1、Unit 3 The Rite of Spring,Arthur Miller,Content,The author,Theme,structure,Lead-in,Do you like gardening? Why or why not?,His Life,Arthur Miller (1915-2005),A Harlem-born Polish-Jewish boy Majored in journalism at University of Michigan Wrote first play in 1936 Received BA in English in 1938,His Car
2、eer,First successful play: All My Sons, 1946Huge success: Death of a Salesman, 1949 The Crucible, 1953 About Salem Witch hunt in 1692 HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee), anti- communist McCarthyism Attended a HUAC hearing in 1956, refusing to give names; sentenced to a $500 fine or thirty
3、 days in prison, blacklisted, and disallowed a US passport Conviction overturned in 1958 Return to theatrical success: The Price, 1968 Experimental drama in 1970s, unsuccessful Kept writing until 2004,His Influence,One of the greatest dramatists of the twentieth century Politically engaged, commerci
4、ally successful, social plays Numerous awards and honors: Three Tony Awards, Pulitzer Prize for Death of the Salesman in 1949 1965, Elected the first American president of International Pen 1993, awarded the National Medal of Arts2001, selected for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S governments highest
5、honor for achievement in the humanities,Death of a Salesman 1949; 1984 movie starring Dustin Hoffman),The Crucible, 1953, 1996 movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis,His Works,His Marriage,Mary Slattery, college sweetheart, 1940 Marilyn Monroe, 1956Brief affair in 1951Accompanied Miller to his 1956 trial M
6、ade The Misfits with Miller as the scriptwriter Divorced in 1961 Inge Morath, 1962 Son Daniel born with Down Syndrome; institutionalized at Millers insistence Son-in-law, English actor Daniel Day-Lewis,“The Rite of Spring” rite: a solemn ceremony or act; a set of fixed words or acts The Rite of Spri
7、ng by Stravinsky: a sacred pagan ritual where the wise elders are seated in a circle and are observing the dance before death of the girl whom they are offering as a sacrifice to the god of Spring in order to gain his benevolenceWhat does “The Rite of spring” refer to in this text? How is gardening
8、a rite? Does gardening carry any symbolic meaning?,Theme,Structure,Part I (1-2) Para II (3-10)A. (3-4)B. (5)C. (6-8)D. (9-10) Para III (11-12),Gardening as a celebration of the coming spring,Gardening involves conflict and choice-making.,Gardening teaches you about nature.,Gardening is neurotic and
9、moral.,Gardening helps character building.,Gardening enables people to stay hopeful for the future.,Why gardening?,Assignment,Exercise on Page67-69,Word Study,compensation,We have the right to claim against you for compensation of all losses. As compensation, he offered to take her out for a meal.V.
10、 compensate Adj. compensatory,conflict,Max points out the potential conflicts below the surface of society. ( a state of disagreement or argument between people, groups, countries etc, political/ social/ industrial conflict) A conflict between the two countries could easily spread across the whole r
11、egion. (fighting or a war, armed/military/violent conflict) Many of these ideas appear to be in conflict with each other.,cultivate,A. to grow crops and plants= grow 耕作，种植，培育 B. to work hard to develop a particular skill, attitude, or quality 培养Eg: The land was too rocky to cultivate.Try to cultivat
12、e a more relaxed and positive approach to life. Adj. cultivated 有素养的，有教养的 N. cultivation N. cultivator 耕种者， 耕耘机,delicate,A delicate glassA delicate child Her delicate skin A plate with a delicate pattern of leavesA delicate pink,(easily damaged or broken)(be hurt or ill easily ) (attractive and grac
13、eful) (made skillfully and with attention to the smallest details) (of a taste, smell, or color ) not strong,occupation,Please state your name, age and occupation below. ( a job or profession) Her main occupation seems to be shopping.( pastime) The areas under occupation contained major industrial a
14、reas. ( the act of moving into a country, town, etc. and taking control of it using military force) v. occupy Adj. occupied be occupied with 忙于 N. occupier 占用者，占领者,rational,A. rational thoughts, decision etc. are based on reasons rather than emotions Eg: Parents need to be fully informed so they can
15、 make a rational decision. B. a rational person is able to think calmly and sensibly Eg:Culley was quite rational at the time of her babys death.N. rationality Ant. irrational,reflect,She could see herself reflected in his eyes. ( usu. Passive) to show the image of sb./sth. on the surface of sth. su
16、ch as a mirror, water or glass. How much youre paid reflects how important you are to the company. ( to show or be a sign of the nature of sth. or of sbs attitude or feeling) Reflect on/upon sth. : to think carefully and deeply about sth. Eg: He had time to reflect on his successes and failures. N.
