The Last Unicorns

What sort of beasts are the following:

• dragons
• unicorns
• hippogriphs

Can you describe them? 

 

Useful words: skaly lizard, snake, winged, breathing fire, horse, long retorted horn, eagle, front-half, hind-half

In what sort of narrative can you find them?

THE LAST UNICORNS

EDWARD D. HOCH

Marc Chagal - Pioggia - 1911

The rain was still falling by the time he reached the little wooden shack (1) that stood in the center of the green, fertile valley. He opened his cloak for an instant to knock at the door, not really expecting a reply. But it opened, pulled over the roughness of the rock floor by great hairy hands. "Come in", a voice commanded him. "Hurry! Before this rain floods me out".

"Thank you", the traveler said, removing the soggy (2) garment that covered him and squeezing out some of the water. "It's good to find a dry place. l've come a long way". "Not many people are about in this weather", the man told him, pulling at his beard with a quick, nervous gesture. "I came looking for you". "For me ? What is your name?" "You can call me Shem. I come from beyond the mountains".

La pioggia continuava a cadere implacabile quando il viandante giunse alla piccola capanna di legno situata al centro di una fertile vallata verde. Aprì il mantello giusto il tempo di bussare alla porta, senza veramente aspettarsi una risposta. Quella, invece, si aprì, spinta sul ruvido pavimento di pietra da una grossa mano pelosa. “Entra,” gli ordinò una voce. “Sbrigati! Prima che questa pioggia mi porti via.”

“Grazie,” disse il viandante, togliendosi l’indumento fradicio che lo ricopriva e strizzandone via un po’ d’acqua. “E’ un sollievo trovare un posto dove stare all’asciutto. E’ tanto che cammino.”

“Non c’è molta gente in giro con questo tempo,” gli disse l’uomo, tormentandosi la barba nervosamente. “Sono venuto a cercala.”

“Cercare me? Come si chiama?”

“Può chiamarmi Shem. Vengo da oltre le montagne.”

A Lot to Learn

PRE-READING ACTIVITIES

Read the first six lines and guess

a. what the Materializer is;

b. who Ned Quinn is;

c. what Ned Quinn is going to do.

A LOT TO LEARN

R. T. KUROSAKA

The Materializer was completed. Ned Quinn stood back, wiped his hands, and admired the huge bank of dials, lights and switches. Several years and many fortunes had gone into this project. Finally it was ready. Ned placed the metal skullcap on his head and plugged the wires into the control panel.

Il Materializzatore era finito. Ned Quinn arretrò, si pulì le mani e ammirò l’enorme banco di quadranti, luci e interruttori. Diversi anni e molte fortune erano stati riversati in quel progetto. Finalmente era pronto. Ned si piazzò in testa l’elmetto di metallo e inserì i fili nel pannello di controllo.

Those Three Wishes

Judith Gorog(1938– ) has been traveling all her life. Born in Wisconsin, she has lived in many parts of the United States and also in Germany and Italy. She has travelled far and wide—to Peru, Japan, Europe, and Indonesia. All along the way, Judith wrote stories. She says, “I have always written, and began to write stories for children when I was a child, making up stories and plays and rewriting the Greek myths with myself taming Pegasus.”

You are about to read a short story called “Those Three Wishes.” In what kind of narrative do you generally find someone who makes “three wishes”?

Think about what you might wish for if you were granted three wishes:

  I Wish I had/were...

1.

2.

3.

While reading paragraphs 1-3, try to understand the character of the protagonist. Underline the positive aspects and circle the negative:

What aspect of her character is highlighted in paragraph 2?

Why is she nicknamed “Melinda Malice”?

Why never in her face?

How do you explain the fact she is always ‘included’?

Would you like to be her friend?

Those three Wishes

by Judith Gorog

1. No one ever said that Melinda Alice was nice. That wasn’t the word used. No, she was clever, even witty. She was called—never to her face, however—Melinda Malice. Melinda Alice was clever and cruel. Her mother, when she thought about it at all, hoped Melinda would grow out of it. To her father, Melinda’s very good grades mattered