Unit2 The Fine Art of Putting Things Off1. How does Demarest begin his essay? Is it an effective beginning?He begins with the famous saying of Chesterfield’s and the non-compliance instances of some historically well-known figures.Yes. This effectively reminds people that procrastination is not under all circumstances a non-recommendable practice; sometimes people do have a good reason to wait before they take an action.2. Why does Demarest refer to visits to the barber, the dentist, and the doctor as “Faustian encounters”?“Faustian encounters” refers to Faust’s encounters with the devil Mephistopheles. Naturally they are undesirable. Most people are unwilling to visit barbers, doctors, and dentists.3. How do you understand the word “Blessedly” used i n para.4?It means “fortunately”. The nattering Telex would have facilitated the supply of weapons and dispatch of troops, depriving the proconsul of the excuse to delay action.4. Explain Demarest’s distortion of the proverb “where there is no will, there is no way” at the beginning of para.5.The author is playing/punning on the word “will”. The repetition of the word serves as a cohesive tie between the two paragraphs. But mind that the word is used in different senses in the two instances. In the preced ing paragraph, “will” means a statement in writing saying how someone wishes his property to be distributed after his death. In the distorted version of the old saying, the word “will” is used in the sense of “volition”. Thus it means “Even when there is n o will to procrastinate, there is a way to do so.” He goes on to illustrate his point by giving examples.5. How do you explain the parenthesis (at 50-plus an hour) in para.8?This is a humorous touch. This refers to what the psychologists (more exactly psychiatrists or psychoanalysts) charge their clients for the consultation. This explains why they always delay curing their patients.6. Think of one or two examples to illustrate what Dr. Greenson says—“All frightened people will then avoid the moment of truth entirely, or evade or postpone it until the last possible moment”.For example, a person who has a bad tooth tends to delay his visit to the dentist until he pain becomes intolerable.7. While the points Demarest makes about his subject matter are serious, the tone of his writing is a mixture of the serious and the humorous. Identify his shifts in tone from one to other.While the statement at the beginning of para.3 “delay can often inspire and revive a creative soul” is a serious one, the following illustrations do not sound to be so.But remember Jean Kerr was a humorist.What he says about the procrastination in the army, though a bit overstated, may still be seriously meant. The two illustrative examples, especially the one of the US general’s tak ing a sporting day off to delay the battle, are instances of humor at the cost of credibility.In the last paragraph the inclusion of “the creation of an entrée” adds a humoroustouch to other serious illustrations such as the creation of a great painting a book and a building.Unit 31.There seems to be a contradiction in the title “A Crime of Compassion”.What is it?There are various kinds of crimes, but criminals can be anything but compassionate. It is hardly possible to associate compassion with any crime and being compassionate with a criminal.2.Huttmann begins her essay with a metaphor. Locate it and then explain it.The first sentence of para.3: It was the Phil Donahue show where the guest is a fatted calf and the audience a 200-strong flock of vultures hungering to pick at the bones. Huttmann likens herself to a fatted calf, and the audience to a flock of more than 200 vultures hungering to pick at the bones. With the metaphor she intends to tell the reader that the way she handled the case of Mac was strongly disapproved of by the general public, and that the concept of mercy killing was unacceptable to them.3.Where in the essay can we find descriptions of Mac’s condition whe n he wasbeing treated? Why do you think Huttmann is being so specific and detailed?Mostly in para.6, and the latter part of para.7. She gives such detailed and specific descriptions of Mac’s condition to make vivid to the reader the horrifying sufferings Mac had to endure, ultimately to support her argument that a patient in such condition should be given the right to die if he should so request.4.Was it a difficult decision for Huttmann to make not to push the button intime?Obviously it was, as she relates in para.15 “Nothing I’ve ever done in my 47 years has taken so much effort as it took not to press that code button.”5.Where does Huttmann state her thesis?In the last paragraph: Until there is legislation making it criminal act to cade a patient who has requested the right to die, we will all of us risk the same fate as Mac. For whatever reason, we developed the means to prolong life, and now we are forced to use it. We do not have the right to die.Unit4 A Red Light for Scofflaw1.Properly coined compound words can be economical way of expression. Someinstances are found in para.2. Pick them out and explain their meanings.The graffiti prone – those who are prone to graffitiLitter-decibel radios- radios whose volume has been turned highBeer-soaked hooliganism- hooliganism committed by large numbers.2.Why does Trippett keep “jaywalkers” as the last category of scofflaws in thesecond paragraph？