Englisch Kolloquium Abitur PDF

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Englisch Abitur Kolloquium Bayern Zusammenfassung...

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Englisch Kolloquium

11/2 1. Short Stories II (Schwerpunkt) Vocabulary: Action/plot: the structure of an action with its special arrangements of facts Introduction/exposition: In order: to set the action going/to suggest the theme/to sketch the background Climax: moment of highest tension Solution/denouement: ending Point of view: relation of the narrator to the story -

First person narrator: tells his own story Observer/Limited narrator: a character tells story which he has observed, he/she might be a major or minor character, story is told from the third person point of view Narrator knows everything about his characters (omniscient narrator): story is told from the third person pov

Definition The short story is a fictitious narrative in prose, shorter and less complex than the novel. It centers around one incident in the lives of a limited number of characters, which is often revealed as an unusual incident. - focuses interest on the revelation of characters or on the course of events - organises characters and action into a simple plot - presents aspects of character at some single moment of crisis or at a decisive moment of conflict in their lives - presents an encounter o characters or a clash of characters - focuses on a single turning-point or a surprising reversal, from which the action develops in a new direction - often confined to one setting - covers in detail only a short period of time - details are usually subordinate to a single effect, the short story has a unity of action - conciseness of style - told in a language highly charged with meaning and suggestion - characterised by a union of ideas and structure - builds up suspense towards the end, it creates the denouement - may be framed - may have: an abrupt beginning/ an immediate beginning, an abrupt ending, a trick/surprise/open ending

The history of the short story - goes back to the roots of human civilisation - as we know it today, it is a product of the 19th century -> rapid spread of newspapers and magazines -> competition forced writers to adapt a catchy style - influenced by Edgar A. Poe -> first to realise the limited time span of human attention -> invented the detective story, poem “The Raven” Structure

Lamb to the Slaughter – Roald Dahl Plot + atmosphere - husband Patrick comes home to his wife Mary Maloney -> she is very happy to see him and to take care of him -> he is rather cold and repellent - atmosphere in the beginning: clean, fresh, to please herself, tranquil, soft, placid, blissful, cozy, nice, warm, lovely, comfortable -> elements of harmony in the beginning (description of the home → on the surface: peaceful, loving home) - but: some disturbing elements: “Hullo“ to greet each other; Whiskey to calm her husband down, she doesn’t show any excitement when waiting for her husband → change in atmosphere: elements of harmony are now mixed with elements of aggression and rudeness → husband uses „Killing“ phrases and signals that he rejects Mary‘s loving concern. He has a lot of alcohol, she treats him as if he were the pregnant partner, caring for him. -> She feels frightened -> changes into anxiety, aggression, cold, fear, death -> elements of harmony have almost completely disappeared. A key-sentence is “It wasn’t till then that she began to get frightened.” (l. 57). It prepares the climax (l.91) “brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head.” - he tells her he cheated on her (l. 61) and wants to leave her, she is pregnant -> tries to stay calm, prepares dinner, goes to the store to get a frozen piece of lamb -> realises her situation when she comes back

