Transcript Lesson Thirteen Soldier`s Heart by Louis Simpson

Lesson Thirteen
Soldier’s Heart
by Louis Simpson
A Brief Introduction to Author

Louis Simpson (1923~ )
was born in Jamaica,
West Indies. The son of
a lawyer of Scottish
descent and a Russian
mother, he emigrated to
the United States when
he was 17 and went to
study at Columbia
University in New York
City.
Louis Simpson
(1923~ )

He served in the Second World War on active
duty in France, Holland, Belgium and
Germany. When the war was over, he
returned to Columbia University to finish his
studies. After that he became a teacher at
that school and later at the University of
California, Berkeley, and the State University
of New York at Stony Brook. Louis Simpson
has published 17 books of poetry and is
widely acclaimed as a literary critic.
Brief Introduction

War, this complex phenomenon in our life, has
been one of the most favorite subjects in art
and literature as well as in serious academic
studies. The textis a first-person narration of
World War II veteran about his personal
experience, his feelings and sufferings during
the war and the physical and psychological
scars the war left him with.
Detailed Discussion



Paragraph 2:
… the life and death of an infantry
soldier…
infantry: the combat arm made up of
units trained to fight on foot.
Paragraph 4:




I was discharged from the U.S. Army in
1945 and went home.
to discharge : to allow or tell sb to go
e.g.. She was discharged form the
intensive care unit last week and
transferred to a general ward.
The judge found him not guilty and
discharged him.
Paragraph 5:



One person had it that…
to have it that…: to say that sth is true
e.g.. We don’t know for sure what
caused the accident. One rumor has it
that the princess was trying too had to
get rid of the photographers.
Paragraph 7:

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a
psychiatric disorder that can occur following
the experience or witnessing of lifethreatening events such as military combat,
natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious
accidents, or violent personal assaults like
rape. People who suffer from PTSD often
relive the experience through nightmares and
flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel
detached or estranged, and these symptoms
can be severe enough and last long enough
to significantly impair the person's daily life.
Paragraph 8:


Their main duty was
to … play playing
cards or board games
or reading a magazine.
board game:A game of
strategy, such as chess
or backgammon,
played by moving
pieces on a board and
sometimes involving
dice.
Paragraph 9:


Chekhov:
Russian playwright and one
of the great masters of
modern short story. In his
work Chekhov combined
the dispassionate attitude
of a scientist and a doctor
with the sensitivity and
psychological
understanding of an artist.
Chekhov (1860~1904)

“Ward No.6” is a short story written by
Chekhov. It describes a ward in a own
hospital in Russia for patients who are
suffering from mental illness. It is
gloomy, damp, stinking and
overcrowded. The ward guards treat
the patients as prisoners, beating and
abusing them constantly.
Weapons Mentioned
Mortar
Machine gun
Rifle
Paragraph 13:


Normandy:
This a region in northern France along
the English Channel where the allied
invasion took place in the Second World
War (June 6, 1944), thus opening the
second front against the German
fascists.


Ardennes:
This is a wooded plateau region in
northeast France, southeast Belgium
and Luxembourg where a bloody battle
took place in the Second World War
between 1944 and 1945.
Paragraph 21:


Somme:
This is the name of the 150-mile long river in
northern France where in the First World War
the allied forces of France and Britain
launched a bitter attack against the Germans
(July, 1916). The bloody battle lasted four
months with extremely heavy casualties on
both sides (about 420 thousand for Britain,
192,000 for France and440,000 for Germany).
Questions for Discussion:





Is the author eulogizing the heroic spirit
shown by the American soldiers in the Second
World War?
Is war a permanent human condition as the
author says?
What are the causes of international conflicts?
How do we determine whether a war is just
or unjust?
Is there anything positive to be said about
war?
Synopsis of the Text:




Part I. (Para. 1~Para. 3):
The description of the author’s war
memories in France in he summer of
1944.
Part II. (Para.4~ end):
The description of his life immediately
after the war: how he goes back to the
university to continue his education and
how he breaks down and is diagnosed as
suffering form “soldier’s heart”, a mental
illness resulting form being shot at and
shelled for months on end.
Assignments:





Recount the narrator’s experience in
about 200 words.
1. How did he get “combat fatigue”?
2. What were the symptoms?
3. How was he and other veteran
soldiers like him treated?
4. How did his experience change him?
Peace or War?