Unfortunately - Fredric Brown

Unfortunately is a story by Fredric Brown (1906 – 1972) an American writer of science fiction and thrillers.

Now, read the first paragraph and tell the genre of this short story.

Read to the end.

Underline the following words, and match them with their synonyms:

inhabited                                                        amicable

supplies                                                          willingly

friendly                                                          mastery

inhuman                                                         provisions

freely                                                              restriction

fluency                                                           dull

abstinence                                                      seized

grabbed                                                          post

deaf very                                                        hot

seazling                                                          not human

stake                                                               populated

 

 

 

Unfortunately

by

FREDRIC BROWN

Ralph NC*5 sighed with relief as he caught sight of Planet Four of Arcturus in the spotter scope, just where his computer had told him it would be. Arcturus IV was the only inhabited or inhabitable planet of its primary and it was quite a few light-years to the next star system.

Ralph NC*5 fece un sospiro di sollievo quando nel suo visore apparve il pianeta Quattro di Arturo, proprio là dove il suo computer aveva detto che sarebbe stato. Arturo IV era l’unico pianeta abitato o abitabile del suo sole e distava solo pochi anni luce dal successivo sistema solare.

He needed food — his fuel and water supplies were okay but the commissary department on Pluto had made a mistake in stocking his scouter — and, according to the space manual, the natives were friendly. They’d give him anything he asked for.

Aveva bisogno di cibo – le sue riserve di acqua e carburante erano okay ma l’ufficio addetto al vettovagliamento su Plutone aveva fatto un errore nel rifornire il suo ricognitore – e, secondo il manuale spaziale, i nativi erano amichevoli. Gli avrebbero dato qualunque cosa avesse chiesto.

The manual was very specific on that point; he reread the brief section on the Arcturians as soon as he had set the controls for automatic landing.

“The Arcturians,” he read, “are inhuman, but very friendly. A pilot landing here need only ask for what he wants, and it is given to him freely, readily, and without argument.

Il manuale era molto specifico su quel punto, rilesse la breve sezione sugli arturiani non appena ebbe inserito i controlli per l’atterraggio automatico.

“Gli arturiani,” lesse, “non sono umani, ma molto amichevoli. Un pilota che atterri lì deve soltanto chiedere quello che vuole e gli sarà dato generosamente, prontamente e senza discussioni.

“Communication with them, however, must be by paper and pencil as they have no vocal organs and no organs of hearing. However, they read and write English with considerable fluency.”

“Tuttavia, la comunicazione con loro deve avvenire con carta e matita, dal momento che non hanno organi vocali o organi uditivi. Comunque, leggono e scrivono l’inglese con considerevole padronanza.”

Ralph NC-5’s mouth watered as he tried to decide what he wanted to eat first, after two days of complete abstinence from food, preceded by five days of short rations; a week ago he had discovered the commissary department’s mistake in stocking his lockers.

A Ralph NC-5 venne l’acquolina in bocca mentre cercava di decidere quello che voleva mangiare come prima cosa, dopo due giorni di completa astinenza dal cibo, preceduti da cinque giorni di razioni ridotte: una settimana fa aveva scoperto che gli addetti alle vettovaglie avevano commesso un errore nello stoccaggio della dispensa.

Foods, wonderful foods, chased one another through his mind.

He landed, The Arcturians, a dozen of them and they were indeed inhuman — twelve feet tail, six-armed, bright magenta — approached him and their leader bowed and handed him paper and pencil.

Cibi, cibi meravigliosi si susseguirono uno dietro l’altro nella sua mente.

Atterrò. Gli arturiani, una dozzina di loro ed erano veramente inumani – una coda di più di tre metri, sei braccia, magenta brillante – si avvicinarono e il loro capo si inchinò e gli consegnò carta e matita.

Suddenly he knew exactly what he wanted; he wrote rapidly and handed back the pad. It passed from hand to hand among them.

Improvvisamente seppe esattamente ciò che voleva, scrisse velocemente e riconsegnò il taccuino. Gli arturiani se lo passarono di mano in mano.

Then abruptly he found himself grabbed, his arms pinioned. And then tied to a stake around which they were piling brushwood and sticks. One of them lighted it.

Poi, di colpo, si trovò agguantato, le braccia immobilizzate. E poi lo legarono ad un palo intorno a cui stavano ammucchiando sterpaglie e rami. Uno di loro gli diede fuoco.

He screamed protests but they fell, not on deaf ears but on no ears at all. He screamed pain, and then stopped screaming.

The space manual had been quite correct in saying that the Arcturians read and write English with considerable fluency. But it had omitted to add that they were very poor at spelling; else the last thing Ralph NC-5 would have requested would have been a sizzling steak.

