Анализ «A friend in need»by William Somerset Maugham. Друзья познаются в беде. Сомерсет Моэм

Lenkova Katerina, 221 group Text analysis A FRIEND IN NEED by William Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was an English playwright, writer and author of many books including A Friend In Need. His popularity lies in the fact that by early 1930"s he had become the highest paid author of his era. During the peak of his popularity, Maugham also earned praise as one of the most significant travel writers. During his life he went through World War I and I I. For half a decade, Maugham studied medicine. Though, the experience would continue to influence his writing for the rest of his life. He achieved a great success as a novelist with such novels as «Of Human Bondage», «The Razor`s Edge » a dramatist with his plays «Our Betters», «The Circle», but he is best known by his short stories. They are cool and pessimistic but always fascinating. When Maugham described people and places in his stories, he did it mostly from his personal experience. The title of this story is the beginning of a well-known proverb: «A friend in need is a friend indeed». On the one hand, we can expect that the story is about friendship, for example, one friend has a problem and the other helps him to solve it. But, on the other hand, the title makes us think why the author gives only the first part of the proverb. In title the story seems to end positive, with happy end whereas the events of the story are tragic. This text tells us about two men who are namesakes. The action takes place in some office, where Burton the Elder is a prosperous businessman. Burton the Young, the poor card-player, asks him for help as he gets into trouble: he is down and out and close to commit suicide. That is why, he asks for a job. He is given a job but on an unusual condition wherefore Burton the Young dies. In my opinion, the problem of this story is both the appearance and manner of one person give the impression of a very different man. We should not draw a conclusion from the growth, from the look in the eyes, from the shape of the jaw, mouth of the person we meet. We should not consider first impressions of a person are always right. The second problem, as far as I am concerned, is everyone must strive for a good life by way of a healthy living, good breeding, job stability and hope only on yourself. No one is obliged to do something for someone. (Никто никому ничего не должен). The main idea is every person must shape his own future. Everything is depended on the person himself. Everyone must rely upon himself, because «Self-help is the best help». The story is first person narration with descriptive passages, portrayals of the characters (He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-white cheeks), and dialogues of the characters («I can swim, » he said. «Swim! ») The prevailing tone is dramatic, tragic, emotional, and pessimistic. The author underlines the matter-of-fact mood of Burton the Elder. He sends his fellow to his death on purpose. He doesn`t plan to employ his, because he even hasn`t a vacancy in his office. His actions are followed by complete indifference towards Burton the Young. (« I didn’t say anything, I shrugged my shoulders, he looked at me for a moment and then he nodded; I didn`t say anything for a moment or two, I was a trifle shocked; He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his). He doesn’t confess his guilt. This story may be divided into the following four parts. The exposition presents appearance of one of the main characters in this story. All the details of his appearance speak of Burton the Young’s nature and lifestyle. (There was no harm in him…he drank too much…he was a card-player). The development of the plot is presented by the actions in the office. The climax is at the end of the story as « Done,-he said», it is the highest, the most dramatic point of the action that has the event of greatest interest and intensity. After climax we found the outcome of the story as « We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me… The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. » Everything is made clear after these words. In the first part of the story there is litotes: «He wasn"t a bad chap. » this means an intentional use of understatement that renders an ironical effect. The author uses also an irony. Such as « Come back and see me in another 35 years and I’ll see what I can do». This is words of Burton the Elder. This phrase is full of mockery. There are quite a lot of epithets in the story (a kindly little chuckle, an insane answer, a pretty good swimmer). It helps in making the characteristics of a person, thing or place more prominent than they actually are. The author uses ellipsis («Swim! », «Done, » he said.) to allow the reader to understand an appropriate utterance, intonation by using their imagination. A metaphor is used in the story: « He rubbed his chin with his hand» - it means that he thought with some doubt. The grammatical peculiarities are expressed by a lot of short and elliptical sentences. For example: «Thirty five, » he said. «Swim! », «Done, » he said. The lexical peculiarities of the text are expressed by colloquial words (done, chap, fellow), bookish (hitherto, dissipation). The use of colloquial English helps to make the story more vivid. And, may be, the author uses bookish words in speech of Burton the Elder for showing his education to Burton the Young. It was not difficult for me to read this story, because its language is very emotional and at the same time is rather simple. The story doesn`t contain any special terms or complex structures. I liked the plot as it contains a great deal of the burning issues of those times when William Somerset Maugham lived and at the same time it deals with the problems nowadays. So it gives the readers food for thoughts making us analyze situations from everyday life.

