For the People I admire card, think of 2 people who you really admire or who are like heroes to you. Put pictures or drawings of them or things that you relate to them, and a few notes about them or how they influenced you on your card. Next class, we’ll talk about the people we admire


7. People I admire card example conversation

I.      Greeting cut

II.     Small talk   — cut

III.    Introducing the topic

1.           A      Um, so, today’s topic is about hero (heroes). So, do you have a hero?

2.           B      Yes, I, I, I really like painting, like art. I really admire the Van Gogh. You know Van Gogh, and, and I really like his skill, how he paint(s) and his touch. And his, co, the color he painted. I really like him, but it’s just, I like just his skill not his personality.

3.           A      Oh, really?

4.           B      He’s (He was) a little bit crazy, I think.  offering lots of information 

IV.    Reintroducing the topic

5.           B      Um, how about you?  asking your partner the same question 

6.           A      Me, um? I really look up to Princes Diana.

7.           B      Um-hm. Yeah.

8.           A      I really admire her, the way she, the way she...led her life.

9.           B      Um-hm.

10.        A      For example, I think she was a perfect mother, in a way.  giving examples  ’Cause I heard the story that she took Prince Charles, Char, um, Prince, um, William and Henry to McDonald’s.

11.        B      Yeah.

12.        A      And even though, and even though, um, everybody told them that they could go in a front (of the) line, she said “No, this is the (a) lesson,”

13.        B      Yeah.

14.        A      And they stay(ed) at the end of the line and they stayed in a (the) line and they bought the McDonald’s. And it’s like she doesn’t think herself as like (a) superior person,

15.        B      Mm-hm. Mm-hm..

16.        A      …than everybody else, you know. So, she’s just like everybody else. She’s just like, you know, a normal citizen. And also she helps, um, people…

17.        B      Yeah.

18.        A      …who really needs (need) help and she has this, um, sympathetic feelings, and I really look up to her. I don’t think, even though we have those kind (kinds) of thought and spirit, I don’t think we could really, um, actually do it. You know…

19.        B      Yeah.

20.        A      …taking it into action. So, I really admire her. Um, I heard that you are really interested in fashion and that type of thing... Does Van Gogh have some kind of influence?

21.        B      Mm, no, just he, he is, he I, I, like his painting and that, that doesn’t, it doesn’t influence my fashion concept.

22.        A      Do you have, like, a specific painting that you like, that like, when you see you say, “This is what I really like?”

23.        B      Mm. I like his... Do you know his painting that he painted the room, his room? You know?

24.        A      Is it popular?

25.        B      Uh-huh, yes. I really like that painting because of the colors and the touch are beautiful.

26.        A      Oh.

27.        B      Yeah. But I said that he is a little bit crazy, (his) personality and, and, I have another hero that I admire his, her personality, that is my mother.

28.        A      Um-hm.

29.        B      And she is, I think she is a perfect mother to (for) me, you know, to (for) me, and I have, of course I have some things that I don’t like, but she, she is kind of (a) very busy mother, like she has a lot of work to do.

30.        A      Oh, she works?

31.        B      Yeah.

32.        A      What kind of job does she…?

33.        B      Well actually he, my, not, my dad has a job and…

34.        A      She helps.

35.        B      Yeah, yeah. And she is very busy, but she never let us out of the, you know, her view. She, she read to us. She always (took) care of the children.

36.        A      Mm-hm.

37.        B      Like she (would) talk to me and she never, um, let us out like, “Shut up!” or something, you know, “Just go out and play.” She never say (said) that. And, yeah, and she cooked some sweets for us and I think she...yeah…

38.        A      So, that’s like the type of person you want to be when you grow up and become a mother? asking for clarification

39.        B      Um-hm.  offering clarification 

40.        A      Yeah, mothers tend to be like a, you know, heroes, but I personally like music, and I also admire Michael Jackson. You know, there’s, like, a lot of rumors about his personality and how, there’s, like, a lot of critics that don’t like him. But when you listen to his songs, his lyrics, it really comes to your heart. You know, it’s like…

41.        B      Really?

42.        A      Yeah. For example, like, um, everybody knows, I think, um, Heal the World.

43.        B      Um-hum, um-hum.  showing interest 

44.        A      You know that? And what else do we have? What else are there? There’s like, uh, Black and White. It was, it was really famous. And I think his lyrics comes (come) from his bottom from his, from the bottom of his heart.

45.        B      Um-hum.

46.        A      And it really touches everybody, even though you have, like a different person, personality, your culture (cultural) background is different. You know, his, he just comes to the deepest part of your, um…

47.        B      Heart.

48.        A      …human heart, so you know I really like him. And I really admire him. So, I think a lot of experience, his experience made him the way he is right now, so I, I, um, looking at Michael Jackson makes me think, like, you can’t judge people…

49.        B      Um-hum.

50.        A      …by the way he looks or how other people think of him. You just have to have your personal (own) opinion towards that.

51.        B      Oh, I didn’t know that about the Michael Jackson. I just, uh, I just thought he is, um, you know, there’s a lot of gossip about him.

52.        A      Yeah, there, there is.

53.        B      I have been believe (believed) that but... Yeah, I should, I should listen (to) his music more time.  showing interest 

54.        A     Yeah!

— the teacher interrupts —

V.      Finishing      

55.        B      Nice talking to you.

56.        A      Nice talking to you too.

57.        B      Thank you.

58.        A      Bye.


©Duane Kindt, Nagoya University of Foreign Studies, 99-10
Updated: 1/25/03