Embedded Files
"Isn't love any fun?"
They Aren't Striking - A Class Discussion of "The End of Something" : There is a big leap in time - with Nick - between "The Dr. and the Dr.'s Wife" and this story. He is a teenager - and if the last two stories were about the child, Nick and his parents - this story is about Nick starting to become an adult - and his first heartbreak. Perhaps that's one of the reasons that this story - over the years that I taught it - won so many of my students over - not only to the story, but to Hemingway as a writer and this book in particular. Often, students are working on other projects (Dante for instance) and to reduce the homework - we will read this story aloud in class - and then talk about it when we finish. Students will have their copies of In Our Time in front of them or the printed out story (found below) and take notes. Once again, proving that this book is much more than a collection of unrelated stories - this story is the foundation for what is to come next: "The End of Something".
Lesson Overview
Lesson Overview
Reading the Story Aloud
Reading the Story Aloud
After the quiz, we read the story aloud. Though, often, the students have read it for homework - it is very short and definitely worth reading again. It only take 15-20 minutes to read the entire story - see my page on reading aloud in class. I start at the front of the room and everyone takes turns reading. Students are instructed to continually take notes - underline things, ask questions on the story, etc. They have a copy of the story - either as a novel that they bought or a printed copy of the story (found below) - so they can take their notes directly on the text.
The Discussion
The Discussion
See my page on class discussions - this will be a "Ringmaster-Teacher" approach - however, since the students have the story aloud it should be very fresh in their minds - so I try to have them do the questioning and the answering as much as possible. I don't have my usual Lesson Notes - in this case, all of my questions and comments come directly from the notes that I've written, and I've included those below. Here are a few of the points that I bring up (remember, try to get as much from the students as possible).
What is the imagery at the very beginning? (the ruined lumber mills that are gone - a metaphor for their relationship)
What is left of those lumbermills (just the foundation)
Nick can't see the Romantic Castle that Majorie sees in the ruin
more ripples on the water imagery - see the "Indian Camp" discussion
the fish feeding but not striking echoes their conversation
the way Nick resents that Marjorie knows as much about fishing as he does
they make a fire with driftwood - metaphorically like they are trying to spark something out of unburnable fuel
Nick not eating is a huge sign - so cool that kids will recognize this and other signs of what is to come on their second reading (they read for homework as well)
Nick saying "love isn't fun" is a huge "slap" to the reader - I usually ask before we begin our discussion if there was anything they found shocking while doing the reading - and that line and sentiment inevitably comes up.
Everyone cheers Marjorie taking the boat out herself and not needing Nick after what he's done.
Everyone cheers Nick for sending Bill away - they've obviously talked about this break up before it happens - but Nick is deeply affected and it's clear that to talk about it with Bill now would "cheapen" it.
We then read the biographical material (found below) that says this story - though there actually was a Marjorie - has more to do with Hemingway's feelings towards his wife, Hadley.
Finally, we watch the Illuminated Text that I made of the story - it takes what happens in the story and merges it with Hemingway's own life.
endofsomethingslideshow_2012.wmv"The End of Something" Video by Joe Scotese
"The End of Something" Video by Joe Scotese
I show this video (not really an Illuminated Text) after we read the biographical material (found below). It brings Hemingway's life into the story and the images - mostly of the ruins of lumber mills emphasizes the metaphorical aspects of what we've just read and discussed. To Marjorie - it is a romantic castle - Nick can no longer see it.
"The End of Something" reading with my notes
"The End of Something" reading with my notes
In this case - the lesson plan - my questions, comments, and ideas are contained in these notes. This is the story with my 30 years of notes. So much gets added over the years - and of course, as I've stated many times on this site - I believe the teacher should reread every work that they assign to their students and they should stop teaching a text when they see nothing new in it.
"The End of Something" Biographical Handout
"The End of Something" Biographical Handout
This is read aloud before watching the Illuminated Text that I created. These biographical handouts were designed to get students to make connections between Hemingway's life and the stories he wrote. If you've seen a lot of my lessons (especially in British Literature - ie The Fallacy of Author Intentionality) you may have noticed that I'm not a big fan of making these kinds of connections. This is the one time I allow myself to do so - and it is probably grounded in the very selfish reason that I am a Hemingway aficionado.
TheEndofSomething_20170213.mp4Class Recording
Class Recording
Audio of our discussion of "The End of Something" from In Our Time.
Audio of our discussion of "The End of Something" from In Our Time.
We read the story aloud (make sure you have a copy to follow along with and take notes on) and stop and make comments, and point things out as we go along. We end with a slide show (available on the website) that delves into Hemingway's biographical material as we come to understand this wonderful story.
"The End of Something" - text
"The End of Something" - text
This is a copy of the text for students. It is formatted with plenty of room in the margins to take notes on (remember the students should have their bookmarks and poems before, handy). The novel, published before 1930, is in the Public Domain.
In Our Time - online copy
In Our Time - online copy
This is a complete copy of the book - found at the Internet Archive , complete with the Interchapters. The book was originally posted by the Harold B. Lee Library. The work, published before 1930, is in the Public Domain.
Remote Enhancements
Remote Enhancements
I did do this as a discussion remotely and it worked wonderfully.
" The Three Day Blow" - A Groupwork: This story naturally follows and continues "The End of Something" and our discussion about that story. Nick is changed and he will never be the same. Again, for seniors in high school (the majority of this class) this is such a familiar feeling that they are experiencing all the time at this juncture in their life. The metaphor that Hemingway uses to describe Nick's post-Marjory-breakup period is the long autumn storms that come to Upper Michigan - stripping the trees and heralding in autumn from summer. The group work includes on the back a number of quotes from the story and the Hemingway poem - "Along with Youth" to help the students focus their discussion.
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
WHAT CAME BEFORE:
Thoughts on the Lesson
Thoughts on the Lesson
Ernest Hemingway is often portrayed as a misogynist - so it is extremely interesting to see the students' reaction to these stories. This story is the first that really takes a female perspective. Majorie is the hero in the story and Nick is kind of a clueless jerk. For so many of my female students over the year - Hemingway became a favorite.
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