《文学阅读与欣赏》课程教学辅导Unit 5

《文学阅读与欣赏》课程教学辅导Unit 5《文学阅读与欣赏》课程教学辅导Unit 5
Unit1 Unit2 Unit3 Unit4 Unit5 Unit6 Unit7 Unit8

Unit 5
Activity 1 A Story

Focus: understand conflicts in a story
procedure:
1. read A Horseman In the Sky
2. discuss

• Paragraph 1
• 1. Where was the story set in?
• It happened in the mountains of Western Virginia.
• 2. When did the story happen?
• It took place on one sunny afternoon in the Autumn of 1861.
• 3. Who was the character present? What was he doing?
• A soldier was present in paragraph 1, laying in a clump of laurel. He was
asleep at his post of duty.
• 4. How much do you know about the unique social background of the story?
• It was in a state of war.
• 5. What would happen to him if he was discovered asleep?
• He would immediately be killed for his misconduct.

• Paragraph 2,3
• 1. Who was the criminal referred to?
• The criminal referred to the soldier who was asleep on duty.
• 2. Please sketch a picture of the place.
• P 199

• Paragraph 4
• 1. How important was the place?
• It was a wild and difficult place, concealed in the forest, where half a
hundred men in possession of the exits might have starved an army to submission.
• 2. What was the plan of the Federal army?
• They planed to set out at nightfall, and descended to the other slope of
the ridge, and then fall upon a camp of the enemy at about midnight.
• 3. What would happen if the army was detected by their enemy?in

• Paragraph 5,6,7
• 1. what was the name of the young sentinel?
• Carter Druse
• 2. Where did he come from?
• He came from Virginia, a son of wealthy parents.
• 3. Which regiment did he decide to join one morning?
• He decided to join a Union regiment, to help the North abolish slavery.
• 4. What was his father’s response to his decision?
• His father respected his son’s decision thought he held a different point
of view about the civil war.
• 5. How did his father feel about his decision?
• His father was apparently depressed at his decision.
• 6. Why was Carter Druse selected for this important and dangerous post of
duty?
• Because he was an excellent soldier, dutiful, courageous, devoted, and
with some knowledge of the country.
• 7. Why was he asleep on duty?
• Because he was exhausted.
• 8. What woke him up all of a sudden?
• His instinct or consciousness whispered into his spirit mysteriously, and
awoke him quietly.

• Paragraph 8,9,10
• 1. What did he found as soon as he woke up?

• He discovered a man in grey uniform sitting on a horse, straight and
soldierly.
• 2. What was Druse’s first impression of the man and his horse?
• He was greatly delighted at the impressive beauty and dignity of the
motionless and heroic artistic picture in front. For an instant Druse even
believed that the war had come to its end, and he was appreciating an artistic
drawing in memory of the heroic past of the war. This illusion was dispelled
immediately by the motion of the picture. Druse returned to the grim reality at
an instant, and realized his duty clearly.
• 3. What was the horseman doing up there on the edge of the cliff?
• He was scouting his enemy’s movement.
• 4. Why did not Druse shoot the horseman and the horse immediately?
• Because the horseman turned his face to Druse’s direction at that moment,
and something special surprised and stunned him. His face was deadly pale.

• Paragraph 11,12
• 1. What did Druse in another moment?
• He was determined to face up to it. He was determined to be dutiful as a
soldier. For he could not let the horseman go back freely with his fatal news.
His reason told him that he must kill the horseman at once.
• 2. Did Druse hesitate to act?
• Yes. He hoped that the horseman had come for the sublimity of the
landscape only, and had not discovered anything, therefore Druse could let him
leave peacefully.
• 3. Did the horseman get some information?
• Yes. He must have found the soldiers and horses in the green meadow
beneath.
• 4. Was Druse in a dilemma?
• Yes. On the one hand, Druse knew the duty of the soldier clearly, on the
other hand he did not want to hurt that horseman who had been so important to
him.
• 5. What did he do finally? What urged him to act?
• He shot the horse calmly. It was his father’s advice that urged him to
act, for his father had once said: “Whatever may occur, do what you conceive to
be your duty”.

• Paragraph 13-19
• 1. What was an officer doing at that moment?
• An Federal officer was walking in his scout at the foot of the valley.
• 2. What was the “astonishing sight” he saw?
• He saw a man on horseback riding down into the valley through the air.
• 3. In what ways was this sight “astonishing” to the officer?
• The upright horseman and his horse fell down calmly, peacefully and
heroically, as if they were flying in the sky.
• 4. What emotional effects did the horseman’s flight have on the officer?
• He was completely astonished and petrified by the unique sight, he fell
to the ground involuntarily.
• 5. What does the phrase “a sound that died without an echo” mean?
•

It indicated that the horseman and the horse died.
• 6. Why didn’t he tell the commander this strange sight?
• Because he believed it was an incredible miracle. He would rather be a
wise man than a fool.

