“The Last Leaf”, artistic analysis of the story by O. Henry. “What is a real masterpiece? My impressions of Henry the Last Leaf
Holistic analysis O'Henry's story "The Last Leaf"
O. Henry occupies an exceptional place in American literature as a master of the genre “ short story"(short story).
The story is epic; the story is based on an event: the creation of a masterpiece by the artist Berman that saved the life of a young girl. Genre - short story: short form, several pages of text, laconicism, one plot point - the illness of a girl (Jonesy), her fatalism and miraculous recovery. It is based on the heroine’s double “mistake”: she first connects her life and death with the last ivy leaf, then does not notice that last sheet– the creation of an artist’s brush, not nature. Plot punch at the end: Jonesy learns that Berman saved her and the price he paid for creating the masterpiece. The figure of the “loser” artist who created his masterpiece is illuminated in a new way. The composition is laconic and promotes empathy and complicity of readers: the exhibition is a description of the artists’ colony, the meeting of two girls, their decision to live together. The plot begins when Jonesy falls ill. The climax comes at the moment when Jonesy’s strength is running out, and the last leaf remains on the branches, and Bremen secretly creates his saving masterpiece on a cold night. The denouement is the heroine’s recovery and the resolution of the mistake: the handicraft of the last leaf, the greatness of the artist’s masterpiece.
The idea of the work is to show the saving power of art. The short story ends with Sue's words to Jonesy: “Look out the window, dear, weren't you surprised that he doesn't tremble or move in the wind? Yes, honey, this is Berman’s masterpiece - he wrote it on the night when the last leaf fell off.” Art is the ability of man, imitating nature, to create beauty. And even if Berman created his painting not on canvas, but on a brick wall, even if his whole life was only preparation for the creation of this masterpiece - the price is justified, because a young life was saved
The short story “The Last Leaf” develops the theme of human relationships, self-sacrifice, responsibility and, by and large, the meaning of life. The writer does not analyze either the actions or speech of the characters and, being an outside observer and a simple reteller, encourages readers to draw their own conclusions. The text fully reveals “Henry’s system - the dynamism of the plot, the absence detailed descriptions, conciseness of language." A skillful plot designer, O. Henry does not show the psychological side of what is happening; the actions of his characters do not receive deep psychological motivation, which further enhances the surprise of the ending.
With the help of a leisurely narration, the author shows a specific everyday situation (the friendship of two girls, the illness of one of them, a relationship with a neighbor-artist), and the characters do not raise doubts about the reality of their existence.
The author avoids sentimentality, telling how sincere love does impossible things.
In a short story, O. Henry touched on several topics: he gives a sketch of the life of “little” people of art, poor and humble; shows a heroine who has given herself over to a painful, fatal fantasy, talks about the meaning of life (love, art and even “fashionable sleeves”) and that a person should hope, should have a dream, like Berman, like Jonesy, but main topic connected with art and its influence on human life.
Another important motif is woven into the fabric of the story: the theme of creativity, the theme of a masterpiece. The old artist painted his masterpiece on the night when the last leaf fell from the branch: but not on the canvas that was waiting for many years, he remained clean. The old man went out into the street on a cold and windy night to draw the very leaf that helped restore the girl’s health and desire to live.
In the text of the novella we observe the development of an external conflict (Jonesy: man - nature, Sudie: man - man, Berman: man - creativity) and an internal conflict (man against himself).
The system of images of the novel can be divided into two groups: the first is the artist Berman, Jonesy, Sue, the doctor - circle characters small, which is determined by the genre...
