Lesson 8text analysis.docx

Lesson 8text analysis.docx

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Lesson8textanalysis

LessonEight“We’reOnlyHuman”

Warm-up（optional）

1.AccordingtoasurveyconductedbytheShanghaiAcademyofSocialSciencesin

2002,thedivorcerateinShanghaihasrisenfrom0.027percentinthelate1970sto0.486percentof2001.Morethan40percentofthedivorcedcouplessurveyedadmittedtheirspouseshadothersexualpartners,whichtheysaiddirectlycausedthedivorce.

Howdoyouinterprettheextramaritalaffairsfromtheperspectiveofmorality?

2.Theworldisfloodedwithpiratedgoodswhichrangefromelectricappliancetopersonalitems.Thepiratesgoattherisksofseverepenalty.Whatliesbehindtheirdrivefortheillegalactivitiesisasurprisingnumberofavidbuyerswhoarevirtuallyhonestandlaw-abidingpeople.Whatdoyouthinkofthepiratesandthebuyers?

Pre-readingquestions

1.Whatarethequalitiestheauthorsuggestsweshouldhavesoastoariseabovenature?

Explainthereasonsforhavingthemrespectively.

2.Whydoestheauthorcautionustobewareofthepleasureprinciple?

Whatisthedifferencebetweenpleasureandhappiness?

3.Whatarethebasicdesiresforagoodlifethatarementionedtobetherootofhappiness?

4.Whatisyourviewon“Mightisright”andthesurvivalofthefittest?

WillyoucommentontheemphasisofethicsandmoralityinourlifeandinChina’smodernizationdrive?

IntroductiontoBackgroundKnowledge

1.totheauthor

LauraSchlessinger（1947—）Dr.LauraC.SchlessingerwasborninBrooklyn,NewYorkin1947.ShehasaPh.D.inphysiologyfromColumbiaUniversityandapost-doctoralcertificationinmarriage,familyandchildcounselingfromtheUniversityofSouthCalifornia,whereupongraduationshebecameafacultymemberandtaughtforfiveyears.DrLauraSchlessingeristherecipientofmanynationalawardsandtheauthorofmanyNewYorkTimesbestsellers.thepresenttextisanexcerpttakenfromthebookCourageandConscience,withsomeadaptations.

Works:

ParenthoodbyProxy:

Don’tHaveThemifYouWon’tRaiseThem（2000）

TenStupidThingsMenDotoMessUpTheirLives（1994）

HowCouldYouDoThat?

!

TheAbdicationofCharacter,CourageandConscience（1996）

LauraSchlessinger’squotes:

Childrenareoursecondchancetohaveagreatparent-childrelationship.

ThepeopleandcircumstancesaroundmedonotmakemewhatIam;theyrevealwhoIam.

Don’tspendtimebeatingonawall,hopingtotransformitintoadoor.

2.tothetext

Thistextisabouttheproblemofmoralprinciples.Inthisessay,theauthor’sviewsareclearandsimple:

Humanbeingsaredifferentfromanimals;unlikeanimalswhosebehaviorsarepromptedbyinstinct,humansactinaccordancetotheirfreewill;therefore“weareonlyhuman”cannotbeusedasanexcuseforjustifyingourwrongdoings.Inthisarticle,shemainlyfocusonhowtobeatruehumanelevatedabovetheanimalkingdom.Inheropinion,weneedthreeC’s:

character,courage,andconscience.

Itschiefmeritisthequickwitdisplayedbybothparties,andthecharmoftheEnglishlanguageusedinthisverbalfencing.

3.TheBible

OldTestament

NewTestament

TheBible,sometimescalledtheHolyBible,canrefertooneoftwocloselyrelatedreligioustextscentraltoJudaismandChristianity—theHebreworChristiansacredScripturesrespectively.

ModerndayJudaismrecognizesasinglesetofcanonicalbooksknownastheTanakh,alsocalledHebrewBible,traditionallydividedintothreeparts:

theTorah（"teaching"or"law"）,theNevi'im（"prophets"）,andtheKetuvim（"writings"）.

TheBibleasusedbythemajorityofChristiansincludesboththeRabbinicHebrewScriptureoftheOldTestamentandtheNewTestament.ThecanonicalcompositionoftheOldTestamentissomewhatdisputedinChristianity.ProtestantsholdallofthebooksoftheHebrewBibletobecanonicalandincludetheminwhattheycalltheOldTestament.RomanCatholicsandEasternOrthodoxadditionallyconsiderthedeuterocanonicalbooks,agroupofJewishbooks,tobeacanonicalpartoftheirOldTestament.TheNewTestamentiscomprisedoftheGospels（"goodnews"）,theActsoftheApostles,theEpistles（letters）,andtheBookofRevelation.

Theterm"bible"issometimesusedtorefertoanycentraltextofareligion,oracomprehensiveguidebookonaparticularsubject.

http:

//www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/Bible/

4.Film–TheAfricanQueen

HumphreyBogart（1899—1957）------Charlie,sailor.AniconicAmericanactorwhoretainslegendarystatusdecadesafterhisdeath.Heappearedin75featuremotionpictures.In1999,theAmericanFilmInstitutenamedBogarttheGreatestMaleStarofAllTime.Bogarttypicallyplayedsmart,playful,courageous,tough,occasionallyrecklesscharacters,livinginacorruptworld,yetanchoredbyaninnermoralcode.

