defi nition of the noun religion, are hazy about prayer, and quite often they cannot come up with the corresponding noun for the verb believe. Our job is cut out for us. We can make sure that they have the basics and stay away from, say, the diff erences between ministers, priests, prelates, cures, chaplains and so on. But we should tell our listeners that, if needed, they should consult dictionaries and reference books or sites so as not to off end anyone who practises a certain faith.

As I am writing this, I see the unfolding news about Notre-Dame de Paris, the fi re, the devastation, as well as the world’s reac-tions to the substantial damage to this iconic building. It has been a symbol of Paris for 800 years; besides being a UNESCO site it is probably one of the top ten most photographed churches on the planet. Judging by the notes from many country leaders, such a disaster elicits everybody’s expressions of compas-sion and support. It is truly one of the cultural

treasures cherished by humanity regardless of each one’s own faith. One of the spontaneous threads that immediately sprang up on the web when the news fi rst appeared was this very modern one: #prayfornotredame.

When we talk about various religions, we may mention that the common cultural herit-age transcends all diff erences. Today’s tour-ists probably do not perceive Notre Dame as a specifi cally Catholic Church but rather as a monument to humanity’s creative skills.

When working with the Glossary allow some time for group research, or distribute short texts to read and discuss. Some of the results will be quite unexpected! A lot of help is needed to conduct any talk on such topics because students simply do not know how to discuss them. That is why the familiar vocabu-lary work will help. You may use Wikipedia and Google or any other search engine to get the texts, videos and audios. Here are a few sim-ple pointers.

Religion, though the noun naturally has an explanation in any dictionary, was not recog-nized as a concept until the sixteenth or sev-enteenth centuries. It is generally understood to mean a set of cultural norms, traditions and beliefs characteristic for a country or a nation. The most widespread religions of the world are Christianity, Islam and Buddhism. Each of them includes a number of variations which de-pend on the country they are practised in. Your students can make lists of countries where the main religions are practised and thus see the diff erences for themselves.

Religiously (adverb) often means conscien-tious: She followed the diet religiously. They religiously watched “The Game of Thrones”.

Faith is often used as a synonym for reli-gious belief, but it is also often used in a neu-tral context: He had no faith in his own skills.

Pray (verb) means either to ask God for something, to say a prayer, or it is used as an emphasis: Pray, tell me about your problems.

Since it is pronounced in the same way as the noun prey, we should mention it to stu-dents and ensure that they know the diff erence between these two words.

The noun prayer is widely used, mostly in the traditional meaning of either saying the customary words to honor God, or to ask Him for something. From the linguistic point of view, it presents a lot of leeway since we can discuss not only the religious aspects but also various idioms and set phrases. With a kind word and a prayer, to not have a prayer, an answer to one’s prayers, thoughts and prayers, let your students fi nd some others.

5EnglishPROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT


�Have you spotted a typo? Highlight and photo it or take a screenshot and send us a message. Thanks for your help!

One of the always interesting and ever tough topics is the existence of evil. Good ver-sus evil is one of the constant themes in litera-ture, movies, art in general.

� If there is a benevolent omniscient al-mighty God, why does evil exist?

� Why do bad things happen to good peo-ple?

� And why do good things happen to bad people?

Explain to your young audience that these are the eternal questions to which mankind has not completely found the answer, yet. That is why many literary and real-life stories are devoted to the eternal struggle, beginning with the most ancient texts and up to our own age. What is the whole Harry Potter cycle if not that same fi ght of good versus evil? When we read such a story or watch a fi lm, we subconscious-ly expect a happy ending. True, it does not al-ways happen in real life, probably that is why writers and fi lmmakers use their imaginations to ensure that at least in the fi ctional world it is possible.

Innocence is another concept, as well as sin. These notions are widely used not only in the religious or spiritual sphere, but in every-day life, too. Sinful pleasure may refer simply to eating something very tasty, like ice-cream! This will immediately introduce a humorous note into any serious talk. Guilt-free eating is another idea which is a bit hard to explain to teenagers, especially to young men. But from those comic modern approaches to food you can easily transfer to a mention of the deadly sins.

The subject is all-encompassing and the possibilities are endless. There are plenty of avenues for research if you and your students feel comfortable with the whole theme. The concept of God may be enough for one lesson. You may start with the ancient gods of Homer and proceed to Christianity, or begin your his-torical foray with the familiar Arabian Nights where magic rules. Be sure to choose wise-ly, that is stick to what you know well. Young people may ask lots of questions; we should be able to answer at least some of them, and direct their interest to reliable sources of infor-mation if you cannot, or just wish to have them conduct their own research.

In most modern questionnaires there is often a question on religious affi liation, for in-stance, when one is applying for a job. Though several generations in the former USSR were raised virtually without any religion, com-mon sense dictates that it is better to write something, even though the item is marked as optional. “Russian Orthodox” is totally ac-ceptable. Tell your students nobody will ever dream of asking them for details about their faith. It is an established cultural tradition. To

give just one example, during my long stay in the USA I was repeatedly asked by students about the churches in my hometown. I truth-fully answered that there were none, at the time. The reaction was staggering: “But what do you do on Sundays?!” True, it is possible to reply that there are plenty of things to do at the weekend besides the traditional family outing to church. But as an ELT specialist I am well aware of the fact that for most American fami-lies it is practically a must, even if they do not actively practise any religion. I learned to give the following simple answer to the query: “We, in Russia, have many customs and traditions which we follow at home, and some are linked to religion.”

Every country, every nation may follow their own set of traditions and rituals. If the need to conduct such a lesson or lessons arises, we should be well-prepared to guide our students’ conversation and discussions and help them understand that there are many various prac-tices and ways of living in the world.

Above all, it falls on us teachers to be open and tolerant. I have had experiences when a student would declare, “Let everybody use their own sector of the Internet, stick to their own religion! We do not want to know about yours and we do not want to let you study ours!” Such attitudes naturally stem from their own narrow background, their families. I can give no real clear answers or advice on such situations, but warn you that you might face them. I have faith that, if we manage to teach even one group how to be tolerant and respect each other, we will make our contribution to making the world a better and safer place for all children.

By Nina M. Koptyug, Ph.D.,Novosibirsk

6English


PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

GRAMMAR NONSENSE:Stative Verbs

A lot of grammar nonsense comes from labels that

we use and that we assume are suffi cient explanation in

themselves to generate their own correct examples. Then,

when students attempt to produce examples in accordance

with these labels only to fi nd out that they sound ‘strange’

to a teacher, they then often start asking questions about

examples that fail to fi t the labels. Teachers then respond

in one of three ways: there’s the easy (woolly liberal) ‘Oh,

that’s an exception’, the more dogmatic ‘It’s wrong/bad

English’, or there’s the extended ‘subtle’ explanation that

tries to encompass these more complex uses. Of these

three options, our preference would be ‘the exception’,

because at least this is less likely to bring about feelings

of failure in students. Exceptions are down to the idiosyn-

cracies / curiosities / stupidities of the English language

(delete as appropriate). They’re essentially linguistic ver-

sions of the ‘it’s-not-you-it’s-me’ break-up line, which

may be annoying and disappointing, but at least isn’t lay-

ing the blame at your uselessness in the way that the ‘it’s

bad English’ response is. Nor will it bore you to death and

ultimately confuse students like the extended explanation

almost always does.

USAGE ABOVE MEANINGHowever, it may be the case that sometimes we’d be bet-

ter off just avoiding the label in the fi rst place. Students need

to accept ambiguity to be successful in language learning

(and perhaps in life!). I think one of the key elements of a

lexical view of language is that the meanings we give to any

pieces of vocabulary or grammar can only ever be partial –

and rather than giving more explanation, more ‘meaning’,

more labels, we would be better off simply giving more ex-

amples of usage (and getting students to read and listen more

to language in use).

THE CASE OF STATIVE VERBSTake stative verbs. For those of you not familiar with

this particular description, ‘stative’ is a label that tends to be

given to a group of verbs that (supposedly) don’t use the pre-

sent continuous tense. So here are a few explanations from

coursebooks which shall remain nameless:

1. Some verbs express a state – not an activity – and are usually used in the present simple only. For example: like, know, think, agree, understand, love.

2. We cannot normally use some verbs (stative verbs) in the continuous form. For example: agree, belong, cost, know, like, love, matter, mean, need, seem, understand, want.

3. We don’t use stative verbs (be, have, like, love, hate, want) in the present continuous.

Of course, as you may well be aware, many of these verbs

can actually be used (and are used!) in the continuous form.

I’m loving it has become incredibly widespread, perhaps

thanks to the McDonald’s slogan, but then the slogan no

doubt came from advertisers picking up on usage. Here are

some other common examples:

�� So if I’m understanding this right …�� It’s costing me an arm and a leg!�� I’ve been meaning / wanting… to do it for ages�� I’m thinking of … leaving.�� He’s having … a crisis of confi dence.�� Ignore me, I’m just being silly.

So what is a stative verb?

THE PROBLEM OF CIRCULARITYPart of the problem with using the term ‘stative verbs’

or ‘verbs that express a state’ is that it suggests the verbs

are somehow infused with this sense all the time. In fact,

at best we can say that some verbs when they express the meaning of a state do not usually have a continuous form.

But even then, does the example of cost above contradict

that? Or is it not a state here? Which brings us to the rather

bigger problem of what the hell a ‘state’ is anyway?

Think about your Facebook status: job, relationship,

friends, likes, etc. Certainly, we would normally only say the

following in the present simple:

�� I’m unemployed.�� I have a girlfriend.�� I hate my brother.�� I love swimming.

But the following could also be expressions of these same

‘states’:

�� I’m not working.�� I’m seeing someone.�� I’m not speaking to my brother ever again.�� I’m really loving my swimming.

So why are these verbs not seen as stative? Because they

are used in the continuous form which is a mark of being

non-stative! And so we enter a rather circular and pointless

version of grammar rules – rather than a generative one. We

don’t use stative verbs with the present continuous because

stative verbs are verbs which aren’t used in the present con-

tinuous!

Do we actually need a new rule?

Interestingly, one of the grammar explanations quoted

above also gives the following example as an example which

is diff erent to the explanation about stative verbs:

�� Frazer comes from Scotland�� NOT Frazer is coming from Scotland.

The fi rst thing to say about this is that the example is

clearly not wrong if seen in terms of the verb come (there

is no further explanation of why it’s wrong). The fi rst sen-

tence explains the permanent fact of his birthplace/nation-

ality, the second could be telling us where he is travelling

from. Come therefore can be used to express a ‘state’, but

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

7English


I’ve never seen it listed as a stative verb! Why not? Essen-

tially, it’s because the way come is used here is in keeping

with the normal meanings which we attach to the present

simple and the present continuous. However, isn’t the same

true of other ‘stative’ verbs? Rather like we discussed with

reported speech, we seem to have actually created a new

category of rule where none is needed. If we take the idea

that the present simple expresses ideas about now that we

consider permanent or complete, or facts about ourselves,

compared to continuous forms which are essentially tempo-

rary and unfi nished or in progress, then both the ‘stative’ and

the continuous use of all the verbs so far mentioned fi t these

meanings more or less without creating any new categories

for students to worry about.

PRESENT SIMPLE FOR PRESENTAND COMPLETE ACTIONS/STATES

I think part of the issue here is also that we forget the ‘pre-

sent and complete’ use of the present simple as in He takes on Stones ... He shoots and scores. Neither the past simple

nor the present continuous fi t here when commentating on

events you are watching and the same is true when we say

things like I know / I understand / I agree. They happen at

this moment, but we see them as complete in the moment.

It won’t solve everything, but maybe it’s one less problem!

This is not to say, of course, that our meanings for the

present simple and present continuous are unambiguous and

will never lead to student ‘errors’. However, we would sug-

gest that more explanation and extended lists of meanings

will not actually help. In the end, usage that corresponds

with what the vast majority of people say can only come

from learners experiencing the language of the vast majority

of people! In terms of study and learning, students are also

probably better off trying to expand the meanings they are

able to make in English through learning more vocabulary.

By Hugh DellarSource: https://www.lexicallab.com

8English


METHODS OF TEACHING

Maria has both pedagogical and psychological degrees, and calls herself a certifi ed book-

worm.

She has led many goal-setting workshops and is interested in teaching people to refl ect on

their lives and take more control of their dreams.

She has been teaching passionately for 14 years, incorporating elements of social-emotional

learning into her lessons of English during private sessions as well as at school.

BIBLIOTHERAPY

One of the greatest problems of educational systems is

that students lack motivation. This issue is constantly dis-

cussed in TED talks, books, and articles as well as at teach-

ers’ meetings and in private whining conversations. Teenag-

ers’ attention is especially hard to grasp: their hormones are

going crazy, their minds are equally far from either history

or irregular verbs, and they just see no point in sitting at the

desk while they could be discussing something really inter-

esting – themselves, their relationships and the latest gossips.

One of the solutions is to start talking about these mat-

ters in the classrooms to incorporate discussions on social

issues and emotional needs of our students in the process of

learning. Having done that we would achieve several goals –

meet the expectations of the society not just to give our stu-

dents academic knowledge but also to foster the younger

generation (help kids build empathy and sympathy, ability to

infer, knowledge of a wide range of emotions and reactions);

motivate our students to speak in the classroom; learn and

constantly revise the needed vocabulary.

An immediate objection comes to mind – we are teachers,

not psychologists! Is it our job to talk about emotions? Will

we be able to handle such discussions? And what should we

even talk about? Fair questions. So, let me tell you about the

process of bibliotherapy, which allows language (or litera-

ture) teachers steer the lessons more towards the teenagers’

needs.

The term fi rst appeared in 1916, and its idea was grounded

in principles of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): what we

think and talk about infl uences our behavior (Butler, Chap-

man, Forman, & Beck, 2006; Friedberg et al., 2014). And

well-chosen books have the power to change our opinions

on issues such as bullying, special needs, mental illness, re-

lationships with parents or friends, growing up and so on.

So, bibliotherapy is the process of reading in order to

identify with the characters of the book and observe their

emotions and behaviors to further one’s emotional and men-

tal health (Gavigan, 2012; Heath, Sheen, Leavy, Young, &

Money, 2005; Jack & Ronan, 2008; Pardeck, 1994).

Two types of bibliotherapy can be distinguished:

(a) clinical bibliotherapy – which addresses more severe

emotional needs (e.g. sexual abuse, trauma, domestic vio-

lence, suicide, mental illness) and should be provided only

by professional therapists, and

(b) developmental bibliotherapy – which discusses stories

that help with common adjustment problems (e.g. friendship

issues, conflict with peers, bullying) and may be hosted by

teachers.

While almost half of mental health disorders (e.g., bipolar

disorder, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, eat-

ing disorders) typically have their initial onset before the

age of 14, these teenagers’ parents hardly ever detect the

problems and seek professional psychiatric help in the early

stages (Friedman and Kutash, 1992). They also contend that

“Services [of mental health fortifi cation] should be provided

in the least restrictive setting that is appropriate to meet a

child’s needs” (p. 126), and that often, schools are the least

restrictive settings. Through the process of bibliotherapy

teenagers would be given an opportunity to understand their

own personalities, reduce the feeling of solitude (Cook et al.,

2006), develop coping strategies for stress and anxiety (Wis-

dom & Barker, 2006), relive some of their past experiences

or potential breakdowns in a safe environment from the per-

spective of the detached observer (Shrodes, 1955), become

more perceptive and more aware of others’ needs and states

(Russell & Shrodes, 1950a).

So, How Does It Work?1. Providing role models. Overwhelmed by diff erent kinds

of educational activities (school, study groups, hobby clubs,

language tutors), teenagers don’t have enough time to ob-

serve adults in informal relationships. People learn through

imitating, but they cannot imitate the behavior of their teach-

ers (because of the overly formal atmosphere of school), and

parents rarely spend enough time with the adolescents, as it

is at this period of child’s development that they usually shift

the perception of a role model from the parent’s fi gure to…

No one. In the process of bibliotherapy students can gain

lots of role models and discuss which actions are preferable

in diff erent situations and why (Pardeck & Pardeck, 1984).

2. Experiencing fi ction as reality. When a student reads a

text, they identify with the characters, whose ideas and ex-

periences become a “segment of [the reader’s] experienced

world”, not just some fi ction (Shrodes, 1955, p. 29). Thus,

when a student reads a story and engages in discussions

about it, they are both a spectator and a participant in the

story, making the process of bibliotherapy an active interper-

sonal pursuit (Gladding & Gladding, 1991; Shrodes, 1955).

What exactly can we do as teachers in order to enhance

our students’ social-emotional health:

1. Defi ne the issue you want to work on and fi nd a suitable

book OR fi nd any book you like and defi ne what kind of social-

emotional competencies you can discuss after each chapter.

2. Read the story :)

3. Create the tasks and materials to work with the text.

9EnglishMETHODS OF TEACHING


How to Find a BookIf you already know your students, you probably have

some ideas of what competencies they would benefi t from,

so you can just google “books for teens about ...”. If not –

there are some common hardships of adolescence that you

could choose as your topic.

A brief list may look as follows:

Teenagers want to belong to a group and suff er from being

rejected.

Their bodies go through radical changes and they suff er

from negative body image.

They don’t know what career path to choose and suff er

from the pressure to make up their minds.

They need a role model and can’t fi nd one.

They want to live life to the fullest, but they also remem-

ber that the world is full of dangers, and they struggle with

prioritising.

They face bullying.

They feel like children but face the growing demands to

act as adults.

How to Make Any Young Adult Book SuitableAccording to The Collaborative for Academic, Social,

and Emotional Learning (CASEL), there are fi ve core com-

petencies that an emotionally successful person should have.

These competencies are self-awareness (the ability to recog-

nise your own emotions and values), self-management (the

skill to regulate your own emotions), social awareness (the

ability to empathise with others, and to understand social

behavioral norms), relationship skills (the capacity to listen

well and communicate clearly) and responsible decision-

making (the habit of making appropriate choices in solving

emotional problems).

So, to boost your students’ self, increase their emotional

vocabularies, ask them about their attitude towards diff erent

characters, situations and actions (Turner, 2013).

To boost their self, make parallels between the books and

their lives and act out how the situation would have been dif-

ferent if they had changed diff erent aspects of their behaviors

(Gibson, 2007).

To boost social awareness point your students’ attention

to how diff erent their reactions are towards the same issue

or action, and read books about people with diff erent back-

grounds and cultures (Bal and Veltkamp, 2013; Nomura and

Akai, 2012).

To boost responsible decision, ask your students to

compare the characters’ behaviors to what they would

have done in a given situation, and evaluate the outcomes

considering other people’s emotions as well (Kidd and

Castano, 2013).

The boosting of relationship skills can happen within the

classroom management process – students learn to listen to

each other, to disagree politely, and to ask for help in appro-

priate wordings.

Questions and TasksHere are some questions and tasks that might help building

social-emotional competencies.

Before Reading�� Show your students the cover of the book and a couple

of reviews. Let them choose the book by themselves and

explain their choice.

�� Show pictures of diff erent settings from the book and ask

students to describe the atmosphere of the places.

�� Extract some direct speech quotes from the book and ask

students to agree or disagree and explain their attitude.

�� Retell a couple of situations from the story and ask stu-

dents to write down how they would behave in the situa-

tion.

While ReadingI ask my students to read each chapter a couple of times

in preparation for our lessons. The fi rst one is just an exten-

sive reading to get the gist of the text, form an emotional re-

sponse, and most importantly to realize that even without un-

derstanding some words or even sentences students can still

understand texts in the original. I ask them not to look up the

meaning of the words or use the dictionary. Then they read

for the second time, underlining the words or doing some

tasks. After this second time, they may look some words up.

If some parts of the story are still hard to get, they may read

the text for the third time, or they can read it right before the

lesson to revise the details of the text.

�� Ask your students to fi ll in a table while reading the story

The headings may vary. I usually have “character(s)”,

“characters’ traits”, “evidence from the text [where they

put which exact words in the text made them think that a

character has this particular trait] and simply “new words

and phrases”.

10English


METHODS OF TEACHING

�� Use graphic organisers to study the main characters

a. What’s in the character’s head (his/her thoughts),

b. What’s in the character’s eyes (what he/she has his/her

sights set on), c. What’s in the character’s mouth (what

he/she says), d. What’s in the character’s heart (what he/

she cares about), e. What’s in the character’s hand (what

tools/power he/she wields), f. What’s in the character’s

gut (what motivates him/her), g. What’s under the charac-

ter’s feet (what beliefs he/she stands on).

�� Make a Venn diagram to compare two characters.

�� Highlight actions or emotions of diff erent characters with

diff erent colours.

�� Rewrite a scene from the point of view of a diff erent char-

acter.

�� Change all the action verbs so that the action remains the

same but the atmosphere changes (for example, he walked

behind –> he trudged behind).

�� Discuss how students would feel and act in the described

situations, whether they know somebody who would act

like the character from the book, which character(s) they

identify with and why, and whether they support the sig-

nifi cant decisions made by the characters.

After Reading (the Whole Book)�� Discuss the message of the book.

�� Create an alternative ending to the story.

�� Make a project of a theme park of the character’s life and

development.

�� Make a playlist refl ecting the character’s emotions.

�� Make a collage of the character’s emotions.

�� Film a book trailer (check out this one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvVG9k3_Yfk)

Bibliography:1. Adelman, H. S., & Taylor, L. (1998). Reframing mental health

in schools and expanding school reform. Educational Psychol-

ogist, 33(4), 135–152. Retrieved from http://web.b.ebscohost.

com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/

2. Bal, P. Matthijs, and MartijnVeltkamp. 2013. “How Does Fic-

tion Reading Infl uence Empathy? An Experimental Investiga-

tion on the Role of Emotional Transportation.” Plos ONE 8,

no. 1: 1-12. https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055341

3. Core SEL Competencies. https://casel.org/core-competencies/

4. Cook, K. E., Earles-Vollrath, T., & Ganz, J. B. (2006). Biblio-

therapy. Intervention in School and Clinic, 42(2), 91-100. doi

:10.1177/10534512060420020801

5. Fisher, P. A. (2003). The prevention of antisocial behavior: Be-

yond effi cacy and eff ectiveness. In A. Biglan, M. C. Wang, &

H. J. Walberg (Eds.), Preventing Youth Problems (5-31).

Springer, Boston, MA.

6. Friedman, R. M., & Kutash, K. (1992). Challenges for child

and adolescent mental health. Health Aff airs, 11(3), 125–136.

doi: 10.1377/hlthaff .11.3.125

7. Gibson, Donna M. 2007. “Empathizing With Harry Potter:

The Use of Popular Literature in Counselor Education.” Jour-nal Of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development 46, no. 2: 197-210. https://dx.doi/10.1002/j.2161-1939.2007.

tb00036.

8. Gavigan, K. (2012). Caring through comics – Graphic novels

and bibliotherapy for grades 6–12. Knowledge Quest, 40(4),

78-80. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.

gvsu.edu/docview/1032543822?pq-origsite=summon

9. Gladding, S. T., & Gladding, C. (1991). The ABCs of biblio-

therapy for school counselors. The School Counselor, 39(1),

7-13. Retrieved from https://www-jstor-org.ezproxy.gvsu.

edu/stable/23901529?pq-origsite=summon

10. Heath, M. A., Sheen, D., Leavy, D., Young, E., & Money, K.

(2005). Bibliotherapy: A resource to facilitate emotional heal-

ing and growth. School Psychology International, 26(5), 563-

580. doi:10.1177/0143034305060792

11. Jack, S. J., & Ronan, K. R. (2008). Bibliotherapy: Practice and

research. School Psychology International, 29(2), 161-182.

doi:10.1177/0143034308090058.

12. Kidd, David Comer and Emanuele Castano. 2013. “Read-

ing Literary Fiction Improves Theory of Mind.” Science

342, no. 6156: 377-380, http://science.sciencemag.org/con-

tent/342/6156/377.

13. Mathers, A. D. (2014). Emotional awareness, honesty, &

strength: Why teen books are excellent bibliotherapy tools.

Canadian Children’s Book News, 37(3), 4-5.

14. National Institute of Mental Health. (2001). Blueprint for

change: Research on child and adolescent mental health.

Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/advi-

sory-boards-and-groups/namhc/reports/blueprint-for-

change-research-on-child-and-adolescent-mental-health.

shtml#ch-ii

15. Nomura, Kohei, and Seiki Akai. 2012. “Empathy With Fic-

tional Stories: Reconsideration Of The Fantasy Scale Of

The Interpersonal Reactivity Index.” Psychological Reports

110, no. 1: 304-314. https://dx.doi.org/10.2466/02.07.09.11.

PR0.110.1.304-314)

16. Pardeck, J. A., & Pardeck, J. T. (1984). Young people with

problems: A guide to bibliotherapy. Westport, CT: Greenwood

Press.

17. Pardeck, J. T. (1994). Using literature to help adolescents

cope with problems. Adolescence, 29(114), 421+. Re-

trieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/ps/i.

do?p=AONE&u=lom_gvalleysu&id=GALE|A15622147&v=

2.1&it=r&sid=summon

18. Russell, D. H., & Shrodes, C. (1950a). Contributions of re-

search in bibliotherapy to the language-arts program part i.

The School Review, 58(6), 335-342.

19. Shrodes, C. (1955). Bibliotherapy. The Reading Teacher, 9(1),

24-29.

20. Sullivan, A. K., & Strang, H. R. (2003). Bibliotherapy in the

classroom: Using literature to promote the development of

emotional intelligence. Childhood Education, 79(2), 74-80.

Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.gvsu.

edu/docview/210384283?pq-origsite=summon

21. Tartagni, D. (1976). Bibliotherapy with adolescents. The

School Counselor, 24(1), 28-35. Retrieved from https://

www-jstor-org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/stable/23896876?pq-

origsite=summon&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

22. Turner, Linda M. 2013. “Encouraging Professional Growth

among Social Work Students through Literature Assign-

ments: Narrative Literature’s Capacity to Inspire Professional

Growth and Empathy.” British Journal Of Social Work 43, no.

