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Lesson EightThe Merely Very Good Jeremy BernsteinBackground Information Text AnalysisSome Thoughts on the TextRhetoricsContentsBackground Information Jeremy Bernstein(the author)Robert OppenheimerStephen SpenderPaul A.M.DiracW.H.AudenWho is Jeremy Bernstein?American physicist,educator,and writer widely known for the clarity of his writing for the lay reader on the major issues of modern physics.Jeremy Bernstein(1929-)1955obtained Ph.D.from Harvard University.1957-1961(?)worked at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton,N.J.1962 became an associate professor of physics at New York University.1967became a professor of physics at Stevens Institute of Technology&held the positionuntil 1993on the staff of The New Yorker magazine for over 30 years Major WMajor Worksorks of of Jeremy Bernstein Computers Past,Present and Future(1964,revised 1981)Albert Einstein(1973)Experiencing Science(1978)Science Observed:Essays Out of My Mind(1982)Observations on Science and Scientists(2001)worksThe Four Protagonists(I)Robert Oppenheimer American physicist who is called“father of the Atomic Bomb”,has been in charge of the Los Alamas nuclear laboratory for many years.The Four Protagonists(II)Stephen Spender English poet and critic,concentrates on themes of social injustice and class struggle in his work.Perhaps his closest friend and the man who had the biggest influence on him was W.H.Auden.1.The Four Protagonists(III)Paul A.M.Dirac English physicist,won Nobel Prize in 1933 at the age of 31 for his pioneer work in the quantum mechanics,and made major contributions in many areas of modern theoretical physics.The Four Protagonists(IV)W.H.Auden English poet,was regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.His work is noted for its stylistic and technical achievements,its engagement with moral and political issues,and its variety of tone,form and content.Organization of this articleThe author uses the 1981 conference as the benchmark and goes back to earlier times and in the last two paragraphs returns the scene to the time of writing.This technique of montage(蒙太奇)is used largely in cinema.montage(蒙太奇蒙太奇)There is a kind of technique of expression called montage”in the film.It breaks the limits of time and space,organize many Splicing lens(剪接镜头),and make them coherent.In writing,author use montage technique,and arrange some discontinuous pictures together according to organization.It can characterize person traits and the develop plots of story,and express a complete theme.How are different people introduced into the article?His decision to go to the conferenceOppenheimers anecdote:Oppenheimer and Dirac meet at Gottinggen,talk about poetry and physics.Spenders being at the conferenceSpenders obsession with Audengreat versus merely very good.How does the author develop How does the author develop the article?the article?The 1981 conference and the authors indecision.(flashback to1925-1927)the author talked about earlier life of Oppenheimer and his relations with Dirac.(back to 1981)the authors decision to attend conference.(flashback to 1956)the author talked about Spender and Oppenheimer.(back to 1981)the author met Spender.(bringing the scene to 1996)concluding remarks.then the author wrote“The merely very good”.Relationship of the four characters in the article:physicists Oppenheimer-Spender(merely good)poets Dirac-Auden (excellent)Oppenheimer vs.Dirac(similarity&difference)Oppenheimer Diracsimilarities young talented physicistdifferencesusing quantum mechanics to do better calculationtalkative,self-assertinginvented the theory of quantum mechanicsman of few words,eccentricWhat are the things the author wants to tell the readers?(1)Great poetry and great physics cannot be imitated.As Dirac put it,the really great ideas in physics are had by only one person.(2)Great poetry and physics are pushed(driven)ahead by unanticipated genius.The merely very good cannot contribute to the development of either poetry or physics.What are the things the author wants to tell the readers?(3)To be original and profound,one has to be focused.As the author says,Auden and Dirac focused like laser beams.This,according to the author,is the cause of the difference of being great and being merely very good.Jack of all trades,but master of none(博而不专博而不专)From the text,we know that no matter how talented one may be,if one doesnt concentrate on a specific aspect,he will not make any achievements as supposed to be.Some thoughts on the text：Even a genius can not be skilled in all subjects that he took interest in.Merely passion and talent can not contribute to master everything one wants to grasp.When we come to the study of English as a major,we should also be aware of the issue.An English student will take a number of course within four years and the knowledge learned vary from phonetics to writing,from specific general knowledge such as the general survey of the English-speaking countries to theoretically centered linguistics,from the highly culturally British and American literature to most practical ones like the English teaching methods etc.One may be able to get a high score in all the above but it dosent mean that one can be a qualified English professinonal talent on the premise that he or she couldnt find a most suitable subject which can be thoroughly learned and freely made use of.An English major should have a certain field of knowledge which can be regarded as the basis as well as the highlight of ones English ability.Therefore,what attitude should we take towards the paradox that whether we should be concentrated on a simple subject or be familiar with a large-scale of knowledge?Well,for my part,I am for the former one and Id like to show you a few examples to explain it further.Dr.Hushi was greatly ambitious in his early years and had a very comprehensive knowledge.However,by the time he went to America for oversea study,abruptly it came to himself that the fatal fault in what he had learned all his life in the past is being focused on more than a single subject and ever since then,he made up his mind to set a clear goal for his learning and decided to follow Dewey on the study of pragamatism and gradually had he got a deeper insight in this field which finally made him a distinguished thinker in the philosophy of China.Hegels thought was considered to be among the most dynamic ones but he always put the role of a philosopher in the first place in his lifetime.Einstein,who is an expert both in music and history,always treated these two hobbies as means to spare his time for refreshment instead of striving for higher accomplishments.RhetoricsAntithesis1.My weekends were precious and the idea of getting up before dawn on a Saturday,renting a car,and driving across the entire state of New Jersey to deliver a lecture was repellent.(Para 1)2.He rarely spoke,but when he did,it was always with extraordinary precision.(Para 3)3.We all knew that he was coming,but no one had actually encountered him.(Para 8)4.I was thoroughly out of sorts and was ready to return to New York,but she wanted very much to stay at least part of Spenders pretty wokshop.(Para 11)5.I remembered everything except the line that Spender wrote on the blackboard.(Para17)Irony1.Oppenheimer,he wrote,was a man of great talent and I was conscious of his superiority in a way which was embarrassing and led to trouble.(Para2)2.He is,for me,one of those people whose writing about their writing is more interesting than their writing themselves.(Para 4)3.He said nothing during my lecture and left as soon as it was over,along with the minuscule audience that I had traveled five hours by car to address.(Para 11)4.I had been to plenty of physics workshops and knew only too well what they consisted of:six physicians in a room with a blackboard shouting at one another.(Para 12)Personification1.The sun has not yet come up(Para 10)2.the moom/avoids a mountains jagged prongs（Para 17）Simile1.reminding one of those skulls which were specially elongated by the Egyptians(Para 6)2.looked to me as if they were clinging to poetry as if it were some sort of life raft.(Para 12)3.He seemed to be an autopilot.(Para 13)Balanced sentence1.My companion of fifteen years ago is my companion no longer(Para 17)2.Being a minor poet is like being a minor royalty.(Para 19)Overstatement1.The two young men became friends-insofar as one could have a friendship with Dirac.（Para 3）2.His skull gives an almost egg-shell impression of fragility,and is supported by a very thin neck.(Para 6)Parallelism1.whom he had first met at Oxford at about the same age and same time that Oppenheimer had met Dirac.(Para 12)2.Poor Stephen Spender,Poor Robert Oppenheimer(Para 19)AlliterationSiamese cats make a similar impression.(Para 6)Thank you
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