Вот уже тридцать лет я изучаю моих ближних. Не так-то много я о них узнал. Наверно, я не решился бы нанять слугу, доверясь только его внешности, а между тем, мне кажется, в большинстве случаев мы как раз по внешнему виду судим о людях. Смотрим, какой формы у человека подбородок, какой у него взгляд, как очерчен рот, - и делаем выводы. Не уверен, что мы чаще бываем правы, чем ошибаемся. Романы и пьесы нередко фальшивы и нежизненны потому, что их авторы наделяют героев цельными, последовательными характерами, впрочем, пожалуй, они не могут иначе, ведь если сделать характер противоречивым, он станет непонятен. А между тем почти все мы полны противоречий. Каждый из нас - просто случайная мешанина несовместимых качеств. Учебник логики скажет вам, что абсурдно утверждать, будто желтый цвет имеет цилиндрическую форму, а благодарность тяжелее воздуха; но в той смеси абсурдов, которая составляет человеческое «я», желтый цвет вполне может оказаться лошадью с тележкой, а благодарность - серединой будущей недели. Когда люди уверяют меня, что первое впечатление от человека никогда их не обманывает, я только пожимаю плечами. По-моему, такие люди либо не слишком проницательны, либо чересчур самонадеянны. Что до меня - чем дольше я знаю человека, тем загадочней он мне кажется; и как раз про самых старых своих друзей я могу сказать, что не знаю о них ровным счетом ничего.

На эти размышления навела меня заметка, которую я прочитал сегодня в утренней газете: в Кобе скончался Эдвард Хайд Бартон. Он был коммерсант и долгие годы вел дела в Японии. Я мало знал его, но он занимал мои мысли, потому что однажды очень меня удивил. Если бы я не услышал эту историю от него самого, я никогда бы не поверил, что он способен на такой поступок. Это тем поразительней, что по внешности и манерам это был человек вполне определенного склада. Вот уж поистине цельная личность. Маленький, не выше пяти футов четырех дюймов ростом, щуплый, седые волосы, красное лицо все в морщинах и голубые глаза. В ту пору, когда мы познакомились, ему было лет шестьдесят. Одевался он всегда очень тщательно, но отнюдь не крикливо, как и подобало его возрасту и положению.

Хотя его контора находилась в Кобе, Бартон часто наезжал в Иокогаму. Мне однажды пришлось провести там несколько дней в ожидании парохода, и нас познакомили в Британском клубе. Мы оказались партнерами в бридже. Он был хороший игрок и притом не мелочный. Говорил мало - и за игрой, и после за вином, - но все, что он говорил, звучало вполне разумно. Не лишен был чувства юмора - шутил суховато, сдержанно, без улыбки. В клубе он, видимо, был своим человеком, и после его ухода все отзывались о нем наилучшим образом. Оказалось, что мы оба остановились в Гранд-отеле, и назавтра он пригласил меня обедать. Я познакомился с его женой - полной, немолодой женщиной, щедрой на улыбки, - и с двумя дочерьми. Семья, по-видимому, была дружная и любящая. Самой примечательной чертой Бартона мне показалась доброта. Удивительно располагал кроткий взгляд голубых глаз. Голос звучал мягко, нельзя было представить себе, что он может подняться до гневного крика; улыбка - самая благожелательная. Вас влекло к этому человеку, потому что в нем чувствовалась подлинная любовь к ближнему. В нем было обаяние. Но при этом никакой слащавости: он со вкусом играл в карты и пил коктейль, умел рассказать пикантный анекдот и в молодости даже был неплохим спортсменом. Человек состоятельный, он всем своим богатством был обязан только самому себе. Мне кажется, в нем привлекала еще и эта хрупкость и маленький рост: появлялось безотчетное желание защитить его и оберечь. Чувствовалось, что этот человек и мухи не обидит.

