1、1,The Loons,Margaret Laurence,Lesson 9,2,Teaching Plan,3,Teaching Objectives,To understand the symbolic meaning of the loons: the native Indians of Canada To learn the ways of developing a short story To understand the scenic description,4,Teaching Content,The story illustrate the conflict between w

2、hite Canadians and native Indians, and the racial discrimination the Indians has been imposed upon. To observe how the author arranges the layout of the story, and to find out the beginning, development, climax and denouement of the story.,5,Teaching Focus,The symbolic meaning of the loons: the nati

3、ve Indians of Canada The scenic description,6,Teaching Methods,Teacher-oriented teaching method Student-oriented teaching method The elicited method,7,Teaching Procedure,. Introductory Remarks . Background Information . Learning Focus . Key words and Expressions . Explanation of the Text,8,. Divisio

4、n of the Text . The Writing Style . Rhetorical Devices . Exercises,9,Introductory Remarks,10,. Introductory Remarks,This short story is first published in A Bird in the House and it is about Piquette Tonnerre, a half-bred girl who grew up under harsh circumstances in a white society that suppresses

5、half-breeds. The story is told through another girl, Vanessa, who used to be Piquettes classmate when she was young.,11,Vanessas father happens to be Piquettes doctor and he invites her to spend summer holiday with them in the Diamond Lake for the sake of her health. Nine years after that Vanessa ha

6、ppens to meet her in a caf and she tells Vanessa that she is going to marry a white man.,12,Four years later when Vanessa comes home on her holiday, she learns that Piquette is burnt to death together with her two children. By using an appropriate tone, Margaret describes the alienation felt by the

7、young Piquette Tonnerre, who represents an ethnic group rejected by a cruel society, just due to the fact that they are different.,13,Detailed Study of the Text,14,. Background Information,Author: Margaret Laurence one of the major contemporary Canadian born in Neepawa, Manitoba, Canada educated at

8、the University of Manitoba,15,moving with her husband to Africa beginning her literary career in 1954 by editing A Tree of Poverty, a collection of Somali poetry and prose the novel, This side of Jordan with a background set on Ghana as the countrys independence was drawing near,16,A book of short s

9、tories, The Tomorrow-Tamer has a similar setting. a work of non-fiction, The prophets Camel Bell,a description of two years spent in Somaliland. The Stone Angel is a remarkable book, demonstrating superbly her ability to create characters.,17,A Jest of God was made into a successful movie, Rachel, R

10、achel The Fire-Dwellers, a novel set in Vancouver a collection of semi-biographical short stories, A bird in the House came out,18,the Governor Generals Award for fiction for both A Jest of God and The Diviners and has been the recipient of honorary degrees from half a dozen Canadian universities,19

11、,Her stories feature strong women and struggles for self-understanding and acceptance. She was known for her outspoken support of peace, womens rights, and other progressive causes.,20,involved in speaking and writing about issues, such as nuclear disarmament, the environment, literacy, and other so

12、cial issues the Margaret Laurence Fund the Margaret Laurence Award for Excellence,21,Loon distinctive Canadian bird, the bird of the lakes, fish-eating, diving The Canadian government issued a one-dollar coin with a loon engraved on it. One dollar is slangily called a loony.,22,. Learning Focus,The

13、layout of the story The characters in the story The symbolism in the story The scenery description,23,. Key words and Expressions,pebble(n.):asmallstonewornsmooth and round, asbytheactionofwater scrub(adj.): short, stunted chokecherry(n.): a North American wild cherry tree,24,thicket(n.): athickgrow

14、thofshrubs, underbrushorsmalltrees shack(n.): Am. a small house or cabin that is crudely built and furnished; shanty chink(v.): closeupthechinksin,25,thigh(n.): part of the leg in man and other vertebrates between thekneeandthehip; regionofthethighbone, orfemur chaos(n.): extremeconfusionordisorder,

15、26,lean-to(n.): ashedwithaone-sloperoof, theupperendoftheraftersrestingagainst anexternalsupport, such as trees or the wall of a building,27,warp(v.): bend,curve or twistoutofshape; distort strand(n.): anyofthebundlesofthread, fiber, wire, etc. that are twisted together to form alength of string, ro

16、pe, or cable,28,barbedwire(n.):Am. strands of wire twisted together with barbs at regular, close intervals, used for fencing or military barriers,29,patois(n.): Fr. aformoflanguage, differingfromtheacceptedstandard, as a provincial orlocaldialect,30,obscenities(n.): pl. offensive, repulsive remarks

