text appreciation i.text analysis 1. themetheme 2. text structuretext structure 3. general...

Text Text AppreciatioAppreciationn

I. Text analysis

1. Theme

2. Text structure

3. General analysis

4. Further questions on appreciation

II. Writing devices1. Parallelism2. Repetition

III. Sentence paraphrase

Lesson 13- In My Day

I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis

It is the responsibility of both parents and children to bridge the generation gap. On the one hand, young people should have more interest and respect of what their parents stand for. On the other hand, old people should show understanding to young people’s great interest in the future.

Theme of the story

The end of Theme.

Lesson 13—In My Day

Part 1 (paras.1— ) about:Part 2 (paras. ) about:

Part 3 (paras. ) about:


Structure of the text

45

46-53

54-55

Understanding of a mother from a son’s

point of view

Understanding of children from a father’s point of view

Meeting of the two views

The end of Structure.


I.I. Text AnalysisText AnalysisWhat was the character of the mother when she was young?

I tell people exactly what’s on my mind, …

life was combat, and victory was not to

the lazy, the timed, the drugstore cowboy, …

Scan the text and list out the related information.

To be continued on the next page.

straight- forward

strong-willed She was a formidable woman, determined to speak her mind, determined to have her way, …

energetic

never defeated by

life

She had hurled herself at life with an energy that made her seem always on the run.



The mother was always on the run and working hard because she believed that hard working is the necessary part of one’s life. Life was a struggle, a fight, a battle for survival, for salvation, and for the glory of God. Only by hard working can one be successful in the end. Those who were lazy, timid, loitering and afraid to tell others the true feelings were losers of the life.



Question: What values do you think were reflected in the mother’s way of life when she was young?

I.I. Text AnalysisText AnalysisHow did the author react to his mother’s

senility from a son’s point of view? Scan the text and list out the related information.

at the beginning

later

I could not accept the inevitable.

My impulse was to argue her back to reality.

I soon stopped trying to argue her back to what I considered the real world.

(I) tried to travel along with her on those fantastic journeys into the past.




At the beginning, he tried to argue his mother back to reality from his point of view because he believed that his mother being a normal person would be better for her and her family. But later when he began to look at it from his mother’s point of view, he understood his mother was much happier when she could travel back to her childhood when she was loved and needed. So he would like to travel along with her into her past and understood his mother more.



Question: What made the author change his reaction to his mother’s senility?

I.I. Text AnalysisText AnalysisHow did the author understand the relationship with his children from a father’s point of view?

Scan the text and list out the related information.

in the past

now

I had developed the habit of lecturing them on the harshness of life in my day.

I tried to break the habit, but must have failed.

Between us there was a dispute about time.




It is one of the reasons why there is generation gap between parents and children. The parents always like to talk about their past to the children because that was once their “future” they dreamed of and struggled for. But for the children, they are indifferent to the parents’ “future” because it is past for them. They are now dreaming for their future. This is the dispute of time.

The end of General Analysis.


Question: What does the author mean by “a dispute about time”? (53)

What happened to the author’s mother at the age of 80? What became of her after her “last” fall?

What exactly is the problem with his mother?

What kind of a woman was the author’s mother when she was young?

Was she happy when she was young? Is she happy now? What are her main complaints?


Further questions on appreciation




Does the author feel that he has been a good son?

What do you think he is trying to say when he hopes that he can step into his mother’s time machine?

How does the author understand the generation gap? What’s his advice to the younger generation?


Further questions on appreciation

The end of Further Questions.

II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices

Parallelism and Repetition

Parallel structure means using the same pattern of words to show that two or more ideas have the same level of importance. This can happen at the word, phrase, or clause level.

And so she was, a formidable woman, determined to speak her mind, determined to have her way, determined to bend those who opposed her. (14)

repetition


Example

from the text



Parallelism and Repetition

She ran after chickens, … She ran when she made the beds, ran when

she set the table. … she ran. (15)

Repetition is a major rhetorical strategy for producing emphasis, clarity, amplification, or emotional effect.

parallelism


Parallelism

more examples

Repetition

more examples



Parallelism: more examples

1. Words and phrases

• Not Parallel: The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and his motivation was low.

• Parallel: The teacher said that he was a poor student because he waited until the last minute to study for the exam, completed his lab problems in a careless manner, and lacked motivation.


Don’t mix forms.



