thinking and morality. People can be called a full man on condition that they have fine quality, delicate self-cultivation and strict morality. Try to read extensively and become a full man.
As far as I’m concerned, reading can make a full man, can cultivate a man, and can make a man move forward in the way he understand the view of the world, the life and the value. A full man should have a positive world view and adopt an active philosophy of life, which are usually based on a balanced knowledge structure. From Francis Bacon’s Of Studies, I know that the essay not only introduces the methods of reading books and discusses the purposes and functions of reading, but also analyzes the different attitudes of the people who are reading books. Most importantly, we can know how to be a full man from reading.
Francis Bacon’s Of Studies says ―Histories make men wise, poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend.‖ That is to say, we read all kinds of books in order to have more perfect knowledge and form critical thinking which can make us be a full man by reading. .
Reading can make a full man. That is to say, we should read more books which are useful and helpful for us. Reading can enlarge our knowledge in different fields. From Of Studies, studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. It means that studies can make people happy, wise, increasing knowledge. If we read all kinds of books, we are able to taste what might not happen to us in real life, and then ask ourselves what we would do in that situation. Besides, we read more books and fewer mistakes would be made by us. For that, we can learn more mistake examples from books so that we will make few mistakes in the future. So reading can make a man full because it can make the man taste all the emotions about the world and have a true understanding about the life. Of Studies also teach us that we should choose some book to read, but not read all the books. Some useful books should be read carefully and taken notes. Different books have different functions, the essay tells us that reading different books can bring different knowledge which we lack. The essay says that different books have different methods to read.
In a word, reading books of certain field brings certain knowledge and ability we lack. Of Studies gives us the method of reading books and getting knowledge. It also tells us different books have different functions for us. So whether reading makes a full man lies in what books you read and how you read. Reading a right book can make a man more wise, more emotional and more respected.
John Donne The Flea P23 1. Why does the poet say that \maidenhead\
The speaker tells his beloved to look at the flea before them and to note \that thing that she denies him. For the flea, he says, has sucked first his blood, then her blood, so that now, inside the flea, they are mingled; and that mingling cannot be called \\
2. What do you think is the addressee's parents' attitude toward the poet's wooing? The addressee's parents' attitudes are against him. (...Though parents grudge...) 3. What is the real purpose of the poet to say that in killing the flea \actually killing three lives?
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He compares the killing of the flea to murder. It would be ―three sins in killing three‖ (l. 18) since he and his lover would be killed within the flea if she were to follow her natural tendency to dispose of the insect. He even states that the act of killing the flea would be ―sacrilege‖. This is a term that is generally applied to acts that go against religion. If the lover denies the fact that their blood, and therefore their lives, are contained within the flea, it is similar to committing an irreligious act. This would seem to make the reverse, to acknowledge their closeness within the flea, compatible with religion. To acknowledge this closeness is also to acknowledge that it is allowable, which could lead to the conclusion that Donne wishes his lover to arrive at: she should give in to his desires because there is nothing wrong with the intimate mingling of two people. Holy sonnet 10 1.why does John Donne say that death is the \desperate men\
The poem reveals Donne's belief in life after death. It reads like a bold challenge to the \may derive\meaning of the sentence from John Donne`s Death Be not Proud is like that, Death, you are slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men; you are the slave to human beings. We, human beings, are in charge of you.
2.What does the poem mean when he says” we wake eternally” after one short sleep? The world \frightening in death. Though we might die, we can keep alive spiritually forever.
John Milton-Paradise Lost The general subject（总的主题）is man’s disobedience and the loss thereupon of Paradise, with its prime cause, Satan, who, having revolted from God, has been driven out of heaven.
4. Where are the serpent蛇 and his followers condemned after their defeat? They are driven from Heaven into hell.
5. What are the God’s punishments for those rebellious angels as described by Milton in lines 59-74?
Satan looks around and finds himself in a horrible dungeon. There is a great furnace in the dungeon. What is burning is sulfur, with flames, but without light. Through the visible darkness, he can discover sights of woe, regions of sorrow, mournful shades,
where peace and rest can never live. Hope goes everywhere except to this place. It is such a place as Eternal Justice had prepared for those rebels. It is far away from God and light of Heaven.
