Lesson Five

Lesson Five

Love is a Fallacy ---- by Max Shulman

Objectives of Teaching1. To comprehend the whole text2. To lean and master the vocabulary and

expressions3. To learn to paraphrase the difficult

sentences4. To understand the structure of the text5. To appreciate the style and rhetoric of the

passage.

Aims 1. To have a basic knowledge of the

terms in logic.2. To appreciate the humor in the story.3. To analyze the structure of the story4. To appreciate the language

Teaching Contents1. Special terms in logic2. Detailed study of the text 3. Organizational pattern4. The chief attraction of the

story  5. Language features 6. Exercises

Time allocation1. Terms in logic (15 min.)2. Detailed study of the text (110

min.)3. Structure analysis (15 min.)4. Language appreciation (15 min.)5. Exercise (25 min.)

Lesson Five I. Special terms in logic

argument--a statement which is offered as an evidence or a proof.

It consists of two major elements 1. conclusion 2. premises -- a previous statement serving

as a basis for an argument. Conclusion is to be drawn from premises.

Special terms in logic fallacy -- false reasoning, as in an

argument a weakness and lack of logic or good

sense in an argument or piece of reasoning

fallacy

Usually, an argument is correct (deductively valid) if the premises can provide enough conclusive evidence for the conclusion. Otherwise the argument is wrong. It is said to be fallacious.

Special terms in logic Three kinds of fallacy:

1. material fallacy -- in its material content through a misstatement of the facts.

2. verbal fallacy -- in its wording through an incorrect use of terms.

3. formal fallacy-in its structure through the use of an improper process of inference.

False Analogy "High school should not require a freshman

writing course . Harvard doesn't require a freshman writing course, and the students get along fine without it".

--- The analogy is false because the two items don't have strong enough similarities to predict that what happens in one will happen in the other.

Dicta Simpliciter "Everyone wants to get married somed

ay." --- The example starts a logical train of t

hought with an assumption that is false. Not "everyone" wants to get married.

Evading the issue

There are a number of handy fallacies th

at people press into service to side step

a problem while appearing to pursue the

point. ( 文不对题 )

1 ） Distraction "Suds ' n ' Puds is a great restaurant : you

can see how shining clean the kitchens are ". --- The example is called distraction because

the reader's attention is drawn to the cleanliness of the kitchen instead of to the excellence of the food, which is usually the determiner of a great restaurant.

2 ） Ad hominem "against the person". "poisoning the well"

" Ms Bauer is a terrible English teacher. She always wears blue jeans"

--- Instead of point out faults in teaching technique, it calls attention to things about a teacher as a person that are unrelated to her teaching performance.

3 ） Ad misericordian (an appeal to pity)

"Look at this fourteen-year-old child who's run away from home to hide her shame-- pregnant, unwashed, friendless. penniless, at the mercy of our social service agencies. Can you till claim that sex should be taught in the classroom?"

3 ） Ad misericordian (an appeal to pity)

--- In this shifty approach to argumentation, the writer gives tear jerking descriptions of the cruel opponents' victims in order to arouse sympathy from the reader.

Hasty Generalization "Mr Wang's handwriting is terrible. Mr. Hu's

handwriting is also terrible and you know how terrible men's handwriting is ."

--- It applies a special case to general rule. That fact that certain person's handwriting is bad doesn't imply that all men‘s handwriting is bad.

Post hoc, ergo propter hoc – “After this, therefore because of this"

"The last five times that I've worn my white pants, something depressing has happened. I'm not going to wear those pants again!"

-- This fallacy assumes that if event Y happened after event X, then X must be the cause of Y.

Circular Reasoning or Begging the question:

"Juan is an impressive speaker because he

always touches his listeners deeply."

Circular Reasoning --- This problem occurs when the writer tries to

support a claim by restating it in different words. You can tell this example is circular by considering this “Why is Juan an impressive speaker?” “Because he touches his listeners deeply.?” “Why are Juan's listeners touched so deeply?” “Because he is an impressive speaker.” impressive = touching someone deeply

Appeal to the Wrong Authority

"My political science teacher says that the new math is impossible for children to learn“.

