Transcript Unit 7

Unit 10
The Wonderful Lousy Poems
Contents
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Pre-reading questions
Background information
Structural analysis of the text
Comprehensive questions
Language Points
Sentence highlights
Language appreciation
Grammar points
Comprehensive questions of Text II
Background information
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About the author and the
text
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Budd
Schulberg,
American
novelist, short story writer, screen
writer, and contributor to major
national magazines, is the author
of What Makes Sammy Run
(1941), The Disenchanted (1950),
and On the Waterfront (1954).
The son of “a Hollywood tycoon,”
Schulberg invest the above autobiographical account with the
drama of film community life in
the 1920s, even as he finds in a
childhood crisis the sources of the
creative process.
Pre-reading questions
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Have you ever tried to write a poem?
How different is your father from your
mother in their methods when they try to
give you proper education?
Structure analysis of the Text
The story is narrated from the author’s point of view, in
the tone of recollections of the past. Hence vividness
and
truthfulness are created. Written in a
chronological order, the narration is interspersed with
comments. While narrating his past experience, the
author presents to the reader a portrait of his father in
work, and toward the end of the text, he makes a
comment of two kinds of forces in love: the father’s
force and the mother’s force, both of which he later
realizes are important to his growth.
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Part I: Introduction (Paragraphs 1-6)
Budd wrote his first poem, which is highly
praised by his mother, and he was expecting
his father’s arrival in excitement, feeling sure
he would appreciate it more than his mother.
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Part II: Main Body (Paragraphs 7-20)
Budd’ s father came home, and beyond his
expectation, the poem was denounced as “lousy”
Part III: Conclusion (Paragraph 21-24)
The author makes a comparison between the father’s
love and the mother’s love. Although conflicting, they
are complementary and in fact, both are indispensable
to his growth.
Questions for comprehension
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1. How did his mother respond to Budd’s first
poem?
His mother’s response was positive and
affirmative. She poured out her welcome
praise and cried that she had not expected that
her son had such a talent for poetry writing.
She encouraged the son to keep on writing.
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2. Why did Budd look forward to his father’s
arrival?
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His father was a Hollywood tycoon and began his
career as a writer. Budd believed that his father
would be able to discover his talent and appreciate
his poem more than his mother did.
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3. How did his father respond to the poem?
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Quite beyond his expectation, his father at first
ignored his poem and then, when he did notice it
and read it, he dropped the poem back and
declared that it is “lousy,” which hurt Budd
severely.
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4. Which kind of love was important to Budd’s growth, the
mother’s love or the father’s love?
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Both were important to Budd’s growth. The mother’s love was
encouraging and inspiring. She encouraged Budd to keep on
writing. The father’s love was strict and stern. His principle in the
education of the son was to “Watch. Listen. Review. Improve.”
These two kinds of love were indispensable in Budd’s development.
“I try to navigate my little craft so as not to capsize before either.”
That is to say, both his mother’s affirmation and his father’s doubt
were in the name of love, and Budd followed the course between
them.
Language points
1.exuberant
 (1)of people and their behavior overflowing
with life and cheerful excitement
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(2)(of plants) growing strongly and
plentifully
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His paintings were full of exuberant color．
the exuberant growth of a tropical rain forest
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2. nothing short of (used to add force to a statement) nothing
less than
 The closure of the factory will be nothing short of a disaster
／of disastrous for the people in the area．
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3.glow
(1) to give out heat and／or soft light without
flames or smoke
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The iron bar was heated until it glowed．
The cat’s eyes glowed in the darkness.
(2)(+with) to show redness and heat，especially in
the face，e．g．，after hard work or because of
strong feelings
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She was glowing with health and happiness．
She glowed with pride at her son’s achievements
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4.elaborate:adj. full of detail; careful worked
out and with a large number of parts
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She made elaborate preparations for the party, and
then no one came.
The curtains had an elaborate pattern of flowers.
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5. do justice to: to treat adequately, fairly, or
with full appreciation
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She cooked a delicious dinner, but we couldn’t
really do it justice(=eat enough of it) because we’d
eaten too much already.
She didn’t do herself justice in the exam (=did not
answer the questions as well as she could have).
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6. oath
(1)(words used in making) a solemn promise to do
something or solemn declaration that something is true
(usually appealing to God，etc．as a witness)
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There is a standard form of oath used in law courts．
(2)casual and improper use of the name of God，etc．to
express anger，surprise，etc; swear-word
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He hurled a few oaths at his wife and walked out，slamming the
door．
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7.glamorous: a. attractive, charming, exciting
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the glamour of film stars
glamor: n. attractive or exciting quality which
somebody/something has, and which seems
out of reach to others.
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hopeful young actors and actresses dazzled by the
glamor of Hollywood.
Now that she’s an air hostess, foreign travel has
lost its glamor for her.
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8.rant: v. to speak loudly, violently or
theatrically
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He ranted (on) at me about my mistakes.
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9.wheel
(1)to push or pull (a vehicle with wheels)
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wheel a barrow( along the street)
(2)to move in a curve or circle
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birds wheeling about in the sky above us
Left／Right wheel 向左转／向右转
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10.glare:
n (1)strong unpleasant dazzling light
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(2)angry or fierce look；fixed look
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give somebody a hostile glare
v (1)to shine with a dazzling．unpleasant fight
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avoid the glare of the sun，of car headlights，etc．
The searchlight glared，illuminating the prison yard
(2)to stare angrily or fiercely at somebody／
something)
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He didn’t’ shout or swear，but just glared silently at me.
