I. Warming up

Have you ever imagined your future house? Watch the video and describe your ideal house to your partners.

Work in pairs and answer the questions about your family home.

1. Are you the first family to live in your family home?

Oh no. It is an old building. I think a few families must have lived there over the years.

2. How many other families live in the same building?

There is one on each floor – so five in total.

3. What important events in the neighbourhood or region have happened during its lifetime?

We had a street party when Yang Liwei went into space in 2003. That was a big occasion.

Please discuss the following questions

What does the future house look like? Please discuss with Each other and tell them the future house in your mind.

II. Background

1. Style

Humanizing the non-human

We’ve seen that the passage appears to be narrated by something non-human, ie the house. This treatment of humanizing the non-human is a literary device which makes an object seem “capable of feeling”. It gives the reader insights which are different from the human writer’s point of view. It can also provide insights over a different period of time. For example:

I can still remember the men who built the walls, and raised the roof, even though it was many families ago.

I only see my neighbour from the side. I’ve never seen him face on ...

The reader is invited to interpret and infer why the non-human narrator would make these comments, or supply information which would be obvious to a human one.

III. Text analysis

Text Organization:

 

Discussion:

1. ... I do know that strangely, although we're identical, we're the exact opposite of each other ...

Why are the house and its neighbor identical yet the exact opposite of each other?

The house and its neighbor have the same structure, but they are facing opposite ways, with the front door of the house facing east, while its neighbor's facing west.

2. I thought they looked rather coarse against my handsome stone.

Does the house like the new brick houses being built? Why / Why not?

No, he doesn’t think brick is as fine a material as stone. The word coarse is negative in connotation.

3. Round the bend comes a large crane with a kind of ball and chain. I do hope it will go away.

What do you think the crane is coming to do? Do you think it will go away?

Balls are used to smash down walls, so it sounds as if the building will be demolished rather than repaired. If so, the crane will not go away.

4. Soon there were children to look after too ...

In what way does the house look after the children?

The house provides shelter and keeps them warm and dry.

5. My floorboards creak, and ghosts make strange noises throughout the night.

If the house were a human, what would creaking floorboards and ghosts suggest?

The two words suggest old age with stiff muscles and many memories.

Paraphrase:

1… and then a boy with powerful lungs, who kept us all awake.

* … the baby boy cried very loudly, thus none of us could fall asleep.

2. On these days, the groundsman and his family used to dress smartly and leave the house for several hours.

* On these days, the groundsman and his family used to wear their Sunday best (smartest clothes) and go to　church on Sunday when the church bells ring.

3. My floorboards creak, and ghosts make strange noises throughout the night.

* The house is now old and its woodwork creaks and groans – something which is particularly noticeable in　the silence of the night.

4. … and someone has sprayed some words on the stonework at the side of the house.

* After Joseph’s death the house is unoccupied and attracts teenagers who spray graffiti (eg. Tony loves　Helen / Man Utd Forever) on the walls.

Summary:

I can still remember the men who built the house. The master from the manor house found clearing in the huge orchard which ran _______________ the hills. I only see my neighbor from the side. I’ve never seen him _________. Apart from the autumn, the grounds man brought a young woman home. I was __________ the sound of conversation and laughter. The woman looked after the garden around me, there was a _________ colors. With time goes by, they had children and then grew up. But one day, I saw a postman arrive with ____________ letters, the woman ___________ and fainted. Years later, they left without _________________ to me. Two ______________ women spent several years here. I like them because they kept everything _________________. The last person lived with me working at ____________________. We just ___________________________. He walked very slowly using his hands to _________________. Time goes by, there are signs of everyone who has lived with me. However, there are my __________________. But in fact, I look and _____________.

Keys：up and down； face on；filled with；riot of；a bundle of；cried out；saying goodbye；

middle-aged；clean and tidy；assembling furniture；kept each other company；steady himself；

golden memories；feel my age

IV. Reinforcement:

Discussion

(1) If your house could tell its story, what would it say?

My house would tell you about its grand days when a rich family lived in it, followed by hard days with many people coming and going. Then things improved but it was rather crowded. More recently, it would remember being repaired with new appliances being fitted. Now the families are smaller. It would remember me as a sweet child too!

(2) Would you prefer to live in an old building or a new one, and why?

• A new one as it is likely to be more comfortable. I also like living high up, so I can get a good view.

• I think I prefer old buildings. They have more character, and I think they were better built in the old days.

(3) Do you think old houses should be saved and restored, or should they be pulled down and the land used to provide homes for more families?

• We don’t want everywhere to look the same. Old buildings make a place more interesting. A town exists in time as well as space.

• We must be practical. High-rise buildings can house far more people. Old houses waste land.

(4) To what extent do you think old buildings are part of the local or national heritage, or are they symbols of an unnecessary and sentimental attachment to the past?

I think to try to protect all old buildings just because they are old would be, as the question says, “an unnecessary and sentimental attachment to the past”. But if the buildings are of historical significance, they are part of our heritage. Chinese culture is too old and valuable for us to simply forget the past.