Unit 13 What Life Means to Me

  Teaching objectives

1. Appreciating Jack London and his works.

2. Learning to analyze and criticize literary works

3. Understanding the use of figurative language.

4. Master the language points.

Jack London

What Life Means to Me Jack London

Jack London Born out of wedlock on January 12, 1876

deserted by his father poverty –stricken childhood at the age of ten : an avid reader, the works of

Flaubert, Tolstoy and other major novelists.

at fourteen, graduated from grammar school. At 15. Seaman,Prince of the Oyster Pirates 1894 , protest the wretched working conditions sentenced to the Penitentiary ( 罪犯 ) 教养所 1896. enrolled at the University of California kicked

out of school for his involvement in the Socialist Labor Party .

nineteenth century—Darwinism, Social Darwinism, Nietzscheism, and Marxism.

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) German idealist philosopher, prof. Of philology.

1.theory of the "beyond - man" or "superman." perfect in both mind and body,unmatched in strength and intelligence,not encumbered by religious or social mores.

2.Condemning the traditional morality(esp.the Chritian ethic) as the code of slavish masses

3. Superman would be above good and evil and would eradicate decadent democracy.

Karl Marx (1818 - 1883)German socialist and philosopher.

1.Proponent of scientific socialism and dialectical materialism.

2.History of class struggles, every social order based on class division contains the germ of its own destruction.

3.Theory of surplus value :the value of a commodity is determined by the quantity of labour(measured in time) required for its manufacture.

4.the overthrow of the capitalist system by the workers of the world.

5.Through socialism, ownership of the means of production and distribution are communally owned rather than privately owned.

Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) English naturalist

On the Origin of Species, Survival of the Fittest'

1900, the Klondike gold rush , married Bessie Maddern. The Call of the Wild(1903), 1903 The People of The Abyss

1904 Sea Wolf 1905, married his former secretary traveled to Korea as a correspondent to cover the w

ar between Russia and Japan (1904-05). The Iron Heel (1908) Martin Eden (1909). White

Fang, 1906

Between 1907 and 1909, sailed around the world. never miss his early morning 1,000-word writing

stint, and between 1900 and 1916 :completed over fifty books.

ran twice for Mayor of Oakland as a candidate of the socialist party

1916 of kidney failure, a result of his serious and lifelong problems with alcohol.

socialism as the savior of the working class writer , sailor, gold prospector, rancher

Warm-up questions

1. Have you ever read any works by Jack London? Which one impressed you the most? Why? Share your ideas with others.

2. Do you find any special characteristics about the heroes created by Jack London in his fiction world?

3. How much do you know about Jack London, as a social being and as a man of letter? How has he been evaluated in the mainstream of the American literature?

Jack London's "Credo""I would rather be ashes than dust!

I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze

than it should be stifled by dry rot.I would rather be a superb meteor,

every atom of me in magnificent glow,than a sleepy and permanent planet.

The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.

I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.

I shall use my time" ----Jack London (1876 - 1916)

Comments on London’s life philosophy the struggle to survive with dignity and

integrity combative love of knowledge love for the whole humankind Rebellious ,individualism,superman ,strong

will,freedom

Hope for human civilization.Father of American proletariate literatureRealist,spokesman of socialismGreat thinkerHis writings inspired later writers like Jo

hn Steinbeck and Jack Kerouac, Ernest Hemingway, and Robert Ruark, Sinclair

Comments on London’s life philosophy

his strong drive toward individualism and capitalist success.

an autodidact, his ideas lacked consistency and precision.

women's suffrage ,independent and strong female characters ,patriarchal toward his two wives and two daughters.

his life and writings: the contradictions in the American character

strong man ,idea,will wins. description of natural surrounding: risk,man

overcomes nature,. Old man---suffering,failure.struggle

love of life, survive,perseverance. socialism, his ‘holy grail.’

Organization and development: 1.time adverbials 2.description of his widening contact with

various members of the upper society. 3.the truth about the so –called upper

society and gradually changes of his outlook.

