Help me analyze the lesson "The Great Tragedy"

21 The Great Tragedy

Text Discussion

1. Overall Understanding

Anyone who has a little knowledge of Antarctica knows that the establishment The scientific experiment station at 90° south latitude of Antarctica is named Amundsen-Scott Station. This is to commemorate the two first scientific explorers to reach the South Pole in human history-Norwegian Amundsen and Englishman Scott. On June 1, 1910, Scott led an expedition to leave Britain and head to Antarctica. In October 1911, they landed near Cape Evans, New Zealand, preparing to conquer the South Pole from December of that year to January of the following year. But at this time, they received news that the Norwegian Amundsen was leading another expedition to the Antarctic and wanted to "compete with him for the honor of being the first to reveal the secrets of the stubborn earth"! As a result, Scott and his party set off in a hurry on November 1 to "fight for the country's honor." After a fierce competition, the result was that the Amundsen team reached the Antarctic on December 14, 1911, while the Scott team only arrived on January 18, 1912, nearly five years later than the Amundsen team. weeks. In the end, Amundsen returned victorious, and the flag of success was always flying at the South Pole. However, Scott and other five heroes who attacked the Antarctic were hungry, cold, and exhausted due to the sudden early arrival of the cold weather in Antarctica. After fighting the severe cold for more than two months, he finally slept in the vast ice and snow.

Scientists who study the history of Antarctic exploration point out that Amundsen’s victory and Scott’s failure did not lie in the thoroughness of their plans, but in the fact that the former relied on rich practical experience to formulate plans, and the latter Make plans based on reasoning and assumptions. Amundsen concluded that neither human physical strength nor Siberian ponies could withstand the severe cold of the Antarctic. Only Arctic Huskies could pull sleds in the Polar Circle, so he used 20 fat and strong dogs to successfully complete the journey. Round trip to the South Pole. Scott mainly used Siberian ponies and a small number of Huskies. As a result, the dogs ran away and the ponies froze to death, making this team accept a severe challenge prematurely-in the future, They could only move forward by pulling sleds. In this way, the speed of progress will be greatly reduced, and disaster will become inevitable. However, the author Zweig ignored these scientific issues, and instead wrote about this event in a literary style with great emotion and from the perspective of the noble and tragic spirit of human beings conquering nature. It is exciting to read.

This biography was written by the author based on some of the negatives, film reels, letters and suicide notes left by Scott, using his genius literary imagination. Because the original work was too long, when it was selected as a text, the previous part about Scott and his party's expedition preparations and departure to Antarctica was deleted, while the part about their desperate return from Antarctica and their tragic demise was mainly retained. This is the main part of the full text. The main idea of ??the full text, Scott's spirit, and wonderful sentences are mostly concentrated in this part.

When studying this text, you should pay attention to the following aspects.

1. untangle the storyline. The text is mainly written about the five members of the Scott expedition who were exhausted but full of hope and rushed to the South Pole. However, they sadly discovered that someone had already reached the South Pole earlier, so they had to go back dejectedly, and finally died tragically one by one. On the one hand, the author describes the harsh climate and the expedition team's struggle with the severe cold; on the other hand, the author writes the details of the sacrifices of the expedition team members. First, Evans, who was considered the strongest, suddenly went insane and died one night. Then Oates walked into the blizzard alone in order not to drag down his companions - walking toward death like a hero. Finally, the three "tired and weak" people climbed into their sleeping bags and waited for death, "but never lamented to the world the various sufferings they encountered in the end." Once you have grasped the "typical characters" in the above "typical environments", you will have a basic understanding of the content of the text.

2． Pay attention to memorable details.

For example, after going through all the hardships and dangers to reach the top, what awaited them was the flag and letter left by the occupier Amundsen, and asked Scott, a loser, to testify about his achievements, but Scott actually accepted this task! Another example is Dr. Wilson, who was in charge of scientific research. Even when he was only inches away from death, he still insisted on scientific observation and dragged 16 kilograms of precious rock samples! For another example, the unfortunate Oates first asked for ten tablets of morphine in an attempt to end himself as soon as possible, but the other team members resolutely rejected his request; the next day, he walked alone into the wind and snow outside the tent. In the end, Captain Scott recorded the diary extremely calmly until the last breath of his life, until his fingers were completely frozen and the pen slipped from his hand. I believe this kind of plot will touch everyone!

3. Grasp the thoughts and feelings expressed by the author. The text praises a human spirit of courage to explore, a noble spirit of dedication to the cause and a strong spirit of collectivism. The five explorers described by the author are heroes of Britain and all mankind, admired by everyone. It can be seen between the lines that the author devoted all his emotions to writing this tragedy, and his admiration for the hero was beyond words. Sometimes the author directly stood up and commented:

In the gloomy loneliness, There are only a few people walking all the time, and their heroism cannot but be admired.

Although a person destroys himself in the struggle against invincible misfortune, his soul becomes extremely noble as a result. All this is the greatest tragedy of all times.

These straightforward discussions are a manifestation of the author's inability to suppress his emotions when writing, and are reminiscent of the expression techniques of reportage.

2. Problem Research

1. Why did Zweig not write a biography for the winner Amundsen, but wrote this tragic scene for the loser Scott with passion?

The answer can be found in the last two sentences of the text: "Although a person destroys himself in the fight against invincible misfortune, his soul becomes extremely noble because of it. All of this It is the greatest tragedy of all times." As a great writer, Zweig never thought mainly of successful people in his career, but of the spiritual shock and enlightenment behind many historical events. According to this value standard, Zweig certainly believed that writing a biography for Scott would be more meaningful and would give people long-term thinking.

