Franz Kafka — a man waits his whole life at an open door he is afraid to enter.
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Each word is in a sentence. Read it and guess the meaning, then click Reveal.
Read each part. Then answer the quick questions (try from memory first), and talk about one thing.
A man from the country came to a great door. This was the door to the Law. In front of it stood a doorkeeper — a guard. The man wanted to go in.
"Can I enter?" he asked. "Not now," said the guard. The door was open — the man could see inside — but the guard did not let him pass. "Maybe later," said the guard. So the man decided to sit down and wait.
1. What did the man want to do, and what did the guard say?
2. Was the door open or closed?
1. He wanted to enter the door to the Law; the guard said "Not now — maybe later," and did not let him pass.
2. The door was open the whole time — the man could see inside — but he waited instead of walking in.
The man waited. He waited for days, then months, then years. He asked the guard many questions. He gave him gifts — money and small things — to try to change his mind. The guard took the gifts, but he still did not let the man enter.
The man was patient. He never pushed past the guard; he never simply walked through the open door. Slowly, he grew old. His eyes became weak, and his hair turned white. He spent his whole life sitting in front of that one open door.
1. What things did the man try, to be allowed in?
2. What happened to the man as the years passed?
1. He asked the guard many questions and gave him gifts, but he never walked through the open door himself.
2. He grew old and weak; his eyes failed and his hair went white — he spent his whole life waiting there.
At the very end of his life, the old man was almost too weak to speak. He had one last question. He asked the guard: "Everybody wants to reach the Law. So why, in all these years, has no one else come to this door?"
The guard saw that the man was dying. He spoke loudly into his ear: "No one else could come here. This door was only for you. And now I am going to shut it." Then the guard closed the door.
1. What was the man's last question?
2. What did the guard tell him, and what did he do?
1. He asked why no one else had ever come to this door, if everyone wants to reach the Law.
2. The guard said the door was only for him — and then shut it, just as the man was dying.
This whole story is about permission — who is allowed to go in. We use can / can't and let to talk about it.
1. " I go in now?" asked the man. (ask permission)
2. "You enter yet," said the guard. (refuse)
3. The guard did not the man pass. (allow)
4. "You wait here if you like," said the guard. (give permission)
1. Can · 2. can't (cannot) · 3. let · 4. can
Remember: let + person + base verb (no "to").
1. The guard would not let him in. (go)
2. Please let me you a question. (ask)
3. They did not let the old man the Law. (reach)
1. go · 2. ask · 3. reach (all base verbs — no "to")
The man asked, " I enter?" The guard said, "You come in yet." Year after year, the guard would not him pass. The door was open, but the man never walked in — so in the end, no one him reach the Law but himself.
Can · can't · let · let
Use can / can't and let in the Speak tab to talk about permission and rules.
Talk about these questions out loud. There are no wrong answers — just say what you think.
The door was open the whole time. Why do you think the man waited for permission instead of walking through it? What stopped him?
Imagine you are the man. The guard says "not now", but the door is open. Do you wait politely, or do you walk in? Why? Is it braver to wait or to act?
Sometimes people wait years for permission — for a job, a visa, a chance — when they could act sooner. Do you know a situation like this? What advice would you give?
This is the most important part. Say everything out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story in your own words: the man comes to the open door → the guard says "not now" → the long wait and the gifts → the last question and the closed door. Use at least five key words and some can / can't / let.
Act out a short conversation between the man and the guard about permission. Use "Can I…?", "You can't… yet", "Let me…". Then say what you would really do in the man's place.
Talk about rules in a place you know (a school, a job, an airport). What can you do there? What can't you do? Who lets you do things, and who says no? Nothing personal is needed — describe the place.