Face to Face with Hurricane Camille

Lesson One

LESSON ONELESSON ONELESSON ONELESSON ONE

Aims

1. To know the writing technique of a narrative.2. To be acquainted with some literary terms3. To learn to use words to describe disasters and

violence4. To appreciate the language features5. To learn to write a story about disasters.

Teaching Contents

• Pre-reading questions• Background• Text study

– The literary style and terms of narration– Language points– Comprehension Questions– Text Analysis and Appreciation

• Exercises • Tasks After Class

Pre-reading questions

1. What types/styles of writing do you know? Explain them briefly.

2. What is narration? How is a piece of narration developed? What elements are basically necessary in a narrative writing?

3. What is Hurricane? What other related terms do you know?

Background

• Hurricane: a tropical storm in which winds attain speeds greater than 75 miles (121 kilometers) per hour. The term is often restricted to those storms occurring over the North Atlantic Ocean. Incipient hurricanes usually form over the tropical N Atlantic Ocean and mature as they drift westward. Hurricanes also occasionally form off the west coast of Mexico and move northeastward from that area. An average of 3. 5 tropical storms per year eventually mature into hurricanes along the east coast of North America, usually over the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico.

Background

Hurricanes are given girls' names. The National Weather Service of the United States has used girls' names to identify hurricanes in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico since 1953 and the names were given in alphabetical order. A semi-permanent list of 10 sets of names in alphabetical order was established in 1971. This practice of giving girls' names to hurricanes changed recently. In 1980 a hurricane was given a man's name and was called Hurricane David. Hurricane sea son begins June 1 and ends Nov. 30.

The track of hurricane Camille

Background

• Hurricane Camille: The storm lashed Mississippi and Louisiana for two days, Aug. 17 - 18, in 1969. The death toll was 258.

• Hurricane Betsy: The- storm lashed Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana in 1965 from Sept. 7 - 10, causing the death of 74 persons.

Background

• Salvation Army: Protestant denomination and international non sectarian Christian organization for evangelical ( 福音的 ) and philanthropic ( 慈善的 ) work. It was founded by William Booth, with the assistance of his wife Catherine Booth. The movement, begun in 1865, was originally known as the East London Revival Society, shortly re named the Christian Mission, and finally in 1878 designated the Salvation Army. A military form of organization, with uniforms and other distinctive features, was adopted in the interest of a more effective "warfare against evil." The organization

Background

has es tablished branches in more than 75 countries throughout the world. Each country has its divisions and local corps, with a commander at the head of all. International headquarters are in London. The army operates hospitals, community centers, alcoholic and drug rehabilitation ( 恢复 ) programs, emergency and disaster services, social work centers and recreation facilities. Support of the vast undertakings in all parts of the world depends upon voluntary contributions and profits from the sale of publications.

Background

• Red Cross: international organization concerned with the alleviation of human suffering and the promotion of public health. The creation of the agency was spurred by Jean Henry Dunant (1878- 1910). Dunant, a Swiss citizen, urged the formation of voluntary aid societies for relief of war victims. He also asked that service to military sick and wounded be neutral. The Society genovoise d'utilite publique, a Swiss welfare agency, actively seconded Dunant's suggestion, the result being the formation ( 1863) of the organization that is today known as the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Background

The next year, delegates from 16 nations met in Switzerland and the Geneva Convention of 1864 for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick of Armies in the Field was adopted and signed by 12 of the nations represented. It provided for the neutrality of the personnel of the medical services of armed forces, the humane treatment of wounded, the neutrality of civilians who voluntarily assisted them, and the use of an international emblem to mark medical personnel and supplies.

Background

In honor of Dunant's nationality a red cross on a white background -- the Swiss flag with colors reversed -- was chosen as the symbol (which in Moslem areas is replaced by a red crescent and in Iran by a red lion and sun). Today there are national Red Cross societies in over 100 countries of the world, each a self-governing organization, and two international groups with headquarters in Geneva: the International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross Societies. The blanket agency for all Red Cross group is known as the International Red Cross,

Lesson One

Theme ----

man vs nature

Text study

– The literary style and terms of narration– Language points– Comprehension Questions– Text Analysis and Appreciation

The literary style

Narration

A piece of narration is mainly developed in the actual time sequence – chronological development. The writer tells the readers what happens first, what next.

Narration is concerned with action, with life in motion, with a meaningful series of actions.

The literary style

It goes around people called characters in some kind of struggle or conflict against other people, nature, society or themselves.

The actions, that is, incidents and events are generally presented in order of their occurrence, following the natural time sequence of the happenings (chronological order).

