Lesson one       Half a Day

By Naguib Mahfouz

Picture Talking for Warming-up (10 minutes)

Today, we will study Half a day by Naguib Mahfouz. Let’s first appreciate The Persistence of Memory, 1931 by Salvador Dali (萨尔瓦多-达利的油画《记忆的永恒》). Can you find any clue about life and time from the picture? Do you know any sayings or quotes wise enough to express your feelings? I will write down a couple on the blackboard as hints. 

Let’s categorize the sayings and quotes according to the implications they carry. Hopefully, some expressions may help you better understand the story Half a Day, and meanwhile, you will find it excellent to have lots to express yourself in both writing and speaking. 

	Quotes and sayings
劝诫	“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”    --Andy Warhol
感慨	“Life is short and time is swift.”
无奈	"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils." --Hector Berlioz

 

More quotes and sayings of time and life:

Ø         If you want to make good use of your time, you've got to know what's most important and then give it all you've got.

--Lee Iacocca

Ø         Nothing is worth more than this day.

--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Ø         Every second is of infinite value.

--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Ø         Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.

--Will Rogers

Ø         Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresea, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.

--H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Ø         Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.

--William Penn

  Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in.

--Henry David Thoreau

But what minutes! Count them by sensation, and not by calendars, and each moment is a day.

 --Benjamin Disraeli

Ø         Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them.

--Dion Boucicault

Ø         The time for action is now. It's never too late to do something.

--Carl Sandburg

Ø         “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

                                       --Annie Dillard

Ø         Make today the first day of the rest of your life.

Ø         The only thing constant is change.

Ø         “Time lost is time when we have not lived a full human life, time unenriched by experience, creative endeavor, enjoyment, and suffering.”                      --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Ø         "Be mindful of how you approach time. Watching the clock is not the same as watching the sun rise."-- Sophia Bedford-Pierce

Ø         To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else. 

--Emily Dickinson:

 

Reference

1: About The Persistence of Memory, 1931 by Salvador Dali

萨尔瓦多-达利(SalvadorDail)，1904年5月11日生于西班牙菲格拉斯，1989年1月23日逝世。西班牙超现实主义画家和版画家，以探索潜意识的意象著称。与毕加索、马蒂斯一起被认为是二十世纪最有代表性的三个画家。

他是一位具有卓越天才和想象力的画家 。在把梦境的主观世界变成客观而令人激动的形象方面，他对超现实主义、对20世纪的艺术做出了严肃认真的贡献。达利的一生充满了传奇色彩。除了他的绘画，他的文章、口才、动作、相貌以及胡须均给欣赏他的人们留下了扑朔迷离的印象。
柔软的钟表是达利最广为人知的题材。达利著名的油画《记忆的永恒》、雕塑《时间的贵族气息》、《时间马鞍》、《时间的侧影》等都出现了仿佛是快被烈日晒化的钟表。柔软的钟表达了达利与时间之间的狂热关系，以及他对时间的制约性和时间对记忆固有的重要性的理解。达利经常把时间的使者——钟描绘得软绵绵的，这种象征主义的手法只限于他所痛恨的事物。在《达利的秘密生活》一书中，他指出：“机械从来就是我个人的仇敌；至于钟表，它们注定要消亡或根本不存在。”

 Background Information (40 minutes) 

Naguib Mahfouz—— Education & Background

Naguib Mahfouz was born on the 11th Dec. 1911 in an old quarter of Cairo, the youngest son of a merchant. He studied philosophy at King Faud I (now Cairo) University, graduating in 1934. He worked in university administration and then in 1939 he worked for the Mini-stry of Islamic Affairs. He was later Head of the State Cinema Organisation at the Ministry of Culture. He also worked as a journalist. Although widely translated, his works are not available in most Middle Eastern countries because of his support of Sadat's Camp David initiative. In 1994 he survived an assassination attempt by Islamic extremists.

  He is married, has two daughters and lives in Cairo.

