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Possessions Power Mission & none, rejecting possession or power land and absolute power “restamp the currency”: to call bring people of the whole world to people back to the simple and natural the light of civilization life—true value
Similarities
1. Both were great thinkers. 2. Both had a sense of mission.
3. Both were “citizens of the world,” admiring the heroic figure of Hercules, who labored for
mankind.
4. Both were free. 3.1.2 Structure of the text Paras. 1-10
Diogenes (life, philosophy, mission, ways of teaching) Paras. 11-13
Alexander (a philosopher king with an inquiring, noble mind) Paras. 14-17
their dramatic encounter Relevant questions:
1. Question: What do you know about the historical background of the people discussed in the essay? 2. Question: What does the essay tell us about Diogenes and Alexander?
3. Question: What is a possible reason for an author to take the time to write an essay like this describing people who are long dead and gone? 4.Question: How is the essay structured?
5. Question: Try to find more information about these two historical figures to share with your classmates.
6. Question: Underline the parts of the text that you find particularly well-put and interesting. 7. Question: Be ready to give comments on the essay.
3.2 Writing Devices
1 Comparison & Contrast →examples
use transitional words or expressions to make comparison and achieve unity: not so (para. 5), the other…but for… (para. 6)
He was one, but not the other. (para.1) Not so Diogenes. (para. 5) But for Diogenes, … (para.6)
…Alexander was far older and wiser than his years. (para. 12) Like all Macedonians he loved… (para. 12)
…he was a magnificent commander, but he was not merely a military automaton. (para.12)
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Only Diogenes, although he lived in Corinth, did not visit the new monarch. (para.13) Diogenes merely sat up…Diogenes said nothing. (para. 14) He understood Cynicism as the others could not. (para. 17) Like Diogenes, he admired… (para. 17)
…who labored to help mankind while all others toiled… (para.17) use transitional paragraph to achieve coherence 2. Parallelism
achieve increased strength, sounding more powerful, more effective, e.g. para. 14 3. Euphemism
e.g. done his business, natural acts 4. Transferred Epithet
a figure of speech that carries the modifier across and puts it on to another word which is not normally modified by it, so as to stress the emotions or feelings
e.g. a mischievous pebble (para. 1) (It is Diogenes, not the pebble, that is mischievous.); amazed silence (para. 17) (It is the crowd, not the silence, that is amazed.) 5. Analogy
e.g. drawing a parallel between “change the values” and “restamp the currency” (para. 5)
3.3 Sentence Paraphrase
1. Sometimes they threw bits of food, and got scant thanks; sometimes a mischievous pebble, and got a shower of stones and abuse. (para. 1) Sometimes people would throw bits of food to him, but he hardly thanked them at all. Sometimes they would throw a pebble at him for fun, but get a shower of stones and a stream of abuse in return.
2. His life’s aim was clear to him: it was “to restamp the currency”: to take the clean metal of human life, to erase the old false conventional markings, and to imprint it with its true values. (para. 5)
His purpose in life was clear to him: it was “to reprint the coins.” Human life can be taken as the clean coins which are imprinted with false markings. He was to remove the false markings and print the true values on it. In other words, his aim in life was to call on people to reject the false, conventional way of life and return to the simple and natural life.
3. He had done his business like a dog at the roadside.
He had emptied his bowels or passed water like a dog at the roadside.
4. He was not the first to inhabit such a thing. But he was the first who ever did so by choice, out of principle.
He was not the first to live in a cask. But he was the first who ever did so because he wanted to, not by necessity, not being forced to. He based it on a principle. 5. But he taught chiefly by examples
Diogenes also taught by talking to people, but he mainly taught by setting an example for others to learn from.
6. In order to procure a quantity of false, perishable goods he has sold the only true, lasting good,
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his own independence.
In order to get a certain amount of material property or worldly possessions which actually have no value and will not last, he has allowed himself to be controlled by these things and has given away his own independence which is the only thing that is true and can last. 7. Only twenty, Alexander was far older and wiser than his years.
Alexander looked far older than a man of his age normally does, and was much wiser than a man of his age normally is.
8. Live without conventions, which are artificial and false; escape complexities and extravagances…(para. 4)
Live simply and freely. Pay no attention to conventions, which are unnatural and useless. Avoid or get rid of all those unnecessary things that make our life complicated and wasteful…
9. They possess him. He is their slave. In order to procure a quantity of false, perishable goods he has sold the only true, lasting good, his own independence. (para. 4)
They own and control him. He is their slave. In order to get some goods that have no true value and will be useless very soon, he has sold the only true, lasting good, his own independence. 10. His life’s aim was clear to him: it was “to restamp the currency”…(para. 5)
He knew very well what he lived for: it was to change people’s values, to make them know the true meaning of life…
12. He was the man of the hour, of the century…(para. 13)
He was the most popular/important/successful person at this particular moment or this century…
Part Four Language Study
4.1 Phrases and Expressions
1. Having no work to go to and no family to provide ____, he was free. (para. 1) provide for: give sb the things that they need to live, such as food, clothing Translation
他要供养他年迈的父母以及两个正在上学的妹妹。
He has to provide for his aged parents and two sister who are still at school.
