full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Alex Gendler: The myth of Sisyphus

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Sisyphus knew his reckoning was at hand. But he had another trick up his sleeve. Before dying, he asked his wife mropee to throw his body in the public square, from where it eventually washed up on the shores of the rievr Styx. Now back among the dead, Sisyphus approached Persephone, qeuen of the Underworld, and complained that his wife had disrespected him by not giving him a proper bauirl. pepesrhnoe granted him permission to go back to the land of living and punish Merope, on the condition that he would return when he was done. Of course, Sisyphus refused to keep his pmroise, now having twice eapcsed death by tricking the gods.

Open Cloze

Sisyphus knew his reckoning was at hand. But he had another trick up his sleeve. Before dying, he asked his wife ______ to throw his body in the public square, from where it eventually washed up on the shores of the _____ Styx. Now back among the dead, Sisyphus approached Persephone, _____ of the Underworld, and complained that his wife had disrespected him by not giving him a proper ______. __________ granted him permission to go back to the land of living and punish Merope, on the condition that he would return when he was done. Of course, Sisyphus refused to keep his _______, now having twice _______ death by tricking the gods.

Solution

  1. burial
  2. promise
  3. merope
  4. escaped
  5. queen
  6. persephone
  7. river

Original Text

Sisyphus knew his reckoning was at hand. But he had another trick up his sleeve. Before dying, he asked his wife Merope to throw his body in the public square, from where it eventually washed up on the shores of the river Styx. Now back among the dead, Sisyphus approached Persephone, queen of the Underworld, and complained that his wife had disrespected him by not giving him a proper burial. Persephone granted him permission to go back to the land of living and punish Merope, on the condition that he would return when he was done. Of course, Sisyphus refused to keep his promise, now having twice escaped death by tricking the gods.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

Important Words

  1. approached
  2. asked
  3. body
  4. burial
  5. complained
  6. condition
  7. dead
  8. death
  9. disrespected
  10. dying
  11. escaped
  12. eventually
  13. giving
  14. gods
  15. granted
  16. hand
  17. knew
  18. land
  19. living
  20. merope
  21. permission
  22. persephone
  23. promise
  24. proper
  25. public
  26. punish
  27. queen
  28. reckoning
  29. refused
  30. return
  31. river
  32. shores
  33. sisyphus
  34. sleeve
  35. square
  36. styx
  37. throw
  38. trick
  39. tricking
  40. underworld
  41. washed
  42. wife