Will you go through your whole life with untied shoelaces? － 靴ひもがほどけたまま、一生を送りますか？－

As a young boy, growing up in Sudan, Mohamed never learned to tie his shoelaces.  He was bigger than most other boys his age, and confident.  If his shoelaces came undone, he would order another boy to tie them for him.  And there would always be someone who did it. 

Then Mohamed developed an eye condition.  His eyesight deteriorated as he started to go blind.  He should have learned how to tie his shoelaces.  He should have asked one of his school teachers, or his mother to teach him how to do it.  But he felt ashamed.  He didn’t want people to think that he couldn’t tie his shoelaces because of his disability. 

So he continued to hide his inability from others.  He would throw the laces together in a random way and hope that they held together, or tuck the laces into his shoes.  He managed to go through elementary school, junior high school and high school in this way.

When he was 19, Mohamed won a scholarship to study acupuncture in Japan.  His prospects in Sudan didn’t look good, and so he took the opportunity, and the risk.

He was initially enrolled in a blind school, where he could study Japanese intensively, and also learn how to get around by himself using his white cane.  A specialised instructor from Osaka took him out of his dormitory to teach him how to get around the local area.  He noticed that one of Mohamed’s shoelaces had come untied.  He told Mohamed about it, who stopped and, embarrassed, threw his shoelaces together at random and tried to continue.  The instructor realised that Mohamed didn’t know how to tie his shoelaces and so cancelled the lesson and suggested that they go back to the dormitory to practice tying and untying shoelaces.  Mohamed became angry and stopped listening to the instructor, outraged at having his secret shame exposed.

The instructor said to him, “Look, I understand your embarrassment.  You should have learned to do this long ago.  But you have a chance to overcome your problem and never to feel embarrassed about it again.  This might be your last chance to learn.  Or will you go through your whole life with untied shoelaces?”

Mohamed apologised.  And after several hours of practice, he learned how to tie his shoelaces.

***

I have just finished listening to a book written in Japanese called “Waga mousou(わが盲想)”, by the blind Sudanese writer, Mohamed Omer Abdin.  The scene which has stayed with me is Mohamed’s tale about learning to tie his shoelaces, which I have summarised above.

Perhaps you can tie your shoelaces, but what other flaws have you hidden for years beneath layers of pride or shame?  Hopefully, as with Mohamed, it is not too late to change.

 

Vocabulary:

to deteriorate – For the condition of something to become worse

a disability – A physical or mental handicap

acupuncture – The practice of sticking needles into the body in order to relieve pain, promote good health etc.

one’s prospects – One’s future chances, opportunities

to do something intensively – to study, work etc. a great deal in a short space of time

a cane – a stick, used to help someone walk, or blind people to test the ground in front of them

to be outraged – to be very angry or offended

for something to be exposed – For something secret or unknown to become known

flaws – imperfections; defects

 

Enchantments, loves, and all sorts of impossible nonsense －魔法、愛、あり得もしない荒唐無稽の数々－

This week it was announced that archaeologists had found the bones of the writer Miguel de Cervantes in Madrid.  He is famous for writing the novel “Don Quixote”, which is regarded as one of the greatest works of literature ever written. 

The first part was published in Spanish in 1605, and tells the story of a man who reads too many fictional books about romance and chivalry and loses his sanity.  He decides to become a knight himself and adventures throughout Spain, trying to rescue maidens, attack giants and right wrongs. 

 

Unfortunately, because he is mad, the maidens he tries to rescue are not really in need of help, the giants he tries to attack are actually windmills, and he causes trouble for himself and everyone else rather than righting wrongs. 
 

I have heavily edited the opening to make it simpler and easier to follow.  I will also include an explanation of difficult vocabulary at the end.  This is how Don Quixote decided to become a heroic knight...


An edited version of the opening to “Don Quixote”, part 1 (1605) by Miguel de Cervantes:

 

In the village of La Mancha, there lived a gentleman. He was used to eating rather more beef than mutton, a salad on most nights, scraps on Saturdays, lentils on Fridays, and a pigeon or so extra on Sundays.
 

The age of this gentleman of ours was bordering on fifty; he was hardy, a very early riser and a great sportsman.
 

The gentleman whenever he was at leisure (which was mostly all the year round) gave himself up to reading books of chivalry with such passion and concentration that he almost entirely neglected sports, and even the management of his property; and to such an extent did his eagerness and infatuation go that he sold much land to buy books of chivalry to read, and brought home as many of them as he could get. 
 

Over such fantasies the poor gentleman lost his wits, and used to lie awake at night, thinking about them. 
 

In short, he became so absorbed in his books that he spent his nights from sunset to sunrise, and his days from dawn to dark, poring over them; and what with little sleep and much reading he lost his wits. His fancy grew full of what he used to read about in his books, enchantments, quarrels, battles, challenges, wounds, loves, agonies, and all sorts of impossible nonsense. To him, all he read of was true, no history in the world had more reality in it.
 

His wits being quite gone, he hit upon the strangest idea that ever madman in this world considered. He fancied it was right that he should become a knight, roaming the world in full armour and on horseback in quest of adventures. 