Parallelism: more examples2. clauses

• Not Parallel: The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that questions would be asked by prospective buyers (passive).

• Parallel: The salesman expected that he would present his product at the meeting, that there would be time for him to show his slide presentation, and that prospective buyers would ask him questions.



A parallel structure

that begins with

clauses must keep

on with clauses.

Changing to another

pattern or changing

the voice of the verb

(from active to passive or vice versa) will break

the parallelism.


Parallelism: more examples

3. Lists after a colon

• Not Parallel: The dictionary can be used for these purposes: to find word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and looking up irregular verbs.

• Parallel: The dictionary can be used for these purposes: to find word meanings, pronunciations, correct spellings, and irregular verbs.

Be sure to keep all the elements in a list in the same

form.




Repetition: more examples

• Would you please please please please please please please stop

talking.

(Ernest Hemingway, Hills Like Whites Elephants)• It’s like a windfall, like a godsend, like an unexpected piece of luck.

(Joseph Conrad, Youth)




Repetition: more examples

There are words like FreedomSweet and wonderful to say.On my heartstrings freedom singsAll day everyday.

There are words like libertyThat almost make me cry.If you had known what I knowYou would know why.

James Langston Hughes, Words Like Freedom


The end of Writing Devices.

III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 1Paraphrase 1

Through all this she lay in bed but moved across time, traveling

among the dead decades with a speed and ease beyond the gift of

physical science. (1)

… traveling among the decades that had gone quickly, so quickly and easily that it defied science.

the present participle phrase

as adverbial of attending circumstances

More examples

go to 2

ability, talent


III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase

1. He entered college at the age of

eighteen, graduating four years

later as head of his class.

2. Teams of sweepers with twig

brooms move along in unison,

sweeping the water away.

back to 1



She gazed at this improbably overgrown figure out of an inconceivable future and promptly dismissed it. (4)

She could not conceive of the future when here little Russell would be that tall and big. Therefore she immediately put that thought out of her mind.

go to 3

to grow beyond normal size

impossible to comprehend or

grasp fully to refuse to accept that something might be true



It showed in that angry challenging thrust of the chin when she issued an opinion, and a great one she had always been for issuing opinions. (10)

When she expressed an opinion, her chin would come forward which made her look angry and defiant. She liked to give her opinion and was never afraid of speaking her mind.

a quick hard push

Inversion, showing emphasis

go to 4


III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 4Paraphrase 4Life was combat, and victory was not to the lazy, the timid, the

drugstore cowboy, the mush-mouth afraid to tell people exactly what was on his mind. (15)

one who wears cowboy’s clothes but has had no experience as a cowboy; a loafer who loiters on street or in drugstores

excessively sentimental person

go to 5



For ten years or more the ferocity with which she had once attacked life had been turning to a rage against the weakness, the boredom, and the absence of love that too much age had brought her. (38)

a very strong feeling of anger

She once attacked life with fierceness, but now it was gone. In its place was an uncontrollable anger. she was angry about her declining health, her boredom and her loneliness.

relative clause (preposition +relative pronoun) modifying

“ferocity”

go to 6



I… had written her with some banal advice to look for the silver lining, to count her blessings instead of burdening others with her miseries. (39)

to think about the good things that have happened to her

I had written to my mother, advising her to think about the pleasant and good times and about how lucky and cheerful she had once been. I told her not to complain and have other people worry about her.

go to 7

commonplace, uninteresting

a reason for thinking that the situation is not that bad



This one was written out of a childish faith in the eternal strength of

parents, a naive belief that age and wear would be overcome by an effort

of will, that all she needed was a good pep talk to recharge a flagging

spirit. (39)

damage done by continuous use for a long time

Parents would be strong and be able to take care of children forever.

two appositive clauses

go to 8

to put the new energy into the weaker spirit



A world had lived and died, and though it was part of my blood and bone I knew little more about it than I knew of the world of the pharaohs. (45)

Though I was related to them, I knew very little about them. They lived in a world that was past and gone. They were as remote to me as the ancient Egyptian kings.

comparison: no more… than

go to 9

More examples



III.III. Sentence Sentence ParaphraseParaphrase

back to 8

• I know no more Spanish than I

know Greek.

我对西班牙语和希腊语同样不懂。

• The officials could see no more

than the Emperor.