Appeal to the Wrong Authority --- If the student believes that political

science teacher's low opinion of new math strongly supports an argument against new math, the student is wrong. The political science teacher is an authority, but in a different field.

Non Sequitur -- "it doesn't follow" "Students who take earth science instead of

physics are lazy. Susie took earth science instead of physics. Susie should be kicked out of school"

--- If the first statement is correct, then you could conclude that Susie is lazy. But there's nothing in that line of reasoning that says lazy students should be kicked out of school. The conclusion doesn't follow.

II. Detailed study of the text: title -- humorous/ well chosen

1. When "fallacy" is taken in its ordinary sense, the title means:

There is a deceptive or delusive quality about love.

Love has delusive qualities

Detailed study of the text: 2. When "fallacy" is having logical sense, it

means : Love cannot be deduced from a set of

given premises. Love can not follow the given rules. Love is an error, a deception and an

emotion that does not follow the principles of logic.

Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist and critic who is now best k

nown for his "Essays of Elia" (1823,1833). He collaborated with his sister Mary in adapting Shakespeare's plays into stories for children.

"Tales from Shakespeare" "Specimens of English Dramatic Poets"

unfetter-- set free let sth go freely / be completely out of

control limp -- drooping, lacking firmness flaccid -- soft, flabby spongy -- soft, porous, full of holes, not firm specific characteristics of his writing (essay).

He is joking , not serious

Thomas Carlyle ( 1795-188) English author, Scottish writer He influenced social thinking about he new

industrial working class through his essay "Chartism" and his book “The Present and the Past”. He is best known for his epic history of “The French Revolution” 1837 and his lectures “On Heroes and Hero-Workshop” 1841

Thomas Carlyle ( 1795-188)

He produced Sartor Resartus 1833-34, the book in which he first developed his characteristic style and thought. This book is a veiled Sardonic (scornful 挖苦的 ) attack upon the shams and pretences of society, upon hollow rank, hollow officialism, hollow custom, out of which life and usefulness have departed.

Thomas Carlyle ( 1795-188) Carlyle developed a peculiar style of his own w

hich was called --- "Carlyese" "Carlylism" Style -- a compound of

biblical phrases colloquialisms Teutonic （条顿的，日尔曼的） twists his own coinings arranged in unexpected sequence

s.

John Ruskin -- (1819-1900)

English critic and social theorist a writer on art and architecture In his later writings he attacked social and

economic problems Modern Painters The Stones of Venice The Seven Lamps of Architecture Time and Tide

John Ruskin -- (1819-1900) Positive program for social reforms:

Sesame and Lilies （芝麻和百合） The Crown of Wild Olive The King of the Golden River

Implication:

My writing is even more informal. I can do

better than them. He says this only with his

tongue in cheek.

What is his purpose of writing this essay?

He compared logic to a living thing ( a human being). Logic is not at all a dry learned branch of learning. It is like a living human being, full of beauty, passion and painful emotional shocks.

trauma –

a term in psychiatry meaning a painful

emotional experience.

Author’s note

1) His own idea about his own essay. From his point of view, his essay is sth limp,

spongy. It is very informal.

2) His own idea about the purpose of that essay. It is not a dry branch of learning , but like a

human being.

Para 4 Introduction of the narrator --- a law

student

Notice the way he introduced himself "boasting"

keen –

(of the mind) active, sensitive, sharp

(syn. nimble, quick, adroit prompt, sharp smart swift)

敏捷的，敏锐的 ~ sight 敏锐的视力 ~ intelligence 敏捷的智力

calculating --

coldly panning and thinking about future

actions and esp. whether they will be good or

bad for oneself.

perspicacious ---

fml. quick to judge and understand 敏于判断与了解， 敏捷 having or showing keen judgment and under

standing

acute, astute acute-- (senses, sensation, intellect)

五官，感受，智力 able to notice small differences Dogs have an acute sense of smell.

astute -- shrewd , quick at seeing how to gain an advantage clever and able to see quickly sth, that is to o

ne's advantage. 精明的，狡黠的

comparison His brain –

1. dynamo -- powerful 2. a chemist's scales--- precise, accurate 3. scalpel -- penetrating

Para.5 introduction of the first antagonist – Petey Burch

He downgrades his roommate. nothing upstairs -- (Am. slang) empty-hea

ded

unstable unstable

-- easily moved, upset or changed emotional

-- having feelings which are strong or easily moved

impressionable -- easy to be influenced, often with the

result that one's feeling and ideas change easily and esp. that one is ready to admire other people.

fad -- a style etc that interests many people for a

short time, passing fashion.

negation --- the lack or opposite of sth. positive,

The opposite or absence of something regarded as actual, positive, or affirmative.

