From the Sublime to the Ridiculous: Review of Two Graded Readers Gandhi and Three Men on the Bummel
Neil McBeath, Oman
Gandhi
Rachel Bladon
Macmillan 2011–03–27
Pp. 87 ISBN 978-0-2304-0838-8
Three Men on the Bummel
Jerome K. Jerome (Adapted by Gina B.D. Clemen).
Black Cat Publishing 2001
Pp. 102 ISBN 978-88-530-1096-4
These two graded readers go, quite literally, from the sublime to the ridiculous. They are both at approximately the same level: Macmillan Pre-Intermediate; CEF A2 B1; Black Cat B2:1; Exam Preparation FCE, but there the similarity ends.
Gandhi is a simplified biography, that could be used as a tie-in with the 1982, multiple Oscar winning film starring Ben Kingsley. It is illustrated with a number of black and white photographs and tells the fairly familiar story of Ghandi’s birth in India, legal training in England, early involvement in civil disobedience in South Africa, return to India, involvement with the Indian National Congress, influence in the Quit India campaign and eventual assassination.
There are no surprises here, but Rachel Bladon makes very good use of her material. The Amritsar Massacre, strangely, merits only one paragraph on Page 33, but she gives fuller treatment to the symbolic Salt March. She also places the blame for the collapse of the 1940 Rajaji Agreement, “If India was given complete independence, she would fight with Britain in the war.” (P. 55) fairly firmly on Winston Churchill. With hindsight it is very easy to see that his attitude was a tragic mistake.
Gandhi is a good book. There are far too few non-fiction graded readers, even fewer biographies, and many of those are devoted to ephemeral sports personalities and entertainers. This book offers solid facts about a truly legendary figure. It comes with four pages of exercises (Pp. 70-73) and a glossary (Pp. 74-80) and I would recommend it very highly indeed.
Three Men on the Bummel is completely different. Less famous than Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat, it concerns the adventures of our heroes on a cycling tour through Germany at the very end of the 19th century.
Whimsically amusing anecdotes about the supposedly odd behaviour of “foreigners” can be culturally sensitive in EFL, but in this instance I think it highly unlikely that anyone could be offended by remarks regarding the oddities of life in the German Empire of Kaiser Wilhelm II. As many of the incidents are the direct result of the Englishmen’s own incompetence, moreover, there is a balance to the absurdities.
Like all the Black Cat readers, this book is drenched in colour, and alternates chapters of the text with chapters of background information, exercises, topics for discussion, and extension activities. These can be omitted by the reader fixated on the plot, but it is often wise not to ignore them completely. In this book Clemen offers invaluable information on The Golden Age of Bicycles (Pp. 31-37) and The Black Forest (Pp. 91-95)., as well as suggestions for internet projects about Hamburg and Hamburgers (P. 49), the Pergamon Museum in Berlin (P. 59) and Prague (P. 80). There are also stunningly beautiful views of Dresden (P. 68) and Baden-Baden (P. 92).
From my own perspective in Oman, I would have no hesitation in using the Hamburg and Hamburgers material – it would help to dispel the popular Arab misconception that hamburgers are disgusting because they are made from pork. For European students, of course, the attraction of the other projects is self-evident.
Again, this book is highly recommended, and it comes complete with an audio CD and free WebActivities. What more could a teacher want?
Please check the Methodology and Language for Secondary Teachers course at Pilgrims website.
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