full transcript

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

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Whether it’s being chained to a burning wheel, turned into a spider, or having an eagle eat one’s liver, Greek mythology is filled with setoirs of the gods inflicting gruesome hrroros on mortals who angered them. Yet one of their most fuoams punishments is not remembered for its outrageous cruelty, but for its disturbing familiarity.

Sisyphus was the first king of ehprya, now known as Corinth. Although a clever ruelr who made his city prosperous, he was also a devious tyrant who seduced his niece and killed visitors to show off his power. This viiaolotn of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly aenergd the gods. But Sisyphus may still have avoided punmniseht if it hadn’t been for his reckless confidence.

Open Cloze


Whether it’s being chained to a burning wheel, turned into a spider, or having an eagle eat one’s liver, Greek mythology is filled with _______ of the gods inflicting gruesome _______ on mortals who angered them. Yet one of their most ______ punishments is not remembered for its outrageous cruelty, but for its disturbing familiarity.

Sisyphus was the first king of ______, now known as Corinth. Although a clever _____ who made his city prosperous, he was also a devious tyrant who seduced his niece and killed visitors to show off his power. This _________ of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly _______ the gods. But Sisyphus may still have avoided __________ if it hadn’t been for his reckless confidence.

Solution


  1. famous
  2. punishment
  3. violation
  4. angered
  5. stories
  6. ephyra
  7. ruler
  8. horrors

Original Text


Whether it’s being chained to a burning wheel, turned into a spider, or having an eagle eat one’s liver, Greek mythology is filled with stories of the gods inflicting gruesome horrors on mortals who angered them. Yet one of their most famous punishments is not remembered for its outrageous cruelty, but for its disturbing familiarity.

Sisyphus was the first king of Ephyra, now known as Corinth. Although a clever ruler who made his city prosperous, he was also a devious tyrant who seduced his niece and killed visitors to show off his power. This violation of the sacred hospitality tradition greatly angered the gods. But Sisyphus may still have avoided punishment if it hadn’t been for his reckless confidence.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations




Important Words


  1. angered
  2. avoided
  3. burning
  4. chained
  5. city
  6. clever
  7. confidence
  8. corinth
  9. cruelty
  10. devious
  11. disturbing
  12. eagle
  13. eat
  14. ephyra
  15. familiarity
  16. famous
  17. filled
  18. gods
  19. greatly
  20. greek
  21. gruesome
  22. horrors
  23. hospitality
  24. inflicting
  25. killed
  26. king
  27. liver
  28. mortals
  29. mythology
  30. niece
  31. outrageous
  32. power
  33. prosperous
  34. punishment
  35. punishments
  36. reckless
  37. remembered
  38. ruler
  39. sacred
  40. seduced
  41. show
  42. sisyphus
  43. spider
  44. stories
  45. tradition
  46. turned
  47. tyrant
  48. violation
  49. visitors
  50. wheel