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THE LOONS 课文讲解/Detailed StudyDetailed Study of the Text1. pebble: small stone made smooth and round by the action of water, eg in a stream or on the seashore2. scrub: underdeveloped trees or shrubsoak 橡树，栎树scrub oak: short, stunted (short, not-fully-grown) oak treecf:bush: (large) low growing plant with several or many woody stems coming out from the root (tree: with a single trunk)shrub: (small) plant with woody stem, lower than a tree, & usu. with several separate stems from the root3. chokecherry: North American wild cherry tree4. thicket: a thick growth of shrubs, underbrush or small trees5. clearing: open space from which trees have been cleared in a forest6. shack: a small roughly built house, hut,7. dwelling n (fml) place of residence; house, flat, etcmy humble dwellingdwelling-house(esp. law): house used as a residence, not as a place of work. 8. cabin: small hut or shelter, usu made of woodcabin class: second highest standard of accommodation on a ship二等舱9. poplar: 杨树10. chink: close the narrow openings with, plaster11. Batoche:巴托什, a village at the centre of Saskatchewan Province, Canada.The battle ground where the Canadian militia beat the rebellious army in 1885. It’s been established as the National Park of History now.(简明)12. Métis: [mei’ti:s] half-breed, one of mixed blood, esp. (often cap.) half breed 混血儿，尤指法国人与印第安人的混血后裔，杂种动物13. chaos: complete disorder or confusionThe burglars left the house in (a state of) chaos.The wintry weather has caused chaos on the roads.chaotic: in a state of chaos; completely disorganizedWith no one to keep order the situation in the classroom was chaotic.14. lean-to: small building or shed with its roof resting against the side of a larger building, wall or fenceThey keep hens in a lean-to at the end of the garden.a lean-to greenhouse15. warp: cause sth to become bent or twisted from the usual or natural shape, esp because of uneven shrinkage or expansion The damp wood began to warp.The hot sun had warped the cover of the book.16. lumber: (esp Brit) unwanted pieces of furniture, etc that are stored away or take up space(esp US) = timber17. coop: cage for small creature18. tangle: (cause sth to) become twisted into a confused massHer hair got all tangled up in the barbed wire fence.19. strand: a single piece or threadMany strands are twisted together to form a rope.20. barb: the sharp point of a fish hook, arrow, etc, with a curved shape which prevents it from being easily pulled out21. rust: the reddish brown surface that forms on iron when attacked by water and airrusty: covered with rust22. Patois a dialect other than the standard illiterate or provincial speech, jargon 洋泾浜英语23. broken: (of a foreign language) spoken imperfectly; not fluentspeak in broken English(of land) having an uneven surface; roughan area of broken, rocky ground(of a person) weakened and exhausted by illness or misfortuneHe was broken-hearted when his wife died.broken home: family in which the parents have divorced or separatedHe comes from a broken home.obscenity: offensive, repulsive remarks, cursing, vulgaritylaws against obscenity on the televisionfour letter words: fuck, shit, bull shit24. belong: to be suitable or advantageous, be in the right placeI don't belong in a place like this.He doesn't belong in the beginner's class.I refuse to go abroad: I belong here.25. Cree: one of the Indian tribes in Canada26. reservation: a piece of land set apart for N. American Indianscf: resort: (a) popular holiday centreseaside, skiing, health, etc resortsBeidaihe is a leading north coast resort.(b) (US) hotel or guest-house for holiday-makers27. neither fish, flesh nor good red herring / neither flesh, fowl, nor good salt herring : difficult to identify or classify; vague; ambiguous 难以辨别或分类的，非驴非马的，不伦不类的fowl: a. domestic cock or henWe keep a few fowls and some goats.b. flesh of certain types of birds, eaten for foodWe had fish for the first course, followed by roast fowl and fresh vegetables.c. any bird: the fowls of the airwaterfowl barnyard fowl wildfowlherring: Atlantic fish, usu swimming in very large shoals( 鱼群）, used for food 鲱鱼28. odd: not regular, occasional, casual, occasional, randomLife would be very dull without the odd adventure now and then.29. section hands / gang: a group of workmen keeping one section of a railway line repaired30. relief: aid in the form of goods, coupon or money given, as by a government agency, to persons unable to support themselveson relief: receiving government aid because of poverty, unemployment, etc.a