英国文学选读问题&答案和参考资料汇编

Prose：Of Marriage and Single Life P171.Is marriage an impediment or help to one’s career development?In the easy Of Marriage and Single life, Bacon prefers marriage to single life. He thinks “unmarried men are best friends; best masters; best servants; but not always best subjects; for they are light to run away; and almost all fugitives are of that condition”, “Wives are young men’s mistresses; companions for middle age; and old men’s nurses”.I have to say his words can still be true today; I’m at his back, though many young people now choose to remain single no mater male or female. But since “3S ladies” or “overleft ladies” become the catch word, the female seems more terrible. Maybe because women are easier to get old but to men 30 is the gold ages of career development. For the main reasons of 3S ladies, some are high standard for husband; some are the further studying. For men, maybe they are fighting in business; maybe they are too bad to find a wife.Then we can see all the state of pr esent marriage. Even though some say “marriage is the tomb of love”, I yet support marriage. Marriage and family make people more responsible and loving, make deeper love between spouses and make life more colorful.The ability to love and be loved is the most precious of gifts given to man, which should be highly treasured. Family let a man learn to care the whole unit. He has to take good care of his wife and son, love them, be responsible for them, all of which are the same to women. All these quali ties are vital to anyone’s career. When you work back home, wife or husband is always the listener to you, son the warm heart to you. Spouses help each other and support each other; family is the harbor for soul. Thus it is help to one’s career development.2.Certainly, wife and children are “a kind of discipline of humanity”。

妻子儿女显然是人性的一种纪律约束A bachelor’s单身life focus is but himself, so he will spend a lot of money on everything that feast his eyes without hesitation. What’s more, he is likely to have a go at any risks that make him feel exciting and fresh for being free from any burden.However, a married man always tends to think twice before making an important decision in order to prevent bringing any harm to his family. He should have the motivation to work hard to fulfill wife and children’s expectation.As a result, family let a man learn to care the whole unit. He has to take good care of his wife and son, love them, be responsible for the.A loving husband and a qualified father can contribute the greatest merit for the public to a large extent.人的感情会移位，结婚的人对人生的态度肯定与单身之时不一样。

有孩子的人更因为对孩子的爱迁移到芸芸众生身上。

结婚意味着两个人的结合，不论肉体还是精神。

在无形中把不相干的两个人熔铸成合体的一个人，对对方的关心和照顾如同自己，对对方的牵挂那是牵肠挂肚。

婚姻也让两个人变得更有责任感，感情更加丰富，对社会将会产生奇异的变化，对人生的探索产生深远的影响。

单身是自由的，没有婚姻的束缚，没有孩子的牵绊，享受生命的存在，享受一个人的独处.当孤独来临时单身的人会去找人生的知己，会碰到与之共度人生的另一半，于是便有了婚姻。

3.Bacon prefers marriage to single life. Do you find his arguments convincing?Yes. I think Bacon’s arguments are convincing. In the demonstration process, Bacon uses the method comparison to analyze the advantages of marriage and the shortcomings of single life in order to tell us marriage is better than single life. Taking the sentence “wives are young men’s mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men’s nurses” for example, it is quite convincing and reasonable. Marriage can bring happiness to people. It is the ecstasy when people pursue marriage in their youth. To a young man, on one hand, a wife needs his care and good graces. A wife is a flower and a man should pay much attention to her and give her special love. On the other hand, women are always older than men according to their mental ages. So, wives are more mature than her husband and she could make many decisions and arrangements for the family. That is why wives are young men’s mistresses. When a man in his middle age, he needs his wife to help him not only in the career but also in the family life. The middle-aged man suffers great pressure in career and he wants his wife to support the family together. Also, he could confide his troubles to his wife. So, that is the reason for having a wife in middle age. When the man grows older, his body is not so strong like before. So, he needs his wife to take care of him and do the things as “nurses” for him. In addition, an old man is always like a child and he needs special attention from his wife. So, according to the reasons mentioned above, a wife is always necessary to a man and a wife always plays important and irreplaceable role in a man’s life. In addition, the argument is the conclusion according to Bacon’s long—time observation and consideration towards life. From my perspective, his arguments are convincing.I think his arguments are convincing. Bacon’s basic idea is that marriage is good to both individual and society. His analysis is taken step by step. At first, a single man thinks just to live a single life can he make some great contributions to the society. But a single person only cares about himself, he doesn’t pay attention to the