Shadowing Practice: ENGLISH SPEECH | ASHWINI JOHN: The Power Of Forgiveness (English Subtitles) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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So before moving on to my topic for today, I have two basic questions for all of you.
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And I want you to raise your hands if you have done this in life.
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My first question is that, how many of you have said sorry in life?
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Please raise your hands.
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Please clap for yourself.
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Round of applause.
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Please clap for yourself.
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Excellent.
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I told you to clap for yourself because it takes a very strong person to say sorry.
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Now for my next question, I don't want you to raise your hands,
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just think How many of you has forgiven a person even though that person hasn't asked you sorry?
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Just think, just think Today before you leave Kodeshia Hall,
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I am sure that I will create a spark within you Which will make you think that I will,
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I will try to forgive Yes, my topic for today is forgiveness.
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We all know that forgiveness is a 11 letter word.
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Well, Elizabeth Marx, the great writer, said that forgiveness is just a 4 letter word.
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She said forgiveness is just a 4 letter word.
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L-O-V-E, love.
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Thank you, thank you so much.
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The very nature of we human beings is to get angry, we feel resentful when someone harms us, right?
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Well, I would say that forgiveness is forgetting the past and starting on with a clean state.
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Forgiveness is like taking out the knife out of your back
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which someone has poked you with and not using that knife to harm anyone else, no matter how badly they have hurt you.
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Today, I would like to emphasize on two aspects of forgiveness only two.
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One, why can't some people forgive?
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And two, the power of forgiveness.
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So moving on to my first aspect, why can't some people forgive?
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I feel that there are three main reasons why people can't forgive.
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And my first reason is because we think we do not get an apology, right?
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We say he didn't forgive me.
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I mean, we say he didn't apologize.
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She did not, she he did not apologize.
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You know, I happened to read a small joke in WhatsApp and the joke was like this.
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If a man says sorry when he knows that it is his mistake, yes I'm wrong, then he's wise, he's honest.
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Well, if a man says he's sorry when he knows that he's right, the opposite person is wrong, then unfortunately he's a husband.
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Okay.
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So, you know, when I read this joke, what I felt was that we always expect people to come and ask sorry to us.
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My dear friends, it is our memory, not theirs.
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people have different versions forgiveness people have very different versions for forgiveness you know
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if forgiveness was dependent on the apology of a particular person
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then believe me by now the whole world would have been burnt down my second point is
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that it is
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because they lack the ingredient of forgiveness within them you know I read a story once
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which had a yogi who saved a scorpion from a flooding river a scorpion
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so the yogi sees the scorpion is about to die
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and he goes on to save the scorpion as usual the
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scorpion bites him the yogi goes on again the scorpion bites again
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and this happens almost three times a passing by devotee looks at the yogi
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and asks what are you doing why are you saving the
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scorpion it is biting you just leave it off the yogi's
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reply was very different you know what he said he said
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when this little scorpion cannot let go his character of biting
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me how can i let go my character of helping him
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thank you the yogi was able to practice forgiveness in his life only
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because he contained the ingredient of forgiveness within him and that my friends is love and compassion
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We cannot love unless and until we forgive a person.
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The third aspect why I feel that people cannot forgive is that we do not understand the difference between weakness and wickedness.
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If a person hurts you, he or she might be weak, my friends, not wicked.
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How many of you doesn't have weakness here?
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We all have weakness.
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We are not strong people.
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We all are weakness.
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We all are capable of hurting someone and I know that very clearly.
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When we are so eager to receive forgiveness by someone, why are we not willing to give forgiveness to someone?
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That is my question, my friends.
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When I tell you to forgive, you must forgive, you must forgive, you might ask me, then what do we do to those people who hurted a woman?
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What do we do to those people who harassed a girl?
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What do we do to all those people who killed thousands of men?
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Should I forgive them?
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When we complain to the police, is that forgiveness?
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No, that is not forgiveness.
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We have a wrong, a misconception about forgiveness actually.
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When you complain to the police, you are complaining about that person's particular act, not about that person.
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When the police does something favorable to you, it is like applying medicine on your wound.
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The wound won't disappear, my friends, unless and until you forgive, the wound is still there.
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So moving on to my second aspect of today, that is the main heading, the power of forgiveness.
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I believe there are three major powers you gain
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when you forgive someone and the main power is that you lead a happy and healthy life.
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Yes, it is about you.
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When you forgive someone, you are healing yourself, your mind, your body and your soul.
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The second power I feel you gain is that when you forgive someone, you are coming out of their control.