17、reflection,resolve,A. to solve, settle - a dispute/ conflict/ problem etc.B. (formal) to make a definite decision to do sth. Translation:约翰迫切需要钱来解决他的金融问题。离婚后，她决定不再结婚。eg: John was desperate for money to resolve his financial problems.After the divorce she resolved never to marry again. Adj: resolute坚
18、决的，果断的 N. Resolution 解决，决心,stake,Because of this, British taxpayers now hold an 84 percent stake in the bank. ( money that sb. invests in a company) Some legends say he was burned at the stake. At stake is not only the health of humans but that of the earth. ( in danger) They were playing cards for
19、high stakes. ( sth. that you risk as the result of a horse race, card game etc.),strangle,1. The victim had been strangled with a belt. ( =choke) 2. Mills argues that high taxation strangles the economy.( to limit or prevent the growth or development of sth.),Detailed Analysis of the Text,Structure,
20、Part I (1-2) Para II (3-10)A. (3-4)B. (5)C. (6-8)D. (9-10) Para III (11-12),Gardening as a celebration of the coming spring,Gardening involves conflict and choice-making.,Gardening teaches you about nature.,Gardening is neurotic and moral.,Gardening helps character building.,Gardening enables people
21、 to stay hopeful for the future.,Why gardening?,Part I,Para 1. When you think how easy and cheap, relatively, it is to buy a bunch of carrots or beets, why raise them? Elliptical sentence: Eg: Why go there today?Why tell me now?If you know it is very easy and cheap to buy some vegetables, you would
22、wonder why you grow them by yourselves.,And root crops especially are hard to tell apart, when store-bought, from our own.It is hard to tell the difference between root crops bought in stores and those planted by ourselves.,There is a human instinct at work here, a kind of back-breaking make-believe
23、 that has no reality. (para.1) Back-breaking: physically hard and tiring Make-believe: believing in things that you want to believe because they are easy or exciting, but are not real At work: (lit.) to be having an effect, usually an obvious or bad effect Eg: We must understand that there is still
24、a strong anti-reform force at work. Paraphrasing: It has something to do with human nature, that is, people always pretend that what they have done is better than it really is.,Para.2 As it is, though, I cannot deny that when April comes I find myself going out to lean on the fence and look at that
25、miserable plot of land, resolving with all my rational powers not to plant it again. (para.2) Analyze the grammatical structure of the sentence. Paraphrase: In fact, I have to admit that I decide calmly and rationally not to plant it every spring when I see the terrible land in the garden.,And the s
26、un means business(para.2) Mean business: (infml) to be very serious about sth. you have to do Eg: - Is she serious when she says shell quit her present job?- Yes, I think she means business. Paraphrasing: The sun shines more brightly and its getting warmer.,Para.1 Reasons for my not understanding wh
27、y we kept a garden. It is easy and cheap to buy vegetables. There is no difference between root crops bought in stores and those planted by ourselves. I dont particularly like eating vegetables. Para.2 Things that could justify my keeping a garden.a morning in April : A scent wafts through the windo
28、w. The sun has a different, deeper yellow in its beams. The birds begin screaming The worms are deliciously,Para1 &Para 2: Why the author starts a garden. He does so not for love of vegetable but as a way of embracing Spring- a season of revival.,Part II,Paras.3-4 What does the author mean by saying
29、 that “conflict” sends him back to garden? Whats the difference between black plastic and hay mulch?,But black plastic looks so industrial, so unromantic, that I have gradually move over to hay mulch.But black plastic looks so unnatural and ugly that I have gradually changed to hay mulch.,Para 3 & P
30、ara 4:,In gardening, one has to make choices and learn by trial and error.,Para.5 Keeping a garden makes you aware of how delicate, bountiful, and easily ruined the surface of this little planet is.If you keep a garden, it will help you realize how generous the land of the Earth is to us and how eas
31、ily damaged it is.,I suppose if you loaded the soil with chemical fertilizer these differences would be less noticeable, but I use it sparingly and only in rows right (where seeds are planted) rather than broadcast over the whole area.I think if you put too much chemical fertilizer in the soil, the
32、subtle differences in it would not be very obvious, so I use it very carefully and only in the place where the seeds are planted instead of spreading it over the whole place.,Im not sure why I do this beyond the saving in fertilizer and my unwillingness to aid the weeds. (para.5) Beyond: except (in
