Listen&Learn: Peter Pan

A beloved children’s book that may have a secret dark meaning.

Pre-listening vocabulary

• adapt: to change a text for use as a film, book, or play
• mythical: fictional; imaginary
• adventure: an exciting, risky experience
• encounter: to meet someone unexpectedly
• antagonist: a main character’s enemy or opponent

Listening activity

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:11 — 1.1MB)

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Gapfill exercise

Peter Pan is a classic children’s story written by Scottish J.M. Barrie. The story was originally published as a play in 1906, before Barrie adapted it into a novel in 1911. The main of the story are Peter Pan himself, and the Darling children: Wendy, John, and Michael. Peter Pan is a magical child who can’t grow up. When he first meets the Darlings, he teaches them how to fly and brings them to a mythical place called Neverland, where children stay children . During their adventures in Neverland, Peter and the Darlings encounter fairies, mermaids, and a named Captain Hook – the main antagonist of the story. Although Peter Pan that the Darling children, especially Wendy, would stay in Neverland forever, they all eventually decide to return home and grow up.

Comprehension questions

Discussion/essay questions

1. Although the story of Peter Pan was originally seen as a fun children’s novel, many people began to speculate that there was a darker meaning to the classic. Some people believe that Neverland is meant to represent death, and that the children who live there don’t age because they died when they were young. Do you think that Barrie implied this on purpose? Why or why not?

Transcript

Peter Pan is a classic children’s story written by Scottish author J.M. Barrie. The story was originally published as a play in 1906, before Barrie adapted it into a novel in 1911. The main characters of the story are Peter Pan himself, and the Darling children: Wendy, John, and Michael. Peter Pan is a magical child who can’t grow up. When he first meets the Darlings, he teaches them how to fly and brings them to a mythical place called Neverland, where children stay children forever. During their adventures in Neverland, Peter and the Darlings encounter fairies, mermaids, and a pirate named Captain Hook – the main antagonist of the story.  Although Peter Pan wishes that the Darling children, especially Wendy, would stay in Neverland forever, they all eventually decide to return home and grow up.