The literary style

As the conflict develops, suspense and tension increase until the highest point or the climax of the struggle is reached. After the climax, the story quickly moves to a conclusion, which is sometimes called a denouement.

Action (lot) usually dominates narration; however,

some narratives focus on character, theme (the idea behind the story), or atmosphere (the mood or tone).

The literary style

narration -- story tellingextended narration --

novels histories biographies autobiographies travelogues

The Literary terms

The essentials of narration:1. characters2. plotA good story has a beginning, a middle, an end, even though it may start in the middle or at some other point in the action and move backward to the earlier happenings.

The Literary terms

Characterization

The process by which a writer presents the personal traits of the people in a story. Through characterization, writers make clear what the characters in their stories are like. Writers commonly use five methods of characterization: 1) they show their characters in action; 2) they tell what the characters say; 3) they give a physical description of the characters; 4) they tell how others react to the characters; 5) they state directly what the characters are like.

The Literary terms

Protagonist

The central character in a story, the one upon whom the action centers. The protagonist faces a problem and must undergo some conflict* to solve it. The protagonist is opposed by an antagonist, * which may be a person, or some force of nature, or even a flaw in the protagonist's personality.

The Literary terms

Antagonist

The character or force that opposes the protagonist,* who is the central character in a story. In a few stories, the antagonist is not a person, but an animal or a force, such as a storm or a weakness of character, that the protagonist is trying to overcome.

The Literary terms

Setting

The place and the time in which a story happens. In some stories the setting is very important; it may actually determine what happens. Setting can also be used to create atmosphere or mood: in Jack London's "To Build a Fire," the frozen Yukon setting creates an atmosphere of bleakness and hostility.

The Literary terms

Plot

The plot is an account of the conflict* that takes place between the antagonist and the protagonist. What happens in a story. Plot consists of a series of related events that are brought to some kind of conclusion. Most plots contain the following elements: a problem to be solved; a conflict;* suspense;* and a climax.*

The Literary terms

Conflict The struggle between opposing forces that is the basis of all of

our stories. Usually the conflict is between two persons, but it may be between a person and a natural force, such as a flood, or between a person and society, or between a person and a weakness in that person's character. A conflict is external when it takes place between a character and some outside force. A conflict is internal when it takes place within a character's own mind or feelings. There often may be more than one kind of conflict in a story.

The Literary terms

• Protagonist --Antagonist – Man nature

– Man man

– Man himself

• Face to face with – Hurricane Camille /typhoon/volcano/earthquake/

– Pollution/global warming/population explosion/disease/

– Nuclear weapon/warfare/energy exhaustion/economic

crises/

Neighbors, friends,wife and Neighbors, friends,wife and husband, brother and sister, husband, brother and sister, parents and children …parents and children …

The Literary terms

Suspense

a state of uncertainty

Climax

The point in a story when we find out whether or not the protagonist* has won the conflict.* The climax is usually the moment of greatest suspense and interest in a story.

The Literary terms

Denouement

It is the ending or the conclusion of the story. After the climax, when all the conflicts are settled, the story quickly moves to a conclusion, which is called a denouement.

The Literary terms

Theme The main idea in a story. The theme of a story

usually is an idea about life or about people. Writers sometimes state the story's theme outright, but more often they simply tell the story and let the reader discover the theme. It is important to understand the difference between theme and plot.* Theme is an idea revealed by the events of the story; plot is simply what happens in a story.

The Literary terms

Point of view The vantage point from which a story is told. When a

story is told by a character in the story, it is told from the first-person point of view. The character telling such a story uses the pronoun I, which in grammar is called the first-person pronoun. A narrator using the first person can tell us only what he or she can hear and see as a character in the story. When a story is told by the writer as an outsider, it is told from the third-person point of view. Such a story teller is not limited, but knows everything. Hence, the third-person point of view is sometimes called the omniscient point of view.

The Literary terms

Interposition

A passage which is put between the action. The

purpose is to add more information and to create

suspense.

The Literary terms

Flashback

The Interruption of chronological sequence by

interjection of event of earlier occurrence.

  climax falling action denouement rising action  conflict beginning suspense ending

 

 

 

Language Points

1. Hurricane and other terms of wind

hurricane --1. strong tropical storm2. strong fast wind which speeds more than 75 mph3. western Atlantic Ocean4. given a girl's name; named alphabetically / ordered according to the initial letter

Language Points

typhoon --

1. Western Pacific Ocean or China Sea

2. numbered

Language Points

whirlwind –

a general term/ circular wind

tornado –

visible as a tube-shaped cloud of dust which moves in a relatively narrow path can be devastating in its destructiveness

cyclone –

a vortex, usually hundreds of miles in diameter; over the Indian Ocean

Language Points

Gale --

a general term for a very strong wind capable of

doing considerable damage to property

Language Points

Tsunami a wave train, or series of waves, generated in a body

of water by an impulsive disturbance that vertically displaces the water column. Earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, explosions, and even the impact of cosmic bodies, such as meteorites, can generate tsunamis. Tsunamis can savagely attack coastlines, causing devastating property damage and loss of life.

