Name: Nadynne Alyanna A.

Tabila 9-Amethst
LESSON 2
Literary Text: Hills like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway
Time Allotment: 1 week
Theme: Talking versus communicating
Values Infusion: “A problem cannot be resolved by creating another problem.”

YOUR JOURNEY

At the end of the lesson, you should have:

1. Get to know Ernest Hemingway by validating presented facts about him.
2. Summarize the story by creating one’s own comic strips.
3. Describe the two main characters in the story
4. Digest the important dialogues in the short story.
5. Create one’s own flash fiction.

YOUR INITIAL TASK

I. Six-word story Analysis. Unlock the story behind the set of words below. Can you make sense
of it? Do you consider it as a story? Write your answer on the space provided.
“For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.”
Yes, I consider this as a story. The story behind this 6 words is a pregnant
woman who aborted the child so the baby couldn’t wear the shoes that was
bought for him/her anymore so they sold them.

The writer of the story, of which we will be tackling, was often attributed to the conception of
“flash fiction”. Flash fiction is a fictional work of extreme brevity that still offers character and
plot development. Six-word-story, the one presented above, is an example of a flash fiction.
Flash fiction stories share a number of common characteristics which are the following:

 Brevity. Flash fiction compresses an entire story into the space of a few paragraphs.
There is no defined word count for flash fiction, but some commonly used word limits in
flash fiction range from just six words on the short end to around 1,000 words on the
longer end.
 A complete plot. A flash fiction story is indeed a story, with a beginning, middle, and
end
 Surprise. Great flash fiction often incorporates surprise, usually in the form of a twist
ending or an unexpected last line. This is not a gimmick: the aim is to prompt the
reader to think deeply about the true meaning of the story.

Take note on these characteristics as you will be writing your own later.
II. Meet the author. Get to know Ernest Hemingway by evaluating the list of information provided
below. Use any coloring material to highlight the facts which is really attributed to him.

1. He was given the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954.

2. He is a skilled poet and a painter.
3. He was noted both for the intense masculinity of his writing and for his
adventurous and widely publicized life.
4. He wrote under the pseudonym, George Orwell.
5. He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United
States and of American literature as a whole.
6. He fell in love with a Red Cross nurse, Agnes von Kurowsky, who declined
to marry him.
7. The Sun Also Rises is his first successful novel.
8. He wrote a collection of poetry entitled Ariel.
9. He traveled widely for the skiing, bullfighting, fishing, and hunting that by
then had become part of his life and formed the background for much of his writing.
10. He received the Pulitzer Prize in fiction for The Old Man and the Sea (1952).
11. He was a journalist.
12. He had five wives.
13. He committed suicide on July 2, 1961, in Ketchum, Idaho by gunning himself.
14. He was a key part of what Gertrude Stein would famously call "The Lost Generation."
15. His works influenced literature around the world, as well as specialized fields such as
cosmology and cryptography.

YOUR DISCOVERY TASKS

A. Summarize the story by creating your own comics. Highlight the important conversations of the two
main characters.
B. Character Analysis. Based from their conversation, give a detailed comparison of the two
characters. Use the graphic organizer to see the characteristics/qualities which they differ and
have resemblance with.

Jig Man

-American
-pregnant
-speaks
-unsure of
-lovers Spanish
the
-parent -confident
relationship
-traveller -thinks of
-more
himself
emotional
rational
-upset
-young

C. Dialogue Analysis. Read between the lines. Decipher who said the line (the man or the girl), the
emotion being conveyed in the statement, and what the speaker actually meant by filling up the
graphic organizer below.

Dialogues
“Just because you say I The Man
wouldn’t have doesn’t prove
anything.”
Who said it? What is the emotion What does the speaker
convey in the actually meant?
dialogue?
Evoke Emotion The man is persuading
the girl to do the operation

That’s the thing that bothers The Man Anticipation The speaker is saying that
us. It’s the only thing that the girl’s pregnancy
made us unhappy.” makes them unhappy.
“i know we will. You don’t relaxed The man wants Jig to do
have to be afraid. I’ve known The Man the operation and he is
lots of people that have done making her feel better by
it. “ telling that nothing will
make her feel scared.
“No we can’t. It (world) isn’t Arouse Emotion The speaker is saying that
ours anymore.” The Girl the world was once theirs
but now they’re changed
and can never go back to
the way it once was.
“There’s nothing wrong with Repressed Emotion She is lying about what
me, I feel fine.” The Girl she feels but she is not
 fine. But the truth is she is
upset and she’s confuse
is she will do the
operation or not.

D. Literary Appreciation

The Iceberg Theory

Many first-time readers read “Hills like White

Elephants” as nothing more than a casual
conversation between two people waiting for a train
and therefore miss the unstated dramatic tension
lurking between each line. As a result, many people
don’t realize that the two are actually talking about
having an abortion and going their separate ways, the
reason why the story was so revolutionary for its time.
In accordance with his so-called Iceberg Theory
(sometimes called the Theory of Omission),
Hemingway stripped everything but the bare essentials
from his stories and novels, leaving readers to sift
through the remaining dialogue and bits of narrative on
their own. Just as the visible tip of an iceberg hides a
far greater mass of ice underneath the ocean surface,
so does Hemingway’s dialogue belie the unstated
tension between his characters. In fact, Hemingway
firmly believed that perfect stories conveyed far more through subtext than through the actual words
written on the page. The more a writer strips away, the more powerful the “iceberg,” or story, becomes.

