Unit 1Unit 1Unit 1Unit 1

Face to Face with Hurricane CamilleFace to Face with Hurricane Camille

byby Joseph P. Blank Joseph P. Blank

Teaching focus 1.Background information 2.Introduction to the Passage 3.The structure of the text 4.Details to the first section

Background information

• 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(早期的 ) hurricanes usually form over the tropical Atlantic Ocean and mature as they drift westward. Hurricanes also occasionally form that area. 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.

• Hurricanes are often given girls’ names and typhoon are given serial numbers. The National Weather Service of the United States had used girls’ names to identify hurricanes in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico since 1953 and the names were given in alphabetical order. The practice of giving girl’s names to hurricanes changed recently.

• In 1980, a hurricane was given a man’s name and was called hurricane David. Hurricane season begins June 1 and ends on Nov. 30.

• Hurricane Camille: the storm lashed Mississippi and Louisiana for two days,Aug.17-18, in 1969.

• The damage of the tropical storms can have an economic and emotional effect on people and prosperity directly affected. Thousands of people have died or been displaced by them. Hundreds of houses could be destroyed causing millions of dollars damage. Having a better understanding of tropical storms can help you better prepare and perhaps minimize or prevent damage.

• Hurricane Camille lashed Mississippi and Louisiana for two days ,Aug. 17-18 ,in 1969. The death toll was 259.

Cyclone• Similar storms over the Indian Ocean

are called tropical cyclones.

Tsunami

• Tsunami is a very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption.

II. Introduction to the Passage

• 1.  Type of literature: A piece of narration

• --character (protagonist/antagonist) • --action (incidents, events, etc.) • --conflicts (suspense, tension) • --climax • --close• --theme

• What is included in a narrative writing?

1) story : the heroic struggle of the Koshaks and their friends against the forces of a devastating hurricane

2) characters: --Pop Koshak --Grandma Koshak --John Koshak* (protagonist) --Janis Koshak a typical American

family --Seven children three generations, friend, neighbors

• Textual development: natural time order/chronological order

• protagonist: John • antagonist: Hurricane

Main idea

• 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 clearly and sympathetically portrays the characters in the story. The hero or the protagonist in the story is John Koshak,Jr, and the antogonist is the hurricane.

• Theme:• Human lives are important and not

material possessions. The family survived the storm.( last paragraph )

Organization of the Text

(1-6 ) :introductory paragraphs. It is the beginning of the story.

(introducing the time, place, background, characters, conflict: man versus hurricane)

• (7-27 ):development . It is the middle. (details of the struggle to the climax)

The writer builds up and sustains the suspense in the story by describing in detail and vividly the incidents showing how the Koshaks and their friends struggled against each onslaught of the hurricane.

• The writer gives order an logical movement to the sequence of happenings by describing a series of actions in the order of their occurrence.

• . The story reaches its climax in paragraph 27 when the Koshaks family survived

• (28-39) :conclusion .It is the end -How people get help and rebuild their community

Details to section oneQuestions to discuss• 1).Who is the central figure? What was

John Koshak Jr. ’s job?• 2).How about the radio and television

warnings?• 3).Why did John Koshak decide to stay

and face the dangers of a devastating hurricane?

• 4).What does “Magna Products” stand for?

5: What preparations did they make? Filled bathtubs and pails—for

water Checked out batteries and

flashlights—for lights Portable radio—for contact of the

outside world, for information Fuel—for electric power Generator—for power Refrigerator—for food

Ⅳ.Detailed Study of the Text

Introduction (para 1 – 6)1. Main idea • --- time• --- place• --- background • --- conflict: man versus hurricanes• --- character: John Koshak

Detailed study of section one

3.Language points1.lash --- strike with great force , dash

against(para 1) “Camille lashed northwestward across the gulf

of Mexico”.The waves lashed the smooth cliffs.2.pummel --- beat repeatedly with the fists “It was certain to pummel Gulfport”.He trapped the man in a corner and

pummeled him ferociously for thirty seconds.

3.demolish: pull or tear down; make an end of Hurricane Betsy demolished his

former home a few miles west of Gulf. (p 3)

4.We’re elevated 23 feet… and we’re a good 250 yards from the sea. The place has been here since 1915, and no hurricane has ever bothered it.

A good: a general intensive, meaning “ full” 足足 ( 程度 \数量 )我们足足等了三个小时 .他父母亲狠狠地揍了他一顿 . We waited for a good three hours.His parents gave him a good beating.

5. bother --- do damage to (para 3)“no hurricane has ever bothered it”.6. We can batten down and ride it

out. batten down --- make secure or strong with battens(夹板 , 木条 )

A metaphor;Comparing the house in a hurricane to a

ship fighting a storm at sea. Batten: 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.

We can make necessary preparations and survive the hurricane without much damage.

7. sit out --- stay until the end of“ sit out the storm with the Koshaks”. (P.

6)8. come by --- pay a visit“ another neighbor came by on his way

inland”. (P. 6)

summary• In the part ,the writer tells us all the

background information of the story. It is the setting of the story. It serves as the introduction. It tells us the time, place, actions, characters and the reasons. The hurricane took place on the 17,August 1969.

• It pumpled the Gulf, Missip. We got to know different characters in the story and also the reason why he would not abandon his business. They made methodic preparations for the coming of hurricane. All the necessary information is provided to help the readers to understand the story.

Development (7 – 27)1. Main idea:• The writer builds up and sustains the

suspense in the story by describing in detail and vividly the incidents showing how the Koshaks and their friends struggled against each onslaught(突击 ,猛攻 ) of the hurricane.

Development (7 – 27)2. Questions to discuss• 1).Why did Charlie think they were in

real trouble when he found the water tasted salty?

