The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope: Book Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/07/prisoner-of-zenda-by-anthony-hope.html

Royal Flash by George MacDonald Fraser (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/06/royal-flash-by-george-macdonald-fraser.html

Started: Sign of the Unicorn (The Chronicles of Amber #3) by Roger Zelazny

Video HERE

Flashman by George Macdonald Fraser: Book Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/05/flashman-by-george-macdonald-fraser.html

Tom Brown's Schooldays by Thomas Hughes: Book Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/08/tom-browns-schooldays-by-thomas-hughes.html

An Introduction to the Flashman series

Part 2: An Introduction to the Flashman series

Part 3: An Introduction to the Flashman series

Yet another video (or 3) which is inspired by my project of going back through my old reviews, but is not actually an old review.
I've now worked my way up to my Flashman phase of book reviews, and I thought it might be confusing to just jump into the book reviews without an introduction to the character first of all.  Especially since the Flashman series is largely unknown in the United States.  And especially since Flashman is based off of a public domain character from an old book which is also largely unknown in the United States.  So I wanted to give an overview of the whole series before doing the individual book reviews.  Plus I figured it might be fun.
It's in 3 videos, because my camera can only handle 30 minutes at a time.  (The second video is 25 minutes because the battery died.)
I ramble on a lot, as usual, but I did try to keep my comments somewhat focused by making an outline before hand.  The outline is on Google docs (docs, pub) and also copied and pasted below.