5: 853-871. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcs011

23. Wisdom, J. P., & Barker, E. C. (2006). Getting out of de-

pression: Teens’ self-help interventions to relieve depressive

symptoms. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 28(4), 1-11.

http://doi.org/10.1300/J019v28n04_01

Borzenko Maria,London Gates Education Group

6 16

72 108

36

METHODS OF TEACHING

12English


TEACHER’S TOOLKIT: Elllo and More

Why?Did you know that listening occupies 45 per cent of the

time adults spend communicating? Do your students fi nd it to be one of the most challenging

skills? Russell Stannard, a multi-award-winning educational

technologist and the founder of www.teachertrainingvideos.com, recommends fi ve free websites with listening material that also include scripts and exercises and can be used in the classroom or for independent learning: Elllo, Talk English, ESL Fast, Listen A Minute, Breaking News English.

How to Use � The sites are free and there is no sign-up.� Students can listen and read along, do the exercises on-

line and get feedback, or download educational material and work offl ine.

� Teachers might like to use lesson plans and print out ma-terials to use in class or recommend their students to work alone.

Short Description Elllo – English Listening Lesson Library Onlinehttp://www.elllo.org/“Learn English Naturally! Listen to over 2,500 free lessons

featuring speakers from around the world. All lessons come with an audio or a video, a quiz and a script.”

� Educational MaterialListening materials: audio fi les – short natural conversa-

tions (3-5 minutes), audio and/or video talks; native and non-native speakers; scripts, vocabulary support, exercises.

Views (1,500 lessons) – natural conversations, an audio and/or a video, a script, an interactive quiz, vocabulary sup-port, exercises;

Mixer (150 lessons) – six people answer the same question; a quiz, a script, and a fl ash slide show with/without captions;

Scenes (two seven-part series) – audio lessons; captions, vocabulary support, a quiz;

Games. SixPix (75 lessons) – listen to a short audio seg-ment and choose the best picture that matches the audio; a quiz;

News Center (26 lessons) – listen to a short animated news segment and take a quiz; academic English;

STeP (19 lessons) – listen to academic English and take a quiz; a script;

One Minute English (1,000 lessons) – very short video talks (most less than a minute); scripts, quizzes;

One Minute Grammar (20 lessons) – very short video talks (most less than a minute), speakers use grammar points many times; a script, a quiz, grammar support;

Grammar Talks (50 lessons) – short conversations (about 2-7 minutes) that focus on various grammar points; a script, a quiz, grammar support.

� Organisation of the Content – lessons on diff erent top-ics. You can search for lessons by ‘Topic’, ‘Country’, ‘Level’ or ‘Media.’

� Age – adults and young adults.� Levels – seven levels: low beginner, mid beginner, high

beginner, low intermediate, mid intermediate, high intermedi-ate, advanced.

� Exercises – Online, interactive, over 50 downloadable study packs (printable worksheets, lesson plans).

� Assessment Activities – Vocabulary quiz – gap-fi ll; comprehension quiz – multiple-choice questions.

� Mobile App – Ello English

Talk English https://www.talkenglish.com/“Learn English speaking online to improve your spoken

English. Speak English fl uently with free spoken English les-sons using over 10,000 free audio fi les!”

� Educational Material – listening, speaking and gram-mar materials.

Listening materials: audio and video fi les – very short con-versations (about a minute), slow and clear pronunciation, North American accent; scripts, exercises; vocabulary sup-port (for videos).

� Organisation of the Content – lessons on diff erent topics.� Age – adults and young adults.� Levels – three levels: basic, intermediate, advanced.

METHODS OF TEACHING

13English


� Exercises – online, interactive and downloadable.� Assessment Activities – a comprehension quiz – mul-

tiple-choice questions.� Mobile App – Hello!

ESL Fast https://www.eslfast.com/“A huge free online English learning resource, thousands

of conversations, short stories, and essays with audio and exercises for listening, speaking, reading.”

� Educational Material – listening and speaking materi-als: very short texts and conversations (less than a minute), slow and clear pronunciation, North American accent; scripts, exercises (for listening materials).

� Organisation of the Content – by topic.� Age – young learners – adults.� Levels – two levels: beginner (six levels), intermediate.� Exercises – online, interactive.� Assessment Activities – cloze test, reordering jumbled

sentences, dictation; a comprehension quiz – multiple-choice questions.

� Mobile App – ESL Fast Speak: easy conversations on diff erent topics.

Listen A Minute https://listenaminute.com/“English lesson plans: Free EFL/ESL lesson handouts

(479 so far), online activities and handouts for teaching and learning listening.”

� Educational Material – listening materials: very short texts (less than a minute), slow and clear pronunciation, Brit-ish accent; scripts, exercises.

� Organisation of the Content – lessons on diff erent topics.� Age – adults and young adults.� Levels – “easier” listening.� Exercises – online and downloadable, interactive.� Assessment Activities – gap-fi ll, multiple-choice ques-

tions, spelling, unjumble the words, text rebuilding; write questions, interview others, guided writing, project.

Breaking News English https://breakingnewsenglish.com/“Breaking News English Lessons – 2,750 FREE Easy

News English lesson plans. EFL/ESL graded news lessons, news in 7 levels, current events.”

� Educational Material – listening and reading materials (2,750 lessons so far, a new lesson is posted every day): graded news stories, 5-speed listening, 4-speed reading, British and North American accent; 27-page lessons, 2-page mini-lessons; scripts, exercises.

� Organisation of the Content – lessons on diff erent topics.� Age – adults and young adults.� Levels – seven levels: level 0 (elementary+), level 1

(elementary/low pre-intermediate), level 2 (low pre-interme-diate), level 3 (pre-intermediate), level 4 (intermediate), level 5 (intermediate+), level 6 (upper-intermediate).

� Exercises – online and downloadable, interactive; ques-tions.

� Assessment Activities – Gap-fi ll, multiple choice, text rebuilding, text unjumble (online activity made with Texti-vate).

� Option: Make Your Own Exercises with Textivate https://www.textivate.com, a website which generates a wide range of interactive activities based on your own text and/or matching items.

Do try these websites and share your ideas with us: [email protected]

Bibliography1. Raphael Ahmed. Five essential listening skills for English

learners. https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/five-es-

sential-listening-skills-english-learners2. Russell Stannard. 5 great free websites for learning Eng-

lish. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJcdZS1AVcU3. https://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/

Marina Vorontsova,Moscow School in the South-West #1543

14English


Abraham – the fi rst of the Old Testament patriarchs and

the father of Isaac; according to Genesis, God prom-

ised to give Abraham’s family (the Hebrews) the land

of Canaan (the Promised Land); God tested Abraham

by asking him to sacrifi ce his son

Adventism – any Christian religion that believes the sec-

ond coming of Christ is imminent

agnosticism – a religious orientation of doubt

ahimsa – a Buddhist and Hindu and especially Jainist doc-

trine holding that all forms of life are sacred and urging

the avoidance of violence

Allah – a Muslim name for the one and only God

alms – money or goods contributed to the poor

angel – a spiritual being attendant upon God

Anglicanism – the faith, doctrine and practice of the An-

glican Church

animism – the doctrine that all natural objects have souls

apocalypse – a cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys

the powers of evil

apostle – an ardent early supporter of a cause or reform

ascetic – someone who practises self-denial as a spiritual

discipline

atheist – someone who denies the existence of god

atonement – the act of making amends for a sin or wrong-

doing

Bahaism – a religion founded in Iran in 1863

baptism – a sacrament signifying spiritual cleansing and

rebirth

baptize – administer a sacrament signifying spiritual re-

birth

Bible – the sacred writings of Christianity

bishop – a senior member of the Christian clergy

blasphemy – the act of depriving something of its sacred

character

Brahminism – the religious beliefs of ancient India as pre-

scribed in the sacred Veda, Brahmanas and Upanishads

Buddha (often the Buddha) – the founder of Buddhism

(c.563–c.483 BC)

Buddhism – the teaching of the Buddha that life is per-

meated with suff ering caused by desire, that suff ering

ceases when desire ceases, and that enlightenment ob-

tained through right conduct and wisdom and medita-

tion releases one from desire, suff ering and rebirth

caliph – the civil and religious leader of a Muslim state

Calvinism – the theological system of John Calvin and his

followers emphasizing omnipotence of God and salva-

tion by grace alone

canonize – declare (a dead person) to be a saint

caste – a hereditary social class among Hindus

cathedral – the principal Christian church building of a

diocese

Christian Science – the religious system based on the

teachings of Mary Baker Eddy emphasizing spiritual

healing

Christianity – a monotheistic system of beliefs and prac-

tices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of

Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasiz-

ing the role of Jesus as savior

clergy – the entire class of religious offi cials in Christianity

confession – the act of a penitent disclosing sinfulness be-

fore a priest

Conservative Judaism – beliefs and practices of conserv-

ative Jews, who keep some requirements of Mosaic law

but adapt others to suit modern circumstances

conversion – a change of religion

convert – change religious beliefs, or adopt a religious belief

covenant – an agreement between God and his people

crucifi xion – the act of executing by a method widespread

in the ancient world, with the victim’s hands and feet

are bound or nailed to a cross

cult – a system of religious beliefs and rituals

Dalai Lama – the chief lama and once ruler of Tibet

deity – a supernatural being worshipped as controlling the

world

denomination – a group of religious congregations with

its own organization

Dharma – in Hinduism, a cosmic law underlying right be-

haviour and social order; in Buddhism, the nature of re-

ality regarded as a universal truth taught by the Buddha

diaspora – people who have spread or been dispersed from

their homeland

diocese – a district that is under the jurisdiction of a bishop

divine – being or having the nature of a god

dogma – a religious doctrine proclaimed as true without

proof

ecclesiastical – of or associated with a church

enlightenment – the beatitude that transcends the cycle of

reincarnation

episcopal – denoting or governed by or relating to a bishop

or bishops

eschatology – the branch of theology that is concerned

with death, judgement, and the fi nal destiny of the soul

Eucharist – a Christian sacrament commemorating the

Last Supper by consecrating bread and wine

evangelical – of or pertaining to or in keeping with the

Christian gospel

evangelicalism – a Christian movement that stresses the

importance of personal conversion and faith as the

means of salvation

faith – a strong belief in a divine power or powers

fundamentalism – the interpretation of sacred texts as lit-

eral truth

Gnosticism – a religious orientation advocating gnosis as

the way to release a person’s spiritual element; consid-

ered heresy by Christian churches

goddess – a female deity

gospel – the written body of teachings accepted by a reli-

gious group

F OCUS ON LANGUAGE

WORLD RELIGIONS VOCABULARY

15English


guru – a Hindu or Buddhist religious leader and spiritual

teacher

hajj – a pilgrimage to Mecca that is a religious duty for

Muslims

halal – conforming to Muslim dietary laws

Hare Krishna – a religious sect founded in the United

States in 1966

heresy – a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion

heterodox – characterized by departure from accepted

standards

Hinduism – a body of religious and philosophical beliefs

and cultural practices native to India and based on a

caste system; it is characterized by a belief in reincarna-

tion, by a belief in a supreme being of many forms and

natures, by the view that opposing theories are aspects

of one eternal truth, and by a desire for liberation from

earthly evils

icon – a conventional religious painting in oil on a small

panel

idol – a material effi gy that is worshipped

imam – the person who leads prayers in a mosque

Jainism – religion founded in the 6th century BC as a revolt

against Hinduism; emphasizes asceticism and immor-

tality and transmigration of the soul; denies existence

of a perfect or supreme being

Jesus Christ – a teacher and prophet born in Bethlehem

and active in Nazareth; his life and sermons form the

basis for Christianity (circa 4 BC – AD 29)

jihad – a holy struggle by a Muslim for a moral or politi-

cal goal

Judaism – the monotheistic religion of the Jews having its

spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefl y in the

Torah and in the Talmud

karma – the eff ects of a person’s actions that determine his

or her destiny

Koran, also Quran – the sacred writings of Islam revealed

by God to the prophet Muhammad during his life at

Mecca and Medina

kosher – conforming to Jewish dietary laws

Krishnaism – worship of Krishna, the 8th avatar of Vishnu

laity – lay people; members of a religious community who

are not clergy

Last Judgment – (New Testament) day at the end of time

following Armageddon when God will decree the fates

of all individual humans according to the good and evil

of their earthly lives

Lutheranism – teachings of Martin Luther emphasizing

the cardinal doctrine of justifi cation by faith alone

Mahayana Buddhism – one of two great schools of Bud-

dhist doctrine emphasizing a common search for uni-

versal salvation especially through faith alone; the

dominant religion of China, Tibet and Japan

martyr – one who suff ers death because of their beliefs

Mary – the mother of Jesus

Mecca – the holy city of Islam located in Saudi Arabia

meditation – contemplation of spiritual matters

Mennonitism – system of beliefs and practices including

belief in scriptural authority; plain dress; adult baptism;

foot washing; restriction of marriage to members of the

group

messiah – any expected deliverer

Methodism – the religious beliefs and practices of Meth-

odists characterized by concern with social welfare and

public morals

monastic order – a group of people living under a reli-

gious rule

monk – a male religious living in a cloister and devoting

himself to contemplation, prayer and work

monotheistic – believing that there is only one god

Mormonism – the doctrines and practices of the Mormon

Church based on the Book of Mormon

Moses – (Old Testament) the Hebrew prophet who led the

Israelites from Egypt across the Red Sea on a journey

known as the Exodus; Moses received the Ten Com-

mandments from God on Mount Sinai

mosque – a Muslim place of worship that usually has a

minaret

Muhammad – the Arab prophet who, according to Islam,

was the last messenger of Allah (570–632)

Muslim – a believer in or follower of Islam

mystic – someone who believes in realities beyond human

comprehension

nirvana – the beatitude that transcends the cycle of rein-

carnation

nun – a female religious

orthodox – adhering to what is commonly accepted

Orthodox Judaism – beliefs and practices of a Judaic sect

that strictly observes Mosaic law

paganism – a religion outside of mainstream monotheism

parable – a story told by Jesus to convey his religious mes-

sage

parish – a local church community

pilgrim – someone who journeys to a sacred place as an

act of devotion

pilgrimage – a journey to a sacred place

polytheistic – worshipping or believing in more than one god

pope – the head of the Roman Catholic Church

predestination – previous determination as if by destiny

or fate

profane – not concerned with or devoted to religion

prophecy – a prediction uttered under divine inspiration

prophet – someone who speaks by divine inspiration

Protestantism – the theological system of any of the

churches of western Christendom that separated from

the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation

purgatory – a temporary state of the dead in Roman Cath-

olic theology

Puritanism – the beliefs and practices characteristic of

Puritans

Quakers – a Christian sect founded by George Fox about

1660

rabbi – spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation

Ramadan – the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, dur-

ing which strict fasting is observed from dawn to sunset

FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

Rastafarianism – a religious cult based on a belief that

Ras Tafari (Haile Selassie) is the Messiah and that Af-

rica (especially Ethiopia) is the Promised Land

Reform Judaism – beliefs and practices of Reform Jews

reincarnation – the doctrine that a person may be reborn

successively

Roman Catholicism – the beliefs and practices of the

Catholic Church based in Rome

Sabbath – a day of rest and worship: Sunday for most

Christians; kept by Jews from Friday evening to Sat-

urday evening

saint – a person who has died and has been canonized

Saktism – a Hindu sect worshiping Shakti

salvation – the act of delivering from sin or saving from

evil

sect – a subdivision of a larger religious group

secular – not concerned with or devoted to religion

secularization – removal of religion as a control or infl u-

ence over something

shaman – one acting as a medium between the visible and

spirit worlds

sharia – the code of law derived from the Koran and from

the teachings and example of Muhammad

Shiah Islam – one of the two main branches of orthodox

Islam

Shintoism – the ancient indigenous religion of Japan lack-

ing formal dogma; characterized by a veneration of na-

ture spirits and of ancestors

Shivaism – a Hindu sect worshiping Shiva

shrine – a place of worship associated with something sa-

cred

Siddhartha – founder of Buddhism; worshipped as a god

(c 563–483 BC)

Sikhism – the doctrines of a monotheistic religion founded

in northern India in the 16th century by Guru Nanak and

combining elements of Hinduism and Islam

Sufi sm – Islamic mysticism

Sunni Islam – one of the two main branches of orthodox

Islam

synagogue – the place of worship for a Jewish congregation

syncretism – the union of diff erent systems of thought or

belief

synod – a council convened to discuss ecclesiastical busi-

ness

Talmud – the collection of ancient rabbinic writings on

Jewish law and tradition (the Mishna and the Gemara)

that constitute the basis of religious authority in Ortho-

dox Judaism

Taoism – philosophical system developed by Lao-tzu and

Chuang-tzu advocating a simple honest life and nonin-

terference with the course of natural events

temple – a place of worship

Ten Commandments – the biblical commandments of

Moses

tenet – a religious doctrine proclaimed as true without

proof

theocracy – a political unit governed by a deity

theological – of, relating to or concerning the study of re-

ligion

theology – the rational and systematic study of religion

Theravada Buddhism – one of two great schools of Bud-

dhist doctrine emphasizing personal salvation through

your own eff orts; a conservative form of Buddhism that

adheres to Pali scriptures and the non-theistic ideal of

self-purifi cation to nirvana; the dominant religion of

Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos

and Cambodia

Tibetan Buddhism – a Buddhist doctrine that includes el-

ements from India that are not Buddhist and elements

of preexisting shamanism

Torah – (Judaism) the scroll of parchment on which the

fi rst fi ve books of the Hebrew Scripture are written; is

used in a synagogue during services

transcendent – beyond and outside the ordinary range of

human experience

transubstantiation – the Roman Catholic doctrine that

the whole substance of the bread and the wine changes

into the substance of the body and blood of Christ when

consecrated in the Eucharist

Trinitarianism – Christian doctrine stressing belief in the

Trinity

Trinity – the union of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost

in one Godhead

Unitarianism – Christian doctrine that stresses individual

freedom of belief and rejects the Trinity

untouchable – a person that belongs to the lowest social

and ritual class in India

Veda – (from the Sanskrit word for `knowledge’) any of

the most ancient sacred writings of Hinduism written

in early Sanskrit; traditionally believed to comprise

the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, and the

Upanishads

voodoo – a religion practised chiefl y in Caribbean countries

Wicca – the polytheistic nature religion of modern witch-

craft whose central deity is a mother goddess; claims

origins in pre-Christian pagan religions of western Eu-

rope

Yahweh – a name for the God of the Old Testament as

transliterated from the Hebrew consonants YHVH

Zen Buddhism – a school of Mahayana Buddhism assert-

ing that enlightenment can come through meditation and

intuition rather than faith; popular in China and Japan

Zoroastrianism – system of religion founded in Persia in

the 6th century BC by Zoroaster; set forth in the Zend-

Avesta; based on the concept of struggle between light

(good) and dark (evil)

Source: https://www.vocabulary.com/lists/1445080

16English


FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

17English


FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

PROTESTANT WORK ETHIC

BEFORE WATCHINGRead the defi nitions of the words ‘ethic’ and ‘Protestant’.Ethic

An ethic is a framework or guiding principle, and it’s often moral.

People with a strong work ethic believe that hard work is a good

thing in and of itself.

A social ethic might include “treating people as you want to be

treated.” Used in the plural, ethics refers to the moral rules that you

live by. You can use it generally, as in: “my ethics don’t include cheat-

ing.” Or you can use it specifi cally, as in: “Slander and the running of

negative ads do not seem to contradict the senator’s political ethics.”

ProtestantA member of the parts of the Christian Church that separated from

the Roman Catholic Church during the 16th century.

What might ‘Protestant work ethic’ mean? Do you think one should necessarily be a religious person to have the Protestant work ethic?Watch the video and check your answers.Link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZPF7ITYtng

FOCUS ON VOCABULARYRead the transcript of the video and try to remember the phrases Hugh used.

I was ____________1 to a friend yesterday and he asked me

how I manage to produce three of these videos every week. Don’t

I have too much else to do? How do I fi nd the time to do it? I

made a ____________2 joke about possessing a machine which

____________3 time for me. But then I said: “Actually, the reality

is I just have a very strong Protestant work ethic.”

B2 If you have a strong Protestant work ethic, you just have this

de ep-____________4 desire to work hard, to try to ____________5

success through hard work, and ____________6 , and discipline.

In the 16th century there was major schism in the Christian

church, and this led to the ____________7 of the Protestant church

in Northern Europe. And one of the deep ___________8 of this was

the idea that working hard was important. You don’t need to be a

Protestant to have the Protestant work ethic. I’m an ___________9.

Watch the video again and check your answers.

FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITYIn his explanation, Hugh uses the word ‘schism’. Read the defi ni-tion of this word.Schism

The sound of the word schism reminds some people of the

sound of a piece of paper being torn in two; which makes sense –

when a group has a big fi ght and the group is torn in two, that’s

a schism.

Although the Spanish club could have a schism over taco night

versus tamale fest, schism often refers to splits in the church. You

might have heard of the Great Schism of 1074, when the eastern

Christian church, headquartered in Byzantium (now Istanbul), broke

away from the western one headquartered in Rome.

Consult your History teacher to fi nd out if there has ever been schism in the Russian Orthodox church. Find out the time and the reasons of the event.

See the answers and the transcript of the videoin the additional materials.

Sources: video by Hugh Dellar, Lexical LabActivities by English

tant. It’s certainly less important than vocabulary and the ability to

_____________7 yourself.”

If you say ‘in the greater scheme of things’ or ‘in the grand scheme

of things’, you mean ‘_____________8 everything’.

So, you know, we all need money. But in the greater scheme of

things, money is less important than happiness.

Watch the video again and check your answers.

FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS1. Do you fi nd it easy/diffi cult to express yourself in English? And

what about your fi rst language? What do you fi nd easier – to ex-

press yourself in writing or in speaking? Why?

2. Think of your own language learning experience. What learn-

ing strategies help you master grammar, vocabulary and pro-

nunciation? What learning strategies do you fi nd not working

for you?

3. Think of at least 2 things that seem important to you now but

which can be less important in the greater scheme of things. Share

with your partner.

See the answers and the transcript of the videoin the additional materials.

Sources: video by Hugh Dellar, Lexical LabActivities by English

IN THE GREATER SCHEMEOF THINGS

BEFORE WATCHINGHave a look at the defi nition of the word ‘intelligible’.Intelligible – able to be understood.Discuss with a partner what makes one intelligible in a foreign lan-guage? (i.e. grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation etc.)

Watch the video and learn about Hugh’s opinion.Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG_LdPEnzSg

FOCUS ON VOCABULARYTry to remember the words Hugh used in the video and fi ll in the gaps.

Yesterday, in class I was quite surprised to hear one of my amaz-

ing students _____________1 about the fact that she didn’t like her

accent. She’s got a very _____________2 accent and it’s very diffi -

cult to _____________3 where she is actually from. She’s complete-

ly _____________4 to almost everybody who’d meet her. And she

speaks very clearly with an excellent _____________5 of grammar

and vocabulary.

We were discussing why she felt like this and the problems people

have with _____________6 and with accent. And I said: “Listen, in

the end, in the greater scheme of things, accent is really not impor-

B2

religionthe belief in a god or gods, or a particular

system of beliefs in a god or gods

belief something that you believe is true or real

faiththe belief that someone or something is

good, right, and able to be trusted

prejudice

the feeling of not liking a group of people

or unfair treatment of them because they

are of diff erent race, sex, religion, etc.

spirit

the part of a person that is not their body,

which some people believe continues to

exist after they die

worshipto show respect for a god by saying prayers

or performing religious ceremonies

blasphemysomething that you say or do that shows

you do not respect God or a religion

deity a god or goddess (= female god)

B1

B2

B2

B2

B2

C1

C1

C2

18English


FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

TOPIC VOCABULARY

19English


Religious Intolerance on the Rise

LESSON PLANS

BACKGROUND INFORMATIONA report from the U.S. State Department highlighted the

rise of religious intolerance worldwide. U.S. Secretary of

State John Kerry gave reporters a summary of the “Interna-

tional Religious Freedom” report. He said: “[It] shines light

on the challenges people face as they seek nothing more

than basic religious freedom and the right to worship as they

wish.” Kerry said a particularly worrying trend was the in-

creased discrimination against Jews and Muslims around the

world. The report highlighted a rise in anti-Islamic sentiment

in Europe and Asia, and an increase in anti-Semitism in oth-

er parts of the world. Kerry warned that, “when countries

undermine or attack religious freedom, they threaten their

country’s own stability.”

The report opened with a quote from President Barack

Obama, who said religious freedom was, “an essential part of

human dignity, and without it our world cannot know lasting

peace”. The report outlined how nations were repressing reli-

gious freedom. It said: “Numerous governments imposed…

undue and inappropriate restrictions on religious groups and

abused their members, in some cases as part of formal gov-

ernment law and practice.” The report also warned that deny-

ing freedom of worship increased the danger of political and

societal instability. It said such a policy “undercuts society’s

ability to counter and combat the biased and warped inter-

pretations of religion that violent extremists propagate.”

WARM-UPS1. RELIGIONStudents walk around the class and talk to other students about religion. Change partners often and share your fi nd-ings.

2. CHATIn pairs / groups, decide which of these topics or words from the article are most interesting and which are most boring.report / highlighted / intolerance / challenges / discrimina-tion / religious freedom / human dignity / lasting peace / re-strictions / instability / interpretations / extremistsHave a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.

3. DISCRIMINATIONWhat exists in your country? Complete this table and share what you wrote with your partner(s).

Against… What kind / How bad?

How to fi ght and reduce it?

race / colour sex age religion income level dialect

4. TOLERANCEStudents A strongly believe everyone in the world will be tolerant of others one day; Students B strongly believe this will never happen. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.

5. FREEDOMSRank these and share your rankings with your partner. Put the most important at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.�� religious freedom

�� choice of who to marry

�� freedom to travel

�� freedom of speech

�� freedom to join a union

�� freedom to be creative

�� freedom to work anywhere

�� freedom to wear anything

6. FREEDOMSpend one minute writing down all of the diff erent words you associate with the word ‘freedom’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into diff erent categories.