17、orideas herring(n.): anyofafamily ofbonyfishes, includingherring, shad, etc.,31,lard(n.): the melted fat of hogs (esp. the inner abdominalfat) bruise(n.): injure the surface or the outside of so that there is spoilage, abrasion, denting, etc.,32,brawl(n.): arough，noisyquarrelorfight sporadic(adj.):

18、notconstantorregular tuberculosis(n.): 結(jié)核,33,grimy(adj.):coveredwithorfullofgrime; verydirty flare(v.): showsuddenincreasedheat，angerorviolence (up) dickens(interj.): colloq. devil; deuce,34,contagious(adj.): spread by direct or indirect contact (saidofdisease) nit(n.): theeggofalouse, orsimilarinse

19、ct,35,cameo(n.): a carving in relief on certain stratified gems or shells so that the raised design, often a head in profile, is usually in a different color from the background,36,mauve(adj.): palepurple stifle(v.): suppress; repress; holdback; check muse(v.): thinkdeeplyandatlength,37,miraculously

20、(adv.): likeamiracle austere(adj.):veryplain; lacking ornament or luxury,38,filigree(n.): adelicate, lacelike ornamental work of intertwined wire of gold, silver, etc.,39,spruce(n.):云杉 fern(n.): 蕨類植物,40,raspberry(n.):覆盆子，樹莓 miniature(adj.): onordoneonavery small scale; diminutive; minute,41,tame(adj

21、.):changedfromawild state, domesticated state, as animals trained for use bymanoraspets moose(n.): the large animal of the deer family, nativetotheN. America antler(n.): thebranched, deciduous horn of animal of the deer family,42,fissure(v.): breakintoparts; crackorsplitapart meticulously(adv): extr

22、emelyorexcessivelycarefullyaboutdetails, finically tote(v.): Am. colloq. carryorhaul, hearmsorontheback,43,scuff(v.): scrape (theground, floor, etc.) withthefeet bizarre(adj.): oddinmanner, appearance,etc.; grotesque; queer; fantastic; eccentric prophetess(n.): afemaleprophet,44,mpart(v.): ma

23、keknown; tell; reveal whippoorwill(n.):北美夜鷹 coyote(n.): (產(chǎn)于北美西部大草原的)小狼，郊狼，叢林狼,45,lore(n.): knowledgeoflearning; specifically, all the knowledge of a particular group or havingtodowitha particular subject, esp. that of a traditional nature dogged(adj.): notgivinginreality; persistent; stubborn,46,amb

24、er(n.): abrownish-yellow translucent color 琥珀色 ululate(v.): wail, lament,47,aeon(n.): (=eon) anextremelylong, indefiniteperiodoftime, thousands and thousands ofyears; abillionyears,48,chipmunk(n.): 金花鼠（北美產(chǎn)的一種小松鼠），豹鼠 birch(n.): 樺木 immerse(v.):plungeintoaspecifiedstate; absorbdeeply; engross,49,jukebo

25、x(n.): acoin-operated record playerusedinrestaurants, bars, etc. chrome(n.):鉻;鉻合金,50,astound(v.): bewilder with sudden surprise; astonish greatly; amaze,51,stolid(adj.): having or showing no emotion or sensibility; impassive carmine(n.): a red or purplish-red pigment obtained mainly from cochineal f

26、rizzily(adj.): frizzly, full of covered with small, tight curls,52,perm(v.): colloq. give a permanent wave to teeter(v.): totter; wobble; waver jerkwater(adj.): colloq. small and unimportant,53,confide(v.): tellortalkaboutasasecret blur(v.): makeorbecomedimordull despise(v.): look down on with conte

27、mpt and scorn,54,classy(adj.): slang first-class, esp. in styleormanner; elegant; fine perturb(v.): causetobealarmed, agitated, orupset; disturbortroublegreatly gauche(adj.): Fr. lacking grace, esp. social grace; awkward; tactless,55,slattern(n.):womanwhoiscarelessand sloppyinherhabits, appearance,

28、work, etc. brew(n.): a beverage that has been brewed,56,getmixedupinsth.: (infml) become involved in or connected with sth. Idontwanttogetmixedupinyouraffairs,57,hitout(atsb./sth.):attacksb./sth. vigorously orviolentlywithwordsorblows Inarousingspeechthe President hit out against thetradeunion,58,fl

