Idioma Inglés II

Departamento de Inglés
FFyL – UNCUYO
Learning to write genres – Exemplum
Texts to discuss anecdotes and exemplums

Text1.

A story on Henry Sugar’s experience

Well Max, listen carefully I have a somewhat magical story! This is how I acquired my powers. A few
years ago, on a rainy summer weekend, I was staying at my friend sir William Wyndham’s house when
I had to sit out of the games they were playing. After walking through the house, I found the library,
where a particular book caught my attention. It was a blue very thin exercise book. It said “A report
on an interview with Imhrat Khan, the man who could see without his eyes”. In that book, the writer
explained, among other things, how this Indian man who could see without his eyes had got his
powers. He said it was due to an art called yoga. After reading it, I knew it could help me. If I could see
without my eyes, I could probably see through cards at casinos. You know how much I love gambling
and winning money. It took me some years but, after practising a lot, I acquired my powers. I could
finally read cards! I was ready to cheat casinos. One night, I decided to test my powers at Lord’s
House Casino, I played roulette and black jack and won around € 6,600 in just a couple of hours. It
was very easy; and it was fun while it lasted. Surprisingly for me, I realised I was not interested in
winning more money if it was that easily. I felt bored and not excited. I could have made millions in a
month if I wanted to. After that, I went home and the next morning I threw all the money from my
balcony on Curzon St. That is when our story began.

But what happens if we change a few elements in this story? What changes?

Is the purpose still the same?

Text 2.

Well Max, listen carefully how this story started. A few years ago, I was staying at my friend Sir
William Wyndham’s house when I had to sit out of the games they were playing. After walking
through the house, I found the library, where a particular book caught my attention. It was a blue
exercise book, a very thin one. It said “A report on an interview with Imhrat Khan, the man who could
see without his eyes”. In that book, the writer explained, among other things, how this Indian man
who could see without his eyes had got his powers. He said it was due to an art called Yoga. After
reading it, I knew it could help me. If I could see without my eyes, I could probably see through cards
at casinos. After three years of training hard to acquire these special powers to read through cards, I
felt I was ready to test my powers and win money at casinos. One night, I went to Lord’s House
casino; I played roulette and black jack and won around €6,600 in just a couple of hours. It was very
easy; and it was fun while it lasted. Surprisingly for me, I realised I was not interested in winning more
money if it was that easily. After that, I went home and felt empty. The next morning I felt I needed to
do something: I threw all the money from my balcony on Curzon Street. There was chaos in the street
as people gathered to pick the money bills. Unexpectedly, a policeman knocked at my door and as I
opened he told me I was an idiot doing that! Why had I been so unthoughtful he said! He suggested I
should donate that money more wisely. That was such a good lesson!

Text 3.

Lighting the Way

When my parents were married in 1863, they lived across the creek at Butheroe, from the original
home, where the Joseph Nevells lived then. My mother was always nervous of the aborigines. One
dark night, my parents had been at tea at the Joseph Nevells’ home and as they were going home,
Idioma Inglés II
Departamento de Inglés
FFyL – UNCUYO
some aborigines were sitting around a fire, about half way between the house and the old well, going
down to the creek. Father said, ‘Don’t be afraid, they will not hurt us’, and he spoke to one of the
group as they passed by. A few minutes later, boomerangs were lighted at one end, came overhead
and of course, went back to the aborigines, then came a series of these lighted boomerangs showing
a light to father and mother until they reached the front door. It was a kindly action from the natives.

Miss F. May Nevell in Johnson 2002:iii