from Fight ClubNarrator: If you could fight anycelebrity, who would you fight?Tyler: Alive or dead?Narrator: Doesnt matter, whod be tough?Tyler: Hemingway. You?Narrator: Shatner. Id fight WilliamShatner.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois. He was a journalist (1917), then a volunteerambulance driver and active duty soldier(1918) during WWI. In 1921, he married the first of his fourwives and left the U.S. to join the growingband of artists and writers who weregathering in Paris. Loves: African safaris, heavy drinking, cockfighting, deep sea fishing, other macho stuff He won the Noble Prize for Literature in1954. He committed suicide in 1961.
The Lost Generation This name was given to a group ofauthors and artists who came of ageduring WWI. The phrase was coined by writer GertrudeStein. She told Ernest Hemingway, “That iswhat you are. That is what you all are. Youare a lost generation.” This group included The Great Gatsbyauthor F. Scott Fitzgerald and T.S.Eliot, the author of “The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock.
The Iceberg Principle“I always try to writeon the principle of theiceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every partthat shows. Anythingyou know you caneliminate and it onlystrengthens youriceberg. It is the partthat doesn‟t show.”
“This Is Just To Say”I have eatenthe plumsthat were inthe iceboxand whichyou were probablysavingfor breakfastForgive methey were deliciousso sweetand so cold
“Hills Like White Elephants” The story takes place at a train stationin the Ebro River valley of Spain. The two main characters are a man (onlyreferred to as “the American” and hisfemale companion (referred to as “Jig.”)
Allusion: White Elephant A white elephant is an idiom for avaluable but burdensome possession ofwhich its owner cannot dispose andwhose cost (particularly cost of upkeep)is out of proportion to its usefulness orworth.
“Hills” Close Reading1. Put yourself into a partnership, preferably aboy-girl pair. Each person should grab a marker.2. Highlight/underline the second-to-last sentencein the first paragraph: “It was very hot and theexpress from Barcelona would come in fortyminutes” (Hemingway 211).3. Highlight/underline: “„That the train is comingin five minutes‟” on p. 214.4. Do now: Assign parts. Boys are the American;girls are Jig. Read this story out loud, as if itwere a play. Think carefully about how eachcharacter would say his/her lines; considertone.5. THINK-PAIR-SHARE: What have these twobeen doing for thirty-five minutes???
The Iceberg PrincipleWhat doesHemingwaykeepunderwaterin this story?(#3)
Tension! (#2)Jig The American(1) The Operation(2) White Elephants(3) Ordering Drinks
Hemingway‟s Code Hero Hemingway defined the Code Hero as "aman who lives correctly, following theideals of honor, courage and endurancein a world that is sometimeschaotic, often stressful, and alwayspainful."
Code Hero Attributes1. He is disciplined. He chooses to live a verystructured life amidst achaotic world.2. He acts without emotion.He is a doer, not a talker. He doesn’t brag about hisaccomplishments.3. He desires women andalcohol. These indulges especiallyoccur at night to counteractthe fear of the dark.
Code Hero Attributes4. He is often afraid of thedark. The dark reminds him ofdeath.5. He faces deathvaliantly. He faces death with dignitybecause that is the onlyguarantee a hero can hopefor.6. He does not believe inan afterlife. He believes in Nada, theSpanish word for“nothing.”
Apprentice Heroes In Hemingway stories, code heroes arethose characters who have recognizedand accepted the reality of nada andwho live in compliance with the code. Apprentice heroes are those characterswho are either struggling with thefear, anxiety, and loss of control whichthe recognition of nada brings, or whoare in the process of learning therequirements of the code.