UNIT 8 ． Genius Sacrificed for Failure by William N. Brown

1. UNIT 8．Genius Sacrificed for Failure by William N. Brown 1. During my youth in America's Appalachian mountains, I learned that farmers preferred sons over daughters, largely because boys were better at heavy farm labour. With only 3% of Americans in agriculture today, brain has supplanted brawn, yet cultural preferences, like bad habits, are easier to make than break. But history warns repeatedly of the tragic cost of dismissing too casually the gifts of the so-called weaker sex. 2. About 150 years ago, a village church vicar in Yorkshire, England, had three lovely, intelligent daughters but his hopes hinged entirely on the sole male heir, Branwell, a youth with remarkable talent in both art and literature. 3. Branwell's father and sisters hoarded their pennies to pack him off to London's Royal Academy of Arts, but if art was his calling, he dialled a wrong number. Within weeks he hightailed it home, a penniless failure.

2. Sacrifice sth/sb for sth • Sacrifice sth to do sth eg. You should never sacrifice your health to earn money.

3. American’s Appalachian mountains: a mountain range in East North America extending 2400 km from South Quebe Province in Canada to North Alabama in the US.

4. Brain has supplanted brawn: Brawn refers to physical strength while brain indicates intellectual power. With fewer people in agriculture, intelligence is now valued more than muscular strength.

5. Dismissing too casually the gifts of…: ignoring or belittling the talent of…

6. Hoarded their pennies: saved every penny. The verb hoard indicates the thrifty life the family led in order to save money to support the son.

7. To pack him off to: send him to (Preparing the luggage and providing fare for him). eg. When the Christmas season was over, the parents packed the children off to the boarding school.

8. 4. Hopes still high, the family landed Branwell a job as a private tutor, hoping this would free him to develop his literature skills and achieve the success and fame that he deserved. Failure again. 5. For years the selfless sisters squelched their own goals, farming themselves out as teachers and governesses in support of their increasingly indebted brother, convinced that the world must eventually recognize his genius. As failures multiplied, Branwell turned to alcohol, then opium, and eventually died as he had lived: a failure. So died hope in the one male -- but what of the three anonymous sisters? 6. During Branwell's last years, the girls published a book of poetry at their own expense (under a pseudonym, for fear of reviewers' bias against females). Even Branwell might have snickered: they sold only 2 copies. 7. Undaunted, -they continued in their spare time, late at night by candlelight, to pour outtheir pent-up emotion, writing of what they knew best, of women in conflict with their natural desires and social condition -- in reality, less fiction than autobiography!

9. Turn to something: • 1.求助于 eg. He turned to his classmates for money. 2. start eg. It’s time to turn to our work.

10. Pour out: express something thoroghly. eg. She pour out her trouble to me.

11. And 19th century literature was transformed by Anne's Agnes Grey, Emily's Wuthering Heights, and Charlotte's Jane Eyre. 8. But years of sacrifice for Branwell had taken their toll. Emily took ill at her brother's funeral and died within 3 months, aged 29; Anne died 5 months later, aged 30; Charlotte lived only to age 39. If only they had been nurtured instead of sacrificed. 9. No one remombers Branwell's name, much less his art or literature, but the Bronte sisters' tragically short lives teach us even more of life than of literature. Their sacrificed genius ,cries out to us that in modern society we must value children not for their physical strength or gender, as we would any mere beast of burden, but for their integrity, strength, commitment, courage -- spiritual qualities abundant in both boys and girls. 10. Patrick Bronte fathered Branwell, but more important, he fathered Anne, Emily and Charlotte. Were he alive today he would surely urge us to put away our passe prejudices and avoid his own tragic and irrevocable error of putting all of his eggs in one male basket!

12. Nurture: educate, bring up, foster, nourish eg. Nurture one’s child.

13. If only: The phrase express a regretful wish which often requires the past perfect tense in the clause after it. eg. If only Mr.Brown had sent the three daughters to the Royal Academy of Arts.

14. Their sacrificed genius cries out to us that: their sacrificed genius tells us forcefully that… eg. The danger of death on the highway cries out for careful driving.

15. Spiritual qualities: quality when applied to people is a countable noun for denoting a person’s upbringing, characteristics and attributes. eg. The two candidates share many of the same qualities.

16. putting all of his eggs in one male basket: putting all his hopes on his son Branwell. The expression is derived from the saying putting all one’s eggs in one basket, which means to depend entirely on the success of one scheme, plan, etc.

17. Comprehension work • A Summarize the story :what is the article Genius Sacrificed for Failure about? • B summarize the paragraphs :1,The second to fifth paragraphs; 2:The sixth eighth paragraphs;

18. The text presents a tragic story of the consequences of sex prejudice through describing the tragic fate of the three gifted girls :Anne, Emily, and Charlotte Bronte in the history of English literature. They sacrificed much of their talent ,youth and energy for their brother who turned out to be a failure.

19. 1.The second to fifth paragraphs : Mr. Bronte invested all his hopes and the family’s in the boy while the boy while the gifts of the three girls were left unattended to .the son was sent to the best art school and later given intellectual work as a tutor .in spite of the selfless sacrifices of his three sisters ,he turned out to be a failure both in his career, and in life. 2.The sixth to eight paragraphs :this section is about the girls ‘ sustained efforts at literary creation, their remarkable achievements despite their initial setback and the prevalent sex discrimination of society, and their early death as a result of their years of their brother.

