Halloween; it is an unofficial holiday that celebrates the frightening and strange. We celebrate with a report about a Nineteenth-century American writer. His stories were some of the most frightening and strange ever written. I'm Shirley Griffith. 

And I'm Doug Johnson. The writer Edgar Allan Poe is our report today on the VOA Special English program THIS IS AMERICA. 

Halloween is mostly a holiday for children, who like to be frightened. Yet many grown people observe Halloween, too. Those who love the writings of Edgar Allan Poe think Halloween is the best time of year to celebrate them. Poe is most famous for his stories and poems of strangeness, mystery, and terror. He wrote about people buried while still alive. About insanity and death. About dreams that become real...or reality that seems like a dream. 

Edgar Allan Poe died in the city of Baltimore in Eighteen-Forty-Nine. Now, in that city, an unusual party takes place every Halloween. In the dark of night, visitors go to the church ground where Poe is buried. Everything is quiet. Then a voice calls out. It is Poe! (pause) No, it is just an actor, reading Poe's work. 

Reading stories was one of the most important forms of enjoyment in Edgar Allan Poe's time. Poe created many of these "short" stories. They appeared in different publications. Horror stories already were popular when Poe began writing. Critics say he wrote the perfect horror story. Poe also wrote detective stories. These were mysteries about crimes, such as murder. The mysteries are solved by an investigator called a detective. He or she is able to find important, hidden meanings in facts. The horror and detective stories Poe created remain extremely popular in books and movies.

Edgar Allan Poe's work is not easy to read. His language is difficult to understand today. And most of his writing describes very unpleasant situations and events. His story "The Pit and the Pendulum," for example, is about the mental torture of a prisoner. Each time the prisoner saves himself from death, a new and more horrible form of death threatens him. Another story is "The Masque of the Red Death." In it, a terrible disease -- the Red Death -- has killed half the population of a country. The ruler of the country shuts his castle against the disease. He and his wealthy friends are inside. They pass the time by having parties. They believe the Red Death will not find them. But it does.

Edgar Poe was born in Eighteen-Oh-Nine. His parents were actors. At that time, actors were not accepted by the best society. Edgar was a baby when his father left the family. He was two years old when his mother died. He was taken into the home of a wealthy businessman, John Allan. He then received his new name -- Edgar Allan Poe. John Allan never officially made Edgar his son. In fact, he came to dislike him strongly. As a young man, Edgar attended the University of Virginia. He was a good student. But he liked to drink alcohol and play card games for money. Edgar was not a good player. He lost money he did not have. John Allan refused to pay Edgar's gambling losses. So, Edgar left the university. He began working as a writer and editor for monthly magazines.

Edgar Allan Poe worked hard. He became a successful editor. Yet he was not well-paid or well-known. His life was difficult. He was poor, and he was troubled by sicknesses of the body and mind. Poe suffered from depression. He feared he was insane. He drank alcohol to escape his fears. The alcohol had a very bad effect on him.

At the age of twenty-seven, he married Virginia Clemm. She was the daughter of his father's sister. She was only thirteen years old. For a time, it seemed that Poe would find some happiness. But his wife was sick for most of their marriage. She died in Eighteen-Forty-Seven. Poe died two years later, at the age of forty. He was found dead in Baltimore after days of heavy drinking. 

Through all his crises, Edgar Allan Poe produced many stories, poems, and works of criticism. Some of his stories won prizes. Yet he did not become famous until Eighteen-Forty-Five. That was when his poem "The Raven" was published. There is no question that Poe suffered from emotional problems in his life. One critic said Poe's spirit was torn. He said Poe's stories were often about his own divided nature. Each person in the story showed a different side of the writer. There is a question, however, about Poe's importance. Some critics say he was one of America's best writers. Others disagree.

