The Open Boat By Stephen Crane Lost in the Fog – a game of trust! Scenario: The ship is in a thick fog without radar. The coastguard must talk to the captain by ‘radio’ and attempt to guide them safely through the hazards and into the ‘harbour’. Choose a partner: One person becomes the ship’s captain, the other becomes the coastguard. • The coastguard must talk to the captain by ‘radio’ and guide the ship to safety. • The ship’s captain must keep his eyes closed. No peeking please! Use phrases such as: Go forward Stop Turn left/right Straight ahead A bit further Careful If you were ‘blind’ during that starter activity, please come up to the whiteboard and write adjectives that describe how it made you feel The Open Boat is about…. “The Open Boat” conveys a feeling of loneliness that comes from man's understanding that he is alone in the universe and insignificant in its workings. Underneath the men's and narrator's collective rants at fate and the universe is the fear of nothingness. It’s about feeling vulnerable and alone A summary of the story https://www.youtube.com /watch?v=jSZnQllAunQ Write down the title of the story in your book and write your connotations of ‘open’ around the word ‘open’ EXPOSED OPEN The epigraph ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ had an epigraph too. They are sometimes used to add to a reader’s understanding and appreciation of what they are about to read. What does the epigraph to this story suggest? Why might it add to our appreciation of the story? Reading and annotating….. Plenary In your book, write down any questions that you have about what we have read so far The Open Boat L.O: To analyse Crane’s language Starter activity: Which of these images could be considered a symbol in the story and why? The Open Boat The boat could symbolise human life and life’s uncertainties as it is open and unprotected The sea could symbolise… Starter activity: Which of these images could be considered a symbol in the story and why? The lighthouse could symbolise….. What is a correspondent and oiler? A correspondent is a journalist (it isn’t clear why he is on the boat) An oiler (also known as a "greaser") is a worker whose main job is to oil machinery. What is a correspondent and oiler? A correspondent is a journalist (it isn’t clear why he is on the boat) An oiler (also known as a "greaser") is a worker whose main job is to oil machinery. Some people believe the correspondent is actually the narrator of the story! What do you think? Reading and annotating for 15 minutes HOMEWORK You will get your essays back next lesson and will be expected to complete DIRT time to demonstrate you understand how to improve. Therefore: HOMEWORK: Finish reading ‘The Open Boat’ for Monday 25th February. Write a brief summary of each section of the short story in your book Update your tension graph that we drew yesterday and include another appropriate quotation Crane’s writing style – copy and complete Writing style Quotation Effect on reader (what does it enable us to imagine or understand?) Literary techniques used within the quotation Realism (a way of depicting events in a realistic manner) Naturalism ( how an environment can shape a person’s character) Impressionism (the visual impression of the moment, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and colour.) Use of pronoun ‘she’ Anthropomorphism The Open Boat L.O: To analyse Crane’s language Improve your work 10 minutes to finish from last week In your exercise book, write the heading ‘DIRT time’ and use a green pent. You are now expected to rewrite a large section of your assessment that includes the corrections and improvements that will ensure that next time you get a better grade. When you have finished, annotate what you have written and show me what you have done to improve your work What is the difference between anthropomorphism and personification? Anthropomorphism: the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object. Personification: the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something nonhuman. They are REALLY similar! There is a slight difference between these two. Personification is an act of giving human characteristics to non-sentient objects to create imagery, while anthropomorphism aims to make an animal or god or object behave and appear like it is a human being. Did you finish reading the story? Team quiz: your table is your team so think up a team name The Quiz 1. What item of food does the cook start thinking about in chapter 5? The Quiz 1. What item of food does the cook start thinking about in chapter 5? 2. What does the correspondent see at the end of chapter 5 in the sea while everyone else sleeps? The Quiz 1. What item of food does the cook start thinking about in chapter 5? 2. What does the correspondent see at the end of chapter 5 in the sea while everyone else sleeps? 3. In chapter 6 the correspondent remembers a poem about death: true or false? The Quiz 1. What item of food does the cook start thinking about in chapter 5? 2. What does the correspondent see at the end of chapter 5 in the sea while everyone else sleeps? 3. In chapter 6 the correspondent remembers a poem about death: true or false? 4. Why do you think they need to keep the boat out to sea in chapter 6? The Quiz 1. What item of food does the cook start thinking about in chapter 5? 2. What does the correspondent see at the end of chapter 5 in the sea while everyone else sleeps? 3. In chapter 6 the correspondent remembers a poem about death: true or false? 4. Why do you think they need to keep the boat out to sea in chapter 6? 5. In chapter 7, they decide to jump into the water – is it cold or warm? What month is it? The Quiz 1. What item of food does the cook start thinking about in chapter 5? 2. What does the correspondent see at the end of chapter 5 in the sea while everyone else sleeps? 3. In chapter 6 the correspondent remembers a poem about death: true or false? 4. Why do you think they need to keep the boat out to sea in chapter 6? 5. In chapter 7, they decide to jump into the water – is it cold or warm? What month is it? 6. Billie dies. What was his job? Swap answers with another group and mark them The Quiz - answers 1. What item of food does the cook start thinking about in chapter 5? PIE 2. What does the correspondent see at the end of chapter 5 in the sea while everyone else sleeps? A SHARK 3. In chapter 6 the correspondent remembers a poem about death: true or false? TRUE 4. Why do you think they need to keep the boat out to sea in chapter 6? THEY ARE TIRED AND DON’T HAVE THE ENERGY TO SWIM ASHORE AND NEED TO SLEEP TO GET READY 5. In chapter 7, they decide to jump into the water – is it cold or warm? What month is it? IT’S ICY COLD BECAUSE IT IS JANUARY 6. Billie dies. What was his job? HE WAS THE OILER Crane’s writing style – copy and complete Writing style Quotation Effect on reader (what does it enable us to imagine or understand?) Literary techniques used within the quotation Realism (a way of depicting events in a realistic manner) Naturalism ( how an environment can shape a person’s character) Impressionism (the visual impression of the moment, especially in terms of the shifting effect of light and colour.) Use of pronoun ‘she’ Anthropomorphism Annotating the text – chapter 6 Find the following and explain the effect: 1: Why is the line ‘if I am going to be drowned…’ repeated throughout the story? 2: Find a quotation in chapter VI that demonstrates they have realised nature regards human life as insignificant 3: Why do you think the poem was included in chapter 6? Chapter 7 1: ‘this tower was a giant…..but she was indifferent, flatly indifferent.’ do the men realise that is no God who cares about them? 2: How might Darwin’s ‘survival of the fittest’ apply to what happens at the end of the story? With a partner, find quotations that link to the following themes: Brotherhood Man’s insignificance to the universe Mortality Loneliness THEMES Determination Nature’s indifference towards man Strength and skill Differing Perspectives – they all experience what happens in the boat differently… The correspondent The oiler The captain The cook Task: are you able to find examples of where their perspectives are put forward? Whose perspective comes out most frequently? Challenge question: What is this teaching the reader about life in general? Differing Perspectives – they all experience what happens in the boat differently… The correspondent ‘the waves were most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall’ (if we assume he is the narrator) The oiler The captain ‘there don’t seem to be any signs of life about your house of refuge’ The cook ‘none of them knew the color of the sky’ The central message is that nobody truly knows anything as everybody has their own version of events and what reality is. We all (like the characters) live within our own version of reality. The reader will therefore never truly know what the experience on the boat was like Challenge question: What is this teaching the reader about life in general?
