1. The Merely Very Good
By: Jeremy Bernstein

2. CONTENTS Warming-up Activity Cross-culture Background
Advanced English (I)
Warming-up Activity
Cross-culture Background
CONTENTS
Structure and Content
Text Appreciation and Writing Devices
Interpretation of Difficult Sentences
Assignments
Go to Background

3. Background Information
Advanced English (I)
Background Information
◆ Jeremy Bernstein—note 1
◆ Robert Oppenheimer—note 2
◆ Paul Dirac—note 8
◆ Stephen Spender—note 9
◆ W.H. Auden—note 10
Go to Content

4. Advanced English (I)
Content
1. What was the author’s first inclination to the invitation? Why? (para.1)
◆ To turn down it.
◆ The reasons were three-fold:
→The long journey did not appeal to him;
→The honorarium could only cover the expenses;
→The suggested topic—the connection between physics and writing no longer interested him.
Go to 2 & 3

5. Content 2. Why was the author invited to speak on the subject?
Advanced English (I)
Content
2. Why was the author invited to speak on the subject?
◆ He had been doing physics and writing for over 20 years.
◆ It was extremely difficult if one wanted to do either of the two well.
◆ The implication is it is almost impossible to do both well.
3. What did he have to say on this subject? What is his implied meaning?
Go to 4

6. Advanced English (I)
Content
4. What are the similarities and differences of Oppenheimer and Dirac as shown in Para.3?
Oppenheimer
Dirac
Similarities
Differences
Young with great talent, in twenties
Physicist, quantum mechanics
Good calculator in the quantum theory
Inventor of the theory & famous
Wrote poetry;
artistic taste
Concentrated on physics
Insolent or arrogant
Quite modest
Go to 5

7. 5. What is the main idea of Para.4?
Advanced English (I)
Content
5. What is the main idea of Para.4?
◆ It brings the readers back to the decision of going to the conference.
◆ It introduces Spender and Auden, thus presenting to the readers the two pairs of contrast: Dirac and Oppenheimer and Auden and Spender.
Go to 6

8. Advanced English (I)
Content
6. Why did Oppenheimer want to show people the painting of van Gogh? (para.5)
◆ It revealed the artistic side of his character or artistic taste;
◆ It is also an example to show his unfocused interests.
Go to 7

9. 7. How did Dirac teach his class at Cambridge? Why? (para.8)
Advanced English (I)
Content
7. How did Dirac teach his class at Cambridge? Why? (para.8)
◆ He read aloud from the book he had written on the subject.
◆ His answer was when he wrote he had given much thought to the subject and he considered his writing the best presentation of the subject. Since that was the case, he would rather read his great text.
Go to 8

10. Advanced English (I)
Content
8. What made the author feel “out of sorts” at the 1981 conference? (para.11)
◆ the audience was small;
◆ there was no response after his lecture;
◆ there was no official lunch and the lunch he had was mediocre.
◆ All this made the author feel it was a waste of precious time and energy, and his effort was not appreciated.
Go to 9

11. Advanced English (I)
Content
9. What are the things the author wants to tell us in the last two paragraphs?
◆ To be original and profound, one has to be focused.
◆ Great poetry and great physics cannot be imitated.
◆ The merely very good cannot contribute to the development of either poetry or physics.
Go to 10

12. vs. Content Focused Unfocused
Advanced English (I)
Content
10. What is the reason, according to the author, for the difference between being “great” and “merely very good”?
vs.
Focused
Unfocused
Go to Group Discussion

13. To be focused or not, that is a question!
Advanced English (I)
Group Discussion
Do you think it is right to say to be highly focused or not is the cause separating the great ones from the merely very good? Why or why not?
To be focused or not, that is a question!
Go to Structure

