Unit 3 A Man for All Seasons

Unit 3 A Man for All Seasons

Focuses for unit 3:

1. What are the basic components of character?

2. What are the various ways of presenting characters?

3. How can we identify major characters and minor characters?

4. How can we write sketches (short descriptions) of characters?

Warm-up (p98-100)

1. A general information is offered in a form.

2. A detailed appearance is depicted by a police notice.

3. An overall introduction of one’s personality is offered in a referent letter.

4. A vivid description of a certain character is presented in a novel.

Focus :

Read the first paragraph of The Lottery Ticket and answer questions

Know how to describe one’s appearance and personality

Questions

1. What kind of text is it?

It is a short story.

2. Who wrote the story?

Anton Chekhov, a Russian writer.

3. When did the story happen?

It happened after supper.

4. Who is the major character?

Ivan Dmitritch is the major character, for he was the center of the story.

5. What do you know about Ivan Dmitritch? (p104 fill in the form)

He was a middle-aged man, who had an income of 12 hundred a year. As a member of the well-off class, he was quite satisfied with the leisurely and comfortable life style.

6. Do you think the story may turn out to be a happy one or a sad one?

The peaceful and flat tone of the description suggests that it might be a story with a happy ending.

A correct answer could only be offered after we have finished reading the whole story.

7. Read the title of the story again, and guess what did the wi fe want her husband to “look and see” in the newspaper?

She might want her husband to read the list of lottery winners.

8. What do you think Ivan should look like?

an attractive and handsome man

a man shabby and casual in dress

a man smart and clean in dress but plain in face

9. What was his character?

a passionate and emotional man

a man full of romantic fancy

an ambitious and energetic man

a dull and common man who was quiet satisfied with his life

a creative man full of original thoughts

10. What are the grammatical features of the description? (P107 )

subject + subject apposition + compound predicates (character + action)

11. What are the lexical features of the paragraph? P107

The first paragraph could be divided into three sections by the commas.

1) one proper noun

2) Most of them are nouns and noun phrases, with three indefinite articles and two verb phrases. A general picture of an ordinary member of the middle class is drawn.

3) With three verbs and verb phrase, three nouns and two definite articles, this section focuses on the action of the character, in which the use of definite articles indicates the character’s possession of a comfortable home (sofa, newspaper, and a ready-made supper). It is a typical picture of a middle class family daily routine.

12. What are the literary functions of the different sections of the paragraph?

The first section introduce the name of the character, the second section offers a general description of the character’s social position, the third section describes the character’s daily actions, which also reveals the setting of the story( time and place). So far, a sketch of an ordinary man from the middle class is drawn accurately and concisely, “no more, no less” as Brooks commented (p106).

13. Who is the narrator of the story?

The author narrated the story. He played the role as an omniscient narrator, that is, an all-knowing God, who had full knowledge of the situation, the activity, the personality, the psychology of the characters and so on. The author selected and arranged the plot carefully so that his writing intention could be conveyed to readers successfully.