Intro to the egg
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This document provides an introduction and context for the short story "The Egg" by Sherwood Anderson. It explains that Anderson was known for capturing small town life in Ohio and focusing on ordinary people. It encourages the reader to consider what the egg might symbolize in the story and when things begin to go badly for the family. The introduction recommends reading the story straight through without stopping to look up words to help develop reading fluency.
Intro to the egg
- 1. Introduction to “The Egg” A short story by Sherwood Anderson
- 2. Sherwood Anderson Anderson is an iconic American writer who is famous for capturing life in small towns. Many of his stories are set in Ohio, and most of his characters are 'the little guys' who seem vulnerable to the cruelties of life. That is certainly true in 'The Egg'.
- 3. Why are we reading this? I chose this story because it is pretty easy to understand. The story is straightforward (no time travel, for example). The language is direct and relatively simple (no 'thee' and 'thou' or other historically challenging language, etc.). And, it's a good story. Not a happy story, but a good story that will give you a feel for what Anderson thought was a typical American life.
- 4. While reading, consider this... What is the egg symbolizing in the story? A symbol is an object in a story that stands for or represents an idea or concept.
- 5. Other questions to consider... When do things begin to go badly for the family? What do they do 'wrong' that brings all this bad luck to them?
- 6. “Procdure” for reading... “Go with the flow”.
- 7. Don't stop! Read the story through without using a dictionary or stopping if possible. You want to develop reading fluency. If you can't figure out what is happening because of an unknown word or sentence, try looking in the Quick Glossary provided in the course materials.
- 8. Focus on 'what is happening' not the words or sentences.
- 9. How can this type of activity help me? It can help develop reading speed and fluency which you'll need to handle 100+ pages of reading per week for U.S. university classes.
- 10. It can help you learn to handle vocabulary in context.
- 11. It can be used to practice writing and other academic skills.