BEFORE READING / LISTENING1. TRUE / FALSERead the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).a. The Vatican in Rome has published a report about reli-

gious freedom. T / F

b. John Kerry talked about challenges for people to worship

freely. T / F

c. Kerry said there was an increasing intolerance against

Muslims and Jews. T / F

d. Kerry said attacking religious freedom did not aff ect a na-

tion’s stability. T / F

e. The report opened with words from a Hindu teacher.

T / F

f. Obama said there could be no lasting peace without reli-


g. The article mentions three nations where there is no reli-


h. The report suggests religious intolerance creates extrem-

ism. T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCHMatch the following synonyms from the article.

1. highlighted a. encounter

2. summary b. refusing

3. face c. security

4. trend d. overview

5. stability e. needless

6. essential f. spread

7. lasting g. pointed out

8. undue h. vital

20English


LESSON PLANS

9. denying i. long-term

10. propagate j. shift

3. PHRASE MATCH(Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1. It shines light on the

2. a particularly

3. a rise in

4. undermine or

5. they threaten their country’s

6. an essential part

7. how nations were repressing

8. the danger of political and

9. biased and warped

10. violent

a. anti-Islamic sentiment

b. of human dignity

c. own stability

d. interpretations of religion

e. worrying trend

f. challenges people face

g. extremists

h. attack religious freedom

i. religious freedom

j. societal instability

GAP FILLA report from the U.S. State Department

has (1)__________ the rise of religious sentiment

intolerance worldwide. U.S. Secretary

of State John Kerry gave reporters a

(2)__________ of the “International wish

Religious Freedom” report. He said:

“[It] (3)__________ light on the summary

challenges people face as they seek nothing

more than basic religious freedom and

the right to worship as they (4)_________.” stability

Kerry said a particularly worrying

(5)__________ was the increased highlighted

discrimination against Jews and Muslims

around the world. The report highlighted

a rise in anti-Islamic (6)__________ in undermine

Europe and Asia, and an increase in anti-

Semitism in other parts of the world. Kerry

warned that, “when countries (7)________ shines

or attack religious freedom, they threaten

their country’s own (8)__________.” trend

The report opened with a (9)__________ lasting

from President Barack Obama, who said

religious freedom was, “an essential part

of human (10)__________, and without it violent

our world cannot know (11)_______ denying

peace”. The report outlined how nations

were repressing religious freedom.

It said:

“Numerous governments (12)__________ quote

…undue and inappropriate restrictions on

religious groups and abused their members,

in some (13)__________ as part of formal imposed

government law and practice.” The report

also warned that (14)__________ freedom dignity

of worship increased the danger of political

and societal instability. It said such a policy

“undercuts society’s ability to (15)_______ counter

and combat the biased and warped

interpretations of religion that (16)_______ cases

extremists propagate.”

LISTENINGGuess the answers. Listen to check.

1) highlighted the rise of religious ______

a. intolerance the world over

b. intolerance world and wide

c. intolerance worldwide

d. intolerance world wild

2) challenges people face as they seek nothing more than

______

a. basics religious freedom

b. basic religious freedom

c. basically religious freedom

d. bases religious freedom

3) Kerry said a particularly worrying trend was the in-

creased discrimination against ______

a. Jews and Muslim

b. Jew and Muslim

c. Jews and Muslims

d. Jew and Muslims

4) a rise in anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe and Asia, and

an increase ______

a. in anti-Semitism

b. on anti-Semitism

c. an anti-Semitism

d. and anti-Semitism

5) When countries undermine or attack religious freedom,

they threaten their ______

a. country’s own stability

b. country zone stability

c. country-sewn stability

d. countries own stability

6) religious freedom was an essential part ______

a. of human dignities

b. of human dignify

c. of human dignity

d. of human dignifi ed

7) without it our world cannot ______

a. know lasting peace

b. know last in peace

c. no lasting peace

d. no last in peace

8) Numerous governments imposed undue and ______

a. inappropriate restrictions

b. in appropriate restrictions

c. inappropriateness restrictions

d. inner pro-rata restrictions

9) denying freedom of worship increased the danger of po-

litical ______

a. and society all instability

21English


LESSON PLANS b. and so site tall instability

c. and societal instability

d. and social instability

10) the biased and warped interpretations of religion that

______

a. violent extremists prop a gate

b. violent extremists proper gate

c. violent extremists propagate

d. violent extremists pro pay gate

LISTENINGListen and fi ll in the gaps.

A report from the U.S. State Department has

(1)____________________ religious intolerance

worldwide. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gave

(2)____________________ the “International Religious

Freedom” report. He said: “[It] shines light on the challeng-

es people (3)_________________ more than basic religious

freedom and the right to worship as they wish.” Kerry said

a (4)______________________ was the increased discrimi-

nation against Jews and Muslims around the world. The

report highlighted (5)____________________ sentiment

in Europe and Asia, and an increase in anti-Semitism in

other parts of the world. Kerry warned that “when countries

(6)____________________ religious freedom, they threaten

their country’s own stability.”

The report opened with a quote from President

Barack Obama, who said religious freedom was,

“(7)____________________ human dignity, and with-

out it our world cannot (8)____________________”.

The report outlined how nations were repressing reli-

gious freedom. It said: “Numerous governments im-

posed…undue and (9)____________________ on reli-

gious groups and abused their members, in some cases as

part of formal government law and practice.” The report

also (10)______________________ of worship increased

the danger (11)____________________ instability. It

said such a policy “undercuts society’s ability to coun-

ter and combat the biased and warped interpretations of

(12)________________________ propagate.”

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Who compiled the report?

2. What did John Kerry give reporters?

3. What trend did Kerry say was worrying?

4. Where was anti-Islamic feeling on the increase?

5. What do countries threaten by reducing religious free-

dom?

6. What did Obama say was non-existent without religious

freedom?

7. According to the report, who was repressing religious

freedom?

8. Who are some governments abusing?

9. What would denying freedom of worship lead to?

10. Who spreads twisted versions of religion?

MULTIPLE CHOICE – QUIZ1. Who compiled the report?

a) a Buddhist organisation

b) the World Council of Churches

c) the Vatican

d) the U.S. State Department

2. What did John Kerry give reporters?

a) a piece of his mind

b) a summary of the report

c) chocolates

d) his autograph

3. What trend did Kerry say was worrying?

a) the increase in cult religions

b) the falling number of worshippers

c) the discrimination against Jews and Muslims

d) the rise in atheism

4. Where was anti-Islamic feeling on the increase?

a) Europe and Asia

b) the USA

c) South America

d) Africa

5. What do countries threaten by reducing religious free-

dom?

a) printers of holy books

b) their independence

c) their own stability

d) places of worship

6. What did Obama say was non-existent without religious

freedom?

a) diversity

b) long-lasting peace

c) churches

d) prayers

7. According to the report, who was repressing religious

freedom?

a) ordinary people

b) the media / press

c) terrorist groups

d) numerous governments

8. Who are some governments abusing?

a) members of religious groups

b) refugees

c) women and children

d) terrorists

9. What would denying freedom of worship lead to?

a) more wars

b) fewer religious holidays

c) political and societal instability

d) falling numbers of worshippers

10. Who spreads twisted versions of religion?

a) religious leaders

b) extremists

c) newspapers

d) some national leaders

ROLE PLAYRole A – Religious Freedom

You think religious freedom is the most important. Tell

the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong

with their freedom. Also, tell the others which is the worst of

these (and why): freedom of speech, freedom to marry who

you choose or freedom to wear what you want.

22English


LESSON PLANS

Role B – Freedom of SpeechYou think freedom of speech is the most important. Tell

the others three reasons why. Tell them things that are wrong

with their freedom. Also, tell the others which is the worst of

these (and why): religious freedom, freedom to marry who

you choose or freedom to wear what you want.

Role C – Freedom to Marry Who You ChooseYou think freedom to marry who you choose is the most

important. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things

that are wrong with their freedom. Also, tell the others which

is the worst of these (and why): freedom of speech, religious

freedom or freedom to wear what you want.

Role D – Freedom to Wear What You WantYou think freedom to wear what you want is the most im-

portant. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them things

that are wrong with their freedom. Also, tell the others which

is the worst of these (and why): freedom of speech, freedom

to marry who you choose or religious freedom.

AFTER READING / LISTENING1. WORD SEARCHLook in your dictionary / computer to fi nd collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘reli-gious’ and ‘freedom’.

religious freedom

�� Share your fi ndings with your partners.

�� Make questions using the words you found.

�� Ask your partner / group your questions.

2. ARTICLE QUESTIONSLook back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.�� Share your questions with other classmates / groups.

�� Ask your partner / group your questions.

3. GAP FILLIn pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activ-ity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

4. VOCABULARYCircle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to fi nd their mean-ings.

5. TEST EACH OTHERLook at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

�� highlighted ��quote

�� summary ��human

�� face ��numerous

�� trend ��abused

�� sentiment ��denying

�� threaten ��violent

RELIGION SURVEYWrite fi ve GOOD questions about religion in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.When you have fi nished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

STUDENT 1

___________

STUDENT 2

___________

STUDENT 3

___________

Q.1.

Q.2.

Q.3.

Q.4.

Q.5.

�� Now return to your original partner and share and talk

about what you found out. Change partners often.

�� Make mini-presentations to other groups on your fi nd-

ings.

RELIGION DISCUSSIONStudent A’s Questions(Do not show these to student B.)a) What did you think when you read the headline?

b) What springs to mind when you hear the word ‘religion’?

c) Why aren’t people tolerant toward other religions?

d) What role does religion play in your life?

e) Do you accept and respect people from all religions?

f) Why do some countries see religion as something danger-

ous?

g) Why are there so many diff erent religions?

h) Why is there an increase in discrimination against Jews

and Muslims?

i) Does greater religious freedom lead to a more peaceful

society?

j) What do you like and dislike about religion?

Student B’s Questions(Do not show these to student A.)a) Did you like reading this article? Why/not?

b) Is religious freedom “an essential part of human dignity”?

c) What do you think of people who do not believe in God?

d) Which countries do you think repress religion or reli-

gions?

e) If all religions promote peace, love and respect for all,

why is there so much hate in the world?

f) Is fi ghting a war in the name of God a contradiction?

g) Does religion bring the world together?

23English


LESSON PLANS�Have you spotted a typo? Highlight and photo it or take a screenshot and send us a message. Thanks for your help!

h) What would Jesus, the Prophet Muhammad, Buddha, etc.

think of our world today?

i) Are religious people happier than non-religious people?

j) What questions would you like to ask the author of the

report?

DISCUSSIONWrite your own questions.Student A’s Questions(Do not show these to student B.)1. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

3._____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

5. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

6. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

Student B’s Questions(Do not show these to student A.)1. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

4. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

5. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

6. _____________________________________________

_____________________________________________

MULTIPLE CHOICE – LANGUAGEA report from the U.S. State Department has (1)____

the rise of religious intolerance worldwide. U.S. Secre-

tary of State John Kerry gave reporters a (2)____ of the

“International Religious Freedom” report. He said: “[It]

shines light on the challenges people face (3)____ they

seek nothing more than basic religious freedom and the

right to worship as they (4)____.” Kerry said a particu-

larly worrying trend was the increased discrimination

against Jews and Muslims around the world. The report

highlighted a rise (5)____ anti-Islamic sentiment in Eu-

rope and Asia, and an increase in anti-Semitism in other

parts of the world. Kerry warned that “when countries un-

dermine or attack religious freedom, they threaten their

country’s own (6)____.”

The report opened with a quote from President Barack

Obama, who said religious freedom was, “an essential part

of human (7)____, and without it our world cannot know

lasting peace”. The report outlined how nations were

(8)____ religious freedom. It said: “Numerous governments

imposed…undue and inappropriate restrictions on religious

groups and abused their members, in some (9)____ as part

of formal government law and practice.” The report also

warned that (10)____ freedom of worship increased the

danger of political and societal instability. It said (11)____

a policy “undercuts society’s ability to counter and combat

the biased and warped interpretations of religion that violent

extremists (12)____.”

Put the correct words from the table below in the above article.

1. (a) highlighted (b) heightened

(c) highs (d) highly

2. (a) summation (b) summons

(c) summary (d) summersault

3. (a) gas (b) was

(c) has (d) as

4. (a) wishing (b) wish

(c) wishes (d) wishy-washy

5. (a) at (b) to

(c) by (d) in

6. (a) instability (b) stable

(c) stability (d) stabilise

7. (a) digress (b) dignity

(c) digestion (d) digraphic

8. (a) repressing (b) repressed

(c) repressive (d) represses

9. (a) cases (b) causes

(c) castes (d) cassis

10. (a) deniable (b) denied

(c) denying (d) deny

11. (a) thus (b) much

(c) so (d) such

12. (a) rotavate (b) propagate

(c) motivate (d) surrogate

SPELLINGParagraph 1

1. tghhighdiel the rise

2. the eeshnalglc people face

3. a crriyaluatpl worrying trend

4. increased mditiinonscari

5. a rise in anti-Islamic etntnsime

6. nthaerte their country’s own stability

Paragraph 27. an lstsneaei part

8. human itdingy

9. oprtarepaniip restrictions

10. giyendn freedom of worship

11. ibedas and warped interpretations

12. violent sirtmesxte

24English


LESSON PLANS

Number these lines in the correct order.( ) worship as they wish.” Kerry said a particularly worry-

ing trend was the increased discrimination against Jews

and Muslims

( ) how nations were repressing religious freedom. It said:

“Numerous governments imposed…undue and

( ) the danger of political and societal instability. It said

such a policy “undercuts society’s ability to

( ) an increase in anti-Semitism in other parts of the world.

Kerry warned that “when countries

( ) around the world. The report highlighted a rise in anti-

Islamic sentiment in Europe and Asia, and

( ) light on the challenges people face as they seek nothing

more than basic religious freedom and the right to

( ) was, “an essential part of human dignity, and without it

our world cannot know lasting peace”. The report out-

lined

( ) as part of formal government law and practice.” The

report also warned that denying freedom of worship in-

creased

( ) undermine or attack religious freedom, they threaten

their country’s own stability.”

( ) of State John Kerry gave reporters a summary of the

“International Religious Freedom” report. He said: “[It]

shines

( ) The report opened with a quote from President Barack

Obama, who said religious freedom

( ) inappropriate restrictions on religious groups and

abused their members, in some cases

( ) counter and combat the biased and warped interpreta-

tions of religion that violent extremists propagate.”

( 1 ) A report from the U.S. State Department has highlight-

ed the rise of religious intolerance worldwide. U.S. Sec-

retary

Put the words in the right order.1. the Highlighted worldwide intolerance religious

of rise.

2. face on the It challenges shines people

light.

3. highlighted The rise sentiment report. a anti-

Islamic in

4. parts anti-Semitism in of in An the other

increase world.

5. threaten country’s stability They their own.

6. human Religious an of was part dignity free-

dom essential.

7. how Outlined freedom religious repressing

were nations.

8. government As law part and of practice

formal.

9. societal danger instability of political Increased

and the.

10. The religion of interpretations warped and

biased.

Circle the correct word (20 pairs).A report from the U.S. State Department has highlighted /

heightened the rise of religious intolerance worldwide. U.S.

Secretary of State John Kerry gave reporters a summation / summary of the “International Religious Freedom” report.

He said: “[It] shines doubt / light on the challenges people

face as / has they seek nothing / anything more than basic

religious freedom and the right to worship as they wish / wishing.” Kerry said a particularly worrying trendy / trend

was the increased discrimination for / against Jews and

Muslims around the world. The report highlighted a rise in

anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe and Asia, and an increase in

anti-Semitism in other parts of the world. Kerry warned that

“when countries mine / undermine or attack religious free-

dom, they threaten their country’s own stability / instability.”

The report opened / opener with a quote from President

Barack Obama, who said religious freedom was, “an essence / essential part of human dignity / dignifi ed, and without it

our world cannot know lasting / lasted peace”. The report

outlined how nations were repressing religious freedom. It

said: “Numerous governments imposed…undue / duly and

inappropriate restrictions on / at religious groups and abused

their members, in some causes / cases as part of formal

government law and practical / practice.” The report also

warned that denying / denial freedom of worship increased

the danger of political and societal instability. It said such

a policy “undercuts society’s ability to counter and combat

the biased and warped interpretations of religion that violent

extremes / extremists propagate.”

Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct.

Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)._ r_p_rt fr_m th_ _.S. St_t_ D_p_rtm_nt h_s h_ghl_ght_d

th_ r_s_ _f r_l_g___s _nt_l_r_nc_ w_rldw_d_. _.S. S_cr_t_

ry _f St_t_ J_hn K_rry g_v_ r_p_rt_rs _ s_mm_ry _f th_

“_nt_rn_t__n_l R_l_g___s Fr__d_m” r_p_rt. H_ s__d: “[_t]

sh_n_s l_ght _n th_ ch_ll_ng_s p__pl_ f_c_ _s th_y s__k n_

th_ng m_r_ th_n b_s_c r_l_g___s fr__d_m _nd th_ r_ght t_

w_rsh_p _s th_y w_sh.” K_rry s__d _ p_rt_c_l_rly w_rry_

ng tr_nd w_s th_ _ncr__s_d d_scr_m_n_t__n _g__nst J_ws

_nd M_sl_ms _r__nd th_ w_rld. Th_ r_p_rt h_ghl_ght_d _

r_s_ _n _nt_-_sl_m_c s_nt_m_nt _n __r_p_ _nd _s__, _nd

_n _ncr__s_ _n _nt_-S_m_t_sm _n _th_r p_rts _f th_ w_rld.

K_rry w_rn_d th_t: “Wh_n c__ntr__s _nd_rm_n_ _r _tt_

ck r_l_g___s fr__d_m, th_y thr__t_n th__r c__ntry’s _wn

st_b_l_ty.”

Th_ r_p_rt _p_n_d w_th _ q__t_ fr_m Pr_s_d_nt B_r_ck

_b_m_, wh_ s__d r_l_g___s fr__d_m w_s, “_n _ss_nt__l p_

rt _f h_m_n d_gn_ty, _nd w_th__t _t __r w_rld c_nn_t kn_w

l_st_ng p__c_”. Th_ r_p_rt __tl_n_d h_w n_t__ns w_r_

r_pr_ss_ng r_l_g___s fr__d_m. _t s__d: “N_m_r__s g_v_

rnm_nts _mp_s_d…_nd__ _nd _n_ppr_pr__t_ r_str_ct__ns

_n r_l_g___s gr__ps _nd _b_s_d th__r m_mb_rs, _n s_m_

c_s_s _s p_rt _f f_rm_l g_v_rnm_nt l_w _nd pr_ct_c_.”

Th_ r_p_rt _ls_ w_rn_d th_t d_ny_ng fr__d_m _f w_rsh_p

_ncr__s_d th_ d_ng_r _f p_l_t_c_l _nd s_c__t_l _nst_b_l_ty.

_t s__d s_ch _ p_l_cy: “_nd_rc_ts s_c__ty’s _b_l_ty t_ c__

nt_r _nd c_mb_t th_ b__s_d _nd w_rp_d _nt_rpr_t_t__ns _f

r_l_g__n th_t v__l_nt _xtr_m_sts pr_p_g_t_.”

25English


LESSON PLANSPunctuate the text and add capitals.

a report from the us state department has highlighted the

rise of religious intolerance worldwide us secretary of state

john kerry gave reporters a summary of the “international

religious freedom” report he said “[it] shines light on the

challenges people face as they seek nothing more than ba-

sic religious freedom and the right to worship as they wish”

kerry said a particularly worrying trend was the increased

discrimination against jews and muslims around the world

the report highlighted a rise in anti-islamic sentiment in eu-

rope and asia and an increase in anti-semitism in other parts

of the world kerry warned that “when countries undermine

or attack religious freedom they threaten their country’s own

stability”

the report opened with a quote from president barack

obama who said religious freedom was “an essential part of

human dignity and without it our world cannot know lasting

peace” the report outlined how nations were repressing re-

ligious freedom it said “numerous governments imposed…

undue and inappropriate restrictions on religious groups and

abused their members in some cases as part of formal gov-

ernment law and practice” the report also warned that deny-

ing freedom of worship increased the danger of political and

societal instability it said such a policy “undercuts society’s

ability to counter and combat the biased and warped inter-

pretations of religion that violent extremists propagate”

Put a slash ( / ) where the spaces are.AreportfromtheU.S.StateDepartmenthashighlightedth

eriseofreligiousintoleranceworldwide.U.S.Secretaryo

fStateJohnKerrygavereportersasummaryofthe”Intern

ationalReligiousFreedom”report.Hesaid:”[It]shineslight-

onthechallengespeoplefaceastheyseeknothingmorethanb

asicreligiousfreedomandtherighttoworshipastheywish.”

Kerrysaidaparticularlyworryingtrendwastheincreaseddis-

criminationagainstJewsandMuslimsaroundtheworld.There-

porthighlightedariseinanti-IslamicsentimentinEuropean-

dAsia,andanincreaseinanti-Semitisminotherpartsoftheworld.

Kerrywarnedthat, “whencountriesundermineorattackreligio

usfreedom,theythreatentheircountry’sownstability.”Therepo

rtopenedwithaquotefromPresidentBarackObama,whosaidre-

ligiousfreedomwas,”anessentialpartofhumandignity,andwith

outitourworldcannotknowlastingpeace”.Thereportoutlined-

hownationswererepressingreligiousfreedom.Itsaid:”Numero

usgovernmentsimposed…undueandinappropriaterestriction-

sonreligiousgroupsandabusedtheirmembers,insomecasesasp

artoff ormalgovernmentlawandpractice.”Thereportalsowarne

dthatdenyingfreedomofworshipincreasedthedangerofpoliti-

calandsocietalinstability.Itsaidsuchapolicy“undercutssociet-

y’sabilitytocounterandcombatthebiasedandwarpedinterpreta

tionsofreligionthatviolentextremistspropagate.”

FREE WRITINGWrite about religion for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

ACADEMIC WRITINGReligious intolerance is one of the biggest dangers to our security. Discuss.________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

________________________________________________

HOMEWORK1. VOCABULARY EXTENSIONChoose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search fi eld (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNETSearch the Internet and fi nd out more about religion. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. RELIGIONMake a poster about religious tolerance. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have simi-lar things?

4. RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCEWrite a magazine article about religious intolerance. In-clude imaginary interviews with people who have been sub-jected to religious intolerance.Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).

5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

6. LETTERWrite a letter to an expert on religious intolerance. Ask him/her three questions about religion. Give him/her three of your ideas on how people can be more tolerant. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

Source:https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1305/130522-

religious_freedom.html; http://www.christianpost.com/news/kerry-blasphemy-apostasy-anti-semitism-

troubling-trends-in-intl-religious-freedom-report-96277/; http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/irf/religiousfreedom/index.

htm#wrapper

See the answers in additional materials.

26English


LESSON PLANS

FAITH AND RELIGIONBACKGROUND INFORMATIONThe lesson is the third one in the series which usually takes

four lessons which are aimed at initiating a discussion/shar-

ing opinions and ideas about such controversial and extreme-

ly delicate issues as religion and faith. A teacher has to be

very careful with topics like these as some students can be

particularly sensitive or reluctant to talk about these aspects

of life. It is necessary to take into account the students’ back-

ground and it can be strongly recommended to introduce the

topic as the one focused on tolerance, mutual respect and

common values that people of all nationalities and religions

share. No attempts of criticism towards any kind of religion

can be missed and allowed by the teacher. I wouldn’t advise

to have such classes unless there is an atmosphere of trust

and respect in the group as at such lessons, ethic issues pre-

vail. The topic might be too private for the students and the

teacher, though the insights in case the lesson is successful

shouldn’t be underestimated.

The students have already been introduced to the topical

vocabulary and watched the video on TEDEd at the fi rst and

second lesson from the series.

https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-five-major-world-reli-

gions-john-bellaimey#watch

The video contains a short questionnaire for the students

to check their comprehension.

The homework for the third lesson was to read about re-

ligion in Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/place/Unit-

ed-Kingdom/Religion

Level: B2/B2+

Time: 45 minutes

Materials: handouts, PPT presentation, two videos, white-

board

Learning outcomes: by the end of the lesson students will

be able to speak on the contexts common for diff erent reli-

gions, using topical vocabulary and presenting information

to the group and comment on the statistics illustrating at-

titude to religion and data on diff erent religions represented

in this country.

Negotiating the agenda (optional): discussion of the les-

son plan which can be done in diff erent formats to focus the

students’ attention on the aims of the lesson and motivate

the students to cooperate highlighting the teacher-students

mutual involvement and responsibility for the result. Can be

skipped in case it’s just a formality. (1-2 minutes)

1. Introduction of the topic (listening).2. Working with the text: facts, context and vocabulary.

What makes us jump at conclusions? (listening and reading for specifi c information).

3. Refl ection (speaking).4. Working with pie charts (writing a paragraph and

commenting on a pie chart).5. Refl ection.6. Homework.

1. Warm-Up (3-4 minutes)Aims:� To introduce the theme of the lesson and focus the stu-

dents’ attention on the aims.

� To boost curiosity and tune the students into the topic.

The teacher invites students to listen to abstracts from two

songs and identify the message behind each of them. Then

the teacher encourages the students to share ideas.

Let It Be by Paul McCartney.Possible answers: God, faith, religion, humility, peace, pa-tience and tolerance, etc. On knees of gods, there is no need to get disappointed, to worry about something as God will help you.

Losing My Religion by R.E.M.Possible answers: religion, God and our belief in God, doubts, losing hope, etc.

Though there can be some students who will not associate

the song with religion, the teacher asks them to explain their

opinion.

2. Working with the audio and a printed text: facts and context. What makes us jump at conclusions? (15 min-utes)Aims:� To practise listening and reading for specifi c information.

� To encourage students to dig deeper and analyze the con-

text and the text they really hear/see, working with facts

and vocabulary rather than with the fi rst association with

a familiar word.