relief teacher31. …with a face that seemed totally unfamiliar with laughter, would knock at the doors of the town’s brick houses… This suggests that the Tonnerres had lived a very miserable life. They had never experienced happiness in their whole life. The “brick houses” indicates the wealthy people’s home.32. lard: pig fat made pure by melting, used in cookery33. pail: a usu. round open vessel of metal or wood, with handles, used for carrying liquids, bucket (just like the ones we use now)34. bruise: injury caused by a blow to the body or to a fruit, discolouring the skin but not breaking it He was covered in bruises after falling off his bicycle.35. brawl: noisy quarrel or fighta drunken brawl in a bar36. howl: long loud wailing cry of a dog, wolf, etc , loud cry of a person expressing pain, scorn, amusement, etc let out a howl of laughter, agony, ragehowl: v.wolves howling in the forestto howl in agonysyn: bawl, moan, scream, wail, sob,37. Mountie: member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police加拿大皇家骑警mount: ~ sb (on sth) get onto or put (sb) onto a horse, etc for riding; provide (sb) with a horse for ridingHe quickly mounted (his horse) and rode away.He mounted the boy on the horse.The policemen were mounted on (ie rode) black horses.a mounted policemen, ie on horses38. cell: a small room in a prison39. sporadic: happening or seen only occasionally or in a few places; occurring irregularlysporadic showerssporadic raids, gunfire, fightingsyn: irregular infrequent, intermittent occasional40. negligible: too slight or unimportant to be worth any attention, of little importance or size; not worth considering a negligible amount, error, effectThis year’s deficit in foreign trade is negligible.'negligent: not taking or showing enough careHe has been negligent in not locking the doors as he was told to.41. She existed for me only as a vaguely embarrassing presenceAs far as I am concerned, her presence would only make other people feel ill at ease / uncomfortable.42. hoarse: sounding or growling rough and harshHe shouted himself hoarse.43. limp: walk unevenly, as when one foot or leg is hurt or stiffThat dog must be hurt; he's limping.The injured footballer limped slowly off the field.Cf: shuffle: walk without lifting the feet completely clear of the groundThe prisoners shuffled along the corridor and into their cells.totter and sway, lurch out, droopy hobble(n), stagger, stumble, floppy (These are words used in Argentia Bay to describe Roosevelt)44. grimy: dirty, messy, filthygrime: dirt, esp in a layer on a surface45. peculiar: odd or strange, eccentric, strange in a troubling or displeasing waya peculiar taste, smell, noise, etca peculiar feeling that one has been here beforeMy keys have disappeared; it's most peculiar!He's a bit peculiar!46. flare: burn brightly but briefly or unsteadilyThe match flared in the darkness.flare up: burn suddenly more intenselyThe fire flared up as I put more logs on it.reach a more violent state; suddenly become angryViolence has flared up again.He flares up at the slightest provocation.(of an illness)recur, happen againMy back trouble has flared up again.47. It's under control all rightall right:(infml) certainly; beyond doubt; expressing absolute certaintyThat's the man I saw in the car all right.48. the dickens (infml euph) (used to give emphasis, esp in questions) the Devil Who / What / where the dickens is that?We had the dickens of a job finding the place.我们费了九牛二虎之力才找到这个地方。
theloons读书笔记
看完了 Margaret Laurence 的 the loons。
词汇和句子用得也太美了，只能给用强悍两个字来形容。
看完之后，觉得蛮忧伤的。
女主角的命运就像安排好一样的，她自己其实不想生活是那样的结局吧，在一场大火中带着孩子死去。
看完后，跑去网上搜了一下网友的读后感，好多人都写的是这篇文章反应了对原住民的命运。
我自己倒是觉得，更像是讲述这个故事的人对女主角的一生坎坷的命运的惋惜。
就像当初一个班上，总有一个很微不足道的，家里条件也不好，看起来也很不招人喜欢的人。
也没有人愿意对她给与更多的`善意。
到后来，隔了很多年后，从别人的嘴里，听到这个人的故事。
没有太多人会真的怜惜那个人的命运，无论有多悲惨也好，多可怜也好。
对旁人来说，无关紧要。
大概就会觉得很悲凉吧。
说起来，高级英语里面选的文章，蛮多都还蛮治郁的。
Lesson 12 The LoonsObjectives of Teaching1) Improving students’ ability to read between lines and understand the text properly;2) Cultivating students’ ability to make a creative reading;3) Enhancing students’ ability to appreciate the text4) Helping students to understanding rhetorical devices;5)Encouraging students to voice their own viewpoint fluently and accurately. Important and difficult points1)understanding the theme of this passage;2)appreciating the writing style.I. Background information about the author:Margaret Laurence is one of the major contemporary Canadian writers. After her marriage, she lived in Africa for a number of years.Her works include A Tree of Poverty(1954), This