(what is the poem about, what is the author trying to convey to the reader, is there a plot, what images does the author create). 4. Composition of a lyrical work. - determine the leading experience, feeling, mood reflected in the poetic work; - how the author expresses these feelings, using the means of composition - what images he creates, which image follows which and what it gives; - is the poem permeated with one feeling or can we talk about the emotional picture of the poem (how one feeling flows into another) - does each stanza represent a complete thought or does the stanza reveal part of the main thought? The meaning of the stanzas is compared or contrasted. Is the last stanza significant for revealing the idea of the poem, does it contain a conclusion? 5. Poetic vocabulary what means artistic expression does the author use? (examples) Why does the author use this or that technique? 6. The image of the lyrical hero: who is he? (the author himself, the character), Don’t frighten me with a thunderstorm: The roar of spring storms is cheerful! After the storm, the azure shines more joyfully over the earth, After the storm, looking younger, In splendor new beauty, Flowers are blooming more fragrant and more magnificent! But bad weather frightens me: It’s bitter to think that Life will pass without grief and without happiness, In the bustle of daytime worries, That life’s strength will fade Without struggle and without labor, That the damp, dull fog will hide the Sun forever!
Review of Kuprin's story "The Lilac Bush"Plan
1.What is the theme and main idea of the story.
2. Where and when the events of the story take place.
3.Which episodes made the strongest impressions.
4. Describe the main characters.
5.Which of the characters did you like best and why?
6. The author’s attitude towards the characters.
7.My attitude towards the heroes.
What is a true masterpiece
(based on O'Henry's story "The Last Leaf")
Hello guys!
The story in question was written by the wonderful American writer O. Henry and is called “The Last Leaf.” William Sidney Porter (the writer's real name) was a member of the jokers' club, a modest bank accountant, prisoner No. 34627, a prison pharmacist, a writer, the author of 273 short stories and one novel.
The title of the story is ambiguous: “The Last Leaf” - this can be said about both the written manuscript and the last page of life. “The wind is safe in the eternal book of life. I could have moved the wrong page,” Omar Khayyam once said. And these words are the words of a person who has not come to terms with the inevitability of death. After all, this is the essence of creativity - to deceive the inevitability, leaving oneself in eternity.
So what is this story about? ABOUT last days life? About creativity? Or about something else?
Read the story "The Last Leaf".
Testing your knowledge of the text.
What is the last leaf - the end of creativity or the end of life?
You could say it's both. The last leaf is a masterpiece that Mr. Berman wrote. And this is the last page of his life. He saw the meaning of his existence in giving life to the person he considered it his duty to care for. It is clear that he took care of two young artists who sincerely considered him a “nasty old man.” His fruitless search for a “masterpiece” is due to its unrealization. When he saw the point of application of his strength, the “masterpiece” was written in a very short time.
Prove that Mr. Berman saved Jonesy.
- In your literature notebook, draw up a literary portrait of Jonesy and Berman in the form of a diagram. Combine common qualities.
-Are these two heroes similar? How?
- Can Mr. Berman be called an artist?
- List the qualities of a real artist.
Conclusion.
Everything big starts from small things. The doctor who treated Jonesy, hearing that she wants to paint the Bay of Naples, reacts violently: he asks if there is anything in her soul that is really worth thinking about? He understands perfectly well that the desire to live is built from a bunch of little things, each of which is of great importance for a person. If a girl is interested in what style of sleeves will be worn, she has an interest in life. If the sphere of her desires is something abstract, things are bad. Any masterpiece, any work of art always remains relevant because it is tied to life, to empathy. Abstract truths are for philosophers. Low - for biologists and physiologists. Specific, vital - for you and me. This story is about how art helps you live. And even a person who has turned over the last leaf in his life manages to create a true masterpiece - despite the fact that this masterpiece is a small leaf of ivy on a crumbling brick wall. The history of mankind continues only because everyone leaves something behind, either materially or spiritually. Look at any object of civilization - be it a car, a house, a piece of household appliance, etc. The work and experience of many generations - those whom we do not know - have been invested in each of them. Those who, after their physical death, remained in objects of material and spiritual world, creating around us the space in which only a person can live and create.
What is the purpose of the artist and art?
Saving lives and giving them meaning. O’Henry writes about this in his story.
It is impossible not to admire the work of O. Henry. This American writer, like no one else, knew how to open human vices and extol virtues. There is no allegory in his works; life appears as it really is. But even the tragic events are described by the master of words with his characteristic subtle irony and good humor. We bring to your attention one of the most touching author's short stories, or rather it summary. “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is a life-affirming story written in 1907, just three years before the writer’s death.
