Halloween Resources For Teaching English

 

Easier

Halloween is a celebration on the night of October 31st. It is most popular in the United States and Canada. Children wear costumes and go to people's homes saying "Trick or treat!" to ask for candy, and people give it to them. The origin of this expressions means: "Give me a treat or I will play a trick on you."

For Christians it is the eve of All Saints' Day, which begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide. This covers the three days – October 31st (All-Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en), November 1st (All Saints) and November 2st (All Souls). All Hallows' is a Christianized holiday and originated in Ireland. It also has pagan roots.

Origins

Halloween originated from the ancient peoples, called the Celts, who lived in Ireland. The pagan holiday Samhain, which the All Saints holy day replaced, was also known as the Day of the Dead. It is the day that some believed the souls of dead people come back to Earth. Even though it celebrates the dead, this is a happy holiday because some of the souls will visit the homes of their family, and it is a time to remember and honor the dead.  Pope Gregory III originally designated Halloween on November 1 as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day included some of the traditions of Samhain.

After mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century, Halloween became a major holiday in America.

The pagan traditions of earlier times evolved into fun and games. For example, the theme of the dead returning to the Earth was replaced with stories about ghosts and the supernatural or fortune-telling, telling the future. Bobbing for apples became popular as a fortune-telling game on All Hallows' Eve: apples were selected to represent the men who wanted to marry a women, and the apple she bit into would supposedly represent her future husband.

Symbols

Symbols connected with Halloween developed with time. Jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkins with faces cut into them, are traditionally carried on All Hallows' Eve in order to scare evil spirits. Elements of the fall season, such as pumpkins, harvest, and scarecrows, are also common. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. Halloween imagery includes themes of death, evil, the supernatural and monsters. Black cats, which have long been connected with witches, are also a common symbol of Halloween. Black, and orange are Halloween's traditional colors.

Costumes

During Halloween some people, especially children, wear a costume. People have worn costumes at Halloween for centuries. Wearing a costume may come from Celtic festivals like Samhain and the Christian Allhallowtide.

Early costumes were usually scary. They were often supernatural beings or from folklore. In the 1930s costumes of characters from literature, radio, or movies became popular, and such costumes are also popular today. Scary costumes are still popular.

Games and Other Activities

In addition to trick-or-treating, there are several traditional activities related to Halloween.

In old times people would try to tell the future, especially to try to learn who they would marry.

People will make Jack-o-lanterns and place them in front of their houses.

People will play a game called apple bobbing. In this game apples are placed in water, and people must try to remove the apples with only their teeth.

Telling ghost stories, listening to Halloween-themed songs and watching horror films are common activities on Halloween. TV shows (with special shows usually for children) are commonly shown on or before Halloween, and new scary films are often released before Halloween.

Visiting a 'haunted attraction'. These are places like houses, farms, or forests, which are decorated in a scary way, and where actors dress in costumes make scenes to scare the visitors.

Decorating one's house and front yard. People will often decorate the front part of their houses with Halloween-themed symbols like ghosts, graves, and black and orange colors.

 

Harder

Halloween is a celebration on the night of October 31st. It is most popular in the United States and Canada. It is mainly a children’s holiday, although these days, people of all ages participate in some of the traditions. The main tradition is for children to wear costumes and go to people's homes in the evening saying "Trick or treat!" to ask for candy, which people then give to them. The origin of the expression means, "Give me a treat or I will play a trick on you."

For Christians it is the eve of All Saints' Day, which begins the three-day observance of Allhallowtide. This covers the three days – October 31st (All-Hallows Eve or Hallowe'en), November 1st (All Saints) and November 2nd (All Souls). All Hallows' is a Christianized holiday and originated in Ireland. It also has pagan roots.

Origins

Halloween originated from the ancient peoples, called the Celts, who lived in Ireland. The pagan holiday Samhain, which the All Saints holy day replaced, was also known as the Day of the Dead. It is the day when the souls of dead people come back to Earth. This is considered a happy holiday because some of the souls will visit the homes of their family, and it is a time to remember and honor the dead. When Christianity replaced paganism many of the pagan traditions were incorporated into Christian holidays.  Pope Gregory III originally designated Halloween on November 1st as a time to honor all saints. Soon, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.

After mass Irish and Scottish immigration in the 19th century, Halloween became a major holiday in America.

