Unit 5 Say Y 教学目的1.以课文内容为基础,借助一些文化背景资料和图片使学生通过文 化背景知识,了解西方国家中存在的社会尖锐问题。 2通过问答和讲解的方式,帮助学生对社会尖锐问题获得感性认 3通过讨论深入探讨这种社会现象的同时,提高学生讨论问题的口 语表达能力,锻炼学生的英语运用能力 4.熟练掌握构词法和一些修辞手法 教学内容1.精讲课文除掌握特殊句型,构词法和长难句分析以外,还要使学 生掌握语言点启发学生寻找重点词汇,运用文章中的语言和短语词 汇复述故事,帮助学生把扩充词汇量和在具体情景中使用词汇有机 结合起来。并且讨论提供不同的故事结局。 2熟悉课文的写作手法,通过一对美国普通家庭的夫妇一次普通对 话,引发了一场针对种族问题的正面交锋。文章多以对话为主,口 语化交流,语言通俗简单易懂,但是普通的对话下面却隐藏着夫妻 二人尖锐的矛盾。揭示了一个严肃的社会问题 3.丰富课堂内容。尝试多种课堂活动,结合本课特点,由学生分角 色朗读课文,分饰角色,以话剧的形式表现故事和结局。布置练习 通过课后练习随堂做使学生加深对所涉及的内容的理解和掌握。 教学方法讲授为主,结合问答,讨论,练习,分角色朗读课文 Unit 5 Say Yes arming-lp Look at the statistics. Most of those marriages break up. Conduct research to find out tatistics of how many interracial marriages versus same-race marriages break up. Can you come up with a hypothesis for your find ings? 1980s: At the beginning of the 1980s, nine percent of all United States households are made up solely of a married couple. There are over forty-eight million married couples in the United States 1990s: At the end of the 1990s, only three percent of all United States households are made up solely of a married couple. There are close to fifty-five million married couples in the United States 1980s: In 1980, 67.2 percent of the white American population is married, and 51. 4 percent of the African-American population is married 1990s: While more than half of the American population continues to marry, the percentages for both whites and African Americans has decreased in the past ten years. In 1997, 62.1 percent of the white American population is married, and 42.4 percent of the African-American population is married 1980s: In 1980, there are 651, 000 interracial couples in the United States
1 Unit 5 Say Yes 教学目的 1.以课文内容为基础，借助一些文化背景资料和图片使学生通过文 化背景知识，了解西方国家中存在的社会尖锐问题。 2.通过问答和讲解的方式，帮助学生对社会尖锐问题获得感性认 识。 3.通过讨论深入探讨这种社会现象的同时，提高学生讨论问题的口 语表达能力，锻炼学生的英语运用能力 4.熟练掌握构词法和一些修辞手法 教学内容 1.精讲课文除掌握特殊句型，构词法和长难句分析以外，还要使学 生掌握语言点启发学生寻找重点词汇，运用文章中的语言和短语词 汇复述故事，帮助学生把扩充词汇量和在具体情景中使用词汇有机 结合起来。并且讨论提供不同的故事结局。 2.熟悉课文的写作手法，通过一对美国普通家庭的夫妇一次普通对 话，引发了一场针对种族问题的正面交锋。文章多以对话为主，口 语化交流，语言通俗简单易懂，但是普通的对话下面却隐藏着夫妻 二人尖锐的矛盾。揭示了一个严肃的社会问题。 3.丰富课堂内容。尝试多种课堂活动，结合本课特点，由学生分角 色朗读课文，分饰角色，以话剧的形式表现故事和结局。布置练习， 通过课后练习随堂做使学生加深对所涉及的内容的理解和掌握。 教学方法 讲授为主，结合问答，讨论，练习，分角色朗读课文 Unit 5 Say Yes Warming-up Look at the statistics. Most of those marriages break up. Conduct research to find out statistics of how many interracial marriages versus same-race marriages break up. Can you come up with a hypothesis for your findings? 1980s: At the beginning of the 1980s, nine percent of all United States households are made up solely of a married couple. There are over forty-eight million married couples in the United States. 1990s: At the end of the 1990s, only three percent of all United States households are made up solely of a married couple. There are close to fifty-five million married couples in the United States. 1980s: In 1980, 67.2 percent of the white American population is married, and 51.4 percent of the African-American population is married. 1990s: While more than half of the American population continues to marry, the percentages for both whites and African Americans has decreased in the past ten years. In 1997, 62.1 percent of the white American population is married, and 42.4 percent of the African-American population is married. 1980s: In 1980, there are 651,000 interracial couples in the United States
Background Information Introduction of the author Tobias Wolff was born in Alabama in 1945. His parents divorced when he was a boy Wolff s mother retained custody of him, while his brother Geoffrey who also became a writer lived with their father as a child wolff traveled with his mother, Rosemary, to the Pacific Northwest, where she remarried. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, young Tobias soon was forced to endure life under his strict and cruel stepfather. During the time, his efforts to get away from his in This Boy's Life: A Memoir. Tobias Wolff is perhaps best known by the ted stepfather led to his self-transformation. That period of Wolff s life is recounted American reading public for his memoir This Boy's Life, which was later mad into an acclaimed movie. from 1964 through 1968. Wolff served as a lieutenant with the U.S. Army Special Forces( Green Berets)in Vietnam. He later recounted his wartime experiences in the memoir in the pharaoh s Army: Memoirs of the Lost War. In 1972 Wolff earned his B.A. and then his M.A. from Oxford University with First Class Honors in English three years later. That year, his first book, Ugly