这些官员们与国王一样什么也没看到。



The orbits of her mind rarely touched present interrogators for more than a moment. (45)

Metaphor:

her way of thinking

She could seldom respond to the questions put to her today because her mind was moving in a different way.

go to 10



If a parent does lift the curtain a bit, it is often only to stun the young with some exemplary tale of how much harder life was in the old days. (46)

a moral lesson

If a parent does tell his children a little bit about the past, he/she will usually just say how much harder life was in the old days.

Metaphor: lift the curtain of life and let you see a story

serving as a model

go to 11



It irritated me that their childhood should be, as I thought, so easy when my own had been, as I thought, so hard. (47)

used for describing a fact or event that someone has a particular feeling or opinion about ( 表达惊异或不以为然等情绪 )

go to 12

More examples



III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase

1. How sad that she should have no one to comfort her.

2. It’s odd you should mention Ben—I was just thinking about

him.

3. It seems so unfair that this should happen to me.


back to 11


At dinner… a son offended me with an inadequate report card, …he gazed at me with an expression of unutterable resignation and said, … (52)

beyond description

acceptance of an unpleasant situation without complaining

go to 13

not good enough; not up to standard



I was angry with him for that, but angrier with myself for having become one of those ancient bores whose highly selective memories of the past become transparently dishonest even to small children. (53)

old people who bore the young by endlessly teaching them moral lessons

Old people must have made mistakes in their time. But in order to set a good example for their children, they have to select what they consider would be suitable from their memories.

go to 14



When she was young, with life ahead of her, I had been her future and resented it. Instinctively, I wanted to break free, and cease being a creature defined by her time. (54)

When my mother was young, I was her future. But I didn’t like it. I wanted to be free and independent. I wanted to live my own life and did not want to live my life by my mother’s standards any longer.

go to 15



These hopeless end-of-the–line visits with my mother made me wish I had not thrown off my own past so carelessly. (55)

visits paid to someone during the last stage of their life

Those last visits made me wish I had valued my past more, and had paid more attention to the world she represented.

subjunctive mood


The end of sentence paraphrase.

I.I. Word StudyWord StudyWord list:

1. bend

2. bore

3. burden

4. dismiss

5. fierce

6. flag

7. formidable

8. hover

9. preside

10. radiant

11. stir

12. transparent

13. vein

14. wear

Lesson 13 - In My Day

I.I. Word StudyWord Study1. bend

v. a. to lean forwards and downwardsb. to become curvedc. to apply the mind closely

Examples:She bent forwards and whispered in my ear.The stream bends to the west.He was bent on making them happy.

Expressions: bend sb.’s earbend your mind/thoughts to sth.bend beforebe bent on

Translation

1. 谈论不休

2. 专注于

3. 屈服于

4. 一心想做某事


I.I. Word StudyWord Study2. bore

n. a. sb. who talks too much about things that are not very interesting

b. a boring or annoying activity or situation

v. a. to make sb. feel impatient b. to make a deep hole in sth. hardExamples:

I was angry with him for that, … for having

become one of those ancient bores… (53)

I find cleaning a real bore.

I won’t bore you with all the details.

The insects bore through the furniture.


I.I. Word StudyWord Study

v. to create a problem or serious

responsibility for sb.

Examples:

I don’t want to burden you with my troubles.

He was increasingly burdened by ill health.

3. burden


I.I. Word StudyWord Study4. dismiss

v. a. to force sb. to leave their job b. to refuse to accept that sth. might be true or

important c. to officially tell people they can leave a place d. to put out of court without further hearing

Select the proper meaning of “dismiss” in each sentence.

He was dismissed from his job for misconduct.

She gazed at… and promptly dismissed it. (4)

The court dismissed his appeal.

The class is dismissed.

a

b

d

c



5. fierce

a. a. involving very strong feelings such as determination, anger or hate

b. (of weather) strong and severe c. very difficult or unpleasant

Examples:

I thought of a doll with huge, fierce eyes. (10)

The fierce thunders roar me their music.

It is a fierce examination process.

synonyms


brutal, cruel, ferocious

gentle, quiet

n. fierceness

ad. fiercely

n. ferocity

antonyms

word formation


v. a. to become tired or weak, or begin to lack enthusiasm

b. to mark sth. so that you will be able to

find it againflagging: a. becoming weaker, more tired, or

less enthusiastic

Examples: After a long day, his energy flagged. I flagged any words I didn't know. … all she needed was a good pep talk to

recharge a flagging spirit. (39)

6. flag



a. very impressive in size, power, or skill and therefore deserving respect and often difficult to deal withExamples:

Meeting the energy demands of a big city is a

formidable task.

