Who do you think you are?
The clip is from this programme (‘Who do you think you are?’ on BBC iplayer)
Summary with vocab in bold
There’s a television series I sometimes watch called ‘Who do you think you are?’. Well-known British people tracetheir family treesand discover who their ancestorswere. In this programme, the famous actress, Kate Winslet, finds out about thehardshipthat herforefathersenduredon her mothers side and as she researches her father’s side, sheuncoversa strange irony.She meetsgenealogistsand studies birth and death certificates and letters withswirlyandslantywriting in herquesttounearthwhat happened.
At the beginning of the programme, she says there was arumourin her mother’s family about Swedishancestry.That proved to be true and she travelled to southern Sweden where she discovered that herthree times great grandfatherworked in somestables,where he got paid intokensthat could only be exchanged for vegetables. These must have beenin short supplyas his son tragically died frommalnutrition.In an attempt to provide more food for his family, he stole potatoes and beehivesbut got caught and wasfloggedand sent to prison. Times we very hard in Sweden in the 1830s and the people sufferedfamineafter famine as temperatures plummetedin the winters.
Kate thendigs intoher father's side and discovers that her great great grandmother, Marian, was one of11! Marian's father became a drummerfor the British army when he was still a child and when he grew up, he was tasked with whippingpeople. So while her mother’s ancestors weresubjectedto such punishments, her fathers ancestorcarried them out.Fortunately it wasn’t all bad news as he wascommendedfor the work he went on to do as a prison warderat Dartmore prison thatwas ahead of its timeand had areformistagenda that involved educating theinmates.
Kate admits that it was all veryoverwhelmingand says that she always strivesto remaingrounded.I think that delving intoher family history made her appreciate what she has now more and remember where she has come from.
Summary without vocab in bold
There’s a television series I sometimes watch called ‘Who do you think you are?’ Well-known British people trace their family trees and discover who their ancestors were. In this programme, the famous actress, Kate Winslet, finds out about the hardship that her forefathers endured on her mothers side and as she researches her father’s side, she uncovers a strange irony. She meets genealogists and studies birth and death certificates and letters with swirly and slanty writing in her quest to unearth what happened.
At the beginning of the programme, she says there was a rumour in her mother’s family about Swedish ancestry. That proved to be true and she travelled to southern Sweden where she discovered that her three times great grandfather worked in some stables, where he got paid in tokens that could only be exchanged for vegetables. These must have been in short supply as his son tragically died from malnutrition. In an attempt to provide more food for his family, he stole potatoes and beehives but got caught and was flogged and sent to prison. Times we very hard in Sweden in the 1830s and people suffered famine after famine as temperatures plummeted in the winters.
Kate then digs into her fathers side and discovers that her great great grandmother, Marian, was one of 11! Marian's father became a drummer for the British army when he was still a child and when he grew up, he was tasked with whipping people. So while her mother’s ancestors were subjected to such punishments, her fathers ancestors carried them out. Fortunately it wasn’t all bad news as he was commended for the work he went on to do as a prison warder at Dartmore prison. It was ahead of its time and had a reformist agenda that involved educating the inmates.
Kate admits that it was all very overwhelming and says that she always strives to remain grounded. I think that delving into her family history made her appreciate what she has now more and remember where she has come from.
Glossary
Well-known
Famous
trace
To get information about someone/something by asking questions
family tree
A drawing that has the names of everyone in a family and their relationships over a long period of time.
ancestors
Someone who is related to you that lived a long time ago
hardship
Difficult times/experiences
forefathers
People in your family that lived a long time ago
endured
To experience something difficult/unpleasant over a long period of time
uncovers
To discover something that was previously secret or hidden
irony
A strange situation in which something happens in the opposite way to what you would expect
genealogists
A specialist in researching family history
swirly
Something that is created by lots of circles
slanty
Handwriting that obviously slopes forwards (or backwards)
quest
A long search for something
unearth
To discover something that was not known before
rumour
Information that people talk about but might not be true
Ancestry
People related to you that lived a long time ago
three times great grandfather
Great great great grandfather
stables
The place where horses are kept
tokens
A round piece of metal or plastic that is used instead of money
in short supply
Not much of something
malnutrition
When someone gets ill because they do not have enough food or because they haven’t eaten the right food.
beehives
The wooden boxes that bees are kept in
flogged
To be hit with a stick or whip
famine
A time when lots of people suffer from a lack of food
plummeted
To decrease
digs into
To research
was one of
Used to say that someone has a certain number of brothers and sisters
drummer
Someone that plays the drums
whipping
To be hit with a whip (a long piece of rope or leather attached to a handle)
subjected
When someone experiences something unpleasant
carried them out
To do something
commended
To be praised publicly for something
prison warder
Someone who works in a prison guarding prisoners
was ahead of its time
To be much more modern/advanced than most other people/companies etc at the time
reformist
Involving a change in an institution
inmates
The people that are kept in a prison
overwhelming
When something has a strong emotional effect on someone and it’s difficult to know how to react
strives
To try
grounded
Having a sensible and realistic attitude to life.
delving into
To try hard to find more information about something
Questions
What do you know about your family history?
Is there anything that you suspect to be true?
Would you like to know more about your family tree?
Do you think it’s good for people to find out about their ancestors or do you think it’s a waste of time?
Would you like the future generations of your family to know about your life? What would you like them to find out?