• 2). Why did Grandmother koshak, at this critical moment, tell her husband she loved him?

• 3).Why did John Koskak feel a crushing guilt?

Development (7 – 27)• 4.Why did Grandmother Koskak

ask the children to sing?• 5.What did Janis understand when

John put his arm around her?

Development (7 – 27)3.Language points 1.whip --- fall heavily on (para 7) “Wind and rain now whipped the

house”. 2. shatter---break suddenly and violently

into small pieces storm-shattered panes 3.douse --- put out; throw water over “ the generator was doused”. (P.9)

Development (7 – 27)4.kill --- stop“ the electrical systems had been

killed by water”. (para 11)5.scramble---move in a hurry; crawl As they scrambled back,

Development (7 – 27)6.shudder—to shiver convulsively, as

from fear or revulsion; shift—change position or direction

The house shuddered and shifted on its foundations.

7.inch one’s way --- rising little by little (inch by inch)

“Water inched its way up the steps”. (para 13)

Development (7 – 27)8.on the verge (margin, edge, brink) of—

be near (close) to She was so unhappy she was on the

verge of committing suicide. The country is on the verge of disaster. The old man had been driven to the

verge of despair.

Development (7 – 27)

9.lap --- to move or strike gently with a light ,splashing sound (para17)

“John watched the water lap at the steps”.

Development (7 – 27)10.skim --- throw so as to cause to

bounce swiftly and lightly (para18)“ the hurricane …lifted the entire roof off

the house and skimmed it 40 feet through the air”.

skim a piece of stone over the surface of the water

Development (7 – 27)11.crumble: break into piece; fall into

piece; maroon: put sth. ashore on a deserted

island; to abandon or isolate with little hope of ready rescue or escape

One wall began crumbling on the marooned group.

Development (7 – 27)12.seize : it seems that the hurricane had

a very strong and large hand (para19)“ It seized a 600,000 gallon Gulfport oil

tank and dumped it 3.5 miles away”.

Development (7 – 27)13.destroy:break into pieces; put an end

to The enemy destroyed the city

Development (7 – 27)

14. crack: wind blowing violently“ Telephone poles and 20-inch-think

pines cracked like guns as the winds snapped them”.

Development (7 – 27)15.grade : put sth. into agrade; classify graded Hurricane Camille

16.huddle—crowd together because of coldness or fear

• The children huddled in the slashing rain within the circle of adults.

Development (7 – 27)

17.disintegrate :break up into small parts or piece; decompose

• The sandstone façade had disintegrated from long exposure to the elements.

• 由于长期暴露在自然环境中，沙石的表面已经风化了。

Climax (Para. 27)• The writer gives order an logical

movement to the sequence of happenings by

describing a series of actions in the order of their occurrence.

• The story reaches its climax in paragraph 26.

Denouement(para 28-31)• It tells what people do after the storm

to rebuild their hometown. It is the most important part. It summarizes the story. Life is more important than anything else (material things ) in the world.

• 1.strew—spread about here and there by or as by sprinkling; scatter; be scattered or dispersed over (a surface) 撒( 布 ) 扔 , 散播 ,被撒满 ( 表面 )

cf. (a) The wind strewed dead leaves on the ground.

(b) The wind strewed the ground with dead leaves.

• 2.festoon: to adorn or hang with flowers, leaves, paper, in a loop or curve, etc. Strips of clothing festooned the standing trees…

(metaphor; bits of clothing were hanging on the trees as if decorating them with

• 3.blowndown power lines coiled like black spaghetti over the roads.

• Coil, v, n. wind around and around 成卷状 , 盘绕 , 卷

e.g. A snake can coil itself up or coil around a branch.

The wire was coiled round the tree, and then the current was turned on.

了 .

• 4.shatter: break (to) pieces, vi, vt. e.g. 爆炸将整栋大楼的窗玻璃都震裂了 . 那只贵重的花瓶掉在地上摔得粉碎 .The explosion shattered every

window of the building. That expensive vase shattered

when it hit the ground.

5.We had a constant stream of visitors.

: a group of children of the same age and ability taught together

stream: v. move quickly and in large numbers.

Refugees have been streaming into the neighboring countries.

6.rake its way: metaphor, meaning to attack and devastate as it moved along.

rake: n. v.t 耙 ; 仔细寻找 It’s your turn to rake the garden. I’ll rake the leaves up later today. The police raked the hillside but did

not find the escaped prisoners.(rake in, rake off, rake out, rake over,

rake over old ashes, rake through, rake up)

7.rampage: v. rush about in a wild or violent way, causing damage and destruction.

横冲直撞rampaging floods: violent, raging floods. Hundreds of youths rampaged through

the towns, smashing shop windows and overturning cars.

He used a sword to try to defend his shop from a rampaging mob.

The prisoners went on the rampage destroying everything in their ways.

Summary of the writing style

• Diction level: Concrete, specific words are used,

esp. one-syllable verbs are used to quicken the speed of the action.

Few adjectives and adverbs to quicken the rhythm

Various shades of words are used to avoid repetition, e.g: disintegrate/ break apart/demolish/devastate

• Sentence level: Elliptical and short simple

sentences (Para7—27). --Increase the tempo and speed of

the actions being described. Hence in a dramatic narration they serve to heighten tension and help create a sense of danger and urgency.

•

• Textual level:• Building up and sustaining

the suspense by describing in detail and vividly the incidents with the sequence of happenings

Ⅵ. Questions for discussion

1. What is the organizational pattern of this piece of narration?

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

  3. Who is the protagonist in the story? 4. How does the writer build up and

sustain the suspense in the story?