Monday, July 31, 2006
"The Three-Day Blow" Notes and Homework Questions
THE THREE DAY BLOW BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY
NOTES
THE THREE-DAY BLOW
BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY
BORN 1899-DIED 1961
HE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN OAK PARK, ILL.
WHEN WORLD WAR I BROKE OUT, EYE PROBLEMS PREVENTED HIM FROM SERVING WITH THE U.S. ARMY.
HE COMMITTED SUICIDE IN 1961 IN IDAHO AFTER YEARS OF SUFFERING FROM DESPAIR AND PARANOIA.
THEMES AND MEANINGS
• WHAT HOLDS THE STORY TOGETHER IS IT HAUNTING VISION OF THE OWRLD IN WHICH HUMAN IDEALS ARE OFTEN RUINED BY INCOMPETENCE OR DESTRUCTIVE FORCES OF NATURE. (RUINED HUMAN IDEALS)
LOVE ENDS SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING
NICK CONCLUDES THAT EVERYTHING IN LIFE DISSOLVES INTO NOTHINGNESS AND NO ONE IS TO BLAME.
BILL FEELS MARRYING AND SETTLING DOWN REPRESENTS THE STIFLING OF THE SOUL AND THE DEATH OF MALE INDEPENDENCE. (Every Hemingway Hero fights not to lose)
LIVING ALONE IS PREFERRED TO MARRIAGE.
STYLE AND TECHNIQUE
• Hemingway conveys a great many things on paper without writing them down.
• His act of implication is making one sentence say 2 or more different things without description.
• Hemingway conveys depth and emotion through image and smybol
STYLE AND TECHNIQUE
• The lack of emotional commentary in the story reflects the boys’ fear of emotional complexity.
• The boys rely on the physical experience and try to disregard the moral experience.
• The basic theme of the story is loss.
• The author is an American novelist, short story writer and journalist. He is a master at objective prose style. Hemingway explores man’s physical a metaphysical strivings.
• This story is taken from a book called IN OUR TIME ( or the Nick Adams story).
Nick is Hemingway’s universal hero.
He will be in Hemingway’s books under different names.
Nick is an outdoors man, virile (strong), but also very sensitive.
Nick is Hemingways’ hero.
The book was written in Paris in 1925.
• Most of Hemingway’s stories deal with love, but not love that is satisfactory, lasting or mutually shared.
• His protagonist usually finish alone
• Hemingway reverences the natural world but may over balance it with a sense of blank, dark meaninglessness of our existence.
• Nick comes to Bill’s cabin (they are best friends).
• • The story is about male bonding and ends with Nick being somewhat sensitive about his break-up with Marjorie.
• • Bill does not want to see Nick married, but Bill is unsure that Nick has made the right decision concerning Marjorie
• • Nick tries to decide if he should be a man’s man or a family man.
• “The Three Day Blow” is symbolic of Nick’s life.
He is in a flurry trying to decide what type of person to become.
The early 20th Century is a moment of massive change from rusticity to modernity.
“The Three Day Blow” represents a time of change and chaos in the world as well as in the life of Nick.
This radical weather phenomenon signifies life, societal change and spiritual decree.
It could refer to the biblical story of the 40 day flood.
HOMEWORK: DUE THE DAY AFTER WE COMPLETE THE STORY.
THE THREE-DAY BLOW BY Ernest Hemingway
A. Write brief answers for the following questions
1. Where are the men when the story opens?
2. What descriptive phrases tell the reader what time of year it is?
3. The names of the two men are __________and _______________.
4. Why is this story called “The Three-Day Blow”?
5. Describe the sleeping arrangements in the cottage.
6. What activities do the men engage in by the fire?
7. Why are fall storms important to the characters in the story? How does this relate to the theme of the story?
8. According to Bill’s father, what makes people become drunkards?
9. What is a solitary drinker?
10. Nick’s father is a _____. Bill’s father is a _______. How do the sons feel about their fathers?
11. What do the men burn for warmth?
12. When the Irish whiskey is gone, the men switch to__________.
13. What sport do the men especially enjoy?
14. Describe each man’s attitude toward women.
15. What does the liquor make Nick realize?
16. Where do the men go at the end of the story?
17. List four subjects Nick and Bill discuss.
18. Why does Nick have a feeling of loss?
19. How does Bill feeling about marriage?
B.Write a sentence for each word. Sentences must reflect the story.
1. peat
2. compensation
3. cinch
4. apricot
5. league
THE THREE-DAY BLOW by Ernest Hemingway
B. Answer these questions.
1. What is the external action of the story?
2. What are the characters common interests?
3. What is the atmosphere like outside the cabin? Inside the cabin?
4. What do the two boys agree upon concerning the “Cards” and baseball?
5. What do the boys talk about during their second glass of whiskey?
6. What do they talk about when drinking their third glass of whiskey?
7. How does Nick show he can hold his liquor and still be practical?
8. What is the conversation during the fourth glass of whiskey? During the 5th glass of whiskey?
9. What is Bill’s opinion about marriage, especially marriage for Nick?
10. How does Nick feel about his break-up with Marge?
11. How does Nick rationalize his break-up with Marge?
NOTES
THE THREE-DAY BLOW
BY ERNEST HEMINGWAY
BORN 1899-DIED 1961
HE WAS BORN AND RAISED IN OAK PARK, ILL.