 II.           Naguib Mahfouz —— important works

 

Naguib Mahfouz was the first Arab to win the Nobel prize for literature, in 1988. He has been described as "a Dickens of the Cairo cafés" and "the Balzac of Egypt".

  He is now the author of no fewer than 30 novels, more than 100 short stories, and more than 200 articles. Half of his novels have been made into films which have circulated throughout the Arabic-speaking world.

 

Mahfouz began writing when he was 17. His first novel was published in 1939 and ten more were written before the Egyptian Revolution of July 1952, when he stopped writing for several years. One novel was republished in 1953, however, and the appearance of The Cairo Trilogy in 1957 made him famous throughout the Arab world as a depictor of traditional urban life.

 

Works of his second writing period:

The Children of Gebelawi (1959)

The Thief and the Dogs (1961)

Autumn Quail (1962)

Small Talk on the Nile (1966)

Miramar (1967)

several collections of short stories. 

 

III      Naguib Mahfouz —— how he pictures the world

 The picture of the world as it emerges from the bulk of Mahfouz's work is very gloomy indeed, though not completely despondent. It shows that the author's social utopia is far from being realized.

Mahfouz seems to conceive of time as a metaphysical force of oppression. His novels have consistently shown time as the bringer of change, and change as a very painful process, and very often time is not content until it has dealt his heroes the final blow of death.  To sum up, in Mahfouz's dark tapest These consists of man's continuing struggle for equality on the one hand and the promise of scientific progress on the other; meanwhile, life is a tragedy.  Based on the Nobel Prize Winner's novel, the Egyptian Naguib Mahfouz. The story, translated from El Cairo to Mexico City's downtown, narrates the life of the members of the neighbourhood and the connection between them Don Ru, the owner of the local pub; Eusebia, his wife; Guicho, his son and Abel his friend, who emigrate to USA in search of fortune; Susanita, the single landtender always dreaming to marry a good man; Jimmy, the pub's employee, who extracts the money when Don Ru is not there and finally marries Susanita; Alma, the very good looking girl, the Abel's dream, who becomes a luxury prostitute while he's away, etc. This movie won the Ariel (the Mexican Oscar) as best movie in 1995ry of the world there are only two bright spots.

Text Appreciation (50 minutes) 

I. Structure of the text (10 minutes)

  The text can be conveniently divided into three parts. In the first part (para.1-7), we learn about the boy’s misgivings about school. He found it hard to be away from home and mom, and thought school was punishment. The second part (para.8-16) describes how the boy felt about school. He found that life at school was rich and colorful in many ways, although it also required discipline and hard work. In the last part of the text, the boy walked out of the school to find that the outside world had changed beyond measure and that he had grown into an old man.

 How to appreciate literature (15 minutes)

Ø         Plot of the story:

Ø         Setting of the story:

Ø         Protagonist v.s. Antagonists:

Ø         Drama of the story lies in:

Ø         Writing technique: (Have you ever read a story using the similar technique?)

Ø         Theme of the story:

 III .Further discussion (15 minutes)

1. Read the following suggestions made by the father. Which ones do you agree with and which ones not? Have you ever been given some suggestions by your parents when entering the university? List them out.

 Ø         School is a place that make useful men out of boys.

Ø         Don’t you want to be useful like your brothers?

Ø         Put a smile on your face and be a good example to others.

Ø         Be a man.

Ø         Today you truly begin life.

Ø         …

2. From the description between Para.8 and Para.16, we can see different aspects of school life. Try to list as many aspects as possible in the following table.

 3. In the last part of the text, the boy walked out of the school to find that the outside world had changed beyond measure. How might he feel about the changes? List exact words that support your choice.
He was

?frightened ? surprised ? angry ?puzzled     ?excited

?satisfied    ? delighted ? sad    ? indifferent ?critical

Supporting words

 startled, … …________________

 4．After-class thinking

Ø         "who, through works rich in nuance - now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous - has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind”

After reading “Half a Day”, how do you understand the comment on Naguib Mahfouz?

Ø         Great works never fail to reveal the common human experience.

