‘BUTTERFLY’
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.
One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shrivelled wings. It never was able to fly.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
What the man, in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening, were natural ways of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If we were allowed to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
To gain Strength………
We are given Difficulties to make us strong.
To gain Wisdom………
We are given Problems to solve.
To gain Prosperity………
We are given a Brain and Brawn to work.
To gain Courage………
We are given Danger to overcome.
To gain Love………
We are given Troubled People to help.
To gain Favours………
We are given Opportunities.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
We can expect to encounter difficulties in the study of Spoken English; but our struggles will be rewarded if we don’t give up.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
grandmother guevara
First of all , thank for your time and work on this website, I am a chinese college students who has studied english for more than 10 years, however, my oral english is poor. In an english classes, our international teacher gave me this web site, I found it helpful. so I am really grateful!
I suppose that you may want to know what I feel about this web, so I take leave to say more pronaciation will be great, such as the pronuciatin of “v”"f” “ge”and so on.
Finally , thank you again! I will tell you if I have other suggestions!
Good luck!
Thank you Linda for your good suggestions and kind words. We will try to put more pronunciation posts soon.
Linda, could you please tell us what you mean by grandmother guevara? Thanks