Unit 3 A Hanging

1. Unit 3 A Hanging

2. Detailed Study of Paragraph 1 • (1) Where and when did the story take place? • The story took place in Burma on a sodden morning of the rains. • (2) Provide a general description of the condemned cells. • The condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, were like small animal cages. Each cell was about ten feet long and ten feet wide and was quite bare within except for a plank bed and a pot for drinking water. In some of the cells brown silent men were squatting at the inner bars, with their blankets draped round them.

3. Language work It was in Burma, on a sodden morning of the rains. The story took place in Burma on a very wet morning during the rainy season. the condemned cells: the very small rooms in a prison where prisoners, who had been sentenced to death and who were due to be hanged within a week or two, were being kept. Each cell measured about ten feet by ten and was quite bare within except for a plank bed and a pot for drinking water. Each condemned cell was about ten feet long and ten feet wide, in each of which there was only a plank bed and a pot for drinking water.

4. squat vi. sit on one's heels or on the ground with the knees drawn up under or close to the body; occupy an empty building or settle on unoccupied land, etc. without permission e.g.(1) The old man was squatting down by the fire, smoking a tobacco pipe. (2) Some homeless people were squatting in that deserted house. • drape sth. round/over sth. else: hang (cloth, curtains, a cloak, etc.) loosely on sth. else e.g.(1) A fur coat was draped round her shoulders. (2) Dustsheets were draped over the furniture in the house.

5. Detailed Study of Paras 2-7 • (1) How did the man react while the warders were getting him ready? The condemned prisoner stood without trying to put up any resistance. He quite willingly let his limp arms be tied up with the ropes, as though he paid no attention to what was happening.

6. How many warders were guarding the convicted man and preparing him for the gallows? How were the warders guarding the man? Six tall Indian warders were guarding him and getting him ready for the gallows. Two of them stood by with rifles and fixed bayonets, while the others handcuffed him, passed a chain through his handcuffs and fixed it to their belts, and bound his arms tightly to his sides. They crowded very close about him, their hands gripping him carefully all the while, as if feeling him to make sure he was there.

7. According to the superintendent of the jail, by what time should the condemned man have been hanged to death? From Paragraph 3, we know that the condemned man ought to have been hanged to death by eight o'clock on that sodden morning. • How was the condemned man escorted to the gallows? Two warders marched on either side of the prisoner, with their rifles at the slope; two others marched close against him, gripping him by arm and shoulder, as though at once pushing and supporting him.

8. How did the prisoner walk? • He walked clumsily with his bound arms, but quite steadily. At each step his muscles slid neatly into place, the lock of hair on his scalp moved rhythmically up and down, and his feet left footmarks on the wet gravel which formed the surface of the path. And once, in spite of the men who gripped him by each shoulder, he stepped slightly aside to avoid a puddle on the path.

9. warder n. a jailer, a person who works as a guard in a prison • E.g.(1)The POWs (prisoners of war) clubbed their warder to death and escaped from the concentration camp. • handcuff n. a pair of lockable linked metal rings for securing a prisoner's wrists e.g.(1)The detective took out his handcuffs and put it on the man's wrist. vt. put handcuffs on • e.g. (1) The policeman pounced upon the terrorist and had him handcuffed before he could make an attempt to resist.

10. lash vt. fasten things together securely with ropes, etc.; tie sth. securely in position with ropes, etc. e.g.(1) The slave trader lashed the slaves tightly to rings on the board. (2)The captain lashed down the cargo on the deck. limply adv. not stiffly or firmly; in a way which lacks strength or energy e.g.(1) He gestured and responded limply, for he had been much weakened physically.

11. But he stood quite unresisting, yielding his arms limply to the ropes, as though he hardly noticed what was happening. • But he stood, without putting up any resistance. He let the warders bind up his limp arms with the ropes, as if he were not aware of what was happening.

12. The superintendent of the jail, who was standing apart from the rest of us, moodily prodding the gravel with his stick ? The head of the jail, who was standing at a distance from the rest of us, feeling so gloomy and sullen that he was poking the gravel with his stick ? • prod vi. poke sth. with one's finger or sth. pointed e.g. The boy is prodding the sandy beach with a stick, enjoying it very much.

