NationalGeographic.com: Pulse of the Planet
City of the Dead: Holt Cemetery, New Orleans
with Jim Metzner
© 2000 Jim Metzner Productions and the National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.

     Since this weekend (April 5) is the Tomb-Sweeping Festival, it is perhaps appropriate to do a listening assignment related to a graveyard. This particular one is called Holt Cemetery, and is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. It is reported on by Jim Metzner of Nationalgeographic.com, in their "Pulse of the Planet" feature. There are four audio files to listen to: (1) a general introduction to the cemetery; (2) some comments by Rob Florence, who wrote a book entitled New Orleans Cemeteries: Life in the Cities of the Dead; (3) an interview with a Henry Nickerson, a volunteer gravedigger; and (4) an introduction to the cemetery 'folk art' of an eccentric named Arthur Raymond Smith. There is also an online photo gallery to view. Listen to each audio file, visit the photo gallery, and answer the listening comprehension questions below.

Part One: Graveyard with a Homespun Edge (Jim Metzner Intro)
RealOne 28.8K | 56K | WinMedia | 28.8K | 56K

Part Two: A Work in Progress (Rob Florence)
RealPlayer: 28.8K | 56K WinMedia: 28.8K | 56K

Part Three: Of Worms and Epitaphs (Henry Nickerson)
RealOne: 28.8K | 56K WinMedia: 28.8K | 56K

Part Four:
Eccentric Memorial (Rob Florence)
RealOne: 28.8K | 56K WinMedia: 28.8K | 56K

Photo gallery


Vocabulary:

Part One:

New Orleans
to do a story on
All Saints' Day
in the process
to get to see
cemetery
quality
to be filled with
monuments
genuine
architectural
marvels
to leave a strong impression on
assuming
you might even say
pretentious
fragile
ephemeral
to establish
remote
jazz musicians
to be buried
charm
residents
spontaneously
improvisationally
less of a buffer
departed
a bit of an edge
the remains of
hoodoo
fetish
to be nailed to
headstone
offerings
memorabilia
to stroll around
the grounds
gravedigger
to be consumed by
in progress
graveside

memorial
Part Two:

handmade
homemade
tomb
found objects
impermanent
materials
improvised
memorials
personalized
in ground
not much to look at
devotion
imagination

Part Three:

to grow up
yard
like it is now
I thought of doing
volunteer work
elderly people
to die off
family
to forget about
for some crazy, unknown reason
to ask oneself why
to count oneself lucky
guys like yourself
bodies
morgue
to be done up
God knows what
strong stomach
we've seen everything from
skeleton heads
whole body
you name
worms
I'm not lying to you
to eat good
reward
that was undone
who came before
Part Four:

eccentric
flamboyant
character
talented
you'd consider him
folk artist
to have a strong affinity for
including
to purchase
plot
for some reason
basically
to pull out of the garbage
to create
memorials
fencing
burial chapel
souls of the deceased
trademark
enlarged photocopy
grandmother


Listening comprehension questions:
1. What was reporter Jim Metzner's original purpose in going to New Orleans?
2. About how many cemeteries are there in New Orleans?
3. Why did Holt Cemetery leave a special impression on Metzner?
4. When was Holt Cemetery established?
5. What does Metzner mean when he says that the dead are remembered 'spontaneously, even improvisationally' at Holt? What does he mean when he says that the cemetery has 'less of a buffer between you and the departed', 'a bit of an edge'?
6. What are the tomb markers of Holt Cemetery largely made of? Why do you not see many of the tombs at first glance?
7. What early connection does Henry Nickerson have with this cemetery?
8. Why does Nickerson keep coming back to work at the cemetery?
9. What does Nickerson think he's 'lucky' to be able to see?
10. What, does Nickerson say, is required for the kind of work he does?
11. What does Nickerson say about the 'worms'?
12. What satisfaction does Nickerson say he gets from his work, and what does he hope for himself after he is dead?
13. What did Arthur Raymond Smith do in 1979? What was a little strange about this action?
14. What difference is there between Smith and most 'folk artists'?
15. What kind of 'burial chapel' did Smith rig up?
16. With what 'trademark' works did Smith memorialize his grandmother and mother at the cemetery?


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