Experiences Revelations1.sordidness and

wretchedness he experienced in his early children

1.determination to climb up

2.working as a newsboy

2.business was the ladder

3.oyster-pirating 3.owner of capital was justified to exploit

4.raid among the Chinese fishermen

4.capitalism meant robbery

5.becoming a muscle seller

5.The rule was for the strong to exploit the weak.

Everything was a commodity.

There was a difference between a muscle seller and a brain merchant.

6.pursuit of knowledge

6.discovery of some scientifically formulated sociological concepts

7.contact with some socialists

7.nobleness of purpose and heroism of efforts

8.contact with masters of the society and their wives and daughters8.shocking materialism and hypocrisy---acceleration of disillusionment

9.more contact with upper class people9.crime and betrayal everywhere bored and sickened

resolved to join the working class in its effort to build a new world.

Organization of the text 1. Analysis of the text

The text is an autobiographical description of Jack London’s quest for the meaning of life ；the frustration and disillusionment he experienced in the process of finding out the meaning of life; and his ideological transformation.

The change in his outlook was drastic, but the path has been long and devious

For a better understanding of the text, we may trace chronologically the life experiences of J. London and see how he understood the meaning of life at different stages of his life: 

A naive child Anxious to climb up into the upper society

(having enthusiasm, ambition, ideals;cherishing romantic ideas about upper class )

↓ to enter

Newsboy (at 10)climbing the first rung of “business ladder”

↓Oyster pirate (16)believing in the law of the jungle

↓A hard labourer(muscle seller)game of capitalism; the survival of the fittest

(cruelly exploited)↓

A tramp, beggar (at 18)slipping back the rung of ladder,

Be scared into thinking

realizing the truth of “commodities” in society “muscle seller” vs “brain vendor” ↓ A knowledge pursuer determined to become a brain vendor ↓ A successful writer disillusioned with the upper class:- materialism, - hy

pocrisy callousness (moral paralysis ) - intellectually ignorance- corruption

(down in the cellar, beneath the point at which had started) determined socialist with a proletarian outlook resolving to topple over the society he had once

been so eager

Dictionary work: 1.crude: lacking tact, refinement, or taste. 粗野

的缺乏机智、文雅或品味的 2. rough: characterized by violent motion; turbul

ent: 狂暴的具有猛烈运动特征的 . 3.raw: unpleasantly damp and chilly: 阴冷的，

阴潮的又湿又冷使人不快的： raw weather. 干冷的天气 4.travail: work, especially when arduous or invol

ving painful effort; toil. 艰苦劳动工作，尤指费力的或需要作出巨大努

力的工作；辛劳

5. forsooth :in truth; indeed 6.a meager existence of scraping and scrimpin

g—a poor life of thrift and frugality meager---insufficient, poor, scanty. He led a from-hand-to mouth life on his meager

income. It was near the end of the month and Johnny c

ould only afford meager meals. scrimp:vi.(=skimp) 节俭 , 节省 , 吝啬 , 克扣 recompense.

They scrimped on butter as best as they could.他们尽量节省奶油。

节省 , 节缩 , 过度减少 :scrimp one's household,节缩家用

7.remunerate: to pay (a person) a suitable equivalent in return for goods provided, services rendered, or losses incurred;

to compensate for; make payment for: 赔偿；酬报： remunerate his efforts. 报偿他的努力

remunerate a person for his trouble 给某人的辛苦以报酬

8.by means of a rebate—by getting a rebate 9. fulminate: to issue a thunderous verbal attac

k or denunciation: 大声呵斥，谴责发出大声斥责或谴责声： fulminated against political chicanery. 强烈谴责

政治欺骗 To explode or detonate. 爆炸或爆发 10.pitch in: 开始大干特干 ; 拼命地干起来 start to work eagerly ,esp. in a group . Let’s pitch in and get the work done before da

rk.

11.replenish----fill up (store of goods )again ( a formal word).

to fill or make complete again; add a new stock or supply to: 补充把…再装满或再备足；给…新添备料或供给：

replenish the larder. 给食橱重新装满食物 to inspire or nourish: 鼓舞；使充满活力： The music will replenish my weary soul. 音乐使我疲惫的精神充满活力

12.a muscle bankrupt: a person who is no longer strong enough to do anything .

