Discovery Of a Father

1. Lesson Two Discovery Of a Father Sherwood Anderson

2. Discussions: • 1) Do you agree that fathers often want their children to be what themselves cannot be? • 2) What kind of person you want your father to be ?

3. About the author • Sherwood Anderson was born into a poor family in Camden, Ohio, the U.S. in 1876, but spent his formative years in the town of Clyde, Ohio, which inspired the setting of many of his stories. He worked as a laborer in 1896----1898, then served in the Spanish American War. He was the author of many stories and novels, and he was a major influence on a younger generation of important writers, including Faukner , Hemingway, Wolfe, Steinbeck, and others, both through his writings and his acts of personal kindness. It was through his influence , for example, that the first books of both Faukner and Hemingway were published.

4. About the background • 1. The Union(美国北部联邦) During the American Civil War , the Union was a name used to refer to the United States ,the northern states that did not secede. since the term had been used prior to the war to refer to the entire United States (a “union of states”), using it to apply to the non-secessionist side carried a connotation of legitimacy as the continuation of the pre-existing political entity . Also, in the public dialogue of the United States , new states are “admitted to the Union” and the President’s annual address to Congress and to the people is referred to as the “State of the Union” Address.

5. Confederate States of America (美国南部邦联) Confederate States of America (also Confederacy), name adopted by the federation（联盟）of 11 slaveholding Southern states of the United States that seceded from the Union and were arrayed against the national government during the American Civil War .During 1860 the imports of the South were valued at $331 million; those of the North at $31 million . It was thus obvious that the South was dependent on Europe and on the North for material goods . The lack of resources forced the Confederacy to levy war taxes and borrow heavily on future cotton crops .An inflationary period in 1863 and later government actions almost destroyed the Confederate credit . :

6. Notes to the text: • Ulysses Simpson Grant (1822__1855) was the Union commander in the American Civil War. He outmaneuvered his enemy commanders many times, and finally, in 1865, forced Robert Lee , the supreme commander of the Confederate Army to surrender, thus effectively ending the Civil War. When Lincoln was assassinated, he was elected the 18th president of the U.S. but as president ,his two terms(1869-1877)were marked by an astounding degree of corruption carried on by his friends and associates.

7. Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career U.S. Army officer and a Uniongeneral in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with Lt. Gen.Ulysses S. Grant, who transferred Sheridan from command of an infantry division in the Western Theater to lead the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac in the East.

8. Robert Edward Lee (1807-1870) was Confederacy’s outstanding general in the Civil War .

9. William Tecumseh Sherman(1820---1891) was one of the most famous Civil War generals in the Union Army . he fought many of the bloodiest in the war . But he was probably best remembered for his “march to the sea” _an attempt to destroy the vital supply base of the South. Sherman once said that “War is hell” . after he retired, some Republicans intended to elect him their presidential nominee, but he retuned it down, saying :” If nominated, I will not run, if elected, I will not serve.”

10. An analysis of the text structure • Part 1 (Para.1-7) My disappointment at his father’s showing off which attracted the others in the town. • Part 2 (Para.8-22) Various interesting stories told by my father. • Part 3 (Para.23-25) mother’s understanding and my disgust on father’s irresponsibility when we were broke down. • Part 4 (Para.26-41) final understanding of my father through a swimming experience on a rainy night

11. Reading Comprehension 1. Do you agree that fathers often want their children to be what themselves can not be ? 2. What does the author mean when he says that it also means the other way ? 3. What kind of a father did the author wish to have as a child ? Did his father meet his requirements ? How did he feel about his father at first ? What qualities did his father have that made the author particularly unhappy ? Give examples . 4. What did the father use to do for a living ? Was he a successful businessman ? How did he go broke ? Did the author know why his father gave so much credit ?

