The Empty Gift
THE EMPTY GIFT
Practice English with your teacher
Warm-up
Talk about these questions with your teacher.
선생님과 이야기해 보세요.
- The father in the story punished his daughter before understanding her intention. Have you ever reacted too quickly to a situation and later regretted it?
- The story suggests that the most meaningful gifts are not material. What is the most precious non-material gift you have ever received?
Vocabulary
Listen and repeat after your teacher.
선생님을 따라 읽어보세요.
Reading
Read the passage with your teacher.
선생님과 함께 지문을 읽어보세요.
Some time ago, a friend of mine punished his 3-year old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree.Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy." He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his angerflared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her, "Don't you know when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside of it?"The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, Daddy, it;s not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy."The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and begged for forgiveness. My friend told me that he kept that old box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.In a very real sense, each of us as parents has been given a gold container filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.
Korean Trap! / 한국인 실수 교정
Common mistakes Korean speakers make.
한국인이 자주 하는 실수를 알아봅시다.
'angry'는 사람에게 'with' 또는 'at'을 쓰고, 상황에 'about'을 쓰입니다. 한국어 '~에게 화나다'의 '에게'를 'to'로 직역하지 마세요.
Discussion
Share your thoughts with your teacher.
선생님과 의견을 나눠보세요.
- The father punished the girl for "wasting" gold wrapping paper because "money was tight." How does financial stress affect parenting, and is his initial reaction understandable?
- The child saw the box as full of kisses, while the father saw it as empty. How does perspective shape our interpretation of the same reality?
- The passage says the father "kept that old box by his bed for years." Why do symbolic objects hold such powerful emotional significance for humans?
- The story describes the father’s anger flaring "again" when he found the box empty. Is it reasonable to expect adults to control their emotions perfectly, especially during financial hardship?
- The final sentence says there is "no more precious possession" than unconditional love from children. Do you agree, or is this an idealized view of parent-child relationships?
Lesson Summary / 수업 요약
Today's Topic: THE EMPTY GIFT
Level: Low Advanced (L.A)
Review this lesson before your next class! / 다음 수업 전에 복습하세요!