高级英语-Lesson-12-The-Loons

Lesson12•Speciesphoto'd[DR]5TheLoonsMargaretLaurenceCanadianNationalFlagMargaretLaurenceMargaretLaurence(1926-1987)OneofthegreatCanadianfictionwriters,bestknownforherManawakanovels---TheStoneAngel;AJestofGod;TheFireDwellers;Thediviners---allareconsideredclassicsofCanadianliterature.BorninNeepawa,Manitobain1926EducatedattheUniversityofManitobadiedatLakefield,Ontarioin1987raisedbyherauntmovedwithherhusbandtoAfricawhereheworkedasacivilengineerhadlivedinEngland,Canada,Somaliland(AregionofeasternAfrica),Ghana(AcountryofwesternAfricaontheGulfofGuinea),Greece,Crete(AnislandofsoutheastGreece),Palestine,India,Egypt,andSpainspentlastyearsinLakefield,OntarioherearlyworkdealswithhertravelsinAfricawhilelaterworksareoftensetintheCanadianWestNovels:ThisSideofJordan(1960)TheStoneAngel(1964)AJestofGod(1966)wontheGovernorGeneral'sAward(总督奖),filmedasRachel,Rachel(1968)TheFireDwellers(1969)ABirdintheHouse(1970)Jason'sQuest(1970)TheDiviners(1974)wontheGovernorGeneral'sAward(总督奖),filmedin1993ShortStories:TheTomorrow-Tamer(1963)Essays:HeartofaStranger(1976)Travel:TheProphet'sCamelBell(1963)Biographies：MargaretLaurence(1981)byPatriciaMorley,MargaretLaurence(1969)byClaraThomas,TheManawakaWorldofMargaretLaurence(1975)byClaraThomasTheLoons(1970)Firstpublishedin1970asonestoryinabookcalledABirdintheHouse1.TheSoundoftheSinging;2.ToSetOurHouseinOrder;3.TheMaskoftheBear;4.ABirdintheHouse;5.TheLoons;6.HorsesoftheNight;7.TheHalf-Husky;8.Jericho'sBrickBattlements(narrator:VanessaMacLeod)TheloonsisincludedintheNortonAnthologyofShortFiction(1980).loon:distinctiveCanadianbird,thebirdofthelakesAbouttenyearsago,theCanadiangovernmentcollectedalltheone-dollarpapernotesandissuedaone-dollarcoinwithaloonengravedonit.So,onedollarisslangilycalledaloony.A.Akindoffish-eating,divingbirdinNorthAmericanB.Onewhoiscrazyorderanged.loony:(fromlunatic)(personwhois)crazyoreccentric;lunaticHedoeshavesomeprettyloonyideas.Fromtheabovecoincidence,onecaneasilyperceivetheunderlyingreasonwhytheauthorchoosessuchatitleforhernovel.TopicsfordiscussionandreflectionIstheloonasymbol?Whatdoesitsymbolize,somethingorsomeone?Howisthedisappearanceoftheloonsrelatedtothethemeofthestory?WhatarethedifferentattitudesofVanessa’sfamily(thewhitepeople)towardsPiquette(thenativeIndians)respectively?CanyoufindanychangeofVanessa’sfeelingforPiquettefromtheverybeginningtotheend?Therearemanynaturalscenerydescriptionsinthetext.Why?Isthereprejudiceinoursocietytoday?What’syouropinionuponprejudice?GeneralunderstandingThetouchingstorysymbolizestheplightofPiquetteTonnerre,agirlfromanativeIndianfamily.Piquetteandherfamilywereunabletoexistindependentlyinarespectableanddignifiedway.Theyfounditimpossibletofitintothemaincurrentsofcultureanddifficulttobeassimilatedcomfortably,sotheyfailedtofindtheirpositioninmodernsociety.ThedisappearanceoftheloonssymbolizedthesufferingandthedeathofPiquette(andIndianpeopleaswell).Howisthedisappearanceoftheloonsrelatedtothethemeofthestory?HerdeathislikethedisappearanceoftheloonsonDiamondLake.Justasthenarrator’sfatherpredicted,theloonswouldgoawaywhenmorecottageswerebuiltattheLakewithmoreandmorepeoplemovingin.Theloonsdisappearedasnaturewasruinedbycivilization.Inasimilarway,Piquetteandherpeoplefailedtofindtheirpositioninmodernsociety.LifeexperienceAtschool,Piquettefeltoutofplaceandillateasewiththewhitechildren.Whenshehadgrownupshedidn'thaveanychancetoimproveherlife.Infacthersituationbecamemoreandmoremessedup.Intheendshewaskilledinafire.CanyoufindanychangeofVanessa’sfeelingforPiquettefromtheverybeginningtotheendofthestory?(Atschool,thedaysatDiamondLake,theirmeetingfouryearslater,thetimesheheardofPiquette’sdeathfromhermotherandshecametothelakeagain)indifferentpitiful/curious/mysterioustiresome/dislikingsympatheticunderstandingOrganizationofthetext:PartI(Para.1-2):AnintroductiontoPiquette’sfamilyPartII(Para.3-482ndpara.onp.214):PiqetteatschoolanddaysonDiamondLakewiththeMacLeod’sPartIII(Para.49-theend):Piquette’sadultlifeandhersuffering/miserablelife1.Vanessa’smeetingwithPiquetteagainattheageof17(Para.49-632ndpara.onpage217)2.ThedeathofPiquette(Para.63-71onpage218)3.Vanessa’scomingtotheDiamondLakeagainandseeingthegreatchangesanddisappearanceofloonsbroughtbythemoderncivilizationmadeherreallyunderstandPiquette.MorethingsEffectiveWritingSkills:1.makingeffectiveuseofspecificwords(adjectivesandverbs).2.usingmanyellipticalandshortsentencestoachievecertaineffect3.Scenerydescriptionasatransitionaldevice4.RhetoricalDevices(students’job)DetailedStudyoftheText…ranbrownandnoisyover…adj.usedasadverbials,e.g.a.Younginyears,heisoldinexperience.b.He,sadandtired,sleptallday.basis:thebasisofsth.isthestartingpointoranimportantpartofitfromwhichitcanbefurtherdeveloped.Chink:n.averynarrowcrackoropeninginthesurfaceofsth.v.whenobjectschink,oryouchinkthem,theytoucheachother.text:closethenarrowopeningswithmud.Riel:Canadianinsurrectionist(起义者;造反者)whoorganizedthemétissettlersinarebellionovertheirlandrights(1869).AfterleadingtheseconduprisinginSaskatchewan(1884