The last leaf

—O.Henry

NO.1 THE AUTHOR

? First，l will introduce some informations about the author,O.Henry.He is the founder of modern American short story, His works weave a sense of humor and sad story, "Encyclopedia of American life, humor," said his artistic achievement is unique creative style of art with irony, the representative of the artistic style is unique and contrasting covert criticism, coupled with his famous "O ? Henry-style ending," people be referred to the "O ? Henry-style tactics."

Born: on September 11, 1862 in Greensboro, North Carolina

Died: on June 5, 1910

Experiences: worked as a bookkeeper, pharmacist, sheepherder, draftsman, journalist, and clerk; was in prison for three years.

THE EFFECT

? O? Henry short story brought to the United States 'new life', the same time have his unique style of "tears of laughter," the world's literary reputation and produced a "striking a lasting impact."He and the French writer Guy de Maupassant and the famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov, is a known master of one of the world's three short stories. NO.2 Character list

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? 1. Johnsy A woman artist,who caught Pneumonia.Lost hope with life,but she wanted live longer,she count the leaves because she thought When the last leaf fell she would die. 2.Sue She is close friend and roommate of Johnsy,also she is artist live with Johnsy in a little district west of Washington Square .She wanted to try her bast to help Johnsy find hope. 3.Behrman He is failed artist lived under Johnsy who over sixty year’old,unfortunately he also have caught Pneumonia for many years,his tempers was irritably. Before he passed away,he painted the last leaf during the dreadful night,he wanted Johnsy not lost hope of life. 4.Doctor He is the main doctor of Johnsy and Behrman,he told Sue that Johnsy attitude decided the illness,

he wanted her could find a target which worth Johnsy regained the hope to live longer.

NO.3 The main idea

? Johnsy and Sue are artists who move into Greenwich Village in New York City. As Winter approaches and the weather gets colder, Johnsy becomes ill with pneumonia. She gets so sick that she believes that when the last leaf falls from the vine outside her window, she will die. An old artist, named Behrman, who lives in the same building as the girls, braves a storm one night to paint a leaf on the wall — a leaf that will never fall. Cold and wet from painting in the icy rain, he catches pneumonia and dies. This gives Johnsy the hope

to survive her illness, and it also creates the masterpiece Behrman had always dreamed of painting

NO.4 Summary and Analysis

? 1、In November a cold, unseen stranger, whom the doctors called Pneumonia, stalked

about the colony, touching one here and there with his icy fingers. Over on the east side this ravager strode boldly, smiting his victims by scores, but his feet trod slowly through the maze of the narrow and moss-grown "places." Mr. Pneumonia was not what you would call a chivalric old gentleman. A mite of a little woman with blood thinned by California zephyrs was hardly fair game for the red-fisted, short-breathed old duffer. ? 到了11月，一个冷酷的、肉眼看不见的、医生们叫做“肺炎”的不速之客，在艺术区

里悄悄地游荡，用他冰冷的手指头这里碰一下那里碰一下。在广场东头，这个破坏者明目张胆地踏着大步，一下子就击倒几十个受害者，可是在迷宫一样、狭窄而铺满青苔的“胡同”里，他的步伐就慢了下来。 肺炎先生不是一个你们心目中行侠仗义的老的绅士。一个身子单薄，被加利福尼亚州的西风刮得没有血色的弱女子，本来不应该是这个有着红拳头的、呼吸急促的老家伙打击的对象。

Analysis

? 1.This paragraph tell us the Pneumonia was attacked the art block,many people were

caught it.The author uses personification describe the illness,leaves the deepest influence on the reader.

2.There is no doubt that Johnsy was infected.The author uses “the illness not a chivalric old gentleman”,suggests that Johnsy shouldn’t caught it,shows mercy on her.

? 3.The author puts many adjectives into the paragraph,makes the MR. Pneumonia more

active,funny.when uses the Johnsy’s birthplace instead of her name,avoid repeat many times.

2、Old Behrman was a painter who lived on the ground floor beneath them. He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo's Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along with the body of an imp. Behrman was a failure in art. Forty years he had wielded the brush without getting near enough to touch the hem of his Mistress's robe. He had been always about to paint a masterpiece, but had never yet begun it. For several years he had painted nothing except now and then a daub in the line of commerce or advertising. He earned a little by serving as a model to those young artists in the colony who could not pay the price of a professional. He drank gin to excess, and still talked of his coming masterpiece. For the rest he was a fierce little old man, who scoffed terribly at softness in any one, and who regarded himself as especial mastiff-in-waiting to protect the two ? young artists in the studio above.