the Beaufort scale

the Beaufort scale ，蒲福风力等级 ( 英国海军将领 Francis Beaufort [1774-1857] 拟订 , 分 0-12级 ), defines wind as:

0 clam breeze 01 light breeze 1--3 mph2 slight breeze 4--73 gentle breeze 8--124 moderate breeze 13—185 fresh breeze 19—24

the Beaufort scale

6 strong breeze 25--317 moderate gale 32--388 fresh gale 39--469 strong gale 47--5410 whole gale 55--6311 storm 64--7512 hurricane over 75

Language Points

2. Face to Face with Hurricane Camille:

All headings and titles are generally succinct and particular care is given to the choice of words. The aim is to present the article, story, etc. as vividly and as forcefully as possible to attract the attention of would-be readers.

Language Points

face to face: confronting one another, connoting a sense of urgency and danger. The confrontation is generally with something dangerous, difficult or hard to resolve.

e.g.

face to face with the enemy

face to face with the tiger

face to face with the problem

Language Points

• Analyse paragraph 1. – Does it have a topic sentence, a central idea?– How is the paragraph developed?– What is the function of the last sentence?

Language Points

• The topic sentence -- "John Koshak, Jr., knew that Hurricane Camille would be bad."

• This idea is developed or supported by facts or reasons showing how John Koshak, Jr., knew that Hurricane Camille would be bad ．

• The last sentence introduces some other characters in the story and serves as a transition to the next important point in the story -- why John Koshak Jr. decided not to abandon his home ．

Language Points

• Skim through the text and see how you can divide the first part.

-- Para.1- Para.6

• What is the main idea? -- Knowing hurricane Camille would be bad and

still reluctant to abandon their home, the Koshaks were preparing for the hurricane.

Language Points

3. John Koshak, Jr: Jr.: the abbreviation of junior. Sr.: (senior) is sometimes put after the name of the

father. If the name continues into the third generation,

Roman numerals (I. II. III. etc.) are used, mainly among big, rich, tipper class families, e. g.

John Rockefeller I / John Rockefeller II / John Rockefeller III

Language Points

4. Radio and television warnings ...

The weather report on Aug. 17:

The weather forecast says "cloudy" today, with a strong wind from the northwest, grade five to six on the Beaufort Scale. The lowest temperature during the daytime will be eight degrees centigrade below zero.

Language Points

lashed: a specific verb, meaning to strike with great force, e.g.

Waves lashed the cliffs.

Gulf of Mexico: Most hurricanes in this area are formed over the Caribbean Sea and they move over the Gulf of Mexico to strike the Gulf States of the United States -- Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, etc.

Language Points

5. It was certain ... the Koshaks lived:

pummel: to beat or hit with repeated blows.

Gulfport: seaport in S. Miss., on the Gulf of Mexico

Miss: abbreviation for Mississippi • Game-play:

Test yourself and see how many abbreviations of US states you know.

abbreviations of US states

Map puzzle

Language Points

6. Trying to reason out the course of action:

Trying to find out the best way to deal with the hurricane by logical thinking and argument, …

reason out: express logically by argument

Language Points

• Reasons to stay:1. He is a self-employed businessman managing his

own company, which is right at home.implication: How great the loss it would be if the house was destroyed.

2. His present house was in a better condition than his former house.

Language Points

7. whose business was right there in his home:

His business office, workshop, etc. were all in his home.

Magna Products: name of the company owned and run by John Koshak Jr.

engineering drawings: diagrams and sketches for machines

art work: designs, models, pictures for the various toys

Language Points

first floor: in U. S., the ground floor; in Europe and Great Britain, the floor above this

8. Koshak had moved his family to a motel:

motel: a blend word, formed by combining

parts of [mo(torist) + (ho)tel], e.g.

brunch (breakfast + lunch)

smog (smoke + fog)

Language Points

motel (motor+hotel)

boatel (boat+hotel)

chunnel (channel + tunnel) 运河地下道slurbs (slum + suburbs)

slanguage (slang + language)

• Make a list of blend words after class.

Language Points

9. We're elevated 23 feet:

In British English one would probably say “We're 23 feet above sea level.”

10. we're a good 250 yards from the sea:

We're at least 250 yards distant from the sea.

good: a general intensive, meaning "at least, "full", e.g.

We waited a good six hours.