14. Structure ◆ Para.1, Sen.1 ◆ Para.2, Sen.1/3 ◆ Para.4, Sen.1
Advanced English (I)
Structure
1. Underline the sentences that indicate the story-time or the shift of story-time.
◆ Para.1, Sen.1
◆ Para.2, Sen.1/3
◆ Para.4, Sen.1
◆ Para.4, Last Sen.
◆ Para.8, Sen.1
◆ Para.10, Sen.1
◆ Para.17, Sen.1
1981
1981
1956
1958
1981
1996
Go to 2

15. Main idea/People involved
Advanced English (I)
Structure
2. How does the author develop the article?
Part
Para.
Story-time
Main idea/People involved I 1
1981 II
2-3
III 4 IV
5-7
1956 V
8-9
1958 VI
10-16
VII
17-18
1996
VIII
19-20
The 1981 conference and the author’s indecision
Earlier life of Oppenheimer and his relations with Dirac
The author’s decision: Spender and Auden
Spender and Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer, Dirac and the author
The author’s meeting with Spender
In search of Auden’s line
Concluding remarks
Go to Appreciation

16. Advanced English (I)
Appreciation
1. What are the two pairs of contrast are presented in the essay?
Oppenheimer
Dirac PK
Spender
Auden PK
Go to 2

17. Focused like laser beams To be continued on the next page
Advanced English (I)
Appreciation
2. How does the author manage to bring the people he wants to compare into the article?
Merely very good
Spender
Auden
Friend/Icon
Poetry
Kitty, 1937/1956
1956, Princeton
Unfocused
1981 conference
Poetry
Icon
Poetry
Physics
Author
(1981 conference)
Oppenheimer
1958, Princeton
Focused like laser beams
Focused
Physics
1927, Gottingen
Dirac
Great
To be continued on the next page

18. Go to Writing Technique
Advanced English (I)
Appreciation
Oppenheimer’s anecdote: Oppenheimer and Dirac meeting at Gottingen, talking about poetry and physics
The author’s decision to go to the conference
Spender’s being at the conference—Spender’s obsession with Auden—great vs. merely very good.
◆ Spender met Oppenheimer in Princeton in 1956.
◆ Oppenheimer’s wife Kitty and Spender: Kitty was the wife of a communist who died fighting in Spain in 1937 and Spender was also in Spain.
◆ Dirac came to Princeton in 1958 and went to a seminar of Oppenheimer’s. The author was also present.
◆ The author attempted to interview Dirac.
Go to Writing Technique

19. Writing Technique 1925-1927 1956(1958) 1981 1996 Benchmark
Advanced English (I)
Writing Technique
(1958)
Benchmark
[fig.] a point of reference, a criterion
To be continued on the next page

20. To be continued on the next page
Advanced English (I)
Writing Technique
What is the method the author uses to achieve coherence of the different anecdotes and personal relationship?
Montage
◆ The art or process of selecting, editing, and piercing together separate sections of cinema or television film to form a continuous whole; or the technique of producing a new composite whole from fragments of pictures, words, music, etc.
To be continued on the next page

21. Go to Detailed Study of the Text
Advanced English (I)
Writing Technique
Comment on the effect with the technique of montage in the following paragraph.
◆ Now that I can have her only in memory, I see my grandmother in the several postures that were peculiar to her: standing at the wood stove on a winter morning and turning meat in a great iron skillet; sitting at the south window, bent over her beadwork, and afterwards, when her vision had failed, looking down for a long time into the fold of her hands; going out upon a cane, very slowly as she did when the weight of age came upon her; praying.
Go to Detailed Study of the Text

22. 1. I don’t remember…probably New Hope. (para.1)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
1. I don’t remember…probably New Hope. (para.1)
(1) Why is it that present and past tenses are used in the same sentence?
◆ The whole paragraph is about an event in early 1981 → the past tense.
◆ “not remembering” and “convincing” takes place at the time of writing →the present tense.
(2) Why the word “convince” used here?
◆ Indicating that the author is careful about evidence →he is a physicist.
Go to 2

