Unit Three A Hanging George Orwell I.Teaching Aims: 1.To have students learn more about American literature:George Orwell and his works. 2.To get students know the style of narrative writing. 3.To get students grasp the key words and sentence structures. II.Teaching Importance and Difficulties: 1.Understand the author's main purpose of writing the essay. 2.Know the writing strategies of the text. 3.Grasp the key language points in the text. III.Teaching periods:6 periods IV.Teaching steps: 1.Pre-reading activities 1)How much do you know about our nation's criminal law?Does it contain capital punishment? 2)Do you think the death penalty should be abolished in a civilized society? 2.Information related to the text: About the author: George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair(25 June 1903-21 January 1950),better known by his pen name George Orwell,was a British author and journalist.His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit,a profound awareness of social injustice,an intense, revolutionary opposition to totalitarianism,a passion for clarity in language and a belief in democratic socialism. Considered perhaps the twentieth century's best chronicler of English culture,Orwell wrote fiction,polemical journalism,literary criticism and poetry.He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (published in 1949)and the satirical novella Animal Farm (1945).They have together sold more copies than any two books by any other twentieth-century author.His Homage to Catalonia (1938),an account of his experiences as a volunteer on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War,together with his numerous essays on politics,literature,language and culture,are widely acclaimed. Orwell's influence on contemporary culture,popular and political,continues.Several of his neologisms,along with the term Orwellian,now a byword for any draconian or manipulative social phenomenon or concept inimical to a free society,have entered the vernacular. About the text: 3.Detailed Study of the Text: Text Analysis The whole text can be divided into 3 parts
Unit Three A Hanging George Orwell I. Teaching Aims: 1. To have students learn more about American literature: George Orwell and his works. 2. To get students know the style of narrative writing. 3.To get students grasp the key words and sentence structures. II. Teaching Importance and Difficulties: 1. Understand the author’s main purpose of writing the essay. 2. Know the writing strategies of the text. 3. Grasp the key language points in the text. III. Teaching periods: 6 periods IV. Teaching steps: 1. Pre-reading activities 1) How much do you know about our nation's criminal law? Does it contain capital punishment? 2) Do you think the death penalty should be abolished in a civilized society? 2. Information related to the text: About the author: George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was a British author and journalist. His work is marked by keen intelligence and wit, a profound awareness of social injustice, an intense, revolutionary opposition to totalitarianism, a passion for clarity in language and a belief in democratic socialism. Considered perhaps the twentieth century's best chronicler of English culture,Orwell wrote fiction, polemical journalism, literary criticism and poetry. He is best known for the dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (published in 1949) and the satirical novella Animal Farm (1945). They have together sold more copies than any two books by any other twentieth-century author. His Homage to Catalonia (1938), an account of his experiences as a volunteer on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War, together with his numerous essays on politics, literature, language and culture, are widely acclaimed. Orwell's influence on contemporary culture, popular and political, continues. Several of his neologisms, along with the term Orwellian, now a byword for any draconian or manipulative social phenomenon or concept inimical to a free society, have entered the vernacular. About the text: 3. Detailed Study of the Text: Text Analysis The whole text can be divided into 3 parts
Part I.(Para.1):It presents the background knowledge-the country where the story took place,the time when the story happened and the bad living conditions of the condemned men. Part II.(Para.2-Para.14):It is the body of the story,describing how a condemned prisoner was escorted to the gallows,how he behaved and walked.What is significant here is the comments the writer has made concerning the cold-blooded destruction of a healthy,conscious man. Part III.(Para.15-Para.22):It forms the denouement of the story,where thought-provoking descriptions are provided and some tragic anecdotes inserted. Analysis Part I(Para.1): Discussion questions 1.Where and when did the story take place? The story took place in Burma on a sodden morning of the rains 2.Provide a general description of the condemned cells. The condemned cells,a row of sheds fronted with double bars,were like small animal cages.Each cell was about ten feet long and ten feet wide and was quite bare within except for a plank bed and a pot for drinking water.In some of the cells brown silent men were squatting at the inner bars,with their blankets draped round them. Language work 1.It was in Burma,on a sodden morning of the rains. The story took place in Burma on a very wet morning during the rainy season. 2.the condemned cells: the very small rooms in a prison where prisoners,who had been sentenced to death and who were due to be hanged within a week or two,were being kept. 3.Each cell measured about ten feet by ten and was quite bare within except for a plank bed and a pot for drinking water. Each condemned cell was about ten feet long and ten feet wide,in each of which there was only a plank bed and a pot for drinking water. 4.squat:vi.sit on one's heels or on the ground with the knees drawn up under or close to the body;occupy an empty building or settle on unoccupied land,etc.without permission e.g.: (1)The old man was squatting down by the fire,smoking a tobacco pipe. (2)Some homeless people were squatting in that deserted house. 6.drape sth.round/over sth.else:hang (cloth,curtains,a cloak,etc.)loosely on sth. else e.g.: (1)A fur coat was draped round her shoulders. (2)Dustsheets were draped over the furniture in the house Part II.(Para.2-Para.14): Detailed Study of Paras.2-7 Discussion questions 1.How did the man react while the warders were getting him ready?