- Mary Maloney kills her husband Patrick with a leg of lamb; hits him at the back of his head -> murder/manslaughter - she knows how to destroy evidence because her husband was a policeman - after his death she is extremely cold-hearted -> she puts the lamb in the oven, goes to a shop to get an alibi -> when she comes back, she calls the police and actually acts, as if she just found him - they can’t find the murder weapon, detectives come and eat lamb (murder weapon) → destroyed evidence, and one says it might be “just under their noses” -> Mary giggles → lost her mind? -> She comes away with it -> the perfect murder -> open ending, she might have gone crazy Effect: 1) How does the atmosphere created on the first pages contribute to the effect of the story? Decay of harmony in the three distinct stages helps the reader to sympathize with Mary Maloney – the reader either comes to accept the murder as something the husband deserves (no disgust, no disbelief, no indignation) or may have a feeling of being disturbed -> reader is manipulated 2) From whose point is the story told? 3rd person limited narrator. Mary Maloney’s perspective: the reader follows her all the way 3) How are legal and moral aspects dealt with? The author is not concerned with justice, but with the “effect” (Only Mary’s thoughts!) 4) How does the story differ from the crossword-puzzle type story (classic detective story)? No real, clever detective. Case is not solved in the end. No puzzle for the reader. Only one victim – no serial killer. Probably second-degree murder. 5) What is the intended effect? A crime is committed. The author plays on the reader’s knowledge of the genre (e.g. alibis are checked, search for the murder weapon as the most valuable step towards detection) But: does not gratify the reader’s desire for justice and order or the reader’s passion for truth. Does not raise the classic question, who did it. Aim: surprise, shock (?), black humour (the police eat and destroy the evidence they have spent hours looking for) + punch line (l. 254) 6) What is the function of the title? Does not spoil the surprise ending. Mentions two basic elements: (leg of) lamb and slaughter 7) Could the readers be disappointed by the ending of the story? Open ending: a) she might get away with the crime b) she might have gone crazy c) she might still be caught (and treated leniently in court) -> does not leave much room for disappointment

Water (Fred Leebron) 1st person narrator: -

Has lost his girl to his former friend from whom he even watered the flowers Still has the key to his apartment

“He” Narrator’s former friend

Lovers

“She” Previous lover of narrator, has betrayed him, is with her new lover What is the narrator doing and thinking? What does he hope for? a) Doing: - Cleaning his own apartment (“our apartment”) as his girl has left him for another man - Goes to his former friend’s apartment where he turns on the gas stove (without lighting it) -> hopes for an explosion when they will be back and light their cigarettes b) Thinking: - Imagines what the new couple is doing How does the narrator feel towards the man? Hates him and defies him: states that he is such a bad lover that all his previous girls have rather turned into lesbians than getting involved with a man again. Fury: short sentences (SPO). What metaphors/symbols does the author use? What is their effect? - “the air smells of autumn, burnt” -> after the explosion! He watered the flowers in summer! (when everything was fine) Ashtray! - “Flock of geese” -> symbol of true love/partnership for life - “birds are leading each other” -> they can still trust each other. River: Symbol of life (his previous life – his friend’s new life) Title: Water Fire Watering the flowers -> key, access to the flat A Day’s Wait by Ernest Hemingway Central theme: living and dying Contrast between “inside/home” and “outside” (with reference to the central theme: Home: caring, loving, warm house, life, safety

Outside: killing, hunting, cold, death, danger Short story characteristics: abrupt ending/beginning, clash of characters, short period of time, boy has a crisis/decisive moment Plot: - Schatz is a 9-year-old boy who gets the flu and has high fever one winter night - it is considered only a mild case and the doctor leaves medicine for the boy - the doctor tells the father that the boy’s temperature is 102 degrees -> causes the perceived conflict and misunderstanding between the boy and his father - Schatz is put to bed and his father maintains a steady watch over him, reading from a book - but he seems unusually detached and when his father suggests that he should get some sleep, the boy refuses -> father thinks his son behaves strange. - son wants his father to leave and asks him “if it bothers him” - thinking that they boy is simply a bit light-headed, the father leaves the room and takes the family dog for a walk along the frozen creek - dog flushes a covey of quail and he father kills several before returning from the hunt -> finds Schatz still white-faced at the foot of the bed - after the father takes Schatz’s temperature, the boy demands to know what it was -> “something like a hundred”, the father responds, although it is still above 102 - once again he reads to his son, but he sees that Schatz is not paying attention, so he stops - the boy suddenly asks “About what time do you think I’m going to die?” -> father is shocked and surprised -> son asks again -> father tells him all will be okay and calls it silly talk - but then Schatz explains that he learned from his classmates in France that a fever over 44 degrees is fatal -> father realizes that his son has spent the whole day waiting to die - explains to the boy that the two countries use different thermometers and measurements of temperature -> the boy visibly relaxes - story ends with the father noting how the boy had lost his hold over himself the next day -> cried very easily Analysis - theme of fear, courage, responsibility, isolation, confusion, acceptance , control, misunderstanding, heroism (expressed through the boy’s behaviour: is ill, going to die -> while fighting his fear and illness he’s trying to protect his family (doesn’t let his relatives in his room) -> brave and courageous, even though he is only 9 - the boy is misled by false information about his physical condition which causes a day of mental torment - main theme: family relations, particularly misunderstanding -> boy means his death when he suggests his father to leave the room if it bothers him, father says that STAYING with his son doesn’t bother him, they talk to each other and don’t understand each other as they were speaking different languages