23. 2. …the idea of getting up…was repellent. (para.1)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
2. …the idea of getting up…was repellent. (para.1)
What information can you get from this statement?
◆ The location of the conference is a few hours drive from the author’s home.
◆ The author did not have a car.
◆ He did not want to accept the invitation (the use of “repellent”).
Go to 3

24. Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
3. Why does the author begin the essay with the 1981 conference? (para.1)
◆ It serves two purposes:
◇ It adds a personal touch to the subject;
◇ By recreating his everyday thoughts, the author makes it easier for readers to identify with him and in this way he will communicate to them more effectively.
Go to 4

25. 4. …took his degree…the age of twenty-three. (para.2)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
4. …took his degree…the age of twenty-three. (para.2)
Why do you think the age is mentioned here?
◆ To show that Oppenheimer was young and bright.
◆ When such a bright person is considered “merely very good” by the author, his message will come across strongly (impressive).
Go to 5

26. 5. …I was conscious…and led to trouble. (para.2)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
5. …I was conscious…and led to trouble. (para.2)
(1) What is the meaning of the word “way”?
◆ “Way” here means a course of action or manner of doing something.
(2) Why was the way embarrassing?
◆ Because Oppenheimer was very rude in interrupting speakers at Born’s seminars, yet at the same time his scientific superiority to the Professor was evident to all present.
To be continued on the next page

27. Detailed Study (3) Explain the meaning of the sentence (p.135-V-1).
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
(3) Explain the meaning of the sentence (p.135-V-1).
◆ I knew that Oppenheimer was a man of great talent but his way of showing his talent at my seminars caused uneasiness and resentment among people, especially among his fellow students.
Go to 6

28. 6. …insofar as one…a friendship with Dirac. (para.3)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
6. …insofar as one…a friendship with Dirac. (para.3)
(1) Did Dirac have friends?
◆ Not really.
(2) Was there any limit to such friendship?
◆ Dirac’s friendship with others would only go to a certain extent.
(3) Were Oppenheimer and Dirac friends?
◆ They were friends only to a certain extent.
Go to 7

29. 7. While Oppenheimer … the subject. (para.3)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
7. While Oppenheimer … the subject. (para.3)
(1) What sort of image is created about Oppenheimer?
◆ bright but lacked creativeness
◆ pompous and conceited.
(2) What is the contrast implied in the statement?
◆ Calculation applying the theory vs. invention of the theory
To be continued on the next page

30. Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
(3) In What way does the author make the contrast sharper?
◆ The choice of words
◇ “interrupting”, “announcing” →Oppenheimer was very talented, very pompous and aggressive;
◆ A studied insertion
◇ “only two years older” →Dirac was not much older than Oppenheimer yet he had invented the theory.
Go to 8

31. 8. I would imagine that… monologue. (para.3)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
8. I would imagine that… monologue. (para.3)
(1) Why is the word “discussion” in quotes?
◆ Because Dirac did not say anything or did not have a chance to say anything.
(2) What does this show about Oppenheimer?
◆ Eager to offer his opinion without thinking of giving others a chance to express their view.
◆ Liked to monopolize the whole situation.
Go to 9

32. 9. …who asked, “How can…in poetry…” (para.3)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
9. …who asked, “How can…in poetry…” (para.3)
(1) What was Dirac’s understanding of poetry?
◆ Poets were dealing with subjects people were familiar with.
(2) Why did not Dirac think people could do both poetry and physics?
◆ Because the nature of the two things was totally different.
Go to 10

33. 10. As interesting…devoted to poetry. (para.3)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
10. As interesting…devoted to poetry. (para.3)
Did the author repeat the anecdote during the 1981 conference? Why or why not?
◆ He decided against telling the anecdote.
◆ Since those attending the conference were people devoted to poetry and he had been asked to talk about the connection between physics and poetry, such an anecdote, though interesting, might not be appreciated or well-received by the audience. (p.135-V-2)
Go to 11

