unit5Straight-AIlliteracy.ppt

,Unit 5 Straight-A Illiteracy,赵瑞鹏,. Learning objectives Learn to write in a concise and clear way. Develop full consciousness of style, . Relevant information,The pleasure principle: Man is both biological animal and social being. In keeping with his biological endowment, man tends to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. This truism is known as the “pleasure principle”., Classroom discussion,1. Mr. Brights writing represents an example of bad style resulting from using abstract, big words. Do you suffer from the same disease? 2. What are the bad effects of Brights disease? 3. According to the author, the more time students stay at the university to receive education, the worse hell suffer from Brights disease. Do you agree? Why or why not? 4. The writer states firmly that the Straight-A illiterate is worse than an ordinary illiterate. Why?, Classroom discussion,5. What is “double negative”? Who are likely to make such mistakes? 6. The author gives examples of writing by ordinary illiterates and by Straight-A illiterates. Can you rewrite the sentence and explain why the original one is inadequate? 7The author deliberately uses quite a number of unintelligible words and expressions in place of clear and simple English. What effect is achieved through such sharp contrast? 8. Is the closing paragraph a typical concluding paragraph? Is it weak or strong?,. Some quotations on the significance of brevity & clarity in writing,1、 I write as I walk because I want to get somewhere, and I write as straight as I can because that is the best way to get there. - H.G. Wells (1866-1946） H.G. Wells (1866-1946) literary output vast and extremely varied， perhaps best remembered for his scientific romances, among the earliest products of the new genre of science fiction. (e.g. The Time Machine, The First Men in the Moon. A Modern Utopia ),2 I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter. Pascal (Provincial Letters (1657) Blaise Pascal (1623-62) French mathematician, physicist, and moralist, as gifted in science as in letters. literary fame resting on two works, Provincial Letters (1656-7) (Les Provinciales,3 “If Id had more time, Id have written a shorter book.” -Mark Twain 4 The more you say, the less people remember. The fewer the words, the greater the profit. - Fenelon,VI Objectives,By the end of this unit, the students are expected to be able to know the meaning and usage of the language in the text, identify the structures of the text, paraphrase some difficult sentences of the text, use the language learnt to discuss the issues related to the text, make comments on the authors views by writing a short passage.,VII. Pre-class Work, Dictionary Work: Look up the words on Page 59 in Students Book. Library Work Find out the meaning of “allegory”. And look for the information showing what the “pleasure principle” is.,Summing up the key ideas: Make your writing clean, clear and concise.,Writing in clear and concise English Tastes may change in language, but some basic principles of good writing have remained unchanged. Among them are principles of Accuracy, Brevity and Clarity, appropriately abbreviated into ABC. Of the three principles, the one that relates most directly to the goal of communication is Clarity. When you write, you need to let your readers know from the very beginning what you want to say. You need not attempt to dazzle them with multi-syllable words and long, involved sentences. Graceful phrasing certainly contributes to good writing, but you need to strive first for clarity. It is ill-mannered to make your readers rack their brains trying to understand you. Nothing will annoy readers more than having to waste their time plowing through a cluttered paragraph because you neglected to spend your time cleaning it up.,In the text, Orwell argues that we can improve our writing by getting rid of hackneyed metaphors, long-winded expressions and vague, high-sounding words. Be very careful, then, with over-used expressions such as the following: Hackneyed metaphors: as busy as a bee by leaps and bounds as clear as crystal face the music play with fire as cool as a cucumber like a needle in a haystack Clichs,last but not least lucky dog, no pain; no gain a piece of cake from the bottom of my heart from every walk of life the other side of the coin few and far between Bite off more than you can chew.,Big, long words endeavor (attempt, try) repercussions (results / effects) transmit (send) materialize ( happen, occur) commence (begin, start) blueprint (plan) terminate (end) assistance (help) expenditure (cost) necessitate (need, demand) indebtedness (thanks, gratitude),Circumlocutions a limited number (few) a sizable percentage of (many) be of the opinion that (think) Archaism prior to (before) as per (according to),Analysis of the writing pattern of this text,The basic method Degnan uses in this essay to accomplish his purpose is causal analysis, which is combined with definition and exemplification. There are two alternative ways to organize an essay developed by causal