省级精品课程 《高级英语》第三版第二册 制作人：徐李洁

Unit Twelve The Loons Margaret Laurence

Teaching Objectives 1 ） to understand the implication of the text 2) to appreciate the text 3) to appreciate rhetorical devices;

I. The author Margaret Laurence is one of the major contemporary Canadian writers. After her marriage, she lived in Africa for a number of years. Her works include A Tree of Poverty(1954), This Side of Jordan(1960), The Tomorrow-Tamer (1963), The Prophet’s Camel Bell(1963), The Stone Angel(1964) and The Fire Dwellers (1969), A Bird in the House (1970), The Diveners (1974).

II. The story This touching story tells of the plight of a girl from a native Indian family. Her people were marginalized by the white-dominating society. They were unable to exist independently in a respectable and dignified way. They found it impossible to fit into the main currents of culture and difficult to be assimilated comfortably. At school, the girl felt out of place and ill at ease with the white children. When she had grown up she didn’t have any chance to improve her life. In fact her situation became more and more messed up. In the end she was killed in a fire.

III. Textual Structure Part I. (Paras 1-2): Introduction of the novel---the general background. Part II. (Para.3-4) The whole story Section 1. Para.3 (p.206) – Para.6 (p.208) Introducing the heroine Piquette. Section 2. Para.7 (p.208) – Para.2 (p.214) Days together with Piquette at Diamond Lake Section 3. Para.3 (p. 214) – Para.2 (p.217) Second meeting with Piquette several years later Section 4. Para.3 (p.217) – Para.4 (p.218) Piquette’s death Part III. (Para. 5 on page 218 – end). Analogy

Loons A distinctive Canadian bird, the bird of the lakes. Loons are excellent swimmers, using their feet to propel them A distinctive Canadian bird, the bird of the lakes. Loons are excellent swimmers, using their feet to propel themselves above and under the water while their wings provide assistance. They are now facing the extinction. selves above and under the water while their wings provide assistance. They are now facing the extinction.

Loons Piquette Live in Diamond lake Lives in a clearing at the centre of the thicket Sound at night Seldom speak, rarely respond or went out Ululating sound with a touch of chilling Try to change her situation by marrying a white man Can’t escape human invaders.Can’t escape the white invaders Disappeared Died analogy

IV Detailed analysis The basis of this dwelling was a small square cabin… ( para 1) This long sentence gives background information about Tonnerre family. They did not belong among the Cree… (para 2) This sentence shows the uprootedness and alienation of the Metis. They didn’t have a proper place or feel at home with any of the ethnic groups living there. They didn’t have a sense of belong. Otherwise, she existed for me only as …miles too long. (para 3) Otherwise, I only knew her someone who would make other people feel ill at ease because of her hoarse voice and her clumsy limping walk and her dirty cotton dresses that were too long to fit her.

“But Ewen- what about Roddie and Vanessa?” (para 8) : But have you thought about our children Roddie and Vanessa? What will happen to them if we have her with us for the summer? The mother was afraid that the tuberculosis might spread to her children. if it came to a choice between Grandmother…nits or not. (para 14) If my mother had to make a choice between Grandmother Macleod and Piquette, she would certainly choose the latter without hesitation, no matter whether the latter had nits or not. How well the place had wintered. (para 17) After the winter the place still remained in a good shape.

When she saw me approaching, her hand…without speaking. (para 23) Piquette used her hand to squash flat the sand castle she had been Building because she didn’t like Vanessa to come near. Neither of us suspected that this would be… on the shore, listening.(para 44) Neither of us guessed that this would be the last time we would ever sit there together on the shore, listening. This sentence tells us.That something would happen later that would deprive them of another chance to sit together. It seemed that we had nothing to say to one another. (para 58) Communication between them was still impossible.

As I mouthed the conventional phrases… (para 62) As I said those conventional phrases of congratulations in a Rather affected and insincere manner. Perhaps they had gone away to some far place of belonging. (para 74) Perhaps they had gone away to some far place where they belonged, where they could find a more suitable habitat since the lake had become a noisy tourist destination.

V. Expressions get mixed up in sth ． : (infml) become involved in or connected with sth ． I don’t want to get mixed up in your affairs ． 我可不想牵连到你们俩的事情中去。 hit out (at sb ．／ sth ． ): attack sb ．／ sth ． vigorously or violently with words or blows In a rousing speech the President hit out against the trade union ． 主席在一次言辞激烈的讲话中对工会进行了严厉的批评。

flare up: (of an illness) recur or show sudden burst of light ． anger or violence He flares up at the slightest provocation ．稍微一激他，他就 大发脾气。 My back trouble has flared up again ．我的后背又疼起来了。 win hands down: (infml) win easily ， by a large margin The local team won hands down ． 主队以悬殊的比分获胜。 set about: start doing sth ． I don’t know how to set about this job ． 这工作我不知该如何人手。 not give a shit (about sb ．／ sth ． ): not care at all 毫不关心 He doesn’t give a shit about anybody else ． 他对别人漠不关心

IV. Rhetorical devices Hyperbole …dresses that were always miles too long. …those voices belonged to a world separated by aeons from our neat world Metaphor …the filigree of the spruce trees daughter of the forest I tried another line A streak of amber Personification The two grey squirrels were still there, gossiping… The news that somehow had not found its way into letters. I tried another line a streak of amber

Transferred epithet All around, the spruce trees grew tall and close-set, branches blackly sharp against the sky which was lightened by a cold flickering of stars. I was ashamed, ashamed of my own timidity, the frightened tendency to look the other way. My brother, Roderick, who had not been born when we were here last summer, sat on the car rug in the sunshine and examined a brown spruce core, meticulously turning it round and round in his small and curious hands. Metonymy Those voices belonged to a world separated by aeons from our neat world of summer cottages and the lighted lamps of home. (our modern civilization) Synecdoche the damn bone’s flared up again

VI. The theme of the story The death of the heroine is like the disappearance of the loons on Diamond Lake. Just as the narrator’s father predicted, the loons would go away when more cottages were built at the Lake with more people moving in. The loons disappeared as nature was ruined by civilization. In a similar way, the girl and her people failed to find their positions in modern society.

VII. Questions for discussion How is the disappearance of the loons related to the theme of this story?