Однажды я сидел в гостиной Гранд-отеля. Это было еще до землетрясения, и там стояли кожаные кресла. Из окон открывался вид на просторную, оживленную гавань. Тут были огромные пассажирские пароходы, направляющиеся в Ванкувер и Сан-Франциско, либо через Шанхай, Гонконг и Сингапур - в Европу; грузовые суда под флагами всех стран, потрепанные бурями и непогодой; джонки с высокой кормой и большими разноцветными парусами и бесчисленные сампаны. Жизнь кипела ключом, и однако бог весть почему зрелище это успокаивало душу. Тут была романтика: казалось, стоит протянуть руку - и коснешься ее.

Скоро в гостиной появился Бартон. Заметив меня, он подошел и сел рядом.

Не выпить ли нам по стаканчику?

Он хлопнул в ладоши, подзывая слугу, и спросил два коктейля. Когда слуга возвратился с подносом, по улице прошел один мой знакомый и, увидев меня в окно, помахал рукой. Я кивнул ему.

Вы знакомы с Тернером? - спросил Бартон.

Мы познакомились в клубе. Мне говорили, что он вынужден был покинуть Англию и живет на деньги, которые ему присылают из дому.

Да, похоже на то. Здесь таких очень много.

Он недурно играет в бридж.

Как все они. Тут был один в прошлом году, как ни странно, мой однофамилец, - лучшего игрока я в жизни не встречал. В Лондоне вы вряд ли с ним сталкивались. Он называл себя Ленни Бартон. Вероятно, был раньше членом какого-нибудь аристократического клуба.

Не припомню такого имени.

Замечательный был игрок. Какое-то особое чутье на карты. Даже страшновато. Я часто с ним играл. Он некоторое время прожил в Кобе.

Бартон отпил глоток вина.

Забавная история, - сказал он. - Этот мой однофамилец был неплохой малый. Мне он нравился. Всегда хорошо одет, настоящий франт. Даже красив на свой лад - такой белолицый, румяный, волосы вьются. Женщины на него заглядывались. Он был безвредный, знаете, просто повеса. Пил, конечно, больше, чем надо. Такие всегда сильно пьют. Раз в три месяца он получал немного денег да кое-что выигрывал в карты. У меня по крайней мере он выиграл немало.

Бартон добродушно усмехнулся. Я знал по опыту, что он умел проигрывать не поморщившись. Он погладил чисто выбритый подбородок худой, почти прозрачной рукой со вздувшимися венами.

Наверно, поэтому он и пришел ко мне, когда остался без гроша, да еще может быть потому, что мы с ним были однофамильцы. В один прекрасный день приходит он ко мне в контору и просит взять его на службу. Я удивился. Он объяснил, что больше не получает денег из дому и ему нужна работа. Я спросил, сколько ему лет.

Тридцать пять.

А до сих пор чем вы занимались?

Да ничем, в сущности. Я не удержался от смеха.

Боюсь, - говорю, - что пока я ничем не могу вам помочь. Приходите еще через тридцать пять лет, тогда посмотрим.

Он не шелохнулся. Побледнел. Постоял в нерешительности и, наконец, объяснил, что последнее время ему очень не везло в карты. Вечно играть в один только бридж не хотелось, он перешел на покер и проигрался в пух и прах. У него не осталось ни гроша. Он заложил все, что имел. Нечем заплатить по счету в отеле, и в долг больше не верят. Он нищий. Если он не найдет какой-нибудь работы, ему останется только покончить с собой.

Минуту-другую я разглядывал его. И понял, что малому крышка. Видно, последнее время он пил больше обычного, и теперь ему можно было дать все пятьдесят. Женщины уже не восхищались бы им, если б видели его в эту минуту.

А все-таки, - спросил я, - умеете вы делать еще что-нибудь, кроме как играть в карты?

