LIGHT UP YOUR CLASSES WITH A BIT OF LIT
by Annabel Fernandez.
ABSTRACT
This article explores why literary texts should be used in the EFL
classroom and explores its benefits. A methodological framework will
be examined and a set of activities is presented. The set consists of five
contemporary and authentic literary texts with activities designed for
teenage and adult EFL students at an early to mid-intermediate level
and includes: a short story, two extracts from novels and two poems.
The author will finally suggest that using literature can be highly
motivating for EFL students as well as a springboard for creative
writing and personal enrichment.
INTRODUCTION: Why use literature in EFL?
Reading has a strong positive impact on second language development (Lao &
Krashen 2000), especially free reading and students who report more free reading
achieve higher levels of competence in second language acquisition.
Literary works provide authentic components of language and if we direct
classroom activities to the unconscious acquisition of language rather than the
conscious learning of the rules (Krashen, 1997) we find in literature meaningful
memorable contexts for processing and interpreting new language (Lazar, 1994).
Literature can provide good opportunities for extensive and intensive reading.
Also it is good for practicing reading subskills including skimming, scanning, and
finding the main ideas. Reading in literature is a combination of reading for
enjoyment and reading for information (Khatib, 2011a).
It can be a source for language practise in the other skills as well: literature shows
to set a good ground for creative activities for writing practice (Khatib, 2011a). For
speaking purposes, the events in a poem, novel, or short story can be associated
with the learners’ own experience in real life. Such a practice paves the way for hot
topics for discussion in language classes. Having the students freely reflect on the
events and having them critically comment is also facilitative for advancing
speaking proficiency (Khatib, 2011a).
For listening purposes, the learners can be exposed to the audio versions of the
poems, short stories, or novels. Also the musical elements in poetry stimulate the
learners’ desire for approximating their speaking patterns to the native speaker
norms by adhering to the principles of rhythm, rhyme, and intonation. Students in
the 21st century live in a digital age, dominated by ICT tools which provide
immediate short-term gratification and in general do not demand sustained
concentration. On the other hand, reading literary texts requires concentration
over a period of time, hard work from the reader and considerable patience
(Carter & Long, 1991). If as EFL teachers we are to engage our digital age students
in reading and enjoying literature we may as well use ICT tools to our advantage
and present literary texts broadcast on YouTube, poems accessed through
websites (Sivaplan, 2009) like the Poetry Archive (www.poetryarchive.org) or
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short-stories presented on computer game video clip format. Many of these
activities show that poetry, or literature at large, can be a collaborative medium
which can be co-authored, slammed, recorded or filmed by makers working
together in the same real or virtual space (Dymoke & Hughes, 2009).
The use of literature can also inspire students to take risks with the target
language, enrich their vision, fostering critical thinking, stimulating their creativity
and promote their greater cultural tolerance and sensitivity (Wen Su, 2010). As
literature abounds in imaginative language it provides students with a context to
engage emotionally with the language and nourish their capacity for imaginative
and expressive use of language by giving them agency and voice
(Sivasubramaniam, 2006).
METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO USING LITERATURE IN THE EFL
It is essential for teachers to choose an approach to help us develop our own
classroom materials and for using these materials in a way that is relevant to our
students (Lazar, 1993).
The three main approaches to teaching literature (Carter & Long, 1991) differ in
terms of their focus on the text. The first approach regards the text as a cultural
artefact; in the second the text is used as a focus for grammatical and structural
analysis and for the third approach the text is the stimulus for personal growth
activities (Khahib, 2011b).
1- THE CULTURAL MODEL
This model represents the traditional approach to teaching literature, it requires
learners to explore and interpret the social, literary and historical context of a
specific text. It is teacher centred and has been largely rejected by TEFL. (Carter &
Long, 1991).
2- THE LANGUAGE MODEL
This is the most common approach to literature in the TEFL enables the learners to
access a text in a systematic and methodical way in order to exemplify specific
linguistic features (Carter & Long, 1991). This approach lends itself well to the
repertoire of strategies used in language teaching-cloze procedure, prediction
exercises. (Savvidou, 2004).