Vocabulary:
 

an archaeologist – Someone who searches for old items, buildings etc., often by digging in historical sites
 

chivalry – The system of polite and honourable behaviour which was regarded as ideal for knights in the Middle Ages in Europe
 

sanity – The opposite of madness; reason; a clear mind
 

a maiden – A young, unmarried woman (old-fashioned)
 

to right a wrong – to correct an injustice
 

scraps – Very small pieces; left-overs
 

“bordering on fifty” – nearly fifty
 

hardy – tough
 

to be at leisure – to be free; to have free time
 

infatuation – obsession; strong love and desire for something
 

to lose one’s wits – to go mad; to lose one’s sanity.
 

to pore over something - to study something at great length
 

to hit upon an idea – to think of an idea
 

to roam – to wander; to journey in many directions at length

“in quest of” - in search of
 

 

Help me Auntie, I’m in agony! －叔母さん、助けて。ああ苦しいよ！－

To be in agony means to be in extreme pain.  If you were in extreme physical pain, who would you go to for help?  Perhaps a doctor or a chemist with access to painkillers.

But what if you were in emotional agony?  What if your boyfriend had just dumped you and there seemed to be no way forward?  What if your mother were sick and you were agonising over whether to care for her yourself or place her in a home to be cared for by professionals?  Who could help you with that kind of dilemma?  Perhaps what you need is an agony aunt.

Agony aunt columns are popular features of many newspapers and magazines.  People who have problems write in anonymously and someone – often a woman, and often of advanced years and experience, hence the title “aunt” – will give you advice.  Of course, they do not write to you directly.  They print their advice in their newspaper or magazine column for everyone to read.

I sometimes use agony aunt columns in my English lessons.  They often present a moral dilemma, which the students can discuss.  They frequently introduce an interesting situation and an opportunity to practice problem solving role-plays.  They can also introduce some useful vocabulary, often about personal problems and relationships.  So let’s take a look at a typical case. 

Problem:

I am a man in my early twenties.  I am sure that I have found my soulmate.  She is perfect for me in every way and I am certain that she is the one for me to grow old with.

But I am worried that we are too young to get married, and we haven’t had enough experience of life yet.  She is my first girlfriend.  What if we get married and then she or I regret not having had other boyfriends or girlfriends?  I’d like to take a break from each other for a year to experience other things before we get married.

Is it a good idea to take a break?  Or should I marry her now in case I risk losing her?

Young man in agony
 

If you were the agony aunt, what would your advice be? 
 

Vocabulary:

a chemist – In this sense, a chemist is someone who works in a chemists or a drugstore, and prepares drugs for patients.

a painkiller – A drug or medicine which blocks or lessens feelings of pain.

to dump someone – To break off a romantic relationship with someone.

To agonise over something – To feel great stress or worry about something, such as a decision that has to be taken.

a dilemma – A situation when you have to make a difficult decision between two choices.

to do something anonymously – To do something without giving your name.

hence – Therefore; Which is the reason for; which explains

 

 

Bigmouth strikes again －また言い過ぎ－

The title of today’s blog is taken from a song written by 1980s British band The Smiths, who were fronted by gloomy vocalist Morrissey.  If you are not familiar with his lyrics, then you can get an idea of just how gloomy he is from some of their song titles.  “Girlfriend in a coma”, “Heaven knows I’m miserable now” and “Last night I dreamt that somebody loved me” spring to mind. 

Still, they were a great band, and are my wife’s favourite band.  She wondered what “Bigmouth” meant, so let’s look at some English phrases involving the mouth.  All of these expressions are casual or slang expressions, but are not specific to one country. 

1 – “Bigmouth”

It is not so common to use “bigmouth” as one word.  But the Smiths’ song uses it in “Bigmouth strikes again”.  A bigmouth is a person who says things that they should not, like revealing other people’s secrets.  In the song “Bigmouth strikes again”, the singer makes violent threats against his lover, which he soon regrets.  He sings “Sweetness, I was only joking when I said I’d like to smash every tooth in your head.”  Morrissey is definitely a bigmouth!

2 – “Big mouth”

It is more common to make a sentence using “big mouth” as two words.  People say “Why did he open his big mouth?” or “Me and my big mouth!” to express regret for something that has been said which shouldn’t have been said.  This is used in reference to secrets or gossip, rather than boasting.

For example, everyone at the office is planning a surprise party for their colleague, John.  It is supposed to be kept a secret from John.  But you ask him, “Are you looking forward to the party?  Oh, no!  Me and my big mouth!  I wasn’t supposed to tell you.”

 

3 – A loudmouth

This is a more common expression in English than “bigmouth”.  A loudmouth is usually used to describe a braggart, someone who boasts a lot.  For example, at a party, David tells everyone how much money he has and how expensive his car is.  After the party, you complain, “David is such a loudmouth.”

The boxer Mohammed Ali was sometimes described as a loudmouth because he always boasted, “I am the greatest.”

 

4 – “Wash your mouth out with soap!”

This is a phrase sometimes used by parents to scold their children when they say something inappropriate or use swear words that they shouldn’t be using.  For example, a teenager complains, “This homework is f***ing impossible!”  His mother immediately says, “Wash your mouth out with soap!  Where did you learn to use that kind of language?”

Other vocabulary used in this article:

to be gloomy – To be dark.  About a person, to be depressed, sad, pessimistic etc.

a coma – A state of deep unconsciousness, caused by severe injury or illness.  For example, “He has been in a coma since the car accident.”

to spring to mind – To jump immediately into your thoughts

to boast – To talk with excessive pride and satisfaction about yourself, achievements etc.