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A Lecture Outline ofHills Like White Elephants By Ernest Hemingway

Objectives: after 6-7 class hours, Objectives: after 6-7 class hours, students are expected tostudents are expected to

• Demonstrate a better understanding and appreciation of H's strategy :short words, lively dialogues and simple syntax, especially the "iceberg principle."

• Sharpen their skills of analysis and synthesis so as to explore the rich interpretations of the author‘s ideas.

Methods:Methods:

• Lecture

• Class Discussion

• Screening

• Exercises

• Staging the story

Procedure: 3-Session lecture Procedure: 3-Session lecture

• Session 1: general coverage

• Session 2: staging the story and discussion

• Session 3: further exploration and exercises

Session 1: General CoverageSession 1: General Coverage

Warming up:Warming up:

Activity I Group Discussion

Divide the students into groups to discuss what they know about Hemingway's life and work.

Hemingway's Life and Hemingway's Life and WorkWork

Hemingway at the time of his Hemingway at the time of his graduation from high school, 1917graduation from high school, 1917

Young Hemingway's account of a high schoolYoung Hemingway's account of a high schoolfootball gamefootball game

Hemingway received Hemingway received a "D" in this writing a "D" in this writing exercise for one of exercise for one of his English classes at his English classes at Oak Park High Oak Park High School. As the School. As the teacher's comment teacher's comment indicates, however, it indicates, however, it was not content but was not content but penmanship that penmanship that earned him the low earned him the low grade. grade.

Hemingway in his World Hemingway in his World War I ambulance driver's War I ambulance driver's uniformuniform

Hemingway's first love, Agnes von Hemingway's first love, Agnes von KurowskyKurowsky

Hemingway never fHemingway never forgot his romance orgot his romance with an American with an American nurse , and Kurowsnurse , and Kurowsky later became a ky later became a primary model for primary model for the heroine in his nthe heroine in his novel of World War I, ovel of World War I, A Farewell to ArmsA Farewell to Arms

Literary RelationshipsLiterary Relationships

Gertrude SteinGertrude Stein Ezra PoundEzra Pound F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott Fitzgerald

Gertrude SteinGertrude Stein

Gertrude Stein was an experimental Gertrude Stein was an experimental modernist writer.Hemingway respected modernist writer.Hemingway respected her professional expertise, and readily her professional expertise, and readily accepted her as a mentor. From her he accepted her as a mentor. From her he learned much about the rhythm of learned much about the rhythm of words and the power of repetition and words and the power of repetition and unembellished direct statement.unembellished direct statement.

The term The term Lost GenerationLost Generation was coined was coined by Gertrude Stein to refer to a group of by Gertrude Stein to refer to a group of American literary notables who lived in American literary notables who lived in Paris.Paris.

                                                       

                 

Ezra Pound Ezra Pound

Ezra Pound was a poet by profession, Ezra Pound was a poet by profession, but he was a generous adviser by but he was a generous adviser by instinct, and many a writer, among instinct, and many a writer, among them T. S. Eliot and James Joyce, them T. S. Eliot and James Joyce, benefited from his artistic counsel, benefited from his artistic counsel, encouragement, and editing. From encouragement, and editing. From Pound, Hemingway learnedPound, Hemingway learned "to distrust "to distrust adjectives"adjectives" and received valuable and received valuable guidance in how to compress his words guidance in how to compress his words into precise images. into precise images.

Many years later, Many years later, Hemingway Hemingway called Pound "a called Pound "a sort of saint" and sort of saint" and said he was "the said he was "the man I liked and man I liked and trusted the most trusted the most as critic." as critic."

F. Scott FitzgeraldF. Scott Fitzgerald

Despite Hemingway's relative Despite Hemingway's relative obscurity, Fitzgerald had sent a obscurity, Fitzgerald had sent a favorable letter to his editor in which favorable letter to his editor in which he wrote:he wrote:

"This is to tell you about a young "This is to tell you about a young man named Ernest Hemmingway, man named Ernest Hemmingway, who lives in Paris…I'd look him up who lives in Paris…I'd look him up right away. right away. He's the real thing.”He's the real thing.”

Hemingway trying his hand Hemingway trying his hand at bullfighting in Pamplona, at bullfighting in Pamplona, SpainSpain

Here, he can Here, he can be seen (right be seen (right of center, in of center, in white pants white pants and dark and dark sweater) sweater) confronting a confronting a charging bull. charging bull.

Hemingway showing off his marlin catch with his friend,American bullfighter Sidney Franklin (in beret)

"for his mastery of the art of "for his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently narrative, most recently demonstrated in demonstrated in The Old Man and The Old Man and the Sea,the Sea, and for the influence that and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary he has exerted on contemporary style"style"

hemspeech.asf.wma

Hemingway’s Hemingway’s Nobel Prize Nobel Prize Acceptance Acceptance speechspeech

Quotes on his own styleQuotes on his own style

““I always try to write on the I always try to write on the principle of the icebergprinciple of the iceberg. There is . There is seven-eights of it under water for seven-eights of it under water for every part that shows. Anything every part that shows. Anything you know you can can eliminate you know you can can eliminate and it only strengthens your and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesn’t iceberg. It is the part that doesn’t show.”show.”

““There is There is seven-eights of it (iceseven-eights of it (iceberg)under waterberg)under water for every part for every part that shows…The dignity of movethat shows…The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only ment of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above wone-eighth of it being above waterater."."

““I sometimes think that my style is I sometimes think that my style is suggestive rather than directsuggestive rather than direct. The . The reader must often use his imagination reader must often use his imagination or lose the most subtle part of my or lose the most subtle part of my thoughtsthoughts””

““If a writer of prose knows enough If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about about what he is writing about he may he may omit things that he knowsomit things that he knows and the and the reader, if the writer is writing truly reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. had stated them. The dignity of The dignity of movement of an iceberg is due to only movement of an iceberg is due to only one-eighth of itone-eighth of it being above water." being above water."

Activity II Pair Work

Ask the students to ask each other this question:" Why Do You Read Fiction?"

“Why do we read fiction? The answer is simple. We read it because we like it. And we like it because fiction, as an image of life, stimulates and gratifies our interest in life. …the special and immediate interest that takes us to fiction is always our interest in a story.”

“ A story is… an image of life in motion--specifically, the presentation of individual characters moving through their particular experiences to some end…And the experience that is characteristically presented in a story is that of facing a problem, a conflict.”

－ Robert Penn Warren

Study Questions for comprehension Study Questions for comprehension and considerationand consideration

• 1. What is a “white elephant ” according to the dictionary definition? What does a “white elephant” symbolize in the story?

• 2.list the evidence that tells what kind of operation Jig is confronting. How risky is it physically and emotionally? 

• 3. Hemingway once suggested that his purpose in such a story is to tell the reader as little as possible directly. How does this principle operate in this story?

• 4.“Subject, setting, point of view, characterization, dialog, irony, compression and the symbolism implicit in the title and developed in the story all contribute to the powerful impact.”Agree with any part of this statement in detail, quoting relevant phrases from the story.