Reason --- the ability to think, draw conclusions Fads / passing fashions, in my opinion, show

a complete lack of reason.

to be swept up in -- to be carried away by follow

enthusiastically

idiocy -- great foolishness or stupidity

pound -- to hit hard to deliver heavy, repeated blows

Charleston *5image-2*

-- a quick spirited dance of the 1920's, in 4/4 time, characterized by a twisting step.

Raccoon -- 浣熊 the fur of a small, tree climbing ma

mmal of N. America, having yellowish gray fur and a black, bushy ringed tail. 呈环状花纹的尾巴

*5image-3raccoon*

incredulously -- showing disbelief, unbelieving an incredulous look/ smile

in the swim -- knowing about and concerned in what is

going on in modern life. active in or conforming to current fashions

mixed metaphor: 1. brain -- a precision instrument 2. brain -- a machine that has gears

gear--- any of several arrangements, esp. of toothed

wheels in a machine, which allows power to be passed from one part to another so as to control the power, speed or direction of movement.

gear--- bottom gear top gear low ---- in a car which is used for starting high --- for going fast

gear--- If you say that a person, system, or process is in a

particular gear, you are talking about the speed, energy, or efficiency with which they are working or functioning.

eg. It took time to shift back into normal gear for boring routine tasks.

She knew how to change gear in order to achieve the right result.

The Chinese economy will be in high gear.

stroke – pass the hand over gently, esp. for

pleasure The cat likes to be stroked. (over the surface

of )

Para. 23 the introduction of the second antagonist

cerebral – (fml, humor) 理智的

1. of the brain 2. intellectual, excluding the emotions tending to or showing (too much) serious thi

nking

gracious --- polite kind pleasant

What are the specifications of his future wife?

1. beautiful 2. gracious 3. intelligent

carriage --- (sing) the manner of carrying oneself, bea

ring the manner of holding one's head, limbs, and body when standing or walking.

physical aspects of persons bearing 体态， 仪态 Dancing can improve the carriage. 舞蹈能增进体态美。

deportment -- fml. 1. Br.E the way a person, esp. a young lady,

stands and walks 2. Am.E the way a person, esp, a young lady,

behaves in the company of others

bearing -- manner of holding one's body or way of b

ehaving （ physical /mental posture ）举止，仪态 She has a very modest bearing. 她举止淑静。

breeding --- polite social behavior

pot roast --- a piece of beef cooked only with a little

water after having been made brown by cooking in hot fat.

makings -- qualities, the possibility of developing into

素质 He has the makings of a good doctor. He has in him the makings of a great man.

dipper– a long-handled cup esp for dipping a dipper of sauerkraut

-- a small cupful of pickled chopped cabbage veer -- change in direction, shift, turn

go steady -- (Am. coll.) to date sb of the opposite sex r

egularly and exclusively; be sweetheart

wink -- v. n. v. to close and open (one eye) rapidly, usu, a

s signal between people, esp of amusement He winked at her and she knew he was onl

y pretending to be angry. n. a winking movement

He left the room with a wink of the eye. She gave me a wink.

mince – to lessen the force of , weaken, as by euph

emism If you do not mince your words, you tell sb s

th, unpleasant without making any effort to be polite or to avoid upsetting them.

I never mince words, you know that. 直言不讳

torn--- tear---destroy the peace of

to divide with doubt, uncertainty, agitate, torment

He was agitated and torn, not knowing what was the right thing to do.

a heart torn by grief

swivel --- v. move round The chair swiveled to the right when he tried

it. 1) If you swivel or swivel round, you turn

round quickly, especially when you are in a sitting position.