A young nymph struck down by a serious illness
Two aspiring artists, whose names are Sue and Jonesy, rent an inexpensive apartment in a poor area of Manhattan. The sun rarely shines on their third floor, as the windows face north. Behind the glass you can only see a blank brick wall, entwined with old ivy. This is approximately what the first lines of O. Henry’s story “The Last Leaf” sound like, a summary of which we are trying to produce as close to the text as possible.
The girls moved into this apartment in May, organizing a small painting studio here. At the time of the events described, it is November and one of the artists is seriously ill - she was diagnosed with pneumonia. The visiting doctor fears for Jonesy's life, as she has lost heart and prepared to die. A thought was firmly lodged in her pretty head: as soon as the last leaf falls from the ivy outside the window, the last minute of life will come for herself.
Sue tries to distract her friend, to instill at least a small spark of hope, but she doesn’t succeed. The situation is complicated by the fact that the autumn wind mercilessly tears off the leaves from the old ivy, which means that the girl does not have long to live.
Despite the laconicism of this work, the author describes in detail the manifestations of Sue's touching care for her sick friend, the appearance and characters of the characters. But we have to omit many important nuances, since we set out to convey only a brief summary. “The Last Leaf”... O. Henry gave his story, at first glance, an inexpressive title. It is revealed as the story progresses.
Evil old man Berman
The artist Berman lives in the same house on the floor below. Twenty five recent years An aging man dreams of creating his own painting masterpiece, but he still doesn’t have enough time to start working. He draws cheap posters and drinks heavily.
Sue, a friend of the sick girl, thinks Berman is an old man with bad character. But still she tells him about Jonesy’s fantasy, her fixation on own death and falling ivy leaves outside the window. But how can a failed artist help?
Probably, at this point the writer could put a long ellipsis and end the story. And we would have to sigh sympathetically, reflecting on the fate of the young girl, whose life was fleeting, in book language, “had a brief content.” “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry is a plot with an unexpected ending, as, indeed, are most of the author’s other works. Therefore, it is too early to draw a conclusion.
A small feat in the name of life
It was raging on the street all night strong wind with rain and snow. But when Jonesy asked her friend to open the curtains in the morning, the girls saw that a yellow-green leaf was still attached to the woody ivy stem. Both on the second and third days the picture did not change - the stubborn leaf did not want to fly away.
Jonesy also perked up, believing that it was too early for her to die. The doctor who visited his patient said that the disease had receded and the girl’s health was improving. Fanfare should sound here - a miracle has happened! Nature took the side of man, not wanting to take away the hope of salvation from the weak girl.
A little later, the reader will understand that miracles happen at the will of those who are able to perform them. It is not difficult to verify this by reading the entire story or at least its brief content. "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry - the story of happy ending, but with a slight touch of sadness and light sadness.
A few days later, the girls learn that their neighbor Berman died in the hospital from pneumonia. He caught a bad cold on the very night the ivy was supposed to fall last leaf. The artist painted a yellow-green spot with a stem and like living veins on a brick wall.
Instilling hope in the dying Jonesy's heart, Berman sacrificed his life. This is how O. Henry's story “The Last Leaf” ends. An analysis of the work could take more than one page, but we will try to express its main idea in just one line: “And in everyday life there is always room for heroism.”
A comprehensive analysis of O. Henry’s short story “The Last Leaf.” Elective course. 10th grade.
Kulichikhina I. M., teacher
Russian language and literature
Municipal educational institution "Gymnasium No. 58", Saratov
Lesson topic: “What is a real masterpiece?”
Lesson type: lesson on repeating previously covered material, systematizing and generalizing knowledge, consolidating skills.
Technology: business game.
Equipment: multimedia, interactive whiteboard.
Objective of the lesson:
carry out comprehensive analysis short stories by O. Henry “The Last Leaf”;
continue to work on the development of students’ cross-curricular competencies;
continue to form their positive and professional attitude towards art, including verbal art.
review theoretical concepts such as epic kind literature, short story genre, composition, artistic image, means of expression: epithets, metaphors, comparisons, personification and others;
create conditions for creative group research (including comparative) work with the text of the novel;
show students the commonality of cross-cutting themes in foreign and Russian literature;
continue to develop students' research and communication skills;
continue to cultivate the reading taste of students and their aesthetic development.