Language Points

11. we can batten down and ride it out: two metaphors, comparing the house in a

hurricane to a ship fighting a storm at sea. We can make the necessary preparations and survive the hurricane without much damage.

batten down: to fasten canvas over the hatches of a ship, especially in preparing for a storm

ride it out: to stay afloat during. a storm without too much damage

Language Points

12. The men methodically ... hurricane: The men in the house made all the necessary

preparations to fight the hurricane and they went about their work in a systematic and orderly manner.

methodically: systematically and orderly 13. A power failure ... for the lantern:power failure: a breakdown in the supply of electricity check out: to examine

  Language Points

14. gray clouds ... on the rising wind:

scudded in: driven inland by the wind

Gulf: the Gulf of Mexico

Rising wind: wind that was getting stronger and stronger

15. A neighbor ... with the Koshaks:

whose husband was in Vietnam: This was 1961. The husband of this neighbor was in the American army fighting in Vietnam.

sit out the storm: to stay until the end of the storm

Language Points

• Questions (paras 1-6): 1. How many people were there in Koshak’s family? Were

there other people together with them? 2. Did they know hurricane was bad? How did they know that? 3. Was it the first time they met with hurricane? What

happened to them then? 4. Why did John Koshak decide to stay and face the dangers of

a devastating hurricane? 5. What does “Magna Products” stand for? 6. How did they prepare for the hurricane? 7. What kind of man is Koshak, Sr.?

Language Points

• Where can you end the second part? What is this part about?

-- Para. 7 – Para. 27• Underline those words that can tell the force of

hurricane while reading the nest part.• Pay special attention to the sentence structures

employed by the writer in this part.

Language Points

16. Wind and rain now whipped the house:

Metaphor. Strong wind and rain was lashing the house as if with a whip.

17. Stay away ... storm-shattered panes:

stay away: keep far away from; don't go near

concerned about: anxious, uneasy, worried about

Language Points

18. With mops .. . spreading water: The house was leaking very badly. The Koshaks had

to use all the utensils they could lay their hands on to hold the leak ing water.

This scene of hurry suggests that hurricane is much worse than they had expected.

19. The French doors ... windows disintegrated:French doors: two adjoining doors that have glass

panes from top to bottom and they open in the middle

Language Points

gun-like reports: loud explosive noises like guns being fired

disintegrate: collapse, crumble, fall apart, break into many small pieces and is destroyed

e.g.• Is society beginning to ~ ?• Since the Soviet Union ~ed, the cold war came to an

end.

Language Points

20. The generator was doused, and the lights went out: Water got into the generator and put it out. douse: to put out (a light, fire, generators etc.) quickly

by pouring water over it21. …that water tasted salty: From this he concluded they were in real trouble, for

it seemed the sea had reached them although they were 23 feet above sea level and 250 yards from the sea.

Language Points

22. water was rising by the minute:

by the minute: every minute, minute by minute.

23. Everybody out the back door to the cars:

an elliptical sentence: showing the tension and urgency of the moment.

More elliptical sentences can be found in this part. Short simple sentences are also found abundantly used.

Language Points

• Why does the writer use so many elliptical and short simple sentences? Illustrate your answer with a few examples.-- Elliptical and short simple sentences generally increase the tempo and speed of the actions being described. Hence in dramatic narration they serve to heighten tension and help create a sense of danger and urgency. For more examples see the text, paragraphs 10-18 and 21-26.

Language Points

24. The children in a fire brigade:

Simile.

25. the electrical systems had been killed by water:

kill: to cause (an engine, etc.) to stop (American English)

26. The wind sounded like ... yards away:

Simile, comparing the sound of the wind to the roar of a passing train

Language Points

27. with outward calm:

to appear calm (but to be worried in one's mind)

28. his voice lacked its usual gruffness:

The lack of gruffness shows the old man's sincerity and solemn feeling. In this critical situation the old couple tenderly express their mutual love.

Language Points

29. Get us through this mess, will You?: You: God. "will you" is a rough form of request, indicates a request

made out of desperation -- Oh God, please help us to get through this storm safely.

mess: a state of trouble or difficulty. 30. A moment later. .. through the air: Personification.in one mighty swipe: in a big, hard, sweeping blowskim: to throw so as to cause to bounce swiftly and

lightly

Language Points

31. marooned group:

a group of people who were helpless and isolated by the storm

32. Miami, Fla: Fla is abbreviated form of Florida, a southern state of the United States.

Language Points

• Read Paras.19-20 and discuss:• What are they about? -- About the ferocity of hurricane. It was graded as “the

greatest recorded storm ever a populated area in the western hemisphere”.

• Explain the function of these two paragraphs. -- They were put in to provide further official account to

show how strong and forceful the hurricane was. They were convincing.

