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1、Lesson 12,How News Becomes Opinion and Opinion Off-limits,Background,About the author Salman Rushdie (1947- ) :British writer, born in Bombay, educated in England. No book in modern times has matched the uproar sparked by his The Satanic Verses (撒旦诗篇） in Sept., 1988, . Although the book was generall
2、y praised in Europe and America, it was widely condemned in the Muslim world. In 1989 protests burst into full public consciousness. The book was burned in England and Iran. Rushdie went into hiding .,Later in 1989 leader of the Iranian revolution, also the target of a freely satirical portrait in t
3、he novel, responded by issuing a denunciation (谴责, 告发)of Rushdie called a fatwa .(伊斯兰教)法学家的裁决in which he declared: “ I inform all zealous Muslims of the world that the author of the book entitled The Satanic Verseswhich has been compiled, printed and published in opposition to Islam, the prophet, an
4、d the Quran-and those involved in its publication who were aware of its content , are sentenced to death. I call on all zealous Muslims to execute them quickly, wherever they may be found, so that no one else will dare to insult the Muslim sanctities. God Willing, whoever is killed on this path is a
5、 martyr.” Shortly afterward Rushdie went into hiding, guarded by British policemen who were his constant companions until Iran lifted the fatwa in 1998.,Structure of the Text,Part I (Paras. 14) a vivid introduction leading to the point of the common ground occupied by both novelists and journalists.
6、 Part II (Paras. 56) The theme of this essay is brought out in this section: “For the ultimate goal of both factual and fictional writing is the truth, however paradoxical that may sound. “,Part III (Paras. 79) The common ground of journalism and novel writing before the advent of television. Part I
7、V (Paras. 1012) The common ground has ceased to exist since the appearance of televisions. News has become a matter of opinions. Part V (Paras. 1317)This section deals with the power of “character“ creation. As a result of profiling, one is mutated into someone he does not recognize. The writer cons
8、iders this process improper.,Part VI (Paras. 1819) The writers attitude towards protection-of-privacy law and free speech. Part VII (Paras. 2023) The writer brings out in this section the idea of censorship in the form of the concept of “respect“.,The Main Idea,The author urges people to treasure an
9、d continue to practice the disrespect for power, for orthodoxies. and to keep up the free expression of opinions.,Detailed study,Para. 1 1. Pay attention to the structure of “I was wondering -when-”. Implication: The implication is it so happened that when I was thinking about the issue I came acros
10、s a correction in a newspaper. 2. This “what, if any“ pattern is worth noticing. ，“if any“意思是“果真有“，“即使有“，表示加强语气。 In using this pattern, the writer is expressing the view that he does not think there is any. E.g. I did not consider what, if any, objection there was to this plan. There is little, if a
11、ny, hope.,3. common ground: basis for agreement shared by all 4. Paraphrase the following part: “I was wondering, journalists“. I was curious about the fact whether novelists and journalists had any basis for agreement and if there was any, then what was that common ground.,Para2 1. It is a short an
12、nouncement on the part of the British daily newspaper Independent, retracting a report a day earlier about Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. This short announcement raises a number of questions in the readers mind: 1)Who is this Sir Andrew L. Webber?,2). Farming ostriches is not harmful, Why did the newspape
13、r have to make a correction? 3) What is the implication of this retraction? What light does this incident throw on the newspaper?,Para3 1. One can only guess, the human distress, the protests. 1) “human distress“ refers to the feeling of Sir Webber who must have felt wronged and hurt. He must have f
14、elt that his reputation had been damaged. 2) “the protests“ refer to the complaints from Sir Webber and others on his behalf and the intervention of people to demand the retraction. 3) Why does the writer write “one can only guess“?The statement is short and terse and does not reveal any inside stor
15、y for the retraction. But one thing is clear: the newspaper will not retract the allegation voluntarily. So this is a safe guess.,4) Does the writer really think the sentences are “admirably“ laconic? Why does he use the word “admirably“ then? laconic sentences: Newspaper is forced/ compelled to mak
16、e correction, not willingly, so they use short sentences to correct. Behind correction, people feel hurt by farming ostriches.The writer is using the word in an ironical way, implying that the newspaper was compelled to take back the allegation against its will. so the production of a short, colorle
17、ss, matter-of-fact statement.,4. Britain has been going through a period of what one might call heightened livestock insecurity“ It means Britain has been plagued by the spread of the diseases of “mad cow“ and “hoof and mouth“ and the fear of the spread has been intense. heightened livestock insecurity: 1990s plagues involving the “mad cow” disease and the “hoof and mouth” disease, both of which led to the slaughter of large numbers of animals who were or might have been infected.,
