Bob Dylan plays Vietnam

PRE-READING:

Look at the title and predict the main ideas of the article. Then, write down three wh-questions about the text.

Ex: What kind of music does Bob Dylan sing?

WHILE READING:

Set a time limit to read this article. An average reader can read at the speed of 250 words per minute. Note down your reading speed regularly to check your progress.

SKIMMING:

Within the time limit, read and summarize the main ideas of the paragraphs with your own words. Do not worry about unfamiliar vocabulary.

Then: 1963 - protesting folk singer

Now: touring rock veteran

BOB DYLAN PLAYS VIETNAM

Sunday 10 April was a red-letter day for all lovers of rock music in Saigon. Bob Dylan, one of the seminal figures in rock music, played his first gig in Vietnam. Bob Dylan burst onto the music scene in the 1960’s as a folk singer. With just an acoustic guitar, a harmonica and his distinctive rough voice, he became known for his beautiful lyrics. He took the folk song style and used it to protest against war in general and the Vietnam War in particular. ‘Bob Dylan’s music opened up a path where music was used as a weapon to oppose the war in Vietnam and fight injustice and racism,’ Tran Long An, vice-president of the Vietnam Composers’ Association was quoted by the BBC. Then in 1965, Dylan stunned the music scene by going electric at the Newport Jazz Festival. While some purist folk fans disapproved, his new rock sound won many new fans. Since then he has constantly evolved his style with a mixture of rock, blues and folk influences and his songs have been recorded by many other artists.

Since 1988 he and his band have been travelling the world continuously performing on the so-called ‘Never Ending Tour.’ In 2011, this brought him to China and Vietnam for the first time.

Although only about half the tickets were sold, there was still a crowd of about 5,000 gathered on the RMIT cricket pitch on a fine Sunday evening. The concert began with a set of Trinh Cong Son’s songs by Vietnamese singers. After a break, the lights went down and Bob Dylan and his band came on stage to cheers and applause from the crowd. As Bob moved between guitar, harmonica and organ, the accomplished band blasted through a set of largely unfamiliar blues driven songs, but there were still plenty of familiar hits to please the fans. A rocking version of ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ was perhaps the night’s standout performance. After a crowd-pleasing encore of some of the singer’s iconic songs ‘All along the Watchtower,’ and ‘Like a Rolling Stone’ the set finished with the ballad ‘Forever Young.’ Still touring at 70 years of age, Bob Dylan seems to be forever young!

Word count: 369 words

SCANNING:

Use your notes to identify where you can find the answer to the questions you have made in the pre-reading stage.

POST-READING:

Glossary:

Pay attention to how the word is combined with other words in context. Do not learn the meaning of the word without sentences. Vietnamese should be the last resort after you have tried all the learning strategies.

• A red-letter day (idiom): a very special day (Ngày đặc biệt)

• Seminal (adj): describes someone who has created new ideas which have been very influential (có ảnh hưởng lớn)

• Gig (noun): a pop concert (Buổi ca nhạc)

• Acoustic guitar (noun): a guitar that makes sound without using electricity (Đàn ghi-ta thùng)

• Distinctive (adj): unique, easily recognizable (Độc đáo)

• Weapon (noun): something used to fight with, such as a knife or gun (Vũ khí)

• To oppose (verb): to speak or fight against an issue (Chống đối)

• Injustice (noun): the fact of a situation being unfair and of people not being treated equally (Sự bất công)

• Racism (noun): the unequal treatment of different groups of people (Sự phân biệt chủng tộc)

• Composer (noun): a writer of music (Nhạc sĩ)

• To stun (verb): to shock, surprise (Gây sốc)

• Purist (noun): someone with very strict ideas about what is correct (Người theo chủ nghĩa rập khuôn)

• To evolve (verb): to gradually develop (Tiến triển)

• Set (noun): a selection of songs used to make a concert (Những bài nhạc tuyển)

• Accomplished (adjective): skilled and talented (Tài năng)

• To blast (verb): to play loud and fast (main meaning = explode) (Chơi nhạc sôi động)

• Encore (noun): an extra song at the end of the concert at the audience’s request (Bài hát phụ)

• Iconic (adj): symbolic, very famous and representing a person, style or time ((Bài hát) gắn liền với tên tuổi)

Grammar:

Notice the special grammatical point in the following sentences and choose the grammar lesson PASSIVE VOICE on this webpage for further information.

“Bob Dylan’s music opened up a path where music was used as a weapon to oppose the war in Vietnam and fight injustice and racism.”

“…he became known for his beautiful lyrics”.

Discussion:

Find a study friend to summarize your story. Try to use the vocabulary learned in the article in speaking and writing your summary.

Describe a concert or show you went to. Include the following points:

• Where and when the concert was held;

• What happened at the concert;

• What the music was like;

and say how you felt about it.

Follow up:

Find a Bob Dylan song and the lyrics on the Internet and learn to sing it. Try ‘Blowing in the Wind’ or ‘Forever Young’.

Study tip:

Songs can be a fun way to learn English. Sites like Youtube have many music videos and lyrics are easily available (Just put lyrics <song> <singer> (e.g. lyrics Bob Dylan Forever Young) into the Google search bar and you will get lots of hits. Find a song you like on Youtube and listen to it many times. Try to work out the lyrics. Then find the lyrics and use them to check your ideas. Learn to sing the song.

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).