Part I. (Para. 1): It presents the background knowledge-the country where the story took place, the time when the story happened and the bad living conditions of the condemned men. Part II. (Para. 2-Para. 14): It is the body of the story, describing how a condemned prisoner was escorted to the gallows, how he behaved and walked. What is significant here is the comments the writer has made concerning the cold-blooded destruction of a healthy, conscious man. Part III. (Para. 15-Para. 22): It forms the denouement of the story, where thought-provoking descriptions are provided and some tragic anecdotes inserted. Analysis Part I (Para. 1): Discussion questions 1. Where and when did the story take place? The story took place in Burma on a sodden morning of the rains. 2. Provide a general description of the condemned cells. The condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, were like small animal cages. Each cell was about ten feet long and ten feet wide and was quite bare within except for a plank bed and a pot for drinking water. In some of the cells brown silent men were squatting at the inner bars, with their blankets draped round them. Language work 1. It was in Burma, on a sodden morning of the rains. The story took place in Burma on a very wet morning during the rainy season. 2. the condemned cells: the very small rooms in a prison where prisoners, who had been sentenced to death and who were due to be hanged within a week or two, were being kept. 3. Each cell measured about ten feet by ten and was quite bare within except for a plank bed and a pot for drinking water. Each condemned cell was about ten feet long and ten feet wide, in each of which there was only a plank bed and a pot for drinking water. 4. squat: vi. sit on one's heels or on the ground with the knees drawn up under or close to the body; occupy an empty building or settle on unoccupied land, etc. without permission e.g.: (1) The old man was squatting down by the fire, smoking a tobacco pipe. (2) Some homeless people were squatting in that deserted house. 6. drape sth. round/over sth. else: hang (cloth, curtains, a cloak, etc.) loosely on sth. else e.g.: (1) A fur coat was draped round her shoulders. (2) Dustsheets were draped over the furniture in the house. Part II. (Para. 2-Para. 14): Detailed Study of Paras. 2-7 Discussion questions 1.How did the man react while the warders were getting him ready?