A person may also be morally bankrupt, Shutter: : 装上百叶窗或以百叶窗关闭： locked t

he doors and shuttered the windows. To cause to cease operations; close down: shuttered the store for the holiday. 节日期间商

店关门 13.vender: one that sells or vends: a street ven

der; vendors of cheap merchandise. a vending machine.( 投币或自动售货机 )

Language points: 1 .both of the flesh and the spirit---- both of the

body and the mind above me towered the colossal edifice of the

society---The tremendous structure of society stood high above me.

Many skyscrapers tower above all other buildings in Shanghai.

colossal: huge, gigantic, huge. This word can be used to describe a building, an amount of money, a statue, etc.

resolve: make a determined decision. She resolved to win first place at the coming

ping-pong (table tennis) championship. ascertain—make certain . As soon as you decide to travel by car, you

must ascertain that the car is in good working condition.

5.handicap: 障碍；不利条件 Blindness is a great handicap. 失明是一种重大

的残疾。 Poor eyesight is a handicap to a student. 视力

不好对学生来说是一个障碍。 Being small is a handicap in a crowd like this.

在这样一群人中，个子小吃亏。 Lack of money handicapped him in his busines

s badly. 缺少资金对他的生意十分不利。 ; 缺少资金使他

的企业不能发展。 a handicapped child 残废的儿童

6.rung: （地位上的）一级 the highest rung of the ladder 职业上的最高层 the lowest rung of the ladder 职业上的最低层 7.outfit: A set of clothing, often with accessories.

全套服装一套服装，常带装饰品 This store outfits skiers. 这家商店有滑雪设备 8.crew: A group of people working together; a g

ang: 一群，一帮；一帮人： a crew of stagehands. 一群舞台工作人员

9.hulk: 废旧船体 10.a betrayal of trust----unfaithfulness to the tru

st people have in him 11. by the purchase of senators….-----by bribin

g senators…. 12.be wont to ---be likely to(do or happen); be i

n the habit of (formal and old-fashioned use). She is wont to groan at the sight of a D on her r

eport card.

13.fellowship: referring to the good times the son of the factory owner had with his friends

Friendship; comradeship. 友谊；交情 14.displace—take the place of. Clara, the experienced secretary ,was displac

ed by an energetic young woman.\ E-mail has almost displaced the regular postal

service. 15.he was making an electrician out of me---he

was training me to be an electrian

16. he was making fifty dollars per month out of me----he was gaining fifty dollars by employing me.

He was trying to make a good chess player out of his son.

She made a skirt out of the curtain. 17.disincline--- make somebody have a feeling

of dislike or unwillingness. Too much pressure from his parents disinclined

the body towards his studies.

18.sweating bloody sweats---toiling and sweating sweat blood---work unusually hard.

19.the subterranean depth of misery: the greatest misery one can think of

hidden; secret: 隐藏的，秘密的： subterranean motives for murder. 进行谋杀的秘

密动机 subterranean depth: very deep under the earth

,the intensity of the misery 20.the pit: deep hole in the earth, esp. one from

which some material is dug out, abyss—hole so deep as to appear bottomless human cesspool---the cesspool where human

beings are thrown into

shambles ----butcher’s slaughter house house; scene of carnage or slaughter of men.

Charnel-house ---place where dead human bodies or bones are piled

By using the pit ,the abyss ,etc, to describe ‘ our civilization’, London means that it is that part of ‘our society’ that is the worst ,the most undesirable, the most unfortunate, the most wretched that one can think of.

21. the naked simplicities---the plain and simple truth 22.diminish: To make smaller or less or to cause to appe

ar so. His illness diminished his strength. 他的病削弱了他的体

力。 22.diminish: To make smaller or less or to cause to appe

ar so. His illness diminished his strength. 他的病削弱了他的体

力。 23.fetch: to bring in as a price: fetched a thousand dollars at auction. 拍卖卖得一千美元

24.longshoreman: a dock worker who loads and unloads ships.