analysis, i.e. from the cause(s) to the effect(s), and from the effect(s) to the cause(s). Degnan followed the latter pattern. The effect is stated at the beginning of the essay, that is, the phenomenon of the so-called straight-A illiteracy, and the cuase is made clear near the end of it, i.e. the text-books and professional journals the straight-A illiterate is forced to read during his years of education.,The four paragraphs which constitute the essay are closely connected. What do you think Degnan does in the first paragraph? Is he justified in doing so? In what way is the second paragraph connected to the first one? In what way is the third paragraph to the second one?,In the last/ 4th paragraph, as has been said before, the cause of this intellectual disease is made clear. It begins with the sentence “As I have suggested, the major cause of such illiteracty is the stuff the textbooks and professional journals the straight-A illiterate is forced to read during his years of higher education.” Where in the preceding text has the author made a suggestion of this cause?,Using the right word,Words are many and it is not always easy choosing the right one. First, words that look similar may have different meanings. For example: human: of, or relating to man (人的), as in human being; human nature; human rights humane: be characterized by kindness, mercy, or compassion （仁慈的）, as in a humane judge/office; a humane killer (Very different from a human killer!),Using the right word,Secondly, words that have the same or similar meaning may carry different associations. For example, the following five words are similar in meaning but different in connotation. happiness: joy: delight: rapture: ecstasy:,Thirdly, words that have the same meaning may be used in different situations and different styles. For example, in each of the following sets, words of the same notion are used at different levels of formality. poor poverty-stricken broke,In addition, there are cultural differences in word choice. We need to think about the various aspects of a word when deciding which to choose. Choosing the right word is, therefore, a process of clarifying and defining our thoughts. Unless we have found the exact words to verbalize our own thoughts, we can never be very sure of what our thoughts are. Without words, our thoughts can not be defined or stated in a clear and precise manner.,An allegory is a form of imaginative literature constructed in such a way that their readers are encouraged to look for meanings hidden beneath the literal surface of the fiction. (Encyclopedia Britannica) An allegory is a narrative in which the characters, events, and setting represent deeper truths or generalizations than those suggested by the surface story. (Macmillan Family Encyclopedia) An allegory is a broad term covering any piece of writing or image which has meanings additional to the literal sense (Everymans Encyclopedia), Allegory,Pleasure principle,Man is both a biological animal and social being. In keeping with his biological endowment, man tends to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. This truism is known as “pleasure principle”. -Colliers Encyclopedia,Secrets of Straight-A students,1.Study anywhere-Or everywhere. Study at work or at play. However, there is a need for consistency. Maintain the same time slot every day for studying. 2.Get Organized-A backpack or planner keeps essential supplies together and cuts down on time-wasting searches for books, pencils, assignments, etc. 3.Learn how to read-The secret of good reading is to be an active reader-one who continually asks questions that lead to a full understanding of the authors message. 4.Schedule your time-Even the best students procrastinate sometimes. But when that happens, they face up to it. 5.Take a good notes-And use them. Reading the text book is important ,but the teacher is going to test you on what he or she emphasized. Thats what you find in your notes,Abstract of the article,The title of the essay may seem strange and even paradoxical to you. (题目有点奇怪，甚至自相矛盾） This special group of illiterate people includes straight-A students in college, Ph.D candidates, and even certain highly successful professors. （特殊的文盲群体，不乏学识渊博之人。如：全优生，博士生，或学有所成的教授） They are illiterate not in the ordinary sense of the word, but in the sense that they can not say or write in plain English. （被称为文盲的原因：丧失了用简单语言表达自己的能力） The reason, as the author argues, is to be found in the textbooks these straight-A students are forced to read through years of higher education, which are filled with professional jargons and gibberish writing. (根源：全优学生在接受教育时被迫使用的教材；教材充斥着专业术语和令人费解的措词） The essay sets out to expose and condemn this phenomenon, with the aim of increasing the publics awareness of the seriousness of the problem.（揭露批判存在的现象，旨在引起大众的关注）,Paragraph 1: 1. plight: a sad or unfortunate situation. Eg. The plight of the disabled children moved her to tears. 