future, it can be very unwise. Single life could also make a man to be serious to his freedom. On the contrary, marriage makes a man be responsible, tender, enthusiastic and warm-hearted. As the author saying: “wives are young men’s mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men’s nurses”. It means that when a man is young, wife talks about love with him, when he comes to middle age, wife always stay with him as a companion, when he becomes old, wife will take care of him till the end of time. Even though a wife marries a bad husband, marriage offers a good chance for husband to correct themselves.The whole essay’s main point is very obvious, author tells from two aspects. Firstly, he says how bad it is tobe a single man. Secondly, he tells a lot of advantages of being married. Each aspect has enough proof. At Bacon’s period, his arguments may be more convincing than nowadays.Of Studies P181.We are now living in the age of “information explosion”. What lessons can we learn from Bacon’s< of studies> in our access to information?Our planet is developing forward. The fast-moving development of science and technology makes it more convenient for students to get sufficient and effective information by countless ways. That is the external condition for our study, which we can appropriately make full use of. But what we have to keep in mind is that the eternal master of study is no one but ourselves in the process of studying.Actually, I’m sure everyone clearly knows the importance and significance of reading, of studies. However, the biggest problem is that they hardly have powerful resistance to those temptations around us, such as new-style video games, latest Hollywood block-buster, Avril Ramona Lavigne’s next concert. Placed in the information current, young students are difficult to rationally deal with the flooding information. The terrible result is that they become more and more indifferent to reading books, and whenever academic assigns come , we just start up their computer and access to information on the Internet no matter how much information they can really copy and make use. What a pity!As to efficient study methods to all these information, Bacon insists on the combination of theory and practice, “studies themselves do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by expe rience.” And in terms of books which mean for today not only paper books but also information online for example e-books, Bacon holds the view “some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be ready wholly, and with diligence and attention”. All the ideas can definitely give college students precious lessons to study and reading books today.When we face the flooding information, some are to be read in part; they’re just providing nothing than background which can be useful to understand and complete assignments. We cannot merely depend all on the computer instead of meditate hard on our own. Of course, practicing is quite significant today. In fact, that doesn’t mean practice should be the action out of pap ers; in turn, the term paper finished on one’s own is a practice of applying his knowledge to practical writing.Information around us is showing up without stopping. They are all never checked by experts, true or false. We access to them when in need. Still we have to be cautious and just view them as a reminder or brainstorm resources to help integrate our ideas to well organize the whole assignment. This is the right attitude to information and to our own study.2.In what sense does reading make a full man?Reading makes a full man. Histories make men wise, poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend. Reading histories makes people learn lessons from the ancient time, avoid making the same mistakes and predict the development of things. People who read histories will be wiser than these who just act according to their own preferences without learning from histories. Reading poem s makes people learn the beauty of language, the beautiful classical style of art and live a poetic life. People who read poems will be wittier than these who haven’t feel the beautiful mood and pure life. Reading mathematics makes people focus on the accurate calculation, develop a scientific attitude, and form a pragmatic spirit. People who read mathematics will be more subtle to consider things from all aspects and do things from the drop carefully than these who don’t read. Reading natural philosophy makes people pursue truth, explore the unknown mystery, and practice actively. People who read natural philosophy will be deeper than these who don’t learn the theory of reflecting the truth. Reading moral makes people learn the way of harmony living, form the principle of ethical behaviors and develop correct outlooks on values. People who read moral will be graver than these who behave without correct principles and can’t deal with different relationships. Reading logic makes people master the rules of thinking, dealing with different things and exploring objective reality. People