In A Faraway Land

Michael Berman, UK

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About the book
Content
Author
Endorsements and reviews
Introducing In a Faraway Land
Bibliography

About the book

Extent: 300 pages Size: 51/2x81/2 inches 216/140mm
Paperback
World rights
First published 2010
Schools/Education

Content

The book consists of a collection of 60 traditional and contemporary tales, graded Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate or Advanced. These come with photocopiable worksheets, as well as an answer key that contains notes for teachers with pre-listening, while-listening, and post-listening tasks.

Stories not only entertain; they can also alter our experience so as to facilitate growth and change, and the tales included in this book have all been chosen with this aim in mind. Storytellers, unlike folklorists, who make statistical samplings of all the stories they have gathered, choose in the end those stories they believe in. However, at the same time, in selecting which tales to include, their length was a factor and also their subject matter. Stories have been chosen that deal with topics that tend to be featured in course books so they can be incorporated into an integrated programme.

Author

Michael Berman works as a teacher and writer. Publications include A Multiple Intelligences Road to an ELT Classroom and The Power of Metaphor. For further information please visit www.Thestoryteller.org.uk

Endorsements and reviews

For me your gift is in the telling, in the reading, in the being with a group in a very special way that I cannot properly define. If you were to do a storytelling session like you did at Cesky Tesin [in the Czech Republic] I could see people flocking to your session Mario Rinvolucri, Author and Senior Teacher, Pilgrims

Michael Berman, alias the Storyteller, is back with a new collection of stories from all over the world. The carefully selected thought-provoking tales contain a rich vocabulary and provide language learners of all age groups with hours of inspiring and motivating listening experiences. For the language teacher, there is an excellent introductory section on how to use stories in the classroom and, as a welcome time-saving bonus, the tales come with photocopiable worksheets that contain various kinds of exercises and discussion points designed to practise and develop learners' listening and speaking skills. As an alternative worthy of consideration, non-native teachers who feel uneasy about reading out stories aloud in class can of course use the material for reading comprehension purposes. A very recommendable book! Rolf Palmberg, teacher and teacher trainer, Finland

No further testimony is required to Dr Berman's authority in the fields of narrative genre and storytelling methodologies, but this is a book very much written by a teacher for teachers. The truly international collection of stories it contains will transform the learning environment of your classroom. Wayne Rimmer, Director of Studies, International House, Moscow

Introducing In a Faraway Land

Most of the stories featured in this book are examples of what Jürgen Kremer, transpersonal psychologist and spiritual practitioner, called “tales of power” after one of Carlos Castaneda’s novels. He defines such texts as ‘conscious verbal constructions based on numinous experiences in non-ordinary reality, “which guide individuals and help them to integrate the spiritual, mythical, or archetypal aspects of their internal and external experience in unique, meaningful, and fulfilling ways” (Kremer, 1988, p.192). In other words, they can serve the purpose of not only helping learners to develop their language skills, but also, and more importantly, they can also be used for facilitating personal development. Here is an example of one such tale which, in this particular case, takes the form of a joke:

If there is a heaven and a hell, what do you imagine these places are like, and how do you suppose people spend their time in these places? Here is a possible answer:

Heaven and Hell

One day while walking down the street a highly successful HR Manager was tragically hit by a bus and she died. Her soul arrived up in heaven where she was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter himself.

"Welcome to Heaven," said St. Peter. "Before you get settled in though, it seems we have a problem. You see, strangely enough, we've never once had a Human Resources Manager make it this far and we're not really sure what to do with you."

"No problem, just let me in," said the woman. "Well, I'd like to," replied St. Peter, "but I have higher orders. What we're going to do is let you have a day in Hell and a day in Heaven and then you can choose whichever one you want to spend an eternity in."

"Actually, I think I've made up my mind, I prefer to stay in Heaven," said the woman.

"Sorry, but we have rules and we have to follow them." And with that St. Peter put the executive in a lift and it went down-down-down to hell. The doors opened and she found herself stepping out onto the putting green of a beautiful golf course. In the distance was a country club and standing in front of her were all her friends - fellow executives that she had worked with and they were all dressed in evening gowns and cheering for her. They ran up and kissed her on both cheeks and they talked about old times. They played an excellent round of golf and at night went to the country club where she enjoyed an excellent steak and lobster dinner. She met the Devil who was actually quite a nice bloke and she had a great time telling jokes and dancing. She was having such a good time that before she knew it, it was time to leave. Everybody shook her hand and waved good-bye as she got into the lift. The lift went up-up-up and opened back up at the Pearly Gates and she found St. Peter waiting for her.

"Now it's time to spend a day in heaven," he said. So she spent the next 24 hours lounging around on clouds and playing the harp and singing. She had a great time and before she knew it her 24 hours were up and St. Peter came and got her. "So, you've spent a day in hell and you've spent a day in heaven. Now you must choose your eternity," he said. The woman paused for a second and then replied, "Well, I never thought I'd say this, I mean, Heaven has been really great and all, but I think I had a better time in Hell." So St. Peter escorted her to the lift and again she went down-down-down back to Hell.