33、negative sentences) Eg. He has no idea of the current situation beyond what little he is told. Paraphrase: I dont know why I only use very little fertilizer; maybe I dont want to spend too much fertilizer, or maybe I dont want the weeds to thrive on fertilizer. But certainly there are more reasons.,
34、Para 5: Gardening reminds us of the delicacy and bountifulness of our planet.,Paras. 6-8 Gardening is neurotic and moral. Also, your paternal and maternal instincts come into play. Come into play: to start to have an effect Besides, your natural tendency to act as a kind or caring father or mother b
35、egins to work.,Para.6: Gardening requires love and care.,In some cases, as with beans and cucumbers, your children- as it were, begin to turn upon you in massive numbers, growing more and more each morning and threatening to follow you into the house to strangle you in their vines. As it were: as yo
36、u might say 可以说 The author here is describing how the beans and cucumbers can grow in massive numbers and come to him suddenly as if to strangle him in their vines. The word “strangle” here doesnt really mean to choke him to death. He is saying these numerous beans and cucumbers are like naughty and
37、 playful children, struggling to embrace him at the same time, making him almost hard to breathe.,Para.7: Gardening requires patience and persistence. Para.8 What do you think of the mother-in-law story? Why such a story?,She is an outspoken, truthful woman, or she was until she learned better. (par
38、a.8) Learn better: learn that it is not wise or moral to do sth. Paraphrasing: She used to be a woman who spoke her mind and who was always straightforward in her speech, but now she has learned from experiences that it is not wise to do so. Para.8: Gardening involves learning from ones own mistakes
39、.,Para.9 The growth of plants is similar to the spiritual growth of man. In some pocket of the mind there might even be the tendency to change this vision into a personal assurance that all this healthy growth, this orderliness and thrusting life must somehow reflect movements in ones own spirit. (p
40、ara.9) Paraphrasing: In some small corner of the mind, I am even inclined to believe that such beautiful view of the garden can be transformed into a spiritual certainty; I feel certain that just like this well-organized and arranged garden and the life and vitality of everything growing in it, my s
41、pirit is equally active as well as in order.,Para. 10 Gardening entails striving as in other human activities. A garden is an extension of oneself or selves and so it has to be an arena where striving does not cease, but continues by other means. (para. 10) Paraphrasing: Garden has to be another pla
42、ce where people continue to work hard to achieve something.,Para.9 & Para.10: Gardening helps character building.,Why gardening? (3-10)Gardening involves conflict and choice-making.Gardening teaches you about nature. Gardening is neurotic and moral. Gardening helps character building.,Part III,Para.
43、 11 Only the gardener is capable of reviving so much hope that this year, regardless of drought, flood, typhoon, or his own stupidity, this year he is going to do it right! (para.11) Paraphrasing: Only the gardener can become hopeful after repeated failures and believe that this year he is going to
44、have a good harvest, even though there might be disasters like drought, flood, typhoon, and even though he himself is foolish.,Leave it to God to have picked the proper occupation for the only creature capable of such self-delusion. (para. 11) Leave it to sb. to do sth.: to allow someone to make a c
45、hoice or decision about something, or to make someone responsible for something Paraphrasing: God has done His job properly and chosen the right occupation for mankind, because only man can “deceive” themselves willingly, only man can regain hope after repeated failures, believing in new and better
46、possibilities.,Part III (11 & 12):Gardening enables people to stay hopeful for the future, even in the coldest days in winter.,Discussion,Summarize what Miller says about gardening . Do you think what Miller says still holds in the contemporary world? Now what do you think of Millers attitude toward
47、s gardening? What do you think of the way he expresses himself?,Definition: the surface meaning and the underlying meaning of what is said are not the same Irony consists in stating the contrary of what is meant Types of irony Verbal irony is a disparity of expression and intentionDramatic irony is a disparity of awareness between actor and observerSituational irony is the disparity of intention and result,Irony,Can you find where the irony is in “The Rite of Spring”?TitleTime of writingVerbal irony,Irony,Thank You!,