What other means does he use to strength the effect intended by this arrangement?It is not limited to some people, but is widely committed by large numbers.The greeting(hello, Everybody!)The conjunction “ And then” used to highlight the last, but by no means the least form of scofflawry enumerated here.3.Explain the use of the conjunctive adverb “however” in para.3. Find in therest of the text the word “however” used in a similar way. How does it contribute to the coherence of the text?It indicates a contrast in meaning between the sentence it is in and the previous two, in which it is said that the more visible forms of scofflawry, i.e. spitting and fare-beating are less dangerous than the less visible ones, i.e. burying chemical waste in unauthorized location, and ignoring fire statutes. But lawless driving, the most visible scofflawry is also the most dangerous.Other instances:1)Para.5, contrasts “ a minor wrong” and “ a great deal more than a trafficmanagement problem”2)Para.5, contrasts the visible flagrancy of red light running, and the attempts todisguise or conceal felony by real criminals or outlaws3)Para.8, emphasizes the difference between what Americans think threatens lawand order, and what Trippett thinks really does.4.What does Trippett mean by the metaphor “leave deep dents” in para.5? Is itan appropriate metaphor in the context?It means “mar, damage, make imperfect”. It is very appropriate in the context because what is under discussion happens to be the violation of traffic rules.5.In what sense, according to Tripppett, is red-light running a more seriousbreach of social order than other lawbreaking action?(Refer to Para.5) Rules are violated in open defiance of social authority. While culprits of social vices or crimes make attempts to conceal their lawbreaking acts out of fear of and/ or respect for the authority of the law, red light runners do not care a damn whether they are seen or not.6.What point does Trippett want to make in para.6? What do you think of hisexample of children entering schools not knowing how to live together? Scofflaws are an indication of social demoralization. The example of the school children may not be appropriate one. For children may not have acquired the capacity to govern their own behavior yet, while social demoralization means the “loss” of morality which has been cultivated.7.What premonition does Trippett make to the American public in paras.7 and8?Do not overlook scofflawry as if it were only a matter of bad manners; it may be more powerful than violent crimes in shaking the foundation of U.S. law.8.Do you think it appropriate for Trippett to end his essay by presentingevidence of scofflawry at the top?Yes. If the law-makers of the country are ignoring the law, how can the ordinary citizens be expected to abide by law, and still less the rules.Unit 71.How does the notion of beauty held by the ancient Greeks basically diffferfrom the modern one?For the ancient Greeks beauty embraces both inside and outside excellence, a combination of a person’s virtue and good looks. In present-day English beauty reffers exclusively to the good looks of a female.2.In what sense is the word “beauty” used in the sentence “we are more wary ofthe enchantments of beauty”? And how do you interpret the sentence?In the overall sense of the word, i.e. overall excellence. We are more aware of the aspects “beauty” has, which we think distinguishable and should be distinguished.3.What does Sontag mean by “And beauty has continued to lose prestige”?It has lost prestige when its meaning was narrowed down from overall excellence to superficial enchantment. And it further lost prestige when the superficial enchantment it reffered to became associated with the fair sex only.4.Why does Sontag think that regarding women as the beautiful sex isdetrimental to both the notion of beauty and that of women?It depreciates the notion of beauty itself, and implies a sexually unfair judgment of women.5.What does Sontag refer to by “stereotypes” in the sentence of par a.5? Andwhat have they to do with the “Mixed reputation” beauty enjoys?Fixted notions of the two sexes; what people generally think a man or a woman should be like. The association of beauty with nice looks but dependence and