LIVE, LEARN, AND LOVE # 3. Jean-Christophe by Romain Rolland

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE

Do you take delight in watching films, reading books, or listening to pop music? For English learners, movies, books, and songs are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.

 

# 3. Jean-Christophe by Romain Rolland

 

"His childish passion was gone from him like a fit of fever; the icy breath of the grave had taken it all away."

-        Jean-Christophe experiences the sudden, stark clarity that comes with confronting death. The consuming emotions and desires that previously prevailed in his life, described as a "childish passion" or a "fever," suddenly seem so trivial and vanish when confronted with the ultimate reality of mortality.

 

"Minna, his pride, his love, and himself....Alas! What misery! How small everything showed by the side of this reality, the only reality - death!"

-        Everything that Jean-Christophe valued and cherished the most throughout his life, such as Minna, personal pride, love, his own identity—is rendered meaningless in the face of this reality. He reached the point of realizing the sudden, painful recognition of life's apparent vanity and emptiness.

 

"Was it worthwhile to suffer so much, to desire so much, to be so much put about to come in the end to that!"

-        Jean-Christophe asks this rhetorical question to say how he feels about life’s ups and downs. In other words, he means to tell you about a sense of futility and despair of what humans go through in life when they face the moment of death.

 

·    **   Jean’s small thoughts:

Reading this Bildungsroman (i.e., coming-of-age story) of a young man who develops from a prodigious but naive youth to a mature, struggling artist, I have imagined myself living the life of Jean-Christophe who bravely confronts love, friendship, poverty, and even exile. Although each and every one of us has our own tears and stories in life, not all of us come to learn from them about how to find the purpose of life beyond superficiality.

I hope someday, I could attempt to adopt Christophe's uncompromising nature that is based on civil disobedience and leads him to rebel against authority and societal norms. No one in his or her right mind should ever be unfairly stigmatized as an outcast or a misfit in any society.

It's time to play the latest NPR Word Puzzle! Can you figure out the given names that were popular last year?

Every year around this time I present a "new names in the news" quiz. I'm going to give you some names that you'd probably never heard before 2025 but that were prominent in the news during the past 12 months. You tell me who or what they are.

 

1. Zohran Mamdani

 

2. Karoline Leavitt

 

3. Mark Carney

 

4. Robert Francis Prevost (hint: Chicago)

 

5. Jeffrey Goldberg (hint: The Atlantic)

 

6. Sanae Takaichi

 

7. Nameless raccoon, Hanover County, Virginia

 

Answer Keys

1.  The newly sworn-in mayor of NYC

2.  The White House Press Secretary

3.  The Prime Minister of Canada

4.  The new Pope Leo

5.  an American journalist who is the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic

6.  the first female Prime Minister of Japan

7.  the drunk raccoon (The raccoon reportedly fell through the ceiling of the state-run liquor store, damaged merchandise on several shelves, consumed some of the spirits, and then retired to the bathroom where it was found asleep)

CHAPTER IV: WORKSHEET #80 of Dr. Jedidiah's Diary

WORKSHEET #80

Let’s practice some expressions from the episode #80 of Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary!  

 

    1.   He wrote a black comedy about the harsh gentri______________ (*meaning “the process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, improving housing, and attracting new businesses, typically displacing current inhabitants in the process”) conducted in the African American hood/ _________ city. (*meaning “the area near the center of a city, especially when associated with social and economic problems”)

 

    2.   Hannah’s dancing team has gone __________ out to win the regional competition. (*meaning “to put in maximum effort or resources, often used for parties, projects, or competitions”)

 

    3.   No one could de_______ him from convincing his severely Fascist uncle to leave the racist group. (*meaning “to turn aside, to discourage, or to prevent somebody from doing….”)

 

    4.   The new project is being undertaken in coll_____________ with a leading medical research team.  (*to work jointly with others or together especially in an intellectual endeavor”)

 

    5.   Don’t worry about the tinny tiny mistakes you have made in the process. These small mistakes won't matter in the grand _____________ of things. (*meaning “in the overall/ larger scheme of things”)

 

    6.   They were warned of the dangers that could b_______all them during this winter. (*meaning “(something unfortunate) to happen to someone”)

 

    7.   Jordan Peele’s film “Get Out” has a lot of micro______________s against black people that are commonly happening or witnessed in American society today. (*meaning “a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority)”  )

 

    8.   Look out for a huge monster truck that is often barreling down the road at full ___________________. (*meaning “at full speed”)

 

    9.   The _________tra, which formerly covered the wings, are protective and don't help with flight. (*meaning “the hardened forewings of beetles, protect their delicate hindwings and abdomen, often featuring distinct patterns, colors, and microscopic structures that scientists study for camouflage or hydrophobicity”)

 

    10.  The K-shaped economy describes an economic situation where different parts of the economy experience vastly different outcomes simultaneously, leading to a sharp divergence in growth between the ____________ and the _________-nots. (*meaning “the divide between the wealthy/privileged and the poor/disadvantaged, highlighting societal gaps, economic inequality, or differing access to resources”)

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE #2

LIVE, LEARN, & LOVE

Do you take delight in watching films or listening to pop music? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.

