Post on 27-Dec-2015
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
Part ThreePart Three
ENTER
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Text Text AppreciatioAppreciationn
Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I. Text Analysis 1. Style2. Stylistic feature
3. Theme4. Structure5. Further discussion
II. Writing Devices1. Simile2. Metaphor3. Personification4. Zeugma
III. Sentence Paraphrase
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
Style: essay (in a very broad sense)
or interview
The interviewees: a farmer and his wife
(note: Since the World War II it has become popular for writers to interview people, record what they say and, after some, not too much, editing, publish these people’s stories in book form.)
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Style
The end of Style.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
colloquial
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Please find
supporting details
in the text.
The end of Stylistic feature.
Stylistic feature
straightforward language
short sentences
small and easy words
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
The text tells about the deep regret of the old people over the loss of traditional values and the way of life.
Theme of the story The theme is hidden in
the message of
the land.
The end of Theme.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Structure of the text
Part I the wife’s speech (paras. 1—3)
(paras. 4—7)
Part II the farmer’s
speech (paras. 8—11)
The wife tells us briefly about her family and how all her children left.
This part focuses on the changes that she finds she can’t adjust to.
The farmer tells about what he thinks are the root of all evils and what joys he finds in life and farming.
The end of Structure.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Changes in family
Changes in the village
The wife’scomplaints
Thefarmer’scomplaints
None of the children will come back to inherit the land.
• Greed, anger, and lust are the root of all evils.• No young man will care what message the land gives.
the loss of traditional values and the way of life
All four children went away. Children wear
jeans instead.
no barter, but cash no pay-free help plastic things instead only the old on the land no practice of the old customs no respect for the old
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
What’s the message of the land?For further discussion
To be continued on the next page.
It’s our history, our culture, our tradition and our life. In a word, it is our root which we cannot live without.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Yes, these are our rice fields. They belonged to my parents and forefathers. The land is more than three centuries old.
In Para. 1
Question: Why does the wife start her conversation with the talk about the land?
The wife has already regarded the land as part of her life. This is the land where her parents and forefathers lived and it is bound with family history and tradition. It represents the root of her family.
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Question: What’s the main idea of Paras. 1—3?
The wife makes a brief introduction of her family and tells us how all her four children left for cities. She feels sorry about this and she also feels sorry about the land. The land is no longer fertile, like her and her husband, getting old and exhausted.
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText AnalysisPay
attention to paragraph organizatio
n.
Question: What is the topic sentence of Para. 4? What are the supporting details?
Topic sentence: “… we two haven’t changed much, but the village has.”
Supporting details:
• Cash instead of barter
• Paid help
• Plastic things instead of village crafts
• The old alone on the land
• Young people’s different way of thinking,
dressing and behaving
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis Question: What is the main idea of Paras. 5—6? What is the function of the first sentence in Para. 5?
With the first sentence in Para. 5 serving as a transitional sentence, the wife shifts her talk to the things that should not change, which include people’s worship, and young people’s respect to their parents and the aged.
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Question: How does the wife present her speech? What is her attitude toward the changes around her?
By comparison/contrast and exemplification,
the wife presents her idea of this changing
world. She dislikes the changes around her.
She won’t accept the changes and even
refuses to change with the life.
To be continued on the next page.
Please find examples in
the text.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Question: What can be inferred from Para. 10?
The farmer is very traditional. He still clings to the conventional idea of having a big family with children around him. Because of his strong attachment to the land, he wants his children to follow in his footsteps and be content with the farming life.
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Question: What can we learn from the
last paragraph?
The farmer nurses a strong love towards
the land. He loves the feeling when tilling
the land and the smell and sight when the
rice on the land is ripening. He feels so
close to the land that he can even read the
message of the land. He strongly hopes
that one day he can pass on the land’s
secret message to his grandchildren.
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis Further study of the text
Question: What are the traits, as shown in the old couple, shared by other farmers?
In the couple we find traits that are shared by many farmers who till the land:
• love of land and physical labor, and love of family
• being honest and kind, and easy to be satisfied
• clinging to traditional values and the way of life
We can still find the common problems:
• generation gap
• confusion of the old towards the changing world
• young people’s quitting of the farming life
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
What does the wife think of her husband?
How does the husband counterattack his wife’s opinion of him?
Does “a pair of jeans” carry any other meanings in the text?
How do young girls nowadays differ from those in the old days?
Why is the question “Are you happy?” never occurred to her?
I.I. Text AnalysisText Analysis
Further discussion about the text
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
What is the wife’s philosophy of life?
Why is the farmer at peace with his conditions now?
Does the farmer have any regrets?
What, in his opinion, is the root of all evils? Do you agree?
How does he feel about his wife? Do you think he loves her?