The pagan traditions of earlier times evolved into fun and games. For example, the theme of the dead returning to the world of the living was replaced with stories about ghosts and the supernatural or fortune-telling, telling the future. Bobbing for apples became popular as a fortune-telling game on All Hallows' Eve: apples would be selected to represent a woman's suitors, and the apple she ended up biting into would supposedly represent her future husband.

Symbols

Most of the symbols of Halloween come from the evolution of the holiday through history. Jack-o'-lanterns were traditionally carried on All Hallows' Eve in order to scare evil spirits. Elements of the fall season, such as pumpkins, harvest, and scarecrows, are also common. Homes are often decorated with these types of symbols around Halloween. Halloween imagery includes themes of death, evil, the supernatural and monsters. Black cats, which have long been connected with witches, are also a common symbol of Halloween. Black, and orange are Halloween's traditional colors.

Costumes

During Halloween some people, especially children, wear a costume. People have worn costumes at Halloween for centuries. Wearing a costume may come from Celtic festivals like Samhain and the Christian Allhallowtide.

Early costumes were usually scary. They were often supernatural beings like ghosts or witches. In the 1930s costumes of characters from literature, radio, or movies became popular, and such costumes are also popular today. Scary costumes are still popular.

Games and Other Activities

In addition to trick-or-treating, there are several traditional activities connected with Halloween.

In old times people would try to tell the future, especially to try to learn who they would marry.

People will make Jack-o-lanterns and place them in front of their houses.

People will play a game called apple bobbing. In this game apples are placed in water, and people must try to remove the apples with only their teeth.

Telling ghost stories, listening to Halloween-themed songs and watching horror films are common activities on Halloween. TV shows (with special shows usually for children) are commonly shown on or before Halloween, and new scary films are often released before Halloween.

Visiting a 'haunted attraction'. These are places like houses, farms, or forests, which are decorated in a scary way, and where actors dressed in costumes make scenes to scare the visitors.

Decorating one's house and front yard. People will often decorate the front part of their houses with Halloween-themed symbols like ghosts, graves, and black and orange colors.

--Written with the help of https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween

Vocabulary: 

Celebration: a party or other special event that you have for an important occasion, holiday, etc.

Ghost: the spirit of a dead person that a living person believes they can see or hear.

Witch: a woman who is believed to have magic powers, often to do evil things. In some stories, she usually wears a black hat and flies on a broomstick.

Christian: a person who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ, the man who Christians believe is the son of God and whose life, death, and resurrection as reported in the New Testament of the Bible are the basis of the Christian religion.

Eve: the evening or the day before a special day or important event.

Saint: a person who is officially recognized by the Christian church as being very holy (close to God) because of the way he or she lived.

Soul: the spiritual part of a person that is believed to give life to the body and in many religions is believed to live forever.

Pagan: a person who worships many gods or goddesses or the earth or nature : a person whose religion is paganism.

Ancient: very old : having lived or existed for a very long time.

Designated: to officially choose (someone or something) to do or be something : to officially give (someone or something) a particular role or purpose.

Spirit: a ghost or nonphysical, supernatural being.

Jack-o'-lantern: a pumpkin that has had its insides removed and a face cut into it for Halloween. You put a candle in a jack-o'-lantern so that light shines out through its eyes, nose, and mouth.

Pumpkin: a large, round, orange vegetable used as food and sometimes as a decoration. 

Harvest: the season when the plants, which have grown on a farm, are gathered from the field.

Scarecrow: an object that looks like a person and that is placed in a field to scare birds away from the plants.

Supernatural: unable to be explained by science or the laws of nature : of, relating to, or seeming to come from magic, a god, etc.

Folklore: traditional customs, beliefs, stories, and sayings; ideas or stories that are not true but that many people have heard or read.

Haunted: lived in or visited by ghosts.

Decorated: to make (something) more attractive usually by putting something on it.

Front yard: the outdoor area in front of a house, usually covered by grass.

Additional Vocabulary: 

scary, costume, frightening, fearful, terrible, eve, terrify  treat, trick, decorate, haunted, carve, ghost, demon, devil, skeleton, witch, hallow, haunted, decorations, horror, pagan, saint, soul, supernatural, weird pumpkin, jack-o’-lantern, lantern, harvest, scarecrow, uncanny, gore, spooky, broomstick, cobweb, coffin, crypt, to dress up, face paint, fang, cemetery, grave, gravestone, tomb, zombie, werewolf, ghoul, goblin, mummy, nasty, nightmare, prank, mischief, mischievous, repulsive, scream, skull, specter, spirit, superstitious,  wand, wicked, howl, curse, monstrosity, abomination, eerie, fairy, goosebumps, cackle 

Conversation Questions

What do you know about Halloween?

