...Teaching Short Stories – A beneficial piece of teaching material by Christoph Kant Matr. Nr. 282-345-86 Kurs: Short Stories in the EFL-Classroom Dozent: Stephen Mason Kassel, 20.09.2012 Content: 1. Introduction3 2. A brief history of EFL teaching-styles3 3. Teaching „the skills“4 4. Motivational advantages8 5. Providing literary knowledge8 6. The cultural aspect 10 7. Encouraging/developing critical thinking 11 8. Conclusion 12 References 14 1.) Introduction: In this paper I would like to discuss the advantages that teaching the short story as a major part of a teaching concept brings to the EFL classroom and present several example tasks of how to integrate short stories into ones „teaching portfolio“. Whereas some people might believe that teaching the short story benefits students only from a linguistic standpoint, those people really do not get the big picture. Yes, there are obvious linguistic benefits you can draw from teaching short stories, but the most important factor is motivation. This hales from the structure of short stories themselves. As almost all of them have a beginning, a main part and an ending, students are most likely encouraged to read the story all the way through, to see what the outcome might be. Sure, the structure of most novels or plays might be similar, but the length of the short story is the big advantage. If a student knows, that he does not have to read 200 and more pages to finish the story but...
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...Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Young Goodman Brown” Goodman Brown was not asleep in this short story. As I read, I believed that Goodman did indeed meet the devil in the forest. If he had indeed dreamt about the trip he was sent on and meeting the devil, I think his nervousness would have been described in more detail then it was. Concentrating more on the anxiety he was feeling would have led the reader to believe that the events were not real. I also saw this story as an allegory. I saw the allegory after reading the story two times. I think it is centered on Goodman Brown having a bumpy past and that he wants to go beyond his past and reach heaven. The characters names also show the religious allegory in the story. The names Goodman and Faith are used and the characters are then soon faced with terrifying evil. I think that Goodman Brown and his wife, Faith’s names symbolize that they are good, religious people and that Goodman is making up everyone being evil in his head. I found an essay by Alexa Carlson that described the symbolism in light vs. dark, forest vs. town, nature vs. human, and fantasy vs. reality. In her paper, Essay #1: Young Goodman Brown, she states that “…fantasy vs. reality are employed to reinforce the idea that good and evil have been set up as strict categories into which no one, not even the religious figures of the community, fit neatly.” As she later writes, if Hawthorne was apprehensive about “what he considers right and wrong in terms of human behavior, I...
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...During the past two weeks, our American Literature class has covered the short stories of The Fall of the House of Usher, The Minister’s Black Veil and Rappaccini’s Daughter. These poems/stories were constructed by two well-known authors: Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Each poem and story written by these two men contains an intricately, deep meaning. In fact, criticizers maintain the position that there are several meanings to these works, but this may never be known by anyone except the actual author. The author is the only individual who truly knows the real meaning behind the poem or story. Out of these three stories we read, I enjoyed The Fall of the House of Usher the most as it proved to be most interesting to me. The reason I enjoyed this work the most was due to the fact that I was transacting with the text in this poem, I was able to really understand why Poe utilized certain elements in it in order to help convey the work’s actual meaning. It also helped to raise logical questions about certain other aspects of the story. I did not feel I was able to do this as well with the other two stories as they did not flow as well to me as did The Fall of the House of Usher. Though the plot turned out to be quite unusual, I found it to be very interesting and out of the ordinary, which I seemed to like in this instance. The book ends with an unexpected surprise and by the fall of the house of course. The theme is really dark and mysterious, which made the book kind...
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...Elizabeth Smith ENG 125 Introduction to Literature Ashford University April 24, 2012 Instructor: Benjamin Daw When learning the ropes of literature you must pay close attention. My understanding to literary themes is going beyond what the title to the short story is. The short story theme I am going conduct on is “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber (1973). In this short story the literary elements being used is plot and symbols and the theme being full of distractions and disruption. The narrator is giving a third person point of view in sharing the thoughts of the characters. Walter Mitty the daydreamer is very humorous in the different plots of his drifting off. In the start of the story the plot, symbols, distractions, and disruptions started when the daydream started. The first daydream Mitty was a commander in an 8-engine Navy hydroplane. In this daydream he said Rev her up to 8500! When awakened by his wife driving fifty-five causing disruption and his wife saying I only go forty he was silenced. Mitty still driving through Waterbury and stopping to drop his wife off at the hairdresser, she reminded him to pick up the overshoes and to wear his gloves. Mitty put the gloves on and the second daydream followed. In this daydream Mitty was a famous surgeon who was asked to help a rich Englishman. This rich Englishman was a friend of President Roosevelt, “It’s the millionaire banker, Wellington McMillan,” said the pretty nurse. (Clugston, 2010). Walter...
