Unit-8-The-Inner-Ring

TheInnerRing–CliveStaplesLewis11VIII.TheInnerRingAbouttheauthorCliveStaplesLewis:(pseudo.ofCliveHamilton)Englishnovelistandessayist,b.29Nov.,1898,Belfast;d.22Nov.,1963,Oxford.LewiswaseducatedatanEnglishpublicschoolandservedintheranksinWorldWarI.LaterhestudiedatOxfordandbecameafellowofMagdalenCollegein1954hewasappointedtothenewlyestablishedchairofmedievalandrenaissanceliteratureatCambridge.Lewishastwodistinctpersonalities:thelearnedscholarofEnglishliteratureandthepopularreligiouswriter.AsareligiouswriterheadoptedG.K.Chesterton’sblendofcommonsense,wittybrilliance,andChristianorthodoxy.AsaChristianapologist,healsochampionstraditionalwaysofthoughtandlifeinoppositiontoworldlymodernism.Hiscriticalprinciples,formulatedinoppositiontotheprejudicesofthebiographical,psychologicalschoolofliteraryinterpretation–the‘personalheresy’–areinseparablefromhisphilosophicalandtheologicalbeliefs.Lewisachievednational–and,beforelong,international–famethroughhisradiotalksduringWorldWarII,publishedin1942underthetitleTHECASEFORCHRISTIANITY.Listenersandreaderswerespellboundbyhisunusualcombinationofstraightforward,directlanguage,arationalitynourishedbythestudyofAristotle,andthevivid,imaginativepresentationbywhichhebroughtthetranscendentaltolife.AmonghisbestknownworksareTheAllegoryofLove(1936)andEnglishLiteratureinthe16thCentury(1954).(basedonENCYCLOPEDIAOFWORLDLITERATUREINTHE20THCENTURY,1977,pp.266-7)________________________________Aboutthetextring----agroupofpeopleworkingtogether,oftendishonestly,tocontrolbusinessaffairsfortheirownadvantagesadrugringaprice-fixingringaspyringTolstoi----LeoTolstoi(1828–1910),Russiannovelist.ThepresentquotationisfromWarandPeace,PartIII,Chapter9.^Thisparagraphdescribesthesignificanceofthesecond,unwrittenandunofficialyetmorepowerfulsysteminthearmybypresentingavividimageofafunnyandpitiablegeneral.Drawstudents’attentiontotheexpressionsusedwithhim–‘soldierlyservility’,‘trottedimploringly’,‘beggedtobeheard’,‘tightlylaced’,‘waitrespectfully’:theseareusu.employedtodepictasoldierinstead!Thoughlittledescriptionisdevotedtothecaptain(PrinceAndrew),wecaneasilyimaginewhatanimportantandarrogantairheisposing,andhowcontemptuousheappearsofthepoorgeneral.decorations----militaryhonorsanarmyuniformcoveredwithdecorationsThisisaspecialoccasionfortheveteranstoweardecorations.servility----(ofservile)behaviourofaslaveTheInnerRing–CliveStaplesLewis22c.f.Heisserviletohissuperiorsandtyrannicaltothesubordinates.SubservientwivesarenotsocommonnowinJapanasinthepast.Soldiershavetobeobedient:‘Yoursistodoanddie,nottoreasonanywhy.’fawnonanoilbaron----winfavorbyservileflatteries/behaviourflatter/toadyaVIPtrot----runwithshortstepslaydown----establish,formulaterulesand/orregulationsc.f.workoutthesyllabusdrawupthePartyConstitutionformulatesomeschoolregulationslaydownthelaws/guidelines/ascaleofmaplace----causetobetightenedwithstring/cord;tietightlyTheseshoesarelaceduptheside.Theylacedherintoadresssotightlythatshecouldhardlybreathe.Thenovelskillfullylacestogetherthelivesoftwopersons.(fig.link)hierarchy----theclassificationofagroupofpeopleaccordingtoeconomic,socialorprofessionalstanding;organisationwithgradesofauthorityfromthelowesttothehighestThesupremecourtistheheadofahierarchyoffederalcourtsintheUSA.somelittleredbook----Thisreferstoabookofarmyregulations.readup----studycarefully/thoroughly;findoutaboutsthbyreadingreadupthehabitsoftheelephantsecretsociety----anyofthevariousoath-boundsocietiesoftendevotedtobrotherhood,moraldisciplineandmutualassistanceTherearewhatcorrespondtopasswords----Thereexitsomemeansorpracticesthataresimilartopasswords.correspondto----besimilarinfunction/position,beequaltoTheUScongresscorrespondstotheBritishparliament.Hisactionsdonotcorrespondtohiswords.spontaneous----notapparentlycontrivedormanipulated;naturalTheeruptionofavolcanoisspontaneous,notcausedbyanyunknownforces.allusion----anindirectreferenceHewashurtbyanyallusiontohispreviousmisconduct.makenopersonalallusionsinspeakingHiswritingssparklewithclassicalallusions.(referringtomanyclassics)mark----anindication,sign,suggestionIcan’tseeanymarksofaneducatedmaninhim.sendsb.agiftasamarkofesteemTheInnerRing–CliveStaplesLewis33ontheborder-line----ontheline,realorimagined,whichmakesafrontierorboundaryThosewhogetthescorebetween55to60areconsideredasontheborder-line.Iamnotcertainwhethertoaccepthimornot,clearlyheisaborder-linecase.Youdiscoveredoneinyour…aMaster’sRing.----ThereisaringmoreinnerthantheHouseRing;andthismoreinnerringisthefringeoftheSchoolRing,whiletheHouseRingsaresimplysatellitestotheSchoolRing,whichisconnectedtotheMaster’sRing.(Toavoidconfusionwithsomanytermsofrings,itwouldbebettertoaskstudentstodemonstratetheirrelationshipsbydrawingdiagramsor‘concentricrings’.)house----thecommunityofstudentsinresidence;club,association,fraternity,andsororityfringe----edge,periphery,partthatisfarthestfromthecentreThereisnoguaranteeofsafetyonthefringeofthecity.ThefringeofapoliticalpartyFringeindustries/district/costs/demandsMaster----presidentofauniversitycollegepiercethroughtheskinsof