Short Stories
Short Stories
What is a short story? How is it different
from a novel?
What are the essential features of a short
story?
Literary Terms Grid
Hand out and discuss the grid
First Impressions
• When you form impressions or opinions about
people you first meet, what kinds of things do you
consider: their looks, clothing, where they are, what
they are doing, etc?
• What do you think people consider about you when
they first meet you and form an impression?
• How would you answer the question ‘Who are you?’.
• Is there a symbol: sign, picture, article of clothing,
etc that you believe represents your identity? Would
people know or recognise that symbol as identifying
you?
America
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What is meant by the term inner city?
Could you describe the poorer areas you have
seen in inner cities in American movies?
Who tends to live in the poorer areas?
What activities can some young people tend to
become involved in if they are poor and / or not
well educated?
Why do you think some young people turn to
crime and or join gangs?
What happens to some young people as a
result of this?
On the Sidewalk
Bleeding
Predict what you think this short story might
be about.
1st sentence…
“The Boy lay on the sidewalk
bleeding in the rain.”
Predictions?
Evan Hunter (1926 -2005)
(Né Salvatore Lombino. Also writes as Ed McBain,
Hunt Collins, Richard Marsten, Curt Cannon, Ezra
Hannon; John Abbott)
Best known among crime fiction fans as the creator of
the ground-breaking 87th Precinct police procedural
series, but also managed to contribute to the P.I genre
with Matthew Hope, Ben Smoke, Curt Cannon,
Dudley Sledge and others. But his writings go far
beyond just the crime genre. Under a slew of
pseudonyms, he's written horror, science fiction,
melodrama, westerns and children's books. He's written
short stories, novels, television shows, films and even a
couple of plays, and seen much of his work adapted to
both TV and film. In fact, his first large-scale success
was the film version of his novel The Blackboard
Jungle.
Read the story
• The first reading is to gain an overall
impression of the story only.
• Underline or highlight unknown words
• Listen to the story as it is read aloud to
gain a first impression and listen for
pronunciation, intonation, stress and other
vocal features.
Basic Comprehension
Complete the questions on the worksheet
Character Investigation
When you are asked one of the
questions below please reply as though
you are that person in the short story.
Andy
Why did you join the Royals?
What kind of a future did you hope to have
with Laura?
How did you feel when you realised that
you were dying?
Why did you try so hard to take off your
Royals’ jacket?
Character Investigation
Freddie – Why didn’t you get help for Andy?
Angela – Why wouldn’t you let Freddie help
Andy?
Old Lady – Why didn’t you help Andy
Laura – How did you show that you cared
about Andy?
The Drunk – Why didn’t you do more to help
Andy?
The Cop – How did you react when you saw
Andy? Do you think you were being fair?
Reading for meaning
A story can be read at three different levels
Look at the picture attached
1. What can you see?
2. How does the person or people in the
picture feel?
3. Who or what could be responsible on a
wider level for the situation?
Insert a picture
Andy’s character changes in the
story.
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Write a paragraph showing how and why he
changes.
How did Andy feel about the Royals when he
first joined the gang?
How did Andy feel, at first, about the “rumble”
which was to lead to his death?
How do his feelings towards the gang change
near the end of the story?
Remember the importance of the jacket as a
symbol of the gang.
The writer’s craft
The author’s skill helps us to see
Andy’s death as an individual
tragedy, instead of just another
gang killing. Write a paragraph
showing how the author has used
his skill to gain sympathy for Andy
as an individual.
• How does Evan Hunter gain our sympathy for
Andy?
• Think about the boy’s age, the senselessness of
the stabbing and the boy’s hopes and dreams
which, we know, can never come true.
• Think about the people who could have helped
Andy, but didn’t for a variety of reasons.
• Think about how hard Andy tries to be an
individual again at the end of the short story and
our sadness when he fails.
• Don’t forget to include the feelings of Laura and
the policeman.
Personal Response
‘On The Sidewalk Bleeding’ by Evan
Hunter is an interesting and thought
provoking short story. Write a paragraph
detailing how you feel about the story.
What did you find interesting and why?
• Do you think this story was appropriate for
your age group? Why?
• What aspects of the short story kept you
wanting to read on? (characters, plot,
setting)
• Did you feel that the author wanted to
teach us something about gangs or to give
us a message? If so what was his point?
• Did you feel yourself agreeing with the
author’s point of view?
• Did this short story make you think?
Serious topic
Relevant to our lives
Realistic characters
Humourous drunk
Sympathised with Andy
Appropriate setting in a dingy alley
Policeman’s attitude
Sadness
Desire to be individual
Conflict
Conflict is an important part of any short story.
The short story, “On the Sidewalk Bleeding,”
contains three major conflicts: man vs. man,
man vs. nature, and man vs. himself. The most
obvious and simplest struggle in “On the
Sidewalk Bleeding” is man vs. man. “He [Andy]
had been stabbed ten minutes ago. The knife
had entered just below his rib cage and had
been drawn across his body violently, tearing a
wide gap in his flesh.” This line describes the
physical conflicts in “On the Sidewalk Bleeding.”
Andy’s struggle with the Guardians involves
several fights and rumbles in the past…
Conflict is commonly used in writing. It is a very
valuable tool when trying to bring tension, or
suspense to a story. It helps make a story more
interesting, and can suck a reader in. Evan Hunter
portrays three of the different conflicts in the story
‘On The Sidewalk Bleeding’. These three ways are
man against man, man against society, and man
against self. In this story man against man would
probably be the part when Andy was attacked by one
of the Guardians, which was a rival gang. Andy was
a Royal, and was despised by any Guardian. The
Guardian had attacked Andy when he left a dance to
go buy cigarettes. “ The knife had entered just below
his rib cage and had been drawn across his body
violently, tearing a wide gap in his flesh.” Human
against society is represented when the people
found Andy and they did not help him. First a
drunken man found Andy. The drunken man asked
Andy why he was laying on the ground, but Andy
didn’t answer. The man thought that Andy was drunk
too, and thought that he might call a cop.
Talking Points
Handout sheets and discuss
Critical Essay
Choose a short story which you found
interesting because a character changed
his/her ideas and/or opinions towards the
end of the story.
• A brief account of the story
• An explanation of how and why your chosen
character changed
• An examination of how the author used his/her
skills to present the character, and his/her story,
in an interesting way
• Your personal opinions about the story