3. THE PERSONAL GROWTH MODEL
It focuses on the particular use of language in a text and placing it in a specific
cultural context. Students are encouraged to express their opinions and feelings to
make connections between their own personal and cultural experiences and those
in the text. Learners are encouraged to express their opinions, feelings and make
connections between their personal experiences and those expressed in the text
(Savvidou, 2004).
4. AN INTEGRATED APPROACH
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These models are necessarily abstractions and ideal types but in reality there is a
greater overlap between the models and this is what I aim to do here, to advocate
for an approach that integrates the three models. An integrated approach stresses
that literature in a EFL classroom can make the learning experience much more
enjoyable and stimulating than classroom instruction that requires mere
acquisition of the linguistic component of the text (Savvidou, 2004). This approach
therefore contributes to students’ personal development and it enhances their
cultural awareness and develops their language skills. Students are encouraged to
articulated their thoughts and feelings on texts and explore why they responded as
they did.
As Gillian Lazar (Lazar, 1999) explains:
“By exposing students to the rich language of the text, we can
expand their language awareness, their overall knowledge of
how words and grammar can be used. By presenting students
with the complex themes in the literary text we can motivate
them to reflect imaginatively on their own experience and on
that of writers in different societies. By gently encouraging them
to make their own interpretations of a text, we can develop their
confidence in forming well-reasoned interpretations of the
language that they read and hear”
LITERATURE AS A RESOURCE: A SET OF ACTIVITIES:
The EFL set I have prepared consists of a collection of activities that revolve
around 5 authentic contemporary literary texts: including 2 poems, 2 excerpts
from novels and 1 short story. My choice was less concerned with evaluating the
“aesthetic merits of texts” and view literature with a small “l” rather than with a
capital “L” (McRae, 1991). Therefore I chose texts that can be stimulating for
students and that can be read between the lines. I also bore in mind the language
difficulty factor because access is restricted if students cannot attain a basic level
of comprehension and as a general rule it is better to choose texts which are not
too far beyond their normal reading comprehension (Carter & Long, 1991).
Another key factor for my choice of texts was access on an experiential level, that
is, students need to be able to identify with the experiences, thoughts and
situations depicted in the text to be able to discover the kind of pleasure and
enjoyment that comes from making the text their own knowledge of themselves
and of the world that they inhabit. The themes of the texts chosen are: love and
loss, sadness over a deprived childhood, racial, sexual and aesthetical
discrimination, everyday pleasures and dreams.
The extracts from novels are both letters, one is from “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank
McCourt and the other one from “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert both novels
have been made into films. Students enjoy watching a film and it is more likely for
them to have seen the film version of a book than it is for them to have read the
text so it is engaging and motivating to appeal to texts they have had access to
outside the EFL classroom. If the text is difficult students may find than the film is a
superb way in, (Carter & Long, 1991), however in the activities I have designed
case I have just used the film trailers a lead-in activity into the text.
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However here the film trailers are used as an aid in language teaching but I do not
dispense with the text but supplement the study of the printed version. I also use
two captions of the film “Pretty Woman” to make students think on a deeper level
of the narrative voice of Grace Nichols’ poem “The Fat Black Woman goes shopping”
and to foster group discussion.
Listening to a recording or watching a video clip of a literary work may certainly
be stimulating for some students and I have used Dorothea Grossman’s reading of
her own poem “Future Past” and a film that illustrates Dan Rhodes’ short story
“Toy”. Though watching and listening can be a passive process, (Carter & Long,
1991), reading a literary work is certainly not passive, and though reading
literature may be harder it is part of the learning process and, hopefully, a
pleasure. However in this process of discovery the audio and video feature of the
literary texts help me to capture students attention and interest and then allows
me to move on to work on the literary texts.
This set of activities is designed to be used with teenage and adult EFL in 2nd and
3rd level at EOIs, so at a pre-intermediate to intermediate level. There is practice
for the four skills and for what John McRae calls the fifth skill: thinking.