What do you think about when you hear the word ‘Halloween”

Read the text about Halloween at the begin of this post (above) or at: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween  .  What did you learn from the article?

What day of the month is Halloween?

Why is Halloween celebrated?

Can you explain the history of Halloween?

How is Halloween celebrated in your country?

Are there any holidays or festivals in your culture where people dress in costumes or get treats?

What costume would you wear (as a kid; as an adult)?

If you had celebrated Halloween as a kid, what kind of costume would you have worn?

What are some of the symbols of Halloween?

What kind of costume are you going to wear to the Halloween party?

What Halloween stories/scary stories do you know/like?

Do you know any ghost stories?

Do you have any favorite stories about ghosts, horror or the supernatural?

Do you know any supernatural or weird stories?

Do you believe in ghosts or other supernatural things?

How about magic or witches?

Did you know there were real 'witch trials' in the seventeenth century?

Why do you think they happened?

Do you think there are really witches and monsters and creatures living amongst us in the real world, or are those things just from our imagination?

If you could use a magical spell, like a love spell, on somebody, would you?

Have you ever been to a ‘haunted attraction’ like a haunted house?

Do you believe some places are really haunted?

Have you ever made a jack o lantern?

Is your pumpkin still out?

What’s your favorite type of candy?

Do you get a lot of trick-or-treaters?

Why do you like to celebrate Halloween?

What other countries celebrate Halloween?

Can you describe the best costume you've seen?

Are you going to have a Halloween party?

Would you go out and trick or treat? Who would you go with?

Do you know any Halloween legends?

Do you think Halloween is dangerous?

Do you know about mischief night?

What do you know about the history of the holiday?

Do you think it is appropriate to celebrate it still today?

Have you ever been to a haunted house/attractive ?

Have you ever decorated your house for Halloween?

What are your plans for Halloween?

Scary stories about ghosts, horror and the supernatural

On Halloween, stories about the ghosts, horror and the supernatural are common. There are many books, short stories, and movies on this subject. Many of these stories are from folklore or legends. Can you think of any of these stories? Do you have any favorites? 

One of the shortest horror stories ever was written in 1948, by Frederic Brown. It has only two sentences: 

"The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door ..."

Can you write a scary, short story with only two sentences? 

Halloween-themed stories and movies:

Pre-intermediate to intermediate

VOA stories

Some of the following stories from Voice of America's American Stories collection: 

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow-washington-irving/3579369.html

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-black-cat-edgar-allen-poe/3714772.html 

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/the-tell-tale-heat-edgar-allan-poe/3538402.html

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/cask-of-amontillado-edgar-allan-poe-american-stories/3249195.html

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/william-wilson-part-one-edgar-allan-poe/3757653.html

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/a-horsemen-in-the-sky-ambrose-bierce/3467333.html

Naturally

The Answer

Upper Intermediate to advanced

Naturally

The Answer

https://americanliterature.com/halloween

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/16/632779706/click-if-you-dare-100-favorite-horror-stories

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/10/24/358555307/the-creepiest-ghost-and-monster-stories-from-around-the-world

https://www.npr.org/2022/10/30/1132724645/think-youre-not-a-fan-of-horror-films-try-starting-with-these-picks

Top ten lists of best Halloween movies at IMDB and Time Out

Additional resources: 

Halloween entry at Simple English Wikipedia

ESL Holiday Lessons

ESL Vid: The history of Halloween (in a Dracula accent): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtKWkI5dGo0

https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_all-about-america_candy-costumes-and-pumpkins-rule-halloween/6178245.html

VOA stories and other stories https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/halloween-big-kids-business/2502412.html

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/halloween-big-kids-business/2502412.html

 https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween

History of Halloween: Nat. Geo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-VRAemIvbI

 

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/11/01/775198994/the-science-of-scary-why-its-so-fun-to-be-freaked-out

https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/10/24/559502238/this-halloween-what-does-it-mean-to-call-something-spooky

https://www.npr.org/2015/10/31/453286481/trick-or-treating-with-princesses-superheroes-and-the-pope 

https://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/10/31/500034064/halloween-provides-a-look-into-human-psychology

https://www.npr.org/2017/10/26/560090482/watch-out-this-halloween-horror-is-back

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/10/30/560891059/this-halloween-is-scaring-up-record-sales-of-candy-costumes-and-decor