inability, and disassociation with intellect and success give it a mixed reputation.6.Can you think of any concrete example of what Sontag calls “a flatteringidealization of their sex”? What effect does such idealization have on women?Winners of a beauty contest, Miss America, sex smbols, Marylin Monroe, some fashion models. Women are encouraged to look as attactive as possible, given the models of what they should and could possibly look like.7.Contrasting para.6 with para.7, do you think society is fair in its expectationsof men and women with regard to their looks?Definitely not. For women perfection is the goal; for men a small imperfection is considered favourably.8.What critical view does Sontag take of Cocteau’s remark “The privileges ofbeauty are immense”?Refer to the paragraph.9.What/Who has made it a woman’s duty to preen? If a woman succeeds inkeeping herself looking nice, how would she expect society in general to assess her?Social conventions. Her good looks conceal and empty mind; superficial allurement is the best asset she can claim.10.Do you agree with Sontag that it is dangerous to consider persons as splitbetween what is “inside” and what is “outside”?It is not totally irrational to consider the “inside” and “outside” of a person separately for they do not always go together.However, danger arises when the two aspects are placed at opposite ends and regarded as incompatible. This will entail an erroneous notion of women.11.To get women out of the trap they are caught in, Sontag suggests that they“get some critical distance from that excellence and privilege which is beauty”. What do you think this means?Disassociate themselves from the notion of beauty as far as possible;De-emphasize the notion of beauty in their life.12.What does “the mythology of the feminine” mea n?The traditional but not well-grounded notion of what women should be like.Unit 10 Euphemism1. What do you know about the structure of the word “euphemism”?It consists of three bound morphemes, all Greek in origin: eu-(good), phem-(voice), and –ism (act or result).2. Why is a term like “garbage man”, “down-to-earth” and “sanitation engineer” “auspicious” and “exalted”?Down-to-earth—factual, telling what something actually is; auspicious and exalted—favorable and glorified, raising the status of the man referred to.3. Can you think of a statement that reiterates the point Postman makes at the beginning of para.2 when he says “things do not have real names”?The meaning of the majority of words is arbitrary and conventional; thus words are no more than labels given to things.4. How do you understand the sentence “A pig is not called ‘pig’ because it is so dirty”?A pig is called a “pig” not because it is so dirty.This is an instance of transferred negation.5. Do you think Postman is self-contradictory in para.2, where he says both “things do not have ‘real’ name” and “a name is usually so firmly associated with the things it denotes”?No. A name given to a thing in most cases does not have anything to do with the qualities of the thing. But in the course of using the name to refer to the thing, the user has gradually come to establish association between the two.6. Do you agree with Postman when he says at the end of para.2 “…if you change the names of things, … the nature of the thing itself”?This may sound a bit dubious. While the first change (change in the way people regard things) has been evidenced, the second change (change in the nature of the thing itself) has not.7. In what sense does calling a garbage man a sanitation engineer illustrate Postman’s statement “euphemizing is a perfectly intelligent method of generating new and useful ways of perceiving things”?The status of a garbage man is considerably raised in the eye of the public from a “man” to “an engineer”. “Garbage”, a word with b ad connotations is replaced by “sanitation”, a shift of focus from what he disposes of to what he preserves.8. Explain, according to Postman’s argument, why the attempt to rename “old people” “senior citizens” has turned out successful and that to rename “boys and girls” “childpersons” would not?Among the general public as well as the old people themselves, there is the urge for recognition of their political identity. But so far there is has not emerged such an urge to eliminate the gender distinction be tween “boys and girls”.9. Do you think Postman is very convincing when he cites as an illustration of the power of names the change in people’s perception and attitudes that accompanied the change from “Negroes” to “blacks”?Not really. The change in name might not have been so powerful as Postman assumes. If there was any marked change in people’s perception of and attitude to the African origin in the 1960s, it should really be attributed to the mounting civil rights movement at that time.。