Rumours, was published in London. Also that year, he won a prestigious Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University. He lives with his family nes writing at Syracuse University. His lite reputation was first established on the merit of his short stories. He is still primarily known for these short stories, in which he depicts many characters voices and a wide range of emotions. Since the early 1980s, Wolff has produced several collections of short stories. These fictions focus on the important relationships and the moral choices in everyday people's lives: men and women, husbands and wives, parents and children. As scholar Marilyn C. Wesley writes in the Dictionary of literary biography, Wolff writes about the basic needs of Everyman, written with a respect that Everyman deserve Works of the author 1)He is the author of the short novel The barracks Thief, which won the 1985 PEN/Faulkner award 2)two collections of short stories, Back in the World(collecting"Say Yes)and In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, which received the Saint Lawrence Award for fiction in 1982, Mr. Wolffs work appears frequently in Esquire, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and other magazines and reviews Historical Context: The passage is written during the republican years The 1980s was a decade led by Republican policy. Ronald Reagan took office as president of the United States in 1980, and served two terms, after which his vice 2
2 Background Information Introduction of the author Tobias Wolff was born in Alabama in 1945. His parents divorced when he was a boy. Wolff’s mother retained custody of him, while his brother Geoffrey who also became a writer lived with their father. As a child, Wolff traveled with his mother, Rosemary, to the Pacific Northwest, where she remarried. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, young Tobias soon was forced to endure life under his strict and cruel stepfather. During the time, his efforts to get away from his stepfather led to his self-transformation. That period of Wolff’s life is recounted in This Boy’s Life: A Memoir. Tobias Wolff is perhaps best known by the American reading public for his memoir This Boy’s Life, which was later made into an acclaimed movie, from 1964 through 1968, Wolff served as a lieutenant with the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets) in Vietnam. He later recounted his wartime experiences in the memoir In the Pharaoh’s Army: Memoirs of the Lost War. In 1972 Wolff earned his B.A. and then his M.A. from Oxford University with First Class Honors in English three years later. That year, his first book, Ugly Rumours, was published in London. Also that year, he won a prestigious Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University. He lives with his family in upstate New York and teaches writing at Syracuse University. His literary reputation was first established on the merit of his short stories. He is still primarily known for these short stories, in which he depicts many characters’ voices and a wide range of emotions. Since the early 1980s, Wolff has produced several collections of short stories. These fictions focus on the important relationships and the moral choices in everyday people’s lives: men and women, husbands and wives, parents and children. As scholar Marilyn C. Wesley writes in the Dictionary of Literary Biography, Wolff writes about the basic needs of Everyman, written with a respect that Everyman deserves. Works of the author 1) He is the author of the short novel The Barracks Thief, which won the 1985 PEN/Faulkner Award; 2) two collections of short stories, Back in the World (collecting “Say Yes”) and In the Garden of the North American Martyrs, which received the Saint Lawrence Award for fiction in 1982; Mr. Wolff's work appears frequently in Esquire, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and other magazines and reviews. Historical Context: The passage is written during the Republican years The 1980s was a decade led by Republican policy. Ronald Reagan took office as president of the United States in 1980, and served two terms, after which his vice
