Unit 8 Courtship Through the Ages

Unit8CourtshipThroughtheAgesWilmaHuTheLittleManVS.TheThurberWifeTheLittleMan:domestic,frustrated,childlike,notsexual,suspicious,stubborn.TheThurberWife:demanding,capable,manipulating,domineer,confident,unimaginative(Allqualitiesoppositeofthelittleman’s)JamesThurber’sMarriageThurberwasmarriedtwice.In1922,ThurbermarriedAltheaAdams.ThemarriagewastroubledandendedindivorceinMay1935.ThurberremarriedinJune1935toHelenWismer.Hissecondmarriagelasteduntilhediedin1961,attheageof66.Hesufferedfromalcoholismanddepression,butHelen'sdevotednursingenabledhimtomaintainhisliteraryproduction.Eventhoughthesecondmarriagewasmoresuccessful,but,surprisingly,thewomenoflaterstoriesareportrayedasmorethreatening.Thurber’sChangingAttitudestowardWomen:Misogyny,Envy,andAdmirationThurber’sowncommentsinaninterviewwithMaxEastmanrevealcontempttowardswomen:Americaisamatriarchy.Italwayshasbeen,italwayswillbe.TheAmericanWomanismytheme,andhowshedominatesthemale.ItbecameobvioustomewhenIwasachildthattheAmericanwomanwasincharge....Ithinkit’soneoftheweaknessesofAmerica....Themotherdominatestheson....Hesays:“Hey—Mom!CanIdothis—canIdothat?’Permissionfrom‘Mom’isthebigthing....Idon’tthinktherewillbeanyrevoltbytheAmericanman.IntheseriesIdid,“TheWarbetweenMenandWomen,’thewomansurrenderstotheman,butyou’llnoticeinthedrawingsthateachwomanhasabigrock...behindherback.Inotherwords,thewarisnotover.--ThurberinterviewedinTheNewRepublic,May16,1958.(Kinney532,ellipsesinoriginalquotation)(Unflatteringportrayalsofwomenwerenotpersonalrevenge,buthumorousdevices)TextComprehensionPara.1Whichsentenceinthefirstparagraphcontainsthethesisofthisessay?Whatdoyouthinkofthisgeneralization?Paraphrase•SurelynothingintheastonishingschemeoflifecanhavenonplusedNaturesomuchasthefactthatnoneofthefemalesofanyofthespeciesshecreatedreallycaredverymuchforthemale,assuch.(P.1)LanguagePoints(not)...assuchlumber(moveinaslow,awkwardway;givesomeoneajoborresponsibilitythattheydonotwant)recountgoto(great/any)lengthsTextComprehensionPara.2-8DevelopmentbyexamplesTransitionaldevicesusedbetweenparagraphsAnalogyvs.Simile&MetaphorSimile&Metaphor:comparisonononepointofresemblance;heighteneffectorenhancethesubjectthroughdescription,illuminationorillustrationAnalogy:aparallelbetweentwounlikethingsthathaveseveralcommonqualitiesorpointsofresemblance;usedforpersuasionorexplanationorexpositionofanideaTextComprehensionPara.2-8HowdoesThurberreminduswitheachexamplethatheisdescribingpeopleaswellaswildlife?WhatkindofsimilaritiesdoesThurberfindbetweentheexamplesandpeople?Whataretheotherthingsmenhavetodotoattractfemalesbecausetheirwhiskersandmustachesweren’tenough?Whatistheultimatesubstitute---the“somethingelse”---mentionedinthesecondparagraph?Whichparagraphcontainsseveralexamples?Doesthisparagraphprovideeffectivesupportforthethesis?Whatdoesthecourtinggrebesignify?TextComprehensionPara.2-8IsThurber’sattitudetowardwomen,asexpressedinthepoetryreadinginthelastparagraph,stereotypical?Whatisyourinterpretationofthelastsentenceoftheessay?Isitanexampleofverbalirony?Irony(反语):verbalirony;situationirony;dramaticirony.Innuendo,irony,sarcasm（嘲讽程度递增）（irony不完全是讽刺）•verbalirony:Robbingawidowofhersavingwascertainlyanobleact.Ifpeoplekeeptellingyoutoquitsmokingcigarette,don’tlisten…They’reprobablytryingtotrickyouintoliving.Whatisironicabouttheessay?HowdoesThurberachievesthisirony?Examples.TextComprehensionPara.2-8ParaphraseShesatquietlyenoughuntilhewaswellintothemiddleofthething,intoningwithgreatardorandintensity.(P.8)LanguagePointsgloomy(collocation)goinforfeatquill(pen)makeheadwayhitoncutafigurefalldownTextComprehensionPara.2-8LanguagePointsbedoneinbesittingprettybrandishpassthetimeofdaywithsomebodygoonabout(informal)tumbleintofigureoutlashoutattwitchTextComprehensionPara.2-8LanguagePointsdropinongetuptogototown(onsomething)(informal)goonebetter(thansb.)(informal)havedesignsonsth.rudimentaryfusswithstalkawayintentonTextComprehensionTheessayisamixtureofslangandscholarlylanguage.Listsomeexamplesofbothextremes.Howishumorachievedinthisessay?IllustratewithexamplesTextTranslationParagraph8