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...The themes of short stories are often relevant to real life? To what extent do you agree with this view? In the short stories “Miss Brill” and “Frau Brechenmacher attends a wedding” written by Katherine Mansfield, the themes which are relevant to real life in Miss Brill are isolation and appearance versus reality. Likewise Frau Brechenmacher suffers through isolation throughout the story and also male dominance is one of the major themes that are highlighted in the story. These themes are relevant to real life as women are likely to suffer more in their life than men. In Miss Brill one of the central theme is isolation as Miss Brill is mentally isolated this is portrayed when she takes her fur out of the box which is symbolic of Miss Brill’s situation as she starts to have conversation “dear little thing it was nice to feel you again” this represents Miss Brill’s mental state, the way she shares her feeling with fur which is a object, highlights how desperate she seeks acceptance from person whom she can have conversation. This is significant when old couple do not have conversation with her at the park “disappointed Miss Brill as she looked forward for conversation”. This shows she is being rejected by people of her own age and also shows her egoistic behaviour as she expects the couple to have conversation with her. The theme isolation is relevant to real life as Mansfield uses Miss Brill to suggest reader that as human age they begin to feel emptiness in their lives...
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...Rainsford and Mme. Loisel. Both Characters go through a dynamic change opposed to a static change. A dynamic change is when a character undergoes a severe change over the course of a story; A static change is when a character does not undergo severe change since the start of a story such as no Point of View changing or no way of thinking changing. In the story “The Necklace” Mme. Loisel starts off as a snobby “I deserve better” type of person. “She suffered endlessly feeling herself to be born for every luxury and riches”. This quote States that at the starting of the short story before she lost the necklace she was wining about how she deserves better. After she loses her friend’s necklace instead of telling her friend the truth she goes on an “adventure” trying to find the exact same necklace. “We must see about replacing the diamonds” this quote states that instead of saying the truth (which would’ve helped) she planned to just replace it to make herself look good. ”Oh my poor Mathilde but mine was merely an imitation.” This shows how much the Truth could’ve helped her instead of Loan sharks and replacing the necklace. This is an example of Dynamic change as it changed her way of thinking. In the story “The Most Dangerous Game” Rainsford also goes through a dynamic change. At the start of the story Rainsford did not care at all about what he was hunting and how much pain/fear it goes through. “Who cares what the jaguar feels”, “Bah, They’ve no understanding”. These two quotes...
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...Short Story/Film Analysis Wilson Chandler Short Story/Short Film Comm. 411-35 11:30-12:45 Spring 1997 The three short stories are similar because they all involve jealousy. This type of jealousy surrounds the main characters who are envious of the achievements or the attention that another man receives. The first story is about an old man who is taking his wife on a second honeymoon when she encounters an old suitor, creating jealousy for the husband. In the second story, the jealousy surrounds Smurch who is envious of Charles Lindbergh's fame and accolades. The jealousy in the final story is the envy of the attention that any man with fame can receive from a woman. Each person's own insecurity allows envy to control their actions and creates trouble in their lives. The three stories all have jealousy, in some it is more clear than others. Jealousy lead two of the characters to make a fool of themselves, and it cost another character his life. In the first story, Charley took his wife Lucy on a second honeymoon, or Golden Honeymoon, as it is titled. While they are in St. Petersburg Fla., Mother was at the doctors office and began a conversation with a lady, only to discover that she is Mrs. Frank M. Hartsell, Lucy's ex-fiancee. This made Charley uncomfortable because he had rivaled Frank for Lucy's hand in marriage. A story that began as a second...