The students are asked to remember and put down the key

words from the lyrics that drove them to conclusions in the

warm-up. The teacher splits the students into two groups by

off ering them to draw a card with R.E.M./The Beatles and

plays the videos of the songs (the teacher needs to ensure that the video will not insult feelings of any of the stu-dents and is appropriate to the students’ age, otherwise, make use only of the audio). It can be done in succession/

simultaneously if the equipment allows it.

When the video fi nishes, the teacher elicits the words that

hint on the fact / prove that the song is about religion.

The Beatles Possible answers: Mother Mary, words of wisdom, there is still a light that shines on me, etc.

R.E.M.Possible answers: the whole song reminds a monologue ad-dressed to God, losing my religion, choosing my confessions, brought me to my knees, etc.Students might answer orally or put the words on posters.

LESSON PLANS

27English



The teacher thanks the students and asks them to read

the QR code with their mobiles to read the stories be-

hind the songs. (The QR code can be on the board/on the

walls/in the handouts). https://www.qr-code-generator.

com

Story of SongPaul wrote this song in 1969

while there was violence in Ire-

land, wars happening in Vietnam

and around the world. He wrote

about sad and angry people who

are fi ghting one another all over

the world. But originally the song

was inspired by a dream McCart-

ney had when he was anxious and

worried. His mother, who had been

dead for a decade at that time, vis-

ited him in his dreams and said:

“Everything will be ok, let it be”.

The repetition of “Let it be” in the

song is to emphasize and remind

people not to think about sad or bitter things too much, and

to just accept the things that happen to us especially if we

cannot change them.

It was a sweet dream that got McCartney to write this

song. He was paranoid and anxious at that time, and seeing

his deceased mom in his dreams brought him much peace

when he needed it. It was The Beatles’ fi nal single before

McCartney announced his departure from the band.

Story of SongSo many interpretations for Los-

ing My Religion. Is this song really

about loss of faith? The phrase

“losing my religion” is an expres-

sion from the southern region of

the US that means losing one’s

temper or “at my wit’s end,” mean-

ing as if things were going so bad

you could lose your faith in God.

“Losing your religion” over a per-

son could mean that you’re losing

faith in that particular person. Mi-

chael Stipe said: “Okay. This song

is beloved around the world. It is.

It wasn’t our fault; it just happened,

and it’s one of those freak things and we’re really proud of

it. When you have a crush on somebody, and you think that

they understand that but you’re not sure, and you’re drop-

ping all kinds of hints, and you think that they’re respond-

ing to these hints but you’re not sure; that’s what this song

is about: thinking that you’ve gone too far, you’ve dropped

a hint that is just the size of Idaho, and they responded in a

way that maybe confused you, or they haven’t responded at

all or they responded in a way that seemed like ‘well, maybe

I’m gonna – maybe I’m – maybe something’s gonna hap-

pen here!’ and I think I’ve probably said this seven thou-

sand times, but the phrase ‘losing my religion’ is a southern

phrase which means that something has pushed you so far

that you would lose your faith over it. Something has pushed

you to the nothing degree, and that’s what this is about. Now,

some people still think that it’s a song about religion; it’s not.

It’s just a song about having a crush.”

The text can be read out by one or several students, or

students can be asked just to scan the text and answer the

questions.

The teacher asks the students to answer the questions in

groups and present the songs’ fact fi les to the class:

LET IT BE1. Give a short summary of the song (3-4 sentences). (1 per-

son)2. Who is Mother Mary? (Paul’s mother) (1 person)3. What tragic political events was the song related to? (Vio-

lence in Ireland) (1 person)4. Is there a word about God? (not a word about God/reli-

gion/faith) (1 person)5. What lexis/phrases in the lyrics made it a symbol of faith

for millions of people all around the world? (a quasi-re-ligious song), give evidence from the text proving your point of view. (1 person)

28English


LESSON PLANS

LOSING MY RELIGION1. Give a short summary of the song (3-4 sentences). (1 per-

son)2. Who is the man addressing? (1 person)3. What is the idea behind the song? (1 person)4. Is there a word about religion? (1 person)5. What lexis/phrases in the lyrics made it a symbol of faith

for millions of people all around the world? (a quasi-re-ligious song), give evidence from the text proving your point of view. (1 person)

The groups present the fact-fi les. The teacher elicits the

answers, paying particular attention to the fi nal one – pos-

sible answers:

LET IT BE“Mother Mary” is confusing as it is associated with Vir-

gin Mary, the situations described in the song (in my hour of darkness, when I fi nd myself in times of trouble, when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree, and when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me). The

answers are written down on the board/poster/slide by one or

several students.

LOSING MY RELIGION“Losing my religion”, repeated many times, ”I heard you”

(as if herd the words of God) “confessions” and the symbols

in the video itself.

Students are encouraged to share their ideas.

3. Refl ection in Groups. Why do the words and phrases listed on the board and situations described in both songs seem to be connected with faith for so many diff erent people? (5 minute)

Aim:� To focus the students’ attention on ethical issues, toler-

ance and values shared by all religions and common for

people all over the world.

LET IT BEPossible answers: common situations and feelings for peo-ple of all nations, religions and races; no aggression, only humility and consolation in the words, the combination of music and lyrics which sound serene, sincere and give hope, a positive answer full of hope and that’s why it sounds con-vincing.

LOSING MY RELIGIONLove is the feeling that all people share and experience and love is very often associated with God, the state of hopeless-ness and despair makes people address God, a lonely and suff ering person often addresses God. People of diff erent na-tions and religions go through a period of disappointment when they might doubt their faith and the feeling of guilt which comes together with these doubts is extremely pain-ful and that’s why memorable (bearing in mind the direct translation of the expression “losing my religion”). People seek for support, protection and consolation and often fi nd it in religion.

There can also be critical answers, which have to be ac-cepted without any aggression.

The teacher thanks the students for allowing to talk about

such private matters and elicits a conclusion that the songs

became so popular and are so eagerly mistaken for the ones

connected with religion due to the fact that they are devoted

to issues and values common and understandable by any re-

ligion in the world and by people who are far from being

religious: love, compassion, peace, consolation, a need for

emotional security and support, consolation and the need to

be accepted and appreciated.

4. Working with pie charts (writing a paragraph) (12 minutes)Aims:� To revise the structure of a paragraph.

� To practise the use of target vocabulary.

The teacher demonstrates the pie chart without the legend

(names of religions) and elicits suppositions about the popu-

larity of diff erent religions in Russia.

The teacher asks the students to name elements of a para-

graph structure and introduces the task in the handout. The

students are asked to fi ll in the gaps in the paragraph compar-

ing two pie charts.

Then each student gets a handout with the gapped text and

fi lls in the gaps with target vocabulary, in 2 minutes the stu-

dents check their variants in pairs and then some students are

asked to comment on the pie chart (the legend is on) without

using the text (the comments might be divided among 3-4

LESSON PLANS

29English


students). It can also be done in the format of a snowball

game. Some students who might have problems with para-

graph structure can be given another task – to assemble split

sentences into a text.

Religions in Russia

Religions in Russia 2012

• Orthodox • Muslims

• Other religions • Atheists

• Not belonging to any religious groups

Religions in Russia 2013

• Orthodox • Muslims

• Other religions • Atheists

• Not belonging to any religious groups

Religions in Russia2012-2013

The pie charts show the changes in the proportions of

major religious c________f________s in Russia between

2012-2013.

The most noticeable feature of the charts is the rise in the

number of f________rs of major religions: O________x

C________y and I________m. Whereas in 2012 there

were 75% of O________x C________ns and 5% of

M___________ms among Russian citizens, in 2013 the

percentage of O_________x C__________ns increased

up to 77% while 6% of people living in Russia followed

I_________m. However, the number of a________s also

rose considerably (5% in 2012 and 7% in 2013).

At the same time, other religions: C________sm,

P________sm and B________sm became less popular with

4% of citizens involved in 2012, which dropped to 1% in

2013. The same tendency can be observed among people

who do not belong to any c_________ions: 10% and 9%

correspondently.

The pie charts clearly demonstrate that O________x

C________y and I_______m are traditionally and his-

torically the most widespread in Russia though all major

r_________s c_______f_______s are represented in this

country.

5. Refl ection (4-5 minutes) (Optional during the lesson, can be done at home or during the break not to turn into a mere formality).Aim: Teacher/Students: to refl ect on real outcomes of the lesson

and give feedback on the lesson.

Students: to have a possibility to assess one’s own knowl-

edge and skills and share possible aspects one is

not confi dent of as well as evaluate the impor-

tance of such discussions.

Teacher: to highlight once again that tolerance and respect

towards religions and beliefs of other people

and thank the students for trust and sharing their

ideas.

6. Homework (1-2 minutes)Students are given a task to prepare a short overview of

any of the world religions (10-15 sentences), introducing the

religion they choose in a clear and simple way, making use

of the target vocabulary. PPT or a poster could be a perfect

visual aid to show the symbols and fundamental issues of

each religion. The second task is to write a paragraph on the

pie charts chosen by the teacher (Religions in Great Britain

could be a possible option).

By Irina Kostyukovich,Gymnasia, Protvino

See the presentation in additional materials.

TEXTS FOR READING

30English


MODERN SPIRITUALITYThe question of what it is that constitutes modern spiritu-

ality makes people all over the world invest their time and energy in a never-ending search. One of our aims in this is-sue was to give the voice to as many visions as possible. So here is an essay by Benjamin Riggs, an American writer who refl ects on the spiritual life of modern America.

***

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a church service. I don’t

often attend church, but there are a few in my area that I pop

into from time to time.

It was the Sunday before the inauguration and the sermon,

as you might imagine, was about loving our enemies and

welcoming the stranger in our midst – a timely message to be

sure. It was a good sermon, but there was one note missing

and its absence was conspicuous.

The missing note was “how to” – how do we love our

enemies and how do we welcome the stranger in our midst?

I have spent the last fi ve years writing a book, Finding God in the Body: A Spiritual Path for the Modern West, and

ironically, I failed to mention the role of the church in this

modern spirituality that I describe. I am speaking of church

in the generic form, not specifi cally of Christian churches. I

am referring to the temple, synagogue, mosque, and even the

meditation group.

When I realized that I overlooked the role of the church in

a modern spirituality, just as the preacher forgot to mention

the “how to” in his sermon, I felt compelled to explore this

question: Why do people go to church, synagogue, temple,

or to the mosque? When they show up at a meditation group,

what are they looking for?

Roughly 166 million American adults (69 percent) attend

church at least once a month. So, obviously, there is more

than one answer to that question. But for many people – not

all, but a lot – the honest answer is, “I don’t know. It’s just

what you’re supposed to do, right? It feels like something is

missing, like life is pointless or meaningless. And our culture

tells us that God is the source of meaning and you fi nd God

at the temple, synagogue, mosque, or the church. So here we

are. That’s where you fi nd God, right?”

I don’t know. I don’t go to church very often. Only you

can answer that question. Do you? Do you fi nd God in

church or at the temple? Do you fi nd meaning in your place

of worship?

I suspect the answer is no. In my opinion, it’s not the point

of a church. We don’t fi nd God in a building. We fi nd God

within ourselves, which is why Paul asked the people of

Corinth, “Do you not know that your body is the Temple?”

Back in ancient Israel the temple was the house of God. So

Paul was basically asking, “Do you not know that God lives

in the body, not the building?”

If we show up expecting to fi nd God, we will be disap-

pointed. That is, unless we are in our bodies, unless we are

present while we are at church. If the people in the pews

or on the yoga mat, meditation cushion, or prayer rug em-

body the presence of God then, yes, you will see God in your

places of worship. But, obviously, God does not live in the

building.

I say that like it is an obvious fact, but many people ex-

pect to fi nd God in church. And unfortunately, many pastors,

priests, rabbis, and spiritual teachers try to live up to this

unrealistic expectation, which turns the whole thing into a

spectacle rather than a practice. It turns the service into a

form of entertainment: exhilarating music, emotional calls to

prayer, lofty rhetoric.

Church, in my opinion, is meant to equip us with the tools

we need to make the journey to our innermost core – where

we discover the ground of meaning. It is intended to encour-

age and support us along the path. And fi nally, it invites us to

gift ourselves back to the community, to share our life with

those around us. The point of religion is to transform our

lives – to enable us to embrace our humanity, to be whole

and useful members of the human race. In this respect, reli-

gion in America is, by and large, failing us.

In order for religion to be transformative, it must invite

us into the transcendent. American religion often neglects

this responsibility because it is eaten up with fundamentalist

thinking, particularly down here in the South where I live.

Fundamentalism reads scripture like it is a newspaper or a

history book. And so the transcendent is stuck in the past.

This obliterates the possibility of transformation in the here-

and-now.

Fundamentalism says that the transcendent realm is off

limits to everyone except the embodiment of transcendence

that sits on the altar of their faith.

Christian fundamentalism, for example, says, “Well yeah,

Jesus and God were one, but you ain’t Jesus, my dear boy.

You’re damaged goods. You had best pray that God might

have mercy on you.”

The best fundamentalism can do is off er moral guidance

and encourage us to love our neighbor – and that really is

at its best. It cannot get us to love our enemies because it

doesn’t have access to the power required to do so. And it

cannot answer the deeper problem of meaninglessness be-

cause it alienates us from the ground of meaning.

For religion to be transformative it cannot be read in the

past tense. It has to be intimately and immediately concerned

with the reality of our day-to-day lives. If it is going to trans-

form us, it must be read as mythology, not history.

Mythology invites us to internalize. It invites us to in-

volve ourselves in the story. In fact, when we read scripture

as myth it stops being a story and becomes our journey. As

I wrote in Finding God in the Body, “At the heart of every

myth is a central fi gure – a hero that invites us to participate

in our journey. Initially, our participation is subliminal and

vicarious. We get caught up in their trials and tribulations,

but eventually realize we are caught up in their journey be-

cause their journey is a metaphor for our journey. Their sto-

ries are presented to us as our way, our truth, and our life.

When we realize that their path to freedom is our path to

31English


TEXTS FOR READING

freedom, our vicarious identifi cation with their journey dis-

solves into the immediacy of our own adventure.”

And when our adventure comes calling, we need practices

that enable us to answer that call.

This is another great failing of Western religion. But this

failing goes well beyond the realm of fundamentalism. Well-

meaning pastors around the county are quick to share hope-

ful, uplifting messages of love and service, but fail to answer

the all-important question: How?! How do I love my enemy?

When I am mad, exactly how do I return love? And what

the hell does that look like? What does it look like to love a

person that is a stranger to me? Maybe not even a stranger

in name, but someone that is strange to me in their thinking?

For example, what does it mean for me to love someone

who believes Barack Obama is a disgrace and that Donald

Trump is a moral leader? It certainly doesn’t mean disengag-

ing or even avoiding confrontation. It means entering those

confrontations with the best of intentions, intellectual hon-

esty, and respect. It means being present but never degrad-

ing. But where do we fi nd the strength to do that, not once,

but on a daily basis – because that is in fact what it means

to not only walk the spiritual path but to be a citizen in a

democratic society?

Religion must answer that question, but it must do so

without giving us the answer. Jesus and the Buddha, both of

them, walked the path for us – but not in place of us. They

blazed a trail, but it is up to us to pick up the spiritual tools

they gave us and walk that path for ourselves.

When we leave church, we should never leave empty-

handed. We should know how to pray, how to meditate. The

spiritual teacher’s job is not to tell us what to believe. Their

job is to show us how to believe. And this is where the major-

ity of spiritual teachers – even the most well-meaning – fail

us.

Church is not there to tell us about God. It is there to ar-

range the meeting. The word religion comes from the Latin

word religare, meaning, “to bind together or to unite.” It is

synonymous with the words yoke and yoga – an actionable

path or way to wholeness. Jesus off ered a yoke and the Bud-

dha off ered a yoga, but modern religion off ers only a doc-

trine. And spiritual teachers have become more concerned

with defending and advancing that doctrine than with pass-

ing on spiritual practices. As a result, we remain disembod-

ied, alienated from the ground of our being – just sitting in

church wondering why we are here.

In John chapter 17, Jesus prayed that we may be one with

God, just as he was. But that prayer is not magically realized

because it was uttered by Jesus. Without a yoke, that prayer

goes unanswered. We have to look deep within the body –

that is what contemplation is; contemplation is that which

is done in the temple, in the body – and we have to enter

the temple and abide in the presence of God. That requires

practice.

Many spiritual teachers feel overwhelmed by this respon-

sibility. Why? I suspect it’s because they don’t have practices

to off er. Spirituality in the West has been divorced from prac-

tice for so long that we have raised generations of teachers

that have nothing but words to teach. This was my primary

motivation for writing Finding God in the Body. I wanted

to put forward a mythos, an internalized worldview that not

only invited people to search within themselves but gave

them the practices they needed to make the journey.

Transformation requires action. To think otherwise is na-

ïve. It takes practice.

We cannot overcome anger unless we practice love – that

is unless we pray for those we resent on a daily basis. We

have to pray that the people we despise most will be free

of suff ering, that they will fi nd the causes and conditions of

happiness – and we have to mean it. We cannot overcome

stress and busyness unless we work with our busy minds –

that is unless we practice meditation. We have to watch our

minds and when they drift off in thought, we have to bring

them back to the sensation of the breath, back to the present

moment.

Yes, God lives within us, but unless we do the work re-

quired to move beyond our fear and anger, the light of God

is obstructed. It cannot shine out through our actions into the

world. We might feel enlivened on Sunday mornings, but we

will be worn down by Wednesday.

Everybody agrees that we should love our enemies, but

how? How do we love those that arouse anger? Only prac-

tice can answer that question. Self-examination, prayer, and

meditation enable God to be born into the world through our

actions, not just during opportune moments but in the midst

of calamity.

Without practice, when our buttons are pressed, God is

stillborn. God is just a theory, something we talk about.

Remember, church is for the man or woman struggling.

Occasionally, the suff ering person will be those who have

been in the pews or on the cushion or the yoga mat for years,

but most often it will be the new person because suff ering

is what brings us to the spiritual path. We have to be there

for them, to show them another way. We have to off er them

tools. We have to give them a yoke, a yoga, a path.

It’s not about what we can take away from church but

about what we can bring to it. But we can’t bring something

we don’t have. If we are going to be of service to others –

you know, if we are going to off er practices – then we have

to be practicing. And when we are practicing not just with

our personal freedom and happiness in mind, but with the

intention of preparing ourselves to be of service to others, it

takes ego out of the equation. It takes us out of our self and

brings us onto the bodhisattva path. In fact, it turns church

into a practice. And that is the role of the church in a modern

spirituality.

By Benjamin Riggs

Source: https://www.elephantjournal.com/2017/01/the-role-of-the-church-in-a-modern-spirituality/

TEXTS FOR READING

32English


METROPOLITANANTHONY OF SOUROZH

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, the senior bishop in the Russian Orthodox Patriarchal

Church and the head of the Russian Church in Great Britain and Ireland, was the single most

infl uential voice of the Orthodox tradition in the British Isles.

A charismatic fi gure, with a palpable spiritual presence, he was cast more in the mould of a

staretz (a holy man of great spiritual insight and wisdom) than a career bishop responsible for

the administration and pastoral oversight of a diocese. With his striking dark looks, and beauti-

fully spoken English – reprised through a French rather than a Russian accent – he would hold

an audience in the palm of his hand. His gifts of communication were legendary: he never used

notes or prompts, and whether he was preaching in the Russian Cathedral at Ennismore Gardens

in London, diving a lecture on the Orthodox tradition at a conference, discussing Christianity with

a group of students, or giving spiritual direction to an individual, he always radiated a sense of

personal depth and boundless faith.

He could also be disarming. His conversation on BBC television in 1970 with the atheist Mar-

ghanita Laski would have been memorable enough for his respect of her intellectual integrity, and

his undeniable charm. But it was the more remarkable for his wit, intellectual toughness, and his

unconventional arguments. Instead of trying to justify his faith, for example, he told Laski that he

knew that God existed, and was puzzled how she managed not to know. This unexpected turn in

the conversation was typical of him and it threw her off guard.

The hallmarks of his ministry throughout his 50 years in Great Britain were pastoral sensitiv-

ity, penetrating insight as a spiritual director, and an eirenic missionary outlook. He took the view

that everyone was welcome in the Church – Russian, African or indigenous Briton. And, while

he was congenitally opposed to proselytising, he attracted hundreds of English converts over the

years. More signifi cantly he indelibly stamped the spirituality and theology of the Orthodox tradi-

tion upon the British religious consciousness, infl uencing many thousands of British lives through

personal contacts and his writings, chiefl y on prayer. At the height of his fame, Gerald Priestland,

the renowned BBC religious correspondent, called him “the single most powerful Christian voice

in the land”.

Metropolitan Anthony had strong aversions and predilections. Despite making a signifi cant

contribution to the World Council of Churches at Delhi in 1961 he was allergic to institutional

ecumenism. And while he deeply respected individual Catholics he was less than enthusiastic

about Roman Catholicism. Conversely, he warmed to Evangelical religion. In the early 1980s he

requested a meeting with the Evangelical Alliance, and on arrival stunned them right from the start

by, in the argot of Evangelicalism, “giving his personal testimony”. He told them that when he was

a young teenager living in France, and a convinced atheist, he was reading St Mark’s Gospel in his

room when he was aware of a personal presence which he was convinced was Christ.

This dramatic story of conversion highlights Metropolitan Anthony’s existential approach to

faith. He said in a published interview in 1988, “I don’t know anything of metaphysical language.

What we [the Orthodox] say about Christ is experiential.” While many labelled him as a mystic,

he eschewed this designation, and preferred to talk of Christianity in the language of ascesis and

disclosure. He genuinely believed that Eastern Orthodoxy was the simplest way to faith. The com-

bination of simplicity in his personal life (he was completely indiff erent to money and ecclesiasti-

cal haute couture) and his passionate commitment to the Gospel were the inner springs of his spir-

ituality. He once said that he had never preached Russian Orthodoxy in his life, but only Christ.

This Christian for all Christians was nevertheless strongly attached to Russia. During the So-

viet era, his BBC Radio talks, and his books and sermons, penetrated deep into Russian culture

and were proudly accepted as the authentic voice of “Holy Russia”. When he visited the Soviet

Union in person, he was overwhelmed by excited crowds eager to hear his words and just to see

him. Metropolitan Anthony’s stature among the people of Soviet Russia was enhanced by the

fact that he remained loyal to the Patriarchate but maintained total political independence. This

unique position of a see in the Russian Diaspora was the lynchpin of the Metropolitan’s realpolitik

throughout the Soviet years.

The end of the Soviet empire in the early 1990s opened a new chapter in his relationship to

Russia: with the easing of travel restrictions by President Boris Yeltsin, a fresh infl ux of émigrés

GLOSSARY:palpable: so obvious that

it can easily be seen or

known, or (of a feeling) so

strong that it seems as if it

can be touched or physi-

cally felt

in the mould of: if some-

one is from or in a particu-

lar mould, they have the

characteristics typical of a

certain type of person

diocese: an area controlled

by a bishop

reprise: to repeat a song,

performance, or set of ac-

tions

radiate: to show an emo-

tion or quality

integrity: the quality of

being honest and having

strong moral principles

that you refuse to change

hallmark: a typical char-

acteristic or feature of a

person or thing

penetrating: showing a

very good understanding

eirenic: aimed at peace

indigenous: naturally ex-

isting in a place or country

rather than arriving from

another place

congenitally: existing at

or from birth

proselytize: to try to per-

suade someone to change

their religious or political

beliefs or way of living to

your own

indelible: indelible mem-

ories or actions are impos-

sible to forget, or have a

permanent infl uence or

eff ect

aversion: a feeling of

strong dislike or of not

wishing to do something

predilection: if some-

one has a predilection for

something, they like it a lot

ecumenism: the principle

or aim of promoting unity

33English


found their way to his door. He welcomed them with open arms and devoted the last few years of

his life trying to facilitate these post-Soviet Russians into the diocese as best he could.

One of Metropolitan Anthony’s favourite quotations was Nietzsche’s aphorism that chaos gives

birth to a star. It could stand as a summary of his own life. He was born André Bloom, at Laus-

anne in Switzerland in 1914. His father was a Russian imperial diplomat of Dutch extraction and

his mother was the half-sister of the modernist composer Alexander Scriabin (and also related to

Vyacheslav Molotov). While the young André admired his father, they were not really close. His

mother, on the other hand, was the dominant infl uence in his life until her death when he was 40

years of age and already well established in Britain.

The young André missed the cataclysmic events of 1917 for at that time he was living with

his parents in Persia. After sundry adventures and hardships they ended up living in Paris. His

experiences as a refugee were mainly negative: his parents were living separate lives and he was

the victim of bullying at school. After his dramatic conversion it was not to the priesthood he fi rst

turned but to medicine. He trained initially at the Sorbonne and then in the French Medical Corps

with the outbreak of war.

During the German occupation he worked as a doctor, but joined the Resistance. He took

secret monastic vows and was fi rst professed as a monk in 1943, when he adopted the name of

Anthony after the founder of monasticism. And then, quite unexpectedly, he was ordained priest in

1948 and came to Britain to pastor the predominantly White Russian émigrés in London. His rise

through the ecclesiastical ranks was meteoric. He became a bishop in 1957, archbishop in 1962

and the Patriarch of Moscow’s exarch of Western Europe in 1963; and in 1966 was elevated to

Metropolitan – the highest-ranking bishop in the Russian tradition outside the offi ce of Patriarch.

But, like most people of genuine charisma, Metropolitan Anthony was a powerful and perplex-

ing fi gure. Conservative in theology and politics, he was nevertheless totally free of sexism even

to the point of daring to question the theological warrant for an exclusively male priesthood. A

personalist through and through, he was an inspired visionary but had a poor grasp of administra-

tive detail and diocesan strategy. He liked to be in control but ideologically was deeply committed

to lay participation in the Church and always talked of hierarchy in terms of service rather than

power. He put his money where his mouth was too, and set up a democratically elected Assembly

and Council to run the aff airs of the diocese of Sourozh in Britain which, in concert with him, it

has done so until the present time.