13. Eight o'clock struck and a bugle call floated from the distant barracks. • The clock struck eight o'clock and a bugle call drifted from the distant barracks. float vi. move in air, water or gas; drift slowly e.g.(1) "Look! A red and yellow balloon is floating across the blue sky." (2) The aroma of the brewed coffee floated from the kitchen.

14. "Yes sir, yes sir," he bubbled. • "Yes sir, yes sir," he uttered, as though making the sound of rising bubbles. gripping him by arm and shoulder: holding him firmly by arm and shoulder • slide v. (cause to) move smoothly along an even, polished or slippery surface; (cause to) move quietly so as not to be noticed e.g.(1) He was sliding about helplessly on the ice. (2) The drawers slide in and out easily. (3) The thief slid out while nobody was looking.

15. …. the lock of hair on his scalp danced up and down, his feet printed themselves on the wet gravel. the cluster of hair on top of his head moved rhythmically up and down, and his feet left prints on the wet grainy stones that formed the surface of the path. • puddle n. a small pool of water, esp. of rain water on a path or road e.g. As it has been raining for days, there are many puddles on the path.

16. Detailed Study of Para 8 • (1) What is the main idea of this paragraph? • This paragraph conveys the message that the writer saw the unspeakable wrongness of putting a life to an end when it is in full tide. In other words, he realized that it was terribly wrong to hang a healthy, conscious man to death.

17. What was the writer thinking about when he watched the prisoner step aside to avoid a puddle on the path? • He thought of the following: This man was not dying, for he was alive just as we are alive. All the organs of his body were working--- bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming---all toiling away in solemn foolery. His nails would still be growing when he stood on the drop, when he was falling through the air with a tenth of a second to live. His eyes saw the yellow gravel and the gray walls, and his brain still remembered, foresaw, reasoned--- reasoned even about puddles. He and we were a party of men walking together, seeing, hearing, feeling, understanding the same world; but in a couple of minutes, with a sudden snap, he would be gone ---one mind less, one world less.

18. Language Work • unspeakable a. (usu. derogatory) indescribable; that can not be expressed in words • E.g.(1) I was shocked by the unspeakable cruelty of the terrorists who killed so many innocent people. • (2) The writer of this narrative piece laid bare the unspeakable corruption of the government.

19. All the organs of his body were working bowels digesting food, skin renewing itself, nails growing, tissues forming all toiling away in solemn foolery. • All the organs of his body were playing their normal functions his bowels were absorbing nutrients from food for his body, his skin was being replenished with new life and vigor, his nails were growing, and his tissues forming all were working very hard and solemnly, but they were doing something useless because they would be destroyed in a few minutes.

20. tissue n. mass of cells forming the body of an animal or plant e.g.(1) A person's muscular, nervous and connective tissues are vital to his life. (2) The tissues have been destroyed, and a scar has been formed. • on the drop: on the trapdoor on the gallows • with a sudden snap: with a sudden sharp noise; with a sudden sharp crack

21. Detailed Study of Paras 9-14 • (1) What does Paragraph 9 tell us? This paragraph first tells us something about the hangman, then it states the fact that the prisoner was half led and half pushed to the gallows, and finally the hangman fixed the rope around the prisoner's neck.

22. (2) What do Paragraphs 10 ---11 describe? Paragraphs 10---11 describe the most shocking scene: When the noose was fixed, the prisoner began crying out to his god. It was a high, reiterated cry of "Ram! Ram! Ram! Ram!" It was a steady, rhythmical cry, almost like the tolling of a bell. Minutes seemed to pass. The steady crying from the prisoner continued, "Ram! Ram! Ram!" never faltering for an instant. The superintendent perhaps was counting the cries. Everyone was feeling sad, frightened and shocked.

23. (3) Who issued the order to hang the prisoner? And how was it given? It was the superintendent who gave the order to execute the prisoner on the gallows. He suddenly made up his mind and issued the order by shouting fiercely. • (4) What does Paragraph 13 describe? This paragraph presents a description like this: A clanking noise was followed by dead silence. The prisoner had vanished instantly. An inspection was made of the dead body, which was dangling with his toes pointing straight downward.