When the doors of the elevator opened she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in rubbish and filth. She saw her friends were dressed in rags and were picking up the rubbish and putting it in sacks. The Devil came up to her and put his arm around her.

"I don't understand," stammered the woman, "yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a country club and we ate lobster and we danced and had a great time. Now all there is, is a wasteland of rubbish and all my friends look miserable."

The Devil looked at her and smiled. "Yesterday we were recruiting you, today you're staff..."

Now, without looking back at the text, place all the parts of the story in the correct order:

1. "Actually, I think I've made up my mind, I prefer to stay in Heaven," said the woman.
2. "I don't understand," stammered the woman, "yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and a country club and we ate lobster and we danced and had a great time. Now all there is, is a wasteland of rubbish and all my friends look miserable."
3. "No problem, just let me in," said the woman. "Well, I'd like to," replied St. Peter, "but I have higher orders. What we're going to do is let you have a day in Hell and a day in Heaven and then you can choose whichever one you want to spend an eternity in."
4. "Now it's time to spend a day in heaven," he said. So she spent the next 24 hours lounging around on clouds and playing the harp and singing. She had a great time and before she knew it her 24 hours were up and St. Peter came and got her. "So, you've spent a day in hell and you've spent a day in heaven. Now you must choose your eternity," he said. The woman paused for a second and then replied, "Well, I never thought I'd say this, I mean, Heaven has been really great and all, but I think I had a better time in Hell." So St. Peter escorted her to the lift and again she went down-down-down back to Hell.
5. One day while walking down the street a highly successful HR Manager was tragically hit by a bus and she died. Her soul arrived up in heaven where she was met at the Pearly Gates by St. Peter himself.
6. "Sorry, but we have rules and we have to follow them." And with that St. Peter put the executive in a lift and it went down-down-down to hell. The doors opened and she found herself stepping out onto the putting green of a beautiful golf course. In the distance was a country club and standing in front of her were all her friends - fellow executives that she had worked with and they were all dressed in evening gowns and cheering for her. They ran up and kissed her on both cheeks and they talked about old times. They played an excellent round of golf and at night went to the country club where she enjoyed an excellent steak and lobster dinner. She met the Devil who was actually quite a nice bloke and she had a great time telling jokes and dancing. She was having such a good time that before she knew it, it was time to leave. Everybody shook her hand and waved good-bye as she got into the lift. The lift went up-up-up and opened back up at the Pearly Gates and she found St. Peter waiting for her.
7. The Devil looked at her and smiled. "Yesterday we were recruiting you, today you're staff..."
8. "Welcome to Heaven," said St. Peter. "Before you get settled in though, it seems we have a problem. You see, strangely enough, we've never once had a Human Resources Manager make it this far and we're not really sure what to do with you."
9. When the doors of the lift opened she found herself standing in a desolate wasteland covered in rubbish and filth. She saw her friends were dressed in rags and were picking up the rubbish and putting it in sacks. The Devil came up to her and put his arm around her.

1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 ___ 6 ___ 7 ___ 8 ___ 9 ___

ANSWERS: 1e / 2h / 3c /4a / 5f / 6d /7i / 8b / 9g

The second example of the kind of story you can expect to find in this collection is a traditional folktale.

“Armenia is perhaps the oldest of all the Christian countries in the world. It was a powerful nation at the advent of Christ, although at different periods in its history it was occupied by the Persians under Cyrus, the Macedonians under Alexander the Great, and the Romans under the Cesars” (Kaeter, 2004, p.154). In more recent times, to bring the story up to date, Armenia has been in the news due to the still unresolved conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The Armenian legend that follows about Solomon the Wise was taken from Adolf Dirr’s 1925 collection, translated by Lucy Menzies:

Solomon the Wise and the Hermit

During Solomon’s reign, a hermit, to whom people from all quarters made pilgrimages, lived in a cave not far from Jerusalem. Solomon once made up his mind to go and visit him himself to ask for his advice, and took his favourite courtier with him. But the hermit knew through divine inspiration that the king was coming to him, and prepared for his reception by sweeping his cell and leaving the sweepings lying in the middle of it. Then he took off all his garments, threw a cloth over his shoulders and waited on the threshold, holding his mouth with his right hand. When king Solomon and his courtier drew near, the latter said, “Sire, that is enough. Let us go home.”

“Why then? We have come for advice it would be a pity to go home without getting what we came for,” Solomon replied.

“We have the advice already,” the courtier said. “Come away I will explain it to you.”

And when they got home the courtier gave the following explanation of what he had seen: The sweepings stand for our earthly possessions. By standing at his threshold, the hermit wished to let us know that we are merely temporary inhabitants of this world. The cloth over his shoulders signified that all we need of the goods of this world is a winding-sheet. By holding his mouth he meant to tell us that man’s most dangerous enemy is his tongue; he must keep it shut so that it may not babble.”