6. What is considered by Satan as “ignominy” and “shame” (line 115)?
To bow and sue for grace with suppliant knee and deify his power. To give in to God, to fall down on one’s knees to beg for mercy submissively, worship God’s power, become scared for God’s authority and power, lose confidence.
7. What is Satan advising the serpent and his followers to do in this part of Paradise Lost?
He is defeated in the battle against God, but he does not lose heart. He will not bow down to God. Instead, he is advising the serpent and followers to rise up again and fight another battle.
Daniel Defoe
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Robinson Crusoe鲁宾逊漂流记 2. What do you think of Crusoe’s way of marking time? Why is it important for him to keep track of time?
A good way. He doesn’t want to forget time. For a civilized man, time is precious. 3. From this excerpt, what do you find admirable in Robinson Crusoe?
Strong-minded, careful, capable, persevering, optimistic, ambitious, self-reliant, clever, practical, adventurous, patient, rational, sympathetic, hardworking, imaginative, energetic, courageous, amiable (kind-hearted).
First of all, he is adventurous. Unlike common people, Robinson is eager to take
adventures. So he is brave under most circumstances and curious about new things. Even when he was left in a deserted island, he was not afraid of what he was confronted with. What’s more, during the time he lived in the island, Robinson was faced with lots of difficulties. However, he has overcome all of them with strong will and firm
determination. And he tries his best to survive and takes an optimistic attitude towards life. Instead of despair, Robinson is full of passion in such a harsh situation. He never gets frustrated by failures and always perseveres in making efforts to create a new life. Besides, Robinson pays much attention to details. For example, when he wants to find a place for his settlement, he has taken many aspects into consideration, such as security, convenience, and sunshine. Also, he makes a list of specific figures on which he can base his construction. In this sense, Robinson is careful and considerate. To sum up, Robinson is not only brave and adventurous but also wise and thoughtful. When he has difficulties, he spares no efforts to overcome them and try his best solve the factual problems. What impressed me most is his optimism and perseverance. All the good qualities in Robinson Crusoe are admirable and he shows us a positive attitude towards life.
Confronting such an adversity, Robinson showed his amazing willpower and staunch life-force. He also showed people how to deal with adversity in life. Under such an adverse circumstance, he overcame various difficulties and created splendor of his life. ~If he or she does not make a plan for the future, he may not get out of the adversity. Take Robinson as an example, he made a series of plans about his food, his bullets, his powder and his daily work. He believed that he would starve or be attacked when he had not those things. So he ate very cannily. And he tried to train the sheep so that he did not waste so many bullets to shoot them. The truth proved that it was wise for him to do so. ~Robinson always thought of some new ideas when he was faced with some difficulties. If he did do everything with fixed rule, he would not create the necessities that he needed in his life. Owing to his ability to bring forth new ideas, he solved many problems. And those ideas helped him overcome the adversity.~ Robinson had been perseverant for twenty-eight years, and was saved finally.
Jonathan Swift Gulliver’s Travels 格列佛游记 1. In what ways are Yahoos comparable to human beings in Guliver’s Travels? Comment on the Houyhnhnms’ attitude toward human beings.
（1）Yahoos, hairy, wild, low and despicable brutes, who resemble human beings not only in appearance but also in almost every other way.
（2）Houyhnhnms conceive the vilest opinion of humankind such as corrupt ，detestion and debased group。
2. What are the symbolic meanings of Yahoos and Houyhnhnms?
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The Yahoos as a satiric representation of debased humanity, while taking the Houyhnhnms as representatives of Swift’s ideals of rationality and order.
Yahoos, hairy, wild, low and despicable brutes, who resemble human beings not only in appearance but also in almost every other way.
There is no evil, no lie, no illness, no power, no war, no government, no law, no punishment in Houyhnhnm.
William Blake The Lamb P48 1. Does this poem describe a lamb or the mind of the child who is speaking to the lamb? What is the relation of the lamb and the child to the God?
The poem describes the mind of the child who is speaking to the lamb so as to show the gentleness and tenderness of the lamb. The lamb is the symbol of the child to the God. It shows the love of God that he creates the lamb and Jesus is often called the lamb of the God. So the poet not only appreciates the kindness of the lamb but also praises the mysterious power which can create the lamb. In this poem, God, Jesus and the lamb are combined together.
