Unit 6 The Diary of the Unknown Soldier Teaching plan综合教程二
Unit 6 The Diary of the Unknown Soldier Teaching Objectives
1)To help students to get to know soldiers’ experiences in WWII;
2)To help students to get to know the Second World War;
3)To help students to learn to analyze the text;
4)To help students to learn the language in this text;
5)To help students to develop oral English ability and communicative
competence.
Teaching Procedures
6)Lead-in activities
7)Cultural Backgrounds
8)Text analysis
9)Structural analysis
10)Language study
11)Exercises
Lead-in Activities
1. Lead-in Questions:
1). Have you seen any war film?
2). Can you describe the cruelties of war from the eyes of a soldier?
3). Can you guess what question a soldier would as about war before he was killed? 2. Group discussion
1) What can we benefit from a diary?
2) What I would be like if I were in the WWII?
Cultural information
1. Quotes
The real and lasting victories are those of peace, and not of war.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. World War II
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global military conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945 which involved most of the world’s nations, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, with more than 100 million military personnel mobilized. In a state of ―total war‖, the major participants placed their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities at the service of the war effort, erasing the distinction between civilian and military resources. Marked by significant action against civilians, including the Holocaust and the only use of nuclear weapons in warfare, it was the deadliest conflict in human history, and it has been estimated that it resulted in fifty million to over seventy million fatalities.
The war is generally accepted to have begun on 1 September 1939, with the invasion
of Poland by Nazi Germany and subsequent declarations of war on Germany by France and most of the countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth. China and Japan were already at war by this date, whereas other countries that were not initially involved joined the war later in response to events such as the German invasion of the Soviet Union and the Japanese attacks on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and on British overseas colonies, which triggered declarations of war on Japan by the United States, the British Commonwealth, and the Netherlands.
The war ended with the total victory of the Allies over Germany and Japan in 1945. World War II left the political alignment and social structure of the world significantly changed. While the United Nations was established to foster international cooperation and prevent future conflicts, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next forty-six years. Meanwhile, the acceptance of the principle of self-determination accelerated decolonization movements in Asia and Africa, while Western Europe began moving toward economic recovery and increased political integration.
Text I
The Diary of the Unknown Soldier
Global Reading
I. Text analysis
1.What do the three entries of the diary have in common?
The three entries have two thematic topics in common, one being the horrible scenes of the war that the writer witnessed, and the other being the writer’s strong love for, and emotional attachment to his family. These two themes recur in all three entries.
2.What particular situation or context does each entry have? And how is this particular
situation related to the common thematic topics in these three entries?
In the first entry, the writer describes how he felt and feared under German air raids. This led him to speculate about the difficulties and problems his family might be undergoing back in America.
In the second entry, the writer describes his reflections on the justification of wars. The sight of a teenage girl and the grim condition in a small European town made him recall his dear daughters and family.
The third entry was dated on Christmas Eve and about the approaching death.
The writer’s only wish was that someone could return the diary to his family.
II. Structural analysis
Diary writing is a unique type of writing in that it is not structured in a pre-planned way as are other types of writing. In a diary entry, the writer’s pen simply follows the flow of his thoughts. In other words, a piece of diary writing is usually ―structured‖by the author’s free associations between the present, the past, and the future, or between the reality and the imagination, or between the actual happenings and the author’s feelings.
Detailed Reading
The first entry
Paragraph 1
Questions:
Why did the unknown soldier’s heart ache?
Because everywhere around him he saw piles of rubbles where houses used to stand and those who had once lived happily inside the houses now lost their lives, vigor and hope.
Paragraph 2
Questions:
Why did the author say he was lucky at the end of the paragraph? (Paragraph 2)
He was knocked into a trench in the air raid and thereby avoided being detected by the enemy plane circling overhead, so he thought he was a lucky survivor.
Paragraphs 3-4:
Questions:
1. How did the author describe the aftermath of the explosion? (Paragraph 3)
The author said in his diary ―it was a sea of blood‖ after the explosions.
2. What thought came into his mind even though he survived the bombing? What made
him give up the thought? (Paragraph 3)
Thoughts of suicide entered his head, but the strong desire to go back home to see his darling daughters and beloved wife made him give up this idea, he decided that he must go on living this nightmare.
The second entry
Paragraph 1
Questions:
Was the author in a critical situation when he wrote his second diary entry?
Yes. His K-rations were running low. His joints were frozen stiff and his ammunition has been used up. However, there was news that the Axis powers were sending troops to his location in a month.
Paragraph 2
Questions:
How did the sight of a young girl in the small European town stir the author’s feelings?
The author passed a girl of no more than twelve or thirteen when he was performing his routine watch. He couldn’t help thinking about his two daughters. He felt heart-broken and broke into tears, wondering if he would return home and see his family. He would give anything to see them, even if it was for five minutes.
The third entry
Paragraph 1
Questions:
What was the author’s earnest wish when he was faced with his approaching death?
He wished, with all his heart and soul, that he could be home, getting together with his wife and children, waiting for Christmas morning to come, enjoying the peace at home and the happiness of reunion.
Text II
Life Goes On
In remembrance of a soldier, who died in action at Ypres
Joana Cruddas
Lead-in Questions
1. Have you ever visited any places in memorial of soldiers or citizens who died in war?
2. What impressed you most while being there? How do you feel about the place?
Main ideas
The author impressed the reader with the cruelty of war mainly being specific about the great numbers of the soldiers and animals lost in the war. From these figures the reader can easily imagine how many civilians were killed.