Lanciò urla di protesta, ma caddero non su orecchie sorde, ma su orecchie che non esistevano affatto. Urlò di dolore, e poi smise di urlare.

Il manuale spaziale era stato abbastanza corretto nel dire che gli arturiani leggono e scrivono l’inglese con considerevole padronanza. Ma aveva omesso di aggiungere che erano molto carenti in ortografia, altrimenti l’ultima cosa che Ralph NC-5 avrebbe chiesto sarebbe stata una bistecca sfrigolante.

Give a short description of the physical features of the Arcturians:

 

General understanding:

Say which of the following sentences are true and correct the false ones:

1- RalphNC*5 landed on Arcturus IV because he was short of fuel

2- Arcturus IV was one of the habitable planets of its solar system

3- The Arcturians were hostile

4- They didn’t know English

5- They communicated by paper and pencil

6- They didn’t give RalphNC*5 what he wanted

7- The space manual was very helpful

Further exploitation:

Bearing in mind that stake also means ‘execution by

 burning at a stake’ (do you know Joan of Arc?) explain:

 ✏what RalphNC*5 asked for, what he got, and why.

Discussion:

• Do you still think the aliens were friendly?

• Who or what did the narrator put the blame on for this tragic misunderstanding?

• What is the general tone of the story?

Guided summary:

Summarize the story using the following words to

fill in the gaps:  

generous, supplies, land, inhabited, hungry, tail, bright, arms, vehicle, knew, paper, 

aliens, pencil, deaf, sociable, magenta, steak, pilot, dumb, poor, fire.

RalphNC*5 was the -------------of a space---------.As he was short of food------------, he decided to----------- on Arcturus IV. The planet was ------------ by inhuman--------- with a long----------, six------------, and a------- ----- skin. They----------- English, but they communicated by --------- and-------- becuase they were---------- and--------. Anyway, they were --------------and---------. As RalphNC*5 was very-------- he aked for a sizzling ------------, but their spelling was very------------ so they mistook ---------- for--------- and poor RalphNC*5 died on a sizzling------- .

Unfotunately is a good example of Fredric

Brown’s style.

Here is a list of the main features of the

story, circle the adjectives that best define them:

Length               long, short, very short

Language           simple, rich, factual, abstract

syntax                complex/simple sentences

Tone                   ironic, dramatic, funny, serious

End                     msurprising, logical, unexpected,  

                           predictable

Now use them to write a short paragraph. You can start like this:

Fredric Brown was a succesful writer of …

Grammar exploitation:

You can use this story to introduce the prefixes in,

 un, im to change the meaning of adjectives from positive to negative

At a higher level, you can also introduce if clauses type three

Voodoo by Fredric Brown

 

Fredric Brown (1906 –1972) was an American science fiction, fantasy, and mystery writer. He is known for his use of humor and for his mastery of the "short short" form—stories of 1 to 3 pages, often with ingenious plotting devices and surprise endings.

Before reading:

• Can you imagine what ‘voodoo’ means? If not, look up the world in the dictionary.

• What do you think might happen in a story with this title ? Discuss with your classmates.

Voodoo

by Fredric Brown

 

Mr. Decker’s wife had just returned from a trip to Haiti – a trip she had taken alone – to give them a cooling off period before they discussed a divorce.

It hadn’t worked. Neither of them had cooled off in the slightest. In fact, they were finding now that they hated one another more than ever.

“Half,” said Mrs. Decker firmly. “I’ll not settle for anything less than half the money plus half of the property.”

La moglie di Mr. Decker era appena tornata da un viaggio ad Haiti – un viaggio che aveva fatto da sola – per concedersi un periodo di riflessione e darsi una calmata prima di discutere del loro divorzio.

Non aveva funzionato. Nessuno dei due si era minimamente calmato. Infatti, scoprivano adesso di odiarsi l’un l’altro più che mai.

“Metà,” disse Mrs. Decker con decisione. “Non ho intenzione di accordarmi per niente meno della metà del denaro più la metà della proprietà.”

1. What important decision are Mr. and Mrs. Decker taking about their marriage?

2. Why did Mrs. Decker go to Haiti alone?

3. What was the result of the trip?

4. What about Mr. Decker’s feeligs?

5. What does Mrs. Decker want as her share in the divorce settlement?

“Ridiculous!” said Mr. Decker.

“Is it? I could have it all, you know. And quite easily, too. I studied voodoo while in Haiti”.

“Rot!” said Mr. Decker.

“It isn’t. And you should be glad that I am a good woman for I could kill you quite easily if I wished. I would then have all the money and all the real estate, and without any fear of consequences. A death accomplished by voodoo cannot be distinguished from death by heart failure”.