- main idea: fatal misunderstanding between a parent and a child -> live together and communicate with each other, but don’t understand each other -> causes a lot of mental suffering for the boy -> makes their relations incomplete - description of weather and landscape -> very important (symbolic character) -> symbol of fire and winter (cold weather) expresses two opposite ideas – life and death -> boy is comfortable and safe inside of the house, father goes outside for a walk (description of the landscape, ground is covered with ice -> there seems to be a barrier, wall between the father and the nature -> the same in the relations with his son -> he can see that something is wrong with the boy but he can’t really help him as they don’t have a real connection and mutual understanding) - the father himself is the narrator -> as he can’t read his son’s mind the reader has an opportunity to participate in the story and understand it through the father’s eyes - story consists of three parts: plot, climax, anticlimax and conclusion -> story begins with the plot, the tension in the story develops through the plot and comes to its sharpest point when the boy asks his father the main question (“About what time do you think I’m going to die?”) > climax is followed by a release of the tension in the anticlimax -> in this part of the story everything becomes clear, boy calms down -> anticlimax is followed by a conclusion in which the author describes: feelings of the boy, his behaviour the next day Background; The events really happened to Hemingway and his nine-year-old son Jack. Jack’s real nickname was Bumby, but in this story he is called “Schatz”, a German pet name meaning treasure. Hemingway and his family lived in France for many years, in this story the family is back in the US after living abroad. Other short stories: The Ghost, The Princess and the Tin Box, the Test 12/1 1. The US – Then and Now (Gun Control, “The Crucible” Filmanalyse) American Dream or American nightmare? (p. 67) Site: Monument Valley (desert) “Americans have so far put up with inequality because they felt they could change their status. They didn’t mind others being rich, as long as they had a path to move up as well. The American Dream is all about social mobility in a sense – the idea that anyone can make it.” “The story of the 20th century is one of the American Dream gradually being extended to more and more of the population. In 2009, President Barack Obama looked back across those past decades as he took the oath of office. He described his inauguration as a fulfillment of the American Dream.” “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” “The American Dream has run out of gas. The car has stopped. It no longer supplies the world with its images, its dreams, its fantasies. No more. It’s over. It supplies the world with its nightmares now: the Kennedy assassination, Watergate, Vietnam.” “We must stop talking about the American Dream and start listening to the dreams of Americans.”

