The woman was working the early shift. She came home at noon and I cut my last class every day so as to be waiting for her on the landing outside her apartment. We showered and made love, and just before half past one I scrambled into my clothes and ran out the door. Afterwards we were exhausted. I would listen to the saws in the yard and the loud cries of the workers who operated them and had to shout to make themselves heard. When I heard children calling and playing, I knew that school was out and that it was past one o’clock.
“What’s your name?” “Why do you want to know?” She looked at me suspiciously (began first real conversation) “What class?” “Tenth grade. I’ve missed too much in the last months while I was ill. If I still wanted to move up next year I’d have to work like and idiot. I’d also have to be in school right now.” I told her I was cutting classes. “Out.” She threw back the coverlet. “Get out of my bed. And if you don’t want to do your work, don’t come back. Your work is idiotic? Idiotic ? What do you think selling and punching tickets is?”
Why does it make me so sad when I think back to that time?
I asked her about her life, and it was as if she rummaged around in a dusty chest to get me the answers. She had grown up in a German community in Rumania, then come to Berlin at the age of sixteen, taken a job at the Siemens factory, and ended up in the army at twenty-one. Things I wanted to know more about had vanished completely from her mind, and she didn’t understand why I was interested in what had happened to her parents, whether she had had brothers and sisters, how she had lived in Berlin and what she’d done in the army.
The day after our conversation, Hanna wanted to know what I was learning in school. I told her about Homer, Cicero, and Hemingway’s story.
Next day when I arrived and wanted to kiss her, she pulled back. “First you have to read.”
So reading to her, showering with her, making love to her, and lying next to her for a while afterwards– that became the ritual in our meetings.
Q&A Chapter8 1. Why did Hanna look suspicious when Michael asked her what her name is?
2. Why was Michael proud at the two extra years Hanna gave him when it comes to his age?
3. Why did Hanna suddenly turn angry when Michael told her that he was cutting classes?
4. What are some essentials of true love? Can the relationship between Hanna and Michael be considered as a kind of love? Why?
5. As it is mentioned on page 33, Hanna took possession of Michael when they had sex and Hanna did it for her own playful enjoyment. Can this be seen as a sign that this is only a relationship involved nothing more than physical love? Why?
Chapter9 1. Why did Hanna look suspicious when Michael asked her what her name is?
2. Why was Michael proud at the two extra years Hanna gave him when it comes to his age?
3. Why did Hanna suddenly turn angry when Michael told her that he was cutting classes?
4. What are some essentials of true love? Can the relationship between Hanna and Michael be considered as a kind of love? Why?
5. As it is mentioned on page 33, Hanna took possession of Michael when they had sex and Hanna did it for her own playful enjoyment. Can this be seen as a sign that this is only a relationship involved nothing more than physical love? Why?
6. On page 38, the storyteller confessed that he didn’t like himself as a teenager, always eager to become handsome and clever and superior and admired . In contrast, Hanna showed no worry and unsatisfactory for whom she was. Hanna, just as Michael described, was rooted in the here and now. Do you think this could be one of the reasons that Michael fell for Hanna?
7. Why did Hanna tell Michael about her life emotionlessly?
8. On page 40, Michael said that he felt embarrassed when going on a trip with his mom but not with Hanna. He even mentioned that being seen with Hanna would make him proud. What made him think this way?
9. As it is mentioned in page 41, Michael had got a lot of confidence from Hanna. What kind of confidence was that? What were some Hanna’s personalities mentioned earlier in the story that accounted for this “confidence”?
Michael wanted to surprise Hanna,so he got up early on the first day of his vacation.But Hanna misunderstood him.Then,they fought.In the end Michael surrendered to Hanna .
Ch.11
They had a trip by bikes happily on the vacation. In one morning, Michael wanted to surprise Hanna again,so he got up early to buy breakfast and flowers and left a note to her.However, she misunderstood him again. So They fought and made love again.In the end , Michael wrote a poem for Hanna .