WHEN WORLD WAR I BROKE OUT, EYE PROBLEMS PREVENTED HIM FROM SERVING WITH THE U.S. ARMY.
HE COMMITTED SUICIDE IN 1961 IN IDAHO AFTER YEARS OF SUFFERING FROM DESPAIR AND PARANOIA.
THEMES AND MEANINGS
• WHAT HOLDS THE STORY TOGETHER IS IT HAUNTING VISION OF THE OWRLD IN WHICH HUMAN IDEALS ARE OFTEN RUINED BY INCOMPETENCE OR DESTRUCTIVE FORCES OF NATURE. (RUINED HUMAN IDEALS)
LOVE ENDS SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING
NICK CONCLUDES THAT EVERYTHING IN LIFE DISSOLVES INTO NOTHINGNESS AND NO ONE IS TO BLAME.
BILL FEELS MARRYING AND SETTLING DOWN REPRESENTS THE STIFLING OF THE SOUL AND THE DEATH OF MALE INDEPENDENCE. (Every Hemingway Hero fights not to lose)
LIVING ALONE IS PREFERRED TO MARRIAGE.
STYLE AND TECHNIQUE
• Hemingway conveys a great many things on paper without writing them down.
• His act of implication is making one sentence say 2 or more different things without description.
• Hemingway conveys depth and emotion through image and smybol
STYLE AND TECHNIQUE
• The lack of emotional commentary in the story reflects the boys’ fear of emotional complexity.
• The boys rely on the physical experience and try to disregard the moral experience.
• The basic theme of the story is loss.
• The author is an American novelist, short story writer and journalist. He is a master at objective prose style. Hemingway explores man’s physical a metaphysical strivings.
• This story is taken from a book called IN OUR TIME ( or the Nick Adams story).
Nick is Hemingway’s universal hero.
He will be in Hemingway’s books under different names.
Nick is an outdoors man, virile (strong), but also very sensitive.
Nick is Hemingways’ hero.
The book was written in Paris in 1925.
• Most of Hemingway’s stories deal with love, but not love that is satisfactory, lasting or mutually shared.
• His protagonist usually finish alone
• Hemingway reverences the natural world but may over balance it with a sense of blank, dark meaninglessness of our existence.
• Nick comes to Bill’s cabin (they are best friends).
• • The story is about male bonding and ends with Nick being somewhat sensitive about his break-up with Marjorie.
• • Bill does not want to see Nick married, but Bill is unsure that Nick has made the right decision concerning Marjorie
• • Nick tries to decide if he should be a man’s man or a family man.
• “The Three Day Blow” is symbolic of Nick’s life.
He is in a flurry trying to decide what type of person to become.
The early 20th Century is a moment of massive change from rusticity to modernity.
“The Three Day Blow” represents a time of change and chaos in the world as well as in the life of Nick.
This radical weather phenomenon signifies life, societal change and spiritual decree.
It could refer to the biblical story of the 40 day flood.
HOMEWORK: DUE THE DAY AFTER WE COMPLETE THE STORY.
THE THREE-DAY BLOW BY Ernest Hemingway
A. Write brief answers for the following questions
1. Where are the men when the story opens?
2. What descriptive phrases tell the reader what time of year it is?
3. The names of the two men are __________and _______________.
4. Why is this story called “The Three-Day Blow”?
5. Describe the sleeping arrangements in the cottage.
6. What activities do the men engage in by the fire?
7. Why are fall storms important to the characters in the story? How does this relate to the theme of the story?
8. According to Bill’s father, what makes people become drunkards?
9. What is a solitary drinker?
10. Nick’s father is a _____. Bill’s father is a _______. How do the sons feel about their fathers?
11. What do the men burn for warmth?
12. When the Irish whiskey is gone, the men switch to__________.
13. What sport do the men especially enjoy?
14. Describe each man’s attitude toward women.
15. What does the liquor make Nick realize?
16. Where do the men go at the end of the story?
17. List four subjects Nick and Bill discuss.
18. Why does Nick have a feeling of loss?
19. How does Bill feeling about marriage?
B.Write a sentence for each word. Sentences must reflect the story.
1. peat
2. compensation
3. cinch
4. apricot
5. league
THE THREE-DAY BLOW by Ernest Hemingway
B. Answer these questions.
1. What is the external action of the story?
2. What are the characters common interests?
3. What is the atmosphere like outside the cabin? Inside the cabin?
4. What do the two boys agree upon concerning the “Cards” and baseball?
5. What do the boys talk about during their second glass of whiskey?
6. What do they talk about when drinking their third glass of whiskey?
7. How does Nick show he can hold his liquor and still be practical?
8. What is the conversation during the fourth glass of whiskey? During the 5th glass of whiskey?
9. What is Bill’s opinion about marriage, especially marriage for Nick?
10. How does Nick feel about his break-up with Marge?
11. How does Nick rationalize his break-up with Marge?
# posted by Sister Pat / English @ 6:26 AM 
