going home pete hamill culture background about the author florida, new jersey, new york, georgia ...

Going Home Pete Hamill

Culture Backgroundabout the authorFlorida, New Jersey, New York, Georgia

Text appreciationstructure analysistopic discussion

Language understandingsentence paraphraseword study

Sing the song

Going Home about the author

attended Catholic schools as a child. He left school at 16 to work in the Brooklyn Navy Yard ( 海军工厂 )as a worker, and then went on to the United States Navy. While serving in the Navy, he completed his high school education. Then, using the educational benefits of the G.I. Bill of Rights( 权利和自由法案 ), he attended Mexico City College in 1956-1957, studying painting and writing.

Pete Hamill( 彼得 . 哈米尔 )was born in Brooklyn, N. Y. in 1935. He is the oldest of seven children of Irish immigrants from Belfast( 贝尔法斯特 / 英国港市 ), Northern Ireland and


For several years, he worked as a graphic designer(. 美术设计员 ), while studying at Pratt Institute. Then in 1960, he went to work as a reporter for the New York Post. A long career in journalism followed. He has been a columnist for the New York Post, the Daily News, and New York Newsday, and has won many journalistic awards. As a journalist, he has covered wars in Vietnam(. 越南 ), Nicaragua( 尼加拉瓜 ), Lebanon( 黎巴嫩 ) and Northern Ireland. He has also covered murders, crime, the police, along with the great domestic disturbances of the 1960s. His work has also been published in all the major magazines, including New York, the New York Times Magazine.


Since the 1950s, he has had a continuing interest in Mexico, living there for extended periods, visiting every year. For six months in 1986, he served as editor of the Mexico City News. He has one additional distinction: he has been editor-in-chief of both the New York Post and the New York Daily News.


At the same time, Hamill has pursued a career as a fiction writer, producing 8 novels and 2 collections of short stories. His 1997 novel, Snow in August, was on the New York Times bestseller list for four months, and has been published in more than a dozen foreign editions. His memoir( 回忆录 ), A Drinking Life, was on the same New York Times list for 13 weeks. He has published 2 collections of his journalism, a book about the relationship of tools to art, and a book about New York City, along with Why Sinatra Matters, an extended essay on the music of the late singer and the social forces that made his work possible.


Hamill is married to the Japanese journalist, Fukiko Aoki. He has two grown daughters, one a poet, the other a photographer for the Arizona( 亚利桑那 ) Republic in Phoenix( 菲尼克斯 / 美国城市 ). He and his wife divide their time between New York and Mexico.

Floridathe "Sunshine State"

Abbreviation: FLFlorida was named by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León in 1513. He called the region "La Florida", roughly translated as Land of the Flowers. He probably chose this name because he was impressed by the many colorful flowers. Statehood for Florida came in 1845 (27th state). Florida is one of the leading tourist states in the United States. Great stretches of sandy beaches and a warm, sunny climate make Florida a year-round vacationland. People enjoy swimming, fishing and water skiing in the inland and coastal waters. Major attractions include Disney World, Miami( 迈阿密 )Beach, the Everglades( 大沼泽地 )National Park. Tourists may also visit historic sites that date back to the Spanish explorers.

New Jerseythe "Garden State"Abbreviation: NJ

One of the original 13 states, New Jersey was named after the island of Jersey in the English Channel. New Jersey is a state of industrial cities and towns, but also of glistening beaches and popular summer resorts. It is one of the great coastal playgrounds of the United States. Atlantic( 大西洋 )City is one of the most well-known resorts. New Jersey is located between New York City and Philadelphia( 费城 ) making it a convenient location for tourists to the area.

New Yorkthe "Empire State"Abbreviation: NY

The Dutch were the first settlers in New York. After the English took over in the 1660s, the colony was renamed New York. It is one of the original 13 states to join the Union (it entered in 1788). The state includes everything from skyscrapers in Manhattan( 曼哈顿 )to rivers, mountains, and lakes in upstate New York. Niagara Falls( 尼亚加拉瀑布 )is one of the chief attractions. New York is the leading center of banking, finance and communication in the United States. Much of the state‘s greatness lies in exciting New York City, the largest city in the United States and the fourth largest city in the world; its many theaters, museums, and musical organizations make it one of the cultural centers of the Western Hemisphere( 西半球 ).