The king was so well content with this explanation that he richly rewarded his courtier.

In class or in a workshop setting the story can be used to practise predictive skills. Stop reading the story after the sentence “The sweepings stand for our earthly possessions”, and then ask the listeners, working in groups, to work out in the same way the meaning of the other three signs – the hermit standing at the threshold, the cloth over his shoulders, and the hermit holding his mouth. Then, after you show or read the rest of the tale to them, they can compare their interpretations with the original.

The third and final example is The Tree that Absorbed Tears, which is a modern adaptation of a traditional Jewish folktale from Romania:

The Tree that Absorbed Tears

A daughter married, left her family, and moved to a distant village to live with her husband. The life of the girl was very bitter. She had no luck and what luck doesn’t give, the mind can’t change.
Once the mother visited her daughter and saw for herself how terrible her life was. She wanted to talk with her, but was afraid to do it at home in case the husband heard. So, she asked her daughter to go out with her. They walked and walked until they came to a forest.
In the forest they stood under a young and beautiful tree. “Tell me my darling what lies heavy on your heart. Tell me and relieve your sorrow,” said the mother. And there the girl cried as she told her secrets and poured her heart out to her mother.
Said the mother: “Listen to me. As much as I’d like to be able to, I can’t come and visit you every week like this. I just can’t afford to. So instead I want you to promise to come to this tree once a week and tell it everything that has happened to you.
The daughter promised to do it.
After a while the mother visited her daughter once again, and was relieved to see her daughter looked much better.
She asked her: “Is it true that your life now is better then before and you don’t suffer so much?”
“No, mummy. Nothing has changed in my life.”
“Then how come you look so much better now than you did before?”
“I really don’t know.”
“Let’s go to the forest.” said the mother.
Walking together the girl said, “Once a week I go to the forest to that tree and tell him everything, and then the heavy burden of suffering seems to leave my heart.”
When they came to the tree they saw that it was almost dead. It was then they understood that the tears and suffering of the daughter had been absorbed by the tree and it had sacrificed itself for her.
This made the daughter feel very guilty about all the problems she had been dumping on others. And she made a vow there and then never to do so again, but to be stronger, take control of her life, and to deal with her problems herself in future.

Now, without looking back at the tale, place the different parts of the story in the correct order:

1. A daughter married, left her family, and moved to a distant village to live with her husband. The life of the girl was very bitter. She had no luck and what luck doesn’t give, the mind can’t change.
2. After a while the mother visited her daughter once again, and was relieved to see her daughter looked much better.
3. In the forest they stood under a young and beautiful tree. “Tell me my darling what lies heavy on your heart. Tell me and relieve your sorrow,” said the mother. And there the girl cried as she told her secrets and poured her heart out to her mother.
4. “I really don’t know.”
5. “Let’s go to the forest.” said the mother.
6. “No, mummy. Nothing has changed in my life.”
7. Once the mother visited her daughter and saw for herself how terrible her life was. She wanted to talk with her, but was afraid to do it at home in case the husband heard. So, she asked her daughter to go out with her. They walked and walked until they came to a forest.
8. Said the mother: “Listen to me. As much as I’d like to be able to, I can’t come and visit you every week like this. I just can’t afford to. So instead I want you to promise to come to this tree once a week and tell it everything that has happened to you.
9. She asked her: “Is it true that your life now is better then before and you don’t suffer so much?”
10. The daughter promised to do it.
11. “Then how come you look so much better now than you did before?”
12. This made the daughter feel very guilty about all the problems she had been dumping on others. And she made a vow there and then never to do so again, but to be stronger, take control of her life, and to deal with her problems herself in future.
13. Walking together the girl said, “Once a week I go to the forest to that tree and tell him everything, and then the heavy burden of suffering seems to leave my heart.”
14. When they came to the tree they saw that it was almost dead. It was then they understood that the tears and suffering of the daughter had been absorbed by the tree and it had sacrificed itself for her.

1 __ 2 __ 3 __ 4 __ 5 __ 6 __ 7 __ 8 __ 9 __ 10__ 11 __ 12 __ 13 __ 14 __

ANSWERS: 1-a 2-g 3-c 4-h 5-j 6-b 7-i 8-f 9-k 10-d 11 -e 12-m 13-n 14 –l

None of these stories can be found in the book, but sixty further examples can – both traditional and contemporary and from all parts of the world. They are accompanied by notes for teachers on how the tales can be exploited in class, photocopiable worksheets, and also an Answer Key.

Bibliography

Dirr, A. (1925) Caucasian Folk-tales, London & Toronto: J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd.

Kaeter, M. (2004) The Caucasus Republics, New York: Facts on File Inc.

Please check the Creative Methodology for the Classroom course at Pilgrims website.
Please check the Literature course at Pilgrims website.