CHAPTER III. THE DEADLY DRINK For breakfast Polyphemus devoured two more of Ulysses' crew and went off with his flocks, leaving the Greeks prisoners. Ulysses found the giant's walking stick, big as the mast of a ship, and made it ready to attack the giant. That evening after Polyphemus had his usual cannibal meal, Ulysses offered him a bowl of strong wine. The monster was greatly pleased with the wine and asked Ulysses for his name. "No-man," said Ulysses, "is my name." "No-man," replied Polyphemus," will, as a special favor, be devoured last of all." So saying he fell into a heavy sleep. CHAPTER IV. NO-MAN PUTS OUT AN EYE Ulysses and four companions chosen by lot took the portion of the giant's stick which they had cut off and sharpened, and plunging the point into the fire until the wood began to glow, they lifted up the stick and drove it deep into the giant's one eye. They whirled it about as ship carpenters turn their auger in a beam, and the burning flesh crackled like red-hot iron dipped in water. The giant roared with pain and called on his brother giants for help. Down they rushed to the door of the cave but when Polyphemus said that No-man was hurting him, they went away thinking their brother giant had some strange, incurable malady. Then Ulysses laughed in his heart at the success of his plan. CHAPTER V. POLYPHEMUS AND HIS LITTLE RAM When morning came, the giant groped his way to the door and lifting away the stone sat in the entry, blocking the passage. Ulysses was not to be balked. He lashed the sheep together and drove them out, three by three, with the middle one carrying each a Greek. He himself came last curled up beneath the giant's pet ram and clinging to its fleece. The blinded giant felt the backs of the sheep and so he did not discover the Greeks. The ram he stopped and spoke to. "Why are you last?" he asked. "Oh, that you could speak and say where No-Man is." At last Ulysses escaped, rushed to his ship and pulling away from shore, shouted defiance to the giant. CHAPTER VI. MIND TRIUMPHANT, PRIDE PUNISHED Polyphemus hearing the taunts of Ulysses broke off the top of a hill and hurled it beyond the ship. With difficulty the Greeks avoided being washed ashore. They pulled farther out, and again Ulysses, despite the protests of his crew, taunted the giant, reveal ing his true name. Then Polyphemus knew that what had been foretold had come to pass. He prayed, however, to his father, the god of the sea, that Ulysses might lose all his ships and companions and if he should ever reach home, he might find it in sorrow. So indeed it all turned out in answer to the prayer of Polyphemus. EXERCISE 47 Write a summary, with chapters and titles, of: Shakespeare's plays. Any tale, fairy story, or other story. I. Description in the Story 98. Make all descriptions subordinate, introducing them where helpful to the story, seeing them and presenting them through the actors. Keep proportion by describing briefly or fully according to the importance of the object for the story. Put life into descriptions, having them told or enacted by the characters and, to save space, use suggestion by giving a few significant details and by permitting readers to infer causes from effects or one connected circumstance from another. Note in Homer's story why and how the cave, the giant, the wine, the stone, the stick are described. What possible descriptions are omitted? What is described summarily and what in detail? How are the giant's voice and size inferred? What significant traits show the power of the wine? For example, "And as often as they drank that red wine honey sweet, he would fill one cup and pour into it twenty measures of water, and a marvellous sweet smell went up from the mixing bowl. Then truly it was no pleasure to refrain." See the unabbreviated story in Homer and compare on all points the same story as told in the Arabian Nights, Third Voyage of Sindbad the Sailor. As if for a short story: EXERCISE 48 1. Produce any description quoted in this book. 2. Describe by suggestion the size of a city, the marvels of a linotype machine or other invention, the horrors of a plague or other disaster, a brave soldier. 3. Have a character of Shakespeare, of Dickens, or of other authors describe any place or object. Be true to the character. 