2． What excellent human qualities did Scott and his expedition members demonstrate? Where is it specifically reflected in the text?

Integrity and admirable gentlemanly demeanor. Scott and his party failed in the competition with Amundsen, but they had the courage to admit failure and were willing to "testify before the world to the achievements of another man, a cause that he himself passionately pursued." If this matter is put in front of a person who likes to be dishonest and does not keep his word, you can imagine the result.

Perseverance, perseverance, and heroic spirit of devotion to the cause. In the abridged part, this characteristic of Scott's character is fully explained:

Judging from the photo, his face is as cold and resolute as those of thousands of British people. The face was expressionless, as if the muscles were frozen by inner strength. Blue-grey eyes, tightly closed mouth. There are no romantic lines or a hint of lightness and joy on his face, only his will and thoughts about considering the reality of the world.

He went to India and conquered many dotted islands. He accompanied the colonists to Africa and participated in countless world battles. But no matter where he goes, he has the same cold, reserved face, with the same strong perseverance and collective consciousness.

In the text, it is written that when they thought that the adventure they were undertaking was an immortal undertaking for mankind, they gained superhuman strength. In fact, it would be impossible to pursue this career without a dedication to adventure, superhuman strength and courage. And when they fought against death on their way back and died one by one, there was no coward, they were all outstanding men, who lived clearly and died tragically.

Strong collectivism spirit.

Exploration requires a spirit of unity and cooperation. In order to protect your companions at critical moments, you sometimes have to have the courage to sacrifice your own life. Scott and his team have done just that.

Selfless love. In the last breath of his life, Scott was not thinking about his own interests. He was always thinking about others: friends, companions, wife and children, as well as his motherland and people. His last suicide note was not for posthumous fame, but a true expression of love; the letter was written so calmly, not like a person who was about to die at all! Scott left that cold world with a passionate love and no hatred.

3. What is the significance of Scott's expedition?

Understand nature, challenge human self, realize the value of life, and provide spiritual inspiration to future generations.

Exercise instructions

1. Read the text, retell the story to your classmates, and talk about which details in it are most exciting and unforgettable for you.

There are two purposes for setting this question. One is to grasp the ideological content of the text and practice oral expression; the other is to grasp the essence of the text, chew it over and over, and taste its meaning.

Problem-solving ideas: Divide into groups and let students retell stories to each other, and then each recommends one person to retell the story in front of the podium. It is not necessary to recommend the most active and eloquent students, but to recommend the students who need the most training to go on stage and retell. Which are the most exciting and unforgettable details in the text? Different students may have different answers. They must find it themselves and give their reasons.

2. Connect with the context, understand the meaning of the following sentences, and discuss the issues in brackets.

1. For humans, the first to arrive has everything, the second to arrive is nothing.

(What does the author mean here? Do you agree with this statement?)

2. The Norwegian flag flutters proudly and triumphantly on this fortress that has been breached by humans.

(How can the national flag be "showy" and "smug"? What kind of complicated emotions does Scott show here?)

3. Scott accepts the assignment to faithfully fulfill that most ruthless of duties: to bear witness before the world to the accomplishments of another man, a cause for which he himself passionately pursues.

(Why should Scott accept this task of vouching for the performance of others? Can’t he accept it?)

4. But in this snowy desert there was only a mirage in the mind, which summoned the images of all the people who had been connected to him by love, loyalty and friendship, and to all of whom he had left words.

(Looking at the context, what does "mirage in the heart" mean? Why does the author use this metaphor?)

5. Although a man destroys himself in the struggle against invincible misfortune, his soul becomes extremely noble as a result. All this is the greatest tragedy of all times.

(What does this expression mean? What role does it play in the whole text?)

The purpose of setting this question is to make students pay attention to the meaningful sentences in the text and guide students to read When writing a text, you must be able to grasp the key sentences.

Reference answers:

1. Here, the author stands from Scott's perspective and expresses his extremely depressed and sad mood after losing the competition. But in fact, the author himself does not think so. The reason is that the author's biography of Scott, a loser, shows that the author does not agree with the view that "the first arrival has everything, and the second arrival is nothing." .

2． The author uses personification here to express the mood of Scott and his companions. At this time, in the eyes of Scott, who was in great pain, the Norwegian flag fluttering in the wind was his opponent. The victor Amundsen seemed to be standing there showing off his power and being proud. This is really "looking at things with me, everything has my color".

3. The British generally value gentlemanly behavior, advocate honesty and trustworthiness, and face success and failure calmly. Scott, influenced by this cultural tradition, had to accept the task of vouching for the performance of others.

It is precisely because of his behavior that his personality appears extremely noble and he has won people's respect.

4． Viewed in context, "the mirage in the heart" refers to the beautiful past memories that Scott recalled before leaving the world and his nostalgia for his distant motherland, relatives and friends. They are in sharp contrast to the harshness of reality. Mirages are beautiful, but they are simply unattainable. Writing in this way highlights the tragic effect and gives people a spiritual impact.

5． These two sentences express the author's high praise for Scott, which means that although Scott failed in the fight with nature and his body fell, his mind withstood the test and became extremely strong. Sublime. The destruction of value and beauty is of course a great tragedy. This sentence can be used as the theme sentence and the starting point in the whole text.

At the last moment of his life, in a cold and windy Antarctic tent, Scott wrote a desperate letter to the British public. The following excerpt is part of the letter. After reading, combine the content of the text (if possible, you can find other information about Scott outside class) and write a reading note.