A message on the life and work of O. Henry, designed as a presentation (individually).
Prepare an expressive reading of the poem “The Last Leaf” and select a musical setting for it (individually).
Read the article by B.M. Eikhenbaum “O. Henry and the theory of the short story”, write out theses that confirm that “The Last Leaf” is a short story (individually).
Re-read O. Henry's short story “The Last Leaf”, think with which ones famous works Russian literature can be compared.
Organizational moment. Before the bell rings, students are divided into four groups using multi-colored tokens and sit at tables with flags of these colors.
Creating an emotional background. Against the background of music (for example, a Schubert serenade), the photograph “The Last Leaf” appears on the screen, and the student reads a poem.
LAST LEAF.
Yellowed clothes from the trees
The autumn wind howled mercilessly.
The last leaf... The last leaf of hope
A sudden squall tore down a nearby ivy tree.
But the hapless old artist
That night I created the only masterpiece,
IN last time palette on tripod
He delivered, signing his death sentence.
Then his palette became a widow.
But his young life was saved...
He wrote a short story for us about this incident.
O. Henry is the greatest short story writer.
3. Setting lesson goals and objectives for students.
Teacher: Today we will return to the wonderful short story “The Last Leaf” American writer O. Henry, which we studied in the 7th grade, and let’s try to read it in a new way, as literary scholars, as researchers of the writer’s work. But first, a few words about the author himself. During the presentation, try to write down a short biographical table and features artistic skill O. Henry.
4. Student message. O. Henry. Biographical information. (Fashioned as a presentation and projected onto the board.)
Biography
William Sidney Porter is bornSeptember 11 1862. in the city Greensboro , stateNorth Carolina . At the age of three, he lost his mother, who died of tuberculosis. Later he came under the care of his paternal aunt. After school, I studied to become a pharmacist and worked in a pharmacy. Then he worked as a cashier-accountant in a bank in Texas city Austin. He was accused of embezzlement and hid from law enforcement officers for six months Honduras, then in South America. Upon returning to the United States, he was convicted and sent to Columbus State Prison. Ohio, where he spent three years ( 1898 -1901 ).
In prison, Porter worked in the infirmary and wrote stories, looking for a pseudonym. In the end, I chose the version of O. Henry (often incorrectly spelled like the Irish surname O'Henry - O'Henry). His first story under this pseudonym was “Dick the Whistler’s Christmas Gift,” published in 1899 in McClure's Magazine, he wrote in prison.
O. Henry's first book of stories, Cabbages and Kings, was published in 1904 . She was followed by: “The four million” (The four million, 1906 ), “The trimmed lamp”, 1907 ), “Heart of the West” (Heart of the West, 1907 ), “The Voice of the City”, 1908 ), "The Gentle Grafter" 1908 ), "Roads of Destiny" 1909 ), “Favorites” (Options, 1909 ), “Strictly Business”, 1910 ) and "Whirlliggs" 1910 ).
At the end of his life he suffered from liver cirrhosis And diabetes. The writer died June 5 1910 in New York.
The collection “Postscripts”, published after the death of O. Henry, included feuilletons, sketches and humorous notes he wrote for the Post newspaper (Houston, Texas, 1895 -1896 ). In total, O. Henry wrote 273 stories, full meeting his works comprise 18 volumes.
O. Henry occupiesAmerican literature exceptional place as a master of the short story genre(short story). Before his death, O. Henry expressed his intention to move on to a more complex genre - to novel(“everything I’ve written so far is just pampering, a test of the pen, compared to what I’ll write in a year”).
In his work, however, these sentiments were not manifested in any way, and O. Henry remained an organic artist of the “small” genre, story. It is no coincidence, of course, that during this period the writer first began to be interested in social problems and revealed his negative attitude towards bourgeois society (Jennings “Through the Darkness with O. Henry”).
