Hello, everyone!
Welcome back to
our English intensive reading class.
Last time we have learned paragraphs 15
to 24 of the text,
which describes
the first day's hunting game.
Today we'll learn paragraphs 25 to 46,
in which the author describes
the second and third day
of their hunting game,
and the author also describes
how Rainsford throws Zaroff
out of the window
to where the hounds are
and wins the final battle.
Now let's look at the text.
"I will not lose my nerve. I will not."
These words show that
Rainsford is already losing his nerve.
He is trying desperately
not to let this happen.
The job was soon finished,
and he threw himself
down behind a fallen log
a hundred feet away.
What job is soon finished?
The author does not say.
He wants to keep the readers in suspense.
Following the trail with the sureness
of a bloodhound came the general.
And this is an inverted sentence.
The normal order should be:
The general came
following the trail with the sureness
of a bloodhound.
Bloodhound is a large hunting dog
with a very sharp sense of smell.
So intent was the Cossack on his stalking
that he was upon the thing
Rainsford had made before he saw it.
This is another inverted sentence.
The normal order should be:
The Cossack was so intent
on his stalking that
he was upon the thing Rainsford had made
before he saw it.
be intent on something
means: to give all attention to something.
For example:
He was intent on the job he was doing.
Another example:
A merchant is intent on making money.
but for his alertness,
he must have been smashed beneath it.
If it had not been for his alertness,
he would certainly have been crushed
to death.
But for something means:
without or if it hadn't been for something.
For example:
But for the rain
we should have had a pleasant journey.
"Rainsford," called the general,
"if you are within sound of my voice,
as I suppose you are,
let me congratulate you.
Not many men know
how to make a Malay man-catcher.
You are proving interesting, Mr. Rainsford.
I'm going now to have my wound dressed.
But I shall be back. I shall be back."
The general knows the trick
Rainsford has just used.
He wants to show his appreciation
for Rainsford's effort.
But he still does not
give up his condescending tone
because he is still the better hunter.
man-catcher:
Notice that "-er" is not used here
to refer to a person.
It refers to a device,
something that performs
a specified action.
Other examples:
can opener; pencil sharpener;
lawnmower; wire cutters; gas cooker.
You are proving interesting means:
You are becoming interesting.
You are turning out to be more interesting
than I thought.
Now
I will take you a little more seriously.
(Please notice the arrogance in his tone.)
Rainsford took up his flight again.
Rainsford started running away again
(putting distance
between himself and Zaroff).
take up something
means: to continue an activity.
That had been a placid pastime
compared to his digging now.
Compared with his digging now,
digging at that time was like
doing something enjoyable.
Rainsford lived a year in a minute.
For Rainsford,
a minute seems as long as a year
because he is so frightened and anxious
to know the result of the trap
he has laid for Zaroff.
This figure of speech is known as hyperbole.
At daybreak
Rainsford was awakened by a sound
that made him know that
he had new things to learn about fear.
At dawn
Rainsford was awakened
by the baying of the hounds
that made him even more terrified
than before.
That was only postponing the inevitable.
That was merely
delaying his inevitable death.
"Nerve, nerve, nerve!" he panted,
as he dashed along.
As the story moves quickly
toward its climax,
the author begins to use shorter
and shorter sentences,
which has the effect of
quickening the tempo of the narration.
When Rainsford first starts his flight,
he says to himself,
"I must keep my nerve.
I must keep my nerve."
Later he mutters to himself,
"I will not lose my nerve. I will not."
and now he repeats one word only
"nerve, nerve, nerve!"
A blue gap
showed between the tree dead ahead.
Rainsford has a glimpse
of the sea between the trees.
dead ahead means: straight ahead.
Please notice
some of the idiomatic intensifiers
we often come across,
for example:
to be dead serious (means very serious);
to be stark naked
(means to be completely naked);
to be stark raving mad
(means completely mad).
Rainsford forced himself on
toward the gap.
Please list and compare all the expressions
the author uses to describe
how Rainsford tries to escape.
For example,
he uses:
to put distance
between him and the general;
to plunge on;
to take up the flight again;
to press on;
to run for his life;
to dash along;
to force himself on;
and so on.
The sea rumbled and hissed.
to rumble and hiss is onomatopoeia.
They refer to the sound made by sea waves
coming to the shore and receding.
Rainsford hesitated.
He heard the hounds.
What does he intend to do?
Why does he hesitate?
What finally makes up his mind?
Let's read on and you will be able
to find out the answers.
For some minutes he stood
regarding the blue green expanse of water.
He shrugged his shoulders.
he stood regarding means:
he stood looking at
(the blue green expanse of water).
What do you think is going on
in the general's mind at that moment?
Why does he shrug his shoulders?
Then he sat down, ...
and hummed a bit from "Madame Butterfly".
Is the general pleased
or displeased with the result?
Interestingly enough,
he is very pleased
because he has an unusually exciting game.
Therefore
he has an exceedingly good dinner
and hums a bit from "Madame Butterfly".
Two slight annoyances
kept him from perfect enjoyment.
He was slightly annoyed
by two things
which prevented him
from perfect enjoyment of
the dinner and the evening.
He was deliciously tired.
This is a common figure of speech
called oxymoron.
Oxymoron means:
to combine two opposite qualities
or ideas and therefore
it seems impossible.
More examples of oxymoron:
sweet sorrow; sleepless nights;
deafening silence; glorious defeat.
and he called:
"Better luck another time." to them.
It is the general's usual practice
to feed the dead body of his captive
when the game is over to the hounds
as a reward
for the part they have played in the game.
And this time, however,
the hounds do not have such luck
because Rainsford is drowned in the sea
as the general thinks.
"I am still a beast at bay,"
he said, in a low hoarse voice,
"Get ready, General Zaroff."
"Get ready" for what?
Rainsford is now challenging the general
to a duel.
The general made one of the deepest bows.
"I see," he said.
"Splendid!
One of us is to furnish a repast
for the hounds.
The other will sleep
in this very excellent bed.
On guard, Rainsford ��"
Does the general flinch at the suggestion?
No, he actually likes the idea.
Please notice
that there is something amusing
about the way
the conflict is finally resolved.
It was like a duel between knights
in the Middle Ages,
in which they fought hard but fair.
One of us furnish a repast
for the hounds means:
One of us---that is,
the one who loses---
is to be thrown to the dogs.
(The victor will sleep
in this excellent bed.)
He had never slept in a better bed,
Rainsford decided.
to decide means to come to a conclusion.
So who wins the duel?
The fact that Rainsford
can now sleep in this wonderful bed
is a clear indication
that he has come out the winner.
Notice that the author does not waste words
on describing the process.
He simply tells us the result,
thus leaving everything else
to our own imagination.
The language itself used
in this text is simple,
so we mainly focus
on analyzing the plot of the story,
and mental activities of the two characters.
This story is often used
to illustrate what a good story
should be like
because it has dramatic plots,
vivid descriptions
and colorful characters.
And next time we'll review the plot
and analyze the two characters.
Besides this,
we'll also review
the important grammar phenomenon
in this unit.
Please get ready for it.
We'll stop here today.
Class is over now.
Good-bye everyone.
See you next time!