34. 11. Pitted against…finally carried the day. (para.4)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
11. Pitted against…finally carried the day. (para.4)
Explain the meaning of the sentence (p.135-V-3).
◆ There were two reasons for my going to the conference set against the reasons for my not going and they became decisive in my final decision.
Go to 12

35. 12. This aside…to be Stephen Spender. (para.4)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
12. This aside…to be Stephen Spender. (para.4)
Why was Spender’s presence at the 1981 conference so important to the author?
◆ not because he admired Spender’s writing;
◆ but because Spender knew things about Auden who meant a lot to the author.
Go to 13

36. 13. He is, for me,… their writing itself. (para.4)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
13. He is, for me,… their writing itself. (para.4)
Explain the implied meaning of the sentence (p.135- V-4).
◆ According to my view, Spender belongs to the group whose writings about their lives, experience, that is, whose autobiographies, are more interesting than their literary works.
Go to 14

37. Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
14. Auden’s Dirac-like lucidity…serious things…were to me irresistible. (para.4)
Explain the meaning of the sentence (P.136-V-5).
◆ Like Dirac, Auden was outstanding in clarity. He was also outstanding in the powerful use of the language and the sense of fun about serious issues…All these greatly fascinated me.
Go to 15

38. 15. Like English bishops on the Quantum Theory. (para.4)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
15. Like English bishops on the Quantum Theory. (para.4)
What is funny about this statement?
◆ English bishop: makes official pronouncements for the Anglican Church (Church of England) on matters of faith;
◆ Quantum Theory: deals with laws in physics, with new understandings of nature unknown to people in the past.
◆ The Church relates everything to God; physics believes that nature can be revealed through science.
◆ Ridiculous to put the two together.
Go to 16

39. 16. Auden must have been to Spender…focused like laser beams. (para.4)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
16. Auden must have been to Spender…focused like laser beams. (para.4)
(1) British establishment:
◆ the church, the royal family, the plutocracy
(2) What are the two important points are brought up in this part?
◆ the idea of “great” and “merely very good”;
◆ the reason for the difference: focused vs. unfocused
Go to 17

40. 17. Spender’s journal…does not say. (para.5)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
17. Spender’s journal…does not say. (para.5)
Explain the meaning of the sentence (P.136-V-6).
◆ Spender’s record of his visit is interesting not only because of the things he mentions but also because of the things he does not say.
Go to 18

41. 18. Some years later…he had never added. (para.5)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
18. Some years later…he had never added. (para.5)
(1) What does this sentence indicate?
◆ Oppenheimer was not really interested in art collection.
◆ The constant display and the never adding anything bring light to Oppenheimer’s character.
(2) What is the tone of this sentence?
◆ Ironical
Go to 19

42. Advanced English (I)

43. 19. But more important… Spender’s own life. (para.6)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
19. But more important… Spender’s own life. (para.6)
Explain the meaning of the sentence (P.136-V-7).
◆ But more important, in his book, Spender fails to give a connected, complete picture of Oppenheimer and does not mention that Oppenheimer’s background and situation has quite a lot to do with Spender.
Go to 20

44. 20. Oppenheimer has been “tried”…taken away. (para.7)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
20. Oppenheimer has been “tried”…taken away. (para.7)
Background:
◆ Oppenheimer had not been tried by a court but was called before a three-member Security Board set up by the Atomic Energy Commission to hear accusations against him and to defend himself. Hence “tried” in quotes.
◆ The real reason for the trial is Dr. Oppenheimer opposed the development of hydrogen bomb by the United States. The “trial” took place in 1954, the time of McCarthyism ( ).
Go to 21

45. 21. Did this have anything…upstairs “ill”? (para.7)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
21. Did this have anything…upstairs “ill”? (para.7)
What is the implication of this question?
◆ Kitty Oppenheimer deliberately tried to avoid meeting Spender.
Go to 22