Why does he want to leave his land to his children? Why can’t he sell the land and give the money to them?
I.I. Text AnalysisText AnalysisFurther discussion about the text
The end of Further discussion.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices
SimileExamples
To be continued on the next page.
A simile consists of two parts: tenor and vehicle. The tenor is the primary subject; the vehicle is the thing to which the main subject is compared to.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices
Simile
The end of Simile.
subject /
tenorsimile
markerreference/
vehicle
Records (fell) like ripe apples (on a windy day.)
The data processing (is
going on)
as (slow) as a snail.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices
Metaphor
To be continued on the next page.
A metaphor is also a comparison. The difference is that a simile compares things explicitly—that is, it states literally that X is like Y. A metaphor compares things implicitly. Read literally, it does not state that things are alike; it says that they are the same thing, that they are identical.
Examples
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices
Metaphor
subject / tenor reference/ vehicle
Cape Cod (is the bared and bended)
arm of (Massachusetts.)
He (is) a wolf (in sheep’s clothing.)
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices
Please find the sentences in the text which contain either simile or metaphor and point out the rhetorical device in each sentence.
1. Sometimes, they get bullied and insulted,
and it is like a knife piercing my heart. (2)
2. When each of them has a pair of jeans,
they are off like birds on the wing. (10)
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices
The end of Metaphor.
3. The soft cool breeze moves the sheaves,
which ripple and shimmer like waves of gold.
(11)
4. Yes, this bag of bones dressed in rags can
still plant and reap rice from morning till
dusk. (7)
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices
Personification
Our piece of land is small, and it is no longer fertile, bleeding year after year and, like us, getting old and exhausted. (3)
Personification is really a special kind of metaphor.
personificationReferring to inanimate things or abstractions as if they were human.
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices
Personification: more examples
As London increased, however, rank and fashion rolled off to the west, and trade, creeping on at their heels took possession of their deserted abodes.
The youth were singing, laughing and playing the music instruments. The trees and flowers around them danced heartily as if touched by merry mood.
How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth, stolen on his wing my three and twentieth year!
The purpose of personification is to explain, to expand, and to vivify.
The end of Personification.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevices
The soil is not difficult to till when there is a lot
of rain, but in a bad year, it’s not only the
ploughs that break but our hearts, too. (3)
Zeugma: a single word is made to modify or govern two or more words in the same sentence
Zeugma
To be continued on the next page.
Examples
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevicesZeugma: more examples
To be continued on the next page.
1.The senator picked up his hat as well as his
courage.
2. COATTAILS: Clothes that fit the man and the
times. (Advert. In New York Times Magazine, 1980)
3. Miss Bolo rose from the table considerably agitated,
and went straight home, in a flood of tears and a
sedan chair.
4. Ten minutes later, the coffee and Commander Dana
of Naval Intelligence arrived simultaneously.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
II.II. Writing Writing DevicesDevicesZeugma: more examples
The end of Zeugma.
Zeugma is a comic figure of speech. At its best Zeugma is witty and amusing, and it increases meaning by revealing hidden connections.
5. She had to swallow bread and butter and a
spasm of emotion.
6. He fought with desperation and a stout club.
7. Yesterday he had a blue heart and coat.
8. I got up yesterday and managed to catch a bus
and a cold.
9. … old people gathering in the social hall for
comradeship and a hot lunch.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 1Paraphrase 1
My husband moved into our houses as is the way with us in Esarn. (1)
(When we got married) my husband came to live in our house. It was the tradition here in Esarn that the bridegroom should come to live with the bride’s family.
“As” introduces a defining relative clause and functions as its subject, representing
what is stated in the main clause.
go to 2
Examples
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence ParaphraseParaphrase
1. As is known to all, Taiwan belongs to China.
(as—subject of the clause)
2. As is often the case, girls learn a language more quickly than boys.
(as—subject of the clause)
back to 1
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 2Paraphrase 2
The rest, two boys and two girls, went away as soon as we could afford to buy jeans for them. (1)
Our other children—two boys and two girls—left as soon as we had the money to buy them jeans.
to have enough money to do
appositive of “the rest”
go to 3
the remaining people; the others
Examples
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence ParaphraseParaphrase
1. Your father, a proud and unbending man, refused all help that was offered him.
2. Playing football, his only interest in life, brought him many friends.
3. A dry lightning storm, that is, a thunderstorm without rain, started a fire in a remote part of the forest in August.
back to 2
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 3Paraphrase 3
It’s easier for my husband. He has ears which
don’t hear, a mouth which doesn’t speak, and
eyes that don’t see. (2)
News about my children’s problems doesn’t make my husband as sad as me. He doesn’t bother about what is happening around us and to our children. He never says anything about them.