The condemned prisoner stood without trying to put up any resistance.He quite willingly let his limp arms be tied up with the ropes,as though he paid no attention to what was happening. 2.How many warders were guarding the convicted man and preparing him for the gallows?How were the warders guard ing the man? Six tall Indian warders were guarding him and getting him ready for the gallows.Two of them stood by with rifles and fixed bayonets,while the others handcuffed him, passed a chain through his handcuffs and fixed it to their belts,and bound his arms tightly to his sides.They crowded very close about him,their hands gripping him carefully all the while,as if feeling him to make sure he was there. 3.According to the superintendent of the jail,by what time should the condemned man have been hanged to death? From Paragraph 3,we know that the condemned man ought to have been hanged to death by eight o'clock on that sodden morning. 4.How was the condemned man escorted to the gallows? Two warders marched on either side of the prisoner,with their rifles at the slope;two others marched close against him,gripping him by arm and shoulder,as though at once pushing and supporting him. 5.How did the prisoner walk? He walked clumsily with his bound arms,but quite steadily.At each step his muscles slid neatly into place,the lock of hair on his scalp moved rhythmically up and down, and his feet left footmarks on the wet gravel which formed the surface of the path And once,in spite of the men who gripped him by each shoulder,he stepped slightly aside to avoid a puddle on the path. Language work 1.warder:n.a jailer,a person who works as a guard in a prison e.g.: (1)The POWs(prisoners of war)clubbed their warder to death and escaped from the concentration camp. 2.handcuff:n.a pair of lockable linked metal rings for securing a prisoner's wrists e.g.: (1)The detective took out his handcuffs and put it on the man's wrist. vt.put handcuffs on e.g.: (1)The policeman pounced upon the terrorist and had him handcuffed before he could make an attempt to resist. 3.lash:vt.fasten things together securely with ropes,etc.;tie sth.securely in position with ropes,etc. e.g.: (1)The slave trader lashed the slaves tightly to rings on the board (2)The captain lashed down the cargo on the deck. 4.limply:adv.not stiffly or firmly;in a way which lacks strength or energy e.g.: (1)He gestured and responded limply,for he had been much weakened physically
The condemned prisoner stood without trying to put up any resistance. He quite willingly let his limp arms be tied up with the ropes, as though he paid no attention to what was happening. 2. How many warders were guarding the convicted man and preparing him for the gallows? How were the warders guarding the man? Six tall Indian warders were guarding him and getting him ready for the gallows. Two of them stood by with rifles and fixed bayonets, while the others handcuffed him, passed a chain through his handcuffs and fixed it to their belts, and bound his arms tightly to his sides. They crowded very close about him, their hands gripping him carefully all the while, as if feeling him to make sure he was there. 3. According to the superintendent of the jail, by what time should the condemned man have been hanged to death? From Paragraph 3, we know that the condemned man ought to have been hanged to death by eight o'clock on that sodden morning. 4. How was the condemned man escorted to the gallows? Two warders marched on either side of the prisoner, with their rifles at the slope; two others marched close against him, gripping him by arm and shoulder, as though at once pushing and supporting him. 5. How did the prisoner walk? He walked clumsily with his bound arms, but quite steadily. At each step his muscles slid neatly into place, the lock of hair on his scalp moved rhythmically up and down, and his feet left footmarks on the wet gravel which formed the surface of the path. And once, in spite of the men who gripped him by each shoulder, he stepped slightly aside to avoid a puddle on the path. Language work 1. warder: n. a jailer, a person who works as a guard in a prison e.g.: (1)The POWs (prisoners of war) clubbed their warder to death and escaped from the concentration camp. 2. handcuff: n. a pair of lockable linked metal rings for securing a prisoner's wrists e.g.: (1)The detective took out his handcuffs and put it on the man's wrist. vt. put handcuffs on e.g.: (1) The policeman pounced upon the terrorist and had him handcuffed before he could make an attempt to resist. 3. lash: vt. fasten things together securely with ropes, etc.; tie sth. securely in position with ropes, etc. e.g.: (1) The slave trader lashed the slaves tightly to rings on the board. (2)The captain lashed down the cargo on the deck. 4. limply: adv. not stiffly or firmly; in a way which lacks strength or energy e.g.: (1) He gestured and responded limply, for he had been much weakened physically
