Unit Two Hiroshima,the ““Liveliest”” City in Japan Outline ?Background Information ?Detailed Study of the Text ?Textual Analysis ?Structure ?Writing style ?Writing techniques ?Exercises Background Information ? About Japan ? Atomic Bomb ? A-Bomb Explosion in Hiroshima 33Name: Nippon 33Capital: Tokyo the Axis / the Axis Powers: the alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan 33Geography: four main islands [Honsu 本本 州州 ; Hokkaido北海道北海道;Kyushu 九州九州; Shikoku四国四国 33Area: 371,857sqkm.33Population : 122,700,000 (1988) 33Its aggression to China: July 7,1937, lasting 8 years 33The Second World War: 1939 witnessed the breakout of the 2nd World War in Hitler' ' s invasion of Poland on Sept. 1. The Second World War 1)Sept. 1, 1939, the 2nd World War broke out. France and Britain declared war on Germany immediately. 2)June 22, 1941,Gr. invaded USSR. 3)Dec. 7, 1941, the Battle of Pearl Harbor. 4)Sept. 1943 , Italy surrendered. 5)May. 7, 1945, Gr. surrendered unconditionally. 6)Aug. 6, 1945, the first A-bomb exploded in Hiroshima. 7)Aug. 8, 1945, USSR declared war on Japan and occupied Manchuria. 8)Aug. 9, 1945, the dropping of the second A-bomb in Nagasaki. 9)Aug. 14, 1945, Japan announced its surrender. Atomic Bomb Background CONTENT ?A kind of deadly weapon. ?Its explosion produces great amounts of heat, a shock wave and intense radiation. The region of the explosion becomes radioactively contaminated [polluted] and radioactive products may be deposited elsewhere as fallout. ?Nowadays the production of such kind of weapons are strictly forbidden by the whole world. A-Bomb Explosion in Hiroshima ?At 8:15 a.m. on August 6, 1945, by the order of President Truman, the first Atomic bomb, nicknamed Little Boy was exploded over a point near the centre of Hiroshima, destroying almost everything with a radius ( 半半径径) of 830-1,450 meters. ?The damage beyond this area was considerable, and over 71,000 people were killed instantly. Many more later died of injuries and the effects of radiation. Casualties numbered nearly 130,000. Background ?Survivors are still dying of leu‘kaemia ( 白血病白血病), pernicious anaemia ( 严严 重重 贫贫 血血 ) and other diseases induced by radiation. At that time almost 98% of the buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. ?The Japanese dedicated post-war Hiroshima to peace. A destroyed area named Peace City has been set aside as a memorial. A Peace Park was built. A special hospital built here treats people suffering from exposure to radiation and conducts research into its effects. Detailed Study of the Text Hiroshima --- the ““Liveliest”” City in Japan The implication in the title: The rhetoric device used in the title: Irony : saying the opposite of what is meant/ the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. ?Information covered in Paragraph One: ?The author didn ' ' t understand Japanese. ?He was taking a train to come here. ?He was preoccupied with some sad thoughts. ?He was here on a reportorial mission. ?Hiroshima was not the author ' ' s first assignment. ?He was American. ?He was tortured by a guilty conscience / the crime of the A-bomb. ?must be: to express strong probability. There is not a soul in the hall. The meeting must have been postponed/put off. ?slip to a stop: come to a stop smoothly and effortlessly. The dancer slipped to a stop when the music ended. ?have a lump in one' ' s throat : be choked with emotion He had a lump in his throat on hearing the news of his friend ' ' s serious illness. ?have something on one' ' s mind: be troubled by; =sth. weighs heavy on one' ' s mind I have had this matter on my mind for a long time. ?on one' ' s mind: occupying one ' ' s thought, esp. as a source of worry. She is sleepless because her daughter ' ' s illness is very much on her mind. ?have sth to do with : (nothing; much; little; a lot) be connected with... What he has done has nothing to do with her. ?Paraphrase: I was so overcome with emotion that I could not speak or think clearly. I was occupied with some sad thoughts. My sad thoughts had no connection with what the stationmaster might say. ?very: used for emphasizing the following noun. The very sight of the monument reminds me of my close friends killed in the battle. Paraphrase: The fact that I was now in Hiroshima was in itself a much more exciting experience for me than any trip I had ever taken or any reporting work I had ever done in the past. ?Was I not at the scene of the crime? Rhetorical question for emphasis, usually asked only for effect, as to emphasize a point, no answer being expected. An example of rhetorical question: (From Shakespeare ' ' s Merchant of Venice) Shylock: I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?… Cf. slip; slide; glide Slide implies accelerated motion without loosing contact with the slippery surface. Slip often suggests involuntary rather than voluntary,sometimes even definitely implying a loss of footing and a fall. Glide , rather close to slide, means to move smoothly, quietly and continuously as is characteristic of dances. E.g. Plane glided down to the airfield. Cf. action & act Actions speak louder than words. His heroic act of saving the drowning man deserves all praise. Cf. soil & earth soil: [u. c.]the top layer of the earth in which plants, trees etc grow土壤土壤；； [literary] a country, an area of land国土国土 earth : the substance that plants grow in泥土泥土 （（Exercise: viii. 1--4）） To distinguish: seem, appear, look ? Seem suggests a personal opinion based on evidence that satisfies the judgment. ? Look implies that the opinion is based on a visual impression. ? Appear may convey the same implication as look, but it sometimes suggests a distorted impression produced by an optical illusion, a restricted point of view etc. E.g.The setting sun made the spires appear ablaze. Little girls and elderly ladies in kimonos rubbed shoulders with teenagers and women in western dress.