Charismatic leaders, however, whether saints or savants, grow old and inevitably judgement

falters as health and vigour fade. Towards the end of his life Metropolitan Anthony simply had

more on his plate than he could manage and people expected too much of him. But one thing re-

mains clear: he once said that no one could turn towards eternity if he has not seen in the eyes or in

the face of at least one person the shining of eternal life. Metropolitan Anthony was not infallible,

despite what the hagiographers will say, but he shone.

By Andrew WalkerSource: http://masarchive.org/Sites/Site/A-E-Walker.html

among the world’s Chris-

tian Churches

argot: words and expres-

sions that are used by small

groups of people and that

are not easily understood

by other people

eschew: to avoid some-

thing intentionally, or to

give something up

designation: an offi cial ti-

tle or name

ascesis: (also askesis) the

practice of severe self-dis-

cipline, typically for reli-

gious reasons

disclosure: the act of mak-

ing something known or

the fact that is made known

see: (religion) a place

where there is a cathedral

and where a bishop or

archbishop has authority

the lynchpin of: the most

important member of a

group or part of a system,

that holds together the

other members or parts or

makes it possible for them

to operate as intended

realpolitik: practical poli-

tics, decided more by the

urgent needs of the coun-

try, political party, etc.,

than by morals or princi-

ples

infl ux: the fact of a large

number of people or things

arriving at the same time

sundry: several diff erent;

various

ordain: to offi cially make

someone a priest or other

religious leader, in a reli-

gious ceremony

perplexing: confusing, often

because you do not know

how to solve something

falter: to lose strength or

purpose and stop, or al-

most stop

infallible: never wrong,

failing, or making a mis-

take

hagiographer: a writer of

the lives of the saints

TEXTS FOR READING

34English


ON PRAYER

TEXTS FOR READING

Archbishop AnthonySeven OaksNov. 1970

I suppose that generation after generation has been ask-

ing the same kind of questions about praying in the modern

world because the world is modern and quite contemporary

for each generation and probably almost as bewildering for

the one as it is for the other, so what I have got to say is not

particularly new in the sense that the problem has always

been there. I would like to make a few introductory remarks

concerning the contemporary state.

Prayer is rooted in God, then whatever age, whatever cen-

tury we live in, we have got a solid basis for a prayer that

is always contemporary, and always eternal, always stable

and always perfectly adjusted to the time in which we live,

because God is stable, God is eternal and yet is always con-

temporary. The world may grow old, He does not wax old;

He is always new, unpredictable, new as young as ever. The

second remark which I would like to make is this: it is a com-

mon place to say that people do not pray and that people do

not know how to pray.

May I follow two American writers, Mr. and Mrs. Wadle,

and suggest that people pray a great deal more than they

imagine without knowing, but also, and that is a much more

important point, that they do not always pray to God.

If we do not reduce prayer simply to liturgical prayers or to

well-set methods of addressing the Lord, if prayer begins in

the heart, in our very depth, if prayer as spoken is nothing but

the articulation, cry of all our being towards what we wish for,

long for, what we beg for, is it not a true and perhaps a sinister

remark, that we pray all the time, when with all our heart of

longing we desire something either good or bad?

At times what we desire, what we wish for is good, the

good is what is in accordance with the will of God, but how

often while we tell God, “help”, with all our being we cry to

someone else “help”, to temptation, all my being responds

to temptation, with all my longing I wish for the temptation

to overcome my unfaithful struggle; at the same time I may

turn to God and pray lips services, “O God, help”, while my

heart is not set on obeying His will, when all my longing is

to the opposite, and this longing of mine, all this cry of all

my nature is also a prayer, but addressed to the power of

darkness. In a mild way perhaps we fi nd it expressed in a

prayer by St. Augustine, when he had discovered how evil

his ways were, in early days, when intellectually he had al-

ready changed his mind and yet when, by force of habit, the

longing of his whole self, he continued in the same ways, he

prayed to the Lord, he reports it in his own confession, “O,

God, grant me chastity, yet, not just now”. Well, this is one

of the ways in which our prayer is divided: on the one hand,

intellectually, with our reason, with the amount of common

sense and faith which we possess, we cry to God “Help”, but

with more than our reason, with heart and body with all our

self we still say “if only God did not help at once, if He gave

me one more chance, or if the Devil was quicker at off ering

his help!”

I will give you another example, somewhat cruder per-

haps than St. Augustin’s prayer: a man who used to come to

see me, in one of our midnight services of Easter, at London,

stood in the middle of a thick joyful crowd; I came out of

the sanctuary, greeting the people with the Easter greeting,

“Khristos voskrese,” that is ‘Christ is risen,’ and the people

replied: “Voistinu voskrese,” ‘He is risen indeed.’ The man

was standing there, I was probably shouting with enthusiasm

because, well, for one thing I believe it is true and I fi nd it

terribly exciting that it should be true and the man looking

at me – he reported the thing to me later – “No wonder he is

shouting like that: he is paid for it”. Then he heard the crowd

answering, and he shrugged it off thinking that must be the

old, and then as he was idle and had no much interest for

what was going on, as he was looking around he saw that

he was surrounded by quite a lot of young people who were

shouting as passionately as the old or the paid minister, and

then a thought came to him, dreadful indeed: and what if that

were true! He went on listening to the others, and then sud-

denly he caught himself shouting also that Christ was risen

indeed, and then the thoughts became a fear – he reported

that to me – he said, you know, when I heard myself shout

back I thought, but Goodness, if I recognize the truth of that I

must change my life, and then he thought he must fi ght a last

fi ght. “I turned then”, he said, “the Devil and said, ‘Devil,

you have been with me all the time, help, help me out,’” and

then with a disgust very profound and heartfelt he looked at

me and said, “And the dirty brat, he didn’t help me”.

That is another example of the way in which we do pray;

this one prayed with all his heart, all his conviction in one

direction, while he felt that he could not resist the witness of

the people around him, the sense which the people gave him

of the reality of God, the resurrected Christ, the meaning of

what it stood for, and at the same time all his past life and

indeed what he foresaw of trouble if he fell into the hands of

the Living God, told him, well, turn to the only one who has

ever dared be the adversary of Christ on earth, and he did.

This is a crude example perhaps, an example which is not

of the pious and religious type, but look at yourself and ask

yourself whether it does not apply to you; whether between

the morning and the evening, all the time you do not pray

in one direction and then in the other and so often in two

directions at the same time, in a sort of schizophrenic way,

responding to temptation and to the call of Christ simulta-

neously in an absurd way at the same time asking for two

incompatible things, the one with your mind, with your best

intentions, and the other with all the drag there is in you.

And that applies to everyone because if you think of your-

self as I think of myself, there is probably not a moment in

the day when our mind is not talking. Most of the day we are

doing a running commentary of what we are doing, “I get up,

I move, I wash, I eat, I do that, and all the time I tell myself

what I am doing as though I could not observe it without

words. At other times I speak to myself in two persons; you

know perfectly well the way in which we imagine dialogues,

you have just have an argument with someone, you had noth-

ing to say because you were not quick enough, but an hour

later! Oh, an hour later! The conversation continues and then

you are so brilliant, so convincing. The same happens also

with God; we turn to God lazily when it is morning or eve-

ning prayers, and then later we are in full swing of conversa-

tion, turning to God, turning to the Devil, turning to God,

turning to the Devil... So do not imagine that modern man

does not pray; the only thing is that he does not do what he

imagines prayer is.

What prayer is, well, we all know: the devout exercise

that consists in coming down on our knees, folding our

hands, closing our eyes devoutly and occupying our mind as

we can while we are in God’s presence. I remember a little

boy who used to come to church bowed in a most pious and

reverend pray, stood on his knees for a while, then got up and

sat meekly; and the vicar admired his composure and asked

him, what do you do the time you are on your knees? And

the boy said: I count from 1 to 30, and then I know it is over.

Well, that is very much what we call praying, and is it not the

very contrary of what prayer is?

You know what Christ says: where your treasure is, your

heart is; that is where prayer begins. Where is my heart? If my

heart is bent on getting what the Devil off ers, then my mind

is there, and my prayer is there; if my heart is somewhere

else, then my mind is there also and my prayer is there, real

prayer, and it is quite horrifying to think how much lip ser-

vice we off er to God and earnest heartblood we bring forth

to the adversary. Now I have been insisting on that for a long

time because I think it is terribly important because prayer,

worship, whether it is in our modern time or in the modern

time in 2000 years, the contemporary epoch, 160 years ago,

is always the same: it begins at the moment when I ask my-

self: where is my heart? What is of value to me; it starts at the

moment when I assign worth to something, because worship

is a word derived from worth.

When I assign worth to one thing, when my heart is bent

on it, then my prayer is directed in one way, otherwise it is

directed in another way. Worship therefore gives a scale of

values, it does not begin by going down on our knees, and

if our scale of values is authentic, sincere, then our prayer

can be directed towards its aim with intensity, wholeheart-

edness, recollection of mind, with unity of all the powers

of our will and so forth. If we do not know what our val-

ues are, there will never be a wholehearted prayer, and our

prayer will just move haphazardly along the various lines

which it fi nds.

So that the fi rst problem is to ask ourselves in whatever

contemporary situation we are, what are my values, what are

the things that truly matter? I do not think we can honestly

say simply “God comes fi rst” and that is all. I think we must

work it out in more concrete terms. Indeed, at some moment

God should come, but before we come to this, there are val-

ues of good and evil that must be sorted out, and a direction

must be given which is Godwards. But at times we would

say that the good, human good, comes top, and God, yes, but

I do not know Him enough for Him to supersede in my heart,

in my mind, in all the sense of life which I possess, every

other values. That is also true; it may not be true for one

or the other of us, but basically there are values of increas-

ing purity, truth, holiness, that we must single out and try to

reach towards the highest, the truest, the most authentic of

them.

Source: http://masarchive.org/Sites/texts/1970-11-00-1-E-E-T-EM04-021OnPrayerAtSevenOaks.html

35English


TEXTS FOR READING

TEXTS FOR READING

36English


8 THINGS ABOUTJESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

In the 1970s, an opera about Jesus of Nazareth helped blaze the trail between rock‘n’ roll and musi-

cal theater. Though Jesus Christ Superstar’s radical songs divided religious groups, they conquered

the Billboard charts. The show also ushered in Broadway’s “British invasion” of the 1970s and 1980s,

setting the stage for such mega-hits as Cats and Les Miserables. In 2018, a live version starring John

Legend as Jesus and Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene aired on NBC. Here’s everything you need to

know about the show.

1. IT BEGAN AS A CONCEPT ALBUM BECAUSE NO PRODUCER WANTED TO PUT IT ON STAGE

Lyricist Tim Rice and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who met in 1965 when they were 20 and

17, respectively, enjoyed their fi rst taste of shared success with Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1968. Next, the duo focused on another Biblical fi gure: Jesus of Nazareth. The pair

envisioned a daring new rock musical that would retell – from Judas’s perspective – the story of

Christ’s betrayal and execution. But Lloyd Webber and Rice couldn’t fi nd anyone who was willing

to produce the project as a stage show – Lloyd Webber recalled that they were told it was “the worst

idea in history.” So they transformed it into an 87-minute, two-disc concept album instead; it was

released in 1970.

The apparent setback may have been a blessing in disguise. Both men have argued that, by writ-

ing Superstar as an album at the onset, they were able to streamline the score more eff ectively than

they otherwise could have. “Doing it on record,” Rice said, “made it shorter, cut out the book, made

it more contemporary, made it more rock, gave it more energy, and identifi ed it more with a younger

audience. All those things the record gave us. We didn’t really appreciate that at the time because,

largely thanks to Andrew, we were trying to write for the theatre, not for records. But doing it that

way around worked so well, because in addition to making the work itself better, it promoted the

work so well, so when it fi nally hit the stage, everybody knew the entire score.” The show made its

Broadway debut in 1971.

2. A BOB DYLAN LYRIC INSPIRED THE MUSICAL’S DEPICTION OF JUDASThat lyric was “Did Judas Iscariot have God at his side?” from the 1964 song With God on Our

Side. Lloyd Webber later said the line was “Tim’s starting point for the text ... clearly Iscariot was not

an unintelligent man, and how much was the whole thing in the end an accident of what was necessary

given the politics of the day?”

Rice has described the Bible’s characterization of Iscariot as a “cardboard cut-out fi gure of evil,”

and he set out to humanize Judas in Superstar.

3. ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER WROTE PART OF THE TITULAR SONG ON A NAPKINIn a 2015 interview, the composer said he couldn’t recall exactly when the now-iconic mel-

ody first came to him: “What I do remember though, is that I forgot it.” Then, one day in 1969,

he was walking down London’s Fulham Road when the tune popped back into his head. “I was

passing a restaurant ... called Carlo’s Place, and I knew the owner a little bit ... I went into the

restaurant and said ‘Can you give me a piece of paper?’” He recalled. “I was so frightened I’d

lose it.” But instead of getting a piece of paper, Lloyd Webber was handed a napkin – and he

quickly jotted down the main theme of Jesus Christ Superstar, arguably the show’s most rec-

ognizable anthem, on it.

4. THE MELODY OF I DON’T KNOW HOW TO LOVE HIM WAS TAKENFROM AN UNRELATED SONG CALLED KANSAS MORNING

Kansas Morning, an ode to the Sunfl ower State, was co-written by Rice and Lloyd Webber and

published in 1967. (“I love the Kansas morning,” the song went. “Kansas mist at my window.”) Later,

while composing Superstar, the musicians refi tted their old ballad with new lyrics, and Mary’s Act I

solo was born.

Webber has admitted that the melody does sound like a theme from Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor (1845). “Probably because of my family background,” the composer said. “I just

absorbed that.”

GLOSSARY:blaze the trail: to

fi nd a new path or

method; begin a new

undertaking. For ex-

ample, His research blazed a trail for new kinds of genetherapy.

This expression was

fi rst used literally in

the 18th century for the

practice of marking a

forest trail by making

blazes, that is, marking

trees with notches or

chips in the bark.

usher in something: to be at the start of a

period when important

changes happen, or to

cause important chang-

es to start happening

envision: to imagine

something happening,

or think that something

is likely to happen

betrayal: cruel or

dishonest behaviour

towards someone who

trusts you

recall: to remember

something

setback: a problem

that makes something

happen later or more

slowly than it should

a blessing in dis-guise: an unfortunate

event or situation that

results in an unforeseen

positive outcome

the onset of some-thing: the beginning

of something, usually

something unpleasant

streamline: to make

an organization or pro-

cess simpler and more

eff ective

score: a printed piece

of music

cardboard cut-out figure: a person or

character in a book,

37English


TEXTS FOR READING

5. YVONNE ELLIMAN WAS CAST AS THE ORIGINAL MARY MAGDALENE AFTER LLOYD WEBBER HEARD HER SINGING AT A NIGHTCLUB

While rounding up vocalists for the concept al-

bum, Lloyd Webber visited the historic Pheasantry

Club in Chelsea to see if a jazz singer performing

there would be a good fi t for Pontius Pilate. “I decid-

ed he was quite wrong for the part,” Lloyd Webber

told The Daily Mail in 2012, “but his warm-up act –

a gorgeous 17-year-old Hawaiian girl called Yvonne

Elliman accompanying herself on the guitar – was extraordinary. Everything I had wanted for Mary

Magdalene was there in front of me.” He called Rice, who “agreed that we had found our Mary.” Elli-

man would become the album’s only singer to reprise her role on Broadway, with the 1971 arena tour

of the show, and in Jesus Christ Superstar’s 1973 fi lm adaptation.

6. LLOYD WEBBER HATED THE ORIGINAL BROADWAY PRODUCTIONThe original, two-disc concept Superstar album was released in September 1970, and by February

1971, it hit number one on the Billboard charts. Soon, American fans began staging unauthorized live

performances in churches and theaters around the country – so producer Robert Stigwood proposed

putting on an offi cial Jesus Christ Superstar concert tour. The fi rst performance took place at Pitts-

burgh’s Civic Arena on July 12, 1971.

The next logical step was to take the show to Broadway, and Superstar opened there in October.

The production, directed by Tom O’Horgan, was panned by many critics – including The New York Times’s Clive Barnes, who wrote, “I must ... confess to experiencing some disappointment … It all

rather resembled one’s fi rst sight of the Empire State Building. Not at all uninteresting, but somewhat

unsurprising and of minimal artistic value.”

Lloyd Webber himself absolutely despised it. “Never in my opinion was so wrong a production

mounted of my work,” he later said, calling the show a “brash and vulgar interpretation.”

Still, despite his misgivings, Superstar ran for more than 700 shows and got nominated for fi ve

Tony Awards (though it failed to win any).

7. IT OFFENDED RELIGIOUS GROUPS“In terms of controversy ... Jesus Christ Superstar is Christina Aguilera fl ubbing the national an-

them before the Super Bowl,” entertainment journalist Tim Cain once wrote. “Controversy ... swirled

around it when it was released.”

The show was protested by the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League of

B’nai B’rith. American evangelist Billy Graham also wasn’t a fan: He accused the musical of border-

ing “on blasphemy and sacrilege” and said he objected “to the fact that it leaves out the Resurrection. If

there is no Resurrection, there is no Christianity.” (Though he did acknowledge that “if the production

... causes young people to search their Bibles, to that extent it may be benefi cial.”) Elsewhere, South

Africa’s Publications Control Board temporarily banned Superstar in that country, lest it “off end the

religious convictions or feelings of certain sections of the population.” The show also managed to ir-

ritate the British National Secular Society, which picketed Superstar’s opening night on the West End.

But a few organizations did rise to its defense. For example, in 1971, the Vatican’s radio station

aired the concept album in its entirety, along with some remarks from Lloyd Webber, Rice, and various

religious fi gures. “Nothing like this has ever been broadcast on [Vatican Radio] until now,” announced

one papal spokesman, “but we feel that this is a work of considerable importance.”

8. POPE PAUL VI WAS TREATED TO A PRIVATE, ADVANCE SCREENING OF THE 1973 MOVIE VERSION

Jesus Christ Superstar has twice been adapted to fi lm. The fi rst movie came out in 1973, and a

straight-to-video remake was released in 2000. The former was directed by Academy Award nominee

Norman Jewison (who also directed 1987’s Moonstruck). He arranged a special screening for Pope

Paul VI, who gave the fl ick a nice review. According to Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the picture,

the Pope said, “Mr. Jewison, not only do I appreciate your beautiful rock opera fi lm, I believe it will

bring more people around the world to Christianity, than anything ever has before.”

By Mark ManciniSource: http://mentalfl oss.com/article/501993/facts-about-jesus-christ-superstar-andrew-lloyd-

webber-tim-rice

fi lm, etc. who does not

seem natural or real

pop: to move quickly

and suddenly, especial-

ly out of something

jot something down: to write something

quickly on a piece of

paper so that you re-

member it

be absorbed in something: to give all

your attention to some-

thing that you are doing

reprise: a repeat of

something or part of

something, especially a

piece of music

pan: to criticize some-

thing severely

resemble: to look like

or be like someone or

something

despise: to feel a

strong dislike for

someone or something

because you think that

that person or thing is

bad or has no value

brash: showing too

much confi dence and

too little respect

controversy: a lot of

disagreement or argu-

ment about something,

usually because it af-

fects or is important to

many people

flub: to fail or make

a mistake, especially

when performing

swirl: if ideas or sto-

ries about somebody or

something swirl, they

are often heard but may

not be based on fact or

may not always say the

same thing

sacrilege: (an act of)

treating something

holy or important with-

out respect

air: to broadcast some-

thing or be broadcast

on radio or television

Phot

o: D

utch

Men

/ Sh

utte

rsto

ck.c

om

38English

38September–

October 2019

RELIGIOUS MOTIFS IN THE ENGLISH LITERATURE

TEXTS FOR READING

It was a sincere religious feeling that inspired the early

English poets. There is a heartwarming legend telling how the

fi rst poem was born. At the Monastery of Whitby there was

a custom for diners to take a harp and sing after each feast.

Caedmon (died ca 680), a humble herdsman, was a stutter

and would not dare to sing. When he saw it was his turn to

receive the harp, he hastily left the hall, went back to his ani-

mals, lay on the straw and fell asleep. And lo! An angel visited

his dream with the remarkable words: Rise and sing!

Thus, the fi rst English hymn was created. It sounds sol-

emnly even in modern version:

Now we must praise of heaven’s kingdom the Keeper

Of the Lord the power and his wisdom.

It is only natural that English poetry started with a hymn,

a song of praise which is not lyrical, as any personal expres-

sions would have been out of place in early days of Christi-

anity. Only the Protestant Reformation led to more freedom

of writers who found it possible to combine traditional wor-

ship with expressing one’s intimate feelings in the relation-

ship with God.

It was Charles Wesley (1703–1791) whose hymns spread

Methodist theology, not only within Methodism, but in most

Protestant churches.

Wesley wrote:

Where shall my wondering soul begin?

How shall I all to heaven aspire?

A slave redeemed from death and sin,

A brand plucked from eternal fi re,

How shall I equal triumphs raise,

Or sing my great deliverer’s praise.

Wesley’s contribution, along with the Second Great Awak-

ening in America brought a new style called gospel, and a

new explosion of sacred music writing, testimonial music for

revivals, camp meetings, and evangelistic crusades.

African Americans developed a rich hymnody from spir-

ituals during times of slavery to the modern, lively black

gospel style.

Gratitude, love, awe – these are sentiments typical of

religious poetry. One of the strongest motifs is the belief

in resurrection and salvation. You should not fear death as

it will be a way to a better world – that was the belief of

Christians.

Still, despite the prevailing understanding of the Middle

Ages as a period of intense devoutness, some amazing lyrics

were composed, usually sung or recited, that are even to the

modern ear, fresh, unselfconscious and direct:

How Death ComesWanne mine eyhen misten,

And mine heren hissen,

And my nose coldet,

And my tunge foldet…

There is a prose version in modern English:

When my eyes get misty, and my ears are full of hissing,

and my nose gets cold, and my tongue folds, and my face

goes slack, and my lips go black, and my mouth grins, and

my spittle runs, and my hair rises, and my heart trembles,

and my hands shake, and my feet get stiff – all too late! when

the bier is at the gate. Then I shall pass from bed to fl oor,

from fl oor to shroud, from shroud to bier, from bier to grave,

and the grave will be closed up. Then my house rests on my

nose, I don’t give a damn for the whole world.

What makes this poem unusual is the absence of any con-

cern for future life. This cheerful medieval cynicism is far

from deep passionate enigmatic vision of death that we fi nd

in others.

William Dunbar, or Dumbar, (c. 1465 – c. 1530) was a

great Scottish poet who wrote many devout religious works,

the most famous of which is A Battle on the Dragon Black. It

boasts one of the fi nest opening lines in all medieval poetry

which has entered the English lexicon ever since. The rest

of the poem is strongly optimistic, too. It takes as its theme

the Resurrection, and casts Christ as a crusading knight. It’s

quite an exciting piece of poetry though its Middle English

is rather challenging for the modern reader.

Done is a Battell on the Dragon BlakDone is a battell on the dragon blak,

Our campioun Chryst confoundit hes his force,

The yettis of hell ar brokin with a crak,

The signe trivmphall rasit is of the croce.

The diuillis trymmillis with hiddous voce,

The saulis ar borrowit and to the blis can go.

Chryst with his blud our ransonis dois indoce:

Surrexit dominus de sepulchro.

Dunbar was an ordained priest of the pre-Reformation

church, but he also wrote noble courtly pieces for the King’s

entertainment and also produced comic pieces which often

made use of scurrilous elements and uninhibited language.

In his poetic career, John Donne (1572–1631) made a

dramatic shift from erotic and love poetry of a womanizer

and libertine to most devout writings of an Anglican priest

and later the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

A Hymn to God the Father is one of John Donne’s most

masterly holy poems. His Hymn does not set out to praise

God so much as engage him in a daring debate.

A Hymn to God the FatherWilt thou forgive that sin where I begun,

Which was my sin, though it were done before?

39English


TEXTS FOR READING

Wilt thou forgive that sin, through which I run,

And do run still, though still I do deplore?

When thou hast done, thou hast not done,

For I have more.

Wilt thou forgive that sin which I have won

Others to sin, and made my sin their door?

Wilt thou forgive that sin which I did shun

A year or two, but wallow’d in, a score?

When thou hast done, thou hast not done,

For I have more.

I have a sin of fear, that when I have spun

My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;

But swear by thyself, that at my death thy Son

Shall shine as he shines now, and heretofore;

And, having done that, thou hast done;

I fear no more.

Donne is not trying to sing God’s praises uncritically: rath-

er, he is eager to get God’s answers and promises. Donne’s

argument might be paraphrased as follows: “Will you for-

give my sins, which I was responsible for, though many

have committed them before me? If you will forgive me for

those sins, then your work will not be done – for I have more

sins to confess when we’ve done those. Will you forgive me

when I have led others to sin, and even introduced them to

the world of sin, acting like a door to welcome them in? Will

you forgive me for the sin which, barring a couple of years of

abstinence, I practised for twenty whole years? Again, if you

will forgive me for those sins, then you should know: there

are more. I also have another sin – that of fear, or specifi cally,

fear of death. But if you, God, can swear that when I die, I

will see your son, Jesus Christ, shining and there to save me,

then all is all right: I fear no more.”

Demanding God should swear is rather cheeky, but

that is John Donne, great and unique. He finds it ac-

ceptable to talk to God as he used to talk to his lady-

lovers in early verses. It sounds a little like a joke when

he asks God to swear by himself just like people swear

by God.

“I have a sin of fear” is a masterly inversion of the phrase

we might expect (“I have a fear of sin”). Similarly, the

poem’s opening lines seem to refer to the Original Sin as

Adam and Eve started the whole sin game: Donne is weak

for following them, but in a sense he is only human and not

stronger than they.

No doubt, Donne is punning on his name as his name

rhymes with “done”: “John Donne, Anne Donne, Un-done”

– that was bitterly said after the young couple found them-

selves in serious trouble after their eloping and marriage

without Anne’s guardian’s consent.

