Lesson Thirteen

Christmas Day in the Morning

Pearl S Buck

Teaching Procedures
Introduction to the background knowledge
The structure of the text
Detailed discussion of the text

Conclusion of the text

Assignment

About the author

Pearl S. Buck (18921973) (
), U.S. novelist; Nobel Prize
winner for literature in 1938. She had
first been brought to fame by the novel
The Good Earth (),
which is about a Chinese family. A
daughter of missionaries, Pearl Buck
grew up in China, married an American
and lived in China for about 40 years.

About the author

Birthday: June 26, 1892
Parents: Absalom & Caroline
Sydenstricker (Southern Presbyterian
missionaries, stationed in China )
Came to China: 3 months old
Period of stay in China: 40years
Residential area: Zhenjiang, Jiangsu
Province

About the author

Pearls Works:
East Wind, West Wind
The Good Earth
Dragon Seed
The Big Wave
Satan Never Sleeps

About the author

Pearls Special Contributions:

In 1942, Pearl and Richard founded the East

and West Association, dedicated to cultural
exchange and understanding between Asia and
the West.

The structure of the text

Part 1 (paras. 18): Rob woke suddenly in an early Christmas

morning.
Part 2 (paras.9-41): Rob recalled the Christmas morning when
he was fifteen years old.
Part 3 (paras.42-46): Rob celebrated this Christmas with his wife
after more than 50 years.

Detailed Discussion of the Text

Strange how the habits of his youth clung to
him still! (Para. 1)

It was strange how up to that moment he had

continued doing things the way he had always
done them from boyhood.

Detailed Discussion of the Text

He slipped back in time, as he did so easily
nowadays. (Para. 9)

He had recently got into the habit of recalling

things in the past/of reminiscing/of letting his
thoughts go back to the old days.

Detailed Discussion of the Text

He had never thought of it before, taking for
granted the tie of their blood. (Para. 13)

He had never thought of the fact that his father

loved him because he took the relationship of
father and son as a matter of course. He had
never given this another thought.

Detailed Discussion of the Text

there would be no more loitering in the
mornings and having to be called again.
(Para. 13)

he would never loiter in the morning and

need no longer to be called again and again.

Detailed Discussion of the Text

stumbling blind with sleep, and pulled
on his clothes. (Para. 13)

When he got up, it was still very dark and he

was still very sleepy. He could hardly open his
eyes and could not see or think clearly, so he
walked or moved unsteadily and blindly.

Detailed Discussion of the Text

Then Jesus had been born in a barn,
bringing their Christmas gifts. (Para. 18)

Bible: And when they had come into the

house, they saw the young child with Mary his
mother, and fell down, and worshipped him;
and when they had opened their treasures, they
presented unto him gifts: gold and
frankincense, and myrrh

Detailed Discussion of the Text

he got up and crept downstairs, careful
of the creaky boards (Para. 22)

He had to be careful so that the boards would

not make any noise and wake up his father, thus
spoiling his plan.

Conclusion of the text

The central idea of this story is expressed in the
statement that love alone can waken love. It means
that love is always mutual and always begins with
giving. In view of the growing lack of human
warmth partly due to the fierce competition in
modern society, this idea appears all the more
important. Of course it would be nave to think
that love is the answer to all our problems today,
and in a world divided by class, racial and national
conflicts, universal love is still unrealistic.