The idea ―Life Goes on‖ is mainly expressed in the first and the last paragraphs. In the first paragraph the author describes the tall and defiant towers of St. Martin’s Cathedral and the Cloth Hall and tell us that ―the Flemish city has been invaded nineteen times‖ in her history, which suggests that the evil will never be able to conquer the good. In the last paragraph, the author mentions, ―this daily moment of solemnity passes quickly. Ypres is preparing for the annual Festival of the Cats‖, which tells us that life is sweet and that, whatever happens, sweet life goes on.
Notes
1. … stand tall and defiant above Ypres, Belgium. (Paragraph 1): Ypres is a town of West Flanders, Belgium, the scene of some of the bitterest fighting of the First World War. Flanders is a region in the southwestern part of the Low Countries (the region of northwestern Europe, comprising the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg), now divided between Belgium, France and the Netherlands. It was the scene of prolonged fighting during the First World War. Here the word ―defiant,‖which means ―challenging boldly,‖ points to the heroic spirit of the people of the small town which had been invaded so many times.
2. if anything (Paragraph 5): a phrase you use to introduce something that strengthens or changes
the meaning of what you have just said
e.g.It certainly wasn’t an improvement. We were, if anything, worse off than before.
She didn’t seem upset about losing her job. If anything, she seemed very happy.
3. Commonwealth(Paragraph 6): a free association of Britain and certain sovereign independent
states, formerly the colonies of the British Empire and their dependencies
4. sets the scene (Paragraph 7): prepares the way or creates the conditions in which an event is
likely to happen
e.g. The unjust agreement set the scene for another war.
The scene is set for a tragedy.
5. We already are. (Paragraph 8): We are already imagining what it was like.
6. He died that we might live … (Paragraph 12): He died so that we might live …
7.Führer (Paragraph 16): a German word which means ―leader.‖Here it refers to Adolf Hitler after he came to power. It is normally translated as ―元首‖ .
8. My knowledge of history is put to shame. (Paragraph 16): I feel ashamed of my poor knowledge of history.
9. Downing Street(Paragraph 17): the street in Westminster in London, where the prime minister
and the Chancellor of the Exchequer have their official residences
10. Buckingham Palace (Paragraph 19): the official residence in London of the British sovereign
11. Lord Kitchener(Paragraph 19): (1850–1956) British field marshal. As war
minister from 1914 to 1916, he mobilized the British Army in World War I.
12. John McCrae (Paragraph 20): (1872–1918) a World War I poet. He is remembered
for what is probably the single best-known and popular poem ―In Flanders Fields‖published in 1919.
Questions for discussion
1. The article is a brief account of the author’s visit to Ypres, which is chronologically organized. She was taken to a number of places by the local tourist guide. Now try to pick out the spots she visited, and then tell what historic significance each of them has.
2. How does the passage impress the reader with the cruelty of war?
3. How do you think the author felt when she was taken to the German cemetery?
4. In what way is the title ―Life Goes On‖ illustrated by the author?
Key to questions for discussion
1. First spot: Reservoir Cemetery, where the author’s uncle Peter Cruddas and hundreds of other soldiers were buried.
Second spot: the Menin Gate. The names of 55,000 missing soldiers are engraved on its walls.
Third spot: the Hooge Crater Museum.
Fourth spot: Bethlehem Farm. The smallest cemetery, holding 44 graves.
Fifth spot: Tyne Cot. The largest British cemetery.
Sixth spot: a Belgian cemetery.
Seventh spot: the Langemark Cemetery, a German cemetery.
Last spot: the Pool of Peace, a large crater created by an explosion.
2. The author impresses the reader with the cruelty of war mainly by being specific about the great
numbers of the soldiers and animals lost in the war —about 250,000 dead bodies
buried in just one of the 75 cemeteries (Paragraph 6), 55,000 soldiers were missing and half a million horses and mules were lost (Paragraph 7). From these figures the reader can easily imagine how many people were killed.
3. How she felt at that moment is not explicitly described in the article, but most probably she had
mixed feelings at that moment, a mixture of hatred and sympathy. She hated the Germans for the destruction they brought to the world, but she might also sympathize with the German soldiers, who were also victims of the war.
4. This idea is mainly expressed in the first and the last paragraph. In the first paragraph
the author describes the ―tall and defiant‖towers of St. Martin’s Cathedral and the Cloth Hall and tells us
that ―the Flemish city has been invaded nineteen times‖ in her history, which suggests that the evil can never conquer the good, and the unjust never the just. In the last paragraph, the author mentions ―this daily moment of solemnity passes quickly. Ypres is preparing for the annual Festival of the Cats‖, which tells us that life is sweet and that, whatever happens, sweet life goes on.
Memorable Quotes
What are the harmful effects of war? Read the following quotes and find the answer.
Guidance: Terrorism, nuclear weapons, wars between or within nations still threat world security. President Obama mentioned in his speech for winning 2009 Nobel Peace Prize that ―… the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. And yet this truth must coexist with another —that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy‖, which indicates that we are still far from a world without war, and we still need to strive for the war.
1. There never was a good war, or a bad peace.
— Benjamin Franklin
Paraphrase: The war is always bad, and the peace is forever good.
2. War is the greatest plague that can afflict humanity;
it destroys religion, it destroys states, it destroys
families. Any scourge is preferable to it.
— Martin Luther
Paraphrase: War is the greatest disaster that can bring harm and suffering to humanity; it destroys religion, it destroys countries, it destroys families. No other disaster would cause as much damage as the war does.