5.But he stood quite unresisting,yielding his arms limply to the ropes,as though he hardly noticed what was happening. But he stood,without putting up any resistance.He let the warders bind up his limp arms with the ropes,as if he were not aware of what was happening. 6.The superintendent of the jail,who was standing apart from the rest of us,moodily prodding the gravel with his stick The head of the jail,who was standing at a distance from the rest of us,feeling so gloomy and sullen that he was poking the gravel with his stick 7.prod:vi.poke sth.with one's finger or sth.pointed e.g.: (1)The boy is prodding the sandy beach with a stick,enjoying it very much. 8.Eight o'clock struck and a bugle call floated from the distant barracks. The clock struck eight o'clock and a bugle call drifted from the distant barracks. 9.float:vi.move in air,water or gas;drift slowly e.g.: (1)"Look!A red and yellow balloon is floating across the blue sky." (2)The aroma of the brewed coffee floated from the kitchen. 10."Yes sir,yes sir,"he bubbled. "Yes sir,yes sir,"he uttered,as though making the sound of rising bubbles. 11.gripping him by arm and shoulder: holding him firmly by arm and shoulder 12.slide:v.(cause to)move smoothly along an even,polished or slippery surface; (cause to)move quietly so as not to be noticed e.g.: (1)He was sliding about helplessly on the ice. (2)The drawers slide in and out easily. (3)The thief slid out while nobody was looking. 13.the lock of hair on his scalp danced up and down,his feet printed themselves on the wet gravel. the cluster of hair on top of his head moved rhythmically up and down,and his feet left prints on the wet grainy stones that formed the surface of the path. 14.puddle:n.a small pool of water,esp.of rain water on a path or road e.g.: (1)As it has been raining for days,there are many puddles on the path. Detailed Study of Para.8 1.What is the main idea of this paragraph? This paragraph conveys the message that the writer saw the unspeakable wrongness of putting a life to an end when it is in full tide.In other words,he realized that it was terribly wrong to hang a healthy,conscious man to death. 2.What was the writer thinking about when he watched the prisoner step aside to avoid a puddle on the path? He thought of the following:This man was not dying,for he was alive just as we are alive.All the organs of his body were working-bowels digesting food,skin renewing itself,nails growing,tissues forming-all toiling away in solemn foolery
5. But he stood quite unresisting, yielding his arms limply to the ropes, as though he hardly noticed what was happening. But he stood, without putting up any resistance. He let the warders bind up his limp arms with the ropes, as if he were not aware of what was happening. 6. The superintendent of the jail, who was standing apart from the rest of us, moodily prodding the gravel with his stick ? The head of the jail, who was standing at a distance from the rest of us, feeling so gloomy and sullen that he was poking the gravel with his stick ? 7. prod: vi. poke sth. with one's finger or sth. pointed e.g.: (1)The boy is prodding the sandy beach with a stick, enjoying it very much. 8. Eight o'clock struck and a bugle call floated from the distant barracks. The clock struck eight o'clock and a bugle call drifted from the distant barracks. 9. float: vi. move in air, water or gas; drift slowly e.g.: (1) "Look! A red and yellow balloon is floating across the blue sky." (2) The aroma of the brewed coffee floated from the kitchen. 10. "Yes sir, yes sir," he bubbled. "Yes sir, yes sir," he uttered, as though making the sound of rising bubbles. 11. gripping him by arm and shoulder: holding him firmly by arm and shoulder 12. slide: v. (cause to) move smoothly along an even, polished or slippery surface; (cause to) move quietly so as not to be noticed e.g.: (1) He was sliding about helplessly on the ice. (2) The drawers slide in and out easily. (3) The thief slid out while nobody was looking. 13. . the lock of hair on his scalp danced up and down, his feet printed themselves on the wet gravel. the cluster of hair on top of his head moved rhythmically up and down, and his feet left prints on the wet grainy stones that formed the surface of the path. 14. puddle: n. a small pool of water, esp. of rain water on a path or road e.g.: (1) As it has been raining for days, there are many puddles on the path. Detailed Study of Para. 8 1. What is the main idea of this paragraph? This paragraph conveys the message that the writer saw the unspeakable wrongness of putting a life to an end when it is in full tide. In other words, he realized that it was terribly wrong to hang a healthy, conscious man to death. 2. What was the writer thinking about when he watched the prisoner step aside to avoid a puddle on the path? He thought of the following: This man was not dying, for he was alive just as we are alive. All the organs of his body were working- bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming-all toiling away in solemn foolery