Following Lazar guidelines (Lazar, 1999) I have prepared different type of
activities and for every text and there are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Warm-up activities
Vocabulary activities
Comprehension activities,
Activities concerning the language of the text
Activities to encourage inference and interpretation
Activities to encourage creative writing
The questions posed are aimed at different levels of understanding of the texts, and
they range from low-order to high-order and they try to help students work out for
themselves what the texts mean. There are language-based vocabulary activities to
help them deal with texts and encourage them to find the meaning of words from
context. On the one hand there are factual reading comprehension activities that
focus on the factual meaning of the text and on the other hand there are activities
concerning the language of the text which focus on the linguistic and literary
qualities of the text: unusual uses of collocation, binary oppositions, figurative
language, rhyme and style….There are activities designed to encourage inference
and interpretation, to make students reflect on their own experiences in
connection with the texts.
Finally creative response activities are designed to encourage students to take
risks and play with the language creatively and imaginatively (McRae, 1991) either
speaking or writing. If we regard creative writing as the production of texts which
have an aesthetic rather than a purely informative, instrumental or pragmatic
purpose (Maley,2009). One of the main feature of creative writing texts “is a
playful engagement with language, stretching and testing its rules to the limit in a
guilt-free atmosphere, where risk is encouraged” (Maley, 2009).
Creative writing puts the emphasis on the right side of the brain, with a focus on
feelings, physical sensations, intuition and musicality which is a healthy
restoration of the balance between logical and intuitive faculties (Maley, 2009) and
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it increases students’ self-confidence and self-esteem because they discover things
for themselves about the language and about themselves too (Maley, 2009).
In a nutshell, these activities are designed to help students discover the kind of
pleasure and enjoyment which comes from making a text their own and to create
conditions under which students can develop genuine response to literary texts. As
Elliott (Elliott, 1999) points out
“My feeling is that literature can only be understood if the student
develops literary competence. The exact nature of this competence
is hard to define but it must intricately involved with reader’s
response.”
WRAPPING IT UP: A conclusion.
After working with my students with this set of activities I can conclude that
literature provides a motivating drive for language learning and teaching due to its
spectacular features not readily found in any other texts (Khabib, 2011a).
Literature as an EFL resource is a priceless pedagogic tool and the more it is used
in ELT the more students will be able to acquire literary competence, use their
critical skills, grow personally and gain both systematic knowledge of the language
and meanings interpreted. Furthermore it develops EFL students’ motivation in
learning English and in reading literature and it enhances the enjoyment of reading
in English.
Students showed deep personal involvement with the texts, engaging
imaginatively with literature and shifting the focus of their attention beyond the
more mechanical aspects of the foreign language system and interpretations
(Sivasubramaniam, 2006). The creative writing texts I corrected were rich,
interesting and genuinely enjoyable to read possibly the best pieces of writing I
have ever come across.
As EFL teachers we can use our particular stage to promote interest on reading
and literature and its wealth, in the belief that literature provides language
learners with highly motivational material of an incomparably rich nature (Elliot
1990). Probably the key to success in using literature in the EFL classroom
depends on the works selected and in working in “a communicative and interactive
way which involve students experiencing language, playing with language,
analysing language, responding to language and enjoying language” (O’Sullivan,
1991). Last but not least, another key component which underlies students’
successful engagement with the literature in EFL is teachers’ enthusiasm for it and
their ability to convey this enthusiasm to students and to help them respond with
the same enjoyment and pleasure. Motivated teachers can be highly motivating for
their students.
Furthermore I believe that we as teachers should engage with extensive and
intensive reading ourselves and in the same spirit in creative writing , (Maley,
2009),. The benefits of teachers participating in creative writing are remarkable: it
keeps our English fresh and vibrant and it has an effect on the writer’s level of
energy in general (Maley, 2009) and this inevitably impacts on our relationships
with students. I think it is worth embarking on this journey that is rewarded with
motivated and therefore motivating teachers, motivating classes and motivated
students.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Akyel, A., & Yalcdin, E. (1990). Literature in the EFL classes: A study of goal
achievement incongruence. ELT Journal, 44.
Carter, Ronald & Long, Michael. (1991). Teaching Literature, Longman.