Michael found Hanna keep talking with the driver and ignored him, so he got off the streetcar. How did he go back? P46
Michael and Hanna decided to take a four-day trip by bike. He saved much pocket money while he was sick. However it wouldn’t be enough if he wanted to pay for Hanna as well. So,what did he do? P52
what michael felt about his relationship with hanna after they took the trip? p57
Overview
ReplyDeleteThe woman was working the early shift. She came home at noon and I cut my last class every day so as to be waiting for her on the landing outside her apartment. We showered and made love, and just before half past one I scrambled into my clothes and ran out the door.
Afterwards we were exhausted. I would listen to the saws in the yard and the loud cries of the workers who operated them and had to shout to make themselves heard. When I heard children calling and playing, I knew that school was out and that it was past one o’clock.
“What’s your name?”
“Why do you want to know?” She looked at me suspiciously
(began first real conversation)
“What class?”
“Tenth grade. I’ve missed too much in the last months while I was ill. If I still wanted to move up next year I’d have to work like and idiot. I’d also have to be in school right now.” I told her I was cutting classes.
“Out.” She threw back the coverlet. “Get out of my bed. And if you don’t want to do your work, don’t come back. Your work is idiotic? Idiotic ? What do you think selling and punching tickets is?”
Why does it make me so sad when I think back to that time?
I asked her about her life, and it was as if she rummaged around in a dusty chest to get me the answers.
She had grown up in a German community in Rumania, then come to Berlin at the age of sixteen, taken a job at the Siemens factory, and ended up in the army at twenty-one.
Things I wanted to know more about had vanished completely from her mind, and she didn’t understand why I was interested in what had happened to her parents, whether she had had brothers and sisters, how she had lived in Berlin and what she’d done in the army.
The day after our conversation, Hanna wanted to know what I was learning in school. I told her about Homer, Cicero, and Hemingway’s story.
Next day when I arrived and wanted to kiss her, she pulled back. “First you have to read.”
So reading to her, showering with her, making love to her, and lying next to her for a while afterwards– that became the ritual in our meetings.
Vocabulary
ReplyDeletep.32
landing樓梯中的平台
shift輪班時間
scramble倉促地行動
scrupulously完全地
soap用肥皂擦
bashfully羞怯地
streetcar有軌電車
p.33
crease摺痕
p.34
coo鴿子的叫聲 in thing時尚
p.35
sort of有幾分 coverlet床罩
p.36
dismissive不屑的 dawdle閒晃
p.37
gall 苦澀
p.38
two-tone shoes 同色而濃淡不同的鞋子
suede 絨毛革
over-the-counter 不透過交易買賣
exact 需要
pledge 誓言
hindsight 後見之明
p.39
rummage 在…裡翻找
chest 大盒子
p.40
bafflement 迷惑
outgrow 長大後就不再適用
p.41
fix 牢記
periodic table 元素週期表
p.43
ritual 例行公事
imbecility 極度愚蠢
saw 鋸子
get by 過活
hammer out 想出
Q&A
ReplyDeleteChapter8
1. Why did Hanna look suspicious when Michael asked her what her name is?
2. Why was Michael proud at the two extra years Hanna gave him when it comes to his age?
3. Why did Hanna suddenly turn angry when Michael told her that he was cutting classes?
4. What are some essentials of true love? Can the relationship between Hanna and Michael be considered as a kind of love? Why?
5. As it is mentioned on page 33, Hanna took possession of Michael when they had sex and Hanna did it for her own playful enjoyment. Can this be seen as a sign that this is only a relationship involved nothing more than physical love? Why?
Chapter9
1. Why did Hanna look suspicious when Michael asked her what her name is?
2. Why was Michael proud at the two extra years Hanna gave him when it comes to his age?
3. Why did Hanna suddenly turn angry when Michael told her that he was cutting classes?
4. What are some essentials of true love? Can the relationship between Hanna and Michael be considered as a kind of love? Why?
5. As it is mentioned on page 33, Hanna took possession of Michael when they had sex and Hanna did it for her own playful enjoyment. Can this be seen as a sign that this is only a relationship involved nothing more than physical love? Why?
