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1、Lesson 12 The Loons,I. Background knowledge,Author: Margaret Laurence, one of the major contemporary Canadian writers, was born in 1926 and died of lung cancer in 1987. She was educated in Manitoba, a province in south central Canada. After marrying an engineer, she moved with her husband to Africa
2、and lived there for a number of years.,I. Background knowledge,About the Novel: THE LOONS is included in the 2nd section of her Norton Anthology (collection) of Short Fiction. Margaret Laurence wrote 5 separate short stories about this community. The Tonnerre family is one of the central families.,I
3、. Background knowledge,The touching story tells of the plight of Piquette Tonnerre, a girl from a French halfbreed of Indian Family. Her people were marginalized by the white-dominating society. They were unable to exist independently in a respectable, decent and dignified way. They found it impossi
4、ble to fit into the main currents of culture and difficult to be assimilated comfortably.,I. Background knowledge,At school, Piquette felt out of place and ill at ease with the white children. When she had grown up she didnt have any chance to improve her life. In fact her situation became more and
5、more messed up. In the end she was killed in a fire.,I. Background knowledge,Her death is like the disappearance of the loons on Diamond Lake. Just as the narrators father had predicted, the loons would go away when more cottages were built at the lake with more people moving in. The loons disappear
6、ed as nature was ruined by civilization. In a similar way, Piquette and her people failed to find their position in modern society.,I. Background knowledge,2. The comprehension and perception of the title: loon: any of several large fish-eating diving birds of the northern part of the northern hemis
7、phere that have the legs placed far back under the body and as a result have a clumsy floundering gait on land,I. Background knowledge,loon: distinctive Canadian bird, the bird of the lakes Several years ago, the Canadian government collected all the one-dollar paper notes and issued a one-dollar co
8、in with a loon engraved on it. So, one dollar is slangily called a loony.,I. Background knowledge,loony: (from lunatic)(person who is) crazy or eccentric; lunatic He does have some pretty loony ideas. From the above coincidence, one can easily perceive the underlying reason why the author chooses su
9、ch a title for her novel.,II. Detailed Study,1. pebble: small stone made smooth and round by the action of water, eg. in a stream or on the seashore 2. scrub: underdeveloped trees or shrubs oak 橡树， 栎树 scrub oak: short, stunted (short, not-fully-grown) oak tree,II. Detailed Study,cf: bush: (large) lo
10、w growing plant with several or many woody stems coming out from the root tree: with a single trunk shrub: (small) plant with woody stem, lower than a tree, completely disorganized With no one to keep order, the situation in the classroom was chaotic.,II. Detailed Study,14. lean-to: small building o
11、r shed with its roof resting against the side of a larger building, wall or fence They keep hens in a lean-to at the end of the garden. a lean-to greenhouse,II. Detailed Study,15. warp: cause sth to become bent or twisted from the usual or natural shape, esp because of uneven shrinkage or expansion
12、The damp wood began to warp. The hot sun had warped the cover of the book.,II. Detailed Study,16. lumber: (esp Brit) unwanted pieces of furniture, etc. that are stored away or take up space (esp US) = timber 17. coop: cage for small creature 18. tangle: (cause sth to) become twisted into a confused
13、mass Her hair got all tangled up in the barbed wire fence.,II. Detailed Study,19. strand: a single piece or thread Many strands are twisted together to form a rope. 20. barb: the sharp point of a fish hook, arrow, etc, with a curved shape which prevents it from being easily pulled out,II. Detailed S
14、tudy,21. rust: the reddish brown surface that forms on iron when attacked by water and air rusty: covered with rust 22. Patois a dialect other than the standard illiterate or provincial speech, jargon 洋泾浜英语,II. Detailed Study,23. broken: (of a foreign language) spoken imperfectly; not fluent speak i
15、n broken English (of land) having an uneven surface; rough an area of broken, rocky ground ,II. Detailed Study,(of a person) weakened and exhausted by illness or misfortune He was broken-hearted when his wife died. broken home: family in which the parents have divorced or separated He comes from a b
16、roken home. ,II. Detailed Study,24. obscene: (of words, thoughts, books, pictures, etc) indecent, esp sexually; disgusting and offensive; likely to corrupt obscenity: offensive, repulsive remarks, cursing, vulgarity laws against obscenity on the television four letter words: fuck, shit, bull shit,II. Detailed Study,25. belong: to be suitable or advantageous, be in the right place I dont belong in a place like this. He doesnt belong in the beginners class. I refuse to go abroad: I belong