 

# 2. “Cover-up” (2025 Documentary Film)

1.   Journalist Seymour Hersh said “My job as the news reporter is to find out secrets and facts if that is what the issue is. Then we publish it, knowing that we’re violating the rules and the laws of national security and breaking the top-secret information above top secret because we think there is an outstanding reason. We take the story here of officials with responsibilities not conducting their affairs correctly. And that’s the issue I’m trying to make. And there should be any bar on the press, theoretically to publish anything we want, because that happens to be the way that Constitution and the Bill of Rights were setup.”

 

The journalist Hersh views “not conducting one’s affairs/works correctly” as “a failure to do the official’s jobs in the right way they are supposed to do”. He says it is his job to reveal what is going on behind the curtain or under the hat among those high-ranking officials.

 

In the above quote, “bar on the press” refers to government restrictions, censorship, and the general suppression of independent journalism.

 

    2.   Journalist Seymour Hersh said (on the interview about the U.S. government and military deceptions regarding chemical weapons, most notably in two distinct areas: the U.S. Army's own historical chemical and biological weapons programs):

“I don’t care what the army said. I investigated it. It was nerve gas that killed sheep. The army wanted to mess around, but it was nerve gas. Everybody says that off the record. Nobody wants to say the army is lying through their teeth.”

 

“to mess around” has various different meanings (such as “to fool/flirt with someone” or “to waste time or act silly”), but here it refers to the army handling/ interfering with/ or using something in a careless or experimental way.

 

“to lie through one’s teeth” means to tell a lie without remorse. Seymour Hersh wants to point out that although most people involved or noninvolved did not rock the boat by telling the truth, the fact was that the army was telling an obvious, bold, and shameless lie, often with a brazen or unrepentant attitude.

 

·     **  Jean’s small thoughts

As I was watching this documentary film about the difficult journey of the renowned investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, I found myself wondering what it is that keeps a person courageous enough to speak up for the weak in this heartless world full of lies that look or sound more truthful than truths. Would it be a strong conviction in his life? Were they one of those few born with the right mind to bring out dying justice to the world? Maybe or maybe not. What I know for sure is that the voice of truth eventually finds its way out of the lies through these brave people’s pens and mouths called “journalists”.

 

CHAPTER IV: WORKSHEET #79 of Dr. Jedidiah's Diary

WORKSHEET #79

Let’s practice some expressions from the episode #79 of Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary!  

 

    1.   The moon__________ adolescent will do anything he can to keep his puppy love burning strong. (*meaning “enchanted or dazed, often by love, appearing dreamy or irrational”)

 

    2.   Bryan was waiting for the golf tournament not to show how improved he has, but rather to fl______________ his new golf shirt. (*meaning “display (something) ostentatiously, especially in order to provoke envy or admiration or to show defiance”)

 

    3.   My friend explained to me about the traditional Jewish music in which the melodic structure of the Bible is preserved as people cant___________ the sacred texts. (*meaning “To chant or recite (a liturgical text) in a musical monotone”)

 

    4.   In the Show at the Apollo, when the audience booed a performer off stage, the _____________man dressed in a comical, gaudy costume, would come out and "execute" them, ushering them away with props like a hook or broom. (*meaning “(at Showtime at the Apollo”) when this man shows up on stage, it is time for the amateur performer to go. This man is a legend of the Apollo Theater, chasing the bad acts off the stage after crowd booed their performance”)

 

    5.   Hov is such an awesome DJ who knows how to r____________ the house every month! (*meaning “to perform with high energy, excite a crowd, or have a great party”)

 

    6.   My auntie’s beauty was out of this ______________! Whenever I saw her face, I wasn’t able to get my eyes off of her beautiful smile. (*meaning “extremely enjoyable and impressive”)

 

    7.   Children looked totally st____________ about meeting Santa Claus at the Christmas event. (*meaning “excited/ thrilled about something”)

 

    8.   The movie's special effects looked rather c________zy and unconvincing. (*cheap, tacky, or poorly made (like furniture, decorations, or fake effects) or people who are stingy/unwilling to spend money”)