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...A short story concentrates on creating a single dynamic effect and is limited in character and situation. It is a language of maximum yet economical effect. Every word must do a job, sometimes several jobs. Short stories are filled with numerous language and sound devices. These language and sound devices create a stronger image of the scenario or the characters within the text, which contribute to the overall pre-designed effect.As it is shown in the metaphor 'lipstick bleeding gently' in Cinnamon Toast. This describes how the lipstick on a woman's faces is travelling from the lips into the skins around the mouth. The author has chosen this metaphor because it contributes to the reader gaining a stronger image of the characters that they may wear too much makeup and try too hard sociably. It also shows that they are older (i.e. l It also contributes to the image of them being smokers as this is meant to compound the problem. The use of the hyperbole 'sketching wildly on her forehead' in Cinnamon Toast once again shows that no word in a short story must be irrelevant. He dies for their sins therefore the fat boy is symbolic of Jesus Christ as Jesus died for us on the cross for our sins. ipstick does not bleed if you have youthful skin or do not wear too much). A short story is the language of economy. The fat boy is a symbol described as a person people dislike. The choice of the hyperbole is extremely important because it improves our understanding of the character, Mona. It...
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...RUNNING HEAD: SHORT STORY 1 Short Story Kathe Gunckle Baker College Ms. Stacy Dacheux RUNNING HEAD: SHORT STORY 2 Abstract Wendy is doctor in a small town. She loves her job and specializes in rare diseases and how to cure them. A stranger asks her to go to a far away land where her help is needed to help people who are dying. She is concerned about going because she is afraid of stepping outside her small town and her comfort zone. While traveling she encounters those who are trying to stop her, becomes unsure about her ability to help and becomes sick herself and does not understand what she is suffering from. In the end she is able to help those in need and bring back valuable information to help others in her small town and elsewhere. RUNNING HEAD: SHORT STORY 3 Short Story Helping those who can’t help themselves is so much a part of me now; it’s hard to recall just when it started. As kids, Caitlin Morse and I would play hospital for hours on end. Each and every blond haired, blue eyed baby doll as well as each cuddly teddy bear had been bandaged, operated on and cured of every imaginable disease by the time we were 12. Caitlin went on to marry a doctor and I chose to become one...
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...Jimmy Ayala Professor Mills English 1B April 15, 2014 Motifs and Symbols in ‘One Flesh’ In the short story “One Flesh”, we are introduced to Frank Wendell, an elderly man who has lost his wife to diabetes and is now a loner who looks for objects of value on the beach with his metal detector. The theme of lost-time, isolation and sentiment run through the story, even as Frank makes friends with shop owner Connor. These themes take a turn for a theme of hope as the story comes to a close and Frank meets Edie. A number of symbols and motifs are used in this story to represent the ups and downs of life and how knowledge and friendship can help anyone overcome their internal struggles. Three motifs that run through the story and illustrate the above ideas contained in the story are clocks, water and rings. The very first sentence of the story starts with the words “The digital clock in front of the Rockingham County Trust blinked off and, instantaneously, on again” (Mills 1). This suggests that time is an important theme in the story. We are further reminded of the importance of time in the second part of the same sentence – “it’s immense bright-red numerals informing Were Road that 9:12 had arrived on this mid-August Tuesday morning”(Mills 1). The way the sentence is framed suggests that time is both urgent and fast, and lazy and slow all at the same time. The blinking red numbers on the clock suggest urgency, but “mid-August Tuesday morning” sounds like it’s just another...
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...By: Nadine Gordimer There are two separate tales within the premise of this entire story. One of which the author, Nadine Gordimer, introduces by stressing her concerns with no having to write children’s stories as author, though some of her fellow peers highly suggest that Gordimer does do so just because her title as an author in a way requires her to. Immediately she neglects the suggestion for the author feels as though it discredits her abilities as a writer. From this point on the author cleverly introduce the concept of self-imposed slavery through one’s won fear with the two separate story lines within the short story itself. Thus, in doing so, reveals the true internal conflicts between herself and her fake character that is later introduced. At first, the story gives us feedback on Gordimer's personal sense of self. She is described as being a victim of fear that is "neither threatened nor spared" or in this case even understood by Gordimer herself or by her fellow peers. Yet her descriptiveness of her fears is one that people everywhere can relate to. One would assume that her real fear is her obsession with the possible outsider who might come into her house. It turns out that she was fearful of the house itself and itsthe faulty foundation. Her own unwillingness to deal with the foundation of her fears is resolved by calming herself with a bedtime story. The bedtime story or fairy tale the plot centers on a suburban family. The husband's mother, called the...