2) If you swivel your head or eyes in a particular direction, you turn your head or eyes in that direction, so that you can look at sth.

wax – increase in strength, size/ grow, extend,

enlarge

wane – decrease , fail, diminish, sink

If sth waxes and wanes, it first increases and then decreases over a period of time.

eg. My feelings for John wax and wane. The popularity of the film stars waxed and

waned.

comply –

act on a accordance with a request, order etc.

bunch –

collect, gather in bunches (here) stand up

Deal -- an arrangement to the advantage of both

sides, often in business bargain, transaction

loom --- appear 朦胧出现 to come into sight without a clear form, esp.

in a way that appears very large and unfriendly, causing fear.

If sth. looms, it appears as a problem or event that is approaching, or that will soon happen, a rather literary use.

eg. This looms as a big question for many new parents.

no small Understatement---Restraint or lack of emphasis

in expression, as for rhetorical effect. . 保守的陈述 , 掩饰 litotes --- A figure of speech consisting of an u

nderstatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite, as in: This is no small problem. 曲言法 , 间接表达法 , 反语法 ( 以反面的否定代替肯定的词格 , 如 :no easy 代替 very difficult, not bad 代替 very good 等 )

dimension -- a measurement in any one direction,

extent

wow-dow -- (interjection) an exclamation of surprise,

wonder, pleasure etc

wince -- to move suddenly as if drawing the body

away from sth unpleasant She winced as she touched the cold body. She winced (mentally) at his angry words.

chirp -- make the short sharp sounds of small birds

or some insects, say or speak in a way that sounds like this.

She chirped (out) her thanks.

doom -- cause to experience or suffer sth

unavoidable and unpleasant such as death or destruction

From the start, the plan was doomed to failure (to fail).

We are doomed to unhappiness. He was doomed to be killed in a car crash.

-- proof – resistant to, make to give protection

against fire-proof waterproof watch a bullet-proof car a sound-proof room

metaphor: Polly's mind -- the extinct crater of a volcano

extinct -- no longer burning Her Intelligence -- embers ( ashes of a dying

fire) 余烬

crater --- the round bowl-shaped mouth of a

volcano

ember -- (usu. pl.)

a red-hot piece of wood or coal esp, in a fire that is no longer burning with flames.

admittedly -- by admission or general agreement

confessedly

prospect -- future probabilities based on present

indications or analyses

hope -- based on desire, with or without any

likelihood that the hoped for will happen or materialize

Parents have high hopes for their children. A man saves money in the hope that inflation

will not wipe it out.

appeal -- to make a strong request for help, support,

mercy, beg He appealed to his attacker for mercy.

blue-prints -- a photographic copy of a plan for making a

machine or building a house. The plans for improving the educational

system have only reached the blueprint stage so far.

pitchblende -- n. 沥青油矿 a dark shiny substance dug fro

m the earth, from which uranium and radium are obtained.

fracture -- break, crack, split

hypothesis -- an idea which is thought suitable to

explain the facts about sth. an idea which is suggested as a possible

explanation for a particular situation or condition, but which has not yet been proved to be correct.

eg. People have proposed all kinds of hypothesis about what these things are.

cute– 1. clever, shrewd 2. pretty, attractive, esp in a dainty way

argue -- general word a reasoned presentation of views or a heated

exchange of opinion amounting to a quarrel They argued vociferously over who should

pay the bill.

argue The MP argued his position with such cog

ency and wit that even his opponents were impressed.

这个议员对自己的主张进行如此有说服力和机智的辩论，使他的对手也对此留下深刻地印象。

debate -- argue formally, usually under the control

of a referee and according to a set of regulations.