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11.hold one’s ground:
To maintain one’s claim, intension, argument,
etc; not to yield or give way
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The speaker calmly held his ground in the face of
angry opposition.
She held her ground in spite of all the counterarguments
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12.crush
(1)to press or squeeze (somebody／something) so
hard that it breaks or is damaged
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(2)to break something hard into small pieces or into
powder by pressing
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Several people were crushed to death by the falling rocks．
Huge hammers crush (up) the rocks．
(3)to defeat (somebody／something) completely：
to subdue
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The rebellion was crushed by government forces．
He felt completely crushed by her last remark．
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13.dawn on: to gradually become clear to
one’s mind; to become evident to somebody
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It finally me that he had been lying.
The truth began to dawn on him.
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14.counsel:
1) to give professional advice to (somebody
with a problem)
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(2) to give (the stated advice)
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A psychiatrist who counsels alcoholics
I would caution in such cases
(3) to advice
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He counseled them to give up the plan.
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15. echo:
(1)(of places) to send (something) back
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(2) (fig) to repeat, imitate or to recall
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The valley echoed back his song.
They echoed their leaders’ every word.
(3) (of places) to repeat a sound (to, with)
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The hills echoed the sound of laughter.
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16. buffet
v. To knock or push roughly from side to side
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flowers buffeted by the rain and wind
a boat buffeted (about) by the waves
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17. navigate
(1) to find the position and plot the course of a ship,
an aircraft, a car etc., using maps and instruments
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(2) to steer ( a ship); to pilot ( an aircraft)
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Which officer in the ship navigate?
navigate the tanker around the Cape
(3) to sail along, over or through (a sea, river, etc.)
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Who first navigated the Atlantic?
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18. capsize: to (cause a boat to) overturn or be
overturned
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The boat capsized in heavy seas.
Huge waves can capsize the ship
Sentence highlights
1. My father always paced determinedly as he ranted
against the studio greats, and now as he wheeled
he paused and glared at his plate.(Para. 9)
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Paraphrase:
2. I wasn’t hearing so well because it is hard to hear
clearly when your head is making its own sounds
of crying. (Para.18)
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Paraphrase:
3. And my mother was learning that she could
criticize me without crushing me. (Para.21)
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Paraphrase:
4. Between the two poles of affirmation and doubt,
both in the name of love, I try to follow my true
course. (Para. 24)
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Paraphrase
Language Appreciation
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1.The Wonderful Lousy Poems (the title)
oxymoron
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2. …calling down terrible oaths on his
glamorous employees. (Para. 7)
paradox
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3. My father always paced determinedly as
he ranted against the studio greats, and now
as he wheeled he paused and glared at his
plate.(Para. 9)
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4.Those conflicting but complementary
voices of my childhood echo down through
the years-wonderful, lousy, wonderful, lousylike two powerful, opposing winds buffeting
me. (Para.24)
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5. I try to navigate my little craft so as not to
capsize before either. (Para.24)
metaphor
Grammar points
Infinitive to vs. Preposition to
We may try to put a noun after it. If a noun or a
noun equivalent is possible, it proves to be a
preposition; otherwise, it is an infinitive sign.
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Text II
Dad
About the author
Andrew H. Malcolm was born in 1943 in
Cleveland, Ohio. He studied journalism at
Northwestern University and then joined The
New York Times in 1967 as a news clerk. He
has won major awards for reporting, and is the
author of Unknown America, published in
1975.
Questions for discussion
Is it still important today for a man to display a firm
handshake and a steady gaze into someone’s eyes?
When would these gestures be most important?
These gestures seem not be as important today as it was
in wartime. But anyway, we need a firm handshake
and a steady gaze under certain occasions, for
example, when we are in trouble or when we lack
some kind of confidence. At this moment, a
handshake , a gaze or a few words of
encouragement will inspire us and urge us to
overcome difficulties and go forward. In the same
way, when other people are in trouble or meet some
obstacles, a firm handshake and a steady gaze from
us will also establish their courage and help them
pull through difficulties
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2. How do you feel about Malcolm’s father crying with
his son when the boy’s dog was killed?
A strong man as he was, Malcolm’s father cried when
the boy’s dog was killed. For one thing, Malcolm’s
sorrow was to immense to stand. In order to comfort
him and help him get over the sorrow, his father was
there, with the son, and with teas in his eyes. His
father was not as cool-blooded as what had been
thought of. He was a person full of feelings and
sympathies. For the other, his father thought of the
natural order of life and death. The dog’s unexpected
death indicates the unpredictability of life and death.
3. As you grew up, when did you shift from trying to please a
parent to trying to impress that parent?
Children under ten years old will naturally please apparent with
their ignorance and naivety. There are simple and artless, and
often amuse their parents with funny words or behaviors. By
the teens, they seldom want to please a parent with childish
behaviors, but want to tell the parents that they are mature, not
only physically but also mentally. They feel that they have
grown up, and that they can do what parents can do. They
want to impress their parents with what they have done. They
hope that their parents will be proud of them
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4. How well can a person younger than forty
understand the problems involved in a parent’s aging
and dying?
A person younger than forty may not have such a
deep but sober-minded understanding as Malcolm has.
Young people take it for granted that their parents
will look after them all their lives, and will provide
them with food, clothing and shelter. They hardly
think of the fact that their parents will become old
and one day one of them will die.