Introduction to Flashman Series

I. Brief Intro
A. Premise: Flashman very famous well-respected soldier--bravery and honor.  His papers discovered after he died--really a coward and scoundrel.  Presented by an editor--with footnotes
B. 12 books, 2 tie in books 1969 to 2005. (mostly in 1970s--pace slowed afterwards).  George MacDonald Fraser died in 2008, so now closed canon.
C. Genre: Historical Fiction
1. Specifically Victorian British Empire, e.g. British in Afghanistan, India, Punjab (1st Sikh War), British army in China (Arrow War--2nd Opium War), British army in Ethiopia, British army in South Africa (Zulu War), James Brooke in Borneo (Malaysia), Crimean War
2. But also other areas of interest in the 19th Century (3- books - take place in America, Madagascar, Congress of Berlin, etc.)
D. Dark ironic humor
E. Very popular in Britain and also Australia.  Not popular in America. (Or is it?)  Therefore, my introduction for Americans
II. My Experience
A. Books recommended to me by British friends (one in Japan, one in Cambodia)
B. Books easily available in Melbourne, Australia
C. Disclaimers
1. Part of my Scripted Review series--10 years old in memory now--Correct me if I misremember something
2. I’m going to repeat information when I review individual books
III. Origins of Flashman.  Tom Brown’s Schooldays
A. Flashman comes from an old 19th Century classic novel.  Tom Brown’s Schooldays
B. 1857 Novel by Thomas Hughes, but takes place in 1834 to 1842
C. Semi-autobiographical(?)--incorporates real places (Rugby school--yes, that rugby) and real people (Thomas Arnold)--this is why it works perfectly in Flashman universe--meta
D. Influential in 19th Century--Ulysses S. Grant was a fan
E. Largely forgotten in America (or am I wrong?), but I believe it’s still popular in Britain. 
1. Still adapted for film and television
2. British people use it as shorthand to describe traumatic boarding school experience--my friend, and Simon Sebag Montefiore
F. Premise of the book--Tom Brown goes to Rugby Boarding school, friend Harry Scud East.  Has to stand up against bullies,
G. Heavily moralizing in focus, but code of the schoolyard type morality: Never pick on boys smaller than you, but don't be afraid to stand up to bullies even if they are bigger than you. Never shirk from a fight if challenged. Always throw yourself fully into sports without worrying about getting injured. A certain amount of mischief is natural for a young boy, but never lie or be dishonest about it when caught.
H. Except for the second half--Bible study (P.G. Wodehouse--Tom Brown Question)
I. Flashman is the bully
J. Malfoy Comparison--Malfoy series 150 years from now, historical fiction--Analogy too on the nose?
K. Flashman’s qualities: Complete opposite of what the book is preaching.  Delights in tormenting younger boys (Sadist?), but toadies to older boys.  Runs when challenged.  Dominates 2nd quarter of the book, and then gets expelled.
L. Tom Brown’s Schooldays verdict--You should probably read it.  1st Flashman book starts directly from it.  (Flashman being expelled).  Flashman books are constantly referencing back to Tom Brown’s Schooldays.  1st 6 books especially.  Tom Brown, Scud East, Speedicut, etc.  Tom Brown and East exaggerated.  Typical?
M. Meta--Flashman is aware he’s portrayed by Thomas Hughes.  Complains about it.  Flashman in the Great Game--He finds out the book has been published.  Other books reference back.
N. Yes, it’s a bit slow and boring.  But this is booktube, you’re probably a classic nerd.  (I got about 50 pages in myself, and then read it alongside Flashman)
IV. Status
A. Historical fiction.  Forest Gump. At all key points.
B. 1st Flashman 1969.  Classic? Everyman library FLASHMAN, FLASH FOR FREEDOM!, FLASHMAN IN THE GREAT GAME
C. Orientalism (2005 HarperCollins trade paperback)
D. Historical notes. Great, detailed: sensationalism (Is it the best thing?  Fair enough for historical fiction.  Sometimes bias creeps in.  Flashman and the Mountain of Light: debauchery, orgies, and intrigue in the court of Lahore seem to read like they may have been exaggerated by credulous Victorians.  Flashman and the Angel of the Lord: Benjamin Franklin working for Benjamin Franklin)
V. Flashman book 
A. British in Afghanistan--First Anglo-Afghan War.  Timing works out perfectly (1842)
B. Afghanistan stand in for Vietnam in 1969
C. 2010, Afghanistan was a stand-in for Afghanistan
D. Assassination of Sir Alexander Burnes--backed up by footnotes
E. Comic--Flashman crying as he has to defend the fort
F. Rape
1. I didn’t notice until a couple years later--amazon
2. In character--and it comes back to bite him later--she gets her revenge
3. Off-hand description
4. 1969--more risque.  Lots of other politically incorrect stuff
5. 3 options. Don’t forgive, Dark but forgive, Perfectly fine--he’s an anti-hero after all
VI. Royal Flash--Parody of Prisoner of Zenda. Fictional kingdom.  but this is the only one (bookended by real history--1848.  Lola, Wagner, Marx)
VII. Goes in order until 6th book--1975 Flashman’s Lady.  Jumping around in order increases the joke about being at all the key places.
VIII. Politics?
A. Always took delight in being politically incorrect--especially by today’s Standards (Flashman and the Redskins).  Guilty pleasure
B. Honor of the British Empire--The Charge of the Light Brigade (Flashman at the Charge)
C. Flashman less of a threat
D. My own politics--anti-Imperialist.  Comfortable
E. Politics changed--defense of the British Empire
F. Afghanistan example--General Elphinston case.  Is it anti-war (Vietnam) or pro-war (Elphinston concessions) (History Buffs--but he probably got it from Flashman)
G. But hard to categorize, even later books
IX. Mr American
A. Not Cameo--dominates the middle part
B. 88-92 (But published in 1980)
C. Different book: War and Peace--very well written
D. No footnotes. But a lot of historical characters
E. Edward VII--some history with Flashman.  Falstaff and Prince Hal
X. Black Ajax
A. Flashman’s father, but Flashman himself is only alluded to
B. Problematic book--save that for another review
XI. Royal Flash movie
A. Hated by fans--not a lot of information online)
B. Skipped first one. (Money?  Problematic?)  2nd book not liked by fans.
C. Lots of talented people--Oliver Reed, Malcolm McDowell
D. Friend couldn’t watch it.   (Blond).  I thought it was okay.  Faithful to the book, but had the feeling of trudging through it.
E. But had its moments

Lots more to say, but… individual reviews

Monarchy From the Middle Ages to Modernity by David Starkey: Book Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/04/monarchy-from-middle-ages-to-modernity.html