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...Subject: Short story Title: Sympathy pays off A poor boy used to work in a big restaurant. He was really kind and generous. He always helped the poor even thought he was poor himself. His name was Raven. One day, he accidentally slips a plate from his hand. The manager of that restaurant was a very bad man. He hated Raven because the owner of the restaurant was very fond of raven. When he saw the plate slip from his hand, he saw his chance! He told the restaurant owner that Raven broke the plate on purpose and also told him that Raven just looks very nice from the outside but inside he is a nasty person. The owner of the restaurant was shocked to hear that so, he fired Raven. Raven was very sad. He walked home crying and hungry. Then he saw a stand! He went to buy some food there. He bought a loaf of bread only because he had little money. Just when he was going to eat the bread he saw a poor wounded dog crawling near him. ‘Poor dog!’ he said. He thought the dog might be hungry so he gave it some of his bread. The dog got a little better! Raven thought that the dog was alone too so he decided to keep the dog as his pet. Raven also decided that he shouldn’t lose hope! If he has lost a job then he should try to find another one. Then he saw the restaurant owner. He had seen Raven’s sympathy for the dog so he came to this conclusion that Raven is not nasty, the nasty person was the manager! Then tomorrow morning, the restaurant owner fired the manager and replaced...
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...an old and dirty suit. he said to bill, 'little boy, i am very hungry, would you please please give me some food?' bill thought for a moment, then said,' alright, come in'. they walked into the kitchen. bill took a loaf of bread, and handed it to the man. the man was very happy, he ate the whole loaf in a minute. he thanked bill, and told him about his story. the man was once a rich business man, but his boss fired him because he was late for work one day. he lost his job. the man said that bill was a very good boy, and one day, he would return his favour. many years have past, bill has already grown into a teenager. one day, there was a knock on the door. bill went to open the door. it was a man. he was wearing a shiny suit. he looked very smart. he said to bill,' do you remember me?i am the man whom you gave a loaf of bread to many years ago. i have come to return my favour.' bill remembered him. the man handed him a breifcase. there was a lot of money in it. bill was very surprised. he didn't think that he could receive this much money in return just because of a load of bread! so then, bill became very rich. this story tells us that we should help others no matter who they...
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...and some good grades. She lives with her mother, and her mother’s male friend Stan. A regular day, Clara decides to do something unorthodox. She took all of her clothes off one morning at her school. That shocked everybody, because Clara is very prude and insecure when it comes to her body. Clara dose not really care about, what all the students say too her, about the situation, all she cares about is her mother, and the way she will react. Clara’s conflict in the story seems to be her issues with her mother. She seeks attention from her, because all her mother thinks about is Stan. But after the situation in Clara’s school it appears that Clara could be a subject that her mother, brought up. Clara gets sad, when her mother just laughs at her, and tells her “good job honey”. Clara expected her mother’s reaction to be different. You can tell it by the end of the story, because when her mother spoke about her for five minutes, the attention swipes back on her and Stan. Clara is characterised indirectly in the story, because you have to read between the lines, to see what she feels, and how she thinks about the whole situation. For example when Clara is at the headmistress’s office, and they talk about divorce. She menthes all the pupils names who has divorced parent, actually how many per cent. Quote; “ The are quite a lot of people in Four B, with separated parents, aren’t there? Bryony and Susie Tallance and Rachel”. “ And Midge,” said Clara. “ And Lucy Potter. “Yes. Five....
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...Setting Read more Setting is a description of where and when the story takes place. In a short story there are fewer settings compared to a novel. The time is more limited. * How is the setting created? Consider geography, weather, time of day, social conditions, etc. * What role does setting play in the story? Is it an important part of the plot or theme? Or is it just a backdrop against which the action takes place? Study the time period which is also part of the setting. * When was the story written? * Does it take place in the present, the past, or the future? * How does the time period affect the language, atmosphere or social circumstances of the short story? Characterization Read more Characterization deals with how the characters in the story are described. In short stories there are usually fewer characters compared to a novel. They usually focus on one central character or protagonist. * Who is the main character? * Are the main character and other characters described through dialogue – by the way they speak (dialect or slang for instance)? * Has the author described the characters by physical appearance, thoughts and feelings, and interaction (the way they act towards others)? * Are they static/flat characters who do not change? * Are they dynamic/round characters who DO change? * What type of characters are they? What qualities stand out? Are they stereotypes? * Are the characters believable? Plot...
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