77. Robin Williams

Welcome to American Mosaic from VOA Learning English. I’m Caty Weaver.

People around the world were shocked¹ and saddened² by the death³ of entertainer⁴ Robin Williams. Many of you commented on the Learning English website. Several of you said⁵ you had learned⁶ from his movies and other work.

So, today we listen to some famous Robin Williams movie lines⁷ that can help teach English. "Dead Poets Society⁸". A good place to start is “Dead Poets Society,” a 1989 film in which⁹ language is central. Robin Williams plays¹⁰ a professor of English at a respected private¹¹ boys’ school in the northeastern¹² United States. He teaches his students about poetry¹³, prose¹⁴ and life.

“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may"¹⁵. The Latin term for that sentiment is carpe diem.”

In this part of the movie, he is teaching the boys about a poem hundreds of years old¹⁶. The first line is “Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” The teacher tells the students what the poet is saying.

“Carpe diem. Seize the day¹⁷, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.” Carpe diem means¹⁸ to seize the day in Latin. In other words¹⁹, act now when you can. “No time like the present” is another way²⁰ Americans sometimes²¹ express this thought²². It means do not wait for a future you might not have²³.

“Mrs. Doubtfire” was another very popular Robin Williams movie. It was released²⁴ in 1993. In it, Mr. Williams plays a man who separates from his wife and misses²⁵ his children.

He dresses as a woman²⁶ to hide²⁷ his identity so his wife²⁸ will employ²⁹ him as a nanny³⁰ -- someone who takes care of children³¹. That way, he gets to see³² his children every day. Here, Robin Williams, as Mrs. Doubtfire, explains³³ what is important about family.

“But if there’s love³⁴, dear³⁵, those are the ties that bind³⁶ and you’ll have a family in your heart forever.” Mrs. Doubtfire is saying that love keeps people together³⁷ emotionally even if³⁸ they are separated physically. The “ties that bind” are good in this case. “Ties that bind” could also be undesirable³⁹. They could be restrictive.

"Aladdin" - Robin Williams acted in more than 70 movies. “Aladdin” was one of the most successful⁴⁰. But you could only hear⁴¹ him in the movie. That is because he played the voice⁴² of the Genie in the animated Disney film. A genie is a creature with magical powers. Robin Williams as the Genie sings to the boy Aladdin.

The song “Friend Like Me” explains that Aladdin now controls how the Genie uses his magic.

One part says “Yes sir, we pride ourselves⁴³ on service.” That is another way of saying⁴⁴ “we do great work.” You can “pride” yourself on any⁴⁵ activity. For example, a good bike rider⁴⁶ might say, “I pride myself on cycling.”

Other terms in the song include “you’re the boss⁴⁷,” “in your corner⁴⁸,” and “you’ve never had⁴⁹ a friend like me.” What do you think these mean? You can post your answers below⁵⁰.

We leave you with⁵¹ Robin Williams performing⁵² “Friend Like Me.”

Vocabulary

1. were shocked = ficaram chocados(as)
2. saddened = entristecido(a)
3. death = morte
4. entertainer = comediante
5. Several of you said = varios de vocês disseram
6. had learned = tinham aprendido
7. movie lines = falas de filmes
8. Dead Poets Society = sociedade dos poetas mortos
9. in which = no qual
10. plays = representa
11. private = particular
12. northeastern = região nordeste
13. poetry = poesia
14. prose = prosa
15. "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may" = "Colha seus botões de rosa enquanto podes"
16. hundreds of years old = com centenas de anos de idade
17. Seize the day = aproveite o dia
18. means = significa
19. In other words = em outras palavras
20. another way = uma outra forma
21. sometimes = as vezes
22. thought = pensamento
23. might not have = pode não ter
24. released = lançado
25. misses = sente falta (saudades) de
26. He dresses as a woman = ele se veste como uma mulher
27. hide = esconder
28. wife = esposa
29. employ = empregar
30. nanny = babá
31. takes care of children = cuida de crianças
32. gets to see = consegue ver
33. explains = explica
34. if there’s love = se houver amor
35. dear = querido(a)
36. ties that bind = laços que unem
37. keeps people together = mantém as pessoas juntas
38. even if = mesmo se
39. could also be undesirable = poderia também ser indesejável
40. was one of the most successful = foi um dos mais bem sucedidos
41. hear = ouvir
42. played the voice = interpretou a voz
43. pride ourselves = orgulhamo-nos
44. another way of saying = uma outra forma de dizer
45. any = qualquer
46. bike rider = ciclista
47. boss = patrão
48. corner = canto
49. you’ve never had = voce nunca teve um amigo como eu
50. below = abaixo
51. leave you with = deixamos voces com
52. performing = apresentando