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TheMerelyVeryGoodJeremyBernsteinWhenthereaderencountersthetitleofthearticle”TheMerelyVeryGood”atthefirsttime,heorshewouldnotexpectthatRobertOppenheimer,”fatheroftheatomicbomb”intheUnitedStates,andStephenSpender,Englishpoetandcritic,couldbethemerelyverygood.Butanothertwomen,DiracandAudenwerereputedasgreatmasters,whowerethesameastheirhonorarytitlesinreality.Whatisthechiefdifferencebetweenthem?DoesBemsteinhavearighttorelegateOppenheimerandSpendertothecategoryofmerelyverygood?JeremyBersteinhasbeenaprofessorofphysicsformanyyearsandisawriterinhisownright.Heknowsbothphysicsandwritingwellincludingvariouswritersandtheirworkersorachievements.Heisinapositiontocometosuchaconclusion,whetherthereadersagreewithhimornot.BersteinreferedtosomeespecialexperiencesaboutRobertOppenheimerandStepherSpender,DiracandAudenrespectivelyinabidtomakeacleardistinctionbetweenmerelyverygooodandgreatconsiderably.WhenitcomestoRobertOppenheimer,thestaementofhislifeinevitablywasmixedwithsomehonorableevents,forexample,hewasgraduatedfromHarvardin1925,hewasawardedafellowshiptostudyinEuropeandtookhisdegreeinGermanyin1927attheageoftwenty-three.Butthemostimportantdescriptionisthathistutor,aGermanytheoreticalphysicistMaxBorn,publishedhisrecollectionsofOppenheimer,whichwerenotsympathetic.Hewrote“Oppenheimer,wasamanofgreattalentsandIwasconsciousofhissuperiorityinawaywhichwasembarrassingandlettotrouble.Inmyordinaryseminaronquantummechnics,heusedtointerruptthespeaker,whoeveritwas,notexcludingmyself,andtosteptotheblackboard,takingthechalkanddeclaring:Thiscanbedownmuchbetterinthefollowingmanner.”Latter,heencounteredaphysicist,Diracwhowastwenty-fivethatyear,twoyearsolderthanhim.Herarelyspoken,butwhenhedid,itwasalwaysbwithextraordinaryprecisionandwithdevastatingeffect.ThatmusthavehadaprofoundeffectonOppenheimer.WhileOppenheimerwasinterruptingBorn’sseminars,announcingthathecoulddocalculationsinquantumtheory,Dirac,inlytwoyearsolderthanhim,hadinventedthesubject.ThiscomparisionbetweenthemsatirizedOppenheimer’extremelyarroganceandsuggestedthatheshouldbeengrossedinphisciswithcalmmentalityandconscientiousattitude.Becausehealsospentalotoftimeinwrtingandcreatingpoems.Howcouldhehavemuchtimetostudyphysicsconcentrately.Comparedtopoem,physicscouldvirtuallygivepeoplesomethingthatnobodyknewbeforepractically.Hesaid:”Thereallygoodideainphysicsarehadbyonlyoneperson.”TheoutstandingachievementsifDiracinphysics,asamatteroffact,remaindthosewhointendtoorhavebegunreaserchingaindustrytodevotehimselforherselftoitwholly.Onlyinthisway,canyoumakeyourdremscometrueaoonerorlater,oracquireamazingcomplishments.Ontheotherhand,IsidorRabi’scommentinOppenheimeris:”Ineverranintoanyonewhowasbrighterthanhewas.ButtobemoreoriginalandprofoundIthinkyouhavetobemorefocused”StephenSpender,adistinguishedEnglishpoetandfamouscritic,wasrelegatedtothecategoryofmerelyverygoodaswell.Heseemed“unfocused”,forseveralrolesheplayedhaddistractedhisheedtocreatingpeam.Someoneconfusedthathowhegottimetowritepoemasplayeddifferentroles,suchaspartlyJewish,partlyhomosexual,partlyaBritishestablishmentfigureatthesametime.Besides,itwasafactthathehadbeenearninghislivingsincehisretirementfromuniversityinLondonadecadeearlierbydoinglecturesandclassesforgroupslikethatthepassagementioned.Itiswhyhedidn’tgiveanyopeningstatementsashecameintotheroom,justreadingsomepoemsofstudentswhichlistedsky,sea,sex,earth,red,green,blueandsoforththataretoocommonandvulgarandsuperficial.Hedidn’tgiveanycriticismandvaluablereview.Thoughhewasprettytiredofthesekindsoflecturesandclasses,hestillinsistedinacceptinvitationsfromdifferentplacesforthepurposeofhavingsomeeconomicincometosupportthefuturelifesafelyandsteadily.Heevencouldn’tgetridofbeinganembodimentforAuden,livingthewholeundertheirshadow.Wecanimaginethatthestatusisamiseryandobstacleforhimtocontinueinnovatinghisownuniquestyleofpoem.,whichalsoreflectshiscreativecapabilityhadbeenlost.Forsometime,hewasleadingarichsociallifewhichconsumedhismuchtimetointeractingwithdifferentsocialpeople.Littletimewasrestedtogetintocreationandcalmconsideration.SpenderaresofamiliarwithAuden’poemsthathelosthisoriginalandpersonalpoemstyle.HewastiredofimitationinthewholeoflifeevenifAudenhadbeendeadbeforehim.Hecouldrecitethemostbeautifullineinhismindwithouthesitancy.Butwehavenoticedthathewassodepressed,bemoan,regretandperhapsenvythathewrotethebeautifullinetrembingly.Infact,hiscomplexsensationandperformancehavemadehisastatusofmerelyverygoodprominent.Hewasunsatisfiedandunhappywithhimself,whichmeanshecommithisimperfectionandfetaldefects.Thereisonemorethingworthytogiveanotice---theskillsifauthorinknittingseeminglyscatteredanecdotesofvariouscharactersintoacoherentwhole.Theorganizationisverycoherentandelaborateandthemindislogicalandexperiencedwritingtechniques.Atthebeginingofthepassages,theauthorshowedhisexpressionofunwillingnesstogivethespeechatawriters’conference.TheauthorskillfullytransitionedfromhiseventtoOppenheimerbecausethetopicofthewritingconferenceisaboutpoetry.Inthestory,Oppenheimerwasgoodatdoingcalculationswithquantumtheoryandoft