Unit 12 “Take Over, Bos’n!”Teaching plan综合教程三

Unit 12 “Take Over, Bos’n!”Teaching PointsBy the end of this unit, you are supposed to :1) grasp the author’s purpose of writing2) make clear the structure of the whole passage through anintensive reading of Text I “Take Over, Bos’n!”3) comprehend Text I thoroughly

Teaching Procedures1) lead-in activities2) cultural background3) Text analysis4) structural analysis5) language study6) Exercises

Topics for discussion1) Can you imagine the feeling of the survivors of a shipwreckwho are drifting on the sea waiting to be rescued? Whatmenace do you think they have to face?2) What do you think is the relationship between crewmen on aship? Is there any difference between their relationship andthat of “land” people?

Cultural BackgroundId, Ego and Super-ego (proposed by Sigmund Freud)

Id, ego and super-ego are the three parts of human :the impulsive, child-like portion of the psyche that operates onthe “pleasure principle”only taking into account what it wants and disregards allconsequencesSuper-ego:working in contradiction to the idstriving to act in a socially appropriate manner, whereas the idjust wants instant self-gratificationEgo:acting according to the reality principle, i.e. it seeks to pleasethe id’s drive in realistic ways that will benefit in the long termrather than bringing griefattempting to exact a balance between the impracticalhedonism of the id and the equally impractical moralism of thesuper-egothe part of the psyche that is usually reflected most directly ina person’s actionsSignificance:Being aware of these parts of human psyche can help us betterunderstand ourselves. For example, once our instinct (id) drives us todo something unethical, the super-ego will run counter to this attemptby relating to social morals. The result of this is the ego of us presentedbefore the public, balanced by two forces.

Reflect yourselves to see if these concepts make sense.

Text I

“Take Over, Bos’n!”Oscar Schisgall

Global ReadingI. Text AnalysisIt is a short story, and the characters in it are mired in a toughsituation. When one’s existence is threatened, most probably thehidden animal in our nature might jump out. It is up to us to decidewhether we would let loose our evil nature or resort to somethingmore powerful to conquer this intent. In this short story, the authoroffers us a possible solution for what we should resort to — ourcommitment to a certain post, i.e. our responsibility for people underour leadership. When the divine half of our self is at the risk of beingoverwhelmed by the beast half or the bright side of our human natureis at the risk of being overshadowed by the dark side, this kind ofcommitment or responsibility might have the power to ennoble thehuman spirit and prevent us from being merely beastly. The ending ofthe story is quite an idealistic one: when “I” passed the responsibilityon to Barrett, the beast in his body suddenly receded or fell tamedunder its charm, the consequence of which was that all men weremiraculously rescued before any beastlike deeds were committed. Itshows the author’s good wish as well as his optimistic view of humannature in critical situations.

II. Structural Analysis1) In terms of organization, the article clearly falls into three mainparts:The first part (Paragraphs1-2) is the introductory part of the story, andit leaves certain suspense for readers to carry second part (Paragraphs3-23) the author narrates and describesin detail the desperate situation they were in and the responsibility

Snyder third part (Paragraphs24-28) is the end of the story.2) In the story, we perceive the turn of Jeff Barrett:a strong and dangerous man, a constant threat to the hope ofthe survivors on the lifeboat→ the person to keep the order and protect the water when Snyderwas asleepThe author wants to convey that how a sense of responsibilitycould be aroused by one’s position.

III. Rhetorical FeaturesRhetorical devices used in the story — the extensive employment ofphrases, either independently or dependently: ①There wasn’t much in it after twenty days. Maybe a pint.(Paragraph 4) — used to make the information contained in theprevious sentence more concrete②Jeff Barrett was the nearest one. A constant threat. (Paragraph 9) —a sort of appositiveDependent Phrases (placed immediately after a ①They’d stopped that long ago, too weak to go on. (Paragraph 7)— a further explanation of the previous sentence②The bos’n’s mate was a heavy man, bald, with a scarred and brutalface. (Paragraph 9)--a prepositional phrase which further describesthe man

Detailed ReadingQuestions1. Do you think Snyder could control the situation? (Paragraphs 1-2)No. This was a situation of confrontation of one versus nine. Atpresent Snyder was in control because he had the gun, but consideringthe fact that he hadn’t slept for seventy-two hours and was already halfasleep, he could hardly hold on. If he should ever doze off, he wouldeasily find himself on the losing side.2. What was the cause of the confrontation? (Paragraphs 3-23)

After drifting on the sea for twenty days, the ten survivors of a shipwreckage were dying from thirst. The only canteen left gave them thehope to keep on. Knowing their hope would evaporate once the lastdrop of water was gone, Snyder, the man in command, was pointinghis gun at these thirsty men to prevent them from taking their the other men, not realizing his well-meant will, were glaring atthe water, ready to spring up at every minute, take hold of it and gulpit down.3. Why did Snyder insist that they wait till night for the last few dropsof water? (Paragraphs 3-23)According to Snyder, the water drunk in the sun would be sweated outvery fast, but if it were taken down at night, it would last longer.4. What made Barrett give up his chance of drinking the water?(Paragraphs 24-28)Barrett explained that he was given the responsibility to take othersout of danger when Snyder handed him the gun and said, “Take over,bos’n.” Once given the authority, he would learn to view things from adifferent angle.