After reading the story, do you feel emotionally or spiritually touched? Why or why not?

Writing devices (30 minutes)

Ⅰ. Elliptical question & rhetorical question

“Why school?” I asked my father. “What have I done?”

  A: Headmaster: We want you to go and tell the boy’s parents the news.

B: Teacher: Why me?

  Father: We’ll go to Tianjin this weekend.

Daughter: What for?/ Why this weekend?/Why Tianjin?

 Don’t you want to be useful like your brothers?

Can’t you see I’m busy? (Don’t disturb me!)

What good is a promise for an unemployed worker?

Does nothing ever worry you?

 Please give more examples.

Ⅱ. Inverted sentences

  … here and there stood conjurers showing off their tricks, or making snakes appear from baskets.

Conjurers stood everywhere. They were showing off their tricks or making snakes appear from baskets.

More examples:

Ø         There are some exceptions to this reaction.

Ø         Were there no air on the earth, there would be no life on it.

Ø         In no case should we waste our time.

Ø         There goes the bell.

Ø         Away hurried the customers.

Ⅲ. “with” absolute structure

  Then there was a band ...,  with clowns and weight lifters walking in front.

More examples:

Ø         He stood there with a stick in his hand.  (with + n. + prep.)

Ø         Paul soon fell asleep with the light still burning. (with + n. + participle)

Ø       She can’t go out with all these dishes to wash. (with + n. + to do.)

Ø       He was lying on the bed with all his clothes on. (with + n. + adv. )

Language Understanding （60 minutes）

I. Sentence Paraphrase (20 minutes)

1. They did not make me happy, however, as this was the day I was to be thrown into school for the first time.

What does “they” refer to?

What does the narrator imply by using “to be thrown into school”?

2.       My mother stood at the window watching our progress, and I turned towards her from time to time, hoping she would help.

n       What does “progress” mean here?

n       What kind of help could his mother offer?

n       What does the sentence tell us about the boy’s relationships with his parents?

3.       a street lined with gardens …

a street where there are gardens … along both sides

lined with …: past participle phrase used here to modify “a street”. It can be regarded as a relative clause cut short, eg.

a novel (that was) written by Charles Dickens

personal computers (that are) made in China

4.       I did not believe there was really any good to be had in tearing me away from my home and throwing me into the huge, high-walled building.

There is no good to be had in doing sth.

It is no good/use doing sth.

5.       … from each floor we were overlooked by a long balcony roofed in wood.

… on one side of the courtyard was a building with a long wood-roofed balcony on each floor where we could be seen. Or

… from the balcony on each floor of the building people could see the pattern into which we formed.

6.       Well, it seemed that my misgivings had had no basis.

Well, perhaps my doubt, worry and fear about what school would be like were all groundless. Or

Well, it seemed that I was wrong to think that school was a dreadful place.

7.       In addition, the time for changing one’s mind was over and gone and there was no question of ever returning to the paradise of home.

There is no question (of doing): there is no possibility

Besides, it was impossible for us to quit school and return to the good old days when we stayed home playing and fooling around all day. Our childhood was gone, never to come back.

8.  Nothing lay ahead of us but exertion, struggle, and perseverance.

nothing but: only

We would have to do our best and keep working very hard until we finished school. This is what I imagined our school days would be like. Or

The kind of life that was waiting for us at school would be full of exertion, struggle and perseverance.

9.       Those who were able took advantage of the opportunities for success and happiness that presented themselves.

to present itself/ themselves: (formal) to appear, happen

If there came opportunities, capable students would seize them to achieve success and happiness.

Ⅱ. Word study (20 minutes)

1. to make sb./sth. (out) of sb./sth.

 It’s a place that makes useful men out of boys.

 (make boys become useful men)  eg.

  The army made a man of him.

 He said the Government were frightened of nothing. The real trouble was we were making a mountain out of a molehill.

2. There is no good to be had in doing sth.

It is no good/use doing sth.

There is no good to be had in buying a boat when you don’t have enough spare time to use it.

