Unit Four

Fun, Oh Boy. Fun. You Could Die from

it

WARM-UP DISCUSSION

Is fun important in your life? How important?

What is fun in your life? What is your greatest fun?

What is your definition of “fun”?Fun is a rare jewel. Fun is …

DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

Introductory P.Introductory P. BodyBody Concluding P.Concluding P.

What is fun?

• Definition

What is not fun?

• negation

• How should we treat fun?

• What is fun?

anecdote

FunFun

Detailed Reading

Fun, Oh Boy. Fun. You Could Die from itSuzanne Britt Jordan

1 Fun is hard to have.

2 Fun is a rare jewel.

3 Somewhere along the line people got the modern idea that fun was there for the asking, that people deserved fun, that if we didn’t have a little fun every day we would turn into (sakes alive!) puritans.

4 “Was it fun?” became the question that overshadowed all other questions: good questions like: Was it moral? Was it kind? Was it honest? Was it beneficial? Was it generous? Was it necessary? And (my favorite) was it selfless?

5 When the pleasures got to be the main thing, the fun fetish was sure to follow. Everything was supposed to be fun. If it wasn’t fun, then by Jove, we were going to make it fun, or else.

6 Think of all the things that got the reputation of being fun. Family outings were supposed to be fun. Sex was supposed to be fun. Education was supposed to be fun. Work was supposed to be fun. Walt Disney was supposed to be fun. Church was supposed to be fun. Staying fit was supposed to be fun.

7 Just to make sure that everybody knew how much fun we were having, we put happy faces on flunking test papers, dirty bumpers, sticky refrigerator doors, bathroom mirrors.

Detailed Reading

Detailed Reading

8 If a kid, looking at his very happy parents traipsing through that very happy Disney World, said, “This ain’t fun, ma,” his ma’s heart sank. She wondered where she had gone wrong. Everybody told her what fun family outings to Disney World would be. Golly gee, what was the matter?

9 Fun got to be such a big thing that everybody started to look for more and more thrilling ways to supply it. One way was to step up the level of danger or licentiousness or alcohol or drug consumption so that you could be sure that, no matter what, you would manage to have a little fun.

Detailed Reading

10 Television commercials brought a lot of fun and fun-loving folks into the picture. Everything that people in those commercials did looked like fun: taking Polaroid snapshots, swilling beer, buying insurance, mopping the floor, bowling, taking aspirin. We all wished, I’m sure, that we could have half as much fun as those rough-and-ready guys around the locker room, flicking each other with towels and pouring champagne. The more commercials people watched, the more they wondered when the fun would start in their own lives. It was pretty depressing.

Detailed Reading

11 Big occasions were supposed to be fun. Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter were obviously supposed to be fun. Your wedding day was supposed to be fun. Your wedding night was supposed to be a whole lot of fun. Your honeymoon was supposed to be the epitome of fundom. And so we ended up going through every Big Event we ever celebrated, waiting for the fun to start.

12 It occurred to me, while I was sitting around waiting for the fun to start, that not much is, and that I should tell you just in case you’re worried about your fun capacity.

Detailed Reading

13 I don’t mean to put a damper on things. I just mean we ought to treat fun reverently. It is a mystery. It cannot be caught like a virus. It cannot be trapped like an animal. The god of mirth is paying us back for all those years of thinking fun was everywhere by refusing to come to our party. I don’t want to blaspheme fun anymore. When fun comes in on little dancing feet, you probably won’t be expecting it. In fact, I bet it comes when you’re doing your duty, your job, or your work. It may even come on a Tuesday.

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPHS (PARA.1-5) What is fun? Definition

Qs:1. What is the thesis statement of the essay?

2. What technique does the author employ in this part of essay?

3. In Para.4, a series of questions has been raised. What’s the effect of it?

PARAPHRASE Somewhere along the line people got the modern

idea that fun was there for the asking, that people deserved fun, that if we didn't have a little fun every day we would turn into (sakes alive!) puritans.