How Scary Movies Stoke Fear: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15807232

https://www.npr.org/2015/10/27/450911424/things-that-go-bump-in-the-lab-halloween-and-the-science-of-fear

Vid: Pumpkins facts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7qmmN8NawQ

https://www.npr.org/2021/10/26/1049379072/the-dance-of-the-dead (51 mins and no transcript)

https://www.npr.org/2014/09/03/345575950/the-business-of-halloween-means-you-can-buy-an-arm-and-a-leg

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/10/31/164030718/behind-a-halloween-mask-even-good-kids-can-turn-into-candythieves

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2011/11/01/141901960/trade-you-snickers-for-smarties-the-economics-of-halloween-candy

https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/10/30/241924745/the-secret-steamy-history-of-halloween-apples

https://www.ted.com/talks/dr_margee_kerr_why_do_we_like_to_be_scared

 Playlist of songs for Halloween

A Simple Method To Convert Between Celsius And Fahrenheit

Many of my students who come to live in the US have difficulty learning the American way to measure temperature, the Fahrenheit (F) scale. On the other hand, when Americans go abroad, it can be hard to understand the Celsius scale (maybe one day the US will adopt this scale too, but unfortunately, not anytime soon).  While electronic devices like phones and computers have made conversion between these two scales less of a problem, it can still be useful to have a method to do it quickly and easily without the aid of tech. I’ve developed such a method for myself, which I’ve shared here in case others find it helpful.

Unfortunately, the mathematical conversion is not easy unless you're really good at math, and even then, it takes some time. To do the conversion you first add or subtract 32, and then multiply by 1.8 (0°C × 9/5 or 1.8 + 32 = 32°F). Another simple way is just to round up to 2.0, but this doesn't give you as accurate a number and still takes longer.

In order to make this process easier, I use a simple trick to do the conversion for the most common temperatures, from 0 C (32 F) to 40 C (104 F). From 0 to about 20 C, every 5 degrees is about a 10 degree difference in F. For example,   0 C is about 30 F (it’s exactly 32 F), 5 is about 40 (41), and we can do this up to 20, which is 70 (68). After 20 C, it’s no longer the same pattern. However, I memorize the final four 5 degree differences: 25 (77), 30 (85) 35 (95) and 40 (104), which isn’t that difficult.

It's not a perfect system, but if you just take a little time to learn it, it can make the conversions much easier, and help you eventually learn them better.

Here is the simple conversion scale:

0 C: approximately 30 degrees F (exactly 32 degrees F)

5: 40 (41)

10: 50 (50)

15: 60 (59)

20: 70 (68)

25: 80 (77)

30: 85 (86)

35: 95 (95)

40: 105 (104)

 

Like All Animals, We Need Stress. Just Not Too Much

 

Listen to Story

Transcript

Audio Time: 4 min 57 sec

Level: Upper-intermediate

 

Vocabulary:  To help learners fully understand the audio and transcript, most vocabulary that might be unknown for this lesson’s level is provided. Vocab in bold is more useful for learners at the lesson’s target level. Try to choose 8 to 10 new words to learn from the story (in general, it’s best to try to learn no more than 8-10 new words a day).

Definitions are written with the help of various sources including  Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary

 

Yeast: a type of fungus that is used in making alcoholic drinks (such as beer and wine) and in baking to help make dough rise.

Hormone: a natural substance that is produced in the body and that influences the way the body grows or develops.

Notable: 1. unusual and worth noticing; remarkable. 2. Very successful or respected.

Pump: 1. a device that forces liquid, air, or gas into or out of something. 2. The act of pumping something.

Poll: an activity in which several or many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to get information about what most people think about something

Poll-taker: Someone who conducts a poll.

Tension: a feeling of nervousness that makes you unable to relax.

Friction: 1. Disagreement or tension between people or groups of people. 2. the act of rubbing one thing against another; the force that causes a moving object to slow down when it is touching another object.

Short run: a short period of time.

Grind: to crush or break (something) into very small pieces by rubbing it against a rough surface or using a special machine.

Grind on: to continue for a long time — used to describe something unpleasant

Tolerate: 1. to allow (something that is bad, unpleasant, etc.) to exist, happen, or be done. 2. to experience (something harmful or unpleasant) without being harmed.

Chirp: to make a short high-pitched sound.

Forebears: A member of your family in the past; ancestor.

