Unit15 Text1 Clothes Make the Man.doc

Clothes Make the ManUneasy Anne Hollander1. What kind of clothes do you like to wear? Is it important what a person wears, especially in public?2. What role do you think mens clothes play in social communication? (Abridged)1 The last decade has made a large number of men more uneasy about what to wear than they ever have believed possible. The idea that one might agonize over whether to grow sideburns or wear trousers of a radically different shape had never occurred to a whole generation. Before the mid60s whether to wear a tie was the most dramatic sartorial problem: everything else was a subtle matter of surface variation. Women have been so accustomed to dealing with extreme fashion for so long that they automatically brace themselves for whatever is coming next, including their own willingness to resist or conform and all the problem masculine response. Men in modern times have only lately felt any pressure to pay that kind of attention. All the delicate shade of significance expressed by the small range of possible alternatives used to be absorbing enough: Double-or single-breasted cut? Sports jacket and slacks or a suit? Shoes with plain or wing tip4? The choices men had had to make never looked very momentous to a feminine eye accustomed to a huge range of personally acceptable possibilities, but they always had an absolute and enormous meaning in the world of men, an identifying stamp usually incomprehensible to female judgment5. A hat with a tiny bit of nearly invisible feather was separated as by an ocean from a hat with none, and white-on-white shirts6, almost imperceptibly complex in weave, were totally shunned by those men who favored white oxford-cloth shirts. Women might remain mystified by the ferocity with which men felt and supported these tiny differences, and perhaps they might pity such narrow sartorial vision attaching so much importance to haft an inch of padding in the shoulders or an inch of trouser cuff.2 But men knew how lucky they were. It was never very hard to dress the part of oneself. Even imaginative wives and mothers could eventually be trained to reject all seductive but incorrect choices with respect to tie fabric and collar shape that might connote the wrong flavor of spiritual outlook, the wrong level of education, or the wrong of male bonding. It was a well ordered world, the double standard7 flourished without hindrance, and no man who stuck to the rules ever need to suspect that he might look ridiculous.3 Into this stable system the width-of-tie question erupted in the early60s. Suddenly, and for the first time in centuries, the rate of change in masculine fashion accelerated with disconcerting violence, throwing a new light on the steady old arrangements. Women looked on with secret satisfaction, as it become obvious during the next few years men might think they could resist the changes, but they would find it impossible to ignore them. In fact to the discomfiture of many, the very look of having ignored the changes suddenly became a distinct and highly conspicuous way of dressing, and everyone ran for cover8. Paying no attention whatever to nipped-in9 waistlines, vivid turtlenecks, long hair with sideburns, and bell-bottom trousers could not guarantee any comfy anonymity, but rather stamped one as a convinced follower of the old order-thus adding three or four dangerous new meaning to all the formerly reliable signals10. A look in the mirror suddenly revealed man to himself wearing his obvious chains and shackles, hopelessly unliberated. 4 In general, men of all ages turn out not to want to give up the habit of fixing on a suitable self-image and then carefully tending it, instead of taking up all the new options. It seems too much of a strain to dress for all that complex multiple role-playing, like women. The creative use of male plumage for sexual display, after all, has had a very thin time11 for centuries: the whole habit became the special prerogative of certain clearly defined groups, ever since the overriding purpose of male dress had been established as that of precise identification. No stepping over the boundaries was thinkable-ruffled evening shirts were for them, not me; and the fear of the wrong associations was the strongest male emotion about clothes, not the smallest part being fear of association with the wrong sex.5 The difference between mens and womens clothes used to be easy matter from every point of view, all the more so when the same tailors made both. When long ago all elegant people wore brightly colored satin, lace, and curls, nobody had any troubles sorting out the sexes or worrying whether certain small elements were sexually appropriate. So universal was the skirted female shape and the bifurcated male one that a women in mens clothes was completely disguised, and long hair or gaudy trimmings were never the issue. It was the 19th century, which produced the look of the different sexes coming from different planets, that lasted such a very long time. It also gave men official exemption from fashion risk, and official sanction to laugh at women for perpetually incurring it.6 Women apparently love the risk, of course, and