Lesson 10 The Richer, the Poorer

Lesson 10The Richer, the Poorer

Structure of the Text The two sisters’ contrasting financial conditions in old age. Part 1 (Para. 1): Part 2 (Paras. ): Part 3 (Paras. ): Recall on every earlier crucial stage of their lives. 2—19 Their reunion in old age and similar opinions they share on life. 20—34

Comparison and Contrast The story is a good example of comparison and contrast. It concentrates on the differences of the two sisters’ lifestyles and experiences from childhood to old age. The focus is on Lottie’s life while Bess’s is briefly touched upon in contrast. The story opens with the two sisters’ contrasting financial conditions in old age. Then point-to-point method of organization is employed. One aspect of Lottie’s, usually narrated in detail, is followed by a brief account of the same aspect of Bess’s. The climax is their reunion in old age, when they, for the first time, seem to share similar opinion on life.

Point of View The story is written from Lottie’s point of view. Much of the space is devoted to description of Lottie’s opinions, views and reflections. The reader can enter her mind and learn what goes on there. So when we read such descriptions, we should not be satisfied with their surface meaning but should go deeper and find out what they imply.

The Use of Both Formal and Informal Expressions We find informal words and expressions are used alongside formal ones. But toward the end of the story when Lottie’s lifestyle of “all work and no play” begin to change, she speaks in a very colloquial style. Her speech at the end of the story is a good example. But in the first half of the story and much of the second when Lottie is working wholeheartedly to prepare for her old age, the writer uses more formal words and expressions.

Comparison & Contrast Between Lottie & Bess • Lottie :has one simple aim in life: to work hard, save hard, and prepare for her old age. She tried hard to earn money even when she was a little girl. She looked after babies, ran errands for the old, worked as a clerk after school in a store, and finally got a job in a restaurant. She never stopped working and she never spent money if she could help it. She never married and lived all alone. Now when she reached her sixties, she had a house, a bank account, but she obviously had not enjoyed life.

Bess: Lottie’s sister, was a entirely different story. She liked to go outside & play when she was a child. She never worried about the future. She married young to a second-rate horn player. They were always poor and lived like Gypsies. But they loved each other and obviously enjoyed life. By the time she reached her sixties, she had lost her husband and she had no children and she had nothing in the world she could call her own. But she had no regret about her life.

1.ambition: desire for advancement or distinction, or for specific attainment • be full of ambition • ambitious: adj. full of ambition • eg: He is ambitious of success in life. • 2.clarity: clearness • clarify: make or become clearer to see or easier to understand =(refine simplify explain) • eg: Can you clarify the situation? • clarification: n.

3.conscience: moral sense of right and wrong • a clear conscience 无愧于心 • search one’s conscience 扪心自问　自我反省 • stir the conscience 唤起．．的良心 • upon my conscience凭良心说 • on one’s conscience: causing one feelings of guilt • conscientious: adj. =(righteous faithful responsible cautious)

4.contrast: n. (to) difference so revealed, thing or person having noticeably different qualities • v. (with) set in opposition to reveal contrast • compare and contrast比较　对比 • In/by contrast（一般用于句子开头） • in contrast to/with 与．．相比　与．．相反 • 5.dismal: causing or showing gloom; miserable • =(gloomy depressing) • dismal weather • The news was as dismal as ever. • 这消息还是叫人提不起精神 • A dismal performance in the election • 在选举中差劲的表现

6. embrace: n. the act of holding sb. Close to you as a sign of love • v. hold closely in the arms as a sign of affection • =(accept adopt include grasp comprise etc.) • eg: She embraced her son before leaving. • embrace an offer, opportunity • The term ‘mankind’ embraces men, women and children. • 人类一词包括男人，女人和儿童 • 7.emerge: come up or out into view ; become known or recognized =(appear arise) • antonym :submerge n. emergence • eg: The moon emerged from behind the clouds. • No new evidence emerged during the enquiry. • emerge into在…里出现　

8.enhance: increase (the good qualities of sb/sth); make (sb/sth) look better • =(boost improve enrich) • eg: enhance the status, reputation, position of sb. • Those clothes do nothing to enhance her appearance. • 9.fantasy: [u] imagination when completely unrelated to reality =fancy • eg: live in a fantasy world • [c] product of the imagination; wild or unrealistic notion • eg: Stop looking for a perfect job, it’s just a fantasy.

fantastic: adj. wild and strange; impossible to carry out, not practical ;excellent very large extraordinary =fantastical • eg: fantastic dreams/stories • fantastic proposal • Their wedding cost a fantastic amount of money. • fantasticate: vt. • 10.frugal: careful and thrifty with money and food ; of life in which such care is shown生活俭朴的；costing little small in quantity • eg: a frugal housekeeper • They lived a very frugal existence, avoiding all luxuries. • a frugal meal of bread and cheese • frugally: adv. frugality: n.

