高级英语第八课The Merely Very Good

How are different people introduced into the article?
Oppenheimer’s anecdote: Oppenheimer and Dirac meet at Gottinggen, talk about poetry and physics.
Some thoughts on the text：
Jack of all trades, but master of none(博而不专) From the text ,we know that no matter how talented one may be ,if one doesn’t concentrate on a specific aspect,he will not make any achievements as supposed to be.




Relationship of the four characters in the article:
physicists Oppenheimer----Spender(merely good)

poets Dirac------Auden (excellent)

Oppenheimer vs. Dirac ( similarity & difference)

What are the things the author wants to tell the readers?

(3) To be original and profound, one has to be focused. As the author says, Auden and Dirac focused like laser beams. This, according to the author, is the cause of the difference of being great and being merely very good.
The Four Protagonists(IV)

W. H. Auden English poet, was regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. His work is noted for its stylistic and technical achievements, its engagement with moral and political issues, and its variety of tone, form and content.
The Four Protagonists(III)

Paul A. M. Dirac English physicist, won Nobel Prize in 1933 at the age of 31 for his pioneer work in the quantum mechanics, and made major contributions in many areas of modern theoretical physics.
Oppenheimer
Dirac
similarities differences
using
young
talented physicist
invented
quantum mechanics to do better calculation talkative, selfasserting
the theory of quantum mechanics man of few words, eccentric
Major Works of Jeremy Bernstein
Computers — Past, Present and Future (1964, revised 1981)
Albert Einstein (1973)
works
Experiencing Science (1978)
Science Observed: Essays Out of My Mind (1982)
Lesson Eight
The Merely Very Good
—— Jeremy Bernstein
Contents
Background Information Text Analysis
Some Thoughts on the Text
Rhetorics
Background Information
The Four Protagonists(II)

Stephen Spender
English poet and critic, concentrates on themes of social injustice and class struggle in his work. Perhaps his closest friend and the man who had the biggest influence on him was W. H. Auden.
Jeremy Bernstein (1929- )



1955 – obtained Ph.D. from Harvard University. 1957-1961(?) – worked at the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton, N.J. 1962 – became an associate professor of physics at New York University. 1967 – became a professor of physics at Stevens Institute of Technology & held the position until 1993 – on the staff of The New Yorker magazine for over 30 years
His decision to go to the conference
Spender’s being at the conference
Spender’s obsession with Auden
H ow doe s the a uthor de ve lop the a rticle ?

The 1981 conference and the author's indecision. →(flashback to1925-1927) the author talked about earlier life of Oppenheimer and his relations with Dirac. → (back to 1981) the author's decision to attend conference. → (flashback to 1956) the author talked about Spender and Oppenheimer. → (back to 1981) the author met Spender. → (bringing the scene to 1996) concluding remarks. then the author wrote “The merely very good”.

Jeremy Bernstein (the author) Robert Oppenheimer Stephen Spender


Paul A. M. Dirac
W. H. Auden
Who is Jeremy Bernstein?
American physicist, educator, and writer widely known for the clarity of his writing for the lay reader on the major issues of modern physics.
Observations on Science and Scientists (2001)
The Four Protagonists(I)

Robert Oppenheimer American physicist who is called “father of the Atomic Bomb”, has been in charge of the Los Alamas nuclear laboratory for many years.
What are the things the author wants to tell the readers?

(1) Great poetry and great physics cannot be imitated. As Dirac put it, "the really great ideas in physics are had by only one person". (2) Great poetry and physics are pushed (driven) ahead by unanticipated genius. The merely very good cannot contribute to the development of either poetry or physics.
When we come to the study of English as a major,we shou来自百度文库d also be aware of the issue.
An English student will take a number of course within four years and the knowledge learned vary from phonetics to writing,from specific general knowledge such as the general survey of the English-speaking countries to theoretically centered linguistics,from the highly culturally British and American literature to most practical ones like the English teaching methods etc.
montage(蒙太奇)
There is a kind of technique of expression called " montage ” in the film. It breaks the limits of time and space, organize many Splicing lens(剪接镜头), and make them coherent. In writing, author use montage technique,and arrange some discontinuous pictures together according to organization. It can characterize person traits and the develop plots of story,and express a complete theme.
Organization of this article

The author uses the 1981 conference as the benchmark and goes back to earlier times and in the last two paragraphs returns the scene to the time of writing. This technique of montage(蒙太奇) is used largely in cinema.
Even a genius can not be skilled in all subjects that he took interest in.Merely passion and talent can not contribute to master everything one wants to grasp.