Hello students. I’m proud of you for completing years 1 and 2 of our American English course. In order for you to become a strong intermediate American English learner, you need to be able to read, understand, and discuss abridged American English short stories. In this lesson, throughout Year 3 of your studies, you will read, listen to, and write about popular American English short stories. Please follow the directions below closely.
- Study the American English vocabulary below.
Words in This Story
fireplace – n. a specially built place in a room where a fire can be built
knit – v. to make a piece of clothing from yarn or thread by using long needles or a special machine
roar – v. to make a long, loud sound
shy – adj. showing that you are nervous and uncomfortable about meeting and talking to people
ambitious – adj. having ambition; having a desire to be successful, powerful or famous
admire – v. to feel respect or approval for someone or something
monument – n. a building, statue, etc., that honors a person or event
- Listen to the story.
- Watch the video and read along.
- Take the short story quiz.
Take the quiz: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/2811995/p1.html?isEmbedded=True
- Write a summary of the short story you just read and listened to in the comments section below. Click here to read an article that teaches you how to summarize a story. Remember to let us know who the characters of the story are, what they do, and what the story is about.
About the Author
Lesson 3.17.2: Year 3
American Short Story
” The Ambitious Guest” by Nathanial Hawthrone
”The Ambitious Guest ” is a fable, because the story tells us a moral truth, but it is also a folktale with its origin. The man character in the story is a young traveler who stops to visit with a close family who lives in an isolated cozy cabin, in the Notch of the White Hill located in the Bleakest spot in all new England. The other characters of the story are father, mother, eldest daughter the child and aged grandmother.
The family appears very happy with their simple life, as the sit by the warm fire and they are satisfied with their existence.
However, a young traveler appears. He interrupts the family’s peaceful evening by speaking about legacy which influence the family members to begin thinking about their own dreams and aspirations… read more.
The irony is that despite to all this love he has for this family, he never thinks of moving them away from this dangerous region. He is well aware of the landslides; they even have a contingency barrier built. He could have avoided the coming disaster, if he had just followed his dream to become a rich and well-known man. The conflict of the story is man verses fate. Everyone in the cottage falls victim to fate. Living on the mountain side, the family is a safe place, but nature has other plans. The moral of the story is that nature defiantly more powerful than people and nature can be dominated or controlled. Th all scream in fear of ”the slide, and they all caught up in the rockslide and killed while the house is completely undamaged, their bodies are swept away and never founded… man Proposes, God disposes… Human beings can make any plans they want, but it’s God that decides their success or failure.
Dear teacher,
Lesson 3.17.2: Year 3
American Short Story
” The Ambitious Guest” by Nathanial Hawthrone.
The man character in the story is a young traveler who stops to visit with a close family who lives in an isolated cozy cabin, in the Notch of the White Hill located in the Bleakest spot in all new England. There was a family built house in the forest near the mountains. The other characters of the story are father, mother, eldest daughter the child and aged grandmother.
The family appears very happy with their simple life, as the sit by the warm fire and they are satisfied with their existence.
Every traveler who across their house are always stop drinking water and getting warm welcome from this family’s members. One day there was a stranger person stop knocking the door for asking that family to stay one night. While they were talking around the fire for warm to against with cold outside, suddenly there was a storm and windy wave and destroyed everything except their home.
Some people thought that a stranger had
been with the family on that terrible night. But no one ever discovered who the stranger was. His name and way of life remain a mystery. His body was never
found.
Thank you.