unit 5 Straight-A Illiteracy
Unit 5 Straight-A Illiteracy
I Teaching objectives
1 Learn to write in a concise and clear way.
2 Develop full consciousness of style
II Teaching time: six class periods
III Teaching Procedures
Step 1 Warm-up questions
1. What kind of student is a straight-A student? Is a straight-A student admired? For what?
2. Why does the author refer to a straight-A student as illiterate? Explain the paradox.
3. As is indicated in the title, the major concern of the author is the problem of ―straight-A Illit eracy‖. Why do you think the author brings up this subject? What’s the purpose?
4. In the 1st paragraph, the author compares two kinds of illiteracy, what are they? Explain the characteristics of each. Why does the author regard the second type as more infectious and therefore harmful?
5. The author resorts to some rhetorical and linguistic devices to highlight the extreme difficulty in understanding Mr. Bright’s paper. Can you identify such expressions? How would you express otherwise?
6. The author compares Straight-A Illiteracy to a disease. In what sense is this
metaphor appropriate?
7. In ―I address the student—whom I shall call allegorically Mr. Bright‖, what does the word ―allegory‖ mean?
8. From a particular case (Mr. Bright’s writing), the aut hor turns to the general situation (ie. ―many students like him). How could you comment on the rhetorical device that the author has used?
Step 4 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‖.
1 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 Hugh Henry Brackenbridge (1748-1816)
American novelist, poet, lawyer
Modern Chivalry (1792, satirical novel, published in installment from 1792-1815, giving a good description of men and manners during the early days of the American republic and manifesting Brackenbridge allegiance to the robust tradition of the English novel in Smollett and Fielding)
3. ―If I’d had more time, I’d 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
Step 5 major language points
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.
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. –I’m not trying to pry.
-- Don’t 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 unintelligible
15. providential: a. lucky b. of or by divine foresight the protective care of God or nature
providence: -- God in this aspect
-- timely care or preparation
16. protect/guard/shelter/screen from/against:
eg. – May God protect you from harm.
-- You can’t protect him from blame in the accident.
-- It is hopeless trying to protect your child from the harmful effects of TV until the material improves.
-- to protect from sudden attacks
17. afflict: pain/illness/sorrow ~ sb. means to affect them and make
them suffer eg. sb. be afflicted with blindness; (text) affliction of
the Bright disease
18. entrepreneur: a person who undertakes an enterprise or business with the chance of profit of loss
19. filter: a porous device for removing impurities or solid particles from a liquid of gas passed through it
20. inexorable: a. relentless b. (of a person or attribute) that cannot be persuaded by request or entreaty
eg. –to wage an ~ struggle against fascism 对…坚决的斗争
-- an ~ law 不可抗拒的法律
-- History is ~. 历史是无情的。
21. grapple with: a. to fight/struggle with sb. usu. with one’s hands
eg. to grapple with a thief/the enemy
b. to struggle with/deal with (a difficulty)
eg. It will take a brave politician to grapple with the inequalities in the tax laws.
22. bulge with: be full of
eg. -- His stomach bulged out. 他大腹便便。
His pockets were bulging with money. 他口袋里的钱鼓鼓囊囊。
23 exile: 流放
e.g. -- 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
24 banish: forcible removal
e.g. –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.
25 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.
26 expatriate:it refers to the stripping of citizenship from sb. either by his own choice or by the nation’s choice
expatriate oneself 移居国外，放弃原国籍
27 extradite: 引渡
28 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.
29 inaccessible: a. difficult/impossible to reach
e.g. the most inaccessible part of the jungle
b. unable to understand/appreciate
e.g. The music of Bartok is considered inaccessible by many people.
30 cursory: e.g. a cursory glance/examination; that is, a brief one, not pay attention to details
31 bear out: to support (sb. or the truth of what sb. says)
e.g. -- The prisoner’s story was vorne out by his wife.
-- If I tell the judge that I wasn’t there, will you bear me out?
32 bear up: a. remain strong/brave
eg. Alice bore up well under the news of her husband’s death.
b. to help sb. to continue living in a time of trouble
eg. How could I have lived through Mother’s illness without you to bear me up.
33 stagnant: business/society/economy stagnant 社会/经济/生意惨淡
34 secluded: quiet, private, undisturbed
- secluded beaches/corner of the garden 幽静的
35 motionless: not moving at all
- to sit motionless; queues of motionless cars
36 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)
37 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.
38 catch on: . (not formal) to become popular
- I don’t think this strange new fashion will catch on.
- Would you mind repeating that? I didn’t quite catch on. (understand what one said)
39 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
-I’m sure the prisoner is not telling the truth; talk to him and see if you can catch him out. (找他的破绽)
Step 6 Classroom discussion
1. Mr. Bright’s 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 Bright’s disease?
3. According to the author, the more time students stay at the university to receive education, the worse he’ll suffer from Bright’s 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?
5. What is ―double negative‖? Who are likely t o 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?
7．The 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?
Step 7 Homework
Write a précis of Text II.