O. Henry's heroes are diverse: millionaires, cowboys, speculators, clerks, laundresses, bandits, financiers, politicians, writers, artists, artists, workers, engineers, firefighters- replace each other. A skillful plot designer, O. Henry does not show the psychological side of what is happening; the actions of his characters do not receive deep psychological motivation, which further enhances the surprise of the ending.
Eight years after his death, in memory of the writer, a O. Henry Award, which is issued every year.
5. Tasks are given to groups(all tasks are given to students on cards to save time). Work in groups (No more than 10 minutes). During the discussion, the teacher moves from group to group and bounces ideas off students as needed.
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The assignment that students receive |
Approximate discussion circle |
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Group 1 task (working with an interactive whiteboard): determine the type and genre of the work, indicate its characteristic features genre features, as well as composition. (method of working with an interactive whiteboard: from the “basement”, where theoretical concepts are collected in disarray, move to the upper part those that relate to this work). |
The genus is epic, based on an event: the creation of a masterpiece by the artist Berman that saved the life of a young girl. Genre - short story: small form, several pages of text, laconicism, one plot point - the illness of a girl (Jonesy), her fatalism and miraculous recovery. It is based on the heroine’s double “mistake”: she first connects her life and death with the last ivy leaf, then does not notice that the last leaf is the creation of an artist’s brush, and not of nature. Plot punch at the end: Jonesy learns that Berman saved her and the price he paid for creating the masterpiece. The figure of the “loser” artist who created his masterpiece is illuminated in a new way. The composition is laconic: the exposition is a description of the artists’ colony, the meeting of two girls, their decision to live together. The plot begins when Jonesy falls ill. The climax comes at the moment when Jonesy's strength is running out, and the last leaf remains on the branches, and Bremen secretly creates his saving masterpiece on a cold night. The denouement is the heroine’s recovery and the resolution of the mistake: the handicraft of the last sheet, the greatness of the artist’s masterpiece. |
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Group 2 assignment: analyze how the artist describes the setting of the short story, what can be said about the general coloring of the work. Remember in which works of Russian literature you can find a similar description of the city. Which artistic technique the author uses when talking about pneumonia. |
Describing the “colony” of settlers and free artists, O. Henry conveys the sad flavor of the poor quarters of Washington Square; the interior can be considered philosophical: “the streets are confused and broken,” as are the fates of the heroes. “One street even crosses itself twice,” like the old failed artist Berman, dreaming of a masterpiece, paints signs for his daily bread. Jonesy and Sue's studio window faces the "blank wall of a neighboring brick house", which may symbolize a dead end life path Jonesy: after all, she, just as hopelessly as Berman, dreams of painting the Bay of Naples. Speaking about a terrible disease, pneumonia, the author uses the technique of personification, personification. It is no coincidence that this word is written in a story with capital letters. The metaphors “unfriendly stranger”, “murderer” and adverbial phrases, including epithets: “walking invisibly”, “touching first one, then the other with his icy fingers” - create a terrible image of death. O. Henry's heroes live in a killer city that destroys their dreams and their lives. A special place in the short story is occupied by the description of ivy: “An old, old ivy with a gnarled trunk, rotten at the roots, has woven half of the brick wall. The cold breath of autumn tore the leaves from the vines, and the bare skeletons of the branches clung to the crumbling bricks.” It also has symbolic meaning ivy is the “vine of life” from which the metaphorical and personified image of autumn plucks the last leaves. Nature itself seems to bring death to those who live in these poor neighborhoods. Creative method O. Henry can be compared with a similar description of the killer city in the works of N.V. Gogol (“Petersburg Tales”) and F.M. Dostoevsky (“Crime and Punishment”). |
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Group 3 task: describe figurative system and the composition of the novella. What literary type can her heroes be classified as? How does a writer reveal them? inner world? Is it possible to draw analogies with Russian literature? |