who read logic will be more contend to have clear ideas, mater the principles of objective truth than these who don’t act according to rules.Different kinds of reading materials play different roles in making a full man. People should get into different reading fields and train themselves to become a comprehensive talent. Reading will do good to one’s physical health according to some reading materials of physical training. What’s more important, reading promotes the development of logic thinking and morality. People can be called a full man on condition that they have fine quality, delicate self-cultivation and strict morality. Try to read extensively and become a full man.As far as I’m concerned, reading can make a full man, can c ultivate a man, and can make a man move forward in the way he understand the view of the world, the life and the value. A full man should have a positive world view and adopt an active philosophy of life, which are usually based on a balanced knowledge str ucture. From Francis Bacon’s Of Studies, I know that the essay not only introduces the methods of reading books and discusses the purposes and functions of reading, but also analyzes the different attitudes of the people who are reading books. Most importantly, we can know how to be a full man from reading.Francis Bacon’s Of Studies says “Histories make men wise, poets, witty; the mathematics, subtle; natural philosophy, deep; moral, grave; logic and rhetoric, able to contend.” That is to say, we read all kinds of books in order to have more perfect knowledge and form critical thinking which can make us be a full man by reading. .Reading can make a full man. That is to say, we should read more books which are useful and helpful for us. Readingcan enlarge our knowledge in different fields. From Of Studies, studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. It means that studies can make people happy, wise, increasing knowledge. If we read all kinds of books, we are able to taste what might not happen to us in real life, and then ask ourselves what we would do in that situation. Besides, we read more books and fewer mistakes would be made by us. For that, we can learn more mistake examples from books so that we will make few mistakes in the future. So reading can make a man full because it can make the man taste all the emotions about the world and have a true understanding about the life.Of Studies also teach us that we should choose some book to read, but not read all the books. Some useful books should be read carefully and taken notes. Different books have different functions, the essay tells us that reading different books can bring different knowledge which we lack. The essay says that different books have different methods to read. In a word, reading books of certain field brings certain knowledge and ability we lack. Of Studies gives us the method of reading books and getting knowledge. It also tells us different books have different functions for us. So whether reading makes a full man lies in what books you read and how you read. Reading a right book can make a man more wise, more emotional and more respected.Poems:Hamlet P81.Why is sleep so frightening, according to Hamlet, since it can “end” the heartache and the thousand natural shocks”? Nobody can predict what he will dream of after he falls asleep.Death means the end of life, you may go to or unknown world and you can’t comeback,. If he dies, Hamlet 's can't realize his will. Though “sleep” can end the heartache and the thousand natura l shocks, it is a state of mind. Hamlet didn’t know at all. He is frightened by the possible suffering in the long “dream”. He can’t predict what will happen in the sleep, may be good may be evil.2.Why would people rather bear all the sufferings of the world instead of choosing death to get rid of them, according to Hamlet? Death is so mysterious that nobody knows what death will bring to us. Maybe bitter sufferings, great pains, heartbreaking stories…Because people hold the same idea "to grunt and sweat under a weary life, but that the dread of something after death-the undiscover’d country, form whose bourn no traveler returns-puzzle the will, and make us rather bear those ills we have than fly to others that we know not of?”People also are frightened b y the myths in another world after death.3.What, after all, makes people lose their determination to take action? Please explain in relation to the so-called hesitation of Hamlet.Conscience and over-considerations. He wants to revenge, but doesn’t know how. He wants to kill his uncle, but finds it too risky. He lives in despair and wants to commit suicide. However, he knows if he dies, nobody will comfort his father’s ghost. He is in face of great dilemma. They don’t know the result after their taking th e action. Such as Hamlet, he doesn’t know what would happen if he kills his uncle or kills himself . So Hamlet was hesitated.Sonnet 18 P131.How does the poet answer the question he puts forth in the first line? (Page 14)The poet opens with