The Night of Oranges Flavius Stan Flavius Stan was seventeen years old when this piece was published on Christmas Eve day, 1995, in the New York Times The time and place he writes about, however, is Christmas Eve in the city of Timisoara in the Romania of 1989, when the country was emerging from Communist rule It had been an incredible December On December 16, government forces opened fire on antigovernment demonstrators in Timisoara, killing hundreds The president, Nicolai Ceausescu, immediately declared a state of emergency, but that did not stop antigovernment protests in other cities Finally, on December 22, army units also rebelled, the President was overthrown, and civil war raged The new government quickly won out, and Ceausescu was tried and found guilty of genocide He was executed on December 25 In a time in which holidays have often become over-commercialized and stripped of genuine feeling, this story provides a touching reminder that holidays should not just be about greed (eating too much, drinking too much, etc.) It teaches us about sacrifice, love for one’s family, and being grateful for what you have Pre-reading questions From the title and the background to the story above, what you think the story could be about? =>I think a story could be about sacrifice, love for family and being grateful for what you have, those are the most precious things in life If you had to think of a holiday gift for someone, what might be your options? =>For the people I love the most, the gift that comes from the heart is the most precious It could be a scarf for my mother to keep warm in the winter, a pair of boots for my father to work in the garden, a favorite book of my brother What examples can you think of that would demonstrate sacrifice, love for one’s family, and being grateful for what you have? =>Demonstrate by action Small actions sometimes warm the heart like a morning hug, good night wishes, making delicious food, taking care of them when they are sick, waiting for them to come home at work It is Christmas Eve in 1989 in Timisoara and the ice is still dirty from the boots of the Romanian revolution The dictator Nicolas Ceausescu had been deposed a few days before, and on Christmas Day he would be executed by firing squad I am in the center of the city with my friends, empty now of the crowds that prayed outside the cathedral during the worst of the fighting My friends and I still hear shots here and there Our cold hands are gray like the sky above us, and we want to see a movie There is a rumor that there will be oranges for sale tonight Hundreds of people are already waiting in line We were used to such lines under the former Communist Government - lines for bread, lines for meat, lines for everything Families would wait much of the day for rationed items As children, we would take turns for an hour or more, holding our family’s place in line But this line is different There are children in Romania who not know what an orange looks like It is a special treat Having the chance to eat a single orange will keep a child happy for a week It will also make him a hero in the eyes of his friends For the first time, someone is selling oranges by the kilo 4 Suddenly I want to something important: I want to give my brother a big surprise He is only years old, and I want him to celebrate Christmas with lots of oranges at the table I also want my parents to be proud of me So I call home and tell my parents that I am going to be late I forget about going to the movie, leave my friends and join the line People are not silent, upset, frustrated, as they were before the revolution; they are talking to one another about life, politics and the new situation in the country The oranges are sold out of the back doorway of a food shop The clerk has gone from anonymity to unexpected importance As he handles the oranges, he acts like a movie star in front of his fans He moves his arms in an exaggerated manner as he tells the other workers where to go and what to All I can is stare at the stack of cardboard boxes, piled higher than me I have never seen so many oranges in my life Finally, it is my turn It is o’clock, and I have been waiting for six hours It does not seem like a long time because my mind has been flying from the oranges in front of me to my brother and then back to the oranges I hand over the money I was going to spend on the movie and watch each orange being thrown into my bag I try to count them, but I lose their number I am drunk with the idea of oranges I put the bag inside my coat as if I want to absorb their warmth They are not heavy at all, and I feel that is going to be the best Christmas of my life I begin thinking of how I am going to present my gift I get home and my father opens the door He is amazed when he sees the oranges, and we decide to hide them until dinner At dessert that night, I gave my brother the present Everyone is silent They can’t believe it My brother does not touch them He is afraid even to look at them Maybe they are not real Maybe they are an illusion, like everything else these days We have to tell him he can eat them before he has the courage to touch one of the oranges I stare at my brother eating the oranges They are my oranges My parents are proud of me Source: Penfield, E (1999) The Night of Oranges Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition (6th ed.) pp 54-56 Comprehension questions What is the main theme of the article? =>The Night of Oranges Why are hundreds of people already waiting in line? => Because they want to buy oranges for Christmas Eve Why is it important for the main character to buy oranges for his brother? => Because he wants to surprise his brother and make his parents proud of him Thinking questions What is something important you could for your family? =>The important things I could for my family is to grow up well, healthy and happy, I will succeed so that my family is proud of me What is something worth waiting for and why? =>When I was a kid, I was happy to wait for my parents to come home from work and have dinner together, and still today I will wait for somethings that make me happy The moral of a story is the lesson the story teaches us about how we should behave, or what happens if we behave badly What is the moral of this story? =>The moral of a story is the lesson about family love Family love is the strongest and most sacred thing It teaches us about sacrifice, love for one’s family, and being grateful for what you have ... before he has the courage to touch one of the oranges I stare at my brother eating the oranges They are my oranges My parents are proud of me Source: Penfield, E (19 99) The Night of Oranges Short... is the main theme of the article? = >The Night of Oranges Why are hundreds of people already waiting in line? => Because they want to buy oranges for Christmas Eve Why is it important for the. .. I am in the center of the city with my friends, empty now of the crowds that prayed outside the cathedral during the worst of the fighting My friends and I still hear shots here and there Our