ACTIVITIES IN Q4- MODULE 1

TASK 1

Read the poem below then answer the comprehension questions.

A DAY WHEN THE MOUNTAINS ARE VISIBLE

By Yosuke Tanaka (translated by Jeffrey Angles, 2009)

Being nice to people—what was that again? People who

aren’t used to being nice just act worn out. People who aren’t
used to being treated kindly just keep on living their cold
lives. In any case, it doesn’t do any good to complain about
that.

The fact that the sky is clear doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll
be able to see the mountains out there in Okutama, but it’s
impossible to see them if it isn’t. When was it I realized you
can see the Okutama Mountains on the horizon from the
hills of Suginami? Thinking the small outlines of those
lovely mountains are probably visible right now, I lean out
the window and find I can see the khaki-colored mountains
clearly. They’re even bigger than I had remembered.

On days when your heart is clear, it’s fun to be

nice to people. When you can’t be nice, you
probably won’t have much fun either. Most likely,
you’ll spend the day alone, gloomy and cheerless.
Just look at all that frustration
offered under the guise of high literature. Still, there must be something
on the other
side of that mountain. It’s hard to always be gentle, and
that’s why, for instance, the temples in those mountains
have been so important for so long. That’s why.

It’s hard to be nice to people you work with. Selflessness

isn’t a virtue to them, and if you run off to paradise, you’d be
distancing yourself from your work. Even so, one can’t
indulge the serpent of the ego when it slithers out from the
boundaries of charisma. There’s something wrong with it—
that serpent of the ego, which lives by consuming distorted,
dark energy . . .

I needed the proper grandness of nature so as not to get

tangled up in the twisted, unreasonable serpent. I needed
the quiet, gentle power of nature so that I not bow my
 head as the cruel, double-headed serpent stuck its head
from under the invisible table and flicked its tongue.

How wonderful it must be to live without feeling animosity toward

people.
The bus is driving down the tree-lined street toward me, while
the mountains are visible in the distance.

Activity 1:

1.Find one symbolism in the poem. Write what it symbolizes.

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2.Find one line with a figure of speech and identify the figure of speech.
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3.What is the message of the poem?
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4.How do you deal with another person’s insensitivity?
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Activity 2:
In 6-7 sentences, comment in depth on the last stanza, “How wonderful it must be to
live without feeling animosity toward people. The bus is driving down the tree-lined
street toward me, while the mountains are visible in the distance.”
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Activity 3
The true character of a man is not defined by what he does in front of a
crowd but instead but what he does when no one else is around. But
always remember, God is an all-knowing God, and He’s watching us.
Explain this in 4-5 sentences.