The company has built up a formidable

reputation for quality.

He is a formidable opponent.

7. formidableword formation


ad, formidably

n. formidableness


v. a. to remain floating, suspended, or fluttering

in the air

b. to remain or linger in or near a place

c. to be in a state that may change at any time

Examples:

Gulls are hovering over the waves.

The waiter was hovering by their table.

His girlfriend is hovering between life and death.

8. hoversynonyms


float, hesitate


9. preside

v. to be in charge of an official meeting or other event

Examples:

These committees are usually presided over

by a senior judge.

The priest is often invited to preside at the

reception.

word formation


n. presidency

n. president

I.I. Word StudyWord Study10. radiant

a. a. sb. who is radiant looks extremely happy

b. very bright

Examples:

One day when I arrived at her bedside she

was radiant. (41)

The sea was a radiant blue.

word formation


n. radiance

v. radiate

n. radiation

I.I. Word StudyWord Study11. stir

v. a. to move food around in a dish using a spoon or other objects

b. to make sb. feel upset, or enthusiastic

c. to move or be moved slightly by windExamples:

Please stir the soup before tasting it.The murder has stirred (up) a lot of ill feeling in the community.… when age finally stirs their curiosity… (46)The white curtain stirred gently in the summer breeze.


I.I. Word StudyWord Study12. transparent

a. a. clear or thin enough for you to see things through

b. easily seen through or detected; obviousc. not trying to keep anything secret

Examples:

Glass is a transparent material.

It is a transparent lie.

Citizens are asking for a more transparent

democratic government.

word formation


n. transparency

ad. transparently


n. a. one of the tubes in your body that carry blood to your heart

b. a layer of a metal or other substance inside the earth

c. a particular mood, style or substanced. a supply or amount of a particular thing

13. vein

a rich vein of silver

There was a vein of humor in his remarks.

She wrote back in an unusually cheery vein… (40)

His second novel is in very much the same vein as the first.

b

d

c

c


Select the proper meaning of “vein” in each sentence.


14. wearn. a. damage or changes that affect sth.

when it has been used a lotb. fatigue, exhaustion c. clothes that are suitable for a

particular activity or group of peopleExamples:

There was heavy wear on all four wheels.

… that age and wear could be overcome by an effort of will, … (39)

I didn't bring any evening wear.

Lesson 13-In My Day

The end of Word Study.

List:

1. blood and bone

2. mend one’s ways

3. on one’s mind

4. on the run

5. pep talk

6. silver lining

7. way out

II.II. Phrases and Phrases and ExpressionsExpressions


your own flesh and blood

Examples:

I couldn't see my blood and bone (flesh and

blood) insulted in this way.

1. blood and bone


“blood” phrases

“bone” phrases

Lesson 13-In My Day



blood

bad blood

be after sb.’s blood

Blood is thicker than water.

have sb’s blood on your hands

make your blood boil

make your blood run cold

new/fresh blood

怨恨

恨透了某人

血浓于水

导致某人死亡

怒火中烧

令人毛骨悚然

新增成员

Lesson 13-In My Day



bone

a bag of bones

chilled/frozen to the bone

close to the bone

feel/know sth. in your bones

have a bone to pick with sb.

骨瘦如柴的人

寒冷刺骨

露骨的

极为确信某事

对某人生气，抱怨

Lesson 13-In My Day

to improve one’s behavior after you have been behaving badly for a long time

Examples: … I suppose, that she was mending her ways. (40)

mend fences: to try to become friends again with sb. you have argued with

The object of the meeting was primarily to mend fences.

2. mend one’s ways


Chinese

1. 改正不良行为

2. 消释前嫌，

重归于好

Lesson 13-In My Day

to keep thinking about and worrying about sth.

Examples:

You seem quiet today. Do you have anything

on your mind?

Work is very much on her mind at the

moment.

3. on one’s mind

“mind” phrases


Lesson 13-In My Day



mind

be in (of) two minds about sth.

bear in mind

get sth./sb. out of one’s mind

have sth./sb. in mind

keep your mind on

out of sight, out of mind

speak your mind

Great minds think alike.