In “Hills like White Elephants,” for example, both the American man and the girl speak in short
sentences and rarely utter more than a few words at a time. Hemingway also avoids using dialogue
tags, such as “he said” or “she said,” and skips any internal monologues. These elements leave the
characters’ thoughts and feelings completely up to the reader’s own interpretations. Hemingway’s fans,
however, have lauded his style for its simplicity, believing that fewer misleading words paint a truer
picture of what lies beneath.

To uncover what is beyond the tip of the iceberg in the story, answer the following questions.

1. Why is the story entitled Hills like White Elephants? What is a “white elephant”? How does this
expression suit the story?
- A white elephant is an unwanted gift this applies to the girl’s unborn child.

2. What is the relevance of the setting in the story? How did the setting (the bar, train stations,
Spain, etc.) served as important symbols in the story?
- the train station in the story is not the final destination but it is a stopping point between
 Barcelona and Madrid. This symbolizes that the man and Jig must decide where to go, whether
to go with each other and continue their relationship or finish everything they have started.

3. What is the significance of the Anis del Toro that the couple drinks?
- The significance of Anis del Toro that the couple drinks at the station is that they can relax
while they’re waiting for the train to arrive.

4. Based on their exchange of arguments, Did Jig love the American? Does he love her? Justify
your answer.
- I don’t think that the man really loves the girl, because he doesn’t want to take the
responsibilities of the girl’s pregnancy. And I think that Jig really loves the man because
she doesn’t care about herself and she’s willing to do the operation because she loves the
man.

5. What is the significance of the American's decision to sit inside the bar for one last drink without
the girl?
- The significance of the American’s decision to sit inside the bar for the last time without the
girl is for him to think deeply alone and comprehend everything before making a decision
together.

6. How did the two conclude their talk? Did they solve the problem? What solutions did they arrive
with?
- The man wants the girl to have an abortion to solve their problem but the girl is not sure if
she will do it. Nothing has been solve in the story.

7. How did Hemingway end his story? How did the ending premonition the relationship in the future?
- The story end before the train arrives so it is unclear as to what decision has and what the
state of the relationship will be in the future.

8. What does this story seem to say about the role of communication in relationships?
- “Communication — human connection -- key to a relationship success.” It implies that
every problem deserves a proper communication to understand each other point of view, to
come up into a wise decision or agreement.

YOUR REFLECTION

The story tackles a very sensitive issue that holds significance in the present time--dealing
with unwanted pregnancy. It highlights the role of good communication in a relationship as things
will remain unsolved when one is not open for mutual solutions. More than that, the moral aspect is
given much emphasis as the two characters embark on a morally dangerous solution to solve their
problem. Pregnancy is not a sin. Abortion is. The story unclothed the two characters with their
exchange of conversation which later on revealed their principles, what they believe, and their
values—all of as justify what kind of person they are. It challenges the readers to weigh who is
more morally righteous as the two were caught in a trap where love becomes questionable.

Focusing on the character of Jig--like an iceberg, she is more than her surface. Analyze her
responses, her emotions, and how she dealt with the American man. Is she a bad protagonist?
 Would you consider her a brave woman? What things seem to imprison her from speaking what
she has on mind?

After which, write another ending for the story that tells what Jig plans to do.

Come on, write them down.

Jig is the female protagonist of the story. The girl is less sure of what she wants and appears
reluctant to have the operation in question. She alternates between wanting to talk about the
operation and wanting to avoid the topic altogether. Jig is trying to be brave but she is scared to do
the operation. She was imprison from speaking what she has on her mind because she was
unsure of her decision.

When the train arrives Jig and her man enters the train and sat at the left side of it.
“To be honest, I don’t feel fine.” Jig said after they sit.
“Why? I thought there’s nothing wrong with you” the man said
“I lied. I love you but..” Jig replied
“But what?” the Man said
“I don’t want to do the operation” Jig said
“Why?” the man asked
“Because I realized that it’s a sin, I don’t want to kill our child” Jig answered
“Okay, Let’s just be a happy family” the man said
“Yes, Because this is a blessing for us, so we will take care of it” the girl said.
And the Man hugged the Girl and kissed her belly.

The end.

YOUR CULMINATING TASK

Though this short story, Ernest Hemingway made us learn a thing or two about writing one.
Using the iceberg theory as a technique, one could also come up with their own, with consideration to
the characteristics of flash fictions mentioned above.

Given the current situation of the Philippines in its fight against COVID-19 (and the government
😊), write a flash fiction (Word limit: 6-50 words) of your own. Post your creation in any of your social
media platforms using the hashtag #FlashStoriesAmidstCrisis. Since, the internet is a dangerous place,
be critical, be sensitive and be ethical enough. Be careful with what you post. You may have your story
be accompanied with illustration, photograph or an artwork but don’t forget to give them due credits.
(Note: Do not tag your teacher)

Example of a Six-word Story: Man, on the empty street—dying.

 Rubric for Flash Fiction Writing
Levels of Performance
Criteria Pts. 3 2 1
(Very Good) (Good) (Needs
Improvement)
The flash fiction clearly The flash fiction The purpose of the
Content states the purpose clearly states the flash fiction is not
There is a consistency of purpose. clear.
ideas. Some ideas are not There is no
consistent. consistency of
ideas.
The flash fiction contains The flash fiction The flash fiction
Creativity interesting concepts. contains some lacks interesting
interesting concepts. concepts.

The flash fiction The flash fiction The flash fiction

Theme encapsulates the current nearly encapsulates does not
situation of our country. the current situation encapsulate the
Relevant issues were of our country. Some current situation of
involved. relevant issues were our country. No
involved. relevant issues were
involved.
Word Choice Words are appropriate. Some words are not Most words are not
appropriate. appropriate.

Total

Remarks