Lesson Fourteen

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Lesson Fourteen

• After Twenty Years
• O. Henry

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Teaching Procedures

• Introduction to the background knowledge
• The structure of the text
• Detailed discussion of the text
• Conclusion of the text
• Assignment

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About the author

• O. Henry (18621910) was the pen name of William
  Sydney Porter, an American short story writer.
  His short, simple stories are noted for their
  careful plotting, ironic coincidences, and
  surprise endings.
• O. Henry was born William Sydney Porter in
  Greensboro, North Carolina. He went to Texas in
  1882 and worked at various jobsas teller in an
  Austin bank (18911894) and as a newspaperman for
  the Houston Post.

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About the author

• In 1898 an unexplained shortage in the Austin
  bank was charged to him. Although many people
  believed him innocent, he fled to the Honduras
  but returned to be with his wife, who was fatally
  ill. He eventually served three years in prison,
  where he first started writing short stories.
• Upon his release he settled in New York. Although
  his stories have been criticized as shallow and
  contrived, O. Henry did catch the color and
  movement of the city and evidenced a genuine
  sympathy for ordinary people.

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About the author

• His approximately 300 stories are collected in
  Cabbages and Kings (1904), The Four Million
  (1906), The Voice of the City (1908), Options
  (1909), and others.

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About The Text

• Plot of the story
• Bob and Jim had obviously been close friends
  twenty years ago when they were young. Before
  their separation, they made an appointment to
  meet again at exactly the same place and the same
  hour twenty years later.

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About The Text

• Setting of the story
• On a business avenue of New York
• The same hour ten oclock at night
• The same place Big Joe Bradys restaurant 20
  years agoin the doorway of a hardware store now

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About The Text

• Drama of the story
• When they met again twenty years later, they
  should find themselves on opposite sides of the
  lawone was the man wanted by the police and the
  other turned out to be the police officer
  instructed to watch out for the runaway criminal.
  But no matter how much Jim had cherished their
  friendship, he would not let a personal
  relationship stand in the way of discharging his
  duty.

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About The Text

• Theme of the story
• Loyalty to friend VS. devotion to duty

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About The Text

• Protagonists of the story

Bob Jimmy
smart restless ambitious ready to try in every way to reach his goal He had made his fortune, though. He had many fights. He had broken the law. average height a bit slow strongly built not so adventurous honest, truthful, responsible and devoted He was obviously a good police officer.
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Structure of the text

• Part 1 (paras. 117) about
• The policeman (Jimmy) met with Bob and had a
  conversation.
• Part 2 (paras.1833) about
• Bob was arrested by a plain clothes man without
  his awareness until he found that the policeman
  was his expected friend Jimmy.

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Detailed Discussion of the Text

• The impressiveness was not for show, for
  spectators were few. (para. 1)
• This policeman was impressive in a natural way.
  He was not trying to look important, because it
  didnt make sensethere were few people in the
  street to see him.
• This description shows that Jim has become an
  excellent police officer.

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Detailed Discussion of the Text

• Trying doors as he went a guardian of the peace.
  (para. 2)
• This sentence showed Jims strong sense of
  responsibility.
• His clever swinging of the club showed his
  confidence and competence as a cop. His air of
  superiority showed his pride and sense of dignity
  as a law-enforcing officer.

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Detailed Discussion of the Text

• In the doorway of a darkened hardware store a man
  leaned, with an unlighted cigar in his mouth.
  (para. 3)
• It had to be a darkened store and Bobs cigar had
  to be unlighted, otherwise Jim would see that it
  was the man wanted by the police in Chicago.

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Detailed Discussion of the Text

• The light showed a pale, square-jawed face oddly
  set. (para. 6)
• The match light showed a face which must have
  fitted the description of the wanted man.
• the diamond placed in a strange or unusual way
  showing the owners lack of taste

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Detailed Discussion of the Text

• Havent you heard from your friend since you
  left? (para. 8)
• General questions in the negative are often used
  to show surprise or doubt.
• More examples Marys back. Didn't you know? Are
  you not coming? It is really a wonderful game.

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Detailed Discussion of the Text

• A man gets stuck in New York. It takes the West
  to make a man really keen. (para. 13)
• A man is unable to go very far or to be very
  successful in New York. He cant escape the
  boring life. He has to go to the West to become
  an eager and exciting person.

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Detailed Discussion of the Text

• Bless my heart! exclaimed the new arrival,
  (para. 22)
• ( bless my soul) used to express surprise This
  expression is rather old-fashioned.
• Here it refers to the man who has newly arrived.

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Detailed Discussion of the Text

• Chicago wants to have a chat with you. (para.
  31)
• Here refers to Chicago police.
• Chicago police is trying to track you down,
  arrest you and take you to court.

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Detailed Discussion of the Text

• Somehow I couldn't do it myself, so I went around
  and got a plain clothes man to do the job. (para.
  33)
• Somehow I couldn't arrest you myself, so I
• Jim had mixed feelings. He knew what his duty
  was. But the memories of their friendship, the
  expressions of Bobs undying respect and
  admiration for him and the fact that Bob had come
  all the way from thousand miles away just to keep
  the appointment made 20 years ago must have
  deeply touched him.

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Conclusion of the text

• O. Henry is known for the surprise endings of his
  stories. This one is no exception. The story
  begins with a policeman on the beat. But we do
  not know it is Jim until the very end of the
  story. When the second policeman introduced
  himself as Jim we are also taken in.