-- This unit serves as an interposition to add more information and to create suspense.

Language Points

33. In its concentrated ... 200 m.p.h.: The hurricane was concentrated within a breadth of

about 70 miles and in this area the hurricane threw or hurled out winds that reached nearly 200 m.p.h.

m.p.h. (miles per hour)m.p.g. (miles per gallon)r.p.m. (revolutions per minute)g.p.m. (gallons per minute)f.p.s.: (feet per second)

Language Points

34. devastated everything in its swath:

destroyed everything in its path

swath: the space covered with one cut of a scythe; a long strip or track of any kind

35. It seized ... miles away:

Personification.

The hurricane acted as a very strong person lifting something very heavy and dumping it 3.5 miles away.

Language Points

36. It tore ... and beached them: Three large cargo ships were torn free from the cables

and anchors that held them and were grounded on the beach

to beach: to ground a boat on a beach37. Telephone poles... snapped them: Simile & Onomatopoeia. the sound of the snapping

poles compared to the firing of guns20-incli-thick pines: pine tree, 20 inches in diameter

Language Points

38. a hurricane party ... vantage point:

The people in the Richelieu Apartments held a party to enjoy the unusual and impressive spectacle of the hurricane because the apartment provided an unusually clear and broad view of the storm.

a hurricane party: a party held especially for watching the hurricane

Language Points

spectacular: a transferred epithet, modifying the "storm" and not "vantage point", meaning impressive to see and strikingly unusual, dramatic, breathtaking

vantage point: a position that allows a clear and broad view

Language Points

39. She carried ... trailed away:

Grandmother Koshak sang a few words alone and then her voice gradually grew dimmer and stopped.

bar: a measure in music; the notes between two vertical lines on a music sheet

trail away: to grow gradually weaker, dimmer

Language Points

40. Janis understood: Janis understood why her husband put his arm

around her. At this critical moment when all their lives were in danger, John put his arm around her to encourage and comfort her.

41. Dear Lord ... what I have to: Janis prayed to God to give her courage to face

what she had to face. She, her husband and her children might die in the storm.

Language Points

42. We won't let it win: We won't let the hurricane defeat us, kill us. These were words of self-encouragement,

suggesting that they had recovered from their panic and desperation and were ready to fight against the storm – face to face with it.

43. it toppled on him: The wall disintegrated and bricks and plasters fell

on him.

Language Points

44. Make it a lean-to against the Wind: Put up the mattress as a protection against the

wind.a lean-to: noun; a shed or other small outbuilding

with a sloping roof, the upper end of which rests against the wall of another building.

45. Spooky flew off ... bookcase: Notice the active voice is used instead of the

passive in order to create vividness.

Language Points

46. The main thrust of Camille had passed:

The direct and forceful attack of the hurricane had passed.

At this point, the story comes to its climax. And with the retreating of the storm, the conflict is settled. The Koshaks finally survived the hurricane, which was a great victory.

Language Points

• Questions (paras 7-27):

– Why did Charlie think they were in real trouble when he found the water tasted salty?

– Why did Grandmother Koshak, at this critical moment, tell her husband she loved him?

– Why did John Koshak feel a crushing guilt?

– Why did Grandmother Koshak ask the children to sing?

– What did Janis understand when John put his arm around her?

Language Points

• What are paras.28-38 about? Can they be omitted? Why or why not?

-- About the work of relief and reorganization of life.

• Is the last paragraph important? Why?

Language Points

47. Strips of clothing festooned the standing trees: Metaphor. Bits of clothing were hanging on the trees

as if decorating them with festoons.festoon: a wreath or garland of flowers, leaves, paper,

etc. hanging in a loop or curve48. blown-down power lines ... over the roads: Simile. Blown-down power lines are compared to

black spaghetti. They lay in a tangled mess on the ground.

Language Points

49. National Guard: in the U. S. the organized militia forces of the individual states, a component of the Army of the U. S when called into active Federal service 国民警卫队

50. civil defense units: a system of warning devices, fallout shelters, volunteer workers, etc. organized as a defense of the population against enemy actions in time of war. The principal U. S. civil defense agency was established in 1950 and in 1961 civil defense functions were transferred to the Defense Department. 民防队

Language Points

52. The federal government ... business loans:

The federal government also quickly supplied food, mobile homes, classrooms and loans to the stricken area.

In these two paras the writer tries to show how rapidly and efficiently relief and rehabilitation work is carried out in the U. S. He also tries to show the deep concern for the stricken people shown by the different strata of American society from the federal government to individual volunteers.

