发布时间 : 星期五 文章Unit 2更新完毕开始阅读8c643e696294dd88d1d26b3f
Unit 2 Springs Sowing
Teaching Objectives
1. Comprehension: general idea of the three grades of thinking, difficult words and expressions.
2. Appreciation: structure, theme, humorous style, writing devices 3. Application: oral and written exercises, translation and thinking.
Teaching procedure ? Warm-- up
? Background information about the author and Lord of the Flies.
? Text appreciation in the aspect of analysis of the title, theme, structure ? Key glossary
? Detailed study of the text ? Exercises ? Quiz
Warming-up & Background Information ? Listen & Capture the main idea ? About the author ? Liam O'Flaherty ? Ireland
? Irish Guards ? Western Front ? Anglo-:British ? Irish Renaissance ? Aran Islands ? mystical ? Stem from
He was born in 1896 in a remote village in Ireland. His family was not well off. The Irish language was widely spoken in the area, and in the O?Flaherty household both English and Irish was used. He left school in 1917 and joined the Irish Guards .He served on the Western Front, where he was injured, and it is possible that the shell shock he suffered may have been responsible for the mental illness which became apparent in 1933.
Liam O?Flaherty (1896-1984) is considered one of the most important modern Anglo-Irish authors. He is also a short story writer and a major figure in the Irish Renaissance. He was born on an island named Aran in Ireland, which must have had a very big influence on his character as well as on his writing. Both his novels and his short stories stem from his experiences growing up in a poverty-stricken society on the island of Aran; his naturalistic, mystical, romantic and realistic styles were also defined by his experiences hi his native Ireland. His major works include “Thy Neighbour's Wife”; “The Informer”.
Warming-up & Background Information Questions:
Would u please tell me his background? In terms of his hometown, language, experiences etc.
? How did he suffer from the mental illness? ? Would u please describe his status in writing?
? What is the style and source of inspiration for his writing?
About his hometown-- Ireland Geography
Ireland is an island in the Atlantic Ocean which appears about to alight on the coast of Britain 80km to the west across the Irish Sea. Its cities are small, so it?s never far to isolated sweeps of mountains or bog lands (沼泽地）.
Much of Ireland?s elevated ground is close to the coast, and almost the entire Atlantic seaboard is a bulwark （堡垒，支撑）of cliffs, hills and mountains, with few safe anchorages（停泊处）. Most of the centre of the island is composed of flat farmland or raised bogs.
Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent economy with growth averaging 7% in 1995—2004. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry and services.
? Many countries in Europe paid very little attention to the arrival of the potato from the New World. This is because most countries already grew enough food to feed their population. However, the situation was different in Ireland. During the 15th century Ireland was torn apart by constant warfare between the country?s English rulers and Irish inhabitants. As a result of these continual conflicts, the farmers had a hard time growing enough food to feed themselves, let alone anyone else. It was into this starving, war-torn Ireland that the potato was introduced around the year 1600.
? No one is sure exactly who introduced the potato to Ireland. However it arrived, one thing can be said for certain—the potato caught on very quickly in Ireland. The potato's popularity was based on the potato producing more food per acre than any other crops Irish farmers had grown before. In peaceful times the potato spread throughout Ireland as a healthy and reliable source of food. In times of war it was popular as well. When soldiers destroyed farmers' crops and livestock—as soldiers often did—, the potato would survive because it was hidden, and buried below ground.
? By 1840, the country?s population had swelled—from less than three million in the early 1500's to eight million people—largely thanks to the potato. Warming-up & Background About the story
? Do you know how spring sowing is done in our country?
Open up, plow, ridge, manure, and seaweed/straw, sow/spread the seeds. Raise the sod, watering,…
? How?s the farmers? life in China? to work from dawn to dusk
to depend on the nature for food to reap no grain
facing the earth with backs towards the sky hardship /endless toil simple life honest nature kindhearted
Setting and character
? “Spring Sowing“ is taken from the author?s first collection of short stories which bears the same title published in 1924. The story describes the first day of the first spring planting of a newly-wedded couple against the background of a traditional agricultural country.
? In Ireland at that time, most people still depended on farming for a living, and the main crop was the potato. Modern science and technology had not yet caught up with the land. There was little machinery. Practically everything was still done by hand.
Plot: a young couple?s first day of spring sowing
Irish village
Setting: In spring Agricultural society (why?)
Theme of the story: what do you think?
Theme
The simple life, honest nature and good wishes of the newly-married couple are presented through the descriptions of their spring planting in minute detail. It reveals the traditional virtues of a typical farmer: hard work, simple living, discipline, and above all, strong sense of responsibility for the happiness of his wife and family.
Detailed Analysis Part I
Paras.1-3: Main Idea
? Please search for words and expressions in the text which may help you describe:
? (1) Martin (appearance, clothing) ? (2) Mary, and
? (3) the life they were living at the time
– Living conditions – relationship
Part I: Main Idea
? How does the author describe the couple?s feeling about the spring sowing? How do you understand such a mixed feeling? ? Symbolic meanings
– Early hour in the morning – Spring sowing
General question: What kind of a harvest were the newly-weds going to have in the first day of their first spring sowing?
For the young couple, the first day of their first spring sowing was an extremely important day, because it not only would determine the crop they would harvest in autumn, but also would show what kind of wife and husband they would prove to each other and what kind of family they were going to have.
Part II
Paras.4-8: Main Idea
? How did they prepare for the sowing?
? Would u please describe the scene and feelings as they walked through the little village?
? Did Martin feel confident in himself? And was he eager to start the sowing? Please find evidence in the text. Part II
Paras.4-8: Main Idea
? What kind of a role was Mary playing here? Example? ? What did they aim to achieve for the day?
Part 3: In the Morning
Detailed Analysis--General questions
? Would u please find out the different descriptions about Martin and Mary? ? Why did Mary put an arm round Martin?s waist and how did Martin react to this?
? Obviously they don?t think alike, why? Para.13
? What was Mary thinking of while gazing distantly at the ground? Why did she suddenly become afraid of the earth?
? Why did Mary sigh? Why did she walk back hurriedly with furrowed brows? ? Do you think the same thing would also happen to most young couples, i.e. their passion or love would be gradually be replaced by the necessity to do sth. or the reality? ? Para.13
? A sharp contrast is made in this paragraph between Martin and Mary, and this is also the traditional contrast between husband and wife, please make a comment on this?
? e.g. man: realistic; rational…
woman: romantic; sensational … General Questions