25.roustabout: a laborer employed for temporary or unskilled jobs, as in an oil field.

Language points:(unit14)1. frantic: hurried ,excited.disordered;nervous,happy.

2.  formulate: express clearly and exactly. His proposal is well-formulated, taking many factors i

nto consideration. 规划或构想： formulate strategy.制定策略

3.when the logic subject refers to ‘people, you, we’, disagreement is allowed.

When studying fluid mechanics, it is found that air behaves like water with the exception of a specific density.

It is desirable to begin with a consideration of the more general situation when carrying out the test.

4.in as much as :to the degree that, owing to the fact that.

In as much as he is the students’ counsel or, he is greatly concerned about the students’ well-being.

25.keen-flashing intellect and brilliant wit----v

ery active mental power and high degree of intelligence

6.alert-brained: quick-minded 警觉的；警惕的； 机警的 He is an alert boy. 他是一个机警的孩子。 机灵的；活跃的 You must keep alert in class. 你们应该在课堂上保持活跃。

7.withal: in addition; besides: 8.horny: tough and calloused: 粗硬起老茧的：

horny skin. 起茧的皮肤

9.unfrocked: to strip of priestly privileges and functions.

10.wide interests 广泛的兴趣 wide knowledge 广博的知识 , a wide boy 非常精的孩子

11.renunciation: the renunciation of all earthly pleasures. 对所有的世俗享乐的摒弃

12. stinging: stimulating 13. rehabilitate: to restore to good condition,

operation, or capacity.

14.. the Holy Grail: a cup or plate that, according to medieval legend, was used by Jesus at the Last Supper and that later became the object of many chivalrous quests. 圣杯，圣盘据中世纪传说为基督在最后的晚餐上用过的那个杯或盘子， 后来成为许多骑士追求的目标 .Also called: Holy Grail Often Grail 常作 Grail :the object of a prolonged endeavor. 长期努力的目标

15.foretaste: an advance token or warning. 预示， ,预先获得的经验

16.ranch: an extensive farm, especially in the western United States, on which large herds of cattle, sheep, or horses are raised. 大牧场大片的农场，尤指位于美国西部，养了大群的牛、羊、马的牧场

17.portal: a doorway, an entrance, or a gate, especially one that is large and imposing. An entrance or a means of entrance: the local library, a portal of knowledge.

4 18.portal: a doorway, an entrance, or a gate,

especially one that is large and imposing. An entrance or a means of entrance: the local library, a portal of knowledge.

19.prattle :to talk or chatter idly or meaninglessly; babble or prate

20.intemperance: lack of temperance, as in the indulgence of an appetite or a passion.缺乏节制，如放纵食欲或情绪

21.agitator: One who agitates, especially one who engages in political agitation.

22.fare: to get along: How are you faring with your project?

22.verily: In truth; in fact. 23. decadent :a person in a condition or pro

cess of mental or moral decay. 24.diatribe: a bitter, abusive denunciation. 25.adulteration: adulterated goods 假货 mil

k adulterated with water 搀了水的牛奶 26. nil: Nothing; zero.

27 a patron of the arts.艺术事业的赞助者 28.blackmail: Something of value extorted i

n this manner. 29.scoundrelly恶棍 , 无赖 , 流氓 30.demagogue: a leader who obtains power

by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace. 煽动者，政治家通过慷慨激昂的手段赚取民众的情感或偏见而得到权力的领导者

31 antiquate: To make obsolete or old-fashioned. 使成为旧式，使过时

32.contemporaneous: Originating, existing, or happening during the same period of time:

the contemporaneous reigns of two monarchs. Originating, existing, or happening during he same period of time: 同时期的出现、存在或发生于同一时期的： the contemporaneous reigns of two monarchs.两位君主的同期统治

巨头

33.perjure: to render (oneself) guilty of perjury (The deliberate, willful giving of false, misleading, or incomplete testimony under oath. 伪证罪在宣誓后故意提供假的、易引起误解的或是不完整的证据

34.rebate: A deduction from an amount to be paid or a return of part of an amount given in payment

35 .magnate: an oil magnate.石油

36.acquiesce: to consent or comply passively or without protest.默认，默许，默从

37.ethical: being in accordance with the accepted principles of right and wrong that govern the conduct of a profession.

