Unit-3-A-Crime-of-Compassion

1、Unit 3 A Crime of CompassionI Teaching objectives1. Understanding the various aspects related to the usage of words.2. Cultivating a sense of appropriateness in style3. Learning methods of dealing with the body paragraphs of a writing.II Teaching time: six class periodsIII Teaching ProceduresStep 1

2、library work 1 the Phil Donahue show: The Phil Donahue Show, also known as Donahue, is an American television talk show that ran for 26 years on national television. Its run was preceded by three years of local broadcast in Dayton, Ohio, and it was broadcast nationwide between 1967 and 1996. 2 code

3、blue: Hospital emergency codes are used in hospitals worldwide to alert staff to various emergency situations. The use of codes is intended to convey essential information quickly and with a minimum of misunderstanding to staff. 推荐精选Step 2 pre-reading questions1 If you have ever witnessed the suffer

4、ings of a dying person, tell us the feelings that the scene evoked from you.2 Do you think doctors and nurses should do everything within their means to try to save a terminally ill patient even when they know clearly all their efforts would mean nothing more than prolonging his suffering?3 General

5、ReadingI. Determine which of the following best states the purpose of the writing.A. To recount her horrifying experience of caring for a terminally ill patient.B. To make an appeal for a terminally ill patient's right to die.C. To demand that nurses be given the right to issue a "no-code&q

6、uot; order. Key: BJudge whether the following statements are true or false.1 When Mac entered the hospital, he was apparently a normal person except for an enduring cough.2 Despite his worsening condition, Mac still had a strong wish to live.3 The medical community is divided on whether a patient

7、9;s life should be extended as long as possible under all circumstances.4 It can be inferred from the essay that doctors, not nurses, have the right to give a "no-code order".5 In Maura's eyes, Huttmann was a murderer for not pushing the code blue button in time.Key: 1. T 2. F 3. T 4.

8、T 5. FStep 3 Key Points of the Text1 self-righteous adj: having a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or superior 推荐精选2 meddle in: interfere inE.g. Young people today do not like their parents to meddle in their lives.meddle with touch or handle sth. without permissio

9、nE.g. You can use my room but you're not supposed to meddle with my stuffs, especially my computer.3 to play God: to function as God, i.e. to decide when to terminate a person's life. Christians believe that only God has the right to decide when a person's life should end.4 When Mac had

10、wasted away to a 60-pound skeleton: When Mac had been reduced to a 60-pound skeleton 5 waste away : (of a person or a part of the body) become progressively weaker and more emaciated E.g. She is dying of AIDS, visibly wasting away.6 i.v. solutions: "i.v." is the abbreviation of "intra

11、venous", meaning "within a vein", and "i.v. solutions" refers to the liquid substances infused directly into the vein of a patient for therapeutic purposes.7 irrigate the big craters of bedsores: The verb "irrigate" normally means "to supply water to land or c

12、rops to help growth." In medicine, the word can be used to mean "to apply a continuous flow of water or medication to an organ or a wound."8 suction the lung fluids that threatened to drown him: drain the excessive lung fluids that threaten his life9 that seemed woven into the fabric

13、of my uniform: that seemed to have become an element of the fabric of my uniform10 weave sth. into : include sth. as an integral part or element (of a fabric); include an element in a story, an artistic work, etc.E.g. Some golden threads are woven into the fabric.Argumentative paragraphs are natural

14、ly woven into Huttmann's narration. 推荐精选11 to be liable for negligence: to be held responsible for failing to perform my duty12 be liable for : to be responsible for by law, to be legally answerable to13 be liable to : be likely to do or to be something, likely to experience sth. (unpleasant)E.g

15、. Once you have contacted the credit card protection scheme, you are no longer liable for any loss that might occur.He is suffering from hypertension and thus is liable to fall if he gets up too suddenly.The low-lying areas are liable to floods during the rainy season.14 when no amount of pain medic

16、ation stilled his moaning and agony: when his pain was so acute that no matter how much pain-relieving medication was used, his suffering could not be easedstill vt. & vi.E.g. He clapped his hands to still the agitated audience.When night fell, the village which was boisterous with tourists in t

17、he daytime stilled.15 I wondered about a spiritual judge.: I wondered if there was a spiritual judge (as against a legal judge), who would be supportive of my decision not to push the code blue button, thus to put an end to all this.16 building character: developing his personal qualities (so that h

18、e could face up to the adversity better)17 the blessed relief of coma: Coma refers to a state of deep unconsciousness that lasts for a prolonged period, caused especially by severe injury or illness. When in a coma, the patient is not conscious of any pain. That's why Huttmann thinks it is a ble

19、ssed relief.18 riddled me with guilt: filled me with a strong sense of guiltThe verb riddle here means "fill or permeate sb. or sth. esp. with sth. unpleasant or undesirable".19 A clutch of panic banded my chest: I was so seized by panic that I felt simply suffocated推荐精选clutch n. graspband

20、 v. surround (an object) with sth. in the form of a strip or ring, typically for reinforcement or decoration (usu. be banded )E.g. The doors to the warehouse are all banded with iron to make them stronger. 20 a waxen pallor slowly transformed his face from person to empty shell: the unhealthily pale

