The weekly column

Article 82, December 2001

LOSS OF MEMORY

By Michael Berman

Hua Tzu of the state of Sung suffered from a loss of memory in his middle years. Whatever he took in the morning was forgotten b y the evening and whatever he gave in the evening was forgotten by the morning. On the road he would forget to move ahead and indoors he would forget to sit down. Here and now, he has forgotten then and later he will not remember the here and now.

He consulted an astrologer, but divination provided no answer. Then he sought the help of a medium, but prayer could not control the problem either. Finally he visited a doctor, but once again the treatment brought no relief.

In the state of Lu there was a Confucian scholar who claimed that he could cure the disease, and Hua Tzu’s wife paid him half their estate to do it. "No sign or omen," said the Confucian, "can solve this. No prayer can preserve him and no medicine will work. I must try to transform his mind, alter his way of thinking, and then there may be hope." The scholar stripped Hua Tzu, and the naked man demanded clothes. The scholar starved Hua Tzu, and he demanded food. He locked Hua Tzu in a dark room, and he demanded light.

"This illness can be cured," the Confucian advised Hua Tzu’s son. "But my remedy is a secret handed down for generations, a secret that has never been revealed to anyone outside our family. I must ask you to dismiss all your father’s attendants so that he can live alone with me for seven days." The son agreed.

Nobody knows what methods the scholar used, but Hua Tzu’s ailment of many years miraculously cleared up. When Hua Tzu realized that he was cured, he went into a tremendous rage. He chastised his wife, punished his son, and drove off the Confucian with weapons. People seized Hua Tzu and asked him the reason for his strange behaviour.

"In my forgetfulness I was a free man, unaware if heaven and earth even existed or not," said Hua Tzu. "But now I remember all that has passed, all that remains or has perished, all that was gained or lost, all that brought sorrow or joy, all that was loved or hated - the ten thousand problems that have plagued my life. And I fear that these same things will disturb my mind no less in times to come. Where shall I find another moment’s peace? That’s the reason why." 

LOSS OF MEMORY

Level: Upper Intermediate - Advanced

Target Audience: Adults

Language / Skills Focus: Listening, Speaking & Writing

Materials: Photocopies of the worksheet. Photocopies of the story (optional) to hand out at the end of the session.

IN CLASS

1. Pre-listening:The story is about a man who suffers from loss of memory Who do you thinks succeeds in helping him overcome the problem - an astrologer, a medium, a doctor or a Confucian scholar? Now listen to the story to find out if your predictions were correct or not.
2. Post-listening: Hand out copies of the worksheet for the learners to work on in pairs or small groups.

Match the numbers on the left with the letters on the right to find explanations for the new vocabulary. ANSWERS: 1-m 2-e 3-b 4-h 5-c 6-k 7-j 8-a 9-p 10-n 11-i 12-l 13-f 14-g 15-o 16-d

Pairwork Interviews: With larger classes, there is unlikely to be enough time available for individual feedback to the class as a whole. This can be done instead in groups or circles of eight. Alternatively, you can ask each person to tell the class the most interesting thing they found out about their partners during the interview.

Match the people on the left with the definitions on the right. ANSWERS: 1-e 2-h 3-b 4-g 5-f 6-d 7-c 8-a

COMMENTS

This traditional Chinese tale has been adapted from a story in "Chinese Fairy Tales & Fantasies" translated and edited by Moss Roberts (Pantheon Books 1979)

It can be used as a lead-in to work on the topic of The Supernatural and / or a discussion on techniques used for retaining new vocabulary.

WORKSHEET: LOSS OF MEMORY

Match the numbers on the left with the letters on the right to find explanations for the new vocabulary:

Work in pairs. Take it in turns to ask each other the following questions, then report back to the rest of the group with your findings:

• What kinds of things do you tend to forget?
• Some people tie knots in their handkerchiefs to help them remember things. What tricks do you use?
• What do you do to help you remember new vocabulary?
• If you had been the man in the story, who would you have gone to for help?
• How superstitious are you?
• Have you ever visited a fortune-teller? Did the predictions come true?
• How often do you read your horoscope and how much do you know about your zodiac sign?

Match the people on the left with the definitions on the right:

About the author

For information about Michael Berman and his writings please click here.

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