Part Three: (Para. 12-15): the essay concludes with an anecdote that further explains what fun is. Paragraph 12: according to the author, we should treat fun respectfully. Fun is not supposed to be everywhere. We cannot easily get fun out of everything. Paragraph 13: the author develops the idea that fun is a mystery. In paragraph 14, the author claims that as a rule, no holiday, no big occasions would take place on this day. But if we treat fun properly, we can have fun even on such an ordinary day.
Structural analysis of the Text
The essay evaluates the “fun” side of the American culture in an ironic way. The first five paragraphs, which form the introduction to the essay, provide a stipulative definition of “fun”. Then in the main body of the text, the writer gives an extended definition of it by pointing out what it is not. The essay concludes with an anecdote that further explains what fun is. To develop the definition, a number of methods have been employed, among which are narration, comparison and contrast.
The passage can be divided into three parts. Part One: (Paragraph 1-5) The first five paragraphs, which from the introduction to the essay, provide a stipulative definition to “fun”.
Jordan’s books include a collection of essays, Show and Tell (1982); Skinny People Are Dull and Crunchy like Carrots (1982), an expansion of her essay "That Lean and Hungry Look"; and A Writer’s Rhetoric (1988), a college textbook. This essay originally appeared in the "My Turn" column of Newsweek magazine.
Highlights
According to the author, fun is not a family visit to Disney World; nor is it celebrating big occasions. Fun is simple pleasure in life, which lies rather in one’s work and the fulfillment of one’s duty. The author points out that fun cannot be compared with duty and morality. People should not be obsessed with fun; instead they should devote themselves to their work and the fulfillment of one’s responsibility.
Fun, Oh Boy. Fun. You Could Die from It
By Suzanne Britt Jordan
About the author: Suzanne Britt Jordan
Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
and attended Salem College and Washington University. She has been a columnist for the Raleigh News and Observer and Stars and Stripes, European edition, and has written for other newspapers and newsmagazines.
NewsweekPur来自tansPuritans refer to a group of radical English protestants that arose in the late sixteenth century and became a major force in England during the seventeenth century. Puritans wanted to “purify” the Church of England by eliminating traces of its origins in the Roman Catholic Church. In addition, they urged a strict moral code and placed a high value on hard work. After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, they controlled the new government, the Commonwealth.
Oliver Cromwell, who became leader of the Commonwealth, is the best-known Puritans. Many Puritans, persecuted in their homeland, came to America in the 1620s and 1630s, setting colonies that eventually became Massachusetts. The words puritan and puritanical have come to suggest a zeal for keeping people from enjoying themselves. One who is scrupulous and strict in his religious life; often used reproachfully or in contempt; one who has over strict notions.
Part Two: (Paragraphs 6-11) In this part of the essay, the writer offers the extended definition of the word “fun” by negation. In paragraph 6, the author lists several things that are supposed to bring people fun, like family outings, sex, education, work, Wart Disney, church and staying fit. In paragraph 7-9, the author tried to clarify something will not bring people fun, like in a test, dirty bumper, stick refrigerator doors are some to the things that are not sources of fun. Some people resort to thrilling ways such as adventures, immoral actions, crimes or alcohol to have fun. The author creates a conversational style by using “everything, everybody, Golly gee”. “by Jove”
The first two paragraphs state fun is hard to have and fun is a rare jewel. The author uses definition, comparison and a series of questions to introduce the topic. By making a startling statement and raising a series of questions, the author points out that fun has become the major concern of people. It has overweighed many other questions.
清教徒原指英国的一部分新教徒，他们大都倾向于资