Я умею плавать.

Я едва верил своим ушам: экая глупость!

В университете я был чемпионом по плаванью.

Тут я начал понимать, куда он клонит. Но я встречал слишком много людей, которые в студенческие годы были кумирами своих однокашников, и это не внушало мне особого почтения.

Я и сам в молодости был недурным пловцом, - сказал я.

И вдруг меня осенило.

Прервав свой рассказ, Бартон неожиданно спросил:

Вы хорошо знаете Кобе?

Нет, - сказал я, - останавливался там как-то проездом, но только на одну ночь.

Тогда вы не знаете Шиойя-клуб. В молодости я проплывал оттуда вокруг маяка до устья ручья Та-руми. Это свыше трех миль, и задача нелегкая, потому что я огибал маяк, а там очень сильное течение. Ну, я рассказал об этом своему тезке и обещал, что если он проплывет там - я возьму его на службу.

Вижу, он растерялся.

Вы же сказали, что вы хороший пловец, - говорю.

Но я сейчас немного не в форме.

Я ничего не сказал, только пожал плечами. Он посмотрел, посмотрел на меня - и кивнул.

Согласен, - говорит. - Когда мне плыть?

Я поглядел на часы. Было начало одиннадцатого.

У вас уйдет на это примерно час с четвертью, может быть, чуть больше. Я подъеду к ручью в половине первого и встречу вас. Потом отвезу назад в клуб, вы переоденетесь, и вместе позавтракаем.

Мы пожали друг другу руки, я пожелал ему успеха, и он ушел. В то утро у меня была куча работы, и я

еле поспел к половине первого к устью Таруми. Но напрасно я спешил: мой тезка так и не явился.

Струсил в последнюю минуту? - спросил я.

Нет, не струсил. Поплыть-то он поплыл. Но пьянством и беспутством он погубил свое здоровье. Он не мог справиться с течением у маяка. Тело нашли только на третий день.

Несколько минут я молчал. Я был несколько ошеломлен. Потом задал Бартону один вопрос:

Скажите, когда вы предлагали ему плыть, вы знали, что он утонет?

Бартон тихонько хихикнул, посмотрел мне прямо в глаза кроткими, наивными голубыми глазйми и потер ладонью подбородок.

Видите ли, - сказал он, - места-то свободного у меня в конторе все равно не было.

For thirty years now I have been studying my fellow-men. I do not know very much about them. I suppose it is on, the face that for the most part we judge the persons we meet. We draw our conclusions from the shape of the jaw, the look in the eyes, the shape of the mouth. I shrug my shoulders when people tell me that their first impressions of a person are always right. For my own part I find that the longer I know people the more they puzzle me: my oldest friends are just those of whom I can say that I don"t know anything about them.

These thoughts have occurred to me because I read in this morning"s paper that Edward Hyde Burton had died at Kobe. He was a merchant and he had been in Japan for many years. I knew him very little, but he interested me because once he gave me a great surprise. If I had not heard the story from his own lips I should never have believed that he was capable of such an action. It was the more startling because both his appearance and his manner gave the impression of a very different man. He was a tiny little fellow, very slender, with white hair, a red face much wrinkled, and blue eyes. I suppose he was about sixty when I knew him. He was always neatly and quietly dressed in accordance with his age and station.

Though his offices were in Kobe Burton often came down to Yokohama. I happened on one occasion to be spending a few days there, waiting for a ship, and I was introduced to him at the British Club. We played bridge together. He played a good game and a generous one. He did not talk very much, either then or later when we were having drinks, but what he said was sensible. He had a quiet, dry humour. He seemed to be popular at the club and afterwards, when he had gone, they described him as one of the best. It happened that we were both staying at the Grand Hotel and next day he asked me to dine with him. I met his wife, fat, elderly and smiling, and his two daughters. It was evidently a united and loving family. I think the chief thing that struck me about Burton was his kindliness. There was something very pleasing in his mild blue eyes. His voice was gentle; you could not imagine that he could raise it in anger; his smile was kind. Here was a man who attracted you because you felt in him a real love for his fellows. He had charm. But there was nothing sentimental about him: he liked his game of cards and his cocktail, he could tell a good and spicy story, and in his youth he had been something of an athlete. He was a rich man and he had made every penny himself. I suppose one thing that made you like him was that he was so small and frail; he aroused your instincts of protection. You felt that he would not hurt a fly.