Language Points

53. Camille, meanwhile ... over the Atlantic Ocean:

rake: scrape or sweep ； move forward swiftly

raked its way: Metaphor. here meaning to attack and devastate as it moved along.

rampaging floods: violent, raging floods

breaking up over the Atlantic Ocean: the storm clouds finally dispersing as the hurricane reached the Atlantic Ocean

Language Points

54. he pitched in with Seabees:

He set to work energetically with the Seabees.

pitch: [colloq.] set to work energetically

Seabee: members of the construction battalions of the Civil Engineer Corps of the United States Navy that build harbor facilities, airfields, etc. Seabee stands for CB, short for Construc tion Battalion. 海军工程队

Language Points

55. The children appeared ... power of the hurricane:

Although the children were still frightened by the force and power of the hurricane which they could not understand, it seemed their minds had not suffered in any way from their experience.

Language Points

56. Janis had just one delayed reaction:

Janis displayed rather late the exhaustion brought about by the nervous tension caused by the hurricane. (A few nights after the storm, she awoke suddenly at 2 a.m., went outside and began to cry softly.)

57. picking through the wreckage of the home:

picking up things that might still be useful from the wrecked home

Language Points

58. It could have been ... wrath of the storm:

Going through the wrecked home picking up things could have a depressing effect, but it didn't. When they picked up some useful things they felt as if they had won some kind of a victory over the storm.

each salvaged item: everything they picked up and that could still be put to use

Language Points

59. But the blues ... the adults:

But sometimes the grown-up people felt a bit unhappy and depressed.

the blues: short for blue devils; a depressed, unhappy feeling (American colloquialism)

60. We'll just start all over:

We'll just start doing everything again from the beginning.

Language Points

61. We lost practically . . . nothing important:

The family came through it: The family survived the storm.

These two sentences are rather important, for they express the writer's theme or purpose -- human lives not material possessions are important.

Language Points

• Questions (paras 28-39):

– What do you think is the purpose of writing paras 28-

38?

– At what point would you have ended the story? Why?

– What is the theme of the story? How is the theme

revealed? Are there any other ways to reveal a theme?

Comprehension Questions

1. What is the organizational pattern of this piece of narration? How would you classify the first six paragraphs?

2. What does the writer focus chiefly on -- developing character, action (plot), or idea (theme) ?

3. Who is the protagonist or leading character in the story?4. What opposing forces make up the conflict?5. How does the writer build up and sustain the suspense in the

story?6. How does the writer give order and logical movement to the

sequence of happenings?7. What are the language features of this narrative writing?

Text Analysis and Appreciation

• The main idea of the story

Face to Face with Hurricane Camille describes the heroic struggle of the Koshaks and their friends against the forces of a devastating hurricane. The story focuses mainly on action but the writer also clearly and sympathetically delineates the characters in the story.

Text Analysis and Appreciation

• Organizational pattern

The text is a piece of narration, which is organized as follows:– Introduction

– Development

– Climax

– Conclusion

Text Analysis and Appreciation

Introduction (paras 1-6) – the setting of the story background information

time

place

characters

reasons

preparations

Text Analysis and Appreciation

Development (paras 7-27)– How the family was brought face to face with the

hurricane.

– How the family was fighting against it and survived.

– How many onslaughts the hurricane made on the Koshaks.

– When the story reaches its climax.

Text Analysis and Appreciation

– (paras 19-20) interposition

- giving additional information about the

devastating force of the hurricane, implying if

anyone could survive, it must be a miracle.

- creating suspense

Text Analysis and Appreciation

Conclusion (paras 27~39) -- The writer states his theme in the reflection of Grandmother.

– the scene after the storm– the relief work done by the state– the relief work done by the Koshaks

– the theme of the story -- Human beings are more important than anything else in the world. ( the material things)

Text Analysis and Appreciation

• Language features– Lexically

1. The effective use of verbs

The effective use of verbs is the only way to focus on action, esp. one syllable verbs, because one syllable verbs save time and adds force.

lash, lap, skim, scud, yell, dump, shot, snap, hit, whip

Text Analysis and Appreciation

2. The words with sound effects

By using the words with vowel sound [æ] the

writer vividly describes the violence of the

hurricane.