拿不定主意

记住

把某事 / 某人置于脑后

心中考虑到某事 / 某人

专心于

眼不见，心不烦

直言不讳

英雄所见略同

Lesson 13-In My Day

a. while you are busy or hurryingb. trying to hide or escape from

sb., especially the police

c. in a weak position in an argument or

competition

Examples:I had to eat lunch on the run today.A dangerous criminal is on the run in the bay area of the city.Labor has the Conservatives on the run.

4. on the run


“run” phrases

Lesson 13-In My Day



run

a run of good/bad luck

a run on sth.

break into a run

give sb. a good run for their money

have a (good) run for your money

in the long/short run

一连串的好运 / 倒霉事

抢购

开始跑

让对手竭尽全力才获胜

充分得到的应得的报偿

从长远 / 短期来看

Lesson 13-In My Day

a talk during which sb. encourages you to do sth. better or to work harderExamples:

We got a pep talk from our coach.

pep up: to make sb. or sth. more active and lively

A short break would pep you up. We need to look at ways of pepping up the

economy.

5. pep talk


Lesson 13-In My Day


6. silver lining

a hopeful or comforting prospect in the midst of difficulty

Examples:

Every cloud has a silver lining.

Three years earlier I had… and… had

written her with some banal advice to

look

for the silver lining… (39)

Chinese

Lesson 13-In My Day

一线光明，一线希望

黑暗中总有一线光明

a. far from other places or buildingn. a way of dealing with a problem

Examples:

Our farm is way out beyond the town.

There must be a way out of this mess.

7. way out


Lesson 13-In My Day

The end of Phrases and Expressions.

III.III. Word BuildingWord BuildingList:

1. Prefix—over

2. Prefix—un/in

3. Suffix—able

Lesson 13-In My Day

III.III. Word BuildingWord Buildingovergrown (4)overgrown (4)

prefix

Prefix—over

a. too much: used with verbs, nouns or adjectives

b. more than: used with some nounsc. on or above: used with some nounsd. on top of: used with some nouns

Examples: to overheat, an overreaction, overconfidence over-sixties overland, overhead

Lesson 13-In My Day

more examples:

unspeakable

unthinkable

unreadable

unavoidable

prefix—unsuffix—able

III.III. Word BuildingWord Buildingunutterable (52)unutterable (52) inconceivable (4)inconceivable (4)

prefix—inSuffix—able

more examples:

invisible

inadvisable

incredible

incurable

Lesson 13-In My Day

The end of Word Building.

IV.IV. GrammarGrammar1.1. preposition + which/whom preposition + which/whom

The type of relative clause in which the relative pronoun “which” and “whom” is preceded by a preposition is chiefly used in formal, especially technical or legal writing.In informal, especially spoken English, this structure should be avoided, and the relative pronoun is often omitted.Examples:

It was an awkward question with which to be awakened. (formal)

There’s some limit nobody should go beyond. (informal)


Lesson 13-In My Day

Just as proudly, they are growing in their understanding of themselves, others, and the world in which they live.

“which” as object of “in”

preposition + which/whompreposition + which/whom

IV.IV. GrammarGrammar


Just as proudly, they are growing in their understanding of themselves, others, and the world which they live in.

“in” can be put at the end of the sentence.

Lesson 13-In My Day

… she had grown to realize that people of other races were not equal to her but were people who could be her friends and from whom she could learn.

preposition + which/whom preposition + which/whom



“whom” as object of “from”

More examples

Lesson 13-In My Day

Considering the whole span of earthly time, the opposite effect, in which life actually modifies its surroundings, has been relatively slight.

One student with whom I had worked went on to become an English teacher.

Dell still specialized in direct marketing of stripped-down IBM PCs to which he added custom features.

more examples:more examples:



Lesson 13-In My Day

Noun clauses introduced by wh-words are often used after prepositions. Such clauses are common in both informal and formal English.

Examples: It was time to come to grips with the magnitude

of what he had created. All students should be aware of how they react

to new knowledge and new ways of learning, … We have no definite information yet as to which

route he will take.

2.2. preposition+ wh-word preposition+ wh-word


The end of Grammar.

Lesson 13-In My Day

text appreciation i.text analysis 1. themetheme 2. text structuretext structure 3. general...

Documents

text analysisscan

text analysisat

text analysis4546

text structure3

harshness of life

ones life

mothers way of life

text appreciationtext