One afternoon I was sitting in the lounge of the Grand Hotel. From the windows you had an excellent view of the harbour with its crowded traffic. There were great liners; merchant ships of all nations, junks and boats sailing in and out. It was a busy scene and yet, I do not know why, restful to the spirit.

Burton came into the lounge presently and caught sight of me. He seated himself in the chair next to mine.

"What do you say to a little drink?"

He clapped his hands for a boy and ordered two drinks. As the boy brought them a man passed along the street outside and seeing me waved his hand.

"Do you know Turner?" said Burton as I nodded a greeting.

"I"ve met him at the club. I"m told he"s a remittance man."

"Yes, I believe he is. We have a good many here."

"He plays bridge well."

"They generally do. There was a fellow here last year, a namesake of mine, who was the best bridge player I ever met. I suppose you never came across him in London. Lenny Burton he called himself."

"No. I don"t believe I remember the name."

"He was quite a remarkable player. He seemed to have an instinct about the cards. It was uncanny. I used to play with him a lot. He was in Kobe for some time."

Burton sipped his gin.

"It"s rather a funny story,", he said. "He wasn"t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and he was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Fellows like him always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a good deal of mine, I know that."

Burton gave a kindly little chuckle.

"I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact that he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.

"Thirty five," he said.

""And what have you been doing before?" I asked him.

""Well, nothing very much," he said.

"I couldn"t help laughing.

""I"m afraid I can"t do anything for you just now," I said. "Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I"ll see what I can do."

"He didn"t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then he told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn"t a penny. He"d pawned everything he had. He couldn"t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn"t give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn"t get a job he"d have to commit suicide.

"I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He"d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty.

""Well, isn"t there anything you can do except play cards?" I asked him.

""I can swim," he said.

"I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such a silly answer.

""I swam for my university."

""I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man," I said.

"Suddenly I had an idea.

Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.

"Do you know Kobe?" he asked.

"No," I said, "I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there."

"Then you don"t know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It"s over three miles and it"s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he"d do it I"d give him a job.

"I could see he was rather taken aback.

""You say you"re a swimmer," I said.

""I"m not in very good condition," he answered.

"I didn"t say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.

""All right," he said. "When do you want me to do it?"

"I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.

"The swim shouldn"t take you much over an hour and a quarter. I"ll drive round to the creek at half-past twelve and meet you. I"ll take you back to the club to dress and then we"ll have lunch together."

""Done," he said.

"We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at half past twelve. I waited for him there, but in vain."

"Did he get frightened at the last moment?" I asked.

""No, he didn"t. He started swimming. But of course he"d ruined his health by drink. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage." We didn"t get the body for about three days."

I didn"t say anything for a moment or two. I was a little shocked. Then I asked Burton a question.

"When you offered him the job, did you know that he"d be drowned?"

He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.

"Well, I hadn"t got a vacancy in my office at the moment."

In A Friend in Need by W. Somerset Maugham we have the theme of appearance, hopelessness, friendship, desperation and connection. Taken from his Collected Short Stories collection the story is narrated in the first person by an unnamed narrator and from the beginning of the story the reader realises that Maugham may be exploring the theme of appearance. The narrator like many people believes that you cannot judge an individual’s character based solely on how someone might look. To emphasis his point the narrator highlights some of his friends that he has known for a long time yet he would consider that he knows very little if anything about these friends. Something that many readers would find understandable. It is difficult if not impossible to formulate a knowledgeable appraisal of another individual based solely on how they might look. Each individual will be different even if some may look similar in appearance. Maugham also appears to be exploring the theme of friendship though in reality all the characters mentioned in the story would merely be acquaintances of each other. Which may be the point that Maugham is attempting to make. He may be suggesting that things might have been different for Lenny Burton should he have had a friend in Yokohama.

