Shadowing Practice: Finding Hope in a Fractured World | Joshua Luke Smith (Spoken Word) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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We have killed our prophets, and we have killed for profits.
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We have lost our sense of the transcendent, and it has cost us our conscience.
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In those days, men will become like monsters trading honesty for nonsense,
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tying nooshes around the necks of anyone who refuses to bow before Molech.
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There must be more.
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There must be more There must be more
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Rome wasn't built in a day But I bet they built Babel in a morning
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See we have become laborers Hell bent on taking heaven's glory We have forgotten
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that better story
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So this day is a good time for mourning As the
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light of a blood moon adorns the coming dawn This day is a good time for the gnashing of teeth
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For the people to speak of their wounds and defeat
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for what could be worse for our children's children than the inheritance of ungrieved grief.
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The rivers of blood, they run red in our streets, for we have concreted over the Euphrates.
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Now we live east of Eden and south of Hades.
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I saw a mother clutching her babies, praying to a God she doesn't believe in,
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but where else is she to turn when she's being forced to sacrifice her children on an altar to hedonism?
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Here's the meaning, freedom ain't free unless it costs you.
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And you can't bear the weight of liberation if you can't carry a cross too.
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Walking up a hill shaped like a skull in nothing other than God's shoes.
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We come from dust.
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Yet unlike those statues of clay that one day will rust, to quote Sagan, we are made of star stuff,
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yet like pagans we have traded love for lust, leaning upon a crutch of our self-sufficiency,
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trying to heal a wound with the same consciousness that caused it.
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So how can man live differently?
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I submit that we must return to a vision that we forgot, a vision that we lost in our infancy.
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You You know when fairytales were true?
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What was it that C.S.
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Lewis mused?
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May you believe in those old stories again, where dragons are slain and goodness prevails, and heaven and earth are separated by no more than a veil,
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or a wardrobe, or a desk, or no less a heart that cannot help but confess there must be more, there must be more, there must be more.
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So here we are gathered, battle-ragged, and backstabbed, gagged and dragged through trenches with arrows in our backs and rations in our sacks,
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bruised, bloodied and blackened with hands calloused from stacking bricks upon bricks upon bricks.
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But we are mystics, those who have seen a great vision where one day even this day of great darkness will itself be eclipsed.
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And in the midst of the rubble will stand not a tower or a temple of power but a humble Ebenezer.
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The evidence of good and faithful work, the evidence of a redeemer, and generations from now, they will not know our names,
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but we pray that they have been carried on our backs and spurred on by our claim that there must be more.
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There must be more.
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There must be more.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.

Understanding the Message: A Spoken Word Reflection

The video features a powerful spoken word piece by Joshua Luke Smith, exploring themes of loss, hope, and renewal in a fragmented world. Through vivid imagery and rhythmic language, Smith challenges listeners to reconsider their values and embrace a vision of "more" beyond materialism and despair. This dialogue is rich with literary references and emotional depth, making it an excellent tool for English speaking practice—especially for those aiming to improve fluency, intonation, and comprehension of complex, expressive language.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "There must be more": A versatile phrase to express longing for improvement or deeper meaning, useful in personal reflections or discussions about life goals.
  • "Freedom ain't free unless it costs you": A memorable way to highlight the sacrifices required for true freedom, applicable in conversations about responsibility or resilience.
  • "Ungrieved grief": A poignant term describing unresolved sorrow, perfect for discussing emotional healing or societal issues.
  • "Battle-ragged and backstabbed": A vivid metaphor for feeling worn down by life's challenges, ideal for adding color to personal anecdotes.
  • "Goodness prevails": A hopeful statement to affirm belief in positive outcomes, useful in encouraging others or reflecting on difficult situations.

Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video

Shadowing—repeating speech in real time—is a proven method to boost pronunciation and fluency. Here's how to apply it to this video:

1. Break It Down

The dialogue is dense, so start with 10-15 second clips. Pause after each segment, then repeat it aloud, mimicking the speaker's rhythm and emphasis. Focus on phrases like "concreted over the Euphrates" to practice tricky consonant clusters.

2. Emphasize Intonation

Smith uses rising and falling tones to convey urgency (e.g., "There must be more"). Use a shadowing app to record yourself and compare it to the original. Notice how pauses and stress on words like "mystics" or "redeemer" shape the message.

3. Master Literary Devices

Metaphors like "hill shaped like a skull" and allusions to C.S. Lewis require understanding context. Look up unfamiliar references, then practice saying them aloud to build confidence with complex language—key for IELTS speaking practice.

4. Focus on Rhythm

Spoken word relies on cadence. Clap along to the video to identify its beat, then repeat lines in time. This helps with natural pacing, a critical skill for clear communication.

5. Reflect and Repeat

After shadowing, write a short summary of the message. This reinforces comprehension and helps you internalize phrases. Repeat the process daily, gradually increasing clip length, to see steady progress in your speaking skills.

By engaging with this video through shadowing and phrase practice, you'll not only improve your English but also connect with a message of hope—proving that language learning can be both educational and inspiring.

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.