Casablanca

TheAfricanQueen（forwhichhewonanAcademyAwardforBestActor）

KatherineHepburn（1907—2003）------Rossie,themissionary.WithTheAfricanQueen（1951）,HepburnreceivedherfifthOscarnominationforthefilm.AniconicstarofAmericanfilmandstage,widelyrecognizedforhersharpwit,NewEnglandgentilityandfierceindependence.Ascreenlegend,HepburnholdstherecordforthemostOscarsforBestActress,ofwhichshewonfour.ShewasnominatedfortwelveBestActressAcademyAwards,therecordfornominationsuntil2003,whenMerylStreepearnedher13thnomination.In1999,theAmericanFilmInstituterankedHepburntheGreatestActressofAllTime.

TheAfricanQueen

AnAmericanmoviemadein1951withthewell-knownHollywoodmoviestarHumphrey|BogartplayingCharliethesolitarysailor,andanotherwell-knownmoviestarKatharineHepburnplayingRosie,themissionary.Thestorydescribeshowthetwoofthembattledtheelements,theGermans,andeachotherduringtheirtraveluptheCongoinWorldWarI

A1951filminwhichadevoutmissionaryandadrunkardsteamboatcaptainpilotaboatdownariverinGermanEastAfricaasWWIbegins.EnglishwomanRoseSayer（KatharineHepburn）andCanadianCharlieAllnut（HumphreyBogart）makeunlikelycompanions,buttheirquarrelingturnsintoromanceastheyworktowardtheirgoalofsinkingaGermanshipthatpatrolsthelakeintowhichtheriverfeeds.

ThefilmhasbeenselectedforpreservationintheUnitedStatesNationalFilmRegistry.

5.BachelorParty

Thebachelorpartyor"StagNight"hasbeenatraditionsincethetimeoftheRomans.Thenightbeforethewedding,thegroom’sbestfriendsandmalefamilymemberstakehimoutforonelastnightofdebaucheryandpleasure.

Therewasatimewhentraditionheldthatthegroom-to-beshouldbefêtedatablack-tiedinner-party,hostedbyhisfatherorbestman.Thisall-malegatheringstrictlyadheredtothecodesofgentlemanlybehavior,thehighlightoftheeveningbeingatoasttothehealthofthebride-to-be.

Bachelorpartytoast:

"Drink,mybuddies,drinkwithdiscerning,Wedlock'salanewherethereisnoturning;Neverwasowlmoreblindthanlover;Drinkandbemerry,lads;andthinkitover."

Cf:

bacheloretteparty

ThemeoftheText

Moralityprincipleofhumanbeings

Structureofthetext

exposition

Author’sperspective:

Humanbeingsdifferfromanimalsinthathumansactinaccordancetotheirfreewillwhichinturnmeanstheexerciseoftheirmoraljudgmentwhileanimals’behaviorarebasedoninstinct.

Coreelements:

character,courage,conscience

Focusofthetext:

howtobeatrueman

Part1（Paras.1~7）Clashingdefinitionsofhumanity

PartII（Paras.8~23）Threecoreelementsforatruehuman

PartIII（Paras.24~29）Pleasureprinciple

PartIV（Para.30）Furtherprobeintoconscience

TheRhetoricalDevicesUsedintheText

I.Metaphor

Metaphor:

ametaphor,likeasimile,makesacomparisonbetweentwounlikeelements,butunlikeasimile,thiscomparisonisimpliedratherthanstated.

The3C’sareCharacter,Courage,andConscience,withoutwhichwearemerelygiganticants（Humanbeingsarecomparedtogiganticants）instinctivelyfillingoutourbiologicallydetermineddestiny.（Para.4）

II.Euphemism

Euphemism:

thesubstitutionofmildorvagueorroundaboutexpressionforharshordirectone.

…withoneofentertainment-typewomenattheparty.（Para.9）

MoreExamples:

Americansincreasinglyseeaneconomicdividebetweenthehavesandhave-nots,accordingtoanewpollthatalsofindsamajorityofpeopledissatisfiedwiththecountry'sdirection.

TheSeniorCitizens'Secretariatistheprovincialgovernmentagencyresponsibleforcoordinatingtheplanninganddevelopmentofpolicies,programsandservicesforseniors.

Nobodydisputestheneedtoanswernature'smostbasiccall,butsomewonderwhoshouldfootthebillforanadequatesupplyofpublictoilets.

Detailedanalysisofthetext

Para.1

1.Nobodyisacknowledgedtohavefreewillorresponsibilityanymore.Everyoneistheproductofcausation.Therearenolongerindividuals,justvictimsingroups.

Paraphrase:

Peoplenolongeradmitthateverypersonhasafreewilltodecidetodoornottodo,andthereforeshouldberesponsiblefortheiractionsorbehavior.

Note:

Theauthorisclearlyopposedtothistheoryandisdeeplydisturbedbytheimplications.

acknowledgetosth承认某事e.g.acknowledgeittobeagreatsuccess

这里为被动语态，与tobesaidtodosth.;tobereportedtodosth一样用法

Para.2

1.It'swhencallersprotestthattheyare"onlyhuman."

Note:

Asapsychologicalcounselor,theauthoroftenreceivecallsfrompeoplewhocometoherforadvice."Callers"hererefertothosepeople.

2.Asifone’shumannesswereablueprintforinstinctive,reflexivereactionstosituations,liketherestoftheanimalkingdom.

Grammar:

asif从句表虚拟语气。

如果从句表示与现在事实相反，谓语动词用一般过去时。

e.g.

Youlookasofyoudidn’tcare.

Hetalksasifheknewwhereshewas.

P