1、 Straight-A Illiteracy James P.Degnan School of Foreign StudiesSouth China Normal Univ.徐曼菲徐曼菲10801 May 9th,2007 Unit TenThe Author James Philip Degnan(1933-)received his B.A.from Memphis State College,Tennessee,U.S.A.,in 1954,and his M.A.from the University of Notre Dame,University of Florida and Un
2、iversity of Santa Clara,California.He became professor of English at the University of Santa Clara in 1969.He contributes articles to such journals as Atlantic,Esquire,Nation,and Kenyon Review,to name a few.Harpers Magazine Straight-A Illiteracy first appeared in the September 1976 issue of this mag
3、azine.It is a monthly periodical published in New York City.This periodical is recognized as a leading commentator on political,economic,and social questions.vThe title:Straight-A illiteracyvQ:What kind of student is a straight-A student?vA:He is a student who gets As for all the courses he takes.vQ
4、:What kind of a person is an illiterate?A:Person 1).having little or no education;2).Showing a lack of familiarity with language or literature;3).Showing a lack of particular field of knowledge(musically illiterate)The issue of illiteracy(widely publicized)“Figures of 1998 show that 20%of the world
5、population is illiterate”from Wikipedia,the free encyclopedia v“Since 1983,more than 10 million Americans have reached the 12th grade without being able to read at a basic level.Over 20 million have reached their senior year unable to do basic math.Almost 25 million have reached 12th grade without k
6、nowing the essentials of U.S.history.”-source:Illiterate America By Alan Caruba web posted February 5,2001v目前全球共有约8亿文盲，主要分布在印度、中国、印度尼西亚、巴基斯坦、巴西、尼日利亚、埃及等国。中国文盲总数高居世界第二位，仅次于印度。世界上每10个文盲中就有一个以上是中国人。中国90%的文盲分布在农村，一半文盲在西部地区，文盲中七成是女性。 vHow important is literacy?some quotesvLiteracy is a bridge from misery
7、 to hope.It is a tool for daily life in modern society.It is a bulwark against poverty,and a building block of development,vLiteracy is a platform for democratization,and a vehicle for the promotion of cultural and national identity.Especially for girls and women,it is an agent of family health and
8、nutrition.vFor everyone,everywhere,literacy is,along with education in general,a basic human rightvLiteracy is,finally,the road to human progress and the means through which every man,woman and child can realize his or her full potential.v“Literacy is absolutely essential for the success of any soci
9、ety.”v To sum up:literacy is an important issue which concerns a society and nations sustained development in all accounts.Is straight-A illiterate a sub-type of illiterate?v Q:Do you think it paradoxical to call someone a straight-A illiterate?Who are they actually?What is the purpose of writing?Pu
10、rpose of WritingvDegnans purpose of writing is:by demonstrating the sort of gibberish written by Straight-A students,he wishes to expose and condemn the use of professional jargon,which fills the reading materials highly educated people are forced to read as they pursue their education.His means to
11、achieve such a purpose:Definition/Causal analysis/Personal experience Some examples of straight-A Illiteracy v Can you identify some examples of writing by straight-A illiterates?vP2:“The choice of exogenous variables in relation to multi-colinearity,is contingent upon the derivations of certain mul
12、tiple correlaton coefficients”v It simply means:“supply determines demand”.vWhat is special in this writing that you find?vJargonsdifficult and academic termsvReading task:Jargons 1.What are jargons?2.What are the functions of jargons?3.What are the differences between jargons and terminology?Why we
13、ll-educated students tend to write in such a way?Some erroneous assumptions vAssumption 1.Long and complication=being erudite and profoundv“我国古人十分推崇凝练简洁的文风，古往今来的一些传世之作大都非常精炼。而不知从何时起，冗长虚空的文章泛滥成灾起来，似乎文章写不长，就不够分量，就说不清楚问题，就显示不出写作者的水平.”-提倡简洁务实的文风 张虎山每日甘肃2005年04月13日vAssumption 2.Difficulty=higher standard
14、 and better tastev“报刊的大众化定位和报刊的高品位高档次并不矛盾。而报刊为普通大众“立言”的形式，只能是通俗易懂的语言文字，只能是深入浅出的思想观点。那种把艰深的晦涩的专业词汇堆砌的，群众想看但看的费劲甚至看不懂的文章的报刊，看成是一种品位和档次，其实是对品位和档次的曲解用艰涩的文章逼迫普通的大多数敬而远之的报刊，算哪门子品位和档次呢?”-是谁“逼疯”了时评约稿者 作者/贾如军/江海论坛The use of simple,clear,concise language vContrary to what some people seem to believe,simple wr
15、iting is not the product of simple minds.A simple,unpretentious style has both grace and power.By not calling attention to itself,it allows the reader to focus on the message-Richard Lederer and Richards Dowis,Sleeping Dogs Dont Lay,1999.More Words of Wisdom resource:http:/ Organization and Developm