Georgiathe "Peach State"

"Empire State of the South"Abbreviation: GA

Georgia, founded in 1732, is one of the original 13 states. It was named in honor of England‘s King George II. Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi; the state’s large size and thriving industries have given it one of its nicknames, the Empire State of the South. During the Civil War, the fall of Atlanta( 亚特兰大 )was a crucial turning point in the defeat of the South. Today, Atlanta, which became Georgia's capital in 1868, is a thriving city with major national corporations, and it is considered the economic and cultural center of the Southeast. The natural beauty and famous seaside resorts of Georgia are a major attraction for tourists. Many beautiful monuments and parks, including reminders of important Civil War battles and heroes, dot the Georgia countryside.

Text Appreciation Structure of the text

Part 1 (para. 1- ) :

Part 2 (para. ):

Part 3 (para. ):

4

5-9

10-12

The introduction of the setting and the characters.

Where Vingo was going and what for, and how the young people got interested in what was going to happen.

Vingo was forgiven and welcomed home.

Text Appreciationfor group discussion in class

Plot of the story:

three stagesSetting of the story:

spring; a bus from New York to Florida

Theme of the story:

forgiveness and a new start

Text Appreciation for group discussion after class

1. What do you think Vingo had done that got him in prison? He had committed a minor crime. 2. How do you think Mingo behaved in prison? What do you think he wanted to do after his release? He must have behaved well in prison. He wanted to begin

a new life.3. What kind of person do you think his wife was? Why didn’t

she write to Vingo? She must have been a loving wife and mother. She didn’t

write to him because she wanted to give her husband a pleasant surprise.

Text Appreciation for group discussion after class

4. Do you agree the yellow ribbon is a symbol?

What does it symbolize? What did it mean to Vingo?

It symbolizes “welcome home”. For Vingo it meant forgiveness and a new start.

5. What lesson do you think the young people can learn from Vingo’s story?

Life is not always rosy.

6. Do you think the ability to forgive and forget is important in human relationships?

Analyze the Main Characters in the Story

①the young people:

②Vingo:

③Vingo’s wife:

active, talkative, happy, considerate

sad, worried, nervous, silent

wonderful, strong-willed, kind-hearted, capable

Analyze the Writing Skills 1. detailed and vivid description of the appe

arance of Vingo

2. keeping the reader in suspense until the very end

3. happy ending

Analyze the Writing Skills the young people, quite a lot of present participles, to in

dicate liveliness and joyfulness. -dreaming of golden beaches and sea tides-waiting for the approach of the great oak tree-screaming and shouting and crying, doing … ...

Vingo, past participles, to indicate his sadness, nervousness, and his control of feelings. -dressed in a plain, ill-fitting suit-frozen into complete silence-He sat rooted in his seat-Vingo sat there stunned, looking at the oak tree

Yellow ribbon as a symbol

Language Understanding—— sentence paraphrase

1. They were dreaming of golden beaches and tides of the sea as the grey, cold spring of New York vanished behind them.

It was a grey, cold day in spring. As the bus left New York City, these young people were thinking about what they would enjoy in Florida-- the golden beaches and tides of the sea.


2. He sat in front of the young people, his dusty face masking his age, dressed in a plain brown suit that did not fit him.

He sat in front of the young people. You could hardly tell how old he was because his face was covered with dust.


3. His fingers were stained from cigarettes and he chewed the inside of his lip a lot. His fingers were yellow because he had smoked a lot, he bit the inside part of his lip which showed his nerversness..

4. He sat in complete silence and seemed completely unaware of the existence of the others.

He sat there completely speechless as if he did not know there were other people around.

5. I understang if you can’t stay married to me.

If you want to divorce me, I’ll understand--- you have every reason to do so.

Vingo used a euphemism to avoid the more embarrassing and unpleasant term “divorce me”.

cf:

He died.

He passed away.


6. Get a new guy---She’s a wonderful woman, really something---and forget about me:

She is a wonderful woman, a really good, remarkable woman. (parenthesis)

Something: a thing or a person of some value or importance -He considers himself to be something, but actually he is nothing. -He thinks he is something, since he was elected chairman of the committee.


7. When I was sure the parole was coming through:

When I was certain that the conditional release from prison was to be approved by the authorities


8. She told the others, and soon all of them were caught up in the approach of Brunswick:

She told other boys and girls, and soon all the young people became excited and deeply interested in Vingo’s experience and in what was going to happen at Brunswick.


9. Now they were 20 miles from Brunswick, and the young people took the windows seats on the right side, waiting for the approach of the great oak tree:

Now they were only 20 miles away from the town, and the young people all sat by the window, waiting for the coming of the big oak tree.


10. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face, as if fortifying himself against still another disappointment: Vingo moved his eyes away from the window, and his face again became expressionless as if he was trying to find the courage to face another possible blow, another disappointment in his life.the ex-con’s mask: the expression of a former prisoner trying to hide his true feelingsto fortify oneself (against sb./sth.): to make oneself feel stronger or braver


11. Then suddenly all of the young people were up out of their seats, screaming and shouting and crying, doing small dances, shaking clenched fists in triumph and exaltation. All except Vingo.

Then all of a sudden, all the young people left their seats and began doing all sorts of things they could think of to express their happiness and excitement. Vingo alone remained still.

12. Vingo sat there stunned, looking at the oak tree through his mistry eyes.

Vingo sat still; he was utterly surprised, looking at the oak tree through tearful eyes.

Language Understanding—— word study

Pull into: (of a vehicle) arrive at (a station); move in towards

火车准时进站了。 The train pulled into the station on time. 汽车在火车站外的停车场上停了下来。 The car pulled up on the parking lot outside t

he station.


to engage sb. in sth.: to make sb. take part in sth., eg.

She tried to engage her roommate in a philosophical discussion.

engagement

engaged

engaging


Wonder about: feel curious about; be doubtful about

-John says he didn’t do it, but I am still wondering about that.

rooted: fixed

-The boy stood rooted to the spot.

-a rooted belief 不可动摇的信念


Retreat into/to: yield; move back to

-The soldiers were ordered to retreat to safer positions.

-At last we forced the enemy to retreat into the mountains from the town.


come through i. arrive as expected

你的考试结果收到了没有？ Have your examination results come throug

h yet? ii. Survive

约翰病得很厉害，依然活着算是很幸运的了。 John was so ill he was lucky to come throug

h.


Be caught up in: be completely absorbed in -I was caught up in conversation with a

friend when someone knocked at the door. -He was caught up in the story he was

reading that he forgot it was time for supper.


Fortify against: strengthen (sth. or oneself) so as to be able to deal with (sth. such as an attack)

-Have some hot ginger soup to fortify yourself against cold.


Make one’s way to/through/across/along: go forward with difficulty

-They made their way through the crowd.

-I made my way to the center of the town.


The preposition “in” is often used to show a state or condition.

Vingo nodded in ... He sat in complete … … shaking clenched fists in … but then some boys began to glance at me in … Good God! I was in …

Compare: He thanked her and retreated … his silence. Vingo stopped looking, tightening his face … the ex-con’s

mask.

sleep

silencetriumph and exaltation

curiosity

A daze

into

into


ex = fully (exchange, exalt)He felt very humble in such ______ company. The two teams _______ presents before the

game.ex = former (ex-con, ex-wife, ex-president)ex = out of (exceed, except, expose, exit)

Your advice would be valuable to him, who is at present at his wit’s end.

Too much to X-rays can cause skin burns, cancer or other damage to the body.

exalted

exchanged

exceedingly

exposure


a./n. + -en v.(dark, fast, height, length, sharp, strength, threat, weak, worse, tight, broad, wide…)

1. She’s lost her job so she had to … her belt.

2. He … his pencil with a knife.

3. Their opposition only … her resolve.

4. … your seat belts.

5. The terrorists … to blow up the plane if their demands were not met.

tighten

sharpened

strengthened

Fasten

threatened

Going Home Pete Hamill

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.

Sing the songI'm coming home. I've done my time

Now I got to know what is and isn't mine

If you received my letter telling you I'd soon be free

Then you'll know just what to do

If you still want me, If you still want me Oh! tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree

It's been three long years, do you still want me

If I don't see your ribbon round the oak tree

I'll stay on the bus, forget about us

Put the blame on me

If I don't see your yellow ribbon round the oak tree

Bus driver please look for me

“cause I couldn't bear to see what I might see

I'm really still in prison, and my love she holds the key

A simple yellow ribbon's what I need to set me free

I wrote and told her please

Oh! tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree

It's been three long years, do you still want me

If I don't see your ribbon round the oak tree

I'll stay on the bus, forget about us

Put the blame on me

If I don't see your yellow ribbon round the oak tree

Now the whole damn bus is cheering

And I can’t believe I see

A hundred yellow ribbons round the old oak tree

I’m coming home

Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree




going home pete hamill culture background about the author florida, new jersey, new york, georgia ...

Documents

new york post

new york city

new york newsday

new york daily news

new york times list

new york times magazine

new jersey

author florida