Critic Vincent Buranelli says Poe discovered a new artistic universe. It is a universe of dreams. It is a place where the line between reality and unreality is extremely thin. Even those who praise Poe agree that there are many difficulties in his work. These difficulties place Poe's writing outside the main body of American literature. Most American writing is realistic. Poe's interests and way of writing were not realistic at all. Poe's work has been praised most in France. He had a great influence on many French writers, including the poets Charles-Pierre Baudelaire and Stephane Mallarme.

Poe's best-known poem is the "The Raven." Some people love it. They say it is like music. Others hate it. They say it sounds forced and unnatural -- like bad music. "The Raven" is about a man whose great love, Lenore, has died. She is gone forever. But the man cannot accept that all happiness is gone. He sits alone among his books late at night. He hears a noise at the window. Here is the beginning of the poem:

ANNOUNCER: Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary Over many a quaint and curious volume of for- gotten lore -- While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "Tis some visitor, I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door -- Only this and nothing more."

The man looks out the window and sees only blackness.

ANNOUNCER: Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before: But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token, And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, "Lenore?" This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, "Lenore!" Merely this and nothing more. 

But there is something at the window. It is a large black bird -- a raven. It comes into the room like the spirit of death and hopelessness. The raven can speak just one word: 'nevermore' -- meaning 'never again'. We know the raven will never leave the man's room.

ANNOUNCER: But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour. Nothing farther than he uttered -- not a feather then he fluttered -- Till I scarcely more than muttered, "Other friends have flown before -- On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before." Then the bird said, "Nevermore."

This program was written by Carolyn Weaver. It was produced by Lawan Davis. Our poetry reader was Shep O'Neal. I'm Shirley Griffith. 

And I'm Doug Johnson. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the V-O-A Special English program THIS IS AMERICA.

History of Halloween - Part I

THANKSGIVING-1

In his fifth and final Reith Lecture, the Nobel Laureate, playwright, poet and political activist Wole Soyinka examines the causes and impact of fanaticism.

When Osama Bin Laden declares that the world is divided between believers and non-believers, it is easy to identify the menace of the fanatical mind but, in what other company can we place George Bush when we hear him declare that 'you are either with us or you are on the side of the terrorists'? We fail at our peril to recognize a twin strain of the same fanatic spore that threatens to consume the world in its messianic fires. What could be the role of the 'invisible' religions and world views in tempering the forces that seek to dichotomise the world?May 05, 200401:00:00

I am Right; You are Dead

This narration was recorded in accompaniment of the 360-degree photo tour of Saint Peter's Basilica found on National Geographic's website:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/07/150720-Vatican-360-Degree-Tour-Saint-Peters-Basilica/

Audio Tour of Saint Peter's Basilica

In this conversation with Elizabeth Gilbert, our generation's "Mark Twain," we unpack the inherent magic of language, embracing the sacred "No," what it takes to have the things you say you want, and to sex or not to sex on book tour. Ha. Liz has an extraordinary way with words (but you knew that) and a rich perspective on what it means to share your magic with the world. Her eighth bestseller, BIG MAGIC is nothing short of brilliant and we're elated to have her with us. For more inspiring interviews with best-selling authors, subscribe to the Beautiful Writers Podcast on iTunes. To get access to our thriving community of writers visit TheBeautifulWritersGroup.com.

Download on iTunes

Elizabeth Gilbert : The Big Magic of Creative Living

Jeremy Kemp, originally from London, teaches English online.

He started his teaching career in a local language school when he moved to Italy. Soon he realised that traditional English teaching methods don't work. Fortunately, Jeremy's background in psychology and experience in working with children with autism has helped him to develop a new set of non-traditional English teaching/learning methods.

Today Jeremy and his partnered English teachers at MoxonEnglish.com use his new teaching methods to help English learners master their language. :)

As you will hear on the interview, me and Jeremy had a great chat. Jeremy gives us many useful tips you can apply to your English learning today!

Enjoy! :)

Read the show notes, transcript & join the discussion at: http://englishthesmartway.com/content/non-traditional-english-learning-methods-jeremy-kemp

ETSW 4: Non-traditional English learning methods with Jeremy Kemp

In today's episode I’m talking to one of the founders and teachers of Learn Real English - Kristin Dodds.