4. Describe a machine, ship, trade, or profession by building or managing it. 5. Describe a person or place by means of a dialog. In what particular parts and why, did you go into details? II. Plot 99. Have unity by keeping to a series of connected events, all tending towards one point through the overcoming of difficulties (plot). These difficulties, of whatever kind they are, constitute in a wide sense the counter-plot. A subordinate series of events, connected with the main series and having its own conclusion, forms the sub-plot. Avoid narrating a separate series of events (digression). The plot in the Monster and the Man is to effect the escape of Ulysses and his crew from the cave. The counter-plot centers around Polyphemus. There is no sub-plot, but one might be added by supposing the giant to have captured the betrothed of one of Ulysses' companions. Her adventures and marriage would form a sub-plot. Where might Homer have had a digression? EXERCISE 49 1. State very briefly the plot, counter-plot, and sub-plot, if present, of any play or story. 2. Suggest a sub-plot for any well-known fairy story or other tale. 3. For a story about Lincoln, Washington, or other historical character suggest a plot, counter-plot, and sub-plot. 4. Relate from personal experience or from a newspaper, a plot. III. Characters 100. Reveal characters by what they say and do rather than by what is said about them (dramatic method). Keep chief characters prominent, others subordinate (perspective). Manifest character traits when needed and as much as needed for the story (proportion) and use, where helpful, opposite traits in different persons for definite portraying (contrast). Homer's story was spoken and has less description and more of the dramatic method than stories written for print. Stories in plays and more so in moving-pictures must depend upon action for revealing character. Note every action in the Monster and the Man and tell what trait of character each reveals. A trait must occur more than once to be characteristic. What part do the companions of Ulysses and of Polyphemus play? How are the two chief characters contrasted in morals, in body, and in mind? EXERCISE 50 1. Tell of some action or expression revealing character in any play or story. 2. Relate an incident read or experienced and let some one else determine the trait of character shown. 3. What words or acts reveal nationality, locality, profession? 4. Suggest actions which will disclose selfishness, hypocrisy, cruelty, stinginess, timidity, courage, jealousy, kindness, etc. (The action should be such that it can be pictured and interpreted without words, as in a moving-picture.) 5. How would perspective and proportion in historical characterizing be modified, if war was not told of in history? 6. Invent a contrasted character for any historical person. IV. Incidents 101. Arrest attention by transferring a significant act out of its place to the beginning or by a brief and novel view of a person or place or by humor (initial interest). While interest is held, all necessary information is imparted. Prepare for the solution of the plot by covertly inserting some clew near the beginning (lead). Awaken curiosity for the result by a suggestion of two or more possible outcomes (suspense). Hurry over events unimportant for the story (rapid movement) and dwell with more detail on the chief event (slow movement). There is usually more interest in dialog than in simple narration. The description of the giants and of Cyclops' cave would awaken some interest and suspense for Homer's audience. The wine is the clew to the solution of the plot, but the reason for bringing it along is too obviously simple for a modern story. The blinding of Polyphemus is the critical event and is described with many details and with two extended comparisons. Where else is the movement slow? Where is it most rapid? Study the place and distribution of dialog. EXERCISE 51 1. Make two strangers know each other in a lunch-room, on the street, in a car. Be natural, but don't use incidents that are trite. 2. Begin a story in a classroom, introducing two chief characters. Homer's Iliad begins with a quarrel which reveals the characters, the nature of the story, and most of the necessary information. 3. Begin a historical story with some characteristic action of a historical person. 4. "From Freshman to Senior, or Through College under a Cloud." How would you begin such a story? What clew would you give? 5. Begin the story of the Monster and the Man at a different point. Let Polyphemus or one of the Cyclopes tell it. 6. Two people are not on speaking terms. How would you make them speak? 7. Read the beginning of a story and let the class conclude it. 8. Let one of the class begin a story and another continue it. Keep the approved chapters in a special book. Put the hero in such difficulties that it will be hard for the next writer to extricate him. V. Good Points 102. Imagine such words and acts as would be likely and natural for the characters in the situation (probability). Make full use of the material at hand before inventing further (economy). Let each incident, however, have an element of surprise (novelty) and let the advantage be given in turn to the plot and to the counter-plot (alternation). Have greater |