His nails would still be growing when he stood on the drop,when he was falling through the air with a tenth of a second to live.His eyes saw the yellow gravel and the gray walls,and his brain still remembered,foresaw,reasoned-reasoned even about puddles.He and we were a party of men walking together,seeing,hearing,feeling, understanding the same world;but in a couple of minutes,with a sudden snap,he would be gone-one mind less,one world less. Language work 1.unspeakable:adj.(usu.derogatory)indescribable;that can not be expressed in words e.g.: (1)I was shocked by the unspeakable cruelty of the terrorists who killed so many innocent people. (2)The writer of this narrative piece laid bare the unspeakable corruption of the government. 2.All the organs of his body were working bowels digesting food,skin renewing itself,nails growing,tissues forming all toiling away in solemn foolery. All the organs of his body were playing their normal functions his bowels were absorbing nutrients from food for his body,his skin was being replenished with new life and vigor,his nails were growing,and his tissues forming all were working very hard and solemnly,but they were doing something useless because they would be destroyed in a few minutes. 3.tissue:n.mass of cells forming the body of an animal or plant e.g.: (1)A person's muscular,nervous and connective tissues are vital to his life (2)The tissues have been destroyed,and a scar has been formed. 4.on the drop:on the trapdoor on the gallows 5.with a sudden snap:with a sudden sharp noise;with a sudden sharp crack Detailed Study of Paras.9-14 1.What does Paragraph 9 tell us? This paragraph first tells us something about the hangman,then it states the fact that the prisoner was half led and half pushed to the gallows,and finally the hangman fixed the rope around the prisoner's neck 2.What do Paragraphs 10-11 describe? Paragraphs 10-11 describe the most shocking scene:When the noose was fixed,the prisoner began cry ing out to his god.It was a high,reiterated cry of "Ram!Ram!Ram! Ram!"It was a steady,rhythmical cry,almost like the tolling of a bell.Minutes seemed to pass.The steady crying from the prisoner continued,"Ram!Ram!Ram!" never faltering for an instant.The superintendent perhaps was counting the cries. Everyone was feeling sad,frightened and shocked. 3.Who issued the order to hang the prisoner?And how was it given? It was the superintendent who gave the order to execute the prisoner on the gallows. He suddenly made up his mind and issued the order by shouting fiercely. 4.What does Paragraph 13 describe? This paragraph presents a description like this:A clanking noise was followed by dead
His nails would still be growing when he stood on the drop, when he was falling through the air with a tenth of a second to live. His eyes saw the yellow gravel and the gray walls, and his brain still remembered, foresaw, reasoned- reasoned even about puddles. He and we were a party of men walking together, seeing, hearing, feeling, understanding the same world; but in a couple of minutes, with a sudden snap, he would be gone -one mind less, one world less. Language work 1. unspeakable: adj. (usu. derogatory) indescribable; that can not be expressed in words e.g.: (1) I was shocked by the unspeakable cruelty of the terrorists who killed so many innocent people. (2) The writer of this narrative piece laid bare the unspeakable corruption of the government. 2. All the organs of his body were working bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming all toiling away in solemn foolery. All the organs of his body were playing their normal functions his bowels were absorbing nutrients from food for his body, his skin was being replenished with new life and vigor, his nails were growing, and his tissues forming all were working very hard and solemnly, but they were doing something useless because they would be destroyed in a few minutes. 3. tissue: n. mass of cells forming the body of an animal or plant e.g.: (1) A person's muscular, nervous and connective tissues are vital to his life. (2) The tissues have been destroyed, and a scar has been formed. 4. on the drop: on the trapdoor on the gallows 5. with a sudden snap: with a sudden sharp noise; with a sudden sharp crack Detailed Study of Paras. 9-14 1. What does Paragraph 9 tell us? This paragraph first tells us something about the hangman, then it states the fact that the prisoner was half led and half pushed to the gallows, and finally the hangman fixed the rope around the prisoner's neck. 2. What do Paragraphs 10-11 describe? Paragraphs 10-11 describe the most shocking scene: When the noose was fixed, the prisoner began crying out to his god. It was a high, reiterated cry of "Ram! Ram! Ram! Ram!" It was a steady, rhythmical cry, almost like the tolling of a bell. Minutes seemed to pass. The steady crying from the prisoner continued, "Ram! Ram! Ram!" never faltering for an instant. The superintendent perhaps was counting the cries. Everyone was feeling sad, frightened and shocked. 3. Who issued the order to hang the prisoner? And how was it given? It was the superintendent who gave the order to execute the prisoner on the gallows. He suddenly made up his mind and issued the order by shouting fiercely. 4. What does Paragraph 13 describe? This paragraph presents a description like this: A clanking noise was followed by dead