[æ] -- quick, unpleasant effect

lash, crack, snap, slashing, smash, shatter, rampage,

collapse, lap

Lexical Cohesion

• John Rupert Firth (1890, Keighley, Yorkshire – 1960), commonly known as J. R. Firth, was an English linguist. Firth is noted for drawing attention to the context-dependent nature of meaning with his notion of ‘context of situation’. In particular, he is known for the famous quotation: You shall know a word by the company it keeps

Lexical cohesion

• is a British linguist who developed the internationally influential systemic functional linguistic model of language. His grammatical descriptions go by the name of systemic functional grammar (SFG).[1]

词汇复现对语篇主题的凸显作用Lexical repetition

• 1.repetition• 重复出现的词语可以是同一词语的不同表现• 形式，这些词汇重复出现在同一语篇中以表示对某一• 现象的强调程度和确凿性，来连贯主题。重复在《迎• 战卡米尔号飓风》中成功地帮助作者制造了文中人物• 面对飓风时的紧迫感和危机感。如多次重复出现的• “ ｒｏａｒ”一词让读者感觉飓风就在耳边一直咆哮，心里• 禁不住紧张担忧。又如“Ｃｏｕｎｔ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｈｉｌｄｒｅｎ！

Ｃｏｕｎｔ• ｎｉｎｅ！”在文中重复出现并在此句中重复“ｃｏｕｎｔ”一词• 也制造了一种紧迫感和危机感。

Synonym and homoionym

• 如作者用了• “ ｄａｍａｇｅ”，“ｄｅｓｔｒｏｙ”，“ｄｅｍｏｌｉｓｈ”，

“ｄｅｖａｓｔａｔｅ”等一组• 词来描述飓风卡米尔的破坏性，但它们程度不一，所• 描述的状态也各不相同。又如在文章第２６自然段的• 第三句话和第四句话中作者分别用“ｖａｎｉｓｈｅｄ”来描述• 装着小猫的盒子在风中的消失及“ｄｉｓａｐｐｅａｒｅｄ”来描述• 猫妈妈的消失

Synonym and homoionym

• 又如另一组词“ｌａｓｈ”，• “ ｐｕｍｍｅｌ”，“ｗｈｉｐ”，“ｈｉｔ”，“ｌａｐ”在中文

里都有“打”的• 意思，但形态各异，所产生的声音各异。如“ｌａｓｈ”是用• 鞭子“抽打”的意思，所发出的声音正如暴风拍打波浪• 的声音，而“ｐｕｍｍｅｌ”是用拳头“捶打”的意思，声音较• 为沉闷，因为此时飓风已在文中主人公居住的地方登• 陆。这方面的例子可以说不胜枚举。他们的出现都• 为了凸显同一个主题及飓风卡米尔强大的破坏性。

Text Analysis and Appreciation

– Syntactically

Elliptical and short simple sentences

a) to increase the tempo of action

b) to create the atmosphere of danger and urgency and to

heighten the tension

Text Analysis and Appreciation

– Structurally

Successful achievement of chronological development

achieved by :

connectors -- so, then, but.

transitional phrases -- seconds later, after that , for an

instant, by this time, etc.

Text Analysis and Appreciation

– Rhetorically

Effective figures of speech employed to enhance the vividness of language

metaphor

simile

personification

etc.

Rhetorical Devices

1. Metaphor• "We can batten down and ride it out," he

said. (Para. 4) metaphor• Wind and rain now whipped the house.

(Para. 7) personification 、 metaphor

• household and medical supplies streamed in by plane, train, truck and car. (Para. 31)

Rhetorical Devices

• 2. Personification• It seized a 600, 000-gallon Gulfport oil tank

and dumped it 3.5 miles away.• Richelieu Apartments were smashed apart as

if by a gigantic fist, and 26 people perished.（ Para. 20 ） simile 、 personification

Rhetorical Devices

3. Simile

The children went from adult to adult like buckets in a fire brigade. (Para.11)

• 4. Alliteration• He held his head between his hands, and

silently prayed: “Get us through this mess, will You?”(Para. 17)

• 5. Several vacationers at the luxurious Richelieu Apartments there held a hurricane party to watch the storm from their spectacular vantage point. （ Para. 20 ） transferred epithet

Transferred Epithet

• Transferred epithet is a figure of speech where an epithet(an adjective or descriptive phrase) is transferred from noun it should rightly modify to another to which it does not really belong.

• The classification of transferred epithet• Group1: adj.+ sb. →adj.+ sth.• The sailors swarmed into a laughing and cheering ring around the

two man.• The patient lay all night on his sleepless pillow• Group2:adj.+ sth. →adj.+another thing • The white silence seemed to sneer, and a great fear came

upon him.• 寂静的茫茫雪野好像在冷笑，一阵恐惧朝他袭来。

Transferred epithet

• Group3: adj.+ sth. →adj.+ sb.• He is not an easy writer.