11.grieve: cause great sorrow to sb. feel a deep sorrow because of loss • eg: Your mother is grieved by your refusal to return home. • Their daughter died over a year ago, but they are still grieved. • grieve for/ over /about sb(sth)因（失去）感到悲痛 • grieve at/over/about sth（对某事）感到后悔 • grievous: adj. causing suffer; (of sth bad) severe or serious • eg: grievous news/ losses/ wrongs/pain/wounds/fault/crime

12.indulge: allow oneself to have what he likes or wants; to satisfy; allow sb to enjoy the pleasure of sth • eg: They indulge their child too much; it’s bad for his character. • Will you indulge my curiosity and tell me how much it cost? • indulge in a long hot bath • indulgent: adj. inclined to indulge eg: indulgent parents • indulgence: n. state of being allowed whatever one wants ;hobby • 13.miserly:1)like a miser; mean or selfish 2)barely adequate • eg: miserly habits • miserly allowance/share/portion • miser: n.

14.threadbare: 1)(of clothes )worn thin; shabby 2)too often used or too well known to be effective • eg: a threadbare carpet/coat • a threadbare joke/argument/plot • 15.wistful: full of or expressing sad or vague longing(尤指过去的或不可得的事物 ) • =sorrowful/ desirous • eg: wistful eye • a wistful mood • wistfully: adv. signing wistfully发愁的叹息

16.freshman =fresher • sophomore junior senior graduate

Phrases • 1.Lottie had a bank account that had never grown lean. • =Lottie always had quite a sum of money deposited in the bank. • lean (adj.) :small in amount or quality; meagre

2.She looked after babies, she ran errands for the old. • =She earned some money by babysitting and making short trips for the old people. • go on/run errands for sb : to go somewhere for other people to take a message , to buy sth. To deliver goods, etc. • Eg: When I was a child, I liked to run errands for my parents.

3.When the dimes began to add up to dollars, she lost her taste for sweets. • =when her saving grew considerably, she was too old to want candy any more. • add up to : to amount to; to lead to a particular result • Eg: These numbers add up to 100. • add (sth.) up : calculate the total of (two or more numbers or amounts) • Eg: Add up all the money I owe you. • add to sth : increase sth. • Eg: The bad weather add to our difficulties. • add …to… (idiom) 1)add fuel to flames • 2)add insult to injury

4.Bess grieved because she had no child, not having sense enough to know she was better off without them. • =Bess felt sorry that she had no children. She was not sensible and practical enough to know that with children, their conditions would have been worse still. • be better off : to have more money ==be wealthy/rich • be badly off • 5.The years, after forty, began to race. • =after one reach forty, one grew old rapidly. • 6.Lottie, trapped by the blood tie,…… • blood tie :family relationship

7.When she was through the room looked so fresh and …. • be through (with sth./sb.) : to finish; to have no further relationship • Eg: I’m through with all the painting. • We hope you are through with drugs. • 8.She knew she would have redo that room, too, and went about doing it eagerly. • go about sth./doing sth : to start working on sth. • Eg :How should we go about planting these trees? • He went about improving his pronunciation.

9.You’ve too much catching up to do waste a minute of a waking hour feeling sorry for yourself. • =You’ve got to do too many things to make up for what you’ve missed in life, so you shouldn’t waste a minute on self-pity. • waste sth. (in) doing sth./on sth.: to use more of sth. than necessary or useful • Eg: You’ve just wasting your time trying to talk him out of the idea. • She never wasted her money on fancy clothes. • waking hours: the hours when you are not sleeping

10.I know I’m too old to kick up my heels,…. • kick up one’s heels: to be relaxed and enjoy oneself; to die • Eg: He plans to kick up his heels and go on a trip to Europe when he finishes his book. • He kicked up his heels by a sudden shoot. • kick one’s heel: to have nothing to do while waiting for sb./sth. • Eg: we’re just kicking our heels until the next semester begins.

Lesson 10 The Richer, the Poorer