Somewhere along the time: (informal) at some time during an activity or period of time 不知从何时起

--- Somewhere along the line, Errol seemed to have lost interest in her.

PARAPHRASE

Somewhere along the line people got the modern idea that fun was there for the asking, that people deserved fun, that if we didn't have a little fun every day we would turn into (sakes alive!) puritans.

Sometimes in our life people had the idea that we could find fun everywhere, that it is natural for people to have fun, and that if we didn’t have a little fun every day, we would become (for Heaven’s sake, be alive) puritans, who have a killjoy way of life.

PURITANS 清教徒

Puritans refer to a group of radical English Protestants that arose in the late 16th century and became a major force in England during the 17th century. Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England by eliminating traces of its origins in the Roman Catholic Church. In addition, they urged a strict moral code and placed a high value on hard work. After the execution of King Charles I in 1649, they controlled the new government, the Commonwealth. Oliver Cromwell, who became leader of the Commonwealth, is the best-known Puritan. Many Puritans, persecuted in their homeland, came to America in 1620s and 1630s, settling colonies that eventually became Massachusetts. The words puritan and puritanical have come to suggest a zeal for keeping people from enjoying themselves.

RHETORIC FEATURES

"Was it fun?" became the question that overshadowed all other questions: good questions like: Was it moral? Was it kind? Was it honest? Was it beneficial? Was it generous? Was it necessary? And (my favorite) was it selfless?

The reader is invariably impressed by the forcefulness of the questions raised in succession, which provokes his thought: one who is after fun in everything is likely to be shallow for he regards everything in the world as something trivial and funny no matter whether it is in reality something serious and grave.

BODY PART (PARA.6-PARA.11)

What is not fun? Negation

PARA.6 Think of all the things that got the reputation of

being fun. Family outings were supposed to be fun. Sex was supposed to be fun. Education was supposed to be fun. Work was supposed to be fun. Walt Disney was supposed to be fun. Church was supposed to be fun. Staying fit was supposed to be fun.

Qs: Are all the things mentioned really fun?

PARA.7

Qs: Are those who put happy faces on flunking test papers, dirty bumpers, sticky refrigerator doors, bathroom mirrors really having fun?

No, these people who indulge themselves with fun-seeking take their lives less seriously. They don’t care about these trivialities.

PARA.8Qs:1. Is the anecdote real or imaginary?2. Is family outings to Disney World fun in this

anecdote? What does the author suggest through this story?

As:1. It is imaginary.2. No. In the imaginary event, the elaborate

preparation of the parents was wasted and the child failed to have the expected fun. The author suggests that what is supposed to be fun may not enable people to have a good time.

PARA.9

Qs:

1. How do some people manage to have fun?

2. How do you understand the second sentence?

PARAPHRASE

One way was to step up the level of danger or licentiousness or alcohol or drug consumption so that you could be sure that, no matter what, you would manage to have a little fun.

In order to have a little fun under the stress of modern life, people indulged themselves even more intensively in dangerous adventures and excessive sex, alcohol and drugs.

PARA.10

Qs: How does the advertising help to cultivate our fun-seeking appetite?

Advertisements help to develop modern people’s fun fetish by setting an example for us to follow and showing how much fun we can get from consuming all the items being advertised.

PARAPHRASE

We all wished, I'm sure, that we could have half as much fun as those rough-and-ready guys around the locker room, flicking each other with towels and pouring champagne.

I am sure that all of us wished that we could have half as much fun as those crude guys in the TV commercials who appear to enjoy themselves greatly by flicking each other with towels in the locker room, or by pouring champagne on each other.

PARA.11 Big occasions were supposed to be fun. Christmas,

Thanksgiving and Easter were obviously supposed to be fun. Your wedding day was supposed to be fun. Your wedding night was supposed to be a whole lot of fun. Your honeymoon was supposed to be the epitome of fundom. And so we ended up going through every Big Event we ever celebrated, waiting for the fun to start.