Fact File Independence Despite the prior existence of Native American cultures, the history of the United States as a nation state usually begins in 1492 with Columbus’ discovery of America. It wasn’t until after 1600 that European colonists began to arrive, mostly from England. By the 1770s there were 13 British colonies on the northeastern seaboard. Colonists came for many reasons, such as the desire to practice their religion freely or to take advantage of the opportunities the empty continent presented. Some were sent against their will to avoid prison or to repay debts. At first the colonies were dependent on goods and support from Europe, but over time they prospered and became more economically independent. The main cause of the rift with Britain was dissatisfaction with the fact that they had little control over their own lives since all major decisions were made in London. Unrest came to a head when Britain set heavy taxes on certain goods and the colonists refused to pay, unless they had representation in Parliament. During the ensuing Revolutionary War (1775-1783), a commitee of statesman (known as the Founding Fathers) came together to draft the Declaration of Independence. This document, written by Thomas Jefferson and announced on July 4, 1776, was to be the guideline for the Constitution of 1787. The Founding Fathers ensured in the Constitution that the three branches of government: the executive (the president), the judicial (the Supreme Court) and legislative (Congress) would share power in a system of checks and balances. Today the 4th of July is a federal holiday in the US, celebrated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, baseball games and family reunions. Equality and freedom Equality and freedom are cornerstones of American society. The Bill of Rights, which was added to the Constitution in 1791, explicitly guaranteed religious freedom and freedom of speech as well as equal rights and opportunities for all American citizens regardless of class or background. The separation of church and state, a key element in American law, has led to modern America having a wide spectrum of creeds and believers. Yet equality and freedom were not granted to all American citizens automatically. After the Civil War between the northern and southern states in which its abolition played an important part, slavery was finally abolished in 1865. Even then it took the civil rights movement of the 1960s to achieve equal rights for the descendants of those freed slaves. American women also had to fight for their rights, not gaining the right to vote until 1920. The struggle for equality is still not over, as they only earn 3/4 of the average pay of America men. Other minorities who have had to fight and are still fighting for freedom and equality or Native Americans and gays and lesbians. The equality of the social order, which in theory offers equal opportunities for all, often has a more sobering reality. Education is free and available to all, but the quality of that education can depend on where a child goes to school. Higher education is often a question of money, with the opportunities for students from a wealthy home being greater than those from poor neighbourhoods. And even in a democratic society there are class differences, a fact many Americans try hard to ignore.

Americans are proud of these ideals of equality and freedom. Their deep-seated patriotism is often regarded as arrogance by people in other parts of the world and can blind some Americans to any shortcomings within the country and in America’s dealings with other nations. These factors are often the roots of anti- Americanism around the world. Immigration The first Europeans to come to America were colonists or settlers and were mainly from Britain, Spain, the Netherlands and France. They all had to survive an arduous journey across the Atlantic. Many were driven by the desire to escape from religious, political or economic oppression and the belief that America would offer them a better life. The peak periods of immigration were in the mid-19th century (mainly from northern and northwestern Europe, particularly Germans after the failed revolution of 1848 and Irish during the famine years of 1845-1852), the early 20th century (mainly from southern and eastern Europe) and post-1965, when a change in the immigration laws led to more non-Europeans entering the country. This eventually changed the ethnic make-up of the nation. While European immigrants accounted for nearly 60% of the total foreign population in 1970, they made up only 15% in 2000. This is due to steadily increasing immigration from Latin America, mainly Mexico, but also Cuba, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. And from Asian countries such as China, the Philippines, India. America once saw itself as a melting pot in which these immigrants ideally gave up their way of life, language and culture and became part of a unified, monocultural American nation. But since 1970 this metaphor has largely been replaced by the idea of a multicultural and diverse America, a salad bowl in which different cultures mix, but remain different. The American Dream The American dream is a set of beliefs and ideals which, in theory at least, allow every American the freedom to prosper and advance socially and financially through hard work. The concept is hard to pin down because there are individual interpretations. Some dream of fame and fortune, others of a fulfilled life or simply a life without state interference. The idea of the American dream probably began to take hold when Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1776 that Americans were born with the unalienable rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. The phrase itself was actually coined by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book “The Epic of America”: “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is not a dream of motor cars or high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and to be recognised by others for what they are, regardless of birth or position.” For centuries, people have come to America and are still coming -> attracted by the American Dream: the economic dream of success and prosperity (from rags to riches”, the social dream of equality and opportunity, the political dream of democracy and justice, or the personal dream of freedom and self-realisation. While for many US citizens the dream is still alive, for many others it’s an illusion or has - for whatever reason - even turned into a nightmare.

A The immigrant experience Cartoon: Welc...