1. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry
Week 28 - Lesson 1
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry

2. Questions About The Author
What is the author's pen name?
When did he move to New York?
Why did he wrıte stories whilst also working in a bank?
Why was he sent to prison?
How long did he stay there?
Was he interested in rich people when living in New York?
He heard interesting storıes in the streets and cafes of New York. True/False?
In literary terms, what is the author most remembered for?

3. A Brief History of Thanksgiving
The Story of Thanksgiving
The History Of The Pilgrim Fathers And Thanksgiving - Animated Narration

4. Picture 1

5.  Picture 2

6. Can you 'judge a book by its cover'?
Picture 3
Can you 'judge a book by its cover'?

7. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry
Week 28 - Lesson 2
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry

8. WEEK 28 – LESSON PLANS L2
OBJECTIVE
CONTENT
Pre-reading
Discovering Fiction p.70 – 72
A1 – Think Before You Read
A2 – Picture Focus
A3 - Story Preview
A4 – Words to Know
A5 – Making Predictions
A6 – Idioms & Expressions
A7 – Literary Term: Theme

10. Vocabulary Thanksgiving Word Origin and History for thanksgiving n.
1530s, "the giving of thanks," from thanks (n.) + present participle of give(v.). In the specific sense of "public celebration acknowledging 
divine favors" thanksgiving dates from 1630s (the first one in America was held on October 1621 by Plymouth Colony Pilgrims in appreciation of assistance from members of the Massasoit tribe and celebration of the first harvest);though Thanksgiving Day itself is not attested until 1670s.
Tradition
The handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word 
of mouth or by practice: a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.
; Middle English tradicion < Old French < Latin trāditiōn-
Philanthropy
Plural philanthropies.1.altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement, usually manifested by donations of money, property, or work to needy persons, by endowment of institutions of learning and hospitals, and by generosity to other socially useful purposes.
; earlier philanthropia < Late Latin < Greek philanthrōpía love for mankind. 

13. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry
Week 28 - Lesson 3 & 4
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry

14. Story Summary
The plot is fairly straight-forward, at least until O. Henry’s characteristic final twist. After an opening editorial about President Theodore Roosevelt, Thanksgiving proclamations, and the state of “tradition” in America, the story proper begins with Stuffy Pete, a homeless man who occupies a bench in New York’s Union Square. There, as has happened annually for nine years on Thanksgiving Day, he is met by an elderly gentleman, who escorts him to a restaurant and treats him to a lavish dinner which the old gentleman watches Stuffy Pete eat. But this year, while Stuffy is en route to his park bench, he passes the mansion of two old ladies of an ancient family, who have their own tradition of feasting the first hungry wayfarer that comes along after the clock strikes noon. The servants of the elderly sisters take Stuffy Pete in and banquet him to a finish. So he is well stuffed by the time he reaches his bench. When the old gentleman appears as usual, Stuffy Pete doesn’t have the heart to disappoint the kindly old man, whose “eyes were bright with the giving pleasure.” He goes with him to the traditional table at the traditional restaurant—and like a valiant knight—consumes a second huge Thanksgiving Day meal. As soon as the men go their separate ways, Stuffy Pete, now dangerously overstuffed, collapses and is taken by ambulance to the hospital. An hour later, the old gentleman is brought in, and, as the story’s surprise final sentence tells us, he is discovered to be near starvation, not having had anything to eat for three days past.

15. Whilst Reading Questions
What is the main theme of the story?
What is my first thought after finishing the story?
Am I enjoying the story? Why?
What am I learning from the story?
Is the story funny?
Do I feel any connection to either gentleman?
How correct is my prediction for the ‘surprise endıng’?

16. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry
Week 29 - Lesson 1
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry

17. Discovering Fiction 1 Questions
Answer Key

19. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry
Week 29 - Lesson 2
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry

20. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen – Understanding the Story

21. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen – Understanding the Story

22. Prezi

25. Word Order

27. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry
Week 29 - Lesson 3
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry

29. THEME: Tradition and National Identity
The Old Gentleman seems self-consciously obsessed with establishing and preserving a Thanksgiving tradition. The narrator points out that feeding Stuffy Pete once a year is "a thing that the Old Gentleman was trying to make a tradition of." The man considers himself "a pioneer in American tradition," and every year he offers the same overly formal speech to Stuffy Pete:
"I am glad to perceive that the vicissitudes of another year have spared you to move in health about the beautiful world. For that blessing along this day of thanksgiving is well proclaimed to each of us. If you will come with me, my man, I will provide you with a dinner that should make your physical being accord with the mental."
With this speech, the tradition becomes almost ceremonial. The purpose of the speech seems less to converse with Stuffy than to perform a ritual and, through elevated language, to give that ritual some kind of authority.
The narrator links this desire for tradition with national pride. He portrays the United States as a country self-conscious about its own youth and striving to keep pace with England. In his usual style, O. Henry presents all of this with a touch of humor. Of the Old Gentleman's speech, he writes hyperbolically:
"The words themselves formed almost an Institution. Nothing could be compared with them except the Declaration of Independence.“
And in reference to the longevity of the Old Gentleman's gesture, he writes, "But this is a young country, and nine years is not so bad." The comedy arises from the mismatch between the characters' desire for tradition and their ability to establish it.

30. THEME: Selfish Charity?
In many ways, the story appears critical of its characters and their ambitions.
For example, the narrator refers to "the yearly hunger which, as the philanthropists seem to think, afflicts the poor at such extended intervals." That is, rather than commending the Old Gentleman and the two old ladies for their generosity in feeding Stuffy Pete, the narrator mocks them for making grand annual gestures but then, presumably, ignoring Stuffy Pete and others like him throughout the year.
Admittedly, the Old Gentleman seems much more concerned with creating a tradition (an "Institution") than with actually helping Stuffy. He deeply regrets not having a son who could maintain the tradition in future years with "some subsequent Stuffy." So, he is essentially fostering a tradition that requires someone to be impoverished and hungry. It could be argued that a more beneficial tradition would be aimed at wiping out hunger altogether.
And of course, the Old Gentleman seems much more concerned about inspiring thankfulness in others than about being thankful himself. The same might be said of the two old ladies who feed Stuffy his first meal of the day.

31. THEME: "Exclusively American“
Though the story doesn't shy away from pointing out the humour in the characters' aspirations and predicaments, its overall attitude toward the characters seems largely affectionate. O. Henry takes a similar position in "The Gift of the Magi," in which he seems to laugh good-naturedly at the characters' mistakes, but not to judge them.
After all, it's hard to fault people for charitable impulses, even they come only once a year. And the way the characters all work so hard to establish a tradition is charming. Stuffy's gastronomic suffering, in particular, suggests (however comically) a dedication to the greater national good than to his own well-being. Establishing a tradition is important to him, too.
Throughout the story, the narrator makes several jokes about the self-centeredness of New York City. According to the story, Thanksgiving is the only time that New Yorkers make an effort to consider the rest of the country because it is "the one day that is purely American […] a day of celebration, exclusively American.“
Perhaps what's so American about it is that the characters remain so optimistic and undaunted as they bumble their way toward traditions for their still-young country. 

32. Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry
Week 29 - Lesson 4
Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen by O.Henry