(implication) In Japan, traditional style and western style exist side by side with each other. rub shoulders with: meet and mix with e.g. He loves such kind of gatherings, where he can rub shoulders with the young and exchange ideas on various subjects. serious-looking: a.+v-ing ??a. good-looking; easy-going; plain-sailing; high-sounding; longstanding be oblivious of: be unaware of He is so deep in thought that he is totally oblivious of what his partners are talking about. Paraphrase: They were so absorbed in their conversation that they seemed not to pay any attention to the crowds about them . pop open: burst open with an explosive sound sound like: look like; smell like; taste like; (very much) That book looks very much like a box. Sichuan dialect sounds much the same as Hubei dialect, which makes it difficult to distinguish one from the other. martyred: the city that has been made to suffer a lot lurch:sway/swing/roll suddenly screech to a halt: come to a stop with a screech(a harsh piercing sound) (when the brake was suddenly applied. ) loss of face: humiliation admit & confess (Exercise VIII: 9-10) will accept any destination without concern for… : will agree to go wherever they are asked to without caring about how long it will take… intermezzo: sth that fills the time between two events; the performance between two acts; the ride between his arrival at the station and his meeting with the mayor. a. find oneself v-ing prep. Phrase heave a long, musical sigh: (humorous) utter a … sigh heave a sigh of relief thanks to : with the help of; owing to moor: secure a boat with cables; anchor The rather arresting spectacle of little old Japan adrift amid beige concrete skyscrapers is the very symbol of the incessant struggle between the kimono and the miniskirt. Paraphrase: The traditional floating houses among high modern buildings represent the constant struggle between old tradition (traditional culture) and new development (Western style). Figure of speech: metonymy Miniskirt: western style; new development Kimono: traditional style / culture What is metonymy? It is a figure of speech that has to do with the substitution of the name of one thing for that of another.This substituted name may be an attribute of that other thing or be closely associated with it. In other words, it involves a ““change of name””, the substituted name suggesting the thing meant. Examples: The pen is mightier than sword. He took to the bottle. Use your brains. Never let your heart rule your head. Metonymy can be derived from various sources---from names of persons, from animals, professions, locations or place names, etc. as illustrated below : 1. Names of persons John Bull: England, or the English people Uncle Sam: The USA. Ivan: the Russian people John Doe: ordinary American citizen. 2. Animals British lion: England or the English government the bear: The former Soviet Union or the Soviet government. 3. Parts of the body heart: feelings or emotions head, brain: wisdom, intelligence, reason gray hair: old age 4. Professions the bar: the legal profession the bench:position of judge or magistrate the veil: vocation of a nun the press: newspapers 5. Location of government, of business or industrial enterprises Downing Street : the British government the White House : the American government Capitol Hill: the Legislative branch of US. the Pentagon: the US military establishment Kremlin:the government of the former USSR. Fleet Street: the British press Wall Street: US financial circles Madison Avenue: American ad. industry Hollywood:film-making industry of US. A Brief Summary of What has been Studied The order of the details:/the development paragraphs. of arrival at the station??to the outside ?? take a ride to the City Hall ?? to the canal embankment … following an order of time. possible literary style: narration; narrative Part I: (para 1.) The Arrival Part II: (The Japanese ...the kimono and the miniskirt.) Way to the City Hall Porcelain-faced : n.+n.+ed ??a. chicken-hearted; lion-hearted; iron-fisted; wall-eyed This done, I entered one of the low-ceilinged rooms of the little house. This done ---absolute structure : n.+another part adj. adv. doing/done prep. Phrase to do low-ceilinged: a.+n.+ed ??a. sad-eyed; tight-lipped; empty-headed; cold-blooded; warm-hearted; stuff-necked; high-minded; dull-witted; quick-witted; experiencing a twinge of embarrassment: suffering from a strong feeling of shame when I thought of the prospect of meeting the mayor of Hiroshima in my socks. Quite unexpectedly, ①①the strange emotion which had overwhelmed me at the station returned, and ②②I was again crushed by the thought that I now stood on the site of the first atomic bombardment.--- 1)I was again overcome by a guilty conscience as I had been when I first arrived at the station. 