6. On page 38, the storyteller confessed that he didn’t like himself as a teenager, always eager to become handsome and clever and superior and admired . In contrast, Hanna showed no worry and unsatisfactory for whom she was. Hanna, just as Michael described, was rooted in the here and now. Do you think this could be one of the reasons that Michael fell for Hanna?
7. Why did Hanna tell Michael about her life emotionlessly?
8. On page 40, Michael said that he felt embarrassed when going on a trip with his mom but not with Hanna. He even mentioned that being seen with Hanna would make him proud. What made him think this way?
9. As it is mentioned in page 41, Michael had got a lot of confidence from Hanna. What kind of confidence was that? What were some Hanna’s personalities mentioned earlier in the story that accounted for this “confidence”?
Overview
ReplyDeleteCh.10
Michael wanted to surprise Hanna,so he got up early on the first day of his vacation.But Hanna misunderstood him.Then,they fought.In the end Michael surrendered to Hanna .
Ch.11
They had a trip by bikes happily on the vacation. In one morning, Michael wanted to surprise Hanna again,so he got up early to buy breakfast and flowers and left a note to her.However, she misunderstood him again. So They fought and made love again.In the end , Michael wrote a poem for Hanna .
vocabulary
ReplyDeleteCh.10
Streetcar有軌電車 P44 第3行
Depot (火車站)公車站 P44 第3行
Shrub 灌木 P45 第6行
in the distance 在遠處 P45 第7行
impale 刺住 P45 第13行
graveled 鋪了碎石子的 P45 第19行
embankment 堤岸 P45 第19行
nursery 苗圃 P46 第7行
epilogue = epilog 結語 收場白 P46 第12行
hitch a ride 搭便車 P46 第23行
sarcastic 諷刺的 P47 第17行
intruder 侵入者 P48 第3行
shrug 聳肩 P48 第18行
cave in 認輸 P49 第20行
entreaty 乞求 P50 第1行
Ch11
sham (adj.)假裝的 p.51 第4行
ritual (n.)習慣 p.51 第5行
trump (v.)勝過 p.51 第7行
accusation (n.)指責 p.51 第8行
catalog (n.)目錄冊 p.52 第15行
shrug (v.)聳肩 p.52 第16行
saddlebag (n.)掛包 p.52 倒數第2行
rucksack (n.)帆布背包 p.52 倒數第1行
cycling (n.)騎腳踏車兜風 p.53 第8行
bottle green (adj.) 深綠色 p.53 第10行
daub (n.)塗料 p.53 第11行
fleck (n.)小片 p.53 第11行
forsythias (n.)連翹(一種植物名) p.53 第13行
file (v.)排成縱隊行進 p.53 第18行
convertible (n.)有活動摺篷的汽車 p.53 第19行
spoke (n.)輪輻 p.53 倒數第6行
pedal (n.)踏板 p.53 倒數第6行
flutter (v.)飄動 p.53 倒數第5行
inn (n.)小旅館 p.54 第14行
tray (n.)盤子 p.54 倒數第2行
horrorstruck (adj.)驚恐的 p.55 第5行
blotch (n.)污點 p.55 第10行
croak (v.)發牢騷 p.55 第11行
throaty (adj.)嘶啞的 p.55 第11行
toneless (adj.)沈悶的 p.55 第12行
snuggle (v.)偎依 p.55 倒數第8行
fetch (v.)去拿...給 p.55 倒數第6行
satiated (adj.)滿足 p.55 倒數第1行
gust (n.)一陣強風 p.56 倒數第14行
fury (n.)狂怒 p.56 倒數第11行
cuddle (v.)親熱地摟住 p.56 倒數第7行
tangle (v.)糾纏 p.57 第2行
intimate (adj.)親密的 p.57 第12行
Question
ReplyDeleteWhy michael decided to sit in the second car? P44
Michael found Hanna keep talking with the driver and ignored him, so he got off the streetcar. How did he go back? P46
Michael and Hanna decided to take a four-day trip by bike. He saved much pocket money while he was sick. However it wouldn’t be enough if he wanted to pay for Hanna as well. So,what did he do? P52
what michael felt about his relationship with hanna after they took the trip? p57