a question that is addressed to the beloved, "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?" This question is comparing “thee” to the summer time of the year. It is during this time when the flowers are blooming, trees are full of leaves, the weather is warm, and it is generally considered as an enjoyable time during the year. The following eleven lines in the poem are also dedicated to similar comparisons between the beloved and summer days. In lines 2 and 3, the speaker explains what mainly separates the young woman from the summer's day: she is "more lovely and more temperate." (Line 2) Summer days are sometimes shaken by "rough winds" (line3) which happens and is not always as welcoming as the woman. However in line 4, the poet gives the feeling again that the summer months are often too short by saying, "And summer lease hath too short a date." In the summer days, the sun, "the eye of heaven" (line 5), often shines "too hot," or too dim, "his gold complexion dimmed" (line 6) as "every fair from fair sometime declines." (Line 7) The final portion of the sonnet tells how the beloved differs from the summer in various aspects. Her beauty will be one that lasts forever, "Thy eternal summer shall not fade." (Line 9), and never end or die.At last two lines, the poet explains how the beloved's beauty will accomplish this everlasting life unlike summer days. And it is because her beauty is kept alive in this poem, which will last forever. It will live "as long as men can breathe or eyes can see." (Line 13) the poem is outwardly a simple statement of praise about the beauty of the beloved woman and perhaps summer to the speaker is sometimes too unpleasant with the extremes of windiness and heat that go along with it. However, the beloved in the poem is always mild and temperate by her nature and nothing at all like the summer.At last, the poet starts to praise that the beloved is so great and awing that she is to live forever in this sonnet. The beloved is so great that the speaker will even go as far as to say that, "So long as men breathe, or eyes can see, so long lives this and this gives life to thee.”(line 13、14) that the beloved is deserving to live on forever.2.What makes the poet think that “thou” can be more beautiful than summer and immortal?At the very beginning, the poet puts forth a question: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Then he gives an answer: “Thou art more lovely and more temperate.” On the one hand, “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer’s lease hath all too short a date;” on the other hand, “Sometime too hot the heaven shines, and often is his gold complexion dimmed.” So from the above two aspects the poet thinks that “thou” can be more beautiful than summer. In addition, “And every fair from fair sometime declines, by chance, or nature’s changing course untrimmed.” Compared with immortal, “But thy eternal summer shall not fade, nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, nor shalldeath brag thou wand’rest in his shade, when in eternal lines to times thou grow’st.” Therefore, the poet draws a conclusion: “So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, so long lives this, and this gives life to thee.” In this poem, the poet makes “thou” more beautiful than summer and immortal because of his beautiful lines. So in this case, “thou” in the poem can be regarded as female because love can beauty eternal. Or “thou” can be referred to male, for friendship can make beauty everlasting. Even “thou” can be abstract “love” or “beauty” which will become eternal in the wonderful poem.The Flea P231. Why does the poet say that "this cannot be said a sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead"?The speaker tells his beloved to look at the flea before them and to note "how little" is that thing that she denies him. For the flea, he says, has sucked first his blood, then her blood, so that now, inside the flea, they are mingled; and that mingling cannot be called "sin, or shame, or loss of maidenhead." The flea has joined them together in a way that, "alas, is more than we would do."2. What do you think is the addressee's parents' attitude toward the poet's wooing?The addressee's parents' attitudes are against him. (...Though parents grudge...)3. What is the real purpose of the poet to say that in killing the flea "thou" are actually killing three lives?He compares the killing of the flea to murder. It would be “three sins in killing three” (l. 18) since he and his lover would be killed within the flea if she were to follow her natural tendency to dispose of the insect. He even states that the act of kil ling the flea would be “sacrilege”. This is a term that is generally applied to acts that go against religion. If the lover denies the fact that their blood, and therefore their lives, are contained within the flea, it is similar to committing an irreligious act. This would seem to make the reverse, to acknowledge their closeness within the flea, compatible with religion. To acknowledge this