2)the thought that I now was at the very spot…once again overwhelmed me. slay: (slew, slain) slaughter; massacre linger on to die in slow agony: stay alive but become weaker, then die slowly and in great pain inhibited: awkward; uneasy After three days in Japan, the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible: Notice the humor in the formal, learned, scientific term: spinal column Paraphrase: After three days in Japan one gets quite used to bowing to people as a ritual to show gratitude or respect. Cf. be familiar to ; be familiar with This city is familiar to everyone of us. We are all familiar with the city. (exercise viii: 5-6) agitated: disturbed; upset Seldom has a city gained such world renown: Inversion Words to introduce inverted structure: rarely; little; never; not only; not until; scarcely; only; so; under no circumstances… a town known throughout the world for its---oyster: anti-climax to achieve humor, surprise, satire etc. Understanding: The mayor said this because he did not want to embarrass the foreigners by talking about the disaster and he wanted people to forget the tragic past and also because Hiroshima was famous for its oysters. Anti-climax , as the name implies, is the opposite of climax and is a device that involves stating one' ' s thoughts in a descending order of significance or intensity, from strong to weak, from weighty to light or frivolous. It is often used to ridicule or satirize. The device is based on the principle that the lower the thought decreases in importance, the higher the force of the ridicule or satire. The effect can range from humorous to devastating (extremely shocking, impressive). Climax: Deriving from the Greek word for ““ladder””, implying the progression of thought at a uniform or almost uniform rate of significance or intensity, like the steps of a ladder ascending evenly. Examples of climax and anti-climax : I came, I saw, I conquered . Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed , and some few to be chewed and digested. (From Bacon, ““Of Reading ””) Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. Golf does queer things to the players. The average man will show greater distress more openly over the loss of a golf ball than over the loss of his business, his home, or a close relation. ““For God, for America, for Yale. ”” This is the motto for the Yale. I was just about to…my sad reverie: Paraphrase: I was on the point of showing my agreement by nodding when I suddenly realized what he meant. His words shocked me out of my sad dreamy thinking. Cf. cautiously & carefully Careful implies painstaking efforts, thoroughness in avoiding error, etc. Cautious suggests a careful holdback from action until all possibilities have been considered to avoid failure or danger. E.g. Be careful not to break the eggs. Be cautious of giving offence. 谨防得罪人。
谨防得罪人 back away; head toward Conversion from noun to verb puzzled: bewildered (usu. in passive) Distinguish the following: puzzle & surprise puzzling & puzzled surprising & surprised confess & admit: admit : to agree, often unwillingly that sth is true. confess: say or admit (one has done wrong); acknowledge 招认；供认；承认招认；供认；承认 Paraphrase: I must admit that it never occurred to me that I would hear the mayor of Hiroshima talk about oysters. cataclysm & catastrophe & disaster cataclysm: n. (fml) a sudden disaster or a violent event that causes change. 大灾难大灾难/ 变；动乱变；动乱 catastrophe : n. a sudden disaster that causes many people to suffer. 灾难灾难/ 祸；祸； 大祸大祸/ 横祸横祸 Paraphrase: I thought that people here had not forgotten the disaster the city had suffered. Time marches on: things are changing; history is advancing Hidden wounds and burns: visible and invisible scars. Summary of this part: Meeting the Mayor smell of: give out a smell of Stretchers and wheelchairs lined… send shivers down the spine of any healthy visitor. 1)stretchers and wheelchairs are for invalids and the disabled. 2) stretchers and wheelchairs are put against the walls in the many corridors. 3)even healthy visitors would shiver when they see those surgical instruments. I thought somehow I had been spared… 1) spare : v. not harm or damage (usu. passive.) They killed the man but spared the kid. Paraphrase: I thought for some reason or other I had not been affected/I thought for some reason or other, no harm had been done to me. But soon I began to lose my hair and water began to accumulate in my belly.. 2) spare: v.make sth/sb. available to Can you spare me five minutes? Will you spare me a ticket? 3) spare: v. save sb./oneself from doing sth. You could have spared yourself an unnecessary trip by phoning in advance. 你提前打个你提前打个就省的白跑一趟了。
就省的白跑一趟了 4)spare: v. do everything possible to achieve sth He spared no effort to make her happy. spare sb' s blushes: save sb from an embarrassing situation have sth. to spare: to have more than enough They have been testing and treating me: Alliteration : the same consonant sound is repeated at intervals in the initial position of words E.g. safe and sound; Practice makes perfect. Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper. She sells sea-shells on the seashore. This device is extremely popular with both poets and writers. For example, The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free; We were the first that ever burst Into the silent sea. by T. S. Coleridge: ““Rime of the Ancient Mariner ”” or else: otherwise; if not humiliating: disgraceful; shameful It is a disgrace for an atomic victim to remain alive in this city. (or to continue to live in this city). … your children will encounter prejudice … Your children will be looked down upon by those who are not atomic victims. Understanding: People fear that the effect of the atomic radiation may be hereditary (may pass on from parents to children). (People suffering from genetic damage may not be able to produce off-springs or may give birth to deformed or otherwise unhealthy children.) each day of suffering that helps to free me from earthly cares: Euphemism --- to free me… = to die Understanding: One more day of suffering would mean a day nearer my death (would bring me closer to my death). (irony) Euphemism: substitution of mild or vague or roundabout expression for harsh or direct one; the expression thus substituted.--- substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant. Or: gilded words for topics such as death, illness, old age, weight, defects, toilet habits etc.,esp. for taboo to avoid embarrassments, avoid being crude or indecent. gilded words in political and military movement to cover up the truth, in certain professions to beautify the name.(same in Chinese) The good fortune : irony Understanding: I have the opportunity to improve my character: I have the chance to raise my moral standard, to purify my soul. I could read the answer in every eye: 1)read: understand the nature, significance or thinking of as if by reading 2)Paraphrase: The expression of the people told me what the answer was. Textual Analysis Structure Writing style Writing techniques Structure Part I: (para 1.) the Arrival Part II: (The Japanese...the kimono and the miniskirt. ) Way to the City Hall Part III: (At the door...) Meeting the Mayor Part IV: (the hospital) Experience at the Hospital Writing style 1. The development of the passage: the chronological order/ the order of time 2. The nature of the passage: Narration. Narrative. 3. Something more about narration 1) the definition A narrative is an account of an event or a series of events, including stories, biographies, histories, and news items. telling of a story 2) formation of a narrative: A good narrative has a beginning, a middle and an end . 3) five aspects in writing a narrative: a. Purpose b. Selection of details c. Context d. Organization e. Point of view 4) three basic components of a narrative: Plot; Characters; Background. (In details:) a. Plot: The frame of the writing, which consists of a series of events. There are usu. one or several climaxes, the highest point of the story, with suspensions, conflicts to arouse the interest of the audience. After the climax is reached, the story quickly moves to a conclusion. b. Characters: The leading character is called the hero or protagonist; the person or force against the hero is called antagonist. c. Background: the time and place of the story The plot usually dominates narration; however, some narratives focus on character or theme or atmosphere. A Sample: The Most Important Day in My Life The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me. I am filled with wonder when I consider the immeasurable contrasts between the two lives which it connects. It was the third of March, 1887, three months before I was seven years old. On the afternoon of that eventful day, I stood on the porch, dumb, expectant. I guessed vaguely from my mother's sighs and from the hurrying to and fro in the house that something unusual was about to happen, so I went to the door and waited on the steps. The afternoon sun penetrated the mass of honeysuckle that covered the porch, and fell on my upturned face. My fingers lingered Writing Techniques 1.Contrast: description of the scenery and of his own emotion/psychology Psychology : sorrowful and repentant . Hiroshima symbolizes war, crime, sin, death, terror, etc. Scenery: lively, happy, vigorous, cheerful, etc. 2. Humour: 3. Rhetoric devices 1) Irony: a figure of speech in which the meaning literally expressed is the opposite of the meaning intended and which aims at ridicule, humour or sarcasm. 2) Anti-Climax: the sudden appearance of an absurd or trivial idea following serious, significant ideas and suspensions. This device is usu. aimed at creating comic or humorous effects . For example, The duties of a soldier are to protect his country and peel potatoes. 3) Alliteration: the repetition of an initial sound that is usu.a consonant in two or more neighbouring words/ It refers to the appearance of the same initial consonant sound in two or more words, such as““ proud as a peacock””and““blind as a bat ””. Alliteration is often used in poetry to give emphasis to words that are related in meaning. E.g. I see also the dull, drilled, docile , brutish masses of the Hun soldiery plodding on like a swarm of crawling locusts. More examples: For comfort, convenience, superb service and more flights to Japan--- YOU CAN DEPEND UPON US. (advertisement). slip to a stop tested and treated 4) Rhetorical Question : a question that needs no answer, but used for emphasis. 5) Euphemism: the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest sth unpleasant. 6) Metonymy : the substitution of the name of one thing for that of another; the name may be an attribute of that other thing or be closely associated with it. Examples: ...little old Japan adrift amid beige concrete skyscrapers ...struggle between kimono and the miniskirt I thought that Hiroshima still felt the impact. 。