(Reference:上帝创造自然中体现的慈爱;耶稣是上帝的羔羊；温良和自我牺牲精神；上帝彰显的慈爱：对羔羊、对孩子的关爱) 2. What does the lamb stand for?
Line 20: When you read the word \Lamb of God\gods in general until God offered his Son, Jesus Christ – his lamb – as the final sacrifice for the sins of mankind. In line 20, Blake references a version of Christianity that states that God created Jesus (Protestant version vs. the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity). In any case, you don’t need to know all the theology, just that it’s a reference to Jesus and an allusion to Christianity. Blake asks whether God, who created Jesus, also created the Tiger. Also, don’t forget that \ of another poem by Blake, from the Songs of Innocence; the two poems are often read together. The Tiger P50 1. Why does the poet mention the Lamb? Do you think both the Lamb and the Tiger can illuminate each other?
The Tyger is corresponding to The Lamb. Both the poems show the poet’s exploration, understanding and plaint of the mysterious creation. In this poem, the author implies that the Tiger is created by God as well as the Lamb. So either the Tiger or the Lamb is essential to God.
I think both the Lamb and the Tiger can illuminate each other. Although the Lamb can represent the kind ―innocent society‖, it will be lack of enough motivation to make progress. While the Tiger will cause social misery, unrest or even disruption, but it can make people release their creativity. So the poet believes that the Tiger is the symbol of strength and courage. And he also praises its passion, desire and all the lofty beauty.
2. What is the symbolic meaning of the tiger? What idea does the poet want to express?
The symbol of the Tyger is one of the two central mysteries of the poem (the other being the Tyger’s creator). It is unclear what it exactly symbolizes, but scholars have hypothesized that the Tyger could be inspiration, the divine, artistic creation, history, the sublime (the big, mysterious, powerful and sometimes scary. Read more on this in the \
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is, the Tyger is important, and Blake’s poem barely limits the possibilities
The tiger is the embodiment of God's power in creation: the animal is terrifying in its beauty, strength, complexity and vitality. The poem is divided into six parts. In the first part, the author imagined that he met a terrible tiger on a dark night and was frightened by its awful eyesight. There are creations and creators. How great the creator is that he could create such an awful creation like tiger! In the second part, the author continues to ask, where comes the eyesight like fire, sea or sky? The following two parts, the author describes the creator as a smith. He creates the tiger. What behind the questions is the frightening and respect of the author to the creator. In the fifth part, the author changes his tone and asks when the stars throw down their spears, why they are not happy? The last part is as same as the first part, the creator is too mysterious to understand.
The tiger shows its outstanding energy. It’s the vitality which the author thinks highly of. The key sentence of the poem is \the one-track religious views of the 18’s century. The view only concluded that god create the lame, he is so kind a father. But it didn’t know god also create the tough tiger. He can also be very serious. The god is someone who can’t be truly understood by human beings.
Robert Burns A Red, Red Rose 1. How does the narrator in the poem express his love? To use many figures of speeches: simile, metaphor, repetition 2. Why is this poem so touching to the readers? 1) Original flavor in fiery and direct expression: directly passionate
2) Artistic recreation; imagery presentation: newly sprung rose/ sweetly played melody 3) In repetition to stir an echoing effect
Auld Lang Syne P55 1. What does “cup o' kindness” imply?
Auld Lang Syne (old long since)by Robert Burns is a narrative poem praising for friendship. From the title and the first section we can easily get it, especially from the words ―acquaintance‖, ―forgot‖, ―brought to min'‖. After reading the whole poem, we will know ―cup o' kindness‖ here should imply the friendship between Robert Burns and his friend that he is now together with.
―Cup o' kindness‖ is showed in the second and the last section, which are both their reunion occasion. The people in the poem used to be friends and are old now; they are gathering to honor their friendship and memorize their happy childhood and adolescence. After the first ―cup o' kindness‖, the author starts to recall their joyful life: they has run in the brae, picked up the fine gowans, wandered a long and weary journey, paddled in the stream all the day. But all the nice memory has been the history ―Sin' auld lang syne.‖ And they are best affection and friendship for them two.
Then again comes to the present gathering, there is one more ―cup o' kindness‖ to imply that how much the author really worships the friendship and wish for it forever. ―And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, For auld lang syne.‖
William Wordsworth I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud P57
1. What is the relation between the poet and nature as described in the poem?
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