Duff, Alan and Alan Maley. (1990). Literature, Oxford University Press.
Dymoke, Sue & Hughes, Janette (2009). Using a poetry wiki: How can the medium
support pre-service teachers of English in their professional learning about writing
poetry and teaching poetry writing in a digital age?. English Teaching: Practice and
Critique December, 2009, Volume 8, Number 3
Elliott, Roger. (1990). Encouraging reader-response to literature in ESL situations,
ELT Journal.
Hae-Ri Kim. (2003). Literature circles in EFL curricula: Establishing a framework.
The English Teacher. XXXII, 1-15
Khatib, M., Rezaei, S., Derakhshan, A. (2011a). Literature in EFL/ESL Classroom.
English Language Teaching Journal 4(1)
Khatib, M., Rezaei, S., Derakhshan, A. (2011b). Why & Why Not Literature: A TaskBased Approach to Teaching Literature. International Journal of English Linguistics
1 (1)
Krashen, Stephen. D. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition.
Oxford: Pergamon Press.
Krashen, Stephen. D. (1985). The input hypothesis: Issues and implications. Harlow:
Longman.
Lazar, Gillian. (1993). Literature and Language Teaching: A Guide for Teachers and
Trainers, Cambridge Teacher Training and Development.
Lazar, Gillian. (1994). Using literature at lower levels. ELTJournal,48(2),
Lazar, Gillian. (1999). A window on literature, Cambridge University Press.
Maley, Alan. (2009). Creative Writing for language learners and teachers, British
Council.
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/creative-writinglanguage-learners-teachers.
Mason, B. & Krashen, S. (1997). Extensive reading in English as a foreign language.
System, 25(1), 91-102.
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McRae, J. (1991). Literature with a small ‘l’. London: Macmillan.
McRae, John.(1999) Now Read on. London: Routledge.
O’Sullivan, Radhika. (1991). Literature in the Language Classroom, The English
Teacher Vol XX October.
Savvidou, Christine. (2004) An Integrated Approach to Teaching Literature in the
EFL Classroom, The Internet TESL Journal.
Shanahan, D. (1997). Articulating the relationship between language and culture:
Toward a new agenda for foreign language teaching and research. The Modern
Language Journal, 81(11).
Sivapalan, Subarna and Wan Ahmad , Wan Fatimah and Ishak, Nur Khairun Nisya
(2009) A web-based multimedia approach to literature in Malaysian Secondary
Schools: Design and learning preferences. In: 18TH Melta International Conference,
June 11-13, 2009, Johor Bahru
Sivasubramaniam, Sivakumar. (2006). Promoting the Prevalence of Literature in the
Practice of Foreign and Second Language Education: Issues and Insights Asian EFL
Journal, Volume 8, Number 4 254.
Wen Su, Shao. (2010). Motivating and Justifiable: Teaching Western Literature to
EFL Students at a University of Science and Technology. TESL-EJ, 14.1.
7
ANGELA’S ASHES by Frank McCourt
WARMING UP




What school did you use to go to as a child? Did you have
Religious Education as a subject?
Were you baptized? Did you learn the Catechism? Did you do
the Communion and Confirmation?
What kind of written assignments were you given at school?
Did you enjoy them? What did you like writing about best?
Where did you grow up? What was the weather like?
ABOUT THE BOOK
Angela's Ashes is Frank McCourt's autobiographical novel told from his own
point-of-view as a child. Because of this perspective, the novel is often as funny as
it is tragic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzAyZygyfjo
VOCABULARY
Match the words with their definitions below:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Manna
Fists
Consumption
Damp
A) a hand with the fingers and thumb held tightly in
B) slightly wet, especially in a way that is not pleasant or comfortable
C) (in the Bible) a food which dropped from heaven and prevented
Moses and his people from dying of hunger in the desert
D) old-fashioned for tuberculosis
8
READING AN EXTRACT
JESUS AND THE WEATHER
This is my composition. I don't think Jesus Who is Our Lord would have liked the weather
in Limerick because it's always raining and the Shannon keeps the whole city damp. My
father says the Shannon is a killer river because it killed my two brothers. When you look
at pictures of Jesus He's always wandering around ancient Israel in a sheet. It never rains
there and you never hear of anyone coughing or getting consumption or anything like
that and no one has a job there because all they do is stand around and eat manna and
shake their fists and go to crucifixions.