ignore the laughter. Men secretly hate it and dread the very possibility of a smile. Most of them find it impossible to leap backward across the traditional centuries into a comfortable renaissance zest for these dangers, since life is hard enough now anyway. Moreover, along with fashion came the pitiless exposure of masculine narcissism and vanity, so long submerged and undiscussed. Men had lost the habit of having their concern with personal appearance show as blatantly as womens-the great dandies provided no continuing tradition, except perhaps among urban blacks. Men formerly free from doubt wore their new finery with colossal selfconsciousness, staring covertly at everyone else to find out what the score really was about all this stuff. High heels and platform soles, once worn by the Sun King12 and other cultivated gentlemen of the past, have been appropriated only by those willing to change not only their heights but their way of walking. They have been ruled out, along with the waistlength shirt opening13 that exposes trinkets nestling against the chest hair, by men who nevertheless find themselves willing to wear long hair and fur coats and carry handbags. Skirts, I need not add, never caught on. 1,032 words Glossary agonize collar sideburn connote sartorial bonding variation hindrance brace erupt absorbing accelerate slacks disconcerting momentous discomfiture imperceptibly conspicuous weave turtleneck shun bell-bottom oxford-cloth comfy mystify anonymity ferocity chain padding shackle cuff unliberated fabric plumage prerogative zest overriding vanity ruffled blatantly bifurcated dandy gaudy finery trimming covertly exemption rule out sanction trinket incur catch on renaissance Notes1. About the author Anne Hollander (1930-) is a native of Cleveland who was educated in New York City. Anne experienced observer of and writer on the history of fashion, she again turns to that subject in the essay Clothes Make the ManUneasy. Her works include Seeing Through Clothes, Sex and Suits; and Fabric of vision: Dress and Drapery in Painting, etc.2. Double-or single-breasted cut (Paragraph 1) double-breasted -fastened by lapping one edge of the front of a garment well over the other and usually having a double row of buttons with a single row of buttonholes; single-breasted -used especially on a coat or jacket closing with a narrow overlap and fastened down the front with a single row of buttons 3. Sport jacket and slacks (Paragraph 1) a mans jacket, which is usually made of a woolen material called tweed and is usually worn on informal occasions with casual trousers of different materials4. Shoes with plain or wing tip (Paragraph 1) plain-tip shoes are those that have no special decorations designs on the front part of the shoe top ; wing-tip shoes are those wit toecaps having a backward extending point ad curving sides, resembling the shape of a wing 5. .an identifying stamp u8sually incomprehensible to female judgment (Paragraph 1).an important mark of identify which women can hardly comprehend to from their own judgments6. White-on-white shirt (Paragraph 1) white color shirt shirts with white decorative patterns on 7. Double standard(Paragraph 2) a set of principles concerning dressing permitting greater opportunity or liberty to the male than to the female8. And everyone ran for cover (Paragraph 3) everyone shunned such a way of dressing, for it looked extremely funny (everyone felt ashamed and self-conscious suddenly)9. Nipped-in (Paragraph 3) compressed inward between the two sides of the waistline10. But rather stamped one as a convinced follower of the old order- thus adding three or four dangerous new meanings to all the formerly reliable signals (Paragraph 3) Paying no attention to the new development in dressing could only mark themselves as stubborn followers of outdates traditions, and as a result, all the formerly popular ways of dressing acquired several inglorious associations.11. A very thin time (Paragraph 4) (colloq.)a wretched or uncomfortable time or spell12. Sun King (Paragraph 6) Louis XIV (1638-1715), king of France(1643-1715)13. The waist-length shit opening (Paragraph 6) a way of dressing the shit unbuttoned from collar to the waistline Text comprehension I. The authors purpose of writing this essay is to illustrate_.A. men are uneasy with the new focus on mens fashion B. the rapid changes of fashion C. womens behavior in dressingD. how cloths make what man look like II. Judge, according to the following statements are true or false.1. The author is being satirical when referring to such sartorial alternatives for men as double- or single-breasted cut, shoes with plain or wing tip, a hat with a tiny bit of feather, half an inch of padding in the shoulders, an inch of trouser cuff, tie fabric, width of tie, collar shape, etc.2. The width-of-tie question in the early60s disturbed the stability of the conventional fashion system with regard to the two sexes.3. Women looked on with secret satisfaction because during the next few years men were able to resist the change. 