The system of images of the short story can be divided into two groups: the first is the artist Berman, Jonesy, Sue, the doctor - the circle of characters is small, which is determined by the genre of the work; second – symbolic images Pneumonia, autumn, old ivy. There is no background on the girls, the author only states that one came from California, the other from Maine. Sue and Jonesy “met at the table d'hôte of a restaurant... and found that their views on art, endive salad and fashionable sleeves were quite the same. As a result, a common studio arose.” But with the studio comes friendship. Young, talented, they support each other. How carefully Sue looks after her friend during her illness, when she counts the leaves on the old ivy and assures herself that she will die when the last leaf falls. O. Henry very accurately conveys the heroine’s state: “Johnsy, pale and motionless, like a fallen statue” cannot fight for her life. Her monologue is full of despair: “I’m tired of waiting. I'm tired of thinking (retardation). I want to free myself from everything that holds me - to fly, fly lower and lower, like one of these poor, tired leaves.” Another character is a doctor. With a few strokes, the author paints a portrait of the old doctor: “the concerned doctor with one movement of his shaggy eyebrows called Sue into the corridor.” He knows the life and strength of the human body: “Our entire pharmacopoeia becomes meaningless when people begin to act in the interests of the undertaker.” But the medical theme does not exhaust the image of the doctor: his reaction to Sue’s words about Jonesy’s dream is important: “She... she wanted to paint the Bay of Naples with paints.” “Nonsense,” said the doctor. He admits that you can live for love and even for fashion, but does not understand that you can live for art. At the pre-climax of the story, the author introduces the image of the artist Berman. If portrait characteristic Sue is not mentioned at all, and about Jonesy it is only said that she is “a miniature girl, anemic from California zephyrs, while Berman’s portrait description is more detailed: “He was already over sixty, and his beard, all in curls, like Michelangelo’s, hung down from the head of a satyr to the body of a dwarf." Michelangelo-satyr-gnome - this series, of course, is not accidental: everything about this hero is contradictory. He dreams of a masterpiece, but in his closet for 25 years there has been “an untouched canvas, ready to receive the first touches,” which the artist still does not dare to apply. He, “an angry old man who scoffed at all sentimentality,” still looked at himself “as a watchdog specially assigned to guard two young artists.” Such completeness of Berman’s image allows us to conclude that it was he main character novellas. He grumbles and does not accept Jonesy's sad fantasies, but at the cost of his life he saves her, creating his masterpiece. The grave cold retreated from Jonesy, but took the old artist into its arms. The motif of cold continues in the description of Berman’s closet after his death, “his shoes and all his clothes were wet through and were cold as ice.” We can conclude that the heroes of the novel are little people who support each other in trouble. O. Henry does not have the psychologism of Pushkin and Dostoevsky, but to some extent his heroes can be compared with Samson Vyrin, and Makar Devushkin, and with Varenka. |
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Group 4 assignment: determine the main theme and idea of the novel. What is a masterpiece in your understanding and can Berman’s “last leaf” be called a masterpiece? In which work of Russian literature does the theme of art and its purpose arise most fully? |
In a short story, O. Henry touched on several topics: he gives a sketch of the life of “little” people of art, poor and humble; shows a heroine who has given herself over to a painful, fatal fantasy, talks about the meaning of life (love, art and even “fashionable sleeves”) and that a person should hope, should have a dream, like Berman, like Jonesy, but the main theme is connected with art and its influence on human life. The idea of the work is to show the saving power of art. The short story ends with Sue's words to Jonesy: “Look out the window, dear, weren't you surprised that he doesn't tremble or move in the wind? Yes, honey, this is Berman’s masterpiece - he wrote it the night the last leaf fell.” Art is the ability of man, imitating nature, to create beauty. And even if Berman created his painting not on canvas, but on a brick wall, even if his whole life was only preparation for the creation of this masterpiece - the price is justified, because a young life was saved. One of the works of Russian literature in which the question of the purpose of art is the main one is “Portrait” by N.V. Gogol, the main character, an old artist, dying, bequeathed to his son to remember that for an artist there is nothing low, since the very mission of art is to elevate and cleanse. |
Creative polylogue. Students present the results of their research. 5 minutes for each group. 20 minutes total. During the group’s performance, the children ask questions to each other, and the teacher, if necessary, specifies the children’s conclusions.
Summing up the lesson.
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