21、 color of his face indicated that he was sinking21 the legal twilight zone: Twilight zone refers to a situation of confusion or uncertainty, which seems to exist between two different states or categories. Thus the legal twilight zone Huttmann says she entered here refers to the situation in which h

22、er action of pushing the button to call code blue can be deemed either legal or not legal.22 a death-denying society: a society where its members are not given the right to dieUntil there is legislation making it a criminal act to code a patient who has requested the right to die .: Until it becomes

23、 law that it is a criminal act to call a resuscitation team to save a patient who has voluntarily asked for the right to die . Step 4 Questions1 There seems to be a contradiction in the title "A Crime of Compassion". What is it?Key: There are various kinds of crimes, but criminals can be a

24、nything but compassionate. It is hardly possible to associate compassion with any crime and being compassionate with a criminal. 2 Huttmann begins her essay with a metaphor. Locate it and then explain it. (para. 3)Key: The first sentence of para. 3: It was the Phil Donahue show where the guest is a

25、fatted calf and the audience a 200-strong flock of vultures hungering to pick at the bones. Huttmann likens herself (the guest of the talk show) to a fatted calf, and the audience to a flock of more than 200 vultures hungering to pick at the bones. With the metaphor she intends to tell the reader th

26、at the way she handled the case of Mac was strongly disapproved of by the general public, and that the concept of mercy killing was unacceptable to them.推荐精选4 Where in the essay can we find descriptions of Mac's condition when he was being treated? Why do you think Huttmann is being so specific

27、and detailed? (paras. 6 & 7)Key: Mostly in para. 6, and the latter part of para. 7. She gives such detailed and specific descriptions of Mac's condition to make vivid to the reader the horrifying sufferings Mac had to endure, ultimately to support her argument that a patient in such conditio

28、n should be given the right to die if he should so request.5 Was it a difficult decision for Huttmann to make not to push the button in time? Key: Obviously it was, as she relates in para. 15 "Nothing I've ever done in my 47 years has taken so much effort as it took not to press that code b

29、utton."6 Where does Huttmann state her thesis? (para. 18)Key: In the last paragraph: Until there is legislation making it a criminal act to code a patient who has requested the right to die, we will all of us risk the same fate as Mac. For whatever reason, we developed the means to prolong life

30、, and now we are forced to use it. We do not have the right to die.Step 5 Organization and Development/ Argumentative Narration1 What Is Argumentative Narration? If an essay is basically an argumentative one and the chief means used for argumentation is narration, it is called argumentative narratio

31、n.2 Text AnalysisHuttmann begins the essay with the incident that the TV audience lodged strong accusations against her for murdering a patient she was supposed to care for. But her response does not follow immediately.推荐精选 She withholds her response to the accusation until the last paragraph, where

32、 the audience's accusation of her is mentioned again, and her argument is presented.Most of the essay is devoted to the narration of the painful dying process of a terminally ill cancer patient, which she witnessed. Based on the narrated incident her argument seems only a natural conclusion.3 Bo

33、y paragraphs(1) Purpose of Body ParagraphsThe ideas, facts, details, and examples enclosed in the body paragraphs are designed to support and develop the central point stated in the opening. The body paragraphs in an essay may vary in number depending on the subject matter and the purpose for writin

34、g. While the body paragraphs relate directly to the thesis statement in the opening, each paragraph has its own main idea to highlight and information to support that main idea.(2) Strategies of Writing Body ParagraphsEssays employ a number of rhetorical strategies, each of which describes a particu

35、lar form of development or arrangement of ideas. Only rarely is any one of these strategies employed alone. Instead, they are almost always used in a combination suited to the subject matter often along with one or another of the primary modes of discourse as well.Remember, the aim of an essay is in

36、variably a clear presentation or explanation of ideas. You may base your choice of a strategy or strategies upon several factors: your writing purpose, the central point of your essay, your intended audience, and your viewpoint as a writer.(3 )ExampleAn essay of multiple paragraphs makes it possible

37、 for you to decide flexibly how to推荐精选 apply and blend strategies when you write an essay. For example, suppose you wanted to compare life in a large city with that in a small town. In only a single paragraph, you would have to focus on a few major similarities and differences and cover these briefl

38、y. However, in an essay, you might even devote an entire body paragraph to similarities and another, differences. You might even devote a third to another strategy drawing an analogy, for instance, or relating an anecdote.(4) Guidelines for Choosing Body Paragraph StrategiesWhen you write an essay,

39、you can combine strategies to suit your purpose, content and audience. Use the following guidelines to choose a strategy or combination of strategies wisely.l A Consider your writing purpose.B Certain strategies are especially appropriate for accomplishing particular purposes. For example, for infor

40、mative or persuasive essays, facts and examples can support your ideas and a compare/contrast or cause/effect strategy can help explain them. For a descriptive essay, you will want to use description, perhaps in combination with analogy.l C Consider the complexity of your ideas and information and t

41、he knowledge level of your audience.D Examples and definitions help to clarify difficult content. Classification, too, can make complicated content easier to follow. An analogy can be helpful as long as the analogy is clear and sound.l E Stay focused on your central point.Strategies should help to c

42、onvey the central point of an essay without distracting readers. For example, narration can effectively reveal aspects of someone's personality, if you choose a relevant story or anecdote. However, if the central point of your essay is how kindhearted your cousin is, then, stories or anecdotes should refle