9.   She needed to h____________ to make ends meet. (*meaning “working energetically, moving quickly, or engaging in enterprising (sometimes dubious) activity/  money-making”)

 

    10.  Watch out for the loose and uneven floorboard; you might _______le if you step on it wrong. (*meaning “to sway, stumble, or capsize, and a noun for an unsteady movement”)

 

    11. Anthony looked gorgeous even in such a knock________ leather jacket. (*meaning “a copy or imitation, especially of an expensive or designer product”)

 

    12. What a skoo_________ performance it was! I bet every one of the audience left with satisfaction. (*meaning “strong, excellent, powerful, or large, and can describe people, objects, or situations”)

 

    13. In this Lunar Orbit of Injection, the satellite's closest point from the moon, which is called peri___________, is 500 km and the farthest point (apolune) is about 7,500 km. (*meaning “the closest point in an orbit to the Moon, often used in spaceflight”)

 

    14. Today's young adults are often fl___________gasted by the morals and customs of their parents and especially their grandparents, and the elders share their amazement of how family values have evolved since 1960. (*meaning “greatly surprised/ astonished”)

CHAPTER IV: WORKSHEET #78 of Dr. Jedidiah's Diary

WORKSHEET #78

Let’s practice some expressions from the episode #78 of Dr. Jedidiah’s Diary!  

 

      1.   Jake couldn’t take his eyes off of his girlfriend Bethany on their first date             night. She was gu_______________ up (*meaning “dressed up fancily             or made more attractive, and can describe people getting dressed up for an           event or a place/thing being decorated to look nicer”) in a beautiful purple         dress. It was the first time when she was strongly determined to                   get  d____________ up. (*meaning “make oneself attractive with makeup and fancy or stylish clothes”)

 

2.   Mr. Seinfelt found a twenty-dollar bill in his old winter coat before he tossed it into the salvation army box. He said to himself “_________’s own luck!” (*meaning “incredibly good fortune, often used when someone succeeds against the odds or avoids negative consequences”)  

 

3.   Are you joining me on this trip to the winter light festival in Amsterdam? Their hi___________ event might be good enough to chase away your brumal depression or doldrums. (*meaning “of or related to winter”)

 

4.   When it snowed, children and pet doggies would get outside to cav___________ around in our neighborhood. (*meaning “to jump or dance around excitedly”)

 

 

5.   People think he is a sad loner, but I believe that his life is rather a beautiful pa___________ to solitude and independence. (*meaning “a formal expression of high praise, as a poem, movie, or monument”)

 

6.   Jeremy seemed to have made up his mind to leave his girlfriend Lily. He didn’t want to enc/u_______________ her with his intermi________ly (*meaning “never-ending”) worsening financial situation anymore. (*meaning “to burden or weigh them down, making it difficult to move, act, or think freely, often with heavy objects, responsibilities, debts, or excessive rules”)

 

7.   Now I’m adding some potato starch dissolved in water to the sauce so that it’d become a little more inspi______________. (*meaning “make a liquid thicker or denser, often through evaporation, and can be used in sentences describing cooking, medical contexts, or natural processes”)

 

8.   Tommy asked me to h_____________ up the marketing team. (*meaning “lead a group/ a team”)

 

9.   Margarett wist____________ sighed as she was flipping through her old photo album. Walking down the memory lane shared with his good old beau makes her melancholy. (*meaning “in a manner that suggests regret or longing”)

LIVE, LEARN, and LOVE #1

Do you take delight in watching films, listening to pop music, or reading books? For English learners, movies, songs, and books are one of the most wonderful sources to explore the language! You can indulge in your favorite pastime and still learn some expressions, words of wisdom, and oftentimes good lessons while you’re at it.

 

#1. “Our Souls at Night” (2017) starring Jane Fonda & Robert Redford

This book/movie follows a story of a developing elderly romance between a lonely man named Louise and a woman Addie, who are widowed neighbors that became a companionship.

 

Louis said (about his late wife) “Holly and I were there when she passed. I remember wanting to feel her leave…. her spirit or something. And instead, it just seems like she’s still around.” 

 

·       Jean’s small thoughts on the above the line:

I think I can relate to what Louis said about the final moment of his late wife. Yes, I also felt that my father staying with us when he took his last breath.

I still remember what the funeral director said as he was closing my father’s casket: “Now his connection to this life has completely come to an end, and he is away in the most peaceful place.”

Those were the most heart-wrenching and the coldest words that I had ever heard in my life. I believed and am still believing that he hasn’t gone anywhere or forgotten about his loving family and friends. He is everywhere and anywhere I am.