The House of Commons debated the proposal for three weeks.

hamstring – to cut the hamstring

destroying the ability to walk a cord-like tendon at the back of the leg,

joining a muscle to a bone claw-- scratch, clutch, as with claws

(nails) scrape -- scratch, cut the surface of slightly

Over and over… Over and over again I gave examples and

pointed out the mistakes in her thinking . I kept emphasizing all this without stopping.

to hammer away – to keep emphasizing or talking about

let-up– stopping, relaxing

She was a fit… Here the narrator described the role which

he thinks, a wife should play. well-heeled : (American slang) rich,

prosperous

fashion -- v. to shape or make (sth) into or out of sth.

usually with one's hands or with only a few tools

~ a hat out a leaves ~ some leave into a hat

The time had come… The time had come to change our

relationship from that of teacher and student to that of lovers. academic: scholastic; educational; of

students,teachers. romantic: of lovemaking or courting

constellation -- a group of fixed stars often having a name

Languish -- become or be lacking in strength or will

shambling -- walking awkwardly, dragging the feet

hulk – a heavy, awkward person

surge -- 1) move esp. forward, in or like powerful

waves. The crowd surged past him.

2) (of feeling) to arise powerfully Anger surged (up) within him.

darn -- damn (euph) adv. used for giving force to an expression, good

or bad a ~ fool He ran damn fast.

croak -- speak with a rough voice as if one has a

sore throat, utter in a deep, hoarse tone.

playful--- A playful action or remark is light-hearted

and friendly rather than serious or hostile.

That did it. -- That was the final straw. That made me lose

my patience. That make me lose my self-control This idiomatic phrase is used very often in

English and the meaning depends largely on the context in which it is used.

That did it. -- "that" -- what has gone before "Polly's last

answer" "it" -- the result or consequence brought

about by "that"

bellow -- roar with a reverberating sound as a bull

cry out loudly, as in anger

reel back -- step away suddenly and unsteadily, as

after a blow or shock When she hit him, he reeled back and

almost fell.

overcome -- be overwhelmed If you are overcome by a feeling, you feel it

very strongly I was overcome by a sense of failure. He was overcome with astonishment.

infamy – wicked behavior, public dishonor, being

shameful/ disgraceful infamous –

well known for wicked, evil behavior. infamous action, wicked, shameful,

disgraceful

rat -- metaphor (Am. sl.) used for describing a sneaky, contemptible

person.

modulate – adjust, vary the pitch, intensity of the voice Some people are able to modulate their

voices according to the size of the room in which they speak.

jitterbug -- 1. a quick active popular dance of the 1940's 2. a person who did this sort of dance Am. sl.

a person who is very nervous jitters -- n. jittery -- adj. nervous, unstable

Frankenstein The young student in Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (17

97--1851) romance of that name (1818), a classic horror story. Frankenstein made a soulless monster out of corpses from church-yards and dissecting-rooms and endued （赋予） it with life by galvanism. （流电疗法） The tale shows the creature longed for sympathy, but was shunned ( 躲避 ) by everyone and became the instrument of dreadful retribution （惩罚） on the student who usurped the prerogative （特权） of the creator

http://frankenstein.monstrous.com/

The main idea of this lesson: It is about a law student who tries to

marry the girl after suitable re-education, but he's been too clever for his own good.

The narrator, Dobie Gillis, a freshman in a law school, is the protagonist

Protagonist: a law school student very young clever over-conceited -- cool, logical, keen,

calculating, perspicacious, acute, astute, powerful, precise, penetrating

Antagonists 1. Petey Burch -- pitiful, dump, roommate, fa

ddist 2. Polly Espy --- beautiful, gracious, stupid

III. Organizational Pattern 4 sections Sect. I para 1-3

It is the author's note. 1. The author's idea about this story. 2. The author's idea about the purpose of thi

s story.

III. Organizational Pattern Sect II para. 4 --59 the bargain between the law student and hi

s roommate over the exchange of the girl,

III. Organizational Pattern sub-divisions:

1) p4 introduction of the narrator -- protagonist

2) p5-21 introduction of the first antagonist -- Petey Burch

He downgrades his roommate, who has nothing upstairs.

3) p22 -- 27 introduction of he second antagonist -- Polly Espy

III. Organizational Pattern 4) p 28--40 sounding out / finding out the rel

ationship between Petey and Polly. 5) p.40 --59 unethical transaction over Polly

The student gives the raccoon coat the roommate wants, and his roommate gives his girl friend in return. They have a kind of deal.

