YourEnglishClassDotCom

Tim Burton’s Vincent

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

This is a wonderful short film about a little boy who wanted to be just like Vincent Price. There’s much here about the power of imagination.

I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

by Emily Dickinson

I HEARD a fly buzz — when I died–
the stillness in the room
was like the stillness in the air —
between the heaves of storm —

The eyes around — had wrung them dry —
and breaths were gathering firm
for that last onset — when the King
be witnessed — in the room —

I willed my keepsakes — signed away
what portion of me be
assignable — and then it was
there interposed a fly —

with blue — uncertain stumbling buzz —
between the light — and me —
and then the windows failed — and then
I could not see to see —

The Simpsons RAVEN

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

The Simpsons

20th Century Fox 2009, DVD, $16.50

The above video is from The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episodes, also known as The Simpsons Halloween episodes.

The first Treehouse of Horror episode aired in 1990 as part of the second season, and its on-screen title was “The Simpsons Halloween Special.” It was inspired by EC Comics Horror tales. Although every episode is entitled “Treehouse of Horror”, the first one was the only episode that actually used the treehouse motif. During production of the first episode, Matt Groening was nervous about “The Raven” segment, and felt it would be “the worst, most pretentious thing [they had] ever done.”

[ad#Google Adsense]

A boy and his skateboard

Get the latest Flash Player to see this player.

A student of mine, Julio, wanted me to post this video of him and his friends demonstrating their skateboarding skills. That way, as he put it, “everyone can look at it and say ‘damn that guy is so sexy.’” I have to admit there’s real joy in this video. Sometimes we teachers forget how much fun our kids get out of life, perhaps because we expect them to do so much work. By the way, the kid who keeps putting his palm in front of the lens kind of kills it.