Donne’s soul-searching self-analysis meant that he had, in

T. S. Eliot’s phrase, come to “know the anguish of the mar-

row” and the “ague of the skeleton”. Like many others, he

was much possessed by death. But he realised that his fear

of God could be allayed, even extinguished, by putting his

trust in God. A Hymn to God the Father, like many hymns, is

a plea: a plea for a guarantee that this trust will not prove to

have been misplaced.

The thoughts of death and immortality have always

disturbed poets, especially such a brilliant poet as Emily Dickinson (1830–1886) who belonged to New England

Calvinist church and seems to have been obsessed with the

subject.

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,

And Mourners to and fro

Kept treading – treading – till it seemed

That Sense was breaking through –

And when they all were seated,

A Service, like a Drum –

Kept beating – beating – till I thought

My mind was going numb –

And then I heard them lift a Box

And creak across my Soul

With those same Boots of Lead, again,

Then Space – began to toll,

As all the Heavens were a Bell,

And Being, but an Ear,

And I, and Silence, some strange Race,

Wrecked, solitary, here –

And then a Plank in Reason, broke,

And I dropped down, and down –

And hit a World, at every plunge,

And Finished knowing – then –

TEXTS FOR READING

40English


Nothing is direct in Dickinson’s poetry, especially when

she deals with the subject that haunts her. What do the words

“Finished knowing” mean? Do they mean stopped knowing

something, or ended up by knowing something? This is re-

ally ambiguous. Does the speaker gain or lose knowledge at

the end of the poem? And if she does gain knowledge, then

the knowledge of what?

“I felt a Funeral in my Brain” is one of Emily Dickinson’s

most puzzling poems as its meaning could be interpreted

in two very divergent ways. The ambiguities aren’t simply

a matter of diff erence in meaning, but of sheer opposition.

Whose funeral is it anyway? She imagined her own death

more than once, and every time death meant immortality.

Obviously religious faith – and, indeed, religious doubt

– has loomed large in English poetry, whether it’s in the

devotional lyrics of John Donne and George Herbert or the

modern, secular musings of Philip Larkin in Church Going.

Philip Larkin (1922-1985) can be considered our con-

temporary. His celebrated poem Church Going is a medita-

tion on the role of the church in a secular age, written by

a person who described himself as an “Anglican agnostic”.

The speaker of the poem visits a church on one of his bicycle

rides and stops to have a look inside – though he isn’t sure

why he stopped. The title carries a double meaning: both go-

ing to church (if only to look around, rather than to worship

there), and the going or disappearing of churches, and the

Church, from British life.

Church GoingOnce I am sure there’s nothing going on

I step inside, letting the door thud shut.

Another church: matting, seats, and stone,

and little books; sprawlings of fl owers, cut

For Sunday, brownish now; some brass and stuff

Up at the holy end; the small neat organ;

And a tense, musty unignorable silence,

Brewed God knows how long. Hatless, I take off

My cycle-clips in awkward reverence,

Move forward, run my hand around the font.

From where i stand, the roof looks almost new –

Cleaned, or restored? Someone would know: I don’t.

Mounting the lectern, I peruse a few

Hectoring large-scale verses and pronounce

“Here endeth” much more loudly than I’d meant.

The echoes snigger briefl y. Back at the door

I sign the book, donate an Irish sixpence,

Refl ect the place was not worth stopping for.

Yet stop I did: in fact I often do,

And always end much at a loss like this,

Wondering what to look for; wondering, too,

When churches fall completely out of use

What we shall turn them into, if we shall keep

A few cathedrals chronically on show,

Their parchment, plate and pyx in locked cases,

And let the rest rent-free to rain and sheep.

Shall we avoid them as unlucky places?

Or, after dark, will dubious women come

To make their children touch a particular stone;

Pick simples for a cancer; or on some

Advised night see walking a dead one?

Power of some sort or other will go on

In games, in riddles seemingly at random;

But superstition, like belief, must die,

And what remains when disbelief has gone?

Grass, weedy pavement, brambles, buttress, sky.

A shape less recognisable each week,

A purpose more obscure. I wonder who

Will be the last, the very last, to seek

This place for what it was; one of the crew

That tap and jot and know what rood-lofts were?

Some ruin-bibber, randy for antique,

Or Christmas-addict, counting on a whiff

Of gown-and-bands and organ-pipes and myrrh?

Or will he be my representative,

Bored, uninformed, knowing the ghostly silt

Dispersed, yet tending to this cross of ground

Through suburb scrub because it held unspilt

So long and equably what since is found

Only in separation – for marriage, and birth,

And death, and thoughts of these – for which was built

This special shell? For, though I’ve no idea

What this accoutered frowsty barn is worth,

It pleases me to stand in silence here;

A serious house on serious earth it is,

In whose blent air all our compulsions meet,

Are recognised, and robed as destinies.

And that much never can be obsolete,

Since someone will forever be surprising

A hunger in himself to be more serious,

And gravitating with it to this ground,

Which, he once heard, was proper to grow wise in,

If only that so many dead lie round.

1954

By Olga Sventsitskaya

41English


TEXTS FOR READING

COMMON ENGLISHSAYINGS FROM THE BIBLE

The Bible has infl uenced and transformed many lives,

leaving a mark forever on the lives of millions. The cultural

infl uence of the Bible impacted even the English language,

specifi cally with the King James Version.

The King James Version of the Bible has a special history

because it was a common English version that was popular

for many centuries, spanning from when it was fi rst printed

in 1611 to still being used extensively up through the 20th

century.

The following common English phrases fi nd their origins

in Scripture, mostly from the King James Version.

Bite the dust from Psalms 72:9, “They that dwell in the

wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick

the dust.” (KJV)

The blind leading the blind from Matthew 15:13-14, “Let

them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the

blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”

By the skin of your teeth from Job 19:20. The Geneva

Bible translated Hebrew literally, which read, “I have es-

caped with the skin of my teeth.”

Broken heart from Psalms 34:18, “The Lord is nigh unto

them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a

contrite spirit” (KJV).

Can a leopard change his spots? from Jeremiah 13:23

(KJV), “Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard

his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to

do evil.”

Cast the fi rst stone from John 8:7, “And as they continued

to ask him, he stood up and said to them, ‘Let him who is

without sin among you be the fi rst to throw a stone at her.’”

Drop in a bucket from Isaiah 40:15 declaring God’s sov-

ereignty and power over the nations, “Behold, the nations are

as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of

the balance: behold, he takes up the isles as fi ne dust” (ESV).

Eat, drink, and be merry from Ecclesiastes 8:15, “be-

cause a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat,

and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of

his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under

the sun.”

Eye for eye, tooth for tooth from Matthew 5:38, “Ye have

heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth

for a tooth.”

Fall from grace from Galatians 5:4, “Christ is become of

no eff ect unto you, whosoever of you are justifi ed by the law;

ye are fallen from grace.”

Fly in the ointment from Ecclesiastes 10:1 (KJV), “Dead

fl ies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a

stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation

for wisdom and honour.”

For everything there is a season from Ecclesiastes 3. Ec-

clesiastes 3 is also the motivation for the song “Turn! Turn!

Turn!” by the Byrds.

Forbidden fruit from Genesis 3:3 when Adam and Eve

were commanded not to eat from the tree of the Knowledge

of Good and Evil. “But of the fruit of the tree which is in

the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,

neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

Go the extra mile from Matthew 5:41 that says, “And

whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him

twain” (KJV).

Good Samaritan from Luke 10:30-37, the Parable of the

Good Samaritan.

He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword from Mat-

thew 26:52, “Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy

sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall

perish with the sword.”

How the mighty have fallen from 2 Samuel 1:19, “The

beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the

mighty fallen!”

Let there be light from the creation account in Genesis 1.

The love of money is the root of all evil from 1 Timo-

thy 6:10 and is actually usually misquoted. Here is the ESV

translation, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of

evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered

away from the faith and pierced themselves with many

pangs.”

Nothing but skin and bones from Job 19:19-20, “All my

intimate friends detest me; those I love have turned against

me. I am nothing but skin and bones.”

The powers that be from Romans 13:1 (KJV), “Let every

soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power

but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”

Pride comes before a fall from Proverbs 16:18, “Pride

goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

(KJV)

Put words in one’s mouth from 2 Samuel 14:3, “And

come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So

Joab put the words in her mouth.”

Rise and shine is from Isaiah 60:1, “Arise, shine, for your

light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.”

The root of the matter from Job 19:28 (KJV), “But ye

should say, Why persecute we him, seeing the Root of the

matter is found in me?”

Scapegoat from the Old Testament Law (Leviticus 16:9-

10 specifi cally) where a goat is chosen by lot to be sent into

the desert to make atonement for sin.

See eye to eye from Isaiah 52:8 (KJV), “Thy watchmen

shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing:

for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again

Zion.”

Sign of the times from Matthew 16:3 (KJV), “And in the

morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and

lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky;

but can ye not discern the signs of the times?”

Strait and marrow from Matthew 7:14, “But small is the

gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few

fi nd it.”

Source: https://unlockingthebible.org/2012/03/37-com-mon-english-sayings-from-the-bible/

TEXTS FOR READING

42English


FIRE OF PURE BEINGSpirituality and the search of higher wisdom may take quite various forms. Working with college

and university students you might fi nd it useful to explore an excerpt from Donna Tartt’s fi rst novel,

The Secret History (published in 1992). The novel, initially entitled The God of Illusions, tells the

story of a closely knit group of six classics students at Hampden College, a small, elite Vermont col-

lege based upon Bennington College, where Tartt was a student between 1982 and 1986.

The Secret History is an inverted detective story narrated by one of the students, Richard Papen,

who refl ects years later on the situation that led to a murder – this having been confessed to at the

outset, but with all other events being revealed sequentially. The novel explores the circumstances and

lasting eff ects of Bunny’s death on the academically and socially isolated group of Classics students

of which he was a part.

In 2013, John Mullan wrote an essay for The Guardian titled Ten Reasons Why We Love Don-na Tartt’s The Secret History, which includes “It starts with a murder,” “It is in love with Ancient

Greece,” “It is full of quotations,” and “It is obsessed with beauty.”

* * *Once the cups were set out, and Henry had poured the tea, somber as a mandarin, we began to talk

about the madnesses induced by the gods: poetic, prophetic, and, fi nally, Dionysian.

“Which is by far the most mysterious,” said Julian. “We have been accustomed to thinking of

religious ecstasy as a thing found only in primitive societies, though it frequently occurs in the most

cultivated peoples. The Greeks, you know, really weren’t very diff erent from us. They were a very

formal people, extraordinarily civilized, rather repressed. And yet they were frequently swept away

en masse by the wildest enthusiasms – dancing, frenzies, slaughter, visions – which for us, I suppose,

would seem clinical madness, irreversible. Yet the Greeks – some of them, anyway – could go in and

out of it as they pleased. We cannot dismiss these accounts entirely as myth. They are quite well docu-

mented, though ancient commentators were as mystifi ed by them as we are. Some say they were the

results of prayer and fasting, others that they were brought about by drink. Certainly, the group nature

of the hysteria had something to do with it as well. Even so, it is hard to account for the extremism of

the phenomenon. The revelers were apparently hurled back into a non-rational, pre-intellectual state,

where the personality was replaced by something completely diff erent – and by ‘diff erent’ I mean

something to all appearances not mortal. Inhuman.”

I thought of the Bacchae, a play whose violence and savagery made me uneasy, as did the sad-

ism of its bloodthirsty god. Compared to the other tragedies, which were dominated by recognizable

principles of justice no matter how harsh, it was a triumph of barbarism over reason: dark, chaotic,

inexplicable.

“We don’t like to admit it,” said Julian, “but the idea of losing control is one that fascinates con-

trolled people such as ourselves more than almost anything. All truly civilized people – the ancients

no less than us – have civilized themselves through the willful repression of the old, animal self. Are

we, in this room, really very diff erent from the Greeks or the Romans? Obsessed with duty, piety,

loyalty, sacrifi ce? All those things which are to modern tastes so chilling?”

I looked around the table at the six faces. To modern tastes they were somewhat chilling. I imagine

any other teacher would’ve been on the phone to Psychological Counseling in about fi ve minutes had

he heard what Henry said about arming the Greek class and marching into Hampden town.

“And it’s a temptation for any intelligent person, and especially for perfectionists such as the an-

cients and ourselves, to try to murder the primitive, emotive, appetitive self. But that is a mistake.”

“Why?” said Francis, leaning slightly forward.

GLOSSARY:induce: to cause a par-

ticular condition

prophetic: saying what

will happen in the future

Dionysian: relating to

the sensual, spontane-

ous, and emotional as-

pects of human nature

frenzy: the state of be-

ing so excited, nervous,

or anxious that you can-

not control what you are

doing

reveler (also reveller): someone who dances,

drinks, sings, etc. at a

party or in public, espe-

cially in a noisy way

Bacchae: The priestess-

es or female devotees of

the Greek god Bacchus

piety: strong belief in a

religion that is shown in

the way someone lives

sacrifi ce: the act of giv-

ing up something that is

valuable to you in order

to help someone else

chilling: frightening

temptation: the wish

to do or have some-

thing that you know you

should not do or have

tilt: a sloping position

or a move in a particular

direction, especially up

or down

bas-relief: a type of art

in which shapes are cut

from the surrounding

stone so that they stand

out slightly against a fl at

surface, or a work of art

done in this way

TEXTS FOR READING

43English


Julian arched an eyebrow; his long, wise nose gave his profile a forward tilt, like an Etrus-

can in a bas-relief. “Because it is dangerous to ignore the existence of the irrational. The more

cultivated a person is, the more intelligent, the more repressed, then the more he needs some

methods of channeling the primitive impulses he’s worked so hard to subdue. Otherwise those

powerful old forces will mass and strengthen until they are violent enough to break free, more

violent for the delay, often strong enough to sweep the will away entirely. For a warning of

what happens in the absence of such a pressure valve, we have the example of the Romans.

The emperors. Think, for example, of Tiberius, the ugly stepson, trying to live up to the com-

mand of his stepfather Augustus. Think of the tremendous, impossible strain he must have

undergone, following in the footsteps of a savior, a god. The people hated him. No matter how

hard he tried he was never good enough, could never be rid of the hateful self, and finally the

floodgates broke. He was swept away on his perversions and he died, old and mad, lost in the

pleasure gardens of Capri: not even happy there, as one might hope, but miserable. Before he

died he wrote a letter home to the Senate. ‘May all the Gods and Goddesses visit me with more

utter destruction than I feel I am daily suffering.’ Think of those who came after him. Caligula.

Nero.”

He paused. “The Roman genius, and perhaps the Roman fl aw,” he said, “was an obsession with

order. One sees it in their architecture, their literature, their laws – this fi erce denial of darkness, un-

reason, chaos.” He laughed. “Easy to see why the Romans, usually so tolerant of foreign religions,

persecuted the Christians mercilessly – how absurd to think a common criminal had risen from the

dead, how appalling that his followers celebrated him by drinking his blood. The illogic of it fright-

ened them and they did everything they could to crush it. In fact, I think the reason they took such

drastic steps was because they were not only frightened but also terribly attracted to it. Pragmatists

are often strangely superstitious. For all their logic, who lived in more abject terror of the supernatural

than the Romans?

“The Greeks were different. They had a passion for order and symmetry, much like the

Romans, but they knew how foolish it was to deny the unseen world, the old gods. Emotion,

darkness, barbarism.” He looked at the ceiling for a moment, his face almost troubled. “Do

you remember what we were speaking of earlier, of how bloody, terrible things are sometimes

the most beautiful?” he said. “It’s a very Greek idea, and a very profound one. Beauty is ter-

ror. Whatever we call beautiful, we quiver before it. And what could be more terrifying and

beautiful, to souls like the Greeks or our own, than to lose control completely? To throw off

the chains of being for an instant, to shatter the accident of our mortal selves? Euripides speaks

of the Maenads: head thrown back, throat to the stars, ‘more like deer than human being’. To

be absolutely free! One is quite capable, of course, of working out these destructive passions

in more vulgar and less efficient ways. But how glorious to release them in a single burst! To

sing, to scream, to dance barefoot in the woods in the dead of night, with no more awareness

of mortality than an animal! These are powerful mysteries. The bellowing of bulls. Springs of

honey bubbling from the ground. If we are strong enough in our souls, we can rip away the veil

and look that naked, terrible beauty right in the face; let Good consume us, devour us, unstring

our bones. Then spit us out reborn.”

We were all leaning forward, motionless. My mouth had fallen open; I was aware of every breath

I took.

“And that, to me, is the terrible seduction of Dionysiac ritual. Hard for us to imagine. That fi re of

pure being.”

subdue: to reduce the

force of something, or

to prevent something

from existing or devel-

oping

valve: device that opens

and closes to control the

fl ow of liquids or gases,

or a similar structure in

the heart and the veins

that controls the fl ow of

blood

to live up to some-thing: to be as good as

something

savior: a person who

saves someone from

danger or harm; in

Christianity, the Savior

is a name for Jesus.

fi erce: strong and pow-

erful

drastic: severe and sud-

den or having very no-

ticeable eff ects

superstitious: based on

or believing in supersti-

tions (= beliefs based

on old ideas about luck

and magic rather than

science or reason)

abject: extreme and

without hope

quiver: to shake slight-

ly, often because of

strong emotion

shatter: to (cause some-

thing to) break suddenly

into very small pieces

bellow: to shout in a

loud voice, or (of a cow

or large animal) to make

a loud, deep sound

seduction: the attractive

quality of something

44English


Lincoln in the Bardo is one of those books that, being of unique cultural, literary and lin-

guistic value, will, unfortunately, never fi nd their place in the language classroom. Still, this

in no way means that we should turn a blind eye on the texts that might be inaccessible to

our students. Remembering that we should shoot for the Moon and only then we will stand a

chance to hit the stars, the English journal off ers a review of the novel from the The Guirdian,

which might help your high school students have a glimpse at what contemporary English

literature may be about.

* * *Since the days of the beats, the Bardo Thodol has been known in the west as The Tibetan Book

of the Dead. A more accurate if less catchy title is “Great Liberation on Hearing in the Intermediate

State”. Waking life, dreams, meditation and in particular the period between death and rebirth are

all “bardos”, states of consciousness sandwiched between other states of consciousness. We are

always in transition, from dreams to wakefulness, from life to death. When someone dies, Tibetan

Buddhists believe that they enter the bardo of the time of death, in which they will either ascend

towards nirvana, and be able to escape the cycle of action and suff ering that characterises human

life on earth, or gradually fall back, through increasingly wild and scary hallucinations, until they

are born again into a new body. The Bardo Thodol is intended to be read to them during this jour-

ney, an instruction manual to assist them on their way.

George Saunders has long been accepted as one of the masters of the American short story. In

this, his fi rst novel, the Lincoln trapped in the bardo is Willie, the cherished 11-year-old son of the

great civil war president. As his parents host a lavish state reception, their boy is upstairs in the

throes of typhoid fever. Saunders quotes contemporary observers on the magnifi cence of the feast,

trailing the terrible family tragedy that is unfolding. Sure enough, Willie dies and is taken to Oak

Hill cemetery, where he is interred in a marble crypt. On at least two occasions – and this is the

germ of historical fact from which Saunders has spun his extraordinary story – the president visits

the crypt at night, where he sits over the body and mourns.

The cemetery is populated by a teeming horde of spirits – dead people who, for reasons

that become an important part of the narrative, are unwilling to complete their journey to the

afterlife and still hang around in or near their physical remains. This is not a straightforwardly

Tibetan bardo, in which souls are destined for release or rebirth. It is a sort of syncretic limbo

which has much in common with the Catholic purgatory, and at one point we are treated to a

Technicolor vision of judgment that seems to be drawn from popular 19th-century Protestant-

ism, compounding the head-scratching theological complexity. Like Dantesque damned souls,

the spirits manifest with hideous deformities, physical analogues to their various moral fail-

ings, or the concerns that keep them tethered to the world of the living: a woman who can’t

let go of her three daughters is oppressed by three glowing orbs; a miser is “compelled to

fl oat horizontally, like a human compass needle, the top of his head facing in the direction of

whichever of his properties he found himself most worried about at the moment”. The novel

is told through their speeches, the narrative passing from hand to hand, mainly between a

trio consisting of a young gay man who has killed himself after being rejected by his lover,

an elderly reverend and a middle-aged printer who was killed in an accident before he could

consummate his marriage to his young wife.

Willie, like other children, is expected to pass on quickly to the afterlife proper, instead of

remaining in the cemetery, but because of his father’s grief he is tempted to stay. Children who

don’t move on are tormented by a sort of horror movie amalgamation, their bodies becoming

welded to their surroundings by painful and hideous demonic growths. The narrating trio – Bev-

ins, Vollman and the Reverend Early – make it their business to save Willie from this appalling

fate, and much of the action centres on their attempts to infl uence Lincoln to let his son go. The

polyphonic narrative of the spirits is interleaved with constellations of artfully arranged quota-

tion from primary and secondary sources about Lincoln’s life, which Saunders uses to show that

observers can be unreliable about the motivations and mental state of the president, and that

even such questions as whether the moon shone or not on a particular night can be distorted by

memory.

GLOSSARY:lavish: large in quantity

and expensive or impres-

sive

in the throes of some-thing: experiencing or do-

ing something that is diffi -

cult, unpleasant, or painful

inter: to bury a dead body

crypt: a room under the

fl oor of a church where

bodies are buried

germ of something: a

small amount, usually one

that develops into some-

thing large or important

mourn: to feel or express

great sadness, especially

because of someone’s death

teeming: fi lled with the

activity of many people or

things

horde: a large group of

people

syncretic: combining dif-

ferent religions, cultures,

or ideas

limbo: an uncertain situa-

tion that you cannot control

and in which there is no

progress or improvement

purgatory: the place to

which Roman Catholics be-

lieve that the spirits of dead

people go and suff er for the

evil acts that they did while

they were alive, before they

are able to go to heaven

head-scratching: of a

question, situation, etc.:

such as might cause one

to scratch one’s head in

puzzlement, thought, etc.;

specifi cally baffl ing, per-

plexing.

hideous: extremely ugly or

bad

tethered: tied to a post or

fi xed to the ground with a

rope or chain

orb: something in the

shape of a ball (the glowing orb of the sun)miser: someone who has a

strong wish to have money

and hates to spend it

torment: to cause a person

or animal to suff er or worry

amalgamation: the action,

process, or result of com-

bining or uniting

LINCOLN IN THE BARDO

TEXTS FOR READING

45English


The torrent of quotation, set against the torrent of spirit voices, gives Lincoln in the Bardo the

feel of the parts of the Bardo Thodol where the soul is beset by wrathful demonic hordes. This ca-

cophony, and the grotesquerie of the deformed spirits, lends the novel a texture that is superfi cially

unlike the work that has made Saunders popular, stories that often play off the tension between a

casual vernacular voice and a surreal situation. Lincoln in the Bardo feels like a blend of Victorian

gothic with one of the more sfx-heavy horror franchises. But in many ways, Oak Hill cemetery

has a lot in common with the theme parks and offi ce spaces readers have come to expect from the

author of Pastoralia and Civil War Land in Bad Decline. The spirits (I hesitate to call them ghosts,

since they don’t manifest to living people) are trapped in a space that is fundamentally inauthentic

and unreal, much like a theme park. Unable to accept the fact of death, they have endless euphe-

misms for their condition (coffi ns are “sick boxes”, and so on) and employ all sorts of mental

gymnastics to avoid confronting the reality of their situation.

Saunders is not usually thought of as a religious writer, though his concern with the inauthentic-

ity of a certain kind of human experience seems consistent with the Buddhist doctrine that worldly

phenomena are a sort of veil or illusion masking the truth. One of his great strengths is compassion,

a quality that infuses his wilder conceits, making them land emotionally in a way that wouldn’t

necessarily be true of another ludic postmodernist. In Lincoln in the Bardo, the immense pathos

of the father mourning his son, all the while burdened with aff airs of state, gives these sections of

the book a depth that isn’t always there when Lincoln is off stage. The busy doings of the spirits

are entertaining, and Saunders voices them with great virtuosity, but the tug of Lincoln’s grief is

sometimes too strong for them not to feel like a distraction.

One of the novel’s conceits is that by occupying the same space, the spirits can experience a

dissolution of interpersonal boundaries, understanding and feeling sympathy for each other in a

mystical way. It is hard to be specifi c without spoiling the plot, but Saunders uses this device to

imply a cause for Lincoln’s later signing of the emancipation proclamation, a move that seems glib

and reductive, a blemish on a book that otherwise largely manages to avoid sentiment and cliche.

This is a small quibble. Lincoln in the Bardo is a performance of great formal daring. It perhaps

won’t be to everyone’s taste, but minor missteps aside it stands head and shoulders above most

contemporary fi ction, showing a writer who is expanding his universe outwards, and who clearly

has many more pleasures to off er his readers.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/mar/08/lincoln-in-the-bardo-george-saunders-review

appal: to cause someone

to be extremely upset or

shocked

interleave: to combine dif-

ferent things so that parts of

one thing are put between

parts of another thing

constellation: any of the

groups of stars in the sky

that seem from earth to

form a pattern and have

been given names

torrent: a sudden large

or too large amount, espe-

cially one that seems to be

uncontrolled

grotesquerie: grotesque

quality or grotesque things

collectively

vernacular: the form of a

language that a particular

group of speakers use natu-

rally, especially in informal

situations

sfx: sound eff ects

inauthentic: not in fact

what it is said to be

consistent with some-thing: in agreement with

other facts or with typical

or previous behaviour, or

having the same principles

as something else

compassion: a strong feel-

ing of sympathy and sad-

ness for the suff ering or bad

luck of others and a wish to

help them

infuse: to fi ll someone or

something with an emotion

or quality

conceit: a clever or surpris-

ing comparison, especially

in a poem

ludic: lively and full of fun

tug: a sudden strong pull on

something

glib: speaking or spoken

in a confi dent way, but

without careful thought or

honesty

reductive: considering or

presenting something in a

simple way, especially a

way that is too simple

blemish: a mark on some-

thing that spoils its appear-

ance

quibble: a complaint or

criticism about something

that is not very important

TEXTS FOR READING

TEXTS FOR READING

46English


Will you be going to church for Easter?Decorating Easter eggs?Eating hot cross buns?These are old Easter traditions that are still common today.But how about watching the sun dance?Heaving someone into the air?Rolling down a hill?Here are fi ve Easter traditions in Britain and America that have generally been abandoned.