III. Organizational Pattern Sect III. para 60 -- 124

the teaching of 8 logical fallacies 10 sub-divisions: 1. p60 --61

a survey, first date with the girl, first impression of the girl. He tries to find out how stupid she is.

III. Organizational Pattern 2. p62 -- 74 the teaching of Dicto Simpli

citer 3. P75 -- 79 the teaching of Hasty Gener

alization 4. p80--85 Post Hoc 5. p86 --96 Contradictory Premises 6. p97--98 interposition, He wants to give

the girl back.

III. Organizational Pattern 7. p99 --104 Ad Misericordiam 8. p105--108 False Analogy 9. p109-- 114 Hypothesis Contrary to Fac

t 10.p 115--124 Poisoning the Well

III. Organizational Pattern Sect.IV. para125– the ending of the story

backfiring of all the arguments The girl learns her lessons too well. She uses

all the logical fallacies to fight back her teacher.

Pay attention to the change of his emotions:

1. favoring her with a smile 2. chuckled with amusement 3. chuckled with somewhat less

amusement 4. forcing a smile/ ground my teeth 5. croaked, dashed perspiration from my

brow 6. bellowing like a bull

IV. The chief attraction of this lesson

It's humor The whole story is a piece of light, humorous

satire, satirizing a smug, self-conceited freshman in a law school.

IV. the chief attraction of this lesson

Why : 1) the title

The title is humorous. The writer wants the readers to conclude that "love" is an error, a deception and an emotion that does not follow the principles of logic.

IV. the chief attraction of this lesson

2) the author's note "spongy", "limp", "flaccid" are specific charact

eristics of his essay. He is joking, which indicates that the whole story is humorous.

3) the contrast -- the law student & the girl & Petey boasting himself ----- downgrading the others the student ---- the girl

IV. the chief attraction of this lesson

4) the ending of the story the raccoon coat which the law student des

pises and give it to his roommate for the exchange of his girl friend has finally become the rootcause of his losing his girl friend.

5) the clever choice of the names Pettey ---- pity Espy ---- I spy

V. Language features: 1. American colloquialism 2. Informal style

short sentences elliptical sentences --- to increase the tempo

of the story dashes

3. rhetorical devices

V. Language features: 4. sharp contrast in the language

1) the law student uses ultra learned terms standard English 100% correct

2) clipped vulgar forms, slang words gee, magnif, terrif, pshaw,

5. inverted sentences

V. Language features: What effect does the language have on the

readers: 1. vivid 2. colorful 3. informal

Exercise 1. Fads enjoy very brief popularity, which

fashions are likely to be longer-lasting. Also, "fad" has a pejorative connotation. A fad is a cheap sort of fashion, somewhat debased. To be described as fashionable is a compliment. However, to be swayed by fads is to show a weakness for sudden and brief trends.

Exercise 2. "Incredible" means unbelievable. It com

es from the Latin "in" (not), and "credibitis"(credible). "Incredulous" means disbelieving or skeptical. It is not as strong as "incredible"

Exercise 3. "Eager” suggests strong interest or

desire. "Passionate" is nearly the same but generally is used in a more intense way, to express a degree of emotion slightly greater than "eager".

4. "Feeling" and “Emotions" are often considered interchangeable, though "emotions" is often considered the stronger word.

Exercise 5. "Revealed" is the better word here, with

its connotation of making known what has been kept secret. "Showed" is a more general word and, while acceptable, is not as precise.

Exercise 6. To be "inclined" is to be disposed to do

something, to have a tendency. To be tempted is to be attracted to something in a strong way, though again these two words are very close in meaning, I would rate "tempted" as the stronger verb.

Exercise 7. "Exasperation" is extreme annoyance or

irritation. "Disappointed" indicates a degree of frustration less extensive than "exasperation". Again the author has chosen the stronger of the alternatives.

Exercise 8. “Tolerant” here implies endurance of P

olly‘s faults, an ability to endure her stupidity. “Indulgent” means lenient( 宽大的 ) , forgiving, and the inner pain and difficulty implied by "tolerant"

Exercise 9. “Merriment” is gay conviviality （欢乐） ,

and hilarity （欢闹） . It is a much stronger word than "amusement", which refers to being pleased or entertained. Amusement is not so strong an emotion as merriment.