Side of Jordan(1960), The Tomorrow-Tamer (1963), The Prophet’s Camel Bell(1963), The Stone Angel(1964) and The Fire Dwellers (1969), A Bird in the House (1970), The Diveners (1974).II. Type of writing: short fiction“The Loons” (1970) is included in the Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, 2nd ed., 1981.III. Background of the story:This touching story tells of the plight of a girl from a native Indian family. Her people were marginalized by the white-dominating society. They were unable to exist independently in a respectable and dignified way. They found it impossible to fit into the main currents of culture and difficult to be assimilated comfortably. At school, the girl felt out of place and ill at ease with the white children. When she had grown up she didn’t have any chance to improve her life. In fact her situation became more and more messed up. In the end she was killed in a fire.IV. Detailed study of the text1. shack: a small roughly built house, hut2. dwelling: n (fml) place of residence; house, flat, etcEg: my dwelling in Kaifengdwelling-house(esp. law): house used as a residence, not as a place of work3.belong: to be suitable or advantageous, be in the right placeeg: I don't belong in a big city like this.He doesn't belong in the advanced learners’ class.She refuses to go abroad: She belongs here.4.odd: not regular, occasional, casual, occasional, randomeg: odd jobsHis life was not dull with the odd adventure now and then.5. relief: aid in the form of goods, coupon or money given, as by a government agency,to persons unable to support themselveseg: a relief lawyeron relief: receiving government aid because of poverty, unemployment, etc.6. …with a face that seemed totally unfamiliar with laughter, would knock at the doors of the town’s brick houses…This suggests that the Tonnerres had lived a very miserable life. They had never experienced happiness in their whole life. The “brick houses” indicates the wealthy people’s home.7. flare:1) burn brightly but briefly or unsteadilyEg: The match flared in the darkness.flare up: burn suddenly more intenselyThe fire flared up as I put more logs on it.2) reach a more violent state; suddenly become angryeg:Violence has flared up again.He flares up at the slightest provocation.3) (of an illness)recur, happen againMy back trouble has flared up again.8. dogged: determined; not giving up easilyEg: a dogged defence of the cityAlthough he's less talented, he won by sheer dogged persistence.V. Organization of the storyPart I. (Paras 1-2): Introduction of the novel---the general background.Part II. (Para.3-4) The whole storySection 1. Para.3 (p.206) – Para.6 (p.208) Introducing the heroine Piquette.Section 2. Para.7 (p.208) – Para.2 (p.214) Days together with Piquette at Diamond LakeSection 3. Para.3 (p. 214) – Para.2 (p.217) Second meeting with Piquette several years laterSection 4. Para.3 (p.217) – Para.4 (p.218) Piquette’s deathPart III. (Para. 5 on page 218 – end). AnalogyVI. Rhetorical devices1)Hyperbole…dresses that were always miles too long.…those voices belo nged to a world separated by aeons from our neat world2)Metaphor…the filigree of the spruce treesdaughter of the forestI tried another lineA streak of amber3) PersonificationThe two grey squirrels were still there, gossiping…The news that somehow had not found its way into letters.I tried another linea streak of amber4) Transferred epithetAll around, the spruce trees grew tall and close-set, branches blackly sharp against the sky which was lightened by a cold flickering of stars.I was ashamed, ashamed of my own timidity, the frightened tendency to look the other way.My brother, Roderick, who had not been born when we were here last summer, sat on the car rug in the sunshine and examined a brown spruce core, meticulously turning it round and round in his small and curious hands.5) MetonymyThose voices belonged to a world separated by aeons from our neat world of summer cottages and the lighted lamps of home. (our modern civilization)6) Synecdochethe damn bone’s flared up againVII. The theme of the story:The death of the heroine is like the disappearance of the loons on Diamond Lake. Just as the narrator’s father predicted, the loons would go away when more cottages were built at the Lake with more people moving in. The loons disappeared as nature was ruined by civilization. In a similar way, the girl and her people failed to find their positions in modern society.VIII. Questions for discussion:How is the diasappearance of the loons related to the theme of this story?。