老贝尔曼是住在她们这座楼房底层的一个画家。他年过60，有一把像米开朗琪罗的摩西雕像那样的大胡子，这胡子长在一个像半人半兽的森林之神的头颅上，又鬈曲地飘拂在小鬼似的身躯上。贝尔曼是个失败的画家。他操了四十年的画笔，还远没有摸着艺术女神的衣裙。他老是说就要画他的那幅杰作了，可是直到现在他还没有动笔。几年来，他除了偶尔画点商业广告之类的玩意儿以外，什么也没有画过。他给艺术区里穷得雇不起职业模特儿的年轻画家们当模特儿，挣一点钱。他喝酒毫无节制，还时常提起他要画的那幅杰作。除此以外，他是一个火气十足的小老头子，十分瞧不起别人的温情，却认为自己是专门保护楼上画室里那两个年轻女画家的一只看家狗。 ? ?

Analysis

? 1.This paragraph desctibe the Old Behrman,his age,experience,work,tempers,appearance.

I rememberred this sentence“He was past sixty and had a Michael Angelo's Moses beard curling down from the head of a satyr along with the body of an imp.”It tells he couldn’t achieve his dream to be a great painter,he gradually lost the energy of his dream.

2.Although Behrman not graciously,he is rare man who hot-hearted,he infected the illness,kept on his life to maintain his paint business. So,he couldn’t have spare money to ? adorn hiself.

3、 "I have something to tell you, white mouse," she said. "Mr. Behrman died of pneumonia to-day in the hospital. He was ill only two days. The janitor found him the morning of the first day in his room downstairs helpless with pain. His shoes and clothing were wet through and icy cold. They couldn't imagine where he had been on such a dreadful night. And then they found a lantern, still lighted, and a ladder that had been dragged from its place, and some scattered brushes, and a palette with green and yellow colours mixed on it, and - look out the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on the wall. Didn't you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blew? Ah, darling, it's ? Behrman's masterpiece - he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell."

“我有件事要告诉你，小家伙，”她说，“贝尔曼先生今天在医院里患肺炎去世了。他只病了两天。头一天早晨，门房发现他在楼下自己那间房里痛得动弹不了。他的鞋子和衣服全都湿透了，冰凉冰凉的。他们搞不清楚在那个凄风苦雨的夜晚，他究竟到哪里去了。后来他们发现了一盏没有熄灭的灯笼，一把挪动过地方的梯子，几支扔得满地的画笔，还有一块调色板,上面涂抹着绿色和黄色的颜料，还有，亲爱的，瞧瞧窗子外面，瞧瞧墙上那最后一片藤叶。难道你没有想过，为什么风刮得那样厉害，它却从来不摇一摇、动一动呢？唉，亲爱的，这片叶子才是贝尔曼的杰作。就是在最后一片叶子掉下来的晚上，他把它画在那里的。”

Analysis

? 1. It's Behrman's masterpiece. It was so perfect the girls both mistook it for the real thing.

Behrman, a kind neighbor, who was aware of Johnsy’s state of mind, risked death to paint the last leaf and save her.

2.Johnsy can referred the Behrman’s meaning of paint the last leaf,she would regain the ? ?

hope of life.she would always keep the feeling in heart,it will support her live well. NO.5 When l read this book

? I chose this book,because it reflects hope.If you have confidence ,there will be no

challenge.This is Johnsy’s drean. She thought she couldn’t do it well because of the death ,however,she told it to Sue again to prove she won’t die,to show she want to live. Maybe you try again and again but it didn’t work, or maybe you study all the time but you still can’t understand it. Come on ,so what? She can be alive just because of the last leaf,why not us? So when you feel upset or sad ,try to think about her. Admittly ,athough I don’t agree with the point“when the last leaf fall,I will die”, I think highly of the persistence. On the point of my view ,there is no destiny and we should hold it by ourselves.

? We should draw the last leaf by ourselves in my opinion, not others. To belive in

ourselves is the best way to make us stronger increasingly. Let us say it to ourseves : never give up, until “the last leaf” falling down. ?