WRITING FOR MYSELF
Russell Baker
The idea of becoming a writer had come to me off and on since my childhood in Belleville, but it wasn't
Until then I 'd been bored by everything associated I hated the assignments to turn out long, lifeless
until my third year in high school that the possibility took hold. with English courses. I found English grammar dull and difficult.
paragraphs that were agony for teachers to read and for me to write.
When our class was assigned to Mr. Fleagle for third-year English I anticipated another cheerless year in
that most tedious of subjects. Mr. Fleagle had a reputation among students for dullness and inability to inspire. He was said to be very formal, rigid and hopelessly out of date. To me he looked to be sixty or seventy and excessively prim. He wore primly severe eyeglasses, his wavy hair was primly cut and primly combed. He wore prim suits with neckties set primly against the collar buttons of his white shirts. He had a primly pointed jaw, a primly straight nose, and a prim manner of speaking that was so correct, so gentlemanly, that he seemed a comic antique.
I prepared for an unfruitful year with Mr. Fleagle and for a long time was not disappointed.
Late in the
year we tackled the informal essay. Mr. Fleagle distributed a homework sheet offering us a choice of topics. None was quite so simple-minded as “What I Did on My Summer Vacation,” but most seemed to be almost as dull. I took the list home and did nothing until the night before the essay was due. Lying on the sofa, I finally faced up to the unwelcome task, took the list out of my notebook, and scanned it. The topic on which my eye stopped was “The Art of Eating Spaghetti.”
This title produced an extraordinary sequence of mental images. Vivid memories came flooding back of a
night in Belleville when all of us were seated around the supper table—Uncle Allen, my mother, Uncle Charlie, Doris, Uncle Hal—and Aunt Pat served spaghetti for supper. Spaghetti was still a little known foreign dish in those days. Neither Doris nor I had ever eaten spaghetti, and none of the adults had enough experience to be good at it. All the good humor of Uncle Allen 's house reawoke in my mind as I recalled the laughing arguments we had that night about the socially respectable method for moving spaghetti from plate to mouth.
Suddenly I wanted to write about that, about the warmth and good feeling of it, but I wanted to put it
downsimply for my own joy, not for Mr. Fleagle. It was a moment I wanted to recapture and hold for myself. I wanted to relive the pleasure of that evening. To write it as I wanted, however, would violate all the rules of formal composition I 'd learned in school, and Mr. Fleagle would surely give it a failing grade. Never mind. I would write something else for Mr. Fleagle after I had written this thing for myself.
When I finished it the night was half gone and there was no time left to compose a proper, respectable essay
I was preparing myself for
for Mr. Fleagle. There was no choice next morning but to turn in my tale of the Belleville supper. Two days passed before Mr. Fleagle returned the graded papers, and he returned everyone 's but mine. and knock for the class 's attention.
“Now, boys,” he said. “I want to read you an essay. This is titled, 'The Art of Eating Spaghetti.' ”
And he started to read. My words! He was reading my words out loud to the entire class. What's more, the
a command to report to Mr. Fleagle immediately after school for discipline when I saw him lift my paper from his desk
entire class was listening. Listening attentively. Then somebody laughed, then the entire class was laughing, and not in contempt and ridicule, but with open-hearted enjoyment. Even Mr. Fleagle stopped two or three times to hold back a small prim smile.
I did my best to avoid showing pleasure, but what I was feeling was pure delight at this demonstration that my
In the eleventh grade, at the eleventh hour as it were, I had
words had the power to make people laugh.
discovered a calling. It was the happiest moment of my entire school career. When Mr. Fleagle finished he put the final seal on my happiness by saying, “Now that, boys, is an essay, don't you see. It's—don't you see—it's of the very essence of the essay, don't you see. Congratulations, Mr. Baker.” off and on (or on and off) :
from time to time, now and again, irregularly 断断续续地 ; 有时
It has been raining on and off for a week. That's why the clothes feel damp.
As her patient slept soundly during the night, Nurse Betty was able to doze off and on in a bedside chair. possibility:
state of being possible; (degree of) likelihood (usu. followed by that-clause or of) 可能 ( 性 )
Is there any possibility of life on Mars?
They haven't arrived. There is a possibility that they have taken the wrong road. take hold:
become established 生根 , 确立
The idea of one child only has taken hold in many Chinese families.
Old habits die hard. That's why you should stop smoking before the habit takes hold. bore:
make (sb.) feel tired and lose interest 使 ( 人 ) 厌烦
The speaker went on and on, and the audience grew bored by his speech.
Tom Sawyer grew bored with painting the garden fence, so he thought of a way to make others paint for him. associate (with):
join or connect together; connect or bring in the mind使 联想起来 ; 使联想 We associate Egypt with pyramids.
I can't associate this gentle young woman with the radical political essays she has written.
Jim wished to forget everything associated with his former life. turn out:
produce 编写 ; 生产 , 制造
New computers are soon outdated since newer models are turned out constantly.
American film studios turn out hundreds of films every year. anticipate:
expect (usu. followed by gerund or that-clause) 预期 , 期望
The police had anticipated trouble from the soccer fans and were at the ground in large numbers. They anticipate that deaths from AIDS will have doubled by 2002.