president, George Bush, was elected to the nations top office. Reagan held conservative political beliefs, both on the domestic front and when it came to foreign policy. Although his economic programs brought the national inflation rate down, they also seemed to favor the wealthy. During the Reagan era, many middle-class Americans saw their personal income shrinking, while the richest of Americans ncreased their wealth. By the 1980s, as the United States and the soviet Union built up a stockpile of nuclear weapons, the cold war had been ongoing for almost forty years. led by the two superpowers. Reagan, an ardent opponent of communism encouraged his ad ministration to greatly increase military spending Say Yes is such a story about the relationship between husband and wife Looking deeply, we find that it really is a discussion of subtle expressions of racist feelings that are found in many ord inary people Racism has been called the national curse of the united states ever since the first black slaves were brought into this continent. We all know the sufferings of the blacks as described in Uncle Toms Cabin: we also know about the Ku Klux Klan and the Jim Crow Laws. But since the Civil Right movement of the 1960s, a lot of changes have taken place, and the racial relationship has improved. However racism is still very much alive. The only thing is that it now may take more subtle forms Text Analysis I. Detailed Analysis of Language points 1. consider: v.e.g. All things considered, the reform is a success 1)considerate: a. showing kind regard for the feelings, thoughtful, careful not to hurt or cause inconvenience to others e.g. It is considerate of you not to play the piano while I was having a sleep 2)considerable: a rather large or great, as in size, distance, or extent e.g. He bought a house at a considerable expense 3)considering: prep. in view of, having regard to e.g. She's very active, considering her age. break break up: divide/ split, (a couple, relationship) come to break down: collapse, failure in machinery useless suffer physical or mental weakening break in(to ): enter a building by force break away: go away suddenly, give up(idea, belief) break through: make a way through break off: stop, pause
3 president, George Bush, was elected to the nation’s top office. Reagan held conservative political beliefs, both on the domestic front and when it came to foreign policy. Although his economic programs brought the national inflation rate down, they also seemed to favor the wealthy. During the Reagan era, many middle-class Americans saw their personal income shrinking, while the richest of Americans increased their wealth. By the 1980s, as the United States and the Soviet Union built up a stockpile of nuclear weapons, the cold war had been ongoing for almost forty years. led by the two superpowers. Reagan, an ardent opponent of communism, encouraged his administration to greatly increase military spending. “Say Yes” is such a story about the relationship between husband and wife. Looking deeply, we find that it really is a discussion of subtle expressions of racist feelings that are found in many ordinary people. Racism has been called the national curse of the United States ever since the first black slaves were brought into this continent. We all know the sufferings of the blacks as described in Uncle Tom’s Cabin; we also know about the Ku Klux Klan and the Jim Crow Laws. But since the Civil Right movement of the1960s, a lot of changes have taken place, and the racial relationship has improved. However racism is still very much alive. The only thing is that it now may take more subtle forms. Text Analysis I. Detailed Analysis of Language Points 1. consider: v. e.g. All things considered, the reform is a success. 1) considerate: a. showing kind regard for the feelings, thoughtful, careful not to hurt or cause inconvenience to others e.g. It is considerate of you not to play the piano while I was having a sleep. 2) considerable: a. rather large or great , as in size , distance, or extent e.g. He bought a house at a considerable expense 3) considering: prep. in view of, having regard to e.g. She’s very active, considering her age. break 2.break up: divide/ split, (a couple, relationship) come to an end break down: collapse, failure in machinery useless, suffer physical or mental weakening break in (to): enter a building by force break away: go away suddenly, give up (idea, belief) break through: make a way through break off: stop, pause