20. Language work Pseudonym commitment hoard sacrifice anonymous Autobiography dismiss pent-up integrity nurture 1.The poem is written by a/an __writer. 2the secretary shouted at the manager ,releasing her __rage. 3.As a man of __Mr. White was respected and adored by all the people in the community. 4.Participation in social work can __the students’ sense of responsibility. 5.the success of the huge project calls for the __ of all parties involved. 6.When destructive flood struck the area, local farmers began to __ food and firewood for fear of famine. 7.Shared parenting makes it possible for professional women not to have to __their careers to care for children at home. 8.For the sake of national security, the Primes Minister __the suggestion of cutting down on the military budget. 9.In his __the former president reveals many details of his first visit to China. 10.Samuel Longhorn Clemens wrote many stories under the __of Make Twain

21. Answer • 1.anonymous 2.pent-up 3.integrity 4.nurture 5.commitment 6.hoard 7.sacrifice 8.dismisssed 9. autobiography 10.pseudonym

22. B. Work with sentences Take one’s toll warn of/about prefer … to … hinge on turn to cry out for fear of at one’s own expense in conflict with 1.The problem of the ageing population is urgent warning to society that certain products and services in future must meet the needs of the elderly. 2.My father is a little vain and he loves publicity more than a quiet life at home. 3.The girl is waiting for her boyfriend’s call in such anxiety that it seems as if her fate depended totally on the ringing. 4.Having failed to make a living out of the small business, he changed his occupation and began to work as a taxi driver. 5.Years of political upheaval in this country were beginning to have a serious effect: the nation’s economy was on the verge of bankruptcy. 6.The explorer used his own money to travel across the great desert. 7.His suggestion was novel to us .and it was completely the opposite of the conventional idea. 8.yes,you are free to choose whether to do cosmetic surgery or not. but I have to caution you against the dangers involved. 9.I didn’t have trouble enough courage to say what was on my mind ,fearing this would start trouble.

23. 1.The problem of the ageing population cries out to society that certain products and services in future must meet the needs of the elderly. 2.My father is a little vain and he prefers publicity to a quiet life at home . 3.The girl is waiting for her boyfriend’s call with such anxiety that it seems as if her fate hinged entirely on the phone ringing. 4.Having failed to make a living out of the small business, he turned to working as a taxi-driver 5.years of political upheavals in this country were beginning to take their toll; the nation’s economy was on the verge of bankruptcy. 6.The explorer traveled across the great desert at his own expense. 7.His suggestion was novel to us ,It was also in conflict with the conventional idea. 8.yes,you are free to choose whether to have cosmetic surgery or not ,but I have to warn you of the possible dabgers involved. 9.I did not have enough courage to say what was on my my mind ,for fear of staring trouble.

24. A :Best writer of the year Charlie chairman a better place husband and wife • 1.we all promise to do our best and make this world__. • 2.he is a liar .why should we elect him __. • 3.the committee nominated her __. • 4.I now pronounce you__. • 5.they liked the Mexican pot so much that they named it __.

25. B Going lying unfamiliar examined dead free started awake alive talking stolen unlocked unattended to 1.The bus is stuck in the mud. we have to give it a push to start it __. 2.We have already pushed it, still, we can’t get the bus__. 3.There must be someone inside, I can hear people__. 4.Poor old Bill had his bike__ yesterday. He left it __when he went into the library. 5.The father put all his hopes on the sun and left the talents of the daughters__. 6.Mr. Murphy came all over funny. So he went to the factory clinic and had his head__. 7.In order to find other people involved in the criminal organization .the police wanted to catch the suspects __. 8.You don’t need to check the dictionary every time you come across a word __to you. 9.Smelling gas flowing out of the house, neighbours broke in ,only to discover him already__. 10.The young man apologized, “I’m sorry to have kept you __” 11.Are these your gloves? I found them __ on the floor. 12.The judge found him not guilty and set him __.

26. Answers • A.1.better place 2.chairman 3.best writer of the year 4.husband and wife 5.Charlie

27. B • Answer: • 1.going 2.started 3. talking 4.stolen, unlocked 5.unattended to 6.examined • 7.alive . 8. unfamiliar 9.dead 10.awake 11.lying 12.free

28. Translation • 1.春天和秋天我都喜欢,但是我更喜欢春天.(prefer) • 2.我相信电子汽车总有一天会取代汽油汽车.(supplant) • 3.他们提醒攀登喜马拉雅山很危险,可他偏不听.(warn of) • 4.老师告诉学生,他们的前途取决于教育.(hinge on ) • 5.她获得了最佳演员奖,大家都觉得她当之无愧.(deserve) • 6.这个孩子每次碰到困难都去找妈妈,而不是自己想办法.(turn to) • 7.丈夫去世后,她一如既往的培养三个女儿.(nurture) • 8.现在人们学英语,似乎不似的在学习一门有实用价值的语法.(less.. .than...)

29. 1.I prefer spring to autumn though I love both seasons.

30. 2.I believe that electric cars will one day supplant petrol-drivenones.

31. 3.They warned him of the danger of climbing the Himalayas, but he wouldn’t listen.

32. 4.The teacher told his students that their future prospects hinged on their education

33. 5.Everybody thinks that she deserved the award Best Actress of the Year.

34. 6.Every time the girl came across a problem ,she would turn to her mother for a solution ,rather than trying to solve it herself.

35. 7.After her husband died, she continued to nurture her three daughters.

36. 8.It seems that a lot of people learn English less as a practical language than for its grammar.