Genesis & Catastrophe

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 4

Genesis & Catastrophe

Literature

Let's listen to the text together

While listening and reading, think about the following:

• Setting (when & where?)
• Characters (who are they?)
• What is ironic in the text?
  (Think about the mother and the baby)

What is the setting (place) of this story?

What is the setting (time) of this story?

Answer:

Place: Braunau in an inn

Time: 1889

• We'll come back to this later

Who is the main character and what is her 'problem'?

Class discussion

Answer:

• Frau Hitler / Klara Hitler
• She has lost three children.

Find the definition of the
words ‘Genesis’ and ‘catastrophe’ in a(n online) dictionary.

Answer:

• Genesis = the origin of something
• Catastrophe = a disaster

Explain the title with help of these definitions.

Class discussion

Answer:

• It is the origin of Adolf Hitler. His survival as a baby can be seen as a disaster due to what he did in his later life.
  
  
• This is why we also know the year the story takes place (1889 was Adolf's year of birth)

5. Can you give three examples of irony in the text and explain why they are ironic? 

Answer:

• 1. His mother is worried the baby dies, but we know she does not need to worry because he will live on.
  
  
  

2. His mother wants him to live, but we know that in his later life he would do terrible things and that most people probably wished he was never born. You could also connect this to the doctor saying “You have a fine son.”

3. The doctor saying he “has the most marvellous pair of lungs”. Hitler never stopped screaming, as you can also hear in the speeches he gave.

All three examples of irony are similar. Which type or irony is it?

1. dramatic
2. situational
3. verbal

Answer:

Dramatic, because in all situations we know more than the mother or doctor does.

Would your response to the story be the same if you didn't know a thing about 20th-century history?

Yes

No

Why (not)?

Class discussion

The original title of the story was 'A Fine Son'. Which title is more ironic?

1. Genesis and Catastrophe
2. A Fine Son

Why?

Class discussion

The most logic answer

• A Fine Son, because Adolf wasn't a fine son after all.
• Genesis and Catastrophe described what the story is about, without any irony.

Describe Herr Hitler and Frau Hitler, both their character and appearance.

Class discussion

Answer

• Frau Hitler: pale, exhausted face. Depressed and anxious.
• Herr Hitler: small man with whiskers. Arrogant and overbearing.

I think I understand this text well enough for the test.

Yes

No

Continue

If you have answered yes on the previous question, fill in the grid about Genesis and Catastrophe.

If you have answered no, please let me know what you do not understand (yet). Afterwards, fill in the grid as well.