3. hypo-: prefix meaning"below, under l) in words denoting an organ or location below a given body part在-下面 hypoderm皮下组织 2)term denoting body cond ition in which substances or functions are at below-normal levels低于 ypotension血压过低 hypothermia体温过低 3)used in the names of chemical compounds that are in a lower state of oxidation 化) than a given compound亚 4) counterpart to a word formed with" hyper'(在-上面,超越,过于,极度) hypotension血压过低-- hypertension血压过高 After studying the text, we just pick out some idiomatic expressions from the text: To do the dishes to pitch in to congratulate sb on sth. to get on a subject to come along all things considered to be okay with sb. to take ones word to break up at a rate as a matter of fact to be angry with sb. to take a deep breath to feel cornered to have no choice but to do sth. to be at sth. to put sth. to have effect on sb. to take one's hand by the wrist to make it up to hold sth up to dab at sth. to start up a conversation to feel ashamed to blur sth out to do sth out of concern for sb. for Christ's sake to come up with to take a reasonable tone to get sb. into a fight to come to I. General Analysis Textual Structure schedule On an ordinary night after supper-a common talk- different altitudes-conflicts while reading the whole text, pay attention to some verbs or phrases employed to show the inner feeling of both husband and wife. Pinch her brows together her lips pressed tight together bite her lip k his mouth shut plunge her hands under the surface with her eyes closed take a deep breath snap through the pages his throat ned his heart pounded Text Glimpse Now turn to page 118, read the following sentences to see whether the students have grasped the main ideas of the article or not. 1. This is not an ord inary family quarrel. The talk between the husband and wife touches upon (the serious issue of racism)
4 3. hypo- : prefix meaning “below, under” 1) in words denoting an organ or location below a given body part 在-- 下面 hypoderm 皮下组织 2) term denoting body condition in which substances or functions are at below-normal levels 低于 hypotension 血压过低 hypothermia 体温过低 3) used in the names of chemical compounds that are in a lower state of oxidation（氧 化） than a given compound 亚 4) counterpart to a word formed with “hyper”(在--上面，超越， 过于，极度) hypotension 血压过低 ---- hypertension 血压过高 After studying the text, we just pick out some idiomatic expressions from the text: To do the dishes to pitch in to congratulate sb. on sth. to get on a subject to come along all things considered to be okay with sb. to take one’s word to break up at a rate as a matter of fact to be angry with sb. to take a deep breath to feel cornered to have no choice but to do sth. to be at sth. to put sth. to have effect on sb. to take one’s hand by the wrist to make it up to hold sth. up to dab at sth. to start up a conversation to finish up to feel ashamed to blur sth. out to do sth. out of concern for sb. for Christ’s sake to come up with sth. to take a reasonable tone to get sb. into a fight to come to one’s aid or so II. General Analysis Textual Structure schedule On an ordinary night after supper → a common talk → different altitudes →conflicts While reading the whole text, pay attention to some verbs or phrases employed to show the inner feeling of both husband and wife. Pinch her brows together her lips pressed tight together bite her lips keep his mouth shut plunge her hands under the surface with her eyes closed take a deep breath snap through the pages his throat tightened his heart pounded Text Glimpse Now turn to page 118, read the following sentences to see whether the students have grasped the main ideas of the article or not. 1. This is not an ordinary family quarrel. The talk between the husband and wife touches upon __________. (the serious issue of racism)
2. We can assume that the time background was probably in the United States. a time when there was a new national awareness of the need to fight for (race and gender equality) 3. The man here was by no means a terrible racist or male Chauvinist. In fact, he was considered (a good husband) because he shared the housework and probably was also considered (liberal) on racial problems 4. But the man was not free from the influence of racism as shown in his (objection to marriage) between a black and a white. his basic argument was that they had different (cultures) and therefore could never ally kr ther ) It was very similar to the different but equal principle much under attack at the time as (hypocritical) Therefore he was still racist in a way although h (racism)was more subtle) 5. The man's wife on the other hand believed that marriage between blacks and whites (was perfect natural) if they loved each other and she could not tolerate) her husbands racist attitude. She was obviously a person