COLLEGE ENGLISHLessonDiogenes and Alexander

1、課題Lesson 11 Diogenes and Alexander教學(xué)目標和要求：Teaching Aims:1. Understand the meaning of cynic and cynicism2. Learn new words and expressions; useful phrases and idioms 3. Grasp the main idea and structure of the text 4. Master the grammar: The Present Participle as Attributive Modifier and Models教學(xué)主要內(nèi)容

2、：Major Steps 1. Introduction to cynic and cynicism 2. Warm-up activities3. Detailed study of the textstudy of important language points and expressions comprehension questionstructure analysis and theme4. Writing skills5. Word study6. Grammar 7. Exercise check-up教學(xué)重點和難點：Emphasis in Teaching: Underst

3、and the main idea of the text.Difficult Points in Teaching: 1.Deal with some difficult points of the text 2. Analyze some typical sentence patterns 教學(xué)方法和使用教具：Teaching methods1. Task-based Language Teaching Approach (pair work and team work)2. Interactive teaching approachTeaching aids1. Teaching not

4、es prepared by the teacher 2. 1 blackboard3. A Computer and Overhead projector 提問討論：Discussion:1) What do you think of the person who is lying on the street, shoeless, bearded, half-naked? 2) What is the main idea of the text?3) If the world were to follow Diogenes, what would be the results?4) Does

5、 Diogenes remind you of any ancient Chinese philosopher? Would you like to make a comparison between them?Questions on pages399-401 in the textbook.布置作業(yè)：1) Recite the useful phrases and idioms on page 3972) Understand more about Diogenes and Alexander through internet 3) Finish vocabulary exercises

6、4) Recite the required paragraphTeaching NotesIntroduction to Greek philosophies Do you know where and when the first Olympic Games were held?Greeceits mainland is located in the southeast Europe on the southern Balkan Peninsula(巴爾干半島) , with numerous islands (around 3,000 ) in the Mediterranean(地中海

7、) , Aegean(愛琴海) , and Ionian(愛奧尼亞海) seas. It is one of the most important centers of early civilization.Free intellectual and scientific exploration started men in search after facts and laws of nature and produced many great philosophers and men of science.There are many famous philosophers in anci

8、ent Greece. Could you name some of them?“Give me a place to stand, and I will move the world.” Archimedes :kimi:di:z . Socrates (469-399BC) A Greek philosopher from Athens, who was the teacher of Plato and whose ideas are known from Platos writings. He is known for encouraging people to think carefu

9、lly about ideas before accepting them and for developing the method of examining ideas according to system of questions and answers in order to find out the truth. This is known as the Socratic method or dialectic. The Greek authorities disapproved of his ideas and methods, and said he was a bad inf

10、luence on young people. They forced him to kill himself by drinking hemlock, a powerful poison.Plato(427?-347 B.C.) was a Greek philosopher, a follower of Socrates. He founded the Academy, where he taught and wrote for much of the rest of his life. Plato presented his ideas in the form of dramatic d

11、ialogues, as in The Republic. Aristotle (385-323 B. C.) was the greatest of heathen philosophers. A pupil of Plato, the tutor of Alexander the Great, and the author of works on logic, ethics, metaphysics, natural sciences, politics, and poetics, he profoundly influenced Western thought. In his philo

12、sophical system, theory follows empirical observation, and logic, based on the syllogism, is the essential method of rational inquiry. Antisthenes(c. 445 BCE c. 365 BCE) was aGreek philosopherand a pupil ofSocrates. Antisthenes first learnedrhetoricunderGorgiasbefore becoming an ardent disciple ofSo

13、crates. He adopted and developed theethicalside of Socrates teachings, advocating anasceticlife lived in accordance withvirtue. Later writers regarded him as the founder ofCynicphilosophy.DiogenesThe best known of the Cynics, a pupil of Antisthenes; lived in a barrel and owned nothing but a cloak, a

14、 stick, and a bread bag. Described by Plato as “a Socrates gone mad”. For his vagrant lifestyle, Diogenes was nicknamed “the dog” (from which the name cynic is derived”). (Why was he called a dog? Diogenes: Because I fawn upon those who give me anything, and bark at those who give me nothing, and bi