This Sceptred Isle Radio Show: Review

This is the same situation as my review of Introduction to the Old Testament by Christine Hayes, which I posted a few days ago.  Meaning, this is inspired by my project of making videos out of all my old review posts, but I never actually properly reviewed This Sceptred Isle on this blog.  I listened to it several times through in the years 2008-2015.  (I had it on regular rotation during my last couple years in Japan, my year in Australia, and my 4 years in Cambodia.) And I talked about it tangentially in several posts (most notably here and here), but never properly reviewed it, because back in those days I hadn't yet started regularly reviewing the various audio series I listened to.  But looking back, it seems like this is an omission.  After all, I've gotten most of my knowledge of British history from this series.  It feels like I should talk about it somewhere.  
Plus, in my blog reviews, I talked about this series in conjunction with my review of Monarchy by David Starkey, but for the purposes of Youtube reviews, I wanted to separate them out into two different videos.  So I decided to film a review of This Sceptred Isle.
I wanted to re-listen to This Sceptred Isle before making this video review, but I can't find it. (I don't know where my electronic copy is.  It's on one of my old USB sticks somewhere, but I can't find it at the moment.)  I tried to find a copy online, but I can't.
I'm surprised this show is not more accessible, to be honest.  I know it's online somewhere on paid services, and I'm sure it's on pirate servers somewhere.  But I'm surprised there aren't free versions on Youtube.  After all, this is a BBC radio show that's 25 years old now (W).  Is BBC still safeguarding the copyright on Youtube? Apparently they are.
So, I just turned on the video camera and spoke from memory about what I remembered about the radio show.  Not my best review, but oh well.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling: Book Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/04/kim-by-rudyard-kipling.html

Orwell's essay on Kipling that I reference in the video: https://orwell.ru/library/reviews/kipling/english/e_rkip

Blogging the Canon post that I reference: 

http://bloggingthecanon.blogspot.com/2008/07/kim-continued.html

Introducing Chomsky by John Maher and Judy Groves: Book Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/03/introducing-chomsky-by-john-maher-and.html

Down Under by Bill Bryson: Book Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/03/down-under-by-bill-bryson.html

Needs Analysis for Speaking and Listening Class

(TESOL Worksheets--Speaking, Listening, Needs Analysis)
Google: docs, pub, individual version: docs, pub
[Based on a previous needs analysis I put together.]

Name of your partner: 

1. Why is your partner studying English?  What are their goals for using English in the future?

2. Which skill is your partner more confident in? Listening or speaking?  Why?

3. What is your partner’s weaker skill? Listening or speaking? Why?

4. What does your partner think that they can improve their weaker skill?

5. What can the teacher do to help your partner improve their weaker skill?

6. Does your partner enjoy using the textbook in class?

7. What kind of homework does your partner prefer?

8. What is one activity that your partner really enjoys doing in class?  Make sure to describe it in enough detail so that your new teacher will know how to run the activity.  (You can write on the back if you need more space).

9. What is one activity that your partner really hates doing in class?  Why?

10. Complete these sentences:

My partner enjoys it when…

My partner gets bored when…

My partner finds _______________ easy because ...

My partner finds _______________ difficult because ...

11. Write down 3 things related to listening and speaking that your partner wants to improve on by the end of the course.

The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker: Book Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/03/language-instinct-by-steven-pinker.html

The video gets cut-off after 30 minutes because my camera shuts down after 30 minutes.  (Once again I ramble on for way too long). Apologies for the abrupt ending.

Error Correction Preferences Survey

(TESOL Worksheets--Classroom Management, Speaking, Needs Analysis)
Google: docs, pub
[Note: Students fill this out on the first day of class.  I make a chart with everyone's names and feedback preferences, and then use that chart to guide me when giving feedback throughout the rest of the term.]

Full name: __________________________________ (Nickname:_______________________)

Error Correction Preferences

How do you want the teacher to respond to any language errors that you make in the class?

1. Immediate Error Correction--Stop me and correct me immediately during a speaking activity

2. Delayed Error Correction--Don’t stop me during the speaking activity, but write down my error and at the end of the speaking activity, correct my error anonymously

3. No Error Correction--Don’t correct my mistakes.  I want to focus on fluency, and will worry about accuracy later.

Presentation Feedback Preferences

How do you want the teacher to respond to your speaking in a presentation

1. Immediate Feedback--Give me my feedback immediately after my group finishes our presentation (in front of the class)

2. Delayed Feedback--Don’t give me my feedback in front of the class.  Instead, email me with my feedback after class finishes.

3. No Feedback--Don’t give me feedback on my presentation.

Avatar: Movie Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/02/avatar.html

Extensive and Intensive Listening Tracker

(TESOL Worksheets--Extensive Reading, Learner Autonomy) 
Google: docs, pub
Recommendations: docs, pub
[Note: Sample of what I used in my class.  In my class, the students' names are written in the left hand column, and then a copy is shared electronically with students (who are given editing privileges) and then students keep track of their weekly intensive and extensive listening]