“Ridicolo!” disse Mr. Decker.

“Davvero? Potrei avere tutto, lo sai. E anche abbastanza facilmente. Mentre ero ad Haiti ho studiato il voodoo.”

“Stupidaggini!” disse Mr. Decker.

“Non è vero. E dovresti essere felice che io sia una brava persona, perché potrei ucciderti molto facilmente, se volessi. Allora avrei tutto il denaro e tutta la proprietà, e senza temere conseguenze. Non è possibile distinguere una morte causata dal voodoo da un collasso cardiaco.”

• What is Mr. Decker’s reaction?

• What’s the tone of the following expressions?

  “I could have it all, you know. And quite easily, too.”

• Choose from the following:

  wish, threat, hope, persuasion, warning, promise

• Underline other expressions that sond the same.

  Why is she so sure that she can be succesful?

“Rubbish!” said Mr. Decker.

”You think so? I have wax and a hatpin. Do you want to give me a tiny pinch of your hair or a fingernail clipping or two – that’s all I need – and let me show you?”

“Nonsense!” said Mr. Decker.

“Idiozie!” disse Mr. Decker.

“La pensi così? Ho con me della cera e uno spillone. Dammi qualcuno dei tuoi capelli o un paio di unghie tagliate – è tutto ciò di cui ho bisogno – e te lo dimostrerò.”

“Sciocchezze!” disse Mr. Decker.

1. What items does Mrs. Decker need to carry out her ritual?

2. List all the answers Mr. Decker gives his wife and say what they express. Choose from the following:

hate, indifference, disbilief, annoyance

“Then why are you afraid to have me try? Since I know it works, I’ll make you a proposition. If it doesn’t kill you, I’ll give you a divorce and ask for nothing. If it does, I’ll get it all automatically”.

“Allora perché hai paura a farmici provare? Dal momento che io so che funziona, ti faccio una proposta. Se non ti ucciderà, ti concederò il divorzio senza chiedere niente. Se ti ucciderà, mi prenderò tutto automaticamente.”

• What does Mrs. Decker propose?

“Done!” said Mr. Decker. “Get your wax and hatpin”. He glanced at his fingernails. “Pretty short. I’ll give you a bit of hair”.

When he carne back with a few short strands of hair in the lid of an aspirin tin, Mrs. Decker had already started softening the wax. She kneaded the hair into it, then shaped it into the rough effigy of a human being.

“You’ll be sorry”, she said, and thrust the hatpin into the chest of the wax figure.

Mr. Decker was surprised, but he was more pleased than sorry. He had not believed in voodoo, but being a cautious man he never took chances.

Besides, it had always irritated him that his wife so seldom cleaned her hairbrush.

“D’accordo!” disse Mr. Decker. “Prendi cera e spillone.” Si guardò le unghie. “Troppo corte. Ti darò un po’ di capelli.”

Quando tornò con qualche capello corto nel coperchio della scatola di aspirina, Mrs. Decker aveva già iniziato ad ammorbidire la cera. Ci impastò dentro i capelli e poi gli diede la forma approssimativa di un essere umano.

“Te ne pentirai,” disse e infilò lo spillone nel petto della figura di cera.

Mr. Decker rimase sorpreso, ma era più soddisfatto che deluso. Non aveva mai creduto nel voodoo, ma essendo un uomo prudente, non aveva mai corso rischi.

Inoltre, lo aveva sempre irritato il fatto che sua moglie pulisse così di rado la spazzola per i capelli.

• What does Mr. Decker give his wife to perform the ritual?

• What does the ritual consist of?

• Why was he first surprised and then pleased?

• How did his wife die?

• Was he guilty of killing her? Discuss

After reading:

1. 
   What does it mean to say that someone has been ‘hoist on their own petard’?’– where does this expression come from?

2. Write your own story in which you or someone you know were hoist on your own petard.
   

Naturally

Naturalmente...

.Se la matematica non è il tuo forte, attento a chi chiedi aiuto...

Sort out the fllowing school subjects under the correct areas of study:

Literature, maths, physics, history, foreign languages, chemistry, religion, geometry, philosophy, earth science, computer science/information technology, Latin, biology, ancient Greek.

• Scientific areas of study:

• Humanities areas of study:

1. Which school subjects do you prefer? 
2. How do you feel the night before a difficult test? 
3. Have you ever asked your friends for a little help?

Naturalmente

FREDRIC BROWN

Henry Blodgett looked at his wrist watch and saw that it was two o’clock in the morning. In despair, he slammed shut the textbook he’d been studying and let his head sink onto his arms on the table in front of him. He knew he’d never pass that examination tomorrow; the more he studied geometry the less he understood it. Mathematics in general had always been difficult for him and now he was finding that geometry was impossible for him to learn. And if he flunked it, he was through with college; he’d flunked three other courses in his first two years and another failure this year would, under college rules, cause automatic expulsion.