15、te the rogues. )Cynicism originally comprised the various philosophies of a group of ancient Greeks called the Cynics, founded by Antisthenes in about the 4th century BC. The Cynics rejected all conventions, whether of religion, manners, housing, dress, or decency, advocating the pursuit of virtue i

16、n a simple and unmaterialistic lifestyle. The classical Greek and Roman Cynics regarded virtue as the only necessity for happiness, and saw virtue as entirely sufficient for attaining happiness. Classical Cynics followed this philosophy to the extent of neglecting everything not furthering their per

17、fection of virtue and attainment of happiness, thus, the title Cynics, derived from the Greek word , (“dog” in English) because they allegedly neglected society, hygiene, family, money, etc, in a manner reminiscent of dogs. They sought to free themselves from conventions; become self-sufficient; and

18、 live only in accordance with nature. They rejected any conventional notions of happiness involving money, power, or fame, to lead entirely virtuous, and thus happy, lives. The ancient Cynics rejected conventional social values, and would criticize the types of behaviors, such as greed, which they v

19、iewed as causing suffering. Emphasis on this aspect of their teachings led, in the late 18th and early 19th century, to the modern understanding of cynicism as “an attitude of scornful or jaded negativity, especially a general distrust of the integrity or professed motives of others.” This modern de

20、finition of cynicism is in marked contrast to the ancient philosophy, which emphasized “virtue and moral freedom in liberation from desire.”Warm-up activities 1) What do you think of the person who is lying on the street, shoeless, bearded, half-naked? 2) Introduction to Diogenes and AlexanderThe wo

21、rlds greatest Cynic, Diogenes, was born in 412 B.C. in Sinope, a city on the Black Sea. As a young man he moved with his father to Athens. There he began to learn the teachings of a group known as the Cynics. The name Cynic was derived from the Greek word which roughly translated as doglike and desc

22、ribes the antisocial behavior of adherents of the belief. The cynics believed that fulfillment in life was to be obtained by the total abstinence from all worldly pleasures. To them, virtue was the only good. They became suspicious and contemptuous of others. The young Diogenes became a student of o

23、ne of the founders of Cynicism, a man named Antisthenes. He became totally obsessed with the frugal lifestyle of the Cynics, taking the disowning of materialism to new heights. He did, in fact, become a dour ascetic. Diogenes became convinced that Cynicism and the total abstinence of the things of t

24、he world was the path to ultimate enlightenment. On one occasion he is said to have walked the streets of Athens in the middle of the day with a lighted lamp in search of a virtuous person. This type of eccentric behaviour was often used to draw attention to the Cynics and attract new recruits to th

25、e ranks of believers. On one memorable occasion Diogenes was approached by the great Alexander the Great. Alexander, apparently in an attempt to undermine the cynic belief, asked Diogenes what he wanted most in the world. Diogenes answer? He wanted Alexander to step aside so that he was no longer bl

26、ocking the Sun. Diogenes and his fellow Cynics, as a result of their casting away all creature comforts, lived as beggars. They looked upon working for a living with utter disdain. They also rejected any civic duties or responsibilities. And, of course, they became bitterly sarcastic towards others.

27、 Diogenes, himself, was the master at showing disrespect and throwing sarcasm at others. As a result, he came to be referred to simply as the dog. Diogenes died about 320 B.C., having lived for nine angry decades. His eccentricity and extreme antisocial behavior proved to be the downfall of Cynicism

28、. The belief fell into disrepute soon after his passing. Within in time it had disappeared all together. All that is left of it in our modern world is the word cynic which is used unfavorably to describe a person who is disposed to find fault with others, an unwitting imitator of the father of cynic

29、ism, Diogenes. Alexander was the king of Macedonia and conqueror of Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, Babylonia, and Persia. His reign marked the beginning of the Hellenistic Age. Alexanders conquests and the administrative needs of his Greek-speaking successor promoted the spread of the Greek language and

30、Greek culture across the eastern Mediterranean and into Mesopotamia. Explanation of the text: difficult words, phrases and sentences 1) He was one, but not the other.He was a beggar, but not a lunatic.2) done his business like a dog at the roadside. He had defecated (or urinated) like a dog at the r