We anticipate running into problems in carrying out the medical welfare reform.
tedious:
boring and lasting for a long time 乏味的 ; 冗长的
The movie was so tedious that many viewers left before it was over. Laura found George to be tedious and decided not to see him any more. reputation:
(an) opinion (about sb. or sth.) held by others 名声 ; 名誉
Premier Zhu Rongji has a high reputation as a statesman in the world.
Jim Kerry has quite a reputation for being comic. inspire:
fill (sb.) with confidence, eagerness, etc. 激励 , 鼓舞
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches inspired people to fight for equal treatment of African Americans. The last leaf on the tree that never fell off inspired the dying patient with the will to live on. rigid:
(often disapproving) fixed in behavior; based on correct or accepted rules 一成不变的 ; 严格的
If he had been a little less rigid about things, his daughter would not have left home.
at such a young age. The rigid headmaster would button up his clothes even on the hottest days. out of date:
old-fashioned 过时的
New words are constantly added to our vocabulary while some old words go out of date. Although her clothes were out of date, the old woman appeared clean and dignified. severe:
1) completely plain 朴素的 ;
The widow wore a severe black dress to her husband's funeral. Earnest Hemingway is known for his severe writing style. 2) stern, strict 严格的
Only those who have undergone severe training can be accepted into the air force. Fu Lei was so severe with his son that even his wife would cry. 3) causing very great pain, difficulty, worry, etc. 严重的 , 剧烈的
The severe chest pain experienced by the Vice-President proved to be a heart attack.
A factory must turn out newer and better products to win in the climate of severe business competition. tackle:
deal with 处理 , 应付
Toshiba ( 东芝 ) recently designed a robot that can tackle almost any kinds of house- work.
The classroom was quiet as students were busy tackling the final exam.
finally:
at last (usu. used in the following situations: indicating that sth. is the last one in a series of things or events;
introducing a final point, asking a final question, or mentioning a final item; when sth. happens that you have been waiting for a long time, you can say that it finally happens) 最终 , 终于 Mr. Smith lived in Turkey, France, and Norway before finally settling in Mexico.
Finally, I should like to thank you all for coming and to wish you a pleasant journey home. Finally he came to realize his mistake and apologized to his parents. After years of war the two countries finally signed a peace agreement.
face up to:
be brave enough to accept or deal with (a problem or difficulty) 勇敢地接受或面对
Yeltsin faced up to the fact that he was no longer fit for the Russian presidency and resigned on New Year's Eve. Now that your daughter is born, you'll have to face up to the responsibilities of being a father. scan:
look through quickly 浏览 , 粗略地看
The banker scanned the financial section of a dozen newspapers over breakfast. Scan the table of contents and tell me how many chapters are on child development. sequence:
connected line of events, ideas, etc. 一连串相关的事物 ; 次序 , 顺序
A sequence of bad harvests forced some African countries to ask for foreign aid. The Fall of the Roman Empire was written in historical sequence. image:
a picture formed in the mind 形象 ; 印象 ;( 图 ) 像
Many pop stars try to improve their public image by participating in charity events. Through months of letter writing John formed an image of his pen pal.
vivid:
able to produce sharp clear pictures in the mind; lifelike 生动的 ; 逼真的 ; 清晰的
In the little girl's vivid imagination the curtain wrapped around her body became a princess's gown. The birds were painted in such a vivid way that a cat jumped up to catch them.
recall:
bring back to the mind; remember (usu. followed by noun, gerund, or thai-clause) 回乡起 , 回忆起 I recognize the face but can't recall her name. I don't recall ever meeting her.
She recalled that she had to see the doctor again that afternoon.
argument: disagreement, quarrel 论据 , 论点 ; 争论
The bride and her mother got into an argument about whether to wear white or red on her wedding day. Mary found that compromise was always the best policy when she had an argu- ment with her husband. put down:
write down 写下
What's the use of a password to your computer if you put it down on a piece of paper stuck to the computer screen? The housekeeper put down the daily expenses in a little notebook. violate:
act against 违背 , 违反
Speeding in downtown areas violates traffic regulations.
A country isn't respected if it violates an international agreement. compose:
write or create ( music, poetry, etc.) 创作
The president's speech is really brilliant. Do you think it was composed by himself or by someone else? John Lennon composed the song Beautiful Boy for his son. turn in:
hand in (work that one has done, etc.) 交 ( 作业 )
For your final grade, each of you must turn in a 7-page paper.
It is said that if a policeman is ordered to turn in his gun, it is meant as a punishment. command:
1) n. order 命令 , 指令
The commander gave the command that all prisoners of war should be well treated. The rebellious army would not obey any command from the President.
2) v. give an order to 命令 , 指令
(As with the verbs \subjunctive mood is used in a that-clause after com- mand. ) The captain commanded his men to leave the ship immediately. The king commanded that the victory day become a national holiday. what's more:
in addition, more importantly 而且 , 此外 ; 更有甚者
How can you love this man? He watches TV all day long, and what's more, he seems not to have brushed his teeth for months!
Ms. Stewart manages a successful business and gives a weekly TV cooking show. What's more, she has already published three books on gardening.
hold back:
prevent the expression of (feelings, tears, etc.) 控制 ( 感情 、 眼泪等 )