Henry Blodgett guardò il suo orologio da polso e vide che erano le due dopo mezzanotte. Preso dalla disperazione, chiuse sbattendo il libro di testo su cui stava studiando e affondò la testa tra le braccia incrociate sul tavolo davanti a lui. Sapeva che non avrebbe mai superato l’esame di domani: più studiava geometria e meno la capiva. In generale, la matematica era sempre stata difficile per lui e ora scopriva che gli era impossibile imparare la geometria. E se non avesse superato l’esame di geometria, avrebbe chiuso per sempre con il college: aveva già cannato altri tre corsi nei primi due anni e un’altra bocciatura quest’anno, secondo le regole del college, avrebbe portato ad un’espulsione automatica.

• What subject is particularly difficult for Henry Blodgett?
• Is he attending secondary school or a higher education institution?
• Why is he so desperate?

He wanted that college degree badly too, since it was indispensable for the career he’d chosen and worked toward. Only a miracle could save him now. He sat up suddenly as an idea struck him. Why not try magic? The occult had always interested him. He had books on it and he’d often read the simple instructions on how to conjure up a demon and make it obey his will. Up to now, he’d always figured that it was a bit risky and so had never actually tried it. But this was an emergency and might be worth the slight risk. Only through black magic could he suddenly become an expert in a subject that had always been difficult for him.

Inoltre, voleva disperatamente conseguire quel titolo di studio, dal momento che era indispensabile per la carriera che aveva scelto e per cui si era impegnato. Solo un miracolo poteva salvarlo adesso. Si tirò su a sedere quando gli balenò in testa un’idea. Perché non tentare con la magia? L’occulto lo aveva sempre interessato. Aveva molti libri al riguardo e aveva letto spesso le semplici istruzioni su come evocare un demone e renderlo obbediente al suo volere. Fino a quel momento aveva sempre ritenuto la faccenda alquanto rischiosa e così non ci aveva mai provato. Ma questa era un’emergenza e valeva la pena correre qualche rischio. Soltanto con la magia nera avrebbe potuto diventare immediatamente esperto in una materia che era sempre stata difficile per lui.

• Why is maths so important for him?
• How does he hope to solve his problem?
• Why deosnt’t he turn to ‘traditional’ tricks?

From the shelf he quickly took out his best book on black magic, found the right page, and refreshed his memory on the few simple things he had to do. Enthusiastically, he cleared the floor by pushing the furniture against the walls. He drew the pentagram figure on the carpet with chalk and stepped inside. He then said the incantations.

The demon was considerably more horrible than he had anticipated. But he mustered his courage and started to explain his dilemma. “I’ve always been poor at geometry,” he began . . . “You’re telling me,” said the demon gleefully. Smiling flames, it came for him across the chalk lines of the useless hexagram¹ Henry had drawn by mistake instead of the protecting pentagram².

 





















In tutta fretta, prese dallo scaffale il suo miglior libro di magia nera, trovò la pagina giusta e si rinfrescò la memoria sulle poche semplici cose da farsi. Pieno di entusiasmo, liberò il pavimento spingendo i mobili contro le pareti. Con un gessetto, disegnò per terra la figura del pentacolo e vi entrò dentro. Poi, pronunciò l’incantesimo.

Il demone era considerevolmente più orribile di quanto si aspettasse. Ma si fece coraggio e iniziò a spiegare il suo dilemma. “Sono sempre stato scarso in geometria,” iniziò… “Me ne ero accorto,” disse il demone allegramente. Sghignazzando fiamme, andò a prenderlo superando le linee di gesso dell’inutile esagramma che Herry aveva disegnato per errore invece del protettivo pentacolo.

• Why does he need to draw a pentacle?
• Is the incantantion successful?
• What is he betried by?

😈What is the moral behind the story? Chose the correct one:

• You mustn’t cheat at class tests

• You shouldn’t turn to black magic unless you are good at geometry
• There are no shortcuts to success

For further exploitation:

Compare the American and British educational systems and explain what ‘college’ corresponds to in the two countries.

😈Useful words: Whereas, instead, on the other hand, while

Note:

1. A hexagram (Greek) or sexagram (Latin) is a six-pointed geometric star figure. It has been historically used in religious and cultural contexts and as decorative motifs

2. A pentacle – usually a five-pointed star inscribed in a circle - is a talisman that is used in magical evocation, and is usually made of parchment, paper, cloth, or metal (although it can be of other materials), upon which a magical design is drawn.