Lenny’s reliance on Edward ended up costing him his life and the reader senses that Edward does not really feel anything when it comes to Lenny’s death. Rather than simply offering Lenny a job (even though there was no vacancy) Edward decides upon issuing Lenny with a challenge. How desperate Lenny may have been is noticeable by the fact that though he knows he is physically out of condition he still nonetheless attempts to do the swim. For many readers this would be a warning sign into Edward’s character however the narrator himself through judging Edward by appearance considers Edward to be a good man. Though both Lenny and Edward were merely acquaintances Edward should have known better than to issue the challenge to Lenny. It is as though life is a game to Edward. Should Lenny have been successful he still may not have gotten a job from Edward as there was no vacancy. There is also no doubting that Lenny needed help. His circumstances had changed dramatically due to his lifestyle yet the reality was he did not know anybody well enough that might be able to help him. Hence Lenny reaching out to Edward.

It is also possible that Maugham is asking the reader to define what friendship is. In the story there is no real connection between any of the characters apart from periods when they may be drinking or playing bridge together. The reader never really gets to know what makes each character tick. Which may be important as Maugham may be suggesting that friendship is elusive. You might think you know somebody, as the narrator thinks he knows Edward, but the reality may be very different. Just as you can incorrectly judge somebody by their appearance. Similarly you may not necessarily know somebody just because you spent a brief moment with them. It can take time to know who a person is. You need to see a person at their best and their worst before you can not only formulate an opinion about the person but also to see if there is the possibility that you might become friends with the person. This may have been the mistake that Lenny made. Through desperation he thought that perhaps Edward might be able to help. However the reality is Lenny and Edward were no more than two individuals who happened to play cards together.

The end of the story is interesting if not shocking as the reader really gets an insight into how Edward thinks. He is cold and lacks compassion when it comes to Lenny’s death. He does not consider himself to be responsible in anyway nor does he suffer from any guilt. As mentioned life is a game to Edward. It did not bother him that someone he knew came to him seeking his help. As Edward did not view Lenny as being a friend. Something which ended up costing Lenny his life. The fact that Edward chuckles when asked by the narrator did he know that Lenny would drown is also interesting. As in many ways this sums up Edward’s reaction to Lenny’s death. A desperate and hopeless man has lost his life and Edward views what happened as no more than a business transaction. A transaction which the reader suspects that Edward looks upon favourably. Despite the narrator telling the reader that Edward ‘looked at me with those kind and candid blue eyes of his.’ The reader is left suspecting that not only Lenny but the narrator too have been fooled by Edward’s appearance. He is not the man that he appears to be and he is most definitely not a friend to either Lenny or the narrator.

Does the author speak in his own voice or does he present the events from the point of view of the main characters?

Is the story told in the first (third) person?

Is the story emotional or dry and factual?

Are all actions fast or slow?

On what note does the story end?

Is the end conclusive or maybe it is left for further suggestion?

Character drawing.

With what main problem is the character faced?

Is there a conflict with another individual? /with society, with himself?

Does the author sympathize with the main character or remains aloof?

Whatever the cause of the conflict, it develops in gradual stages known as exposition (where the setting and the characters are introduced), complication (where the plot begins to thicken), development, climax (where the things are at their hottest) and finally, denouenment or unknotting (from French, pronounced “dei noo maah”), bringing about a resolution of the conflict. Sometimes it coincides with the climax . It is an event or an episode that brings the story to its end. The manner of bringing of fiction to a close is called Ending. An unexpected turn of a plot, which is not clear until the story is called Surprise Ending.

The main idea of the story / sometimes it can coincide with the main theme/.

The Language of the story.

Key words and phrases :

Belles-lettres style – художн1й текст

Interior monologue – в нутр1шн1й монолог

A Stream of consciousness – пот 1 к св 1 домост 1

Digression – в 1 дхилення

Exposition – експозиц 1 я

Complication - зав ’ язка

Climax – кульм 1 нац 1 я , кульм 1 нац 1 йна мить

Denouenment, unknotting – розв ’ язування, розв ’ язання

During the process of working at the literary analysis of the text you may employ such phrases:

The text is written by a famous (well-known, outstanding, prominent) English (American) writer (author)…

The writer (author) is famous for

The text belongs (referres) to a belles-lettres style

The main theme (idea) is

Depending upon the manner in which the narration (text) is represented we can speak about the language of the story.

