大学英语综合教程4 unit 7 the monster.docxVIP

UNIT 7 The monsterThe author: Joseph Deems Taylor (December 22, 1885 – July 3, 1966) was an American /wiki/Composercomposer, /wiki/Music_criticmusic critic, and promoter of /wiki/Classical_musicclassical music. /wiki/Nat_BenchleyNat Benchley, co-editor of The Lost Algonquin Roundtable, referred to him as the dean of American music.Social background: This text first appeared as a radio talk, entitled A Monster. Later it was published with the title Of Men and Music in the United States in 1937.Main idea: the text argues that Richard Wagner’s monstrous behavior can be forgiven because of his miraculous achievements in music. This essay on a famous man, whose name is not revealed until almost the end of the piece, is a study of monstrous conceit. Filled with biographical details that keep the reader guessing to the last moment, the essay concludes with a challenging view on the nature of genius: if a genius was so prolific, “is it any wonder that he had no time to be a man?”The structure:Part One: Para. 1-9 The author describes the problems of the monsterPart Two: Para. 10 The author tells us who the monster is—Richard WagnerPart Three: Para. 11-13 The author describes Wagner as a music genius and express his admirationRhetorical features: Metaphor（暗喻，隐喻）He had the emotional stability of a six- year- old child. Comment: after reading this text, my heart is a little contradictory. Because the author makes a list of his intolerable oddities at first, but through the transitional paragraph, he forgives this monster because of his miraculous achievements in music in his little space of seventy years. There is an obvious contrast of himself. In fact, we all know everyone has disadvantages and advantages in life. No one is perfect. We should make a dialectic view for everyone. But I don’t agree with author for his view. Because his some bed habits or behaviors make bed effects for people around himself exactly. We can’t forgive himself completely just because his achievemen