death of a pig

Death of a PigE. B. White

Para.11. I spent several days and nights in the mid-September with an ailing pig and I feel driven to account for……, and things might easily have gone the other way round and none left to do the accounting. Ailing: sick Feel driven to: feel compelled to Account for: 1) to make a description of 描述；说明 eg. There is no accounting for tastes. 人各有所 好。 2) to be responsible for sth. 对…负有责任 eg. That accounts for the delay of the train. 那就是火车晚点的原因。

The underlined part means ?

According to the author,why does he “feel driven to account for this stretch of time” with an ailing pig ?

Notice:Tone of the author A sense of pseudo-solemnity(虚假的庄重 )which creates humor.

Can he recall everything in precise detail?

2. This uncertainty afflicts me with a sense of personal deterioration ; if I were in decent health I would know how many nights I had sat up with a pig.Afflict: to make someone suffer or experience serious problems 折磨 be afflicted with/by. (passive) eg. She was afflicted with conscience. 她受良心责备。 N. affliction eg. We sympathize with people in afflicted. 我们同情苦难的人们。 Personal deterioration: personal failing In decent health: in good health Sit up: stay up late

Tone? -----solemn tone It is extremely funny because Humor?-----normally, nobody cares whether a pig died on the third day or fourth day.

Para.21. The scheme of buying a spring pig in blossomtime, feeding it through summer and fall, and butchering it when the solid cold weather arrives, is a familiar scheme to me and follows an antique pattern. Spring pig:piglet Blossomtime:bloom Antique :age-old What's the usual scheme of raising a pig?

three-step plan

Antique?

2 It is a tragedy enacted on most farms with perfect fidelity to the original script. Fidelity :faithfulness to obligations or duties

1. What is tragedy?What is the ending of tragedy?

A tragedy is a serious play or drama which typically

deals with the problems of a central character and has an unhappy ending.

In this article, tragedy means

?

In the end of the article, the pig was murdered.

3 The murder, being premeditated, is in the first degree but is quick and skillful. Premeditated: deliberately planned

Paraphrase:

the first degree murder?----the most serious type of murder, premeditated murder. The killing deliberately planned and carried out efficiently, is the most serious type of murder.

The tragedy has an ending-the killing of a pig and the serving of its meat. The killing, deliberately planned and carried out efficiently, is the most serious type of murder: however, whether pigs should end their lives that way has never been questioned.

Para.31. Once in a while something slips---One of the actors goes up in his lines and the whole performance stumbles and halts. My pig simply failed to show up for a meal.Slip: to fall into fau

lt or error; to go wrong 变差， 变坏，差错 Lines: the words that an actor says in a performance (戏剧或电影的台 词) Stumble: to speak, act, or proceed in a confused, blundering manner(不顺畅的)说， 演奏等；走路蹒跚 eg. We were stumbling around in the dark looking for a candle. In her nervousness she stumbled over her words. I stumbled through the piano piece with difficulty. Rhetorical device: Halt : to stop, especially temporarily停止，暂停

Metaphor Compare the illness of his pig to the mistake made by actors, because they are both caused a mess.

What is the classic outline of the tragedy?

To buy a piglet in spring, feed it in summer and fall, and butcher it in the winter.

3 I found myself cast suddenly in the role of pig’s friend and physician– a farcical character with an enema bag for a prop.Cast: to choose actors for; to assign a certain role to. 分配(演喜 剧等)的角色 Farcical: ridiculous Enema:灌肠法，灌肠剂 Prop: (informal) = property; a piece of furniture or small object used in a play or movie道具 eg.He is responsible for all the stage props and lighting.

How did the author’s role change once his pig became sick?

butcher

friend & physician