The weekly column

Article 97, May 2002

THE WOMAN WHO HAD NO SHADOW

By Michael Berman

Level: Upper Intermediate
Target Audience: Adults
Language / Skills Focus: Listening & Speaking
Materials: Photocopies of the worksheet. Photocopies of the story (optional) to hand out at the end of the session.

IN CLASS

1. Pre-listening: How do you feel about (getting married and) having children? The story you're going to hear is about a woman who was afraid to have children and made sure she couldn't by turning to a witch for help.

2. While-listening: Pause after the words "The next morning the priest found …" and ask the learners to predict what follows.

3. Pause after "The priest followed her outside and saw …" and ask the class to predict the ending.

4. Post-listening: Place the parts of the story in the correct order.

5. Match the numbers on the left with the letters on the right to find explanations for the new vocabulary. ANSWERS: 1-r 2-q 3-g 4-m 5-f 6-c 7-o 8-b 9-d 10-a 11-p 12-l 13-k 14-i 15-h 16-j 17-e 18-n

6. Considering the state of the world, some people believe having children is irresponsible. What do you think?

COMMENTS

The opera "Die Frau ohne Schatten" (1919), with text by Hugo von Hofmannsthal and music by Richard Strauss is related to this Scandinavian folktale. It could perhaps be used as a lead-in to a discussion on the rights and wrongs of contraception / abortion.

THE WOMAN WHO HAD NO SHADOW

Once there was a priest's wife who was afraid to have children. Other women are concerned when they have no children, but she was constantly afraid that she could have children.

One day she went to a wise woman, a witch, and asked her what to do to avoid having children. The wise woman gave her seven stones and told her if she would throw them into the well she would be spared from having children. The priest's wife threw the stones into the well. As each stone splashed below, she thought that she heard the cry of a child, but still she felt a great sense of relief.

Some time later the priest and his wife were walking across the churchyard by the light of a full moon, when the pastor suddenly noticed that his wife did not have a shadow. This frightened him, and he asked her for an explanation, stating that she must have committed a dreadful sin, a sin that she would have to confess to him. He continued to press her for a confession, until finally she admitted what she had done. "You wicked woman!" He angrily proclaimed. "Flowers will grow from our slate roof before God forgives you for this sinful deed!" With that he sent her away, telling her he never wanted to see her again as long as he lived.

One night, many years later, a bedraggled beggar woman approached the parsonage and asked for shelter. The housekeeper gave the poor woman something to eat and made a bed for her next to the kitchen stove.

The next morning the priest found the beggar woman dead on the kitchen floor. In spite of her rags, he recognized her immediately as the woman he had cursed and disowned. As he stood there contemplating her lifeless, but serene face, his housekeeper burst into the room. "Father!" she exclaimed. "Come outside! A miracle has happened during the night!" The priest followed her outside and saw that his slate roof was covered with blossoming flowers.

WORKSHEET: THE WOMAN WHO HAD NO SHADOW

Place the parts of the story in the correct order:

a. "Father!" she exclaimed. "Come outside! A miracle has happened during the night!" The priest followed her outside and saw that his slate roof was covered with blossoming flowers.

b. He continued to press her for a confession, until finally she admitted what she had done. "You wicked woman!" He angrily proclaimed. "Flowers will grow from our slate roof before God forgives you for this sinful deed!" With that he sent her away, telling her he never wanted to see her again as long as he lived.

c. Once there was a priest's wife who was afraid to have children. Other women are concerned when they have no children, but she was constantly afraid that she could have children.

d. One day she went to a wise woman, a witch, and asked her what to do to avoid having children. The wise woman gave her seven stones and told her if she would throw them into the well she would be spared from having children.

e. One night, many years later, a bedraggled beggar woman approached the parsonage and asked for shelter. The housekeeper gave the poor woman something to eat and made a bed for her next to the kitchen stove.

f. Some time later the priest and his wife were walking across the churchyard by the light of a full moon, when the pastor suddenly noticed that his wife did not have a shadow. This frightened him, and he asked her for an explanation, stating that she must have committed a dreadful sin, a sin that she would have to confess to him.

g. The next morning the priest found the beggar woman dead on the kitchen floor. In spite of her rags, he recognized her immediately as the woman he had cursed and disowned. As he stood there contemplating her lifeless, but serene face, his housekeeper burst into the room.

h. The priest's wife threw the stones into the well. As each stone splashed below, she thought that she heard the cry of a child, but still she felt a great sense of relief.

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

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