12. Word study • to strike : 1)to give somebody a particular impression eg: How did the movie strike you ? Was it good ? • 2)to stop work eg: The right to strike is protected by law

13. remember • Please remember me to your parents.请代我向你父母问候。 • I remember seeing her once.(=I remember that I saw her once.)我记得曾见过她一次。 • Did you remember to feed the animals? 你记着喂牲口了吗？ • Grandfather remembered me in his will. 祖父留下遗嘱，把一部分财产给我。

14. credit • Her credit is good. 她的信用好。 • No credit is given at this shop.这家商店概不赊欠。 • Do you give credit to what the man said? 你相信那人讲的话吗？ • Do not place too much credit in hearsay.不可过于相信道听途说。 • His success brings credit to his family.他的成功使全家增光。

15. cover • She covered the table with a cloth. 她用一块布把桌子罩起来。 • The town covers 5 square miles. 小镇占地5平方英里。 • I want to cover 100 miles by dark. 我想在天黑之前走完100英里。 • The police are covering all road out of town. 警察已监视住出城的所有道路。 • These expenses are covered by the state. 这些费用都由国家负担。

16. Language points • liven up : to make an event more exciting 使活跃，振奋 • eg :They tried to liven up a party.他们努力使晚会气氛活跃一些。 • show up to arrive at a place where some one is waiting for you 赴约，赶到 • eg : I was always asleep when Chris finally showed up.克里斯最终来到时，我几乎睡觉了。 • sympathize with to have sympathy for ,to be sympathetic to 同情，怜悯 • eg : I sympathize with the plight of the homeless.我很同情无家可归者的困境。 • thick with somebody very friendly with somebody 与某人非常友好

17. Paraphrase • 1.  You hear it said that fathers want their sons to be what they feel they can not themselves be, but I tell you it also works the other way. (1) • ---Fathers often want their sons to realize their unfulfilled dreams. It is also true that children have the same demand on their fathers. • 2.   To hear him tell it he’d been in about every battle. (11) • ---If you have heard him tell the story you would think that he has been in about every battle.

18. 3.  ---maybe the woman had dared to sympathize with her. (23) • ---maybe the woman had been rude enough or foolish enough to express sympathy for my mother. • 4. --- he put my hand on his shoulder and struck out in darkness. (34) • ---Father and son struck out into the darkness together, with the boy’s hand on the father’s shoulder. They are swimming together in the pond, but in a symbolic scene, they are also getting ready to fight against heavy odds in life together.

19. Grammar exercises 1. They talked to her for a good hour and tried to persuad4e her to stay on. 2. When she read the book again, she discovered that she had missed a lot in the first reading. 3. Anything that is grown in new ground like this has a better flavor. Rewrite the sentences using participles where possible.

20. Assignment • Write, in essay form, a character sketch of the narrator’s father in about 150 words.

21. For your reference Father • There is an ordinary name for a certain type of man in this world ,that is father. In this article, the narrator’s father was a very nice, popular and magical person. After a period of misunderstanding between the father and son, the boy found out that he really had a respectable father who was loving, talented, powerful, responsible and ready to face the harsh life.

22. The father had a lot of qualities that made him special. Firstly, he had many friends, even including some of the most dignified local celebrities, such as the superintendent of our school. And he was so kind-hearted and generous to his friends that he gave too much credit to them which even made him bankrupt at last. Secondly, he was very responsible for the whole family. After being bankrupt, he usually got something to eat from his farmer friends and brought the food back home. He also thought a lot about his son. He felt ashamed because he had nut been able to give his son what he needed, and he felt worried because he loved his son. Thirdly, he was a natural actor and a born storyteller. He was not a clown or windbag as the boy had thought him to be. He loved people around him, and he could liven up the plain life of the sleepy little town . And his mother was always proud of his father. He was also good at literary creation because of his rich imagination and rare talent. He composed many interesting stories about both himself and the civil war.

23. Father is a nickname for all men. Father is a dream of all men . Father is an honor for all men. Father is the bridge over the streams of water in life . Father is the superman who can help you out when you are in a tight corner. Father is the rainbow which can brighten your darkened sky. So eventually the boy discovered that his own father was so powerful and unique that no one could take place of him.