EnglishClub

Pre-listening vocabulary

• literature: written works, especially creative ones
• fiction: a type of literature that tells imagined stories
• traumatic: emotionally harmful
• censor: to remove parts of a book that might be offensive or uncomfortable
• controversial: causing many people to disagree with each other

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:17 — 1.2MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Toni Morrison was an American . She was born in 1931 in Lorain, Ohio, originally named Chloe Anthony Wofford. Morrison spent a lot of time around throughout her life. She studied literature in and later worked as a fiction editor at a publishing company. In 1970, Morrison published her first novel, The Bluest Eye. One of her later novels, Beloved, won multiple literary . Her stories often explored the traumatic of Black Americans in an uncensored way. This made her writing very controversial. However, in 1993, Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Morrison died in 2019, at age 88.

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”20815″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. Toni Morrison’s books are often banned even today. Why do you think people ban books?
2. Why is it so important to talk about censorship?

Transcript

Toni Morrison was an American author. She was born in 1931 in Lorain, Ohio, originally named Chloe Anthony Wofford. Morrison spent a lot of time around books throughout her life. She studied literature in university and later worked as a fiction editor at a publishing company. In 1970, Morrison published her first novel, The Bluest Eye. One of her later novels, Beloved, won multiple literary awards. Her stories often explored the traumatic experiences of Black Americans in an uncensored way. This made her writing very controversial. However, in 1993, Morrison won the Nobel Prize in Literature. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012. Morrison died in 2019, at age 88.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• dystopia: an oppressive society where people are treated badly
• utopia: a perfect world
• maintain: to keep something in its current state
• restrict: to stop people from doing or accessing something
• memory: something that is remembered from the past
• ban: to stop allowing something

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:07 — 1.0MB)

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Gapfill exercise

The Giver is a dystopian novel written by American Lois Lowry. It was published in 1993. The story follows a boy named Jonas who is growing up in a futuristic community. The community is supposed to be a utopia, without war, , or pain. However, it maintains by restricting choice and , and killing anyone who doesn’t fit in. When Jonas is 12 years old, he learns the truth about the community from a man called the Giver, who holds all the memories of the . The Giver is often taught in schools to older children and teenagers. However, it is also one of the most commonly banned books in the United States. 

Comprehension questions

[wp_quiz id=”20756″]

Discussion/essay questions

1. Why do you think The Giver is commonly banned?
2. Do you think there is ever a good reason to ban a book? Why or why not?

Transcript

The Giver is a dystopian novel written by American author Lois Lowry. It was published in 1993. The story follows a boy named Jonas who is growing up in a futuristic community. The community is supposed to be a utopia, without war, hunger, or pain. However, it maintains peace by restricting choice and knowledge, and killing anyone who doesn’t fit in. When Jonas is 12 years old, he learns the truth about the community from a man called the Giver, who holds all the memories of the past. The Giver is often taught in schools to older children and teenagers. However, it is also one of the most commonly banned books in the United States.