Anytime Jesus got hungry all He had to do was go up the road to a fig tree or an orange
tree and have His fill. If He wanted a pint He could wave His hand over a big glass and
there was the pint. Or He could visit Mary Magdalene and her sister, Martha, and they'd
give Him His dinner no questions asked and He'd get his feet washed and dried with Mary
Magdalene's hair while Martha washed the dishes, which I don't think is fair. Why should
she have to wash the dishes while her sister sits out there chatting away with Our Lord?
It's a good thing Jesus decided to be born Jewish in that warm place because if he was
born in Limerick he'd catch the consumption and be dead in a month and there wouldn't
be any Catholic Church and there wouldn't be any Communion or Confirmation and we
wouldn't have to learn the catechism and write compositions about Him.
The End.
READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISES
1. In the text there is a clear contrast between life in Ancient Israel and life in
Limerick in the 1940s. Classify the words used to describe each place:
LIMERICK
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
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ANCIENT ISRAEL
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
2. What are the connotations linked to each place?
3. What has the writer chosen to focus on and why?
4. What is the relationship of character to place?
5. What does the extract suggest about the story?
6. Write your own composition from the perspective of an eight-year-old
explaining how your childhood was affected by the place and the time you
were brought up in. Make it as humorous as you can.
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“The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping”
by Grace Nichols
Shopping in London winter
is a real drag for the fat black woman
going from store to store
in search of accommodating clothes
and the weather so cold
Look at the frozen thin mannequins
fixing her with grin
and the pretty face salesgals
exchanging slimming glances
thinking she don’t notice
Lord is aggravating
Nothing soft and bright and billowing
to flow like breezy sunlight
when she walking
The fat black woman curses in Swahili/Yoruba
and nation language under her breathing
all this journeying and journeying
The fat black woman could only conclude
that when it come to fashion
the choice is lean
Nothing much beyond size 14
“The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping” by Grace Nichols
WARM UP ACTIVITY
STUDENT B
•
When was the last time you went shopping for clothes?
•
What did you buy?
•
Did you try it on? Was it the right size?
•
Was the shop assistant helpful? Why/not?
•
Do you enjoy shopping for clothes? Why/not?
READING ACTIIVTY
Jigsaw reading. Your partner has the first half of the poem and you have the second
one. Explain to each other in your own words what the text is about.
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Shopping in London winter
is a real drag for the fat black woman
going from store to store
in search of accommodating clothes
and de weather so cold
Look at the frozen thin mannequins
fixing her with grin
and de pretty face salesgals
exchanging slimming glances
thinking she don’t notice
Lord is aggravating
GRACE NICHOLS
SPEAKING
Ask each other questions about their picture to find similarities and differences
between both pictures.
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“The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping” by Grace Nichols
WARM UP ACTIVITY
STUDENT A
•
When was the last time you went shopping for clothes?
•
What did you buy?
•
Did you try it on? Was it the right size?
•
Was the shop assistant helpful? Why/not?
•
Do you enjoy shopping for clothes? Why/not?
READING ACTIVITY
Jigsaw reading. Your partner has the first half of the poem and you have the
second one. Explain to each other in your own words what the text is about.
Nothing soft and bright and billowing
to flow like breezy sunlight
when she walking
The fat black woman curses in
Swahili/Yoruba
and nation language under her breathing
all this journeying and journeying
The fat black woman could only conclude
that when it come to fashion
the choice is lean
Nothing much beyond size 14
GRACE NICHOLS
SPEAKING
Ask each other questions about their picture to find similarities and differences
between both pictures.
13
“The Fat Black Woman Goes Shopping” by Grace Nichols
READING ACTIVITIES
2.
