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“The Minister of Loneliness” | Sarah Kay | TED
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In this TED talk, poet Sarah Kay imagines a world where Japan's Minister of Loneliness takes creative, whimsical steps to fight isolation — from tin-can telephones to nationwide buddy systems. Learners will encounter poetic, metaphorical language and rich imagery that builds vocabulary around emotions, community, and human connection. This is an excellent resource for practicing listening to lyrical English and understanding figurative speech.
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Subtitles (31 segments)
DownloadIn the country of Japan, in the month of October 2020, more people died by suicide than had died from COVID-19 in all of 2020 up to that point.
In response, the Japanese government instituted a new position of a minister of loneliness.
The Minister of Loneliness has abolished email.
He is installing tin cans on every windowsill with a piece of string to someone else's window.
Not several, just one. Each person, of course, does not need a lot of people to speak to.
Just the one. But the one must be reliable, must be available when needed.
We are employing a buddy system now. Every day is a field trip to the Adulthood Museum, and we don't go home until everyone has been accounted for.
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Key Vocabulary (19)
Used to refer to the person or people that the speaker is addressing. It is the second-person pronoun used for both singular and plural subjects and objects.
A high-ranking government official in charge of a specific department, or a religious leader in certain Christian churches authorised to perform services.
The state of being unhappy because one is alone or feels cut off from others; a feeling of isolation or lack of companionship.
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