10. “Languish” means to become weak or feeble, to become listless. “To suffer a lot” is a vague, broad term. “Languish” is a better word in this case.

Ex. III. 1. It's humorous, thanks to the word

"fallacy", one commonly used in logic. The tale not only gives us a clue of the nature of our narrator's passion, but reflects on the fallacy of his own love for Polly and fallacy in his seemingly well-wrought plan.

Ex. III. 2. Para 4 is a good example of the author's

attitude toward himself. The audacious (brave) pride is so great that we can quickly see it is a parody. The author realizes that at 18 he felt smarter than he really was -- he was blind to his own ignorance. He makes fun of himself throughout.

Ex. III. 3. Its purpose is to entertain in a light-hearted w

ay. There is no pretence to teaching us anything, but simply to give us a few chuckles. This is hinted at in the author's note.

4. Polly‘s language is trendy( 时髦的 ), inane（空洞的） , vulgar （粗俗的） , and meaningless. It illustrates, until the end of the story. It shows the limits of her weak mind.

Ex. III. 5. The narrator has learned logic as a subject in

school, when he tries to apply his knowledge to real life, he fails miserably. He sees what goes on in the classroom is divorced from real life. He tries to make Polly forget the fallacies he had taught her.

6. The topic sentence is "He was a torn man". This idea is developed by a series of details that describe Petey's confused state.

Ex. III. 7. Because he begged Polly's love, which was

refused. He was going to get the same result as Frankenstein, who created a monster that destroyed him, not as Pygmalion, who was loved by the beautiful statue he had fashioned. The narrator's allusions come naturally, from his experience. He has probably read Pygmalion and Frankenstein for a college course, so the allusions do seem apt.

Ex. III. 8. When the narrator finally succeeds in teachin

g Polly, she learns logic too well and turns it against him after his declaration of love. In her decision to choose Petey she had used the logic the narrator taught her. Had he not given away his raccoon coat and taught her logic lessons he might have had Polly as his own. The irony is that he succeeded to well.

Ex. III. keen --

It suggests unusual ability or perceptiveness adding to them a vigorous forceful ability to grass complex problem

1. The keen ears of the dog heard the sound long before we did.

2. He exercised keen judgment to rescue the drowning.

他当机立断，救出了那个溺水儿童。

calculating -- It means coldly planning and thinking about

future actions and esp. whether they will be good or bad for oneself 有心计，精明的

He was regarded as a calculating man. To Kate, calculating and cold, the most impo

rtant thing was power.

perspicacious -- fml. It suggests one has or shows an unusual pow

er or ability of keen judgment and understanding 敏锐，颖悟

Tom's understanding to the matter is ~. 汤姆对这件事的理解很透彻、敏锐。

perspicacious -- fml These were the fundamental difficulties, but

few men were perspicacious enough to appreciate them.

这些是基本的困难，但是没有几个人能敏锐地意识到它们。

acute -- It suggests a sensitivity and receptivity to the

small differences that was not notices by others, also implies a high-keyed state of nervous attention that will not be lasting.

He is an acute observer and thinker.

astute -- It means clever and having a thorough or dee

p understanding, stemming from a scholarly or experienced mind that is full command of a given field.

狡猾的；诡计多端 He is astute and capable. 他精明强干。 They are astute financiers.

他们是一些诡计多端的金融家。

intelligent 聪明，明智 理解力，认识，学习

He was intelligent enough to turn off the gas when he was out.

He was intelligent enough to understand my meaning form my gestures

bright --- （学习，理解力）聪明，心思灵敏，反应快

He is a bright child, as you can tell when you talk with him.

brilliant --- 才华出众，卓越的，能力与理解力

stronger than bright he was considered as a brilliant speaker.

他是公认的卓越的演说家。

alert --- 动作灵敏 A sparrow is very alert in its movement.

clever, bright , smart --- more colloquial clever --- bright , skillful, having a quick

mind smart -- (AmE)