道路被切断，无法给部队提供给养。
The road was cut off and supplies could not be provided for the troops.
2. As the market place _____ up with shoppers and merchants and slaves and foreigners, he had
________ through it for an hour or two. (para. 1) Cf. wander, roam, ramble, stroll Translation
中间还有两个小时，因此她逛了一趟商业中心。
There were still two hours to go, so she strolled through the shopping mall.
漫步海边，感觉太好了。
It’s wonderful to take a stroll along the seaside.
3. He thought everybody lived far too __________, expensively, anxiously. What good is a
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house? (para. 2) Translation
彼得制定了一个非常详尽的计划来筹措资金。
Peter worked out an elaborate scheme for raising the fund.
他们为局长准备了一桌精美的饭菜，结果被狠狠批评了一顿。
They prepared a very elaborate meal for the bureau head only to be severely criticized. 4. No one needs beds and chairs and such furniture: the animals
______________ and sleep on the ground. All we require, since nature did not dress us
properly, is one garment to keep us warm, and some shelter from rain and wind. (para. 2) Translation
这名警察死时很年轻，但他的一生过得很有意义。 The policeman died young, but he lived a meaningful life. 作为一个探险者，他的一生充满了冒险。 As an explorer, he lived an adventurous life.
5. …he spent much of his life in…Corinth, mocking and satirizing its people, and occasionally
________ one of them. (para. 2)
convert: to make sb change from one religion or belief to another Ann has converted to Islam recently.
Marxist literature converted him into a staunch revolutionary.
Cf.
to make sth change from one form, system to a different one This is part of the process of converting iron into steel.
to change from one object into another
I can’t see how this plastic sheet converts into a tent.
6. He was not the first to ______ such a thing. But he was the first who ever did so ___ choice,
_____ principle. (para. 3) inhabit
Some of the rare species inhabit the area.
by choice
She took the job in the West by choice.
out of
Just out of curiosity, why did you take that job?
7. They _______ him. He is their slave. In order to procure a quantity of false, perishable goods
he has sold the only true, lasting good, his own independence. (para. 4) Cf.
What possessed him to say a stupid thing like that?
She seemed possessed. Nobody could talk her out of it.
8. Therefore, he chose to live in Athens or Corinth, where travelers from all over the
Mediterranean world constantly came and went. And, design, he publicly behaved in such ways as to show people what real life was. (para. 6)
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Translation
世界是有意缔造的呢，还是偶然形成的呢？
Was the world made by design or did it come into existence by chance? 9. The little square began to fill with people—page boys,
soldiers…they all gradually formed a circle around Diogenes. He looked them _____, as a
sober man looks at a crowd of tottering drunks, and shook his head. (para. 11) look over: (here) examine, scrutinize
More examples with “over”: think over, talk over, read over, go over
10. With his handsome face, his f____ glance, his strong body, his purple and gold cloak, and his
air of d_______, he moved through the parting crowd toward the Dog’s k______. (para. 14) 11. Looking at the poor broken cask, the single r______ garment, and the rough figure lying on the
ground, he said: “Is there anything I can do for you, Diogenes?” (para. 15)
more examples: beloved wife, blessed morning, a wicked man, my aged parents, a rugged coastline
12. The Macedonian officers, after deciding that Diogenes was not _____ the trouble of kicking,
were starting to ______ and nudge one another. (para. 17) Cf. worth, worthwhile, worthy a worthwhile cause/discussion/job
High prices in the UK make it worthwhile for buyers to look abroad. be worthy of attention/consideration/mention A number of the findings are worthy of note. a worthy champion/winner/son
Cf. grin, guffaw, titter, chuckle, giggle grin: to make a wide smile guffaw: to laugh loudly
titter: to laugh in a suppressed way chuckle: to laugh softly in a low tone
giggle: to laugh quietly in a silly, childish, uncontrolled way
4.2 Grammar
4.2.1 Recognize and learn to use present participles as adverbial modifiers. 4.2.1.1 Recognize the type of adverbial modifier in these sentences. Pattern 1
Indicating reason/cause
Having no work to go to and no family to provide for, he was free. Pattern 2
Indicating simultaneous events
Reading through Verne’s books, one finds it hard to believe that they were written almost 100 years ago. Pattern 3
Indicating an action immediately after another
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