The Sun upon an Easter Day,The Atchinson Daily Globe (Kansas), March 31, 1888

1. WATCHING THE SUN DANCEThe Bath Chronicle reported in 1832:

On the Easter-morn it was formerly a custom for the peo-ple to rise early and walk into the fi elds to see the sun dance, a superstition then fi rmly believed in, and which, by looking at it steadfastly for a time, it might be fancied to do. (1)

According to a late-19th-century Milwaukee paper, this

Easter tradition also existed in the United States.

Who can forget the story learned at mother’s knee of the dance of the sun on Easter morn? And how many can remem-ber the excursion to a neighboring hill to verify the tale? Somehow the conditions were never just right – you were just

a little late, the sun rose in a mist, or you were negligent at the precise moment when all attention should have been giv-en – and so far as your experience goes the question of the dancing sun is still an unsolved problem. You will think of it this Easter, and the memories it revives will do you good. (2)

In England, the custom survived into the 20th century.

London’s Daily Mail reported in 1919:

There are even now peasantry in Derbyshire and York-shire who go to watch the sun dance on certain hills there, where the tradition still holds strong. (3)

2. LIFTING OR HEAVINGThe custom called “Lifting,” and in some counties

“Heaving,” was one of the sports formerly in use at Easter, and is not yet laid aside in some of our distant provinces. At Warrington, Bolton and Manchester, on Easter Monday the women, forming parties of six or eight each, still continue to surround such of the opposite sex as they meet, and either with or without their consent, lift them thrice above their heads into the air, with loud shouts at each elevation.

On Easter Tuesday the men in similar parties do the same to the women. By both parties it is converted into a pretence for fi ning or extorting a small sum of money. (4)

This Easter tradition, which had died out by the early

20th century, has been revived by the Blackheath Morris in

Greenwich, London.

3. TAKING OFF SHOES AND BUCKLESIf lifting sounds too energetic, you can try this Easter tra-

dition instead.

In Yorkshire, on Easter Sunday, it is said to be a custom for the young men in the villages…to take off the young girls’ buckles, and on Easter Monday the young men’s shoes and buckles are taken off by the young women. On the Wednesday they are redeemed by little pecuniary forfeits, out of which an entertainment, called a tansy cake, is made, and the jollity concluded with dancing.

At Rippon, some years ago, where this custom prevailed, it is reported no traveller could pass the town without being stopped, and if a horseman, having his spurs taken away, unless redeemed by a little money, which was the only means to get them returned. (5)

4. ROLLING DOWN THE HILLSpeaking of lower extremities, the tradition of rolling

down Greenwich hill on Easter Monday prevailed in the 18th

century. The Times in 1790 suggested why this was popular.

5 EASTER TRADITIONSNO LONGER PRACTICED

The diversion of the day has not varied for many years –the young people rolling down the hill, and the girls con-sequently showing their legs, which made the company laugh. (6)

5. EGG DANCINGThere were many variants of the egg dance, in which the

goal was to dance among eggs while damaging as few as

possible. You can still sometimes see Morris dancers doing

an egg dance blindfolded. If you would like to attempt an

Easter egg dance, here are instructions from the late 19th cen-

tury.

The egg dance is an old Easter game. To prepare for this particular frolic, take 13 eggs, blow the contents from the shells, color eight shells red, gilt four and leave one white. Hard-boiled eggs can, of course, be used, if one fi rst takes the precaution to cover the carpet with linen crash.

Now, for the dance, place the 13 eggs on the fl oor, in two circles, one within the other. The outer circle, formed of the red eggs, placed at equal distance apart, should measure about eight feet in diameter, the inner circle, formed of the gilded eggs, should be four feet in diameter, and the white egg must be placed in the center of the in-ner circle.

The eggs having been arranged, the company is divided into couples and each in turn try the dance.

The fi rst couple take position within the outer circle, that is, between the red eggs and the gilded ones, and to waltz music they dance around the circle three times, keeping

within the space between the two circles. Entering the inner circle, they waltz three times around the central egg, and all this must be done without breaking or greatly disturbing any of the shells.

When an egg is broken or knocked more than 12 inches from its position, the dancers give place to the next cou-ple. The broken eggs are not replaced, but the displaced ones are set in order. When each couple has had a turn and none has accomplished the feat of dancing without breaking any eggs, all change partners and the trial be-gins again.

The fi rst couple who go through the dance without break-ing or disturbing the eggs win a fi rst prize, possibly a dainty bon-bon box, shaped like an egg; the second successful cou-ple receiving second prizes, and the third are rewarded with coloured eggs. (7)

SOURCES:1. The Bath Chronicle (Bath, England), April 26, 1832, p. 4.

2. Yenowine’s Illustrated News (Milwaukee, Wisconsin),

April 1, 1893, p. 6.

3. Daily Mail (London, England), April 17, 1919, p. 4.

4. The Bath Chronicle, April 26, 1832, p. 4.

5. The Sunday Times (London, England), March 30, 1823, p. 1.

6. The Times (London, England), April 6, 1790, p. 3.

7. Eleanor Lexington, “Easter Frolics,” Morning Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), April 5, 1896, p. 12.

By Shannon Selin,author of historical fi ction

47English


TEXTS FOR READING

The Egg Dance by Pieter Aertson, 1552

TEXTS FOR READING

48English

48September–

October 2019

We are all very complex. Whatever Rasputin’s obvious

faults, he was loved by the common people, and when he

was murdered it was the ordinary folk, according to con-

temporary accounts, who stopped work all over Russia and

mourned him as their spokesman. Rasputin’s virtue was

that he hid nothing about his character. Let us hope that the

thoughts we conceal behind prissy demeanours will never

be revealed.

What is the reality? Rasputin condemned the decadent ar-

istocracy. (Could there be anyone more eff ete than his boast-

ful purported murderer Felix Yusupov?)

Rasputin also saw the cold brutality of the socialists who

were abstract intellectual idealists. We get our view of him

from resentful nobles and infl uentual soviet propaganda.

Even that Hollywood image of a giant is still imprinted. (In

fact we know from photos that he was average height but had

unusually powerful shoulders.)

We think of that time as an age without spin. But when

Rasputin pointed out decadence and criticised the Court and

its advisors, and warned about the revolutionaries, who was

left to record an alternative reality?

But those country people he met during his very long

wanderings around Russia and on foot to Jerusalem had a

diff erent impression. Hostile abbots and clergy changed their

opinions when the ragged Rasputin knocked on monastery

doors and without speaking worked with prodigious strength

at tasks before silently sharing refectory soup. He was ob-

served in austere night-long religious practices before con-

tinuing his journey.

Rasputin shocked society in his last months because he

was driven mad by a sense of impending disaster. He claimed

to have seen the future. Other than the Empress few listened

to his horrifi c vision. He then became as dissolute as his long

time AKRANKA body double had been in public.

The tragedy was that his nemesis Pyotr Stolypin, the one

who might have understood his vision, had already been

murdered by aristocrats. Rasputin then drank and whored as

openly as the secret service agents impersonating him.

I would have condemned him too but for a strange en-

counter.

In the late 1970s I hitchhiked south from Sydney’s Blue

Mountains to perform in a Melbourne recital. There I met

a stubby tough-guy, a heavily accented Russian poet who’d

jumped ship and lived in Australia for thirty years working

on the wharves. (He had stainless steel and gold teeth punc-

tuating his jaws.) He got drunk and told a story. “The boys

and me were surrounded by fascists. Fuckin’ massive panz-

ers in front coming straight at us. Artillery had us shitting

ourselves. We couldn’t even run off to the forest. In those

days we slept for minutes in shell holes because we were all

exhausted. My comrade woke and surprised us all. He told

us Rasputin just came to him and said, ‘Tell the lads this

fi ght is for Holy Russia’. We were all Soviet kids and didn’t

believe religious nonsense. None of us knew how to pray

except for the joke about blessing yourself: check hat, but-

tons, ID papers in one top pocket and roubles in the other. We

sort of crossed ourselves and my friend said a bit of a prayer.

Something like, ‘God, please listen when Rasputin speaks up

for us and Russia.’

We meant it because we had long ago given up hope of

living but we were hungry and tired and wet and bruised and

sick and had no strength to fi ght. We got it! We came out of

cover shouting like crazy men.

A couple of years later in Berlin we were all drinking and

talking about the worst fi ghts we’d been in. Then a guy from

another unit told us the same story, then another guy and an-

other. Rasputin had visited so many in tight places and made

us feel as if us sinners were a holy army.”

I retold this to my best friend Father Vladimir Rodzy-

anko, a very wise thinker known in America as Bishop Basil.

Vladimir was manly and strong, elderly and dignifi ed, but

his tears became sobs. At last he spoke. “So I am not the only

sinful fool who sees Rasputin, the Servant of God.”

Friends, let us leave judgement on Rasputin as an open

question.

By David Wansbrough

Picture from kp.ru

THE RASPUTIN ENIGMA

16+

49English

Five-Minute Tests


1 A

2 I

3 I

1. Six sentences in the text are incomplete. Choose from the list A-G the one which best fi ts each gap (1-6). There is one extra letter which you don’t need to use.A. and buried on the nearby Mount of Olives

B. the privacy that is inherent in notes placed in the Wall

C. and people of other faiths

D. is considered holy due to its connection to the Temple Mount

E. and stems from the Jewish tradition that the Divine Presence rests upon

the Western Wall

F. and inserted in the Wall

G. and that all prayers ascend to Heaven through the Temple Mount

PLACING NOTES IN THE WESTERN WALLPlacing notes in the Western Wall refers to the practice of placing slips of

paper containing written prayers to God into the cracks of the Western Wall,

a Jewish holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem.

It is claimed that occurrence of such a phenomenon dates from the early

18th century (1)_____________. There is, however, a dispute as to whether it

is permissible according to Jewish law to insert slips of paper into the crev-

ices. Some argue that the practice debases the holiness of the Wall and that

the placement of notes should be discontinued.

Over a million notes are placed each year in what has become a custom,

not only for tourists, but also for high-profi le dignitaries visiting Israel from

abroad. The notes are collected twice a year (2)____________.

HISTORYThe earliest account of the placing of prayer notes into the cracks and

crevices of the Western Wall involved Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (d. 1743) who

instructed a destitute man to place an amulet between the stones of the Wall.

The rationale behind placing prayer notes in the Wall has been traced to

the teachings that the Divine Presence has never moved from the Western

Wall, (3)_____________, which the Western Wall adjoins.

MODERN-DAY PRACTICEToday, more than a million prayer notes or wishes are placed in the West-

ern Wall each year. Notes that are placed in the Wall are written in just about

any language and format. Their lengths vary from a few words to very long

requests. They include poems and Biblical verses. They are written on a wide

variety of papers, including colored paper, notebook paper and even bubble-

gum wrappers, using a variety of inks.

Rabbi of the Western Wall receives hundreds of letters yearly addressed

to “God, Jerusalem”; he folds these letters and places them, too, in the Wall.

Online services off er petitioners the opportunity to send their notes to the

Western Wall via e-mail, fax, text messaging and Internet; the note is then

printed out (4)________. The Israeli Telephone Company has established

such a fax service, as have a number of charitable websites.

NOTABLE PERSONS WHO HAVE PLACED NOTESIN THE WALL

The tradition of leaving notes for God in the Western Wall has also been

adopted by Christian pilgrims (5)_________. Foreign dignitaries who have

publicly placed a message in the Western Wall include Pope John Paul II

PREPARING FOR EXAMS TESTS

“ON A WINGAND A PRAYER”

Use the word given in capitals to form a word or a proper tense of a verb that fi ts in the sentence

Am I My Brother’s Keeper?Am I (1)________(RESPONSE)

for how I treat my fellow man?

– this expression symbolizes the

(2)________(WILLING) of people

to accept (3)________(RESPONSE)

for the welfare of others or for their

(4)________(BEHAVE) [in this case

“brother” means (5)________ (EVE-

RY)] – in the Bible when Cain mur-

dered Abel, God asked Cain where his

brother (6)________(BE) and he an-

swered, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Think of the word which best fi ts each space. Use only one word in each space.

It is interesting (1)________ Mos-

cow has its (2)________ Wailing

Wall. It is located in Spaso-Glini-

shevsky Lane. It is small, only 15 х 3

meters but (3)________ still contains

notes stuck (4)________ the stones. It

(5)________ built in 2001 as a present

from the former Mayor of Moscow.

Use the word given in capitals to form a word or a proper tense of a verb that fi ts in the sentence.

Prayer Can Help People Handle Diffi cult Emotions, Study Suggests

Those who choose to pray, fi nd

personalized comfort during hard

times, according to a University of

Wisconsin-Madison (1)__________

(SOCIOLOGY). The 75 per- ��

50English TESTS PREPARING FOR EXAMS

Five-Minute Tests


5 I

4 I(in 2000) and Pope Benedict XVI (in 2008 and again in 2009), who released

their content to the media.

U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton deposited a note in 2005. In July 2008, U.S.

presidential candidate Barack Obama placed a written prayer in the Wall.

After Obama and his entourage departed, his note – written on hotel sta-

tionery – was removed from the Wall by a seminary student who sold it to

the Maariv newspaper. The newspaper published the note, prompting criti-

cism from other news sources and from the Rabbi of the Western Wall for

violating (6)____________. In July 2012, U.S. presidential candidate Mitt

Romney placed a written prayer in the Wall. His note was later moved to a

diff erent location in the Wall for privacy reasons and to avoid a repeat of the

incident with Obama’s note in 2008.

On May 22, 2017, Donald Trump became the fi rst sitting U.S. President to

visit the Wall; he also inserted a note. Trump’s Vice President, Mike Pence,

visited the Wall and deposited a prayer note on January 23, 2018, at the con-

clusion of his four-day visit to Israel.

2. Use the word given in capitals to form a word or a proper tense of a verb that fi ts in the sentence.

“On a wing and a prayer” is an idiom that stems from World War II. The

term describes doing something diffi cult or dangerous while (1)________

(RELY) on divine help or luck. The phrase (2)________(INSPIRE) by

Hugh G. Ashcraft Jr., an American pilot of the B-17 The Southern Comfort.

Returning from a (3)_____(BOMB) run over Germany in a (4)_______

(CRIPPLE) plane, Ashcraft told his crew, “Those who want to, please

pray.” News reports called them the crew that “prayed” their plane back.

This inspired a line in the 1942 movie The Flying Tigers uttered by John

Wayne’s character: “She’s coming in on one wing and a prayer.” In 1943 a

song entitled Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer (5)_______(WRITE) by

Harold Adamson and Jimmy McHugh. The term (6)_______(EVOLVE) to

take on a (7)_________(FIGURE) meaning.

3. Match the idioms in list A with their meanings in list B.1. on a wing and a prayer

2. not have a prayer

3. an act of faith

4. an act of God

5. baptism of fi re

6. bear one’s cross

7. a blessing in disguise

8. as ugly as sin

cent of Americans who pray on a

(2)__________(WEEK) basis do

so to manage a range of negative

situations and emotions – illness,

(3)__________(SAD), trauma and

(4)__________(ANGRY) – but just

how they fi nd relief (5)__________

(GO) unstudied by researchers.

Complete the table.Noun Adjective1 faith

2 trust

3 religion

4 sacrifi ce

5 holiness

6 temptation

Complete these sentences using the correct form of one of the words from the table.1. I can’t rely on Mr. Evans. He is a

man with a (1)_________ disposi-

tion.

2. I’ve lost all (2)________ in that fel-

low. He holds nothing (3)________.

3. I guess we’ve got to take his story

on (4)_______.

4. This work must be done at any per-

sonal (5)_______.

5. I need a (6)_________ account of

the course of events.

6. He seems to be immune to the

(7)_________ of gambling.

7. She taught me to revere the

(8)_______ icon.

By Youdif Boyarskaya,School No. 814, Moscow

See the answersin additional materials.

51English


PREPARING FOR EXAMS

A. to have no chance of succeeding

B. a fi rst experience of something that is diffi cult or unpleasant

C. something that seems terrible but actually produces good

results

D. an act of nature such as a storm/earthquake/hurricane

E. with only the slightest chance of success

F. to endure one’s diffi culties

G. a deed that shows trust in someone or something

H. unattractive

4. Complete these sentences using the idioms from list A.1. Our dog is ______________ but we love him.

2. It was_____________ when the man decided to quit his

job and do something diff erent.

3. The accident was _______________ when the rocks

crashed onto the highway.

4. My new job was _______________ and I had to learn it

very quickly.

5. The man was very sick and it was _______________

when he passed away.

6. My job is terrible but I must ______________ and con-

tinue to do it.

7. Work as hard as you can! Don’t count on ____________.


NEW STUDY EXAMINES THE EMOTIONALAND PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF PRAYER

Prayer brings (1)_________(OPTIMIST), hope, and a

range of positive feelings.

Much like (2)_________(MEDITATE), prayer can and

should calm your mind, so you can have a greater control

over your (3)________(IMPULSE) actions. Prayer gives

you time to refl ect and stop (4)_______(YOU) from making

(5)________ (HARM) decisions.

6. Read the text and think of the word which best fi ts each space. Use only one word in each space.SCHOOLGIRLS’ BID TO STOP DAILY PRAYERS

IN SCHOOLS WILL BE REVIEWED AFTER GAINING SUPPORT

Two schoolgirls (1)_____ launched a petition demanding

the removal of the obligation (2)_____ state schools to hold

religious acts of worship (3)_____ gained support. The pair

say they (4)_____ delighted a committee of AMs* will ask

the Welsh Government to consider (5)______ school wor-

ship goes (6)________ human rights laws.

Under English and Welsh law, an act of worship takes

(7)_______ at schools each day. Rhiannon Shipton and Lily

McAllister-Sutton, both 15 and from Ysgol Glantaf in Car-

diff , say they are not anti-religion but do not see (8)_______

they, or other nonbelievers, should (9)______ forced to join

acts of worship.

They got 1,333 signatures for their petition (10)______

reads: “We call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge

the Welsh Government to pass a law that removes the obliga-

tion on schools to hold acts of religious worship.”

*An AM is a member of the Welsh Assembly. AM is an ab-

breviation for `assembly member’.


Just when I was feeling particularly sorry for (1)________

(SELF) for being broke and lonely, an editor from a women’s

magazine asked if she could pay to send me to Bali to write

a story about Yoga vacations.

When I got to Bali (which is, to be brief, a very nice place)

the teacher who (2)________(RUN) the Yoga retreat asked

us, “While you (3)_______(BE) all here, is there anybody

who would like to go visit a ninth-generation Balinese medi-

cine man?” (another question too obvious to even answer),

and so we all went over to his house one night. The medicine

man, as it turned out, was a small, merry-eyed, russet-col-

ored old guy with a mostly toothless mouth, whose resem-

blance in every way to the Star Wars character Yoda cannot

(4)__________(EXAGGERATE). His name was Ketut Li-

yer. He spoke a scattered and thoroughly entertaining kind of

English, but there was a translator available for when he got

stuck on a word. Our Yoga teacher (5)________(TELL) us

in advance that we could each bring one question or problem

to the medicine man, and he would try to help us with our

troubles. I (6)_________(THINK) for days of what to ask

him. My initial ideas were so lame. I was rightly ashamed

of myself for these thoughts: who travels all the way around

the world to meet an ancient medicine man in Indonesia,

only to ask him to intercede in boy trouble? So when the old

man asked me in person what I really (7)________(WANT),

I found other, (8)________(TRUE) words. “I want to have

a lasting experience of God,” I told him. “Sometimes I feel

like I understand the divinity of this world, but then I lose

it because I get distracted by my petty desires and fears. I

want to be with God all the time. But I don’t want to be a

monk, or totally give up worldly pleasures. I guess what I

want to learn is how to live in this world and enjoy its de-

lights, but also devote myself to God.” Ketut said he could

answer my question with a picture. He showed me a sketch

he (9)________(DRAW) once during meditation. It was an

androgynous human fi gure, standing up, hands clasped in

prayer. But this fi gure had four legs, and no head. Where the

head should have been, there was only a wild foliage of ferns

and fl owers. There was a small, smiling face (10)_________

(DRAW) over the heart. “To fi nd the balance you want,”

Ketut spoke through his translator, “this is what you must

become. You must keep your feet grounded so (11)_______

(FIRM) on the earth that it’s like you have four legs, instead

of two. That way, you can stay in the world. But you must

stop (12)_________(LOOK) at the world through your head.

You must look through your heart, instead. That way, you

will know God.”

From “Eat. Pray. Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert

By Youdif Boyarskaya,School No. 814, Moscow

See the answers in additional materials.

52English


CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES

ПРАКТИКА УСТНОЙ РЕЧИДополнительные задания для УМК “Starlight 4”

TEACHER’S NOTES

ACTIVITY 26. To Be Going to Do Something

Цель: использование грамматической конструкции to be going to do something в разговорной речи.

Как выполнять:Расскажите учащимся, что сейчас они будут вы-

полнять задание на говорение. Каждый учащийся

получит по одной карточке, которую он не должен

показывать своему партнеру. Продемонстрируйте

пример карточки. Скажите, что на ней изображены

люди и описаны их планы на будущую неделю. За-

дача учащихся – расспросить друг друга о людях, пла-

ны которых непонятны из таблицы, и заполнить ее до

конца. Расскажите, что в таблице есть условные обо-

значения: крестик обозначает, что персонаж не будет

выполнять это действие, галочка – будет.

Продемонстрируйте пример выполнения задания,

выбрав одного из учеников.

Обратите внимание учеников на пример диалога,

приведенный на карточке.

Раздайте карточки и определите время выполнения

работы: 7-10 минут.

Учащиеся начинают работать в парах, задавая друг

другу вопросы о людях. Каждый заполняет пустые кле-

точки в таблице сразу, как услышит ответ на свой вопрос.

Пока учащиеся работают, контролируйте процесс.

Вы можете ходить по классу и помогать учащимся

при возникновении вопросов.

ACTIVITY 27. How Much/How Many.There is/There are

Цель: использование грамматических конструкций

how much/how many, there is/there are в разговорной

речи.

Как выполнять:Разделите учеников на группы по три человека.

Объясните ученикам, что сейчас они будут выполнять

необычное задание. Каждая из групп в классе хочет

снимать квартиру на всех, и каждый из учеников в

группе должен рассмотреть разные квартиры.

Расскажите, что учащиеся получат карточки. В

группе у каждого будет своя собственная карточка.

Продемонстрируйте пример карточки. Объясните

учащимся, что на карточках изображены схемы квар-

тир, которые им предложены.

Расскажите ученикам, что каждый из них получит

по одной анкете, которую они будут заполнять, зада-

вая друг другу вопросы.

Объясните ученикам, что они будут работать в сво-

их группах, составляя вопросы с выражениями there is/there are для пунктов 3-12. Учителю следует про-

верить правильность составления вопросов со всем

классом (см. вопросы). Если возникает необходи-

мость, следует повторить вопросы несколько раз для

закрепления.

Приведите пример вопросов на доске:

Is there a fridge in the fl at?Объясните ученикам, что первые 2 вопроса задают-

ся по-другому.

Раздайте карточки.

Спросите у ребят, могут ли они задать вопрос к

пунктам 1 и 2 без подсказки учителя.

Если учащиеся не могут догадаться, подскажите

им:

How much is the rent? How many rooms are there?Также учителю необходимо напомнить ученикам,

что вопросы с использованием глаголов have got/has got являются правильными в данной ситуации. (How many rooms has it got?)

Объясните учащимся, что они не должны видеть

карточки друг друга. Расскажите ученикам, что пре-

жде всего они должны заполнить колонку в таблице о

той квартире, которая у них на карточке.

Продемонстрируйте пример выполнения.

Определите время выполнения первого этапа: 3 ми-

нуты.

Далее учащиеся продолжают работать в своих

группах, задавая друг другу вопросы, которые они

приготовили. Ученики записывают ответы в анкету.

Анкета должна быть заполнена полностью.

Определите время выполнения: 7-10 минут.

После выполнения данного здания предложите

учащимся в группе решить между собой, в какой из

квартир они хотели бы жить. Они должны прийти к

общему мнению и обосновать, почему они выбрали

ту или иную квартиру.

Каждая группа рассказывает о том, какую квар-

тиру они выбрали, и называют причины своего вы-

бора.

Вопросы, которые должны составить ученики:

1. How much is the rent?2. How many rooms are there?3. Are there any tables?4. Is there any furniture in the bedroom?5. Is there a bath?6. Are there any chairs?7. Is there a fridge?8. Is there a garden?9. Is there a shop near the fl at?

10. Is there a park near the fl at?11. Is there a TV in the fl at?12. Is there a parking near the fl at?

53English



HANDOUTS


ACTIVITY 26. To Be Going to Do SomethingSTUDENT ALook at what Jack, Mona, and Tom and Sara are going to do next weekend. Take turns to ask and answer yes/no questions and fi ll in the gaps in the table.

Jack Mona Tom and Sara

Walk in the park � �

Read a book �

Go swimming � �

Help grandparents �

Watch TV �

Play football �

Go shopping � �

ACTIVITY 26. To Be Going to Do SomethingSTUDENT BLook at what Jack, Mona, and Tom and Sara are going to do next weekend. Take turns to ask and answer yes/no questions and fi ll in the gaps in the table.

Jack Mona Tom and Sara

Walk in the park �

Read a book � �

Go swimming �

Help grandparents � �

Watch TV � �

Play football � � �

Go shopping

Is Jack going to walk in

the park next weekend?� Yes, he is. � No, he isn't.