Infectious: Something (usually a disease) that can be spread to other people by germs.

Mount up: to increase.

Eden: A place in the creation story of the Bible where God made the first people, Adam and Eve.

Malleable: capable of being stretched or bent into different shapes; capable of being easily changed or influenced.

Irretrievable: impossible to recover or get back.

Fine-tuned: Small changes that have been made to something to improve the way it works or make it exactly right.

             All the conditions of the experiment had to be fined-tuned to get the proper result.

             It was a fine-tuned watch, which always gave the exact time.

Circumstance: a condition or fact that affects a situation; the way something happens; the specific details of an event

Inevitable: Something that will definitely happen.

 

 

Discussion questions:

1. What’s the difference between healthy and unhealthy stress according to the story?

2. Do you have enough healthy stress in your life?

3. Do you have too much unhealthy stress in your life?

4. What can we do to cope with unhealthy stress in our lives?

5. What kinds of challenges in our life can give us healthy stress?

 

Beyond Lies the Wub, by Philip K Dick, Adapted

 Level: Intermediate

 

THEY almost finished with the loading. Outside the ship stood a local called Optus, a hunter, with a sad face. Captain Franco walked slowly down the ramp, smiling.

"What's the matter?" he said. "You're getting paid for all this."

Optus said nothing. He moved away. The Captain stopped Optus

"Just a minute. Don't go off. I'm not finished."

"Oh?" Optus said. "I am going back to the village." He looked at the animals and birds being led up the ramp into the spaceship. "I must organize new hunts."

Franco lit a cigarette. "Why not? You can go into the forest and get animals again. But when we have no more animals to eat halfway between Mars and Earth—"

Optus went away, wordless. Franco joined the second in command at the bottom of the ramp.

"How's it coming?" he said. He looked at his watch. "We got a good deal here."

The mate looked at him sharply. "How do you explain that?"

"What's the matter with you? We need it more than they do."

"I'll see you later, Captain." The mate  his way up the ramp, between the long-legged Martian birds, into the ship. Franco watched him go. He was just starting up after him, up the ramp toward the port, when he saw it.

"My God!" He stood staring. Peterson was walking on the path, his face red, leading it by a rope.

"I'm sorry, Captain," he said, pulling at the rope. Franco walked toward him.

"What is it?"

The wub stood. It had a big, fat body. It was sitting down, its eyes half closed. A few flies flew around it, and it used its tail to keep them away.

It sat. There was silence.

"It's a wub," Peterson said. "I got it from a local for fifty cents. He said it was a very unusual animal. Very respected."

"This?" Franco pressed his finger into the great fat side of the wub. "It's a pig! A big dirty pig!"

"Yes sir, it's a pig. The locals call it a wub."

"A huge pig. It must weigh four hundred pounds." Franco grabbed  some of the rough hair. The wub made a sound. Its eyes opened, small and wet. Then its great mouth moved quickly.

A tear fell down the wub's cheek and hit the floor.

"Maybe it's good to eat," Peterson said nervously.

"We'll soon see," Franco said.

 

THE wub seem to be fine after the ship left the planet. It was asleep in the cargo room of the ship. When they were out in space and everything was running smoothly, Captain Franco told his men to fetch the wub so that he might understand what type of animal it was.

The wub moved with difficulty, and went slowly through the halls of the ship.

"Come on," Jones said, pulling at the rope. The wub turned, and moved against the walls. It went into the room, falling down. The men jumped up.

"My God," French said. "What is it?"

"Peterson says it's a wub," Jones said. "It belongs to him." He kicked at the wub. The wub stood up breathing heavily.

"What's the matter with it?" French came over. "Is it going to be sick?"

They watched. The wub moved its eyes sadly. It looked around at the men.

"I think it's thirsty," Peterson said. He went to get some water. French shook his head.

Peterson came back with the water. The wub began to drink gratefully.

Captain Franco appeared at the door.

"Let's  look at it." He moved forward, looking carefully. "You got this for fifty cents?"

"Yes, sir," Peterson said. "It eats almost anything. I fed it on grain and it liked that. And then potatoes, and piece of food from the table, and milk. It seems to enjoy eating. After it eats it lies down and goes to sleep."

"I see," Captain Franco said. "Now, as to its taste. That's the real question. I doubt if there's much point in fattening it up any more. It seems fat enough to me already. Where's the cook? I want him here. I want to find out—"

The wub stopped drinking and looked up at the Captain.