• Paragraph 20-30
• 1. What did Carter Druse do after he shot at the horse?
• He reloaded his rifle and resumed his watch.
• 2. How did Druse feel after shooting?
• He was calm and self-contained, and showed no sign of emotion on his
face.
• 3. Who was the horseman shot by Druse?
• It was his father.
• 4. What is your impression of the story?
• 5. How do you summary the story?
• p206
• 6. What is the suspense of the story?
• The identity of the horseman is the suspense of the story. It is
something which puzzles, excites, and attracted the readers.

Activity 2

• 1. What is the conflict in the story?
• (1) Personal conflict:
• Which is more important, duty or love?
• As a soldier, one should be dutiful and obedient, one should learn to
kill any enemy no matter who he is. One’s fidelity to his duty is necessary to
protect himself, to win victory, and to be a hero.
• As a son of human beings, one should learn to love and to be loved by his
fellows, one should learn to live harmoniously and peacefully. Killing and
fighting are harmful, destructive and unlawful.
• (2) Conflict between war and human beings
• It is war that destroys everything, beauty, humanity, love and life. It
is war that changes human beings into fighting machine through duty and order.
But war has its beautiful face of defense and justice. Is war an effective way
of defense, or a severe destruction of human security?
• (3) Conflict between war and nature?
• It is the wildness and difficulties of nature that makes war threatening
and dangerous.
• It is war that ruins the peace and makes nature the cruelest and biggest
slaughterhouse.
• (4) Conflict between father and son
• The father respects his son’s independence and decision, and accepts this
son’s decision peacefully and quietly, thought he disagrees with his son, though
his heart was broken at the hearing of his son’s decision.
• The son respects and loves his father and family deeply, but he leaves
his hometown
• resolutely and determinedly. He even killed his beloved father in order
to save the whole army. How cruel the war is.
• 2. What is the climax of the story?
• To kill or not to kill
• the magnificent falling of the beauty and the frailty of life
• 3. What do you think of Druse and his decision? Is it heroic, or
ruthless, or foolish?



Activity 3
A Sea of Troubles

Procedure

1. Read Shakespeare’s soliloquy
2. Questions
Words and Expressions
1. slings and arrows: metaphor, refers to injuries and misfortune
2. outrageous: humiliated, furious
3. by opposing end them: put an end to the troubles by fighting against them
4. heartache: metaphor, refers to trouble
5. natural shocks: physical sufferings
6. flesh: human body
7. consummation: final settlement of all accounts, perfection
8. perchance: by chance, maybe
9. rub: trouble, obstacle
10. shuffled off: got rid of
11. mortal coil: human torment
12. pause: hesitation
13. respect: consideration
14. calamity: misfortune
15. whips and scorns: metaphor, refers to miseries
16. wrong: wrongdoing
17. contumely: humiliation
18. pangs: pains
19. disprized: rejected
20. law’s: lawsuits
21. delay: long-drawn-out, refers to injustice
22. insolence: haughty,arrogance
23. spurns: insults
24. patient merit: the people of worth and fortitude
25. unworthy: the unworthy people
26. quietus: final settlement
27. bare bodkin: mere dagger
28. fardels: burdens
29. grunt: groan
30. dread: fear
31. undiscovered: unknown
32. bourn: boundary
33. ills: sufferings
34. conscience: serious thoughts, considerations
35. native hue: natural color
36. resolution: decision
37. the pale cast of thought: the sad consideration
38. enterprises of great pitch and moment: actions of great importance
39. with this regard: on this account
40. currents: course, movement
41. awry: wrong, distorted
42. lose the name of action: fail to put into action
Questions
1. What does “to be” mean? Quote and then explain.
Quotation: “ to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”
explanation: to suffer the injustice and miseries of our cruel fate
2. What does “not to be” mean? Quote and then explain.
Quotation: “ to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them”
explanation: to take measures to fight against them, and put an end to all the
troubles
3. “ ‘Tis a consumation devoutly to be wish’d”--what is this ideal state,
according to Hamlet?
According to Hamlet, the ideal settlement is death, for it could rid us of all
the troubles and miseries physically and spiritually.
4. What is death compared to? What make one hesitate to end the troubles of life
by death?
Death is compared to an undiscovered country. It is the face that the world of
death is unknown to us all and no traveler had ever returned hesitates one to
end his life.
5. “There’s the respect that makes calamity of so long life”---- how do you
understand the line?
Here “respect” refers to one’s consideration of the unknown and mysterious
world. It is the consideration of the unknown world forces people to endure all
the misfortunes of such a long life.
6. What “puzzled the will” of death?
It is the mysterious feature of death that confuses human spirit.
7. What influence do thoughts have upon resolution and action?
Too

much thoughts weaken one’s resolution and will, as a result, one’s action is
prone to be delayed.
8. What is the internal conflict that Hamlet is going through?
Hamlet is in a dilemma. What should he do, take revenge on the king for his
crime at the risk of his own life, or keep silent and live with humiliation and
suffering in mind?
9. When, where and how should he punish the murderer and bring justice back to
the world?