Read the show notes, full transcript & join the discussion at: englishthesmartway.com/session6

Kristin has more than 20 years of experience teaching English to speakers of other languages.  She has taught English in South Korea, Thailand and Japan, as well as in the United States.  She has a CELTA certificate, as well as a Master’s degree in TESOL, which stands for Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages.

Kristin Dodds with AJ Hoge and Joe Weiss run together Learn Real English which helps students around the world becoming fluent and confident English speakers.

The Real English Conversation Lessons - which is the name of the course - teaches you English without focusing on grammar rules. Instead you listen to real English conversations of native English speakers. This way you will learn grammar subconsciously without even realising it.

In the first part of our interview Kristin is sharing with us her challenging first experience in teaching English in South Korea and her soon realisation that studying grammar to succeed in English isn’t effective at all. Later in the interview Kristin talks about acquiring language in the most natural way - by listening a lot - which is actually very similar to the way how children learn language.

We also talk about how opening up to culture of a country can help us tremendously with our language learning. Kristin then shares with us the success story of her Thai friend, her number one tip for English learners, and she also talks about the benefits of free voluntary reading.

Listen to and enjoy today's episode with Kristin Dodds from Learn Real English.

In the session you will learn
- How was Kristin’s first experience in teaching English in Korea and Georgia (9:01)
- How Kristin realised that teaching English using textbooks isn’t effective (14:51, 15:30)
- What we can learn from the research of Stephen Krashen and James Asher (15:30)
- How you can acquire language as a child in the most natural way (15:30)
- The success story of Kristin’s friend from Thailand (21:45)
- How can Free voluntary reading improve our English - not just reading skills (26:01)
- How opening yourself up to culture of a country can help you tremendously with your language learning (28:15)
- What to do when your brain wants to translate from your native language to English instead of directly thinking in English (33:30)
- Kristin’s number one tip for English learners around the world (36:32)
Enjoy! :)

Read the show notes, full transcript & join the discussion at: englishthesmartway.com/session6

English the Smart Way Podcast

ETSW 6: Stop studying grammar - focus on listening! Interview with Kristin Dodds, Learn Real English

Without student engagement, is there any point in trying to teach anything? 
These days the education conversation is clearly shifting back towards learning, rather than school work. But what if your students aren’t engaged, or interested in what you think they should learn, or what the curriculum thinks they should learn? And what if teachers think that student centred learning is a great idea, but the students don’t. Surely not every student is enthusiastic about learning. Is lack of student engagement the elephant in the room… or the classroom? My guest today is Richard Andrew, a specialist in online learning. He’s had a wide range of experience in classrooms across Australia and interacted with hundreds of teachers through the professional development courses he delivers. In this episode we take a light hearted but serious look at possibly one of the most significant topics in the education debate.

This podcast is brought to you by LearnFast. To find out more about science based language, learning and reading programs for your school or child, visit www.learnfasthome.com.au

To comment on this podcast, send your emails to feedback@learnfastgroup.com.au

83: Student engagement is critical to learning success with Richard Andrew.

elvyn Bragg and guests discuss the political philosophy of Hannah Arendt. She developed many of her ideas in response to the rise of totalitarianism in the C20th, partly informed by her own experience as a Jew in Nazi Germany before her escape to France and then America. She wanted to understand how politics had taken such a disastrous turn and, drawing on ideas of Greek philosophers as well as her peers, what might be done to create a better political life. Often unsettling, she wrote of 'the banality of evil' when covering the trial of Eichmann, one of the organisers of the Holocaust.