Week 1

Extensive Listening Guidelines: Longer listenings (10 minutes or more).  Listen for enjoyment.  Find something you are interested in.  Movies, TV shows, Youtube videos, lectures, etc.  No comprehension questions.  Listen for main ideas only. (Don’t worry about unknown vocabulary).   It must be something online so that you can share the link with the rest of the class.   Share the link below, and also write a brief note about whether or not you would recommend it.				Intensive Listening Guidelines: Shorter listenings (10 minutes or less).  Listen many times. Focus on understanding everything.  Answer the questions.  Check your answers.  Check the transcript.  Look up any unknown vocabulary. It must be something online so that you can share the link with the rest of the class.
Name	Extensive Listening 1	Extensive Listening 2	Extensive Listening 3	Intensive Listening 1	Intensive Listening 2	Intensive Listening 3
Example	Inside the Neurotic Mind of Stonewall Jackson  Really boring and hard to understand--don’t recommend	Flash Gordon (1936) Space Soldiers.  So great.  Really exciting	The Story of Persephone & Pandora's Box.  It’s okay.  Mildly interesting.

Three Empires on the Nile by Dominic Green: Book Review (Scripted)

Video version of an old post (as I explained about HERE)
For the original post, see:
http://joelswagman.blogspot.com/2010/03/three-empires-on-nile-by-dominic-green.html

The PBS Documentary I mentioned is available on Youtube HERE:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7ZqNF7nOZQwDZ1W43JA_bumBmf3f8uJs

Introduction to the Old Testament by Christine Hayes: Review of a Youtube Series

So, this is inspired by my so-called "scripted" Youtube review series, in which I am filming all my old reviews on this blog and making them in to Youtube videos (as I explained about HERE.)
In this case, however, I never actually wrote a review of Introduction to the Old Testament by Christine Hayes.  I just posted a link to it and recommended it.  But as I'm gradually working my way through my back-catalogue of old reviews, I decided that this lecture series needed some kind of review.  In part because this lecture series had a huge impact on me, and in part because I reference this lecture series in every subsequent book about religion that I've reviewed.  So I wanted to give it its own separate review on the Youtube channel before I start using it as a reference in my subsequent Youtube reviews.
Because I didn't have a review of this already made, I just did a rambling review where I turned on the camera and just talked.  I re-listened to the lecture series prior to filming this video, but I didn't make any attempt to write down or organize my thoughts prior to turning on the camera, and it shows.  I rambled on for 30 minutes, and then my camera automatically shut off.  (My camera automatically shuts off after 30 minutes.)  And I didn't get a chance to talk about even half of the interesting stuff in this lecture series.  But I suppose that's just as well.  There's no point in me recounting every interesting point in the lecture series, when you can just go and listen to the lecture series yourself. 

So, believe it or not, I am still slowly slogging my way through Don Quixote.  With any luck, I should have a review up this year.
I was thinking this afternoon about how the central theme of Don Quixote--the temptation to immerse yourself in fantasy instead of in the real world--is more relevant than ever nowadays.  And then that made me remember something my friend linked to off of Facebook--a Twitter thread about the putsch on January 6.  And I thought it could possibly tie in very nicely to my review of Don Quixote whenever I finally get around to it (in 6 months?  in a year?).  So I thought I'd post it here on my blog so I don't forget about it.  (I know I swore off political posts, but this doesn't count.  This is bookmarking a link I might possibly use for a book review in the future.)

These are people - again, especially the men - trapped in the eternal drama of adolescence. They are creatures of a leisure society, bored by the ordinariness of life, angry that the world is not more interesting and that others refuse to pay them their heroic due. /3

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 15, 2021

 And actually while I'm on the subject, Whisky Prajer had a few interesting links last week.  One that's been sticking in my head is from Justin E. Smith, who talks about how the rioters on January 6 were dressed up in costume, and appeared to be playing out a fantasy of revolution.  Only "kids playing revolution" is what they called it in the 1960s (and besides, many of those on January 6 were hardly kids.)  So now the Internet calls it "Larping".
But then Justin E. Smith goes on to say:

The problem with this is that (with a gentle shout-out to René Girard) in an important sense all culture is larping — our species is Homo larpens at least as much as it is Homo narrans or ludens. The Viking who put on a bear sark was larping too. I larp every day I get up and pretend to be a competent professor of philosophy who understands anything at all about how the world works. This is all of course well-trodden ground for twentieth-century philosophy. Jean-Paul Sartre’s analysis of the waiter who was trying too hard to be a waiter —dressing up as a waiter each day and studiously imitating the bodily motions he associated with waiterdom— put to rest, if only incidentally, Heidegger’s expectation that there might be some deeper way of conducting ourselves that we can deem “authentic”. It’s just fake waiters all the way down, and fake philosophy professors, and mirror neurons spreading cultural patterns from one individual to the next. Another word for all that fakeness is, precisely, “culture”. And this is the danger of talk of larping: it reasserts willy-nilly the opposing, and dangerous, notion of authenticity.