In the poem there is a clear contrast between Britain
and British women and the Fat Black Woman and
her country of origin. Classify words that are
connected to each of these ideas:
BRITAIN
______________________
______________________
______________________
BLACK WOMAN
________________________
________________________
________________________
BRITISH WOMEN
______________________
______________________
______________________
BLACK WOMAN’S COUNTRY
________________________
________________________
________________________
3.
In the poem you will find examples of “Patwa” English, an English-lexified
creole language with West African influences spoken primarily in Jamaica.
Write down a few examples.
4.
Yoruba and Swahili are spoken in the countries coloured in yellow in the
maps below. Do you think the Fat Black Woman is from any of those
countries? Who may think so, and why?
14
5. Does the fat black woman enjoy shopping? Find evidence in the text that
backs up your answer.
6. Student A watches a clip and describes what he/she sees to Student B. Now
swap Student B watches another clip and describes it. Together find the
differences and similarities between both clips.
CLIP 1:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed7C3gAXQNA&feature=related
CLIP 2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTtVVHg41kU&feature=related
7. Do you think the Fat Black woman’s shopping experience in London would
have been different if she were:
a) Slim and pretty
a) A rich black woman
b) A black man
b) A White woman
In pairs discuss how and why.
6.
What do you think are the implications of the line “Lord is aggravating”?
Who is he aggravating with and why?
7.
In the book “The Beauty Myth” Naomi Wolf (b.1962) states that
Contemporary standards of feminine beauty have devolved to a point that
can only be described as anorexic, and America’s young women are paying
the price through a near epidemic of bulimia and anorexia. The most
effective way to combat this epidemic, Wolf argues, is to show how what we
call “beautiful” is a cultural myth that has been framed for certain purposesessentially, Wolf believes, to keep women under control by imprisoning
them in their bodies. Do you agree or disagree with her views?
8.
Do you feel beauty is an important asset in our society? Have you ever been
discriminated against for not being “beautiful” enough? Do you know
anybody who has experienced it? Do you know anybody who suffers from
any eating disorders? How long have they been in this situation? What do
you think are the roots of this growing social epidemic?
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FUTURE PAST by Dorothea Grossman
PRE-READING TASKS
1) This is the first line of a poem by contemporary American write Dorothea
Grossman, how would you finish this sentence yourself?
If I had stayed asleep I would have missed
…………………………………………………..………….…………………………………………………….
2) Did you write something ordinary or extraordinary? Ask around and found out
what other people in class answered and write down the two you like the most.
If _________ had stayed asleep he/she would have missed
…………………………………………………..………….…………………………………………………….
If _________ had stayed asleep he/she would have missed
……………………………………………………………...…………………………………………………….
If _________ had stayed asleep he/she would have missed
………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………..….
3) The line can be read as an invitation to become aware of what is really important
in life or just finding pleasure in simple, everyday acts. Complete the second line of the
poem with basic ordinary things that you find enjoyable to do:
The fun of ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
The fun of ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
The fun of ……………………………………………………………………………………………….
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WHILE READING
Now have a listen to the poem and complete the gaps with one of the words
provided below:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/audioitem.html?id=2174
From min 4:33 to 4:45
Dreams
English
satisfaction
speaking
If I had stayed asleep
I would have missed the fun of _____________ ______________
The quiet ______________ of appointments kept
The way ____________ change when you try to describe them
Dorothea Grossman
AFTER READING
1. Where you surprised by the poet’s choice? Is speaking English good fun to
you? Why/not?
2. Do you usually describe your dreams? Why/not? If you do, who do you
describe your dreams? Is it an easy thing to do?
3. Do you think the attempt to describe a dream changes or spoils it?
Why/not?
17
“Toy” by Dan Rhodes
Dan Rhodes was born in England in 1972 and he has published
two collections of short fiction: Anthropology: And a Hundred
Other Stories (2000), which contains very short stories about
WARM UP:
 Do you like playing computer games? Do you have a Nintendo, a
Wii or a PSP?
 Which are your favourite games?
 Do you usually play computer games by yourself? With friends,
family, boyfriends or girlfriends?
 How often do you play computer games? When do you play them?