Is Jack going to walk in

the park next weekend?� Yes, he is. � No, he isn't.

54English


HANDOUTS


ACTIVITY 27. How Many/How Much. There Is/There Are

Flat A Flat B Flat C

1. Rent

2. Rooms

3. Tables

4. Furniture in the bedroom

5. Bath

6. Chairs

7. Fridge

8. Garden

9. Shop

10. Park

11. TV

12. Parking

FLAT AFOR RENT: three-bedroom fl at in South Street. Near a supermarket and a park. $800 a month.

55English



HANDOUTS

FLAT BFOR RENT: one-bedroom fl at with a big living room. Near a park. $700 a month.

FLAT CFOR RENT: two-bedroom fl at with a garden. Near a park and some shops. $750 a month.

By Olga Krylova, Gymnasium No. 1514, Moscow

to be continued

56English



THE RISE AND FALL OF TEA CLIPPERS

This article reveals the main reasons for the popularity

and decline of the tea clippers on the tea route.

I. PRE-READING TASK1. Do you believe that a tea clipper is:– a special container to store tea leaves?

– a sort of pastry to be served with tea?

– an insect that damages tea leaves?

– a fast sailing ship to bring tea to Britain?

2. Fill in the table.Before reading the text fi ll in the fi rst and the second

columns of the table, answering these questions:What do you know about tea clippers?What would you like to know about tea clippers?

I know I’d like to know I’ve found out

II. Read the text to fi nd out what a tea clipper is.Tea is considered to be one of the most popular beverag-

es in the UK. The British drink more tea than any other na-

tion in the world. According to the research by the UK Tea

Council, they drink 165 million cups of tea daily or more

than 60 billion cups a year! The English are very proud of

being “tea people” and they often say: “If you are cold, tea

will warm you; if you are heated, it will cool you; if you

are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will

calm you”.

It seems that the British people drank tea all the time. But

it wasn’t always so. It was the Portuguese princess, Cath-

erine of Braganza, the wife of the British King Charles II,

who introduced tea to Britain in the 17th century.

At fi rst, it was an aristocractic drink. Only in the 18th cen-

tury did tea become the national drink: millions of English-

men, from humble servants up to the Queen, enjoyed it.

All in all, they chose to drink their favourite beverage 6

times a day.

The traditional time of tea drinking in England is as fol-

lows:

• The fi rst time was a cup of strong tea at 6-7 o’clock in the

morning to wake up.

• The second time tea with milk was served at 8 a.m. for

breakfast.

• The third time at 11-12 a.m. for lunch.

• The fourth time when the English drank tea was in the middle

of the working day, as a short break. It was also called after-

noon tea or “low tea” as it was served on low tables (similar to

today’s coff ee tables) with low lounge chairs and sofas.

• The fi fth time was at 5 o’clock in the evening, their fa-

mous “fi ve-o’clock tea”. Charles II

Catherine of Braganza


57English


• The last time, the sixth one, was at 7-8 p.m., the time for

“high tea” with cold meat, pies, salad and pickles. The

term “high tea” meant that tea was served on high chairs

around a table.

THE RISE OF TEA CLIPPERS:THE NEED FOR SPEED

By 1864 tea had become a favourite beverage of the Brit-

ish people. Tea drinking came out of homes into the streets

of England. There were tearooms in almost every town and

village of the country. City hotels began serving afternoon

tea, as well.

The demand for tea boomed in England. Moreover, tea

consumers believed that the fresher the tea leaves were, the

better the resulting drink was. So, tea traders were sure they

needed small, fast, sleek ships for such a high-profi t product

as tea.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, trade ships were enor-

mous, strong, and very slow. They set sail from Britain in

January and arrived in China in September, then loaded up

that year’s tea harvest and set off again with hope to arrive

back in Britain by the following September. It took them

more than a year to make the round trip from England to

China and back. If anything went wrong with wind or weath-

er, the trip lasted even longer.

Tea clippers, very fast sailing ships, were designed spe-

cifi cally to bring tea to Britain. The term “clipper” refers to

a type of hull construction. A clipper ship had a long, slim

wooden hull on an iron frame which “clips” or “cuts” the wa-

ter, thus gaining speed. Also clippers had the most advanced

rigging of their time. The fi rst British tea clipper, Storno-way, was built in Aberdeen in 1850. Over the next ten years,

British shipbuilders produced nearly 30 clipper ships. Six of

them (Ariel, Black Adder, Cutty Sark, Sir Lancelot, Taeping,

and Thermopylae) became famous due to their speed. Tea

clippers sailed three times faster than the older trade ships.

It took them 97-130 days to sail roundtrip from London to

China and back.

There was even rivalry between clippers for the title of

the fastest ship. Clipper races took place in the beginning

of the tea season. The Great Tea Race of 1866 was the most

famous one. To be the fi rst ship to dock in London with the

new crop of tea meant to make more money by selling the

tea the fi rst. The fresher the tea leaves were, the quicker

they were sold.

It was the age of the tea clipper ships. A time when speed

was the king of the ocean and the tea clippers ruled.

THE FALL OF TEA CLIPPERS: THE INTRODUCTION OF STEAMSHIPS

The decline in the use of clippers started in 1869. There

were two reasons why it happened. The fi rst one was the

opening of the Suez Canal. This new route reduced the dis-

tance between China and Britain to 3,300 miles, but made

impossible for a sailing ship depending on the wind to move

through it.

The second reason was the introduction of steamships.

The new construction off ered larger shipping capacity, al-

lowed for a smaller crew and a more exact arrival time. With

a steam engine, a ship could move in the absence of wind

and successfully navigate the Suez Canal to get to China.

The clippers simply couldn’t compete with steamships. The

number of tea clippers sailing to China was greatly reduced.

Many ships were sold or moved to general cargo services.

So, it meant the end of tea clippers and the opening of the

age of steam fl eets.

The reign of the tea clippers was brief but glorious. Tea

clippers dominated the world’s oceans for only two decades

(1850–1869). But this time can be called the Golden Age

of Tea Clippers. The speed at which those ships travelled

made lots of merchants wealthy and the tea trade prosper-

ous.

III. AFTER-READING TASK1. Fill in the third column of the table, answering the ques-tion:

What new information about tea clippers have you learned from the text?

2. Make up a cinquain (a fi ve-line poem) to the text.Line 1 – one word for the topic

Line 2 – 2 adjectives to describe the topic

Line 3 – 3 verbs to describe the actions relating to the topic

Line 4 – a phrase of 4 words to describe the feelings relating

to the topic

Line 5 – one word that is another name for the topic

Sources:1. Кэмпбелл Дж. Чайные клипера. – Л.: Судостроение.

1985. 197стр.

2. Балакин С. Чайные клипера. – Ocean-media.su/chainy-

e-klipera/15.10.2015

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tea_in_the_United_King-

dom

4. https://www.wikihow.com/Serve-Low-Tea

5. https://www.tea.co.uk/tea-a-brief-history

6. https://www.tea.co.uk/tea-clippers

By Irina Bakhtinova,School No. 4 named after G.K. Zhukov,

Krasnoznamensk, Moscow Region

Chinese Tea Clipper


58English


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS�� “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent

him.” (Voltaire) How would you interpret this phrase? Do

you agree with it?

�� Is it possible to be a decent human being with high moral

standards without being religious?

�� Would you say that science and religion are compatible?

Can a scientist believe in God?

�� Do you think that religion has a role to play in the modern

world?

�� Can a person believe in God without going to church?

What’s your attitude to the Russian Orthodox Church as

an institution?

�� Would you agree that a person in our country is (to some

extent) shaped by Orthodox Christianity, whether or not

he/she is a believer?

�� What do you think of introducing Religion as a subject at

school?

�� How well do you know other religions, apart from Chris-

tianity? What is your attitude to them?

�� It is sometimes said that the path to faith lies through pain

and suff ering, because a happy man has no need of God.

What do you think?

IDIOMSMatch the idioms on the left with the defi nitions on the right. 1. baptism of fi re a. something that seems ter-

rible but actually produces

good results

2. to bear/carry one’s cross b. a worry-free or carefree

attitude

3. a blessing in disguise c. to be quick to blame, criti-

cize or punish others

4. to cast pearls before swine d. to argue against a proposi-

tion which one may actually

agree with – done purely to

test the validity of the propo-

sition

5. to cast the fi rst stone e. a fi rst experience of some-

thing that is diffi cult or un-

pleasant

6. devil-may-care attitude f. someone or something that

one fi nds attractive partly be-

cause it is illegal or immoral

7. doubting Thomas g. if someone does something

wrong then he or she should

be punished by having the

same thing done to them

8. an eye for an eye, a tooth

for a tooth

h. to endure one’s diffi culties

9. to fall from grace i. to try to persuade someone

who already agrees with you

10. forbidden fruit j. to stop being held in fa-

vor by others – especially

because of some wrong or

foolish action

11. to play the devil’s ad-

vocate

k. to waste something good

on someone who does not

know its value

12. to preach to the converted l. a person who insists on

proof before he or she will

believe something

Key: 1. e; 2. h; 3. a; 4. k; 5. c; 6. b; 7. l; 8. g; 9. j; 10. f;11. d; 12. i.

Fill the gaps using the idioms above.I’m afraid you’re ____________________________ with

your good advice – he won’t listen.

The fi rst project in my new job was a _______________

and I had to learn the ropes very quickly.

The boy has a __________________ attitude about school

and rarely does his homework.

It was a _________________________ when the man

lost his old job. He now has a new and more fulfi lling one.

The politician ____________________ after he was in-

volved in a scandal.

I was __________________________ when I told my

friend that he needed to buy a robot vacuum cleaner.

I told my friend that she should look at herself and her bad

points rather than ___________________ and criticizing her

friend.

The man was a __________________________ and he

usually did not trust anyone.

The boys wanted to enter the old building. It was

_______________________ to them.

Taking care of the disabled grandfather is quite an ordeal

but I must __________________ and continue to do it.

The citizens believe in ___________________________

____. They want the criminal to be sentenced to death for

killing the girl.

ROLE PLAYStudent A:

You are a scientist. You believe in the Big Bang Theory.

Spend a minute thinking of reasons why science is the best

explanation for life on earth. Your partner will start the con-

versation.

Student B:You don’t believe science can explain this wonderful uni-

verse. The world was clearly designed by someone. Spend a

minute thinking of reasons to support your argument. Start

the debate by asking your partner what he/she thinks of the

Big Bang Theory.

By Yulia Shcherbinina

RELIGIOUS TALKS

59English


THE TIME TO RHYME

Ксения Зайцева

Рассказ из книги “Запоминаем английские слова.

Новый подход”,издательство АСТ, Lingua

FOR YOUNG LEARNERS

МОРСКОЕ ПРИКЛЮЧЕНИЕНаверное, вам покажется, что это сказка fairy tale

['feqrIteIl]. Однако мы с моей подругой Абигейл Abigail ['xbIgeIl] на самом деле пережили удивительное мор-

ское приключение, и теперь намерены о нем поведать.

Поведать подробно, ничего не сокращая curtail [kW'teIl]. Мы решили плыть на парусном судне из Англии во

Францию через Ла-Манш. Друзьям во Франции мы от-

правили по почте mail [meIl] письмо о нашем скором

прибытии, купили на распродаже sale [seIl] оптом и в

розницу retail ['rJteIl] необходимые для путешествия

вещицы и стали собираться в дорогу. Выбранное нами

судно перевозило пассажиров и разные грузы. Пробира-

ясь по палубе между тюками bale [beIl] и ведрами pail [peIl], мы с трудом нашли свою каюту. Несколько из этих

ведер были наполнены улитками snail [sneIl], а другие

оставались пустыми. “Пустые ведра не к добру,” – сказа-

ла моя спутница, а я лишь посмеялся над ее суевериями.

Как потом оказалось, зря.

Корабль поднял паруса sail [seIl], и почти сразу после

этого мы вышли в открытое море. Однако не прошло и

получаса, как погода начала портиться, а еще через час

начались настоящие шторм и буря gale [geIl]. Небо по-

темнело, волны вздымались подобно спинам огромных

китов whale [weIl] и захлестывали корму. Неумолимо на-

чал барабанить град hail [heIl]. Нашу каюту стала заполнять вода, и каюта показалась

нам тюрьмой jail [GeIl]. С трудом мы выбрались из нее

на накренившуюся, раскачивающуюся, залитую дождем

палубу. Я смотрел на бледное pale [peIl] лицо Абигейл и

кричал что-то, как мне тогда казалось очень важное, а сей-

час даже не вспомню, что именно. Мы цеплялись ногтями

nail [neIl] за перила rail [reIl], отделявшие нас от пучины

вод. Казалось, гвозди nail [neIl] не выдержат, скрипящие

на все лады перила вот-вот оторвутся от опор, и мы уле-

тим за борт, в бушующее море. Каким же непрочным frail [freIl] казалось наше суденышко в тот момент!

На борт волнами выбрасывало десятки больших рыб.

Они сверкали чешуей scale [skeIl], били хвостами tail [teIl] и представлялись моему воспаленному воображе-

нию союзниками разбушевавшейся стихии – сильными

и беспощадными. Завеса veil [veIl] из брызг окружала

наше суденышко, из-за нее казалось, что мы отрезаны

от всего мира. А волны за бортом выли и стенали wail [weIl] все громче. Вдруг мне показалось, что где-то ря-

дом запел соловей nightingale ['naItINgeIl], и от этого я

испугался еще больше.

Как же нам хотелось повернуть время вспять и ку-

пить билет не на судно, а на поезд, что едет из Англии во

Францию в туннеле под Ла-Маншем. Мы бы не столкну-

лись с грозной стихией, а неспешно пили кофе и потяги-

вали коктейли cocktail ['kPkteIl] под приятный перестук

колес с рельсами rail [reIl]. Капитан, находившийся в рубке неподалеку от нас,

кричал, что шкалы scale [skeIl] тех немногих приборов,

которые есть в его распоряжении, показывают неверную

информацию. Что он пытается подать сигнал СОС, но

ничего не получается fail [feIl]. Что кроме черствого

stale [steIl] хлеба провианта на борту не осталось – все

смыло за борт, и что истощились даже запасы пресной

воды. По-видимому, его тоже охватила паника. Над все-

ми нами возобладал prevail [prI'veIl] страх. Что остава-

лось делать? Я начал молиться.

Удивительно, но спустя несколько минут буря уле-

глась так же неожиданно, как и началась. Мы кое-как,

с многочасовой задержкой, добрались до места назна-

чения. Эта история оставила неизгладимый след trail [treIl] в нашей памяти, и мы очень счастливы, что оста-

лись в живых!

bale [beIl] тюк

cocktail ['kPkteIl] коктейль

curtail [kW'teIl] сокращать, уменьшать

fail [feIl] не получаться, терпеть

неудачу

fairy tale ['feqrIteIl] сказка

frail [freIl] хрупкий, непрочный

gale [geIl] буря

hail [heIl] град

jail [GeIl] тюрьма

mail [meIl] почта

nail [neIl] ноготь

nail [neIl] гвоздь

nightingale ['naItINgeIl] соловей

pail [peIl] ведро

pale [peIl] бледный

prevail [prI'veIl] преобладать

rail [reIl] перила

rail [reIl] рельсы

retail ['rJteIl] продаваться в розницу

sail [seIl] парус

sale [seIl] распродажа

scale [skeIl] чешуя

scale [skeIl] шкала

snail [sneIl] улитка

stale [steIl] черствый

tail [teIl] хвост

trail [treIl] след, волочить

veil [veIl] вуаль, завеса

wail [weIl] выть, стенать

whale [weIl] кит

60English


GAGARIN

TEXTS FOR READING

On 9 April 2019 Yuri Gagarin would have turned 85 years

old.

Some events happening in human life never fade away. In

the evening of 12 April 1961 our M/S Baltika set sail from

Riga to London with 300 English passengers. And in the after-

noon we heard over the radio an unbelievable sensational an-

nouncement – the launch into space of the fi rst cosmonaut and

his safe landing. His name was Yuri Gagarin. We translated the

news into English for our passengers.

“Who and what is Mr. Gagarin?” they wanted to know.

The name sounded typical Russian. It could belong to ei-

ther nobility or rank-and-fi le people. My memory went back to

many years ago to recapture the fi rst occurrence when I heard

that surname.

I remembered a friendly basketball game in my secondary

school in Saratov between our team and the team of Saratov

Industrial Technical College. Their captain was a quick-mov-

ing lad, who often ran to the basketball hoop and threw well-

aimed balls into the basket.

The fans screamed, “Gagarin, Gagarin!”

Still I was in doubt – was he the very Yuri Gagarin who

was the captain of the basketball team? However more and

more details about the life of the cosmonaut soon appeared

in the media. He had studied in 1951–1955 at Saratov In-

dustrial Technical College, and in his spare time used to go

to Saratov Flying Club to master parachuting and also to fly

the aircraft.

Gagarin graduated from the college (Metalurgy-Foundry

Department) with a red diploma, was called up and sent to

military pilot school in Orenburg. He became a military pilot

and after fi nishing the school, he was sent to work in the north

of Russia.

I managed to congratulate him on the victory, he smiled and

we shook hands. I could not ask him then about life in Saratov,

because numerous fans surrounded him, and I left.

The next day was Sunday and I went to Lipki, the city park

located in the centre of Saratov. It was a good tradition that in

the afternoon a brass orchestra played light music. At once I

saw Yuri sitting near the podium and listening to the music. He

saw me as well and invited me to sit nearby.

“They have a very good trumpet player. I also play this in-

strument at our college. We organize evening dances on Satur-

day. I invite you to our evening party,” he said.

Yuri turned out to be a very interesting interlocutor and nar-

rator. He was born in a small village of Klushino near the town

of Gzhatsk. He had a big family: mother, father, three sisters

and a brother. After he fi nished his sixth form he went to Lyu-

bertsy to study at a technical school and then entered Saratov

College.

He liked Saratov very much, especially its clean streets. He

enjoyed all kinds of music and frequented the Opera House.

There were many institutes.

We all found it very interesting to study novels by Nikolay

Chernyshevsky at literature classes. Saratov was his native

town and was the place where he died. On Chernyshevsky

Street, they preserved the writer’s museum-house, Saratov Op-

era House and the local university were named after Cherny-

shevsky. They also erected a beautiful monument to this great

man near the main entrance of Lipki.

Yuri also said that he was fond of piano music, but never

saw any announcements in the local press. I could easily help

him fi nd some performances.

A conservatory student of the piano faculty lived in our

house. He explained to me that two Sundays every month the

best conservatory students gave free public concerts. Those

concerts were not widely known and the piano programme

was revealed just on the eve of the performance. Concerts took

place in the big hall of the conservatory. No tickets were re-

quired people could take any vacant seat.

The conservatory was situated a stone’s throw from the In-

dustrial College. Gagarin promised to attend the concert with

some of his friends. He was as good as his word and brought

the entire brass section with him.

I went to study in Saint Petersburg and traveled to Saratov

only in summer. But I did not see Yuri. By then, he was busily

engaged with Saratov Flying Club. His friends said that he was

very successful and fl ew the trainer aircraft Yak-18.

And all mankind learned that on April 12, 1961 the 27-year-

old cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin climbed into a small metal cap-

sule Vostok and was launched into space. Gagarin became an

international celebrity. He said his historical phrase: “Poekha-

li!” (‘Off we go!’).

The fi rst cosmonaut’s mission lasted just 108 minutes and

was fraught with drama: a break in data transmission, glitches

involving antennas, a retrorocket and the separation of modules.

The cosmonaut dictated on tape the situation on board, un-

derstanding that, if worse comes to worst, specialists could

improve future spaceships. But he was lucky and to eject as he

planned and parachute onto a fi eld near the Volga River, not far

from his college. It only took 45 minutes to reach the landing

spot by car. He was at fi rst taken for an American spy by the

farm workers who saw him landing. But soon they understood

who he was, helped take off his fl ight suit and connected him

by telephone with Moscow. He was greeted with the full pomp

fi rst at Vnukovo Airport then on Red Square by First Secre-

tary Nikita Khrushchev and Soviet offi cials. His family was

brought to Moscow and also met their hero son.

The foreign press wrote that the handsome Russian man

with the big smile had become a poster boy for the Communist

world.

After his short orbital fl ight, Yuri Gagarin spent almost two

years visiting all the countries and cities he had seen from

space. The fi rst country was Czechoslovakia, then Poland. In

his traveling party were two Russian journalists and Ye.Karpov,

who was responsible for preparing future cosmonauts.

His next trip was to Finland. He was heartily welcomed by

the leaders of the countries and ordinary people. Once our Bal-tika cruise arrived in London, we discovered that it coincided

with Gagarin’s visit, fi rst to Manchester, then to the British

capital. Her Majesty Queen Elisabeth II invited her Soviet cos-

monaut guest for breakfast at Buckingham Palace. The whole

large square and all approaches to the palace were overcrowd-

ed. As the press reported later, the Queen was delighted with

Gagarin’s manners and sense of humour.

61English


TEXTS FOR READING

Yuri Gagarin had a talent to socialize both with VIPs and

with common people. His next country was Cuba. Castro re-

ceived Gagarin on Revolutionary Square, where one million

people gathered. The Cuban leader spoke for more than three

hours thanking Yuri for visiting Cuba. Fidel decorated the fi rst

cosmonaut with the Order of Playa Girón, the highest order of

Cuba. The next country was Brazil.

During his good-will trips, Yuri gave thousands of auto-

graphs. In 1961–1963, the name Yuri was very popular among

young people; for many years mothers would give this name

to their newborn sons.

Once our ship called at Gibraltar. On the High Street we

saw a small shop with Gagarin’s portrait on its door. We came

across the same kind of stores in the Canary Islands: Tenerife

and Gran Canaria.

Gagarin served as the people’s ambassador. He inspired

people in big and small countries to read more and study

the Russian culture and language. He visited India, Ceylon,

Greece, Egypt, and Austria. Everywhere he went, he made

friends and left good impressions.

In 1965, I was once more in close proximity. He was invited

to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Saratov Industrial College

and the opening of the Gagarin Museum (accommodated thus

far in one room). Its director, Vladimir Rossoshansky, was a

former history teacher and asked me to translate some arti-

cles about Yuri Gagarin from the English-language media for

him. He invited me to the museum to meet our dear guest. I

was looking forward to seeing Gagarin and wanted to tell him

about his great popularity among foreign passengers and peo-

ple of diff erent countries.

In the French port of Le Havre, a local football stadium was

named after Yuri Gagarin. They produced wine called, Yuri

Gagarin and stuck a portrait with the smiling face of the fi rst

cosmonaut on each bottle. We knew that Yuri returned home to

the USSR and graduated from the Air Force Academy named

after Zhukovsky and that he was now a family man with two

daughters. And he was in charge of preparing future cosmo-

nauts.

He entered the room and recognized me. We shook hands.

Together with Yuri, a lot of people entered the museum room

trying to speak to him. I managed to ask him only one ques-

tion: “Which country you have visited impressed you most of

all?” “Sri Lanka” he replied at once.

I continued my work on Baltika and it was there that we

heard over the radio the shocking news that Yuri Gagarin was

killed in a jet training accident. It happened on 27 March 1968.

The following year we were cruising in the Indian Ocean and

had to call at Colombo, the biggest port of Sri Lanka. I recol-

lected the words of the cosmonaut’s valued visit.

The ship’s agent told me that three famous Russians had

visited his country: Tsar Nicholas I, Anton Chekhov and Yuri

Gagarin. As a guest of honour, the Sri Lankan government

asked Gagarin to plant a tree in the botanical garden. The park

was set up in the 14th century and is located in Kandy. It is

located about 100 km from the port. The botanical garden is

a traditional place for walking, having picnics, and observing

the beautiful fl owers.

We found Gagarin’s tree easily. A beautiful young girl in

a white dress and a handsome young man in a light suit were

strolling in front of us. “After Gagarin planted his tree on a

green lawn this place became a magnet for young people in

love after signing their marriage contract,” we were told.

And here is the tree. It was one and a half meters tall with

a light trunk and three ramifi ed crowns. Below them on the

trunk there was a wooden plate with inscriptions in English

and Singalese: “The fi rst cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin planted this

tree December 9, 1961”. I copied the Latin name of the tree in

my notebook: Saraca Thaipingenais.

The name of the fi rst cosmonaut is well-known to all man-

kind. In 1968, Gagarin’s native town Gzhatsk (Smolensk

oblast) was renamed Gagarin in his honour. Many cities in

Russia have Gagarin Streets. In Moscow, a tall monument was

erected in honour of Yuri Gagarin on Leninsky Prospect. Ga-

garin Library hosts a permanent exhibition on literature de-

voted to the fi rst cosmonaut.

The most important landmarks are in Saratov. There he was

a student of the Industrial College, joined Saratov Local Flying

School, and that was where he was called to the Army and sent

to Orenburg to become a military pilot.

Gagarin returned to earth from space on the left bank of the

Volga River not far from his college. His landing site became

a place of pilgrimage for all those living in Saratov and visi-

tors from other regions and countries. All cruising river ships

calling at Saratov include a visit to Gagarin People’s Museum.

And recently, Saratov Airport was renamed after Gagarin.

By Evgeny Kunitsyn,former purser m/s Baltika

Photo courtesy of the author.

Monument to Yu.Gagarin. Saratov

« »

*

PRAYER FOR GOOD HUMORBy Sir Thomas More

Grant me, oh Lord, good digestion,

and also something to digest.

Grant me a healthy body, and

the necessary good humor to maintain it.

Grant me a simple soul that knows

to treasure all that is good

and that doesn’t frighten easily at the sight of evil,

but rather fi nds the means to put things

back in their place.

Give me a soul that knows not boredom,

grumbles, sighs, and laments,

nor excess of stress, because of that

obstructing thing called “I.”

Grant me O Lord, a good sense of humor,

Allow me the grace to be able to take a joke

to discover in life a bit of joy,

and to be able to share it with others.

Amen.

АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК

No.9–10 - magzDB

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Transcript of No.9–10 - magzDB