(It should hopefully make even more sense if you read it in context in the full article). 

But before I close out this blog post, I should note that this is not only an issue on the right by any means.  At various points in history, the left has been accused of larping too.

The best example I can think of this is the 2004 documentary. Neverland: The Rise and Fall of the Symbionese Liberation Army (alternatively titled Guerrilla: The Taking of Patty Hearst) which explored the premise that the Symbionese Liberation Army was all made up of kids who had grown up watching too much Zorro, Robin Hood, and Che Guevara movies, and thought that they were living out their own revolutionary action movie.  (I saw this documentary back in 2004, before I had started regularly reviewing movies on this blog.  So I never reviewed it, but it's a fascinating little documentary.  If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, the premise is established very clearly in the first 10 minutes.)

...actually now that I'm thinking about it about, I'm beginning to realize that I'm wasting my time writing about old truisms.  The idea that these young kids attracted to revolutionary groups think they're living in some kind of novel is an idea that people have been saying for decades or centuries now.  (I myself, if I'm being completely honest, was prone to over-romanticizing these revolutionary movements in my youth, although in my case this just took the form of living vicariously through history books.)
...the point is, I may end up using this for a review of Don Quixote someday.

Lesson on Infinitives With and Without "to"

(TESOL Worksheets--Infinitives)
Google Drive Folder HERE
Slideshow: slides, pub
Worksheets: doc, pub
[Notes: I used this to supplement Impact 3, Unit 2, Grammar p. 36.  The context (holding a rat), the specific word patterns, and many of the example sentences all come from that page.  Nevertheless, I also believe this lesson can stand independently of the textbook, and can be used by anyone who wants a lesson on infinitives.
The freer practice at the end (question cards) is a based on a similar activity from TeachThis,  but I've modified it so that it only reflects the word patterns taught in Impact 3, Unit 2, Grammar p. 36.
For the Youtube video, start it at 18:48, and play it for about 2 minutes.

Make 5 Sentences about the video using the word “hold”

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Make 5 Sentences about the video using the word “hold”

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

He went to the pet store ___________ a rat.  

At this pet store, the boy can ___________ a rat.
The boy wanted ___________ the rat.

He was excited ___________  the rat.
His mom watched him ___________ it.

___________  a rat looks fun.

That’s the rat ___________ .
They had the father ___________ another rat.
His parents let him ___________ the rat.  They even helped him ___________ the rat.

He went to the pet store to hold a rat.  

At this pet store, the boy can hold a rat.
The boy wanted to hold the rat.

He was excited to hold the rat.
His mom watched him hold it.

To hold a rat looks fun.

That’s the rat to hold.
They had the father hold another rat.
His parents let him hold the rat.  They even helped him hold the rat.

He went to the pet store to hold a rat.  

At this pet store, the boy can hold a rat.
The boy wanted to hold the rat.

He was excited to hold the rat.
His mom watched him hold it.

To hold a rat looks fun.

That’s the rat to hold.
They had the father hold another rat.
His parents let him hold the rat.  They even helped him hold the rat.

Infinitives
to + infinitive (to hold)	infinitive without to (hold)

Infinitives
to + infinitive (to hold)	infinitive without to (hold)
the reason for going somewhere	can _______
want _______	watch (person) _______
after an adjective	have (person) _______
as the subject of the sentence	let (person) _______
That’s (object) _______	help (person) _______

pizza / want / he / eat ________________________________________

John / clean / the house / help / his mother ________________________________________

the stuff / buy / that’s ________________________________________

sing / her / he / watch ________________________________________

let  / watch / me / my mother / T.V. ________________________________________

can’t / car / drive / John ________________________________________

store / go / buy / he /  book ________________________________________

fun / book / read / is  ________________________________________

on vacation / I / go / excited ________________________________________

What do you want to do in the future?	What do you not want to do?
What is something that your parents let you do?	What is something that your parents don’t let you do?
What is something that you are excited to do?	What is something that is boring to do?
What is something that you find difficult to talk about in English?	Why do tourists come to Vietnam?
Why do you go to school?	What do you want to do today?
What is something that is important to teach young children?	What is something you wanted to be when you were younger?
What is something that your parents help you do?	What is something that your friends help you do?
What is something that your parents have you do?	What is something that you watch your friends do?
What things are important to do for a healthy life?	What things are important to do at school?