Rhetoric features: repetition

Qs: Are big occasions necessarily fun?

–dom: 1) the state of being sth., freedom, wisdom, stardom

2) a. a particular rank, an earldom/ dukedom 伯爵爵位 / 公爵爵位

b. an area ruled by a particular type of person, a kingdom

3) all the people who share the same set of interests, have the same job, etc., officialdom 官 员 , yuppiedom 雅 皮 士 (uncountable nouns)

BODY PART (SUMMARY QUESTIONS)

1. What writing style does the author create and how does she create it?

2. In what way has the author further elaborate what fun is?

CONCLUSION PART (PARA.12-PARA.15)

How should we treat fun? What is fun on earth? (anecdote)

PARA. 12 It occurred to me, while I was sitting around waiting for

the fun to start, that not much is, and that I should tell you just in case you're worried about your fun capacity.

When I was sitting around waiting for the fun to start, I suddenly thought of one thing: fun is not much. I tell you this for fear that you might be worried about your ability to find fun in life.

The author says “not much is” . She feels we ought to be more reverent about fun, to feel it more as a mystery than as something to which we are automatically entitled.

PARA.13

Qs:

1. According to the author, how should we treat fun?

2. How does author develop this paragraph?

PARAPHRASE

It is a mystery. It can not be caught like a virus. It can not be trapped like an animal. The god of mirth is paying us back for all those years of thinking fun was everywhere by refusing to come to our party.

We have long assumed that fun was easy to have, but now we are paying a price for that shallow-mindedness, i.e. our party is hardly as much fun as it is intended to be.

It may even come on a Tuesday.

Tuesday is a workday, the day following the blue Monday. It is commonly regarded as an ordinary day when everyone is supposed to do the routine work. As a rule, no holidays, no big occasions would take place on this day. But if we treat fun properly, we can have fun even on such an ordinary day.

It suggests fun does not come from playing or enjoying oneself on weekends but probably from working and the fulfillment of one’s duty during weekdays.

PARA.14-PARA.15Q1: An imaginary event is presented in Para.8 and a

real event in Para.14. what’s the function of the narration of the anecdote in this paragraph?

A: In this real event, the simple childish behavior gave the children the satisfaction and joy. With a comparison of these events, the author suggests that what is supposed to be fun may not turn out to be fun at last. The simple joy of life is the real fun people are seeking.

Q2. Why do you think the author ends the text with such an anecdote?

A: Perhaps she wants her readers to begin and end this essay with the idea that “fun” is really quite simple—not so complicated and busy as all the “things” she describes in the body of the essay. She wants to suggest that it is easier for children to have fun than it is for grown-ups.

Q3: Two simple and direct statements are used to begin and end the essay. What is the effect of these statements?

A: Simple and direct as they are, the two statements are effective enough to convey the message that fun is a rare jewel, but fun could also be easy to have if we treat it properly.

THE LANGUAGE STYLE OF THE TEXT The tone is talky and slightly cynical although

essentially it remains a lighthearted irony through the use of conversational words and phrases.

snakes alive! (3); by Jove (5); flunking (7); this ain’t fun, ma (8); Golly gee (8); those rough-and-ready guys (10)

THE TONE OF THE TEXT

Para. 12 serves as a transitional paragraph, whereas para. 13 is the first one to be mostly affirmative (“It is a mystery.”) The switch turns the tone of the essay from ironic or cynical to more serious and reminiscent of fun times in the past

Disney World (8); Polaroids (10); Bit-O-Honey, Chunky, M & M’s (14). By using specific brand names, she brings specificity and familiarity to her illustrations.

