Objectives

• Analyse how Hemingway uses landscape description — specifically the hills, the fertile valley, and the dry side of the station — as an externalisation of Jig's emotional conflict.
• Identify and explain how the American's repeated use of phrases such as 'It's really an awfully simple operation' and 'I don't want you to do it if you don't want to' function as rhetorical pressure rather than free choice.
• Trace how power shifts between Jig and the American across the story, using specific moments of dialogue and stage direction as evidence.
• Write a sustained, evidenced paragraph that argues a clear interpretation of how Hemingway dramatises gender and power through language and form.
• Evaluate the effect of Hemingway's iceberg technique — what is never named — on the reader's construction of meaning.

The sequence

1. Lesson 1: What Is Never Said: Reading the Iceberg in Hills Like White Elephants

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   Look at the opening two sentences of the story: 'The hills across the dry side of the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun.' Write two observations: what stands out to you about the landscape, and what kind of feeling does it evoke? You have four minutes — no discussion yet.

   Teacher input

   Model a close reading of the two contrasting landscape descriptions: the 'long and white' hills that Jig compares to 'white elephants' and the 'fields of grain and trees' visible across the valley. Consider how Hemingway positions the couple literally between these two landscapes — the dry, barren side (where they are sitting) and the fertile, green side (which Jig points to) — and relate this spatial contrast to the unspoken choice the story hints at. Highlight Jig's line 'And we could have all this' as the turning point where the setting transforms into a clear emotional argument.

   Independent task

   Annotate the passage from 'The American and the girl with the luggage' to the end of Jig's line 'And once they take it away, you never get it back.' Underline every instance where one character avoids directly answering the other. Then write one full PEEL paragraph (8–10 sentences) arguing how Hemingway uses dialogue structure — particularly the American's repetition of 'It's really an awfully simple operation' and Jig's unanswered questions — to illustrate the breakdown in communication between the two characters. You must quote at least twice and comment on specific word choices.

   Exit ticket

   In one or two sentences, explain what you think the 'operation' in the story is, and identify one piece of textual evidence — other than the word 'operation' itself — that supports your reading.

2. Lesson 2: Power, Pressure, and Persuasion: Writing About Gender in Hills Like White Elephants

   55 min · ch. 1

   Do now

   After (Humanized): Re-read the exchange beginning 'That's the only thing that bothers us' through to 'Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?' In this moment, the speaker holds power, as their persistent repetition and pleading tone emphasize their control over the conversation. The use of multiple 'please' and the question format illustrate their desperation and the imbalance in authority.

   Teacher input

   Model how to construct a comparative or exam-style argument paragraph using the exchange where the American says, "I don't want you to do it if you don't want to," repeating it twice in close succession. Start by making a clear claim about gender and power dynamics. Then, embed the quotation effectively using a precise verb: "Hemingway has the American repeat..." Next, analyze the conditional grammar present in "if you don't want to," highlighting how it serves as a rhetorical strategy that shifts responsibility onto Jig while still giving the illusion of choice. Conclude by connecting this analysis to the broader theme of communication as a form of coercion.

   Independent task

   Certainly! Here’s a humanized version of your request:

   ---

   Write a full exam-style response of 350–450 words to the following question: "How does Hemingway use language and setting to present the power relationship between Jig and the American?" Your response should start with a clear, arguable thesis about the balance of power between the characters. Analyze the American's repetition of phrases like "It's really an awfully simple operation" and "I don't want you to do it if you don't want to," paying attention to specific grammatical and lexical choices that reveal his attitude. Discuss Jig's line "And we could have all this" in the context of the surrounding landscape description. Include a third piece of evidence from anywhere in the story to support your argument. Finally, conclude with a sentence about how Hemingway's iceberg technique—his choice not to explicitly name the operation—affects the reader's understanding of the power dynamics at play.

   ---

   This version maintains the original meaning and structure while sounding more natural.

   Exit ticket

   Write one sentence explaining why Hemingway never names the operation, and one sentence arguing whether this silence makes Jig or the American appear more powerful by the story's final line.

Activities

Assessment

• Do-Now observation check (Lesson 1): are students identifying the emotional register of the landscape, or only describing it literally?
• Dialogue annotation (Lesson 1 independent task): are students locating specific instances of evasion and naming the technique, or only summarising what characters say?
• Exit ticket (Lesson 1): can students name the implied subject of the story and point to indirect textual evidence — a sign that they have grasped the iceberg method?
• Do-Now (Lesson 2): does the student's one-sentence power claim refer to a specific textual feature (grammar, repetition, punctuation) rather than a general impression?
• Exit ticket (Lesson 2): does the student's answer about Hemingway's silence show awareness of how form shapes meaning, rather than simply asserting that silence is 'mysterious'?

Standards covered

Common Core 11 12

• RL.11-12.1 — Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RL.11-12.3 — Analyse the impact of the author's choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story, including where a story is set and how characters are introduced and developed.
• RL.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyse the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
• RL.11-12.5 — Analyse how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.

AP Literature

• Literary Argumentation (LAN-1) — Develop a thesis that interprets a literary text and defend it with evidence and reasoning.
• Figurative Language (FIG-1) — Explain the function of specific words and phrases in a literary text, including how connotation, imagery, and symbol contribute to meaning.
• Character (CHR-1) — Explain the function of contrasting characters and how their relationship develops a text's central ideas.
• Narration (NAR-1) — Explain the function of point of view and narrative distance, including the effect of what a narrator withholds.

AQA

• AO1 — Read, understand and respond to texts; maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response; use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate interpretations.
• AO2 — Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
• AO3 — Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written and received.
• AO5 (Language paper) — Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences.

Edexcel

• AO1 — Articulate informed, personal and creative responses to literary texts, using associated concepts and terminology, and coherent, accurate written expression.
• AO2 — Analyse ways in which meanings are shaped in literary texts, with particular attention to the relationship between form, structure and language.
• AO4 — Explore connections across literary texts, including how genre and context shape meaning.

IB Lit

• Criterion A — Demonstrate understanding of the text's content, context and how meaning is constructed.
• Criterion B — Analyse the author's choices of language, structure and technique and evaluate their effects.
• Criterion C — Organise ideas in a sustained, coherent and well-evidenced literary argument.