Text № 1 a friend in need By William Sommerset Maugham (1874-1965)

“It’s rather a funny story”, he said. “He wasn’t a bad chap. I liked him. He was always well-dressed and smart-looking. He was handsome in a way, with curly hair and pink-and-white cheeks. Women thought a lot of him. There was no harm in him, you know, he was only wild. Of course he drank too much. Those sort of fellows always do. A bit of money used to come in for him once a quarter and he made a bit more by card-playing. He won a great deal of mine, I know that”.

Burton gave a kindly little chuckle. I knew from my own experience that he

could lose money at bridge with a good grace.

“I suppose that is why he came to me when he went broke, that and the fact he was a namesake of mine. He came to see me in my office one day and asked me for a job. I was rather surprised. He told me that there was no more money coming from home and he wanted to work. I asked him how old he was.

“Thirty-five”, he said.

“And what have you been doing hitherto?” I asked him.

“Well, nothing very much”, he said.

I couldn’t help laughing.

“I’m afraid I can’t do anything for you just yet”, I said. “Come back and see me in another thirty-five years, and I’ll see what I can do”.

He didn’t move. He went rather pale. He hesitated for a moment and then told me that he had had bad luck at cards for some time. He hadn’t been willing to stick to bridge, he’d been playing poker, and he’d got trimmed. He hadn’t a penny. He’d pawned everything he had. He couldn’t pay his hotel bill and they wouldn’t give him any more credit. He was down and out. If he couldn’t get something to do he’d have to commit suicide.

I looked at him for a bit. I could see now that he was all to pieces. He’d been drinking more than usual and he looked fifty. The girls wouldn’t have thought so much of him if they’d seen him then.

“Well, isn’t there anything you can do except play cards?” I asked him.

“I can swim”, he said.

I could hardly believe my ears; it seemed such an insane answer to give.

“I swam for my university”.

I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. I’ve known too many men who were little tin gods at their university to be impressed by it.

“I was a pretty good swimmer myself when I was a young man”, I said.

Suddenly I had an idea.

Pausing in his story, Burton turned to me.

“Do you know Kobe?” he asked.

“No”, I said, “I passed through it once, but I only spent a night there”.

“Then you don’t know the Shioya Club. When I was a young man I swam from there round the beacon and landed at the creek of Tarumi. It’s over three miles and it’s rather difficult on account of the currents round the beacon. Well, I told my young namesake about it and I said to him that if he’d do it I’d give him a job. I could see he was rather taken aback.

“You say you’re a swimmer”, I said.

“I’m not in very good condition”, he answered.

I didn’t say anything. I shrugged my shoulders. He looked at me for a moment and then he nodded.

“All right”, he said. “When do you want me to do it?”

I looked at my watch. It was just after ten.

“The swim shouldn’t take you much over an hour and a quarter. I’ll drive round to the creek at half past twelve and meet you. I’ll take you back to the club and then we’ll have lunch together”.

“Done”, he said.

We shook hands. I wished him good luck and he left me. I had a lot of work to do that morning and I only just managed to get to the creek at Tarumi at half past twelve. But I needn’t have hurried; he never turned up”.

“Did he funk it at the last moment?” I asked.

“No, he didn’t funk it. He started all right. But of course he’d ruined his constitution by drink and dissipation. The currents round the beacon were more than he could manage. We didn’t get the body for about three days”.

I didn’t say anything for a moment or two, I was a trifle shocked. Then i asked Burton a question.

“When you made him that offer of a job, did you know he’d be drowned?”

He gave a little mild chuckle and he looked at me with those kind and candid blue eyes of his. He rubbed his chin with his hand.

“Well, I hadn’t got a vacancy in my office at the moment”.