restrictive relative clause
go to 4
parallel structure
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 4Paraphrase 4
He has always been patient and silent, minding his own life. (2)
go to 5
present participle phrase functioning as adverbial of
accompanying circumstances
take care of; attend to
He’s always been patient and talks little. He
just does his duty and carries on his life.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 5Paraphrase 5
Our piece of land is small, and it is no longer fertile, bleeding year after year and, like us, getting old and exhausted. (3)
personification
Our land is getting poorer with each passing year, like us who are getting old, weak and tired.
present participle phrases functioning as a cause
go to 6
Examples
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence ParaphraseParaphrase
1. They sent us their statement, hoping to get our support.
2. They went on with their struggle, thinking theirs was a just cause.
3. Not having received an answer, he decided to write another letter to them.
4. The doctor, not wishing to make her nervous, did not fully explain the seriousness of her condition.
back to 5
Present participle
phrases act as
adverbials of cause.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 6Paraphrase 6
… but in a bad year, it’s not only the ploughs that break but our hearts too. (3)
… but when there is a drought, the land is so hard that the ploughs break. And we become very, very sad.
emphatic structure
go to 7
zeugma: “break” governs both “ploughs” and “hearts”.
Examples
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase 1. It was the policeman that/who caught a
pickpocket on No. 933 bus yesterday.
(The subject is emphasized.)
1. It was a pickpocket that the policeman caught on No. 933 bus yesterday.
(The object is emphasized.)
3. It was on No.933 bus that the policeman caught a pickpocket yesterday.
(The adverbial of place is emphasized.)
4. It was yesterday that the policeman caught a pickpocket on No. 933 bus.
(The adverbial of time is emphasized.) back to 6
The emphatic structure “It
is/was… that…” can be used to emphasize any
part of the sentence
except the predicate.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 7Paraphrase 7
Shops have sprung up, filled with colorful
plastic things and goods we have no use for.
(4)
Many shops appear in a short time. In these shops there are lots of colorful plastic things and things that are useless for us.
past participle phrase functioning as post-modifier to modify “shops”
go to 8
appear suddenly relative clause
Examples
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence ParaphraseParaphrase
1. The men, soaked with sweat from an all-
night march, immediately went into action.
2. The substance, discovered almost by
accident, has revolutionized medicine.
3. The book, written in 1957, tells of the
struggle of the miners.
back to 7
A post-modifying
past participle
phrase corresponds
to an elliptical relative clause.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 8Paraphrase 8
If that kind of thing had happened when I was
young, the whole village would have condemned
such an ungrateful son, and his father would
surely have given him a good beating. (6)
In my day if a boy had screamed at his mother,
the whole village would have scolded him for
his lack of gratitude, and his father would
certainly have punished him. go to 9
subjunctive mood hit him as a punishment
scold severely
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 9Paraphrase 9
Yes, this bag of bones dressed in rags can
still plant and reap rice from morning till
dusk. (7)
very thin
It’s true I’m not strong and my clothes are full of holes, but I can still work in the rice fields all day.
metaphor:
as thin as a bag of bones
go to 10
past participle phrase functioning
as post-modifier
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 10Paraphrase 10
My eyes do see—they see more than they should. My ears do hear—they hear more than is good for me. (8)
I’m not what my wife says I am. I do see and hear—I see and hear too much evil, too many ugly and terrible things, things that I wish I did not have to see and hear. And this is not good for me.
“do” is used to emphasize
verb.
go to 11
“more than is good” is the same as
“more than what is good”.
Examples
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase
back to 10
1. He drank more than (what) was good for
him.
2. Kate meant more than (what) was said.
3. Some of the stories were really more than
(what) could be believed.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 11Paraphrase 11
It’s good to smell the scent of ripening rice in
November. The soft cool breeze moves the
sheaves, which ripple and shimmer like
waves of gold. (11)
The ripening rice is so pleasant to smell in
November. In the soft cool breeze, the
sheaves move and shine in the sun like a
golden sea. go to 12
gerund functioning as
modifiernon-restrictive relative clause
simile
Examples
To be continued on the next page.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase Paraphrase
1. They were infuriated by this insulting
demand.
2. No soaking rain fell in the period.
3. Our industry is developing at an
astonishing speed.
back to 11
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
III.III. Sentence Sentence Paraphrase 12Paraphrase 12
Yes, I love this land and I hope one of my children returns one day to live on it, and produces a lot of grandchildren for me so that I can tell them what this land means to us. It is our history, our culture, our tradition, and our life.
The end of Sentence Paraphrase.
Yes, I love this land and I hope one of my children comes back one day to live, and gives me grandchildren so that I can pass on the land’s secret message to them.
hand or give sth. to sb.
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Lesson 3-Message of the Land
Part ThreePart Three
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