29、areup:(ofanillness) recur or show suddenburstoflight, angerorviolence Heflaresupattheslightestprovocation Mybacktroublehasflaredupagain,59,winhandsdown: (infml.) wineasily, by a large margin Thelocalteamwonhandsdown,60,setabout:startdoingsth. Idontknowhowtosetaboutthisjob.,61,. Explanation of the Te

30、xt,1. with a faceunfamiliar with laughter. who looked deadly serious, never laughed.,62,2. Sometimes old Jules,in a Saturday-night brawl. Sometimes old Jules, or his son Lazarus would get involved in a rough, noisy quarrel or fight on a Saturday night after much drinking of liquor.,63,3. Her attenda

31、nce schoolwork negligible. She often missed her classes and had little interest in schoolwork.,64,4. She existed for meembarrassing presence. I only knew her as a person who would make other people feel ill at ease. As far as I am concerned, her presence would only make other people feel ill at ease

32、 / uncomfortable.,65,5. She dwelt within my scope of vision. She lived and moved somewhere within my range of sight (Although I saw her, I paid little attention to her.),66,6. If it comes tonits or not. If my mother had to make a choice between Grandmother Macleod and Piquette, she would certainly c

33、hoose the latter without hesitation, no matter whether the latter had nits or not.,67,You could look out the window the sun caught it. 從別墅的窗外往外看，透過一層云杉樹葉織成的絲簾，可以看見碧綠的湖面在太陽的映照下波光粼粼。,68,7. Her defiant face,terrifying hope. Normally, she was a defensive person, and her face was guarded as if it was wea

34、ring a mask. But when she was saying this, there was an expression of challenge on her face, which, for a brief moment, became unguarded and unmasked. And in her eyes there was a kind of hope which was so intense that it filled people with terror.,69,8. she looked like a messany old how. She looked

35、a mess, to tell you the truth; she was a dirty, untidy woman, dressed in a very careless way.,70,9. She was upof course. She was brought in court several times, because she was drunk and disturbing the public peace , as one could expect.,71,. Division of the Text,PartI.Paras1-2 Introductionofthenove

36、l,when,where,who,etc.Thegeneralbackground. PartII.Para.3-70 Thewholestory PartIII.Para.71-75 Analogy,72,Section1.Para.3-15 IntroducingPiquette. Section2.Para.16-47 DaystogetherwithPiquetteatDiamondLake Section3.Para.48-62 SecondmeetingwithPiquetteseveralyearslater Section4.Para.63-70 Piquettesdeath,

37、73,Summary,74,. The Writing Style,a realistic depiction which renders an objective rather than an idealized view of the marginalized ethnics lyricism of language/the description of the setting colloquialism and idioms/the dialogues between characters,75,its symbolism the parallel of the loons and Pi

38、quette the loons sing only at night Piquete hides her feelings and wishes from others the humans destroying the loons natural habitat the invasion of the Indians territory,76,The birds become familiar with a new environment near their invaders and have the chance to adapt to it. Piquette marries a w

39、hite man and has the chance to start a new life. the birds chance fails Piquette attempt fails,77,Their old way has been destroyed by the new comers. The loons disappear as nature is ruined by civilization. Piquette can not succeed in finding her position in this white-dominating society and dies.,7

40、8,Analogy: The comparison of two things, which are alike in several respects, for the purpose of explaining or clarifying some unfamiliar or difficult idea or object by showing how the idea or object is similar to some familiar one.,79,Analogy of the loons and Piquette,80,Analogy of the loons and Pi

41、quettes characters,81,. Rhetorical Devices,Simile Grandmother MacLeod, her delicately featured face as rigid as a cameo (para 12). At night the lake was like black glass with a streak of amber which was the path of the moon (para 39).,82,Metaphor Through the filigree of the spruce trees (Para 17) It

42、 seemed to me daughter of the forest, a kind of junior prophetess of the wilds (para 22),83,Metonymy Plaintive, and yet with a quality of chilling mockery, those voices belonged to a world separated by aeons from our neat world of summer cottages and the lighted lamps of home (para 40).,84,Hyperbole

43、 dresses that were always miles too long (para 3).,85,Personification Two grey squirrels were still there, gossiping (para 17),86,Transferred epithet My brother meticulously turning it round and round in his small and curious hands (Para 17). I was ashamed, ashamed of my own timidity, the frightened tendency to look the other way (Para 58).