With

Lyndsey Stonebridge
Professor of Modern Literature and History at the University of East Anglia

Frisbee Sheffield
Lecturer in Philosophy at Girton College, University of Cambridge

and

Robert Eaglestone
Professor of Contemporary Literature and Thought at Royal Holloway, University London

Producer: Simon Tillotson. Feb 02, 2017

Hannah Arendt

Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 10. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 5. These are 4 words all related to travel: Accommodation, Transport, Attractions, and High Rise. If you haven’t listened to episode 5 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words.&nbsp;Listen here.&nbsp; You'll see this vocabulary in the reading passages on your IELTS exam.&nbsp;These words will also be useful as you’re writing responses to your task one and task two questions. If you like this lesson, please subscribe for more IELTS Vocabulary lessons! Download the&nbsp;complete list of IELTS Vocabulary words. Learn how to improve your IELTS band score with Magoosh!&nbsp;Use coupon code ieltspodcast to save 20%!&nbsp; Show Transcript Welcome to the Magoosh IELTS Podcast! This is Lesson 10. In this episode, you’re going to hear dialogue containing the vocabulary words that your teacher Eliot defined in Vocabulary Lesson 5. These are 4 words all related to travel: Accommodation, Transport, Attractions, and High Rise. If you haven’t listened to episode 5 yet, you might want to listen to that first, so that you know the definitions of these words. I’ll put a link in the show notes. Also, check out the show notes to get your free download: the IELTS vocabulary list, which contains these words and others that you’ll find on the test. Plus visit us at IELTS.Magoosh.com for more great resources to improve your IELTS band score. Use coupon code “ieltspodcast” to save 20% off your IELTS test prep! Okay let’s get started! Listen to this dialogue between Miryam and Torres as they talk about their past travels. See if you can pick out the 4 IELTS vocabulary words as you listen. Dialogue Part 1 Miryam: Hello, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Miryam, the new subletter. I’ll be staying in Carolla’s room this month while she’s away. Torres: Hi Miryam, I’m Torres. My room is the one down the hall, right before the stairs. Miryam: Nice to meet you Torres. So how did you end up living here? Torres: I am also from Argentina, like Carolla. We both grew up in the same high rise in Buenos Aires. But she moved here many years ago with her family. And I arrived just six months ago. Miryam: Did you come here to work, or just to visit the attractions? Torres: I came to study English. I am on a student visa. But I was a carpenter back in Argentina, so I also work doing construction as often as I can. Miryam: Ah. I see. Torres: And yourself? How long have you been here in Manchester? Miryam: I just arrived in the UK a few weeks ago. I was staying in a hostel here in the city, but I wanted to find some accommodations with a little more privacy...I saw Carolla’s advertisement. And now I’m here. But I think I will leave England after Carolla comes back. Torres: I see. And what brought you to England? Miryam: I’m just traveling. I am from Australia originally, but I’ve been on the road for about nine months now. I’ve traveled all over the world. After England I plan to go to Borneo, but I need to save up a little money first. The exchange rate is good in Asia for someone like me who has Australian dollars, but flights are still very expensive. So here in England I am hoping to find some work. But I would also like to have some fun and see the attractions, of course. Torres: What kind of job are you looking for? Miryam: In Australia I was a social worker, but I am here on a Working Holiday visa, which means I can only do casual work. During my travels I have been mostly working on farms. But I don’t think it is very likely that I’ll be able to find that sort of work here in the city. So maybe I will bartend, or nanny, or work as a receptionist or cleaner in one of the high rises around here. Torres: Carolla is a cook at a restaurant nearby, maybe we could call her and see if they...

IELTS English Dialogue 10: Travel - IELTS English Vocabulary | IELTS Listening | IELTS Speaking | IELTS Reading | IELTS Test Prep

As part of a series of readings to celebrate publication of le Carré’s memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel, David Harewood reads from the 1968 novel A Small Town in Germany, in which Alan Turner investigates the mysterious disappearance of a foreign office worker in the West German Capital, Bonn

David Harewood reads from A Small Town in Germany by John le Carré – books podcast

We believe in the power of science, exploration and storytelling to change the world.

Audio Tour of Saint Peter's Basilica

National Geographic

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