Text IIWarGorge Santayana

Lead-in QuestionsSome people love playing on-line games about fighting, some enjoywatching war movies; why do you think things with “war” as a themeare so fascinating to certain groups of people? Is it a “safe” way to letloose people’s nature?

Main idea

Notes1. About the author and the text George Santayana was born inMadrid in 1863 and went to the United States at the age of nine. He

went to Harvard and King’s College, Cambridge. He returned toHarvard where he was professor of philosophy from 1907 to 1912. Heis also a poet. His works include Sonnets and Other Verses, The Senseof Beauty, Interpretations of Poetry and Religion, The Life of Reason,Three Philosophical Poets, Winds of Doctrine. The text is taken fromLittle Essays.2. To fight for a reason and in a calculating spirit issomething your true warrior despites … (Paragraph 1) A truewarrior won’t fight for a reason and he prefers to fight in an open andabove board manner …3. If fighting were not a possible means of livelihood thebellicose instinct could never have established itself in anylong-lived race. (Paragraph 1) There is the instinct that makes oneenjoy fighting in any long-lived race, which indicates the fact thatfighting is a possible means of livelihood.4. Then, perhaps, in some other virgin country a genuinehumanity is again found, capable of victory becauseunblemished by war. (Paragraph 2) It is then possible that in somecountry in a natural state there live people with genuine kind andsympathetic attitude toward each other who care capable of victorybecause there is no fighting among them.5. To cal war the soil of courage and virtue is like callingdebauchery the soil of love.

(Paragraph 2) To consider war as thesoil of courage is as wrong as considering debauchery as the soil oflove.

Additional notes1. an ulterior and blessed circumstance (Para. 1) a rare andunrealistic luck.2. panegyrists of war (Para. 2) people who write or speak infavor of war.3. modern nations are descended from slaves (Para. 2) Asa result of war killing off the best of former generations,modern generations are the offspring of the inferior survivors.4. the unmutilated race, fresh from the struggle with

nature (Para. 2) the people that has long been free of theharms of war, yet made fit by its fight for survival against theforces of nature5. that dreaming nature (Para. 4) the unreasonable, or blind,or mad state of humanity.

Questions for Discussion1. Why is it that to fight is a radical instinct?2. Why do we say that this shameless assertion is wrong that without aperiodical bleeding a race decays and loses its manhood?3. What is the original sin from which flows every other wrong?4. How do you explain the phenomena of finding joy in another’strouble and of finding joy in one’s own trouble?

Key to Questions for Discussion1. It is a radical instinct because it is inherent in human nature, for ifmen have nothing else to fight over they may fight over words, whims,notions, fancies, or women.2. Experience shows that war causes numerous disasters and endlesssufferings, for it wastes a nation’s wealth, chokes its industries, kills itsflower, narrows its sympathies, condemns it to be governed byadventurers, and leaves the puny, deformed, unmanly to breed thenext generation.3. The glories of war are all blood-stained , delirious and infected withcrime. The existence of such a contradiction in the moral world is theoriginal sin of nature from which flows every other wrong.4. To derive pleasure from another’s trouble is natural but wicked, andto deriver pleasure from one’s won trouble is rare but possible.

Memorable Quotes

Force without judgment falls of its own weight.

— Horace

It is unfair to blame man too fiercely for being pugnacious; he learned

the habit from nature.

— Christopher Morley

Keep violence in the mindWhere it belongs.

— Brian AldissHorace (65 BC-8 BC), was the leading Roman lyric poet during thetime of Augustus. Horace is generally considered to stand alongsideVirgil and Ovid as one of the greatest poets of the Augustan Age.

Christopher Morley (May 5, 1890-March 28, 1957) was an Americanjournalist, novelist, essayist and poet. He also produced stageproductions for a few years and gave college lectures. Author of morethan 100 novels, books of essays, and volumes of poetry, Morley isprobably best known for his 1939 novel Kitty Foyle, which was madeinto an Academy Award-winning movie. Another well-known work isThunder on the Left (1925).Brian Wilson Aldiss, (born 18 August 1925) is an English author ofboth general fiction and science fiction. Greatly influenced by sciencefiction pioneer H. G. Wells, Aldiss is a vice-president of theinternational H. G. Wells Society. His influential works include theshort story Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, the basis for theStanley Kubrick-developed Steven Spielberg film A.I. ArtificialIntelligence.

Questions for Discussion1. If a person lets loose of his nature thoughtlessly, what would bethe outcome? Illustrate some examples.2. How should we deal with our nature?