Assignment
"Hills Like White Elephants" by Ernest Hemingway (1927) by Ernest Hemingway.
Hemingway in 1939
Born Ernest Miller Hemingway
July 21, 1899
Oak Park, Illinois, United States
Died July 2, 1961 (aged 61)
Ketchum, Idaho, United States
Occupation Author
Nationality American
Notable award(s) Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1953)
Nobel Prize in Literature (1954)
Spouse(s) Elizabeth Hadley Richardson (1921-1927)
Pauline Pfeiffer (1927-1940)
Martha Gellhorn (1940-1945)
Mary Welsh Hemingway (1946-1961)
Children Jack Hemingway (1923-2000)
Patrick Hemingway (1928-)
Gregory Hemingway (1931-2001)
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 - July 2, 1961), one of the most respected American writers and many of his works are classics of American literature. In 1954 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his short novel, The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway was known for his adventures, all of which found their way into his novels and short stories. His style of writing is distinguished by its economy, simplicity, understatement and extensive dialogue. He was an ambulance driver in Italy during World War I, and was seriously wounded - all is described in his novel A Farewell to Arms. He worked as a foreign correspondent in Paris where he wrote his first novel, The Sun Also Rises, published in 1926. As a reporter he covered the Spanish Civil War which turned into his novel, For Whom the Bells Tolls. Later he went on safari to Africa, where he was almost killed in a plane crash that left him in pain and ill-health for much of his life. Hemingway had permanent residences inKey West, Florida and Cuba. He committed suicide in the summer of 1961. (Wikipedia)
Hemingway's style is famous for its simplicity, using simple but intense sentences which often cover more than they reveal. His short stories are based, to a large extent, on dialogues.
A famous story that goes around tells that while lunching with friends at a restaurant, Hemingway bets the table ten dollars each that he can craft an entire story in six words. After the pot is assembled, Hemingway writes "For sale: baby shoes, never worn" on a napkin, passes this around the table, and collects his winnings.[1]
Hemingway's famous short story, "Hills Like White Elephants" reads like a riddle unless you figure out what these two people, a man and a young woman, are talking about. To understand, really understand, Hemingway's story, you have to read it more than once.
1. What is this important operation the two characters are talking about but never name it?
2. The title, "Hills Like White Elephants", a very important metaphor here, is a quote from the story itself. Why is this phrase so important to the understanding of the two characters and their outlook on reality, that Hemingway selected it as the title of his story?
3. Consider the male-female relationships in this story, how different are they from the male-female relationships in the stories we've read so far?
4. Pay attention to Hemingway's distinctive style of writing:
a. The main conflict is suggested but never mentioned.
b. The characters' feelings are suggested but never expressed directly.
c..The story is told mostly in dialogue.
d. Notice that most sentences are fairly short and simple.
Some critics named Hemingway's style of writing as the "iceberg style", which means that only the utmost tip of the mountain is visible in his stories, but most of the mountain is underwater.
Assignment
1. Read the story twice: the first time to known what it's about; the second time, to understand what they are talking about. Highlight important words. Try to understand the different attitude each of the characters has toward the mysterious operation, though they do not talk about it openly. Use quotes from the story.
2. Watch the story on Youtube. Choose one production you like.
3. Write the post: 1. Title, subtitle. 2. Introductory paragraph in which you briefly summarize what Hemingway's story is about to let readers familiarize with the story.
4. Compare with the production you selected on Youtube (don't forget to mention who did it , when and where, special effects, and how many views it earned).