Pratique du Shadowing: The Joy of Pessimism in Love - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

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We think, of course, that pessimism must be the enemy of love.
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Yet what a properly thoughtful gift well-aimed, generously held pessimism can be to any incoming partner.
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What kindness it is to tell a partner, in effect or even directly, you will sometimes hate me and I will sometimes hate you
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and we will think we made the worst error of our lives but still, I want on balance to be with you.
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I don't expect to be happy here very often.
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I know I will frequently cry and yearn, and you will in privacy do likewise.
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How cheerful, if we could, on our first dates, around about the main course, ask each other, what variety of madness do you bring with you?
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What kind of calamity do you like to unleash?
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It would be the ones who couldn't answer that we'd to worry about, those cruel enough to still think of themselves as people who didn't bring trouble in their wake.
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It's inculcated in us that optimism is the thing we need in love.
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But what if darkness actually held us more securely?
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What if we could rehearse some of the following in relationships?
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Sex is at some point going to fail.
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If you're too present, I will feel suffocated.
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If you're too distant, I will feel abandoned.
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You will mistake me from some figure from your past.
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I will land on your head some of the anger and frustration that belongs to another person.
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What if on our wedding day we threw away the usual bromides and went for something stiffer?
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What if we told an assembled gathering, I've chosen this person over any other to be miserable around and they've done the same to me.
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They are all told the very best person to be sad about, the finest individual to lament, the least worst person to feel disappointed by.
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At the height of the wedding ceremony, we might say, I've chosen you above all others on whom to rest my foiled hopes,
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my dashed expectations, my madness and my formless yearnings.
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You will be the one I've chosen to hurt, to be hurt by and to suffer alongside.
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We might whisper to our beloved on the honeymoon, I will be irritated by your habits, you will be maddened by mine,
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you will wish that I had different parents and I will regret the lessons that life has taught you.
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Often we will think we'd stumbled on a monumental error.
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Then the mood will pass.
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Let's be frank, it's not in our capacity to enjoy unblemished happiness.
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We haven't until now, and why would we break the habit at this stage?
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There are people who can do serenity, we hear rumours about how they live, but this isn't us.
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We come from a different tribe, The anxious, tetchy, glass half-full ones who wake up every morning and scan the horizon for horror.
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Bless us in our misery.
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We've got it all wrong.
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We've allowed ourselves to be tormented by our hopes and expectations.
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To think that we'd cut through the mess
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and rest on an altar of sanity and good sense in the company of another untouched human?
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No. To expect almost nothing, to consider ourselves lucky if nothing terrible's happened today or in the last hour, that's proper generosity.
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That's true forgiveness.
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that is exceptional maturity.
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If we've spent a few happy moments with someone, that's already a feat.
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Let's not assume as our birthright something that can only ever be a lucky accident.
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Let's do our next partner the greatest honour, to bathe them in the delightful romantic robes of pessimism.
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Let's hope for very little from them.
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Let's expect often to be a bit sad around them.
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That will be the true beginning of contented love, properly understood.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, learners will engage with the themes explored in the video "The Joy of Pessimism in Love," which offers a unique perspective on romantic relationships. Through thoughtful reflection on pessimism and its role in love, students will practice listening comprehension and enhance their speaking skills. By focusing on the nuances of language used to express complex emotions, learners will improve their ability to convey similar sentiments in their own conversations.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Pessimism: A tendency to see the worst aspect of things or believe that the worst will happen.
  • Calamity: An event causing great and often sudden damage or distress.
  • Expectations: Strong beliefs about what should happen in the future.
  • Generosity: The quality of being kind and giving.
  • Foiled hopes: Hopes that have been thwarted or disappointed.
  • Whisper: To speak very softly so as not to be overheard.
  • Serenity: The state of being calm, peaceful, and untroubled.
  • Contented love: A state of being satisfied and fulfilled in a romantic relationship.

Practice Tips

To master the vocabulary and emotional tones presented in this video, consider using the shadowing technique. This practice involves repeating what you hear immediately after the speaker, mimicking their intonation and rhythm. Pay close attention to the video’s speed; the speaker delivers a mix of contemplative and passionate sentiments which reflect complexity in emotion.

As you engage in shadowspeak, focus on the emotional weight behind the words. For example, when discussing disappointments and dark realities in relationships, try to match the speaker's intensity. Listening carefully will help you grasp the subtleties of sarcasm and genuine emotion, which are often woven together in candid conversations about love.

To supplement your learning, utilizing a shadowing site can aid in refining your skills. Practice regularly, and remember that improving your speaking abilities takes time and patience, just as understanding the nuances of love does.

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.