16、ent of the textvWriting Methods:causal analysis,combined with definition and exemplification(paras.2,3 and 4)vThe way to organize the essay:from the effect to the causeThe effect:the phenomenon of the so-called straight-A illiteracy(Para.1)The cause:the text-books and professional journals the strai
17、ght-A illiterate is forced to read during his years of education.(Para.3&4)Definition vWhats the definition by the author which describes a straight-A illiterate?v A well-educated person,typically one with a Ph.D.degree,or working toward it,and with high I.Q.,but disabled by long-term exposure to ac
18、ademic jargon to write in clear,plain English.Definition of“Straight-A Illiterate”The methods Degnan employs to define the straight-A illiterate are:a)he says who it is by occupation;b)he describes the straight-A illiterate by his educational achievement;c)he names him“Mr.Bright”and talks of“Brights
19、 Disease”.An allegory with humorous effect.Analysis of the textvPara.1 the topic the effect generalvPara.2 personal experience specificvPara.3&observation the cause general vPara.4 the conclusion the cause specificAnalysis of the textvPara.1 The person to whom I refer is the straight-A illiterate,an
20、d the following is vPara.2 .in the cure of a diseaseI have come to call straight-A illiteracy.vPara.3 many college seniors suffering from Brights disease.vPara.4 As I have suggested,the major cause of such illiteracy is the stuff.The four paragraphs are closely connected.A closer look at the textvPa
21、ragraph 1.vWhat is the para about?vWhat sort of information or knowledge the author/to get rid ofStraight A illiteracy vs.Mr.Brights diseasevWhat kind of person would be referred as being bright?v Mr.Bright&Brights Disease Dr.Richard Bright(1789-1858),English physician,is famous for describing and d
22、efining severe kidney failure,today known as“Brights Disease”.Paragraph 2Degnans use of Brights Disease What is the Allegorical meaning of Mr.Brights disease in the text?Library WorkvFind out what an allegory is so that you may have a clear understanding of the meaning of“allegorically”on 1.181)An a
23、llegory is a form of imaginative literature constructed in such a way that their readers are encouraged to look for meanings hidden beneath the literal surface of the fiction.(from Encyclopedia Britannica)2)An allegory is a narrative in which the characters,events,and setting represent deeper truths
24、 or generalization than those suggested by the surface story.(Macmillan Family Encyclopedia)3)An allegory is a broad term covering any piece of writing or image which has the meanings additional to the literal sense.(Everymans Encyclopedia)vCan you work out the allegorical meaning of Mr.Bright now?v
25、Try to observe the humorous effect by the use of such a term.Allegorical Meaningv1).Someone who is seeming bright when judged by their academic records,but who nevertheless fail to detect gibberish in their own writings or in those of others.v2).When the author calls his student Mr.Bright allegorica
26、lly,he does not mean to refer to this particular straight-A student only.He is using the term to cover all those students,college seniors,and Ph.D.s who suffer from such a similar“disease”.vBrights Disease here=straight-A illiteracyDictionary WorkvAs often as not-at least half the time;frequentlyvpl
27、ight-condition,state or situation,especially an unfavorable onevArticulate-using language easily and fluently;having facility with wordsvA coveted fellowship-a fellowship(I.e.,the money given to postgraduate students to allow them to continue their studies at an advanced level)that everyone longs to
28、 possess jealousy Dictionary WorkvAllegorically-figurativelyvGibberish-talk or writing containing many obscure,pretentious,or technical words;meaningless or unintelligible talk or writingvProvidentially-fortunately;luckilyvInexorably-inescapablyvProfundity-profound or deep mattersvGrapple with-try t
29、o deal withLibrary WorkvWhat is the“pleasure principle”?Man is both a biological animal and social being.In keeping with his biological endowment,man tends to seek pleasure and to avoid pain.This truism is known as the“pleasure principle”.(Colliers Encyclopedia)Assignment Discuss with your roommates
30、,try to find out whether you agree with the authors opinion about straight-A illiteracy or not.And why?Do you find Straight-A illiterates in our life?Could you describe them?What do you think are the causes of Straight-A illiteracy?Why do you think the author brings up the subject of“Straight-A illiteracy”?