THE FILM
Now you are going to watch a film which illustrates a short story by Dan
Rhodes in a Grafik Magazine DVD – 'Sound and Vision'.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=toys+dan+rhodes
&aq=f
18
LISTENING COMPREHENSION
1. What is the story about?
2. Is it a happy or sad one? Why?
3.
What games does the narrator play in the story?
4.
How does the narrator feel at the end of the story?
5.
Now listen again and fill in the gaps below with the missing words:
“On the last day of our relationship my girlfriend brought toys. I
had no idea our ______________ had ended and was ______________ to
join her in a Connect 4 contest. “It’s over” she told me, halfway
through the game. “What’s over?” I asked, happy to be having so
much fun. “You and me” she replied ______________ Connect 4 and
AstroWars. “I don’t want to see you anymore”. I tried to see how
much she was scoring but was ______________ by tears. I knew the
game just by listening I could tell she was doing very well.”
6.
There are many positive adjectives in the text to describe how the narrator
is feeling while playing the computer game, write them down:
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
7.
Is this the end of a happy relationship or of a failing one?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
8.
CREATIVE WRITING: Now you write a 101 word story about love starting
On the last day of my relationship…
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Eat, pray, love by Elizabeth Gilbert
PRE-READING ACTIVITY
In this autobiographical book Elizabeth Gilbert explains her travels to Italy, India,
and Indonesia after a traumatic divorce and a crushing depression resulting in
panic, confusion, and weight loss. This is the story of her travels and explorations
of three different cultures, in an effort to find balance in her life again. The book
has been adapted into a film. Watch the trailer to get a gist of what the story is
about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjay5vgIwt4
DISCUSS IN PAIRS
1. What was Elizabeth experiencing before she set off on her
journey?
2. How would you describe Elizabeth’s personality?
3. Have you ever had such a major life crisis? What started it?
How did you get over it?
4. Do you know anybody who is going through a similar
experience right now?
Dear God.
Please intervene and help end this divorce. My husband and I have failed at our
marriage and now we are failing at our divorce. This poisonous process is
bringing suffering to us and to everyone who cares about us.
I recognize that you are busy with wars and tragedies and much larger
conflicts than the ongoing dispute of one dysfunctional couple. But it is my
understanding that the health of the planet is affected by the health of every
individual on it. As long as even two souls are locked in conflict, the whole of
the world is contaminated by it. Similarly, if even one or two souls can be free
from discord, this will increase the general health of the whole world, the way
a few healthy cells in a body can increase the general health of that body.
It is my most humble request, then, that you help us end this conflict, so that
two more people can have the chance to become free and healthy, and so there
will be just a little bit less animosity and bitterness in a world that is already
far too troubled by suffering.
I thank you for your kind attention.
Respectfully,
Elizabeth M. Gilbert
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READING COMPREHENSION ACTIVITIES
5. What is the purpose of addressing her letter to God? What is her “humble
request”?
6. What does she think are the main things God should be dealing with?
VOCABULARY EXERCISES:
A) Match the following words which are used to describe her divorce with
their definitions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Animosity
Bitterness
Suffering
Poisonous
Failing
A) when you experience physical or
mental pain
B) very unpleasant and hurtful
C) an unpleasantly sharp taste
D) strong dislike, opposition, or
anger
E) a fault or weakness
B) In the text we find two parallels: one between wars in the World and the
narrator’s messy divorce and the other between a human body and our
planet, classify the words which are used to each category:
discord dysfunctional
healthy
soul
troubled
free
dispute
WARS / A DIFFICULT DIVORCE
A CONFLICT-FREE BODY / PLANET
CREATIVE WRITING
1. Write a letter to your divinity expressing the things you wish for.
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Biodata
Annabel Fernandez has been an EFL teacher for 14 years. She has taught EFL in private language schools, state
secondary schools and for the last seven years in Escoles Oficials d’Idiomes. She holds a BA in Sociology of
Education from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and spent a year in the University of East London where she
took Literature and Gender Studies subjects as part of her degree. Her main field of interest is innovative ways of
using literature in the teaching of EFL.
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