"Really, Captain," the wub said. "I suggest we talk of other matters."

The room was silent.

"What was that?" Franco said. "Just now."

"The wub, sir," Peterson said. "It spoke."

They all looked at the wub.

"What did it say? What did it say?"

"It suggested we talk about other things."

Franco walked toward the wub. He went all around it, examining it from every side. Then he came back over and stood with the men.

"I wonder if there's a local inside it," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe we should open it up and have a look."

"Oh, goodness!" the wub cried. "Is that all you people can think of, killing and cutting?"

Franco closed his hands tightly. "Come out of there! Whoever you are, come out!"

Nothing moved. The men stood together, their faces blank, looking at the wub. The wub moved its tail.

"Excuse me," the wub said.

"I don't think there's anyone in there," Jones said in a low voice. They all looked at each other.

The cook came in.

"You wanted me, Captain?" he said. "What's this thing?"

"This is a wub," Franco said. "It's to be eaten. Will you measure it and figure out—"

"I think we should have a talk," the wub said. "I'd like to discuss this with you, Captain, if I might. I can see that you and I do not agree on some basic issues."

The Captain took a long time to answer. The wub waited good-naturedly.

"Come into my office," the Captain said at last. He turned and walked out of the room. The wub rose and went slowly after him. The men watched it go out. They heard it climbing the stairs.

"I wonder what the outcome will be," the cook said. "Well, I'll be in the kitchen. Let me know as soon as you hear."

"Sure," Jones said. "Sure."

THE wub walked down the hall slowly. "You must forgive me," it said. "I'm afraid I love  various forms of relaxation too much. When one is as large as I—"

The Captain sat down at his desk and looked serious.

"All right," he said. "Let's get started. You're a wub? Is that correct?"

"I guess so. That's what they call us, the locals, I mean. We have our own name."

"And you speak English? You've been in contact with humans before?"

"No."

"Then how do you do it?"

"Speak English? Am I speaking English? I'm not aware of speaking anything especially. I examined your mind—"

"My mind?"

"I studied the contents, especially the parts that hold words—"

"I see," the Captain said. "You read minds. Of course."

"We are a very old race," the wub said. "Very old and very slow. It is difficult for us to move around. You can appreciate that anything so slow and heavy would be able to be attacked by other forms of life. There was no use in our relying on physical defenses. How could we win? Too heavy to run, too soft to fight, too to hunt—"

"How do you live?"

"Plants. Vegetables. We can eat almost anything. We can very open. Tolerant, open. We live and let live. That's how we've survived."

The wub looked at the Captain.

"And that's why I so seriously disagree to this business about having me eaten. I could see the image in your mind—most of me in the freezer, some of me in the refrigerator, a bit for your cat—"

"So you read minds?" the Captain said. "How interesting. Anything else? I mean, what else can you do?"

"A few other things," the wub said, staring around the room. "A nice room you have here, Captain. You keep it quite neat. I respect life that are tidy. Some Martian birds are quite tidy.

"Indeed." The Captain nodded. "But to get back to the problem—"

"Yes. You spoke of eating on me. The taste, I am told, is good. A little fatty, but soft. But how can any strong contact be made between your people and mine if you have such barbaric views? Eat me? Instead you should discuss questions with me, philosophy, the arts—"

The Captain stood up. "Philosophy. It might interest you to know that it will be hard to find something to eat for the next month. We lost some of the food--"

"I know." The wub nodded. "But wouldn't it agree more with your ideas of democracy if we all voted, or something like that? After all, democracy is to protect the minority. Now, if each of us has one vote—"

The Captain walked to the door.

"No way," he said. He opened the door. He opened his mouth.

He stood frozen, his mouth open, his eyes staring, his fingers still on the door.

The wub watched him, and then walked out of the room, moving past the Captain. It went down the hall, deep in thought.

THE room was quiet.

 

"So you see," the wub said, "we have a common myth. Your mind has many of the same myth symbols. Ishtar, Odysseus—"

Peterson sat silently, staring at the floor. He moved in his chair.

"go on," he said. "Please continue."

"Your Odysseus hero  is common to the mythology of most advanced races. As I understand it, Odysseus travels as an individual, aware of himself. This is the idea of separation, of separation from family and country. In this process he becomes an individual."

"But Odysseus returns to his home." Peterson staring out the window, at the stars, endless stars, shining in the empty universe. "Finally he goes home."