closeness is also to acknowledge that it is allowable, which could lead to the conclusion that Donne wishes his lover to arrive at: she should give in to his desires because there is nothing wrong with the intimate mingling of two people.The Lamb P481.Does this poem describe a lamb or the mind of the child who is speaking to the lamb? What is the relation of the lamb and the child to the God?The poem describes the mind of the child who is speaking to the lamb so as to show the gentleness and tenderness of the lamb. The lamb is the symbol of the child to the God. It shows the love of God that he creates the lamb and Jesus is often called the lamb of the God. So the poet not only appreciates the kindness of the lamb but also praises the mysterious power which can create the lamb. In this poem, God, Jesus and the lamb are combined together. (Reference:上帝创造自然中体现的慈爱;耶稣是上帝的羔羊；温良和自我牺牲精神；上帝彰显的慈爱：对羔羊、对孩子的关爱) 2.What does the lamb stand for?Line 20: When you read the word "lamb," always first think: symbol of Jesus Christ ("the Lamb of God"). As the tradition holds, animals such as lambs were sacrificed to God or gods in general until God offered his Son, Jesus Christ – his lamb – as the final sacrifice for the sins of mankind. In line 20, Blake references a version of Christianity that states that God created Jesus (Protestant version vs. the Catholic doctrine of the Trinity). In any case, you don’t need to know all the theology, just that it’s a reference to Jesus and an allusion to Christianity. Blake asks whether God, who created Jesus, also created the Ti ger. Also, don’t forget that "The Lamb" is the title of another poem by Blake, from the Songs of Innocence; the two poems are often read together.The Tiger P501. Why does the poet mention the Lamb? Do you think both the Lamb and the Tiger can illuminate each other? The Tyger is corresponding to The Lamb. Both the poems show the poet’s exploration, understanding and plaint of the mysterious creation. In this poem, the author implies that the Tiger is created by God as well as the Lamb. So either the Tiger or the Lamb is essential to God.I think both the Lamb and the Tiger can illuminate each other. Although the Lamb can represent the kind “innocent society”, it will be lack of enough motivation to make progress. While the Tiger will cause social misery, unrest or even disruption, but it can make people release their creativity. So the poet believes that the Tiger is the symbol of strength and courage. And he also praises its passion, desire and all the lofty beauty.2.What is the symbolic meaning of the tiger? What idea does the poet want to express?The symbol of the Tyge r is one of the two central mysteries of the poem (the other being the Tyger’s creator). It is unclear what it exactly symbolizes, but scholars have hypothesized that the Tyger could be inspiration, the divine, artistic creation, history, the sublime (the big, mysterious, powerful and sometimes scary. Read more on this in the "Themes and Quotes" section), or vision itself. Really, the list is almost infinite. The point is, the Tyger is important, and Blake’s poem barely limits the possibilitiesThe tiger is the embodiment of God's power in creation: the animal is terrifying in its beauty, strength, complexity and vitality. The poem is divided into six parts. In the first part, the author imagined that he met a terrible tiger on a dark night and was frightened by its awful eyesight. There are creations and creators. How great the creator is that he could create such an awful creation like tiger! In the second part, the author continues to ask, where comes the eyesight like fire, sea or sky? The following two parts, the author describes the creator as a smith. He creates the tiger. What behind the questions is the frightening and respect of the author to the creator. In the fifth part, the author changes his tone and asks when the stars throw down their spears, why they are not happy? The last part is as same as the first part, thecreator is too mysterious to understand.The tiger shows its outstanding energy. It’s the vitality which the author thinks highly of. The key sentence of the poem is "Did he who made the Lamb make thee?" It challenges the one-track religious views of the 18’s century. The view only concluded that god create the lame, he is so kind a father. But it didn’t know god also create the tough tiger. He can also be very serious. The god is someo ne who can’t be truly understood by human beings.Auld Lang Syne P551.What does “cup o' kindness” imply?Auld Lang Syne (old long since)by Robert Burns is a narrative poem praising for friendship. From the title and the first section we can easily get it, especially from the words “acquaintance”, “forgot”, “brought to min'”. After reading the whole poem, we will know “cup o' kindness” here should imply the friendship between Robert Burns and his friend that he is now together with.