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Transcript

~The Swimmer~

About the Author:

John Cheever

John Cheever was born in Quincy, Massachusettes in 1912. His formal education ended when he was just 17, after leaving home he studide at Thayer Academy but shortly after got expelled for smoking

He published over one hundred short stories, including some of his best ones that were in The New Yorker.

In 1951 he got his first job as a full time writer

Cheever wrote of his own torments, he had serious heart attacks in 1973 and 1974, and was struggling with alcholism and his long-hidden but now active bisexuality.

Throughout this time it inspired him to write about his hard times and gave him mant ideas and real emotions he can relate with.

John Cheever lived to be 70 years old and died of kidney cancer on June 18th, 1982.

Background history

The Short story "The Swimmer":

This story takes place in Westchester County

New York

The short story "The Swimmer" was also made into a movie

The story was published in 1964

What makes this work a timeless or a classic?

Critics admired Cheevers commentary on affluence, hypocrisy and the relationship between wealth and happiness

Within the story you learn the lesson that you should not waste your life away

Neddys (the main character) wanted to stay youthful and young but forgot about present time which made him lose everything.

Unfamiliar words

Valorous: having bouldness or determination; courageous; valiant; brave.

Roving: Roaming or wandering

Revelry: A big party

Bellicosely: Eager to fight; agressively hostile

Cerulean: deep blue; sky blue; azure.

Stupefied: to overwhelm with amazement; astound; astonish.

Aphrodie: the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty

Stertorously: breathing hard

Resumption: the act of taking again or recovering something given up or lost.

Stand Out Passages

"It was one of those midsummer Sundays wjen everyone sits around saying,"I drank to much last night."

"The day was beautiful and it seemed to him that a long swim might enlarge and celebrate its beauty."

"When Lucinda asked where he was going he said he was going to swim home."

"Was he losing his memory, had his gift for concealing painful facts let him forget that he had sold his house, that his children were in trouble, and that his friend had been ill?"

"..he turned up the driveway of his own house. The place was dark. Was it so late that they had all gone to bed? Had Lucinda stayed at the Westerhazys' for supper? Had the girls joined her there or gone someplace else?"

"He tried the garage doors to see what cars were in but the doors were locked and rust came off the handles onto his hands. "

"The house was locked, and he thought that the stupid cok or the stupid maid must have locked the place up until he remebered that it had been some time since they had employed a maid or a cook. He shouted, pounded on the door, tried to force it with his shoulder, and then, looking in at the windows, saw that the place was empty."

Jeopardy~

What state was the author (John Cheever) born in?

What is Massachusetts

What year was the short story "The Swimmer" written in?

When was 1964

How many short storys has John Cheever published?

What is Over 100 short storys

Where does the short story "The Swimmer" take place?

Where is Westchester County, New York

How old was John Cheever when he died, and what did he die from?

What is 70. What is Kidney Cancer.

What point of view was "The Swimmer" written in?

What is the definition for the word: Revelry?

What is the definition of the word Valorous?

What was the simile used to describe how Ned felt when he saw the Welchers' pool was drained?

What was "Like some eplorer who seeks a torrential head water and finds a dead stream"

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What is the definition of Resumption?

What is the act of taking again or recovering something given up or lost.

Different Literary Divices used in "The Swimmer"

It was a little hard to find literary devices in the swimmer.

There were a few that popped out of course such as...

The Point of view. The point of view for the swimmer is

third person, because the author ( John Cheever) wrote the story

as if he were telling us what Ned was doing. He never said " 'Im

swimming across the county,' I told..." It was always Ned said, or he did ect.

Similes. One simile I found interesting was when Ned

reaches this Welchers' pool, when he found that it was empty . The author used this, " Like some explorer who seeks a torrential headwater and finds a dead stream". The stuck out to me because Ned is very upset to see that his "Lucinda River" had a dry pool and that simile just seemed perfect for this part of the story.

Summary for "The Swimmer"

The short story "The Swimmer" is about

Ned Merrill. He is at a pool party at the

Westerhazys' house when he gets a

sudden urge to swim home through

everyones pools to get to his house.

He named his string of pools the

"Lucinda River" after his wife. As he swims through Lucinda's River he meets me people and sees old friends. But however, Ned has been drinking alot and even as he swims he stops to get more to drink. While Ned is swimming talking with the people at their pools they tell him that they're so sorry about what happend with his family, but since he is druck he doesn't understand. When he finally gets back to his house the garage door is rusted over and the doors and windows are locked. He is was so druck that he thought his wife and kids were still with him, in their house. But the house was empty.

The End

By: John Cheever

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History on author and background

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Unfamiliar words and literary devices

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Revelry: A big party

Valorous: having bouldness or determination; courageous; valiant; brave.

What is third person

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