24. (5) What can be inferred from "Eight minutes past eight. Well, that's all for this morning, thank God." uttered by the superintendent? These two sentences uttered by the superintendent imply that the hanging of the condemned man was about eight minutes late, that the prisoner was the only one who was intended to be hanged that morning, that it was a difficult task to have the prisoner killed, and that hanging condemned prisoners was a daily routine for the superintendent, warders, magistrates, etc. Now that the job was done, the superintendent felt relieved.

25. Language work convict n. a person who has been convicted of crime and who is being punished, esp. by imprisonment e.g.: All the convicts in the prison were due to be hanged in a couple of weeks. servile a. too ready to obey others; lacking independence e.g.:I strongly dislike his servile flattery and his servile manner.

26. crouch vi. lower the body by bending the knees, e.g. in fear or to hide e.g.(1) The cat crouched, ready to leap. (2) The little boy crouched behind the sofa. n. in a crouching position e.g.(1) The children all dropped down into a crouch before the meeting began. • noose n. a loop with a running knot, tightening as the rope is pulled e.g. (1) When the noose was fixed, the prisoner was blindfolded. (2) The convicted man is facing the hangman's noose.

27. reiterate vt. say or do sth. again or repeatedly e.g. The professor reiterated his proposal so that everybody might consider it carefully • ram push or strike sth. with great force; crash against sth. e.g.(1) They rammed the rope to kill the man. (2) The car rammed against/into the lorry. • toll vt. ring a bell with slow, regular strokes, esp. for a death or funeral e.g.The bell is being tolled for the death of terrorism.

28. never faltering for an instant: never wavering for a moment • falter vi. (of one's voice) waver; speak hesitatingly; act, move, or walk hesitatingly usu. because of fear, weakness, or indecision e.g.(1)His voice faltered as he tried to speak. (2) Jane walked boldly up to the platform without faltering. (3)The commander faltered for some time before he declared the command

29. his head on his chest: he was lowering/hanging his head • Everyone had changed color. Everyone was feeling so horrified that their faces turned paler. • dangle v. hang or swing loosely; hold sth. so that it swings loosely e.g.(1) I have a bunch of keys dangling at the end of a chain. (2) He dangled his watch in front of the baby.

30. revolve v. (of a planet, etc.) move in a circular orbit; (cause to) go round in a circle; • rotate: have sb. or sth. as one's chief concern; centre on sb. or sth. e.g.(1)The earth revolves around the sun on its axis. (2) The mechanism that revolves the turnable is broken. • Very slowly revolving, as dead as a stone. His dead body was turning in a circle slowly.

31. oscillate v.(cause to) move repeatedly and regularly from one position to another and back again; keep moving backwards and forwards between two extremes of feeling, behavior, opinion, etc.; waver e.g.(1) He oscillates between political extremes. (2) Manic depressives oscillate between depression and elation.

32. "He's all right," said the superintendent. "The convicted man is absolutely dead," remarked the chief warder. • He backed out from under the gallows, and blew out a deep breath. • The superintendent withdrew from under the gallows and sent out a deep breath from his mouth.

33. Detailed Study of Para 15-22 • (1) Describe the scene that the convicts were receiving their breakfast. • When the convicts were receiving their breakfast, they squatted in long rows, each man holding a tin pannikin, while two warders with buckets march round ladling out rice; it seemed quite a homely, jolly scene, after the hanging. • (2) How did the judicial officers feel after the Hindu was hanged? • The judicial officers were feeling enormously relieved now that the job was done. One felt an impulse to sing, to break into a run, to snigger. All at once everyone began chattering gaily. Anecdotes were narrated and enjoyed.

34. (3) What anecdote did the Eurasian boy tell the writer? • The boy told the writer that his friend [he meant the dead man] had urinated on the floor of his cell from fright when he heard his appeal had been dismissed. • (4) What did Francis think of the hanging of the Hindu? • Francis was satisfied that the Hindu had been hanged most effectively and most satisfactorily because shortly afterwards the dead convict was dangling with his toes pointing straight downwards. Francis had known most disagreeable cases where the doctor was obliged to go beneath the gallows and pull the prisoner's legs to ensure death/decease.