“Cup o' kindness” is s howed in the second and the last section, which are both their reunion occasion. The people in the poem used to be friends and are old now; they are gathering to honor their friendship and memorize their happy childhood and adolescence.After the first “cup o' kindness”, the author starts to recall their joyful life: they has run in the brae, picked up the fine gowans, wandered a long and weary journey, paddled in the stream all the day. But all the nice memory has been the history “Sin' auld lang syne.” An d they are best affection and friendship for them two.Then again comes to the present gathering, there is one more “cup o' kindness” to imply that how much the author really worships the friendship and wish for it forever. “And we'll tak e a cup o' kindnes s yet, For auld lang syne.”I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud P571.What is the relation between the poet and nature as described in the poem?<Reference>Theme of Man and the Natural World: Wordsworth is the granddaddy of all nature poets, and he’s in top form in "I wandered lonely as a Cloud." In her journal entry about the day in question, Wordsworth's sister Dorothy wrote about their surprise at finding so many daffodils in such a strange place, next to a lake and under some trees. "How’d those get there?" she wondered, even guessing that maybe the seeds floated across the lake. The event is one of the minor miracles that nature produces all the time, as anyone who has seen the documentary Planet Earth or the Disney movie Earth knows. Wordsworth’s nature is full of life and vitality. He appreciates its wildness and unpredictability, but he humanizes the landscape and fits it to his own mind.Theme of Happiness"I wandered lonely as a Cloud" is a poem that just makes you feel good about life. It says that even when you are by yourself and lonely and missing your friends, you can use your imagination to fine new friends in the world around you. As John Milton famously wrote, "The mind is its own place, and in itself, can make heaven of Hell, and a hell of Heaven." The speaker of this poem makes a heaven out of a windy day and a bunch of daffodils. His happiness does not last forever –he’s not that unrealistic – but the daffodils give him a little boost of joy whenever he needs it, like recharging his batteries.Theme of SpiritualityThe 19th century Scottish writer Thomas Carlyle coined the phrase "natural supernaturalism," which has been used by later critics to describe how the Romantic poets, and especially Wordsworth, viewed the natural world as a spiritual realm. The idea is that Heaven comes down to earth and is viewed as part of the world. This poem illustrates the principle of natural supernaturalism. The daffodils are like angels and twinkling stars, and the "bliss" of heaven occurs in speaker’s imaginat ion. He uses Christian ideas and images to make an ode to nature without any reference to God. Theme of Memory and the Past"I wandered lonely as a Cloud" is almost like a simpler version of "Tintern Abbey," one of Wordsworth’s other most famous works. In both poems, the memory of beautiful things serves as a comfort to the speaker even after the experience of viewing them has ended. He can always draw on his imagination to reproduce the joy of the event and to remember the spiritual wisdom that it provided. In the case of "I wandered lonely as a Cloud," we do not realize just how far in the future the speaker’s perspective is located until the fourth stanza, when h e describes just how often the daffodils have comforted him.2.Do you think nature can have healing effect on mind?I think nature can have healing effect on mind, but the precondition is that the nature should be peaceful and earthly. Let’s imagine a scen e. At the very beginning, we felt a little sad. Then, we place ourselves at a peaceful and clean lake. We sit on the comfortable and green grass. There are several wild flowers on the grass. Some little birds are walking near us with chirp. We can breathe the smell of the earth. When we are watching it glistening in the sunshine, there may be a smile on our face again. Nobody will be not touched in this condition unless there is something wrong with his mind. It is just like a picture. Or it is just like a clean bracing and ethereal melody. We can close our eyes to listen to it without any distracting thoughts. It always can comfort our hearts, and we will not feel that desperate. Every time I feel not happy I will listen to a piece of piano music. That makes me good, all my fidgeting will go away from me. Sometimes I will reflect where the problem is. Peaceful music is just like the nature. Both they can give me a kind of feeling like mother. Do not be scared at all. Sometimes I suppose if the criminal can live in the nature and experience it, they will not do that evil. In another hand, those artists maybe can not create the works. As the author said, a host of golden daffodils beside the lake, beneath the trees, fluttering and dancing in the breeze. The memory made him excited and brought his lonely heart happiness. If a writer does not watch any beautiful scenery, I believe he or she can’t be a。