"As must all people. The moment of separation is temporary, a short journey. It begins, it ends. The hero returns to his people and country...."

The door opened. The wub stopped, and turned its great head.

Captain Franco came into the room, the men behind him. They waited at the door.

"Are you all right?" French said.

"Do you mean me?" Peterson said, surprised. "Why me?"

Franco lowered his gun. "Come over here," he said to Peterson. "Get up and come here."

There was silence.

"Go ahead," the wub said. "It doesn't matter."

Peterson stood up. "What for?"

"It's an order."

Peterson walked to the door. French took his arm.

"What's going on?" Peterson moved away. "What's the matter with you?"

Captain Franco moved toward the wub. The wub looked up from where it lay in the corner against the wall.

"It is interesting," the wub said, "that you are thinking so much about the idea of eating me. I wonder why."

"Get up," Franco said.

"If you want." The wub rose. "Be patient. It is difficult for me." It stood, breathing heavily, its tongue going out of its mouth.

"Shoot it now," French said.

"For God's sake!" Peterson exclaimed. Jones turned to him quickly, his eyes full of fear.

"You didn't see him—the like a statue, standing there, his mouth open. If we didn’t come down, he would still be there."

"Who? The Captain?" Peterson looked at the Captain. "But he's all right now."

They stared at the wub, standing in the middle of the room. "Come on," Franco said. " move away."

The men move toward the door.

"You are very afraid, aren't you?" the wub said. "Have I done anything to you? I am against the idea of hurting. All I have done is try defend myself. Can you expect me to run happily to my death? I am sensible like yourselves. I was curious to see your ship, learn about you. I suggested to the local—"

The gun moved suddenly.

"See," Franco said. "I thought so."

The wub sat down, it seemed tired. It put its legs out, and put its tail around them.

"It is very warm," the wub said. "I understand that we are close to the engine. Atomic power. You have done many wonderful things with it—technically. But, your science is still not able to solve moral, ethical problems"

Franco turned to the men, behind him, with big open eyes, silent.

"I'll do it. You can watch."

French nodded. "Try to hit the brain. It's no good for eating. Don't hit the chest. If it breaks, we'll have to pick bones out."

"Listen," Peterson said. "Has it done anything? What harm has it done? I'm asking you. And anyhow, it's still mine. You have no right to shoot it. It doesn't belong to you."

Franco raised his gun.

"I'm going out," Jones said, his face white and sick. "I don't want to see it."

"Me, too," French said. The men went out. Peterson stopped at the door.

"It was talking to me about myths," he said. "It wouldn't hurt anyone."

He went outside.

Franco walked toward the wub. The wub looked up slowly.

"A very foolish thing," it said. "I am sorry that you want to do it. There was a story that your Christ related—"

It stopped, staring at the gun.

"Can you look me in the eye and do it?" the wub said. "Can you do that?"

The Captain looked down. "I can look you in the eye," he said. "Back on the farm we had pigs, dirty pigs. I can do it."

Staring down at the wub, into the bright, wet eyes, he shot the gun.

 

THE taste was excellent.

They sat unhappily around the table, some of them hardly eating at all. The only one who seemed to be enjoying himself was Captain Franco.

"More?" he said, looking around. "More? And some wine, perhaps."

"Not me," French said. "I think I'll go back to the other room."

"Me, too." Jones stood up, pushing his chair back. "I'll see you later."

The Captain watched them go. Some of the others excused themselves.

"What’s the matter?" the Captain said. He turned to Peterson. Peterson sat staring down at his plate, at the potatoes, the green peas, and at the thick piece of soft, warm meat.

He opened his mouth. No sound came.

The Captain put his hand on Peterson's shoulder.

"It is only organic matter, now," he said. "The life is gone." He ate some with bread. "I, myself, love to eat. It is one of the greatest things that a living creature can enjoy. Eating, resting, thinking, discussing things."

Peterson nodded. Two more men got up and went out. The Captain drank some water.

"Well," he said. "I must say that this was a very enjoyable meal. All the reports I had heard were quite true—the taste of wub. Very fine. But I was stopped from enjoying this pleasure earlier."

He put his napkin to his lips and sat back in his chair. Peterson stared sadly at the table.

The Captain watched him closely. He moved nearer to him.

"Don’t worry," he said. "Cheer up! Let's discuss things."

He smiled.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted, the role of Odysseus in the myths—"

Peterson looked up suddenly, and stared at the Captain with surprise.