It’s no good crying over spilt milk.

It is worth doing well what is worth doing.

it is no (not much) good                     

it is no (not any, hardly any, little) use  

it is useless

it is not the slightest use

it is worth(worthwhile)

there is no (no good, no use)

There is no denying that women are playing an important role in the world today.

3. to tear sb. away from a place

to (make sb.) leave a place or a person unwillingly because one has to eg.

Can’t you tear yourself away from the TV for dinner?

 I found the program absolutely fascinating. I couldn’t tear myself away—even to finish an urgent e-mail.

4. to cling to sth.

to hold tightly; not release one’s grip on

eg.

 The little child clung to his mother for comfort.

 Some of the victims of the fire climbed out of the building, clung to the window ledges for a minute or two and then dropped to their death a hundred feet below.

She still clings to the belief that her son is alive.

5. burst into (tears, sobs; laughter, a guffaw, song)

begin, suddenly and/or violently, to cry, laugh, sing etc. eg.

 Aunt Annabel, who has been nervous and jumpy lately, suddenly burst into tears.

 As the comic got into his stride, the audience burst into hoots of laughter. cf.

 The aircraft turned on its back and burst into flames.

The orchards seemed to have burst into blossom overnight.

I mentioned the incident later to a tailor friend and he burst out laughing/crying.

6． sort people into ranks

 put ... in order; arrange

They sorted the apples according to size into large ones and small ones. cf.

 She spent a happy afternoon sorting out her coins and stamps.

 It’s no good standing back and waiting for things to sort themselves out.

7．to resort to

to make use of ; to turn to sth. (esp. sth. bad) as a solution eg.

Terrorists resorted to bombing city centers as a means of achieving their political aims.

 These are means we have never resorted to to obtain information.

8．to present oneself

to appear, happen eg.

 When the chance to study at Harvard presented itself, I jumped at it.

  He was ordered to present himself at the chairman’s office at nine o’clock next morning.

Guess the word meaning

They unwrapped their Christmas presents.

His wife presented him with a brand-new baby girl.

His sudden resignation presents us with a tricky situation.

The National Theatre is presenting “King Lear” next month.

It was unfair to discuss his case if he wasn’t present.

III.             Preposition exercises（5 minutes）

    Fill in the blanks with proper prepositions.

The change of air is particularly beneficial _______ her health.

He is now convinced ______ the truth of the report.

Please do not be irritated _______ his bad manners since he is merely trying to attract attention.

The old woman is unbearably curious _______ other people’s business.

Prefixes (15 minutes)

Fill in the blanks with proper words having the required prefix. After class, study such words as much as possible.mis-= wrong(ly), bad(ly), ill      (misgiving…)

  1. The irresponsible                     of a drunken driver resulted in an accident.

2. ___________ never come singly.

3. I like your plan in principle; my only                  is that it may take too long to carry out.

4. How can we clear up the                           between the two families?

  Fill in the blanks with proper words having the required prefix. After class, study such words as much as possible.

over- = above, across, beyond   (overlook, …)

  1. The fire was completely                    by daybreak.

2. Water from the kitchen sink                    onto the floor.

3. Our garden is                        from the neighbor’s windows.

4. Well, I’ll                      it this time; but don’t do it again.

 Fill in the blanks with proper words having the required prefix. After class, study such words as much as possible.

var(i)=diverse, to change   (vary, variation, various, variety, ...)

 1. Features such as height, weight, and skin color ____ from individual to individual and from face to face.

2. The weatherman broadcasts the ________ in temperature twice a day.

3. The remarkable _______ of life on the Galopagos Islands inspired Charles Darwin to establish his theory of evolution.

 In-class discussion and presentation (40 minutes)

1. If you had only half a day left to live, what would you most want to do? List the top five things you would do and give us your reason.

2. Suppose the narrator found his home at last. What would happen after that?

3. Work in group. Make up your own story of “Half a Day” and perform it.

 Textbook exercises (70 minutes)

1. In-class news report

2. In-class dictation