Exercises

• Workshop (ppt.) 1. Work in groups and explain run-on sentences,

sentence fragments, dangling modifiers, illogical or faulty parallelism and unnecessary shifts in point of view. Correct the mistakes in . ⅩⅢ

2. Translate Paras.19-20, 30-31

Exercises

• Discriminating groups of synonyms

assume / presume

The meaning of these words are quite close.

assume -- to come to a conclusion on the basis of what is known or felt to be true

presume -- to come to a conclusion by supposing / connotes an arrogation (claim) of boldness and of unwarranted inference ( which might well be unjustified)

assume/ presume

1. After talking with you yesterday, I assumed you were going to the party.

2. I saw them together and presumed they had reconciled their differences, but from what you tell me, I know I was wrong.

assumption / presumption

tilt / slant / slope

tilt -- actionto tilt sth is to incline it at an angle lowering or raising one side

slant – state, general word If sth slants, it lies along a line that is neither horizontal nor vertical an oblique placement or position

tilt / slant / slope

fig. suggesting a bias toward a particular point of view

We call news so slanted propaganda.

我们把这种倾斜性的新闻称之为宣传。

slope –

almost the same as slant, but is most often applied

to a lay of land, e.g.

a slanted line

a sloping lawn

diminish / minimize

diminish -- make smaller less or less important,

reduce, shrink, e.g.- The aspirin tablets will diminish your pain.

diminish / minimize

minimize -- reduce to the smallest possible amount, degree, size, belittle- It is always unwise to minimize the horrors of war.- Since I am doing the best I am, you should not try to

minimize my efforts.- Minimize is an absolute term and should not be

accompanied by adverbs" somewhat", "greatly"

salvage / save / rescue

salvage -- save from loss or damage by wrecking ,

fire etc

~ things

~ a difficult situation

save –

If you save someone or sth, you help them to avoid harm or failure or to escape from dangerous or unpleasant situation. E.g.- An artificial heart could ~ his life.- They prayed for rain to save the village.- She saved him from drowning.- They were trying to save their marriage.

salvage / save / rescue

rescue -- if you rescue sb or sth, you take an action to

help them get away from a dangerous or harmful

situation.

* All my attempts to ~ him were in vain.

* They decided not to ~ the factory.

destroy, demolish, raze, annihilate, exterminate, extinguish

Antonyms:

-- build, create, establish, repair, device

These words refer to the complete and usually forcible

breaking up or damaging of something so that it is no longer

recognizable or effective.

destroy

-- a general word with few overtones beyond its

emphasis on force and thoroughness.

e.g.

the fire that destroyed several houses on the road

demolish / raze

generally applied to big or substantial things, such as buildings or other edifices

- A building is demolished if smashed to pieces.

- A building is razed if levelled to the ground.

Demolish is often used figuratively of the reduction of any complex whole to ruins. E.g.

to demolish a theory with a few incisive comments.

annihilate

-- the most extreme word in this list, literally meaning to reduce

to nothing

It denotes a severe degree of damage to a thing or person

to destroy completely 歼灭， 绝灭

exterminate / extinguish

extinguish -- destroy purposefully

exterminate -- wipe out or kill in great numbers ~ insects by spraying with DDT

extinguish -- put out as a fire, the word is also used metaphorically as a synonym for die, thus implying a comparison between life and a spark or flame

e.g.

His life was finally extinguished by the onset of pneumonia.

rot, decay, moulder, decompose, putrefy,

Antonyms

-- bloom, flourish, grow

-- refer to the breakdown of dead organic tissues

by natural bacterial processes

rot

-- the least formal, the most effective, forceful of these words, suggesting an advanced point in this process of breakdown 损坏过程中最深的一种状态

The tissues at this point might or might not be foul-smelling but they would in any case be almost unrecognizable.

The snail has completely rotted away inside its shell.

decay

-- a more matter-of-fact word than rot 更为实用 , applied generally to the whole process of breakdown, but particularly to the end point of total destruction

The corpse had already decayed, leaving only the skeleton intact.

molder

-- decay gradually and turn into dust

his remains moldering in the tomb

 

decompose

-- more formal substitute for decay

clinical word 临床学词汇

change chemically and begin to rot

分解，腐败

Tasks after class

• Go surfing on the net and download videoed documents, films or photos about different storms.

• The following is an outline for the comment on the characterization in the story. Complete the comment by giving supporting examples narrated in the story.

Tasks after class

The writer portrays the character in a heroic and appreciative way.– First, confronted with the formidable hurricane,

the characters show firm determination and utmost courage to fight against the devastating natural force.

– Second, Their mutual encouragement signifies the humanistic greatness, which the writer mainly strives for in the story.

Tasks after class

• Preview Lesson 2– What type of writing is this lesson? What do

you know about this type of writing?– How is the lesson organized? What is the main

idea of each part?– Who is the writer of this lesson? Give a brief

introduction to the writer.– Find some information about Morocco and

Marrakech.

（一） 操 作 方 法

The End Thank you