35. (5) Why did Francis mention other cases? • Because he wanted to make a contrast to emphasize that the hanging of the Hindu was finished most instantly and satisfactorily whereas in other difficult cases the doctor was obliged to go beneath the gallows and pull the prisoner's legs to ensure that the prisoner was dead.

36. (6) Retell the head jailer's anecdote which seemed extraordinarily funny to the writer? Is it really funny to you? • It was worse when convicts became difficult to control! One man, Francis recalled, clung to the bars in his cage when he and others went to take him out. It was scarcely believable that it took six warders to dislodge him, three pulling at each leg. I don't think it funny at all. In fact, it was most tragic. The man who was to be hanged was seized with fear. Of course, he did not want to die. That was why he clung to the bars with all his strength. Six warders dislodged him by pulling at his legs. Obviously, the man's death was a most miserable tragedy; it was absolutely not "exceptionally funny."  

37. (7) What can we infer from the last two paragraphs? • We can infer that in the writer's eyes, the judicial officers, even including the writer, the head jailer, and the superintendent, were all cold-blooded, unfeeling and inhuman. The reasons were quite clear. When the anecdotes were told, the judicial officers thought of them as extremely funny, and laughed or grinned, or chuckled loudly; they all had a drink together quite amicably, though the dead man was just a hundred yards away.

38. (8) What is the writer's purpose of narrating this story? • By reading the narrative story we can infer the writer's purpose. On the one hand, he intended to tell the readers how badly those convicts in Burma were treated and how tragically they were put to death; on the other hand, the narrator wanted to inform the public how cruel, inhuman and unsympathetic those judicial officers in Burma were becoming. More importantly, the writer purported to assert his stand as an abolitionist.

39. ladle vt. serve food with a ladle or in large quantities; distribute sth. (too) lavishly e.g. (1) She ladled cream over her pudding. (2) She isn't one to ladle out praise, but when she says "Good", she means it. • homely a. plain and simple; (of a place) making sb. feel comfortable e.g. (1) A homely woman is one who lives a plain and simple life. (2) It is a homely place, which makes one feel comfortable.

40. jolly a. happy and cheerful; lively and pleasant; delightful or enjoyable e.g. (1)A jolly person laughs in a jolly manner. (2) We attended a jolly party last weekend. • An enormous relief had come upon us now that the job was done. • Now that the Hindu was hanged, we felt tremendously relieved.

41. impulse n. sudden urge to act without thinking about the results; tendency to act in this way; push or thrust; stimulus; impetus e.g.(1) He felt an irresistible impulse to jump. (2) I am not a man of impulse. (3) The government has given an impulse to agricultural development. One felt an impulse to sing, to break into a run, to snigger. One felt a sudden urge to sing songs, to start running and to laugh in a half-suppressed manner.

42. All at once everyone began chattering gaily. All of a sudden, everyone began talking quickly, and cheerfully. Eurasiann. & a. (a person) of mixed European and Asian parentage e.g. He married a Eurasian, who gave birth to a pretty girl. garrulously ad. talking away about unimportant things e.g. Some people tend to talk garrulously about trifles.

43. appealn. act of taking a question to a higher court where it can be heard again and a new decision can be given; earnest request; attractiveness or interest e.g.(1) Everyone has the right of appeal. (2) The poor country made an appeal for help, especially for food. …. when he heard his appeal had been dismissed, he pissed on the floor of his cell. when he heard his appeal had been rejected, the convicted man was so terribly frightened that he urinated on the floor of his cell.

44. "Well, sir, all has passed off with the utmost satisfactoriness." "Well, sir, everything has taken place and come to a most satisfactory end." • "I have known cases where the doctor was obliged to go beneath the gallows and pull the prisoner's legs to ensure decease. Most disagreeable." "I have known instances where the doctor was obliged to go beneath the gallows and pull the prisoner's legs to make sure that the convict was really dead. This is a most unpleasant thing to do."  

45. "You will scarcely credit, sir, that it took six warders to dislodge him, three pulling at each leg." "You will hardly believe, sir, that it took six warders to remove him from his fixed position, three pulling at each leg." • We all had a drink together, native and European alike, quite amicably. We all had a drink of whiskey together, native and European alike, in a quite cheerful and friendly atmosphere.