of desire is always at its most flawlessly perfect’ in para. 4? (comp. 3-8)
the object of desire is always at its most flawlessly perfect: the thing you desire for /you don’t yet have in your hand is always taken as perfect without any flaws.
the whole toffeeness of toffee ... diminished ...
5. Which is why I would carry the preservation of appetite to the extend of deliberate fasting, simply because I think that appetite is too good to lose, too precious to be bludgeoned into insensibility by satiation and over-doing it. (ll.23-26) My intentional denial of food might be explained by the urge to keep the desire for food constantly afresh in me, which means so much to me that I must handle it with the greatest care so as not to spoil it by overindulgence.
Why do I go fasting intentionally / why I eat little food on purpose so as to preserve my appetite / keep my desire for food? Because I treasure appetite so much that I would not lose the chance to appreciate it if I get it satisfied and overdone.
6. How do you explain the shift of verb tenses as L proceeds from para. 3 to para. 4? (comp. 3-7)
The author is shifting from relating a past personal experience to drawing a general conclusion. Part II
Paras. 5-6 Illustrations by examples and contrasts
1. A day of fasting is not for me a puritanical device for denying oneself a pleasure, but rather a way of anticipating a rare moment of supreme indulgence. (ll. 29-31) a puritanical device for denying oneself a pleasure: a very strict and severe way, like a puritan, to refuse any pleasure
anticipate: (do, make use of, before the right time; do sth before sb. else does it; see what need doing;) look forward to, expect indulgence: gratification of one’s desire
An occasional self-denial of food is in no sense an indication that I refuse to
accept a pleasure where I can. On the contrary, it is a good way to prepare me for pleasure that is even greater for being enjoyed infrequently.
That I go fasting doesn’t indicate that I refuse to accept any pleasure like a puritan. By doing this, instead, I am looking forward to a precious moment when I can indulge myself into eating some day.
2. Is the word ‘fasting’ (1st word in para. 6) used in its original sense? (comp. 9)
Yes, if ‘appetite’ in the same sentence is used in the restricted sense of ‘desire for food’. But more likely the word here has acquired the meaning of temporary denial of pleasures.
3. How does the topic of fasting brought up in the essay? What conclusion is drawn from it? And how is it generalized? (O&D - 2)
To illustrate ‘the object of desire is always at its most flawless perfect’.
A day of fasting is ... a way of anticipating a rare moment of supreme indulgence. (para. 5)
Fasting is an act of homage to the majesty of appetite. (para. 6)
4. Can you further illustrate the sentences ‘... give up our pleasures regularly - our food, our friends, our lovers - in order to preserve their intensity, and the moment of coming back to them.’ ‘Part of the weariness of modern life may be that we live too much on top of each other, and are entertained and fed too regularly. Once we were separated by hunger from our food and families, and then we learn to value both.’
5. What part of speech is the word ‘once’ in Once we were separated by hunger both from our food and families’? Does the pronoun ‘we’ here refer to the author and his contemporaries? (comp.3-10)
Adv., meaning ‘at one time in the past’.
No. It refers to human beings in general.
6. What contrast does L make? What is the point he is trying to make by such a
contrast? (comp. 3-11) (paras. 6-7)
The contrast between ancient, less developed societies, where food was scarce and family separation was necessitated by the effort to find food, and affluent modern societies, where needs and desires are easily satisfied.
Primitive men went off hunting, leaving the women and children in the cave hungry and miserable for days on end. Then the men returned with plenty of meat and everybody enjoyed a hearty meal; thus appetite showed its true worth. (Analysis)
Modern men have easy access to cheap chicken and frozen peas, so easy that they no longer know the true worth of appetite. (Analysis)
The point is: wanting is the greatest source of pleasure; a life without desire waiting to be satisfied is a life without pleasure.
The contrast, or the two examples clearly illustrate the author’s view on appetite, thus providing a concrete definition of ‘appetite’. (Analysis) Part III
Paras. 7-8: conclusion
1. 5. Life is short and precious, and appetite is one of its guardians, and loss of appetite is a sort of death. (ll. 53-54)
Life is a brief journey, which is worth treasuring. Appetite is one of the things that accompanies and protects the journey.
2. What specific conclusion does L reach after making a contrast between ancient and modern man? How is this conclusion generalized? (O&D - 3)
... the long-awaited meal became a feast to remember and an almost sacred celebration of life / we don’t know the pleasure of being hungry any more.
Too much of anything - too much music, entertainment, happy snacks ... creates a kind of impotence of living ...
Words definition
1 Satiation
e.g. Hunting is usually initiated by hunger and stopped by satiation. 追逐现象通常是由饥饿所引起的，并由于饱食而停止。
E.g. Due to its nature of non-capital satiation and non tech - innovation country , some issues still remain in China to invest abroad.
由于中国既不属“资金饱和型”投资国，也不是技术创新国，对外直接投资仍然面临许多障碍
2 majesty
\quality most represented by a king or queen.威严，威风；尊严，庄严。2.主权，统 治权；帝位；陛下
E.g. We all admire the majesty (beauty, grandeur) of floating icebergs.威风凌凌
The majesty (greatness, solemnity) of the occasion thrilled us all.庄严时刻 They saw the lofty peak in all its majesty (magnificence, splendor). 巍峨山峰的雄伟
Step 4 Practice : classroom discussion
1. Give more examples of your own to support L’s opinion on ‘appetite’. 2. Comp. 1 & 2
3. Do you agree with the author’s opinion on ‘appetite’? (LW8)
Step 5 Homework
1. Based on Text I, write a passage on “Cherish the Goal Or Realize It?”. 2. Write a précis of Text II.
