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. Part 1
Words in This Story
lifeboat – n. a small boat that is carried on a ship and that is used for saving the lives of the passengers and crew if the ship sinks
seaweed – n. a type of plant that grows in the sea
oar – n. a long pole that is flat and wide at one end and that is used for rowing and steering a boat
ashore – adv. on or to the shore of an ocean, sea, lake, or river
brotherhood – n. feelings of friendship, support, and understanding between people
- Study the American English vocabulary below. Part 2 of 2.
Words in This Story
afloat – adj. floating on water
shark – n. a large and often dangerous sea fish with very sharp teeth
row – v. to move a boat through water using oars
- Listen to the story. Part 1
- Listen to the story. Part 2 of 2
- Watch the video and read along. Part 1
- Watch the video and read along. Part 2 of 2
- Take the short story quiz.
Take the quiz: https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/open-boat-stephen-crane-part-two-american-stories/2586298/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 3.50.2: Year 3
American Story.
The name of the story is, ‘The Open Boat’ written by Stephen Crane. It is a short story.
The story is based on Crane’s experiences of surviving a shipwreck off the coast of Florida travelling to Cuba to work as news cross ponding and what really happens to him during the travelling.
One night ship hits a sandbar, and it sinks in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. Most of them get into lifeboats. Crane and three others ship’s captain, a cook and a sailor in the boat and they were the last to leave. The four men in the boat could not see the sky. the waves rise to high; they thought that the boat would sink, and they would drown… four men, find themselves stranded in a small dinghy after ships sinks. They battle the elements in the open sea, hoping for rescue. Despite their efforts, they face the harsh reality that nature does not care about their trouble. The sea remains unyielding, and the men feel small and alone and makes them difficult to understand just how small and isolated they are. whenever any hope of help, they feel, surprisingly they could not get it.
‘The open bot’ has a bit of surprise ending and the climax of the story occurs when a monstrous wave crashes into the dingy, and the four men jump from the boat to save their life, the men abandon their boat and swim for shore, but only three survive, the strong man the sailor succumbs and drowns.
The story explores theme of nature’s indifferences to human suffering, man’s insignificances in the universe and the struggle between individuals and nature.