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You stop being their victim.
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And I can say this because I have an experience.
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I was rejected from a school level quiz competition because I was in the topper of my class.
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To everyone who was seated here, who has faced partiality.
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I just have two choices for you.
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This was the choices my mother gave me.
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She told me, if you want to come out of the situation, you have two choices, Ashwini.
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You have two choices.
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One, either you stay, you continue to feel hurt, anger and feeling depressed or you come out of the situation,
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stop being the victim of what they did.
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And I came out of the situation.
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I gained my confidence back and I want you to re-empower yourself.
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My third power, what I think that you gain is that when you forgive someone,
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you come out of the emotions of anger, depression and sadness.
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Once when I visited an orphanage, I happened to see a boy.
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His name was Ram.
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He was 13 years old and he was autistic.
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He couldn't see, he couldn't speak well.
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I just understood four points, four to I gave up five points what he said and that changed my life.
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When I spoke to him, he told me, my mother abandoned me.
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I was thrown to the dustbin.
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I did not know what mistake I did.
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I really did not know.
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But to come out of this situation, I forgave my mother and now I am happy.
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When I heard his story, my dear friends, I feel that we all are physically not well because we have brains but we lack a heart.
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Ram out there, who was an autistic patient, had brains and had hearts.
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I can say that.
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I can say that with full confidence.
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There is a story about Sister Maria.
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She was a nun from Kerala and she was stabbed 50 times.
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She was stabbed 50 times by a villager because the villager mistook of what she did.
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He did not understand that she came to do social service and he stabbed her.
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He killed her.
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When Sister Maria's mother came the next day to see her daughter, she saw her daughter lying there.
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She saw that little girl she had cherished from her very small young age lying there speaking in silence with her.
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She saw her daughter just lying there helpless Who was stabbed 51 times
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and had various injuries all over her body You know what her mother did?
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She forgave that person, that person who killed her daughter She said,
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my son, I forgive you because I know you did it out of some intention and it is okay I,
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Ashwini John, as a youngster, as a human being I just have a very small advice towards all of you.
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I know we all have been hurt in life.
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We all have grudges in life.
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Okay.
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Forgive them.
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Just forgive them.
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Not because they deserve your forgiveness.
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Not because you asked for their forgiveness.
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But you cannot move on without forgiving a person.
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It shows your maturity level.
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Your forgiveness speaks about you, not about them.
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Forgiveness is your gift towards yourself, from yourself.
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You just have to search within.
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Thank you so much.
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Everything's in one place.
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Community.englishspeeches.ca.
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Let's speak English.
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Together.
Context & Background
In this enlightening speech by Ashwini John, the topic of forgiveness is explored intricately. Through engaging anecdotes and relatable humor, Ashwini encourages the audience to reflect on their own experiences with both asking for forgiveness and offering it. The speech emphasizes the vital role that forgiveness plays in human interactions and personal growth. It highlights that forgiveness is not merely about the other person’s actions but also about one's own emotional state. This context is crucial for English learners as it not only improves listening skills but also broadens vocabulary related to emotional and social themes.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- Clap for yourself: This phrase encourages self-acknowledgment and appreciation, promoting a positive mindset.
- Take out the knife: A metaphor for avoiding retaliation and letting go of past grievances, useful in discussions about conflict resolution.
- Forgotten the past: A phrase that signifies moving on from previous hurt, important in conversations about healing and relationships.
- Different versions of forgiveness: Acknowledges that people perceive forgiveness differently, which can lead to deeper discussions on interpersonal dynamics.
- Expecting an apology: This phrase reflects a common human sentiment, ideal for expressing feelings in conversations about conflict and resolution.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively use the shadowing technique while learning from Ashwini John's speech, follow these steps:
- Listen First: Play the video and listen to Ashwini's speech without trying to repeat it. Focus on her tone and rhythm.
- Segment the Speech: Break the speech into manageable segments. Focus on one idea at a time, such as her thoughts on forgiveness or humorous anecdotes.
- Repeat Aloud: Use a shadowing app to repeat what Ashwini says immediately after she says it. This will enhance your english pronunciation and intonation.
- Record Yourself: After practicing, record your shadow speech. Play it back to identify areas for improvement.
- Practice Regularly: Consistency is key. Aim to practice daily, gradually increasing the length of the segments you tackle.
This focused approach not only improves your spoken English but also deepens your understanding of the emotional nuances involved in discussions on forgiveness. Implementing the shadowspeak method can significantly aid in mastering complex themes while developing fluency.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.