Yew Tree Beans Candle Scythe

Transcription

1 PROGRAMNR 51495/ra1 REALITY RADIO: DEATH General warm up 1. What do these things have in common? Yew Tree Beans Candle Scythe They are all symbols of death! Work with a partner and try to guess why these objects represent death. Here are some clues

2 One has to do with breath and the spirit One has to do with the soul One has to do with immortality One has to do with mortality 2. Look at the quotes about death in the student s book. Talk with a partner about them. Are they true? Are they rubbish? Are they difficult to understand? Programme tasks Fact Five 1. The following words are mentioned in the programme. Put them together into separate groups to complete the mind-map below: Burial Graveyard Urn Cemetery Gravestone Mourn Tomb Coffin Wail Ancestor Wake Relative Undertaker Crematorium Weep Wreath Morgue Grave digger Funeral EVENTS Funeral PEOPLE DEATH Weep PLACES 2. Was there any information in the programme that was new to you? After listening, talk with a partner about what you learnt.

3 Rough cuts Discuss in groups whether or not you agree with the people in the programme: 1. Bernard points out that people don t really talk about death in Sweden. Why do you think that is? Why is death sometimes a very taboo subject? 2. Why do you think that Bernard spoke more about life while talking about death? 3. Are you scared of death? 4. Do you agree that religion is an attempt to resolve questions about death? What comfort does it bring? 5. Do you believe in the afterlife or some kind of spirit world? How about ghosts? General thematic discussion 1. a) Some people do all they can to live longer and stay fit and healthy after the age of 100. What do you feel about this? Would you like to live to be over 100? b) A few people even think death can be avoided altogether with the right food and lifestyle. Would you like to live forever? What might be the interesting things about it? What problems might there be? 2. Many companies are now offering people the opportunity, at a very high price, to freeze and preserve their brains when they die in the hope that at some time in the future, doctors will be able to transplant it into a new body. The process is called Cryogenics. If you had the money, would you do this? Why/Why not? 3. Does it bother you how your body will be disposed of when you die? Why? Would you prefer to have a traditional burial, to be cremated, to be buried at sea or to be given an ecoburial (in which your coffin is frozen and then pulverised)? 4. Here are some famous people who have died in recent years. Did any of their deaths affect you? In what way? Princess Diana George Harrison The Pope Yasser Arafat Dolly the sheep Lisa Lefteye Lopes Anna Lindh Mother Teresa Project/writing ideas When doing your writing task, don t forget to try to recycle some of the words and expressions you worked with earlier on. 1. Undertaker s Monthly magazine is running a competition to find the best article describing an interesting funeral or death ritual. Do some research and write an article for the competition describing:

4 * the ritual and its history * the symbolism * any special clothing or items used * why you find it interesting Here are some ideas to inspire you: Obon (Buddhist) Dia de los muertos (Day of the Dead) Halloween New Orleans Jazz Funeral Cryogenics Additional wordlists and discussion topics can be found at the end of the programme script, which can be downloaded from

5 PROGRAMNR 51495/ra1 REALITY RADIO: DEATH Answers to exercise DEATH SYMBOLS The yew tree is the tree of death in ancient Europe, and is found in graveyards all over England. The berry of the yew is bright red, like blood, and seems to drip off the tree. It was also thought that each root of the tree grew out of the mouth of a body buried in the graveyard. Today, a relative of the European yew, Taxus brevifolia, provides a cancer medication called taxol and so, interestingly, a chance for life is emerging out of the tree of death. The scythe is the tool of the harvest, a symbol of the cycle of life and death. The Grim Reaper, named after this very process, is thought to reap, or harvest, the souls of the dead. He is always depicted carrying the tool of his trade. The Romans believed that the souls of the dead lived within the bean. Romans used beans as charms connected with the dead and used to spit them at ghosts as a charm against them. Because breath is the evidence of life, the eating of the bean and the flatulence it causes were thought to be proof that the living souls of the dead were trapped inside. The word for soul and breath were the same: anima, and the Swedish words are also closely related (in a rather charming way!) Additional wordlists and discussion topics can be found at the end of the programme script, which can be downloaded from