of(high moral principles)and took such issues as(racial or gender equalities)very riously 6. Throughout the conversation, the man appeared eager to (dismiss the subject and make peace whereas the woman kept trying to corner him. This would make us readers feel that the man was easy going and the woman (difficult and quarrelsome ). This is, however, a false 7. The woman seemed to know how her husband would (respond) when she asked him whether he would marry her if she were black. This indicated that she must have found out (where her husband stood in this issue) before this conversation 8. When the woman was heard turning the pages of a magazine, the man knew that she was angry and (was trying to hurt him) by appearing indifferent to him 9. When the woman asked her husband to turn off the light, the man thought that soon (she would come to lie down besides him). But nothing happened 10. The man had said that blacks and whites could not know each other. But the irony was he did not know his own wife although they (had the same cultural background). To him, she was still someone moving through the house, Theme of the text: The idea of racism is a theme in the story, for the implication of the husbands racism is what causes the couple to quarrel. The wife dislikes her husbands beliefs that African americans are different from whites. he maintains that it is not that he is prejudiced against African Americans, but that they come from a different culture
5 2. We can assume that the time background was probably_________ (in the 1960’s) in the United States, a time when there was a new national awareness of the need to fight for________. (race and gender equality) 3. The man here was by no means a terrible racist or male Chauvinist. In fact, he was considered________ (a good husband) because he shared the housework and probably was also considered________ (liberal) on racial problems. 4. But the man was not free from the influence of racism as shown in his _______ (objection to marriage) between a black and a white. His basic argument was that they had different______ (cultures) and therefore could never______ (really know each other). It was very similar to the “different but equal” principle much under attack at the time as _____. (hypocritical) Therefore he was still racist in a way although his____ (racism) was _____ ( more subtle). 5. The man’s wife on the other hand believed that marriage between blacks and whites ______ (was perfect natural) if they loved each other and she could not _____ (tolerate) her husband’s racist attitude. She was obviously a person of ____ (high moral principles) and took such issues as ____ (racial or gender equalities) very seriously. 6. Throughout the conversation, the man appeared eager to _____ (dismiss the subject) and make peace whereas the woman kept trying to corner him. This would make us readers feel that the man was easygoing and the woman_______(difficult and quarrelsome). This is, however, a false______(impression). 7. The woman seemed to know how her husband would__________ (respond) when she asked him whether he would marry her if she were black. This indicated that she must have found out _______ (where her husband stood in this issue) before this conversation. 8. When the woman was heard turning the pages of a magazine, the man knew that she was angry and ______ (was trying to hurt him) by appearing indifferent to him. 9. When the woman asked her husband to turn off the light, the man thought that soon _______ (she would come to lie down besides him). But nothing happened. 10. The man had said that blacks and whites could not know each other. But the irony was he did not know his own wife although they___________ (had the same cultural background). To him, she was still someone moving through the house, ___________ (a stranger). Theme of the text: The idea of racism is a theme in the story, for the implication of the husband’s racism is what causes the couple to quarrel. The wife dislikes her husband’s beliefs that African Americans are different from whites. He maintains that it is not that he is prejudiced against African Americans, but that they come from a different culture