4. Women obviously love the risk and ignore the laughter, but men secretly hate it and are afraid of a chuckle.III. Answer the following questions.1. What did the last decade witness in reference to how men and women felt about fashion?2. To what degree is the statement “men knew how lucky they were” true?3. How did the masculine fashion change in the early 1960s?4. What dose the expression “to dress for all that complex multiple role-playing” imply?5. It was an easy job to differentiate mens from womens clothes in the past, wasnt it? How was it so easy?6. In what way was the exposure of masculine narcissism and vanity pitiless? IV. Explain in your own words the following sentences taken the text.1. They automatically brace themselves for whatever is coming next.2. They always had an absolute and enormous meaning in the world of men, an identifying stamp usually incomprehensible to judgment.3. In general, men of all ages turn out not to give up the habit of fixing on a suitable self-image and then carefully tending it, instead of taking up all the new options.4. No stepping over the boundaries was thinkable.5. It also gave men official exemption from fashion risk, and official sanction to laugh at women for perpetually incurring it. Writing strategies In the exposition essay, Clothes Make the Man-Uneasy, the writer examines the topic from the perspective of masculine fashion in history. Most of the paragraphs are developed by the deductive method. Some figures of speech like metaphor and synecdoche are aptly applied to create vivid effects. And also, contrasts are employed in some places for emphasis of meaning. The tone is objective or matter-of-fact, but occasionally it is a little satirical. The style is vivid and formal. The following three questions are worth discussion:(1) Which paragraphs begin with a topic sentence?(2) Which sentences in the text involve the use of metaphor?(3) Which sentences in the text show contrasts? Language workI. Explain the italicized part in each sentence in your own words.1. A hat with a tiny bit of nearly invisible feather was separated as by an ocean from a hat with none.2. Women might remain mystified by the ferocity with which men felt and supported these tiny differences.3. the rate of change in masculine fashion accelerated with disconcerting violence, throwing a new light on all the old arrangements.4. In fact to the discomfiture of many, the very look became a distinct and highly conspicuous way of dressing.5. It seems too much of a strain to dress for all that complex multiple role-playing, like women.6. High heels and platform soles have been appropriated only by those willing to change not only their heights but their way of walking.II. Fill in each blank with one of the two words from each pair in appropriate forms and note the difference of meaning between them.CONFORM ADAPT1. Federal civil rights laws require all schools and collages to _to the national standards of educational equality.2. The organization has agreed on a convention under which all members will _their domestic law to make bribery of foreign officials a criminal offense.3. Most of the candidates had to _their speeches to suit the interests of their audience.4. Japan has recently changed its constitution to allow it to _to the United States demands to modify its military states.IGNORE NEGLECT1. His father would accuse him of _his filial duties.2. The major promised economic policies that would not _the poor and needy.3. She kept on asking questions, but her mother continued her work, _the interruption.4. His cry is pitched at a high level that makes it impossible to _.ZEST INTEREST1 After last weeks defeat, most members of our football team seem to have recovered part of their _for a new match.2 Pictures add _to plain painted walls.3 The hungry man ate with _.4 His _extended beyond the fine arts to international politics and philosophy.STRAIN STRESS1. The vast expansion in university enrollment is putting an enormous _ on the system.2. Soon after they enter the university campus, the students start showing signs of feeling the _ of responsibility which they have never experienced at home.3. It is generally believed that _is an inherent part of dieting.4. Massage is used to relax muscles, relieve _, and improve blood circulation.III. Fill in the blank in each sentence with a word or phrase taken from the box, using its appropriate form. momentous hindrance conform prerogative disguise imperceptibly exemption agonize subtle blatantly anonymity incurring1. Excessive _is usually caused by fear of disapproval.2. It did not require a grate deal of _ to realize that the interview was over when the interviewers had become absent-minded.3. A new machine may save animals from the _of drug tests.4. He has published a great number of poems, but most _.5. He has made a long-term investment, so he might expect to _light losses in the first few years.6. When a book gets translated, all those linguistic _get lost.7. It is your _to stop seeing that particular therapist and find another one.8. The proposal is a thinly _effort to revive the price controls of the 1990s.IV. Make a sentence of your own for each of the given words with meani9ngs other than those used in the test. You may change the part of speech of these words.1. brace_2. shade_3. alternative_4. tip_5.