"To go on," the Captain said. "Odysseus, as I understand him—"

 

Vocabulary:  To help learners fully understand the audio and transcript, most vocabulary that might be unknown for this lesson’s level is provided. Vocab in bold is more useful for learners at the lesson’s target level. Try to choose 8 to 10 new words to learn from the story (in general, it’s best to try to learn no more than 8-10 new words a day).

Definitions are written with the help of various sources including  Merriam-Webster’s Learner’s Dictionary

 

Wub: A word that the author created for the alien animal in the story. See picture here.

Loading: The process of lifting and carrying something.

Outside: The area or place not inside a building or other object.

Hunter: A person who finds and kills (wild animals) for food or pleasure.

Ramp: An object that goes from lower to higher height to make it easier to walk to a higher level.

Spaceship: Transport that is used for travel in space.

Lit: Past tense and past participle of  “to light”.

Command: the power that someone (such as a military officer) has to control a group of people.

Second in command: someone who is ranked second in a group or organization.

Martian: an imaginary creature in books, movies, etc., that lives on or comes from the planet Mars.

To press: to push (something) with strong or steady force.

To weigh: to find how heavy (someone or something) is : to measure the weight of (someone or something).

Pound: a unit of weight that is equal to 16 ounces or 0.4536 kilograms.

Rough: having a surface that is not even.

Cargo: something that is carried from one place to another by boat, airplane, etc.

To fetch: to go after and bring back (someone or something).

Belong: to be the property of (someone) : to be owned by (someone).

Fed: (past tense); to give food to (someone or something).

Grain: the seeds of plants (such as wheat, corn, and rice) that are used for food.

To examine: to look at (something) closely and carefully in order to learn more about it, to find problems, etc.

Thoughtful: serious and quiet because you are thinking.

To measure: to find out the size, length, or amount of (something).

To climb: to move or go up (something) using your feet and often your hands.

Outcome: something that happens as a result of an activity or process : result.

To forgive: to stop feeling anger toward (someone who has done something wrong) : to stop blaming (someone).

To guess: to form an opinion or give an answer about something when you do not know much or anything about it.

Aware: knowing that something (such as a situation, condition, or problem) exists.

To read minds: To be able to know another person's thoughts without being told what they are.

To appreciate: to be aware of (something) : to recognize or understand (something).

To rely (on): to need (someone or something) for support, help, etc. : to depend on (someone or something).

To survive: to remain alive : to continue to live.

Indeed: without any question — used to stress the truth of a statement.

Barbaric: Uncivilized; rude, cruel, and violent.

Philosophy: the study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning of life, etc.

To vote: to make an official choice for or against someone or something by casting a ballot, raising your hand, speaking your choice aloud, etc.

Minority: a number or amount that is less than half of a total.

No way: used to say that you will definitely not do something.

Ishtar and Odysseus: Ishtar was a god in the ancient religions of what is now the area in and around Iraq. Odysseus was a hero in ancient Greek mythology.

To go on: to continue.

Advanced: far along in a course of progress or development.

Individual: a single person : a person who is considered separate from the rest of a group.

Separation: the act of separating people or things or the state of being separated.

Universe: all of space and everything in it including stars, planets, galaxies, etc.

Journey: an act of traveling from one place to another : trip.

Order: a statement made by a person with authority that tells someone to do something : an instruction or direction that must be obeyed.

To wonder: to have interest in knowing or learning something : to think about something with curiosity.

To shoot: to cause a bullet, arrow, etc., to move forward with great force from a weapon.

For god's sake: used in phrases with for to express anger, annoyance, surprise, etc.

To stare: to look at someone or something for a long time often with your eyes wide open.

Sensible: having or showing good sense or judgment : reasonable.

Curious: having a desire to learn or know more about something or someone.

Atomic power: the energy that is produced when atoms are split apart.

Christ: the man who Christians believe is the son of God and whose life, death, and resurrection as reported in the New Testament of the Bible are the basis of the Christian religion.

Science: knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation.

To excuse: to say that (someone) is not required to do something.

Organic matter: Physical material from living things.

To cheer up: to become happier or to make (someone) happier.

To interrupt: to ask questions or say things while another person is speaking : to do or say something that causes someone to stop speaking.

 

 

 

Discussion questions:

1. What happened to the wub at the end of the story?

2. What does this story try to say about humans and human society?

3. How do you think humans would react to meeting life from another planet?

4. Do you think what the wub did at the end of the story was right?