le? and they even have their own language. His protestation that I like hearing them talk because it makes him feel happy reveals much about hi personal ity: his belief that African Americans are inherently foreign to whites, his condescending attitude, and his sense of otherness from himself? He needs something completely unlike himself to bring him pleasure The husbands negative response to Anns question of whether he would marry her were she African American indicates the pervasive and destructive nature of his racism Analysis of husband The husband in the story is generally an unsympathetic character. He appears to have racist feelings and seems to be dishonest with himself. He claims to apprec iate the stability his life with Ann provides him, but he still makes efforts to undermine it. He refuses to take responsibil ity for his actions. Throughout the evening, he is seen to be less than a genuine person; he does things for effect rather than out of a genuine sincere desire. Within the confines of the story, his most significant trait is his rejection of his wife, which she takes quite seriously, much to his surprise. By the end of the story the husband demonstrates yet another shift in mood excitement as he realizes that, in certain ways, his wife is unknowable to him. The final scene has him awaiting his wife in their darkened bedroom, imagining that she is a stranger that he seems to embrace, as demonstrated by the excited pounding of his Writing devices Wolff has often been likened to other writers of his generation such as raymond Carver and richard Ford. In his short stories, Wolff practices a direct,even non-dramatic, style of writing. This is certainly the case in his story "Say Yes"which takes as its backdrop an average evening in the life of a married couple. When the conversation delves into an issue on which the couple do not agree, the relationship experiences a newfound rockiness. The husbands reaction to this argument demonstrates the secret undercurrents that run through relationships Assignment I. How do you think the husband and wife will resolve their situation? Do you think they will resolve it? Write a scene that takes place the following day 2. Analyze the husband in terms of whether or not he is a racist character 3. Write a counterargument to the husband s statement that African Americans dont come from the same culture as whites
6 from white people? And they even have their own language. His protestation that I like hearing them talk because it makes him feel happy reveals much about his personality: his belief that African Americans are inherently foreign to whites, his condescending attitude, and his sense of otherness from himself? He needs something completely unlike himself to bring him pleasure. The husband’s negative response to Ann’s question of whether he would marry her were she African American indicates the pervasive and destructive nature of his racism. Analysis of husband The husband in the story is generally an unsympathetic character. He appears to have racist feelings and seems to be dishonest with himself. He claims to appreciate the stability his life with Ann provides him, but he still makes efforts to undermine it. He refuses to take responsibility for his actions. Throughout the evening, he is seen to be less than a genuine person; he does things for effect rather than out of a genuine, sincere desire. Within the confines of the story, his most significant trait is his rejection of his wife, which she takes quite seriously, much to his surprise. By the end of the story, the husband demonstrates yet another shift in mood: excitement as he realizes that, in certain ways, his wife is unknowable to him. The final scene has him awaiting his wife in their darkened bedroom, imagining that she is a stranger that he seems to embrace, as demonstrated by the excited pounding of his... Writing Devices Wolff has often been likened to other writers of his generation such as Raymond Carver and Richard Ford. In his short stories, Wolff practices a direct, even non-dramatic, style of writing. This is certainly the case in his story “Say Yes” which takes as its backdrop an average evening in the life of a married couple. When the conversation delves into an issue on which the couple do not agree, the relationship experiences a newfound rockiness. The husband’s reaction to this argument demonstrates the secret undercurrents that run through relationships. Assignment 1. How do you think the husband and wife will resolve their situation? Do you think they will resolve it? Write a scene that takes place the following day. 2. Analyze the husband in terms of whether or not he is a racist character. 3. Write a counterargument to the husband’s statement that African Americans don’t come from the same culture as whites