1.OVERSHADOW( 使担忧，伤心；遮蔽，使黯然失色；使显得不重要） 她的新书将会使她以前写的书都黯然失色。 Her new book will overshadow all her

earlier ones Large trees overshadow the garden 高大的树把花园遮得很暗 .  Be overshadowed by 与…相比相形见绌 Despite her professional success, she is

always overshadowed by her husband.   尽管她事业有成，但和丈夫相比总觉逊色。

2.REPUTATION AND FAME(FAME 仅指好名声，强调较高的知名度 ;REPUTATION 可指好名声，亦可指坏名声，强调人们心目中的形象）His biting words at the meeting

blasted his reputation.    会上尖刻的话语使他声誉扫地。

She came from nowhere into national fame.    她从无名之辈变成全国闻名。

3.BUMPER

adj. 丰盛的This year we have a bumper harvest in grain. 今年我们谷物丰收。

n. 保险杆，减震器，缓冲器Part of the car’s bumper had come adrift.    汽车的保险杆有一处松动了 . 

v. 撞，干杯，装满

4.LICENTIOUSNESS(N. 放肆，放荡）

adj. licentious 放肆的Without law, liberty also loses its nature and its name, and becomes licentiousness.    没有法律，自由也同样名实具亡，就是无法无天。

This kind of freedom is licentious.这样的自由是放肆的。

5.SWILL n. 泔水，痛饮，洗涤 You feed them swill and such stuff? 你肯定喂了它

们剩饭残羹这类东西了吧？ v. 冲洗，痛饮 The rugby players were swilling mugs of bear at

the bar. 橄榄球运动员正在酒吧里痛饮啤酒。 swill down 用大量水把…冲洗干净：； [ 俚语 ] 狂饮；滥吃 swill out 把…冲洗干净，冲刷 ( 地面等 ) ：；用水冲洗，涮

6.EPITOME( 缩影，梗概；典型，摘要）The center is an epitome of Beijing‘s environment treatment.    这是北京市治理环境的一个缩影。

He is the epitome of diligence.他是勤勉的典型。the epitome of sth. … 的典范 / 缩

影Epitomize 概括，作为…的典型

PHRASE: step up v. 走近 , 逐步增加 , 提升 , 提高

step out v. 暂时离开 , 外出娱乐 , 下台 , 辞 职 , 加快脚步step on 踏上 , 走上 step in v. 走进 , 插手帮助 , 作短时间的非正式访问 step down v. 走下 , 逐步减低 , 辞职 , 下台 step by step 逐步地 , 循序渐进地

END UP 竖着 ; 结束 ,告终 ; 死 end on 一端向前地 dead end n. 闭塞不通的一头 ,死胡同 bitter end n. 最后 , 结局 ,到底 ,至死

end up with 结束；以…而结束；以…告终

C – E TRANSLATION

1. It goes without saying that Shakespeare overshadows all the other playwrights throughout the ages.

2. The Great Gatsby is commonly deemed as the epitome of the Jazz Age of the last century in America.

3. It is advisable for you not to put a damper on his enthusiasm to further his studies at Harvard.

4. Young people tend to make a fetish of glamorous stars in sports and entertainment circles.

5. They traipsed all the way to the People’s Square for the celebrations of the National Day.

6. He does not deserve such severe punishment as he has committed neither serious errors nor grave crimes.

7. Every time I met him, he would talk a whole lot of nonsense.

8. He said that reputation is a trap into which many people are ready to fall.

E – C TRANSLATION 有人认为 , 生活中乐趣胜过生命中其他一切事情。他们甚至从不考虑任何严肃的事，从来不对这种乐趣是否道德、是否诚实或是否有必要这类问题提出疑问。当然，许多事情确实有乐趣。全家郊游有乐趣，打一场篮球有乐趣，喝着咖啡聊天有乐趣。但是，如果你把找乐子看成是生活中必不可少的东西的话，那么，你必然会追求越来越刺激的方法来从中获得乐趣，其中一个典型的方法是不断提升冒险或酗酒的程度，以设法得到一点乐趣。你应该避免亵渎乐趣，否则，过火的代价可能会是，不管你如何努力，就是没有乐趣。所以，正确的方法是带着一份敬意来看待乐趣，这样，你时常可以有一点新鲜的乐趣。