38.romance: ardent emotional attachment They kept the romance alive in their marri

age for 35 years.

39.crowbar: a straight bar of iron or steel 40. sodden: thoroughly soaked; saturated.

湿透的；浸透的 41.incentive: something, such as the fear of

punishment or the expectation of reward, that induces action or motivates effort.

42.gluttony: excess in eating or drinking.

English Rhetoric 1.Parallelism :

adds balance ,rhythm , clarity to the sentence.

2.Chiasmus( 交错配列法 ) : "reverse parallelism,"A,B structure ("forgotten gladly"), the A,B will be followed by B,A ("gladly forgotten"). very beautiful and effective.

Prepositional phrases or other modifiers : the effect is rather emphatic.

Tell me not of your many perfections; of your great modesty tell me not either.

Anaphora : the repetition of the same word or words at the beginning of successive phrases,

To think on death it is a misery,/ To think on life it is a vanity;/ To think on the world verily it is,/ To think that here man hath no perfect bliss. --Peacham

Epistrophe (结句反复 ): Where affections bear rule, there reason is s

ubdued, honesty is subdued, good will is subdued, and all things else that withstand evil, for ever are subdued. --Wilson

Difficult points in exercises 1． as much as:多达，到什么程度，几乎等于

By running away he as much as admitted that he had taken the money.

Scientists generally agree that the Earth’s Climate will warm up over the next 50 to 100 years ____ it has warmed in the 20,000 years since the Ice Age.

A. as long as B. as much as C. as soon as D. as well as

2． as much as to say：等于说，好象是说 That is as much as to say that I am a liar. You said ‘all right’, which was as much as to

say that you were satisfied. 3． For as much as =in as much as （ since,

because.） Forgive them, in as much as they are you

ng.

4． not so much - as与其说 ----不如说 He is not so much a president as a poet.与其说他是总统，不如说是诗人。

5． Not so much as, without so much as ：甚至不，连… ..都没有

6. not much of 不怎么样。

Translate the following sentences:与其说他输了比赛是多次被击中，不如说是自己缺乏斗志。

It was not so much the many blows he received as the lack of fighting spirit that led to his losing the game.

人口增长的主要原因与其说是出生率的增高，不如说是医疗条件改善带来的死亡率的下降。

The chief reason for the population growth isn’t so much a rise in birth rates as a fall in death rates as a result of improvements in medical care.

美国人追求的那种方便的生活方式，与其说是轻闲自在，不如说是忙忙碌碌，因为分分秒秒都宝贵得不容浪费。

The conveniences that Americans desire reflect not so much a leisurely lifestyle as a busy lifestyle in which even minutes of time are too valuable to be wasted.

他连头都不点一下就走了。 she left without so much as a nod.

5.他连自己的名字都不会写。 He couldn’t so much as spell his name.

Key features of naturalism: A reaction against the sensationalism感觉论 of

early romanticism. symbolism. adoption of Darwinian theory  an optimistic element, move onward and upwa

rd in an evolutionary march towards greater perfection. a deep love of humanity and loathing for the cruelty ,describe unemotionally and accurately

Naturalism in American Literature (1890-1910)

naturalism : scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings.

Theme:

survival, determinism, violence The conflict "man against nature" or "man

against himself"

Characters:  “presenting characters of low social and economic classes who were dominated by their environment and heredity”.

Narrator : an amoral/objective toward the subject/subjects; he holds no ethical standards.

Atavism(返祖现象 ): devolution—the return of a civilized being to the primitive.

self: primordial(原始的 )image symbolizes a pursuit of integral personality. to self –actualization, including self awareness of ego.

Assignments:

1.Finish the exercises of this unit in the workbook.

2.Read more about Jack London’s works.

3.Listen to the mp3 of this unit and read fluently.