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Listen&Learn: The Divine Comedy

1st December 2023 by Jaksyn Peacock
Statue of Dante Alighieri

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • divine: relating to a god or religion
  • comedy: a play or story with a happy ending, especially one that uses humour
  • afterlife: the world people go to after they die
  • contribution: something important that someone does for a cause or project
  • theology: the study of religion and belief
  • dialect: a version of a language that is spoken in a specific area
  • bold: brave, daring

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

The Divine Comedy is an epic by Italian writer Dante Alighieri. It was written in the early 1300s, in three books. Dante originally called his work Commedia. He used the word comedy to mean a story with a happy . The poem follows a fictionalized version of Dante as he through the different parts of the Christian afterlife. Throughout his journey, Dante receives guidance from the ancient Roman poet Virgil, as well as a woman named Beatrice, who is likely inspired by a real woman from Dante’s life. The poem is famous for its contributions to theology, but also to . During Dante’s time, poets in many parts of Europe wrote exclusively in Latin. Dante’s choice to write The Divine Comedy in his local Tuscan dialect was bold and . His work helped create the standard language spoken by Italians today.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

  1. Dante originally called his work
    a. Divina
    b. Commedia
    c. Tragedia
  2. In the story, the ancient poet Dante receives guidance from is
    a. Virgil
    b. Homer
    c. Ovid
  3. The language Dante wrote the poem in was
    a. Latin
    b. Greek
    c. Italian

Discussion/essay questions

  1. Is there an author or poet who has made great contributions to your language? Who are they? What are some of their most famous works?

Transcript

The Divine Comedy is an epic poem by Italian writer Dante Alighieri. It was written in the early 1300s, in three books. Dante originally called his work Commedia. He used the word comedy to mean a story with a happy ending. Publishers later added the word “divine” to describe the subject matter. The poem follows a fictionalized version of Dante as he travels through the different parts of the Christian afterlife. Throughout his journey, Dante receives guidance from the ancient Roman poet Virgil, as well as a woman named Beatrice, who is likely inspired by a real woman from Dante’s life. The poem is famous for its contributions to theology, but also to language. During Dante’s time, poets in many parts of Europe wrote exclusively in Latin. Dante’s choice to write The Divine Comedy in his local Tuscan dialect was bold and unusual. His work helped create the standard language spoken by Italians today.

Answers to comprehension questions

1b 2a 3c

Listen&Learn: Ulysses

20th September 2023 by Jaksyn Peacock

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • reputation: a widely believed idea about something
  • epic poem: a long poem that tells an adventurous story
  • stream of consciousness: a style of storytelling that mimics the randomness of real thoughts
  • parody: to make fun of something by imitating it
  • genre: a category of books, such as fantasy or romance
  • contrast: a clear difference between two things
  • compelling: interesting; captivating

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

Ulysses is a novel written by Irish author James Joyce. It was originally in small sections in magazines. The full novel was later published in 1922. Ulysses has a reputation for being difficult to , because its structure is very unique. It uses many of storytelling, including scripts and streams of consciousness. It also parodies different genres of fiction. Joyce even created a guide to understanding the different themes in each section of the story. The narrative and are inspired by the Odyssey, Homer’s epic poem. However, Ulysses is set in 20th-century Ireland, and the events of the book take place during a single day. Ulysses remains famous for the contrast between its epic structure and its compelling story about everyday life.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

  1. Ulysses was originally published as
    a. a script for a play
    b. a full novel
    c. small sections in magazines
  2. Ulysses is inspired by the epic poem
    a. the Odyssey
    b. the Iliad
    c. the Aeneid
  3. The events of Ulysses take place during one
    a. day
    b. year
    c. hour

Discussion/essay questions

  1. Do you prefer realistic or adventurous stories? Why?

Transcript

Ulysses is a novel written by Irish author James Joyce. It was originally published in small sections in magazines. The full novel was later published in 1922. Ulysses has a reputation for being difficult to understand, because its structure is very unique. It uses many styles of storytelling, including scripts and streams of consciousness. It also parodies different genres of fiction. Joyce even created a guide to understanding the different themes in each section of the story. The narrative and characters are inspired by the Odyssey, Homer’s ancient epic poem. However, Ulysses is set in 20th-century Ireland, and the events of the book take place during a single day. Ulysses remains famous for the contrast between its epic structure and its compelling story about everyday life.

Answers to comprehension questions

1c 2a 3a

Listen&Learn: The Epic of Gilgamesh

12th July 2023 by Jaksyn Peacock

Pre-listening vocabulary

  • narrative poem: a long story written in verse
  • compose: to create something
  • tablet: a piece of clay or stone that is used to write on
  • contribute: to help accomplish something
  • eternal: lasting forever
  • mortality: the idea that all living things will eventually die

Listening activity

Gapfill exercise

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an narrative poem. It is the oldest written narrative that has ever been found. Some of the individual that make up the poem were composed as early as 2100 B.C.E. The complete poem was later written on clay tablets in Akkadian, a language of ancient Mesopotamia. There is no known author. Many people likely contributed to the story over many years. The poem follows the long journey of a who searches for the secret to eternal life. The Epic of Gilgamesh has influenced literary works in many different . In fact, stories from The Epic of Gilgamesh can also be found in literature from later in , such as Homer’s epics and the Bible.

Comprehension questions

See answers below

  1. The complete poem was first written in
    a. Akkadian
    b. Sumerian
    c. Greek
  2. The poem was written by
    a. Homer
    b. Gilgamesh himself
    c. an unknown author, possibly multiple
  3. In the story, Gilgamesh is primarily searching for
    a. true love
    b. wealth
    c. eternal life

Discussion/essay questions

  1. The Epic of Gilgamesh deals with the theme of mortality. This has continued to be a common theme in literature throughout history. Why do you think death is such an important focus of stories?

Transcript

The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient narrative poem. It is the oldest written narrative that has ever been found. Some of the individual stories that make up the poem were composed as early as 2100 B.C.E. The complete poem was later written on clay tablets in Akkadian, a language of ancient Mesopotamia. There is no known author. Many people likely contributed to the story over many years. The poem follows the long journey of a king who searches for the secret to eternal life. The Epic of Gilgamesh has influenced literary works in many different cultures. In fact, stories from The Epic of Gilgamesh can also be found in literature from later in history, such as Homer’s epics and the Bible.

Answers to comprehension questions

1a 2c 3c