46. 22. …the mere wearing …instantly better. (para.11)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
22. …the mere wearing …instantly better. (para.11)
Does the author really think the wearing of it will make one feel instantly better?
◆ being a little ironical.
◆ The author is hinting here that Spender likes expensive clothes because he cares much about status. To such a person, the wearing of a brand name, expensive shirt will certainly make him feel better.
Go to 23

47. 23. …pretty tired of…especially that of Auden… (para.12)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
23. …pretty tired of…especially that of Auden… (para.12)
What was Spender tired of?
◆ He was tired of being a person in whom people would find traces or influences of his more famous friends: Auden, C.D. Lewis and others.
◆ In other words, he no longer wanted to be seen as one always under the influence of others. He wanted to be recognized in his own right.
Go to 24

48. To be continued on the next page
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
24. But look, the morn in russet mantle clad/Walks o’er the dew of yon high eastward hill. (para.16)
(1) Where were these lines taken from?
◆ the opening scene of Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Act 1 Scene 1) when the rising dawn marks the necessary departure of the ghost.
(2) Explain the meaning of the two lines.
◆ But look, the morning in reddish brown color cloak walks over the dew of the high hill over there to the east.
To be continued on the next page

49. Detailed Study (3) Translate the lines into Chinese. ——朱生豪
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
(3) Translate the lines into Chinese.
◆ 瞧，清晨披着金黄色的氅篷，踏着高山上的露珠从东方走来。
◆ 瞧，晨披金色氅，脚踏东山露。
——朱生豪
Go to 25

50. 25. He looked at it…silence in the room. (para.16)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
25. He looked at it…silence in the room. (para.16)
Why did Spender have such an expression? What sort of feeling was revealed?
◆ Sadness →Spender felt he could never compete with Auden when Auden could produce such unforgettable lines.
◆ Wonder →Spender’s admiration. How could one produce such lines?
◆ Regret →Spender felt sorry that he had never written lines of such beauty.
◆ Envy was self-evident.
Go to 26

51. 26. I am a compulsive collector of data from my past… (para.17)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
26. I am a compulsive collector of data from my past… (para.17)
Explain the meaning of the statement.
◆ I always have an irresistible, even irrational impulse to keep all the papers containing information of my past activities…
Go to 27

52. 27. In the entry…Is complete and early…(para.18)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
27. In the entry…Is complete and early…(para.18)
(1) Why did Spender think it would not be very difficult to imitate the late Auden?
◆ Because in Auden’s late poetry, there is a kind of eccentric appearance which some young people eager for success and with proficient writing skill can pick up and imitate.
(2) Why did he think it would be difficult to imitate the early Auden?
◆ The poetry of early Auden is simple yet original.
To be continued on the next page

53. Detailed Study 无始无终 初始即完美
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
(3) What does the line mean? Translate the line into Chinese.
◆ The beauty of the moon has no history. In other words, it is not the result of gradual development. This beauty has been absolute from the time of the moon’s coming into existence.
◆ 此月之美
无始无终
初始即完美
Go to 28

54. 28. Poor Stephen Spender…truly superior. (para.19)
Advanced English (I)
Detailed Study
28. Poor Stephen Spender…truly superior. (para.19)
Translate the sentence into Chinese.
◆ 可怜的斯蒂芬.斯宾达，可怜的罗伯特.奥本海默，每个人都被局限在（如果不是归类到）不错之列，而他们又清楚地知道什么叫做出类拔萃，这就使他们不可避免地感到悲哀。
Go to Assignments

55. Advanced English (I)
Assignment
◆ Write an essay of no less than 400 words, centered on the given topic on (406055).
◆ Along with smooth transition and a natural conclusion, you should develop your article with a clear thesis statement supported with appropriate details.
Go to the End

56. Advanced English (I)
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The End