2. as often as not: quite frequently; at least half the time. Eg. As often as not, he would go to the old womans home and help her clean up the place.,Language Learning,Paragraph 2: 3. articulate: able to express thoughts and feelings clearly and effectively. Eg. She is among the few articulate children in the nursery. 4. coveted(adj.): eagerly wished for or desired. Eg. She won the coveted first prize at the speech contest, much to our surprise.,5. decode: change a coded message into intelligible language. Eg. Straight-A illiterates writings are like coded messages difficult to decode. Paragraph 3: 6. affliction:1) trouble 2) something that causes pain or suffering. Eg. A feeling of isolation is his chief affliction.,7. inexorably: inescapably. Eg. New technology marches on inexorably. Paragraph 4: 8. profundity: profoundness; great depth of knowledge or thought. Eg. We didnt realize that the modest and unassuming man who talked to us a while ago was a scholar of great profundity.,9. monstrous: frightening, shocking. Eg. How could he ever have told such a monstrous lie! Supplementary word study exile: 流放 eg. - In some periods of history, a government could punish a citizen by exiling him. (forcing him to leave the homeland) - self-exiled to Paris/exiled themselves to Paris banish: forcible removal eg. The judge ordered the suspect banished from the courtroom. 带下去/押下去 - TV commercials that promise their products can banish washday drudgery.,Supplementary word study,deport: official sending away of someone who is not a citizen 驱逐出境 When a government deports a foreigner, he is sent out of the country because he has committed a crime or has no official permission to stay. expatriate: it refers to the stripping of citizenship from sb. either by his own choice or by the nations choice expatriate oneself 移居国外，放弃原国籍 extradite: 引渡 eject: a. to push, send sth. out, usu. with force eg. The machine ejected a handful of cigarettes. b. to eject sb. from a place, to force him to leave eg. We reserve the right to eject away objectionable person.,Supplementary word study,inaccessible: a. difficult/impossible to reach eg. the most inaccessible part of the jungle b. unable to understand/appreciate eg. The music of Bartok is considered inaccessible by many people. cursory: eg. a cursory glance/examination; that is, a brief one, not pay attention to details bear out: to support (sb. or the truth of what sb. says) eg. - The prisoners story was vorne out by his wife. - If I tell the judge that I wasnt there, will you bear me out?,Supplementary word study,bear up: a. remain strong/brave eg. Alice bore up well under the news of her husbands death. b. to help sb. to continue living in a time of trouble eg. How could I have lived through Mothers illness without you to bear me up. stagnant: business/society/economy stagnant 社会/经济/生意惨淡 secluded: quiet, private, undisturbed - secluded beaches/corner of the garden 幽静的 motionless: not moving at all - to sit motionless; queues of motionless cars come through: - A feeling of sadness comes through his music. (can be seen or felt) -All my family came through the war. (survive the danger),Supplementary word study,sustain: - They do not have enough money to sustain a strike. - They had nothing to sustain them all day except two cups of coffee. - It is his belief in God that sustains him. catch on: . (not formal) to become popular - I dont think this strange new fashion will catch on. - Would you mind repeating that? I didnt quite catch on. (understand what one said) catch out: (not formal) The examiners will try to catch you out, so have all your answers prepared. (to discover one unable to answer) 难倒你 -Im sure the prisoner is not telling the truth; talk to him and see if you can catch him out. (找他的破绽),1、 fuss and bother about sth.: to make a fuss of sb.: to pay a lot of attention to sb. They like to be flattered and made a fuss of. 喜欢受人呵护 to fuss over sb./sth.: to pay too much attention or worry about them too much e.g. - She was inclined to fuss over her health. - A fussy person is one who makes a lot of ado about unimportant things.,Language points,2. overpopulate: to have too large a population; (text)their number is very large. 3. plight: difficult situation, full of problems eg. - the plight of the handicapped - The children were in a sorry plight; tired, lost, and hungry. 4. as often as not: in roughly half the instances 多半/往往 at least half the time; frequently 5. interrogate: question sb. closely, thoroughly, formally 6. pry: try to find out about sb. else private affairs eg. Im not trying to pry. - Dont go prying into my affairs.,7. probe: ask questions; make inquiries into; try to find out eg. to probe for information - to probe the mysteries of the universe 8. exogenous: growing or originating from outside 9. co linearity: in lines 10. be contingent upon: depend upon/be decided by 11. co efficient: (math) 系数 eg. 4x 12. decode: to decode a telegram/a message, to change it into ordinary language 13. fellowship: money given to postgraduate students to allow them to continue their studies at an advanced level,14. gibberish: unintelligible or meaningless speech, nonsense. ie. containing many obscure, pretentious, or technical words; meaningless or unint