31、oadside. He had emptied his bowels (or passed water) like a dog at the roadside.3)washed them down with a few handfuls of water scooped from the spring.scoopto lift out as if with a scoop Diogenes once had a rough wooden cup. Later he threw it away when he saw a boy drinking out of his hollowed hand

32、s.4) Sometimes they threw bits of food, and got scant thanks; sometimes a mischievous pebble, and got a shower of stones and abuse. (scantbarely sufficient; short)This is a sentence characterized by balance and parallelism for rhetorical effect.5) He knew they were mad, each in a different way: To D

33、iogenes, the people in the market place were mad, each in a different way.6) People called him The Dog and called his philosophy Cynicism (doggishness). Some people thought Diogenes lived like a dog because he cared nothing for privacy and other human conventions, and because he showed his teeth and

34、 barked at those he disliked. Cynicismthe doctrines of the Cynics who scorned worldly things and held that self-control was the key to the only good. Diogenes was the founder of this creed, Cynicism.7) He spent much of his life in the rich, lazy, corrupt Greek city of Corinth, mocking and satirizing

35、 its people, and occasionally converting one of them.convertto change from one belief of religion to another. They tried to convert those heathens to Christianity. He was converted to Judaism. John has been converted to Buddhism.8) His home was not made of wood. It was a storage jar made of His home

36、 was not a barrel made of wood because it was too expensive. It was a storage jar made of earthenware.9) He was not the first to inhabit such a thing. The refugees driven into Athens by the Spartans had been force to sleep in casks.10) Live without conventions, which are artificial and false; escape

37、 complexities and extravagances: only so can you live a free life.Only so can you live a free life: inversion sentence. If you break away from the conventions, live simply and frugally, you will enjoy a true, free life.11)In order to procure a quantity of false, perishable goods he has sold the only

38、 true, lasting good, his own cureto get by special effort; obtain; acquiregoodspossessions and personal propertiesWhen I die, I shall leave all my worldly goods to you.goodn. positive moral quality; goodness, virtue I always try to see the good in people.12) not so Diogenes. Diogenes

39、 was not like those who wanted to escape from human society with its complications. He was not a recluse.13) He was a missionary. missionarya person who tries to spread (a particular) religion among people who do not believe in (that) religion. Diogenes did not want to escape from human society. He

40、wanted to indoctrinate the people in his own ideals.14) And, by design, he publicly behaved in such ways as to show people what real life was. By design on purpose; purposeful planning; intention Do you think the house was burnt down by accident or design? Our holidays coincided by design and not by

41、 accident. Was the world made by design or did it come into existence by chance?15) and because he showed his teeth and barked at those he disliked. barkv. utter abruptly and harshly Theres no need to bark at me just because youre annoyed. The captain barked a command at the troops.16) Page boys, so

42、ldiers, secretaries, officers, diplomats, they all gradually formed a circle around Diogenes. page boya boy servant; a boy employed as a personal attendant17) He looked them over, as a sober man looks at a crowd of tottering drunks look overexamine closely, scrutinize drunkn. a drunk person, especia

43、lly one who is often drunk18) but he was not merely a military automaton. automatona person who seems to act mechanically and without thinking. robot; a self-operated machine19) At 13, he had become a pupil of the greatest mind in Greece, Aristotle, who gave him the best of Greek culture. mindn. a p

44、erson who has great mental ability Some of our best minds are emigrating to better paid jobs abroad. She is one of the best minds of our generation. When he was young, Alexander was a passionate, half barbarous prince. Aristotle took him in and gave him the best of Greek culture.20) And he taught hi

45、m the principles of scientific research. Alexander used the principles of scientific research along with is military activities. During his invasion of the Persian domains he took with him a large corps of scientists and shipped hundreds of zoological specimens back to Greece for study.21) Indeed, i

46、t was from Aristotle that Alexander learned to seek out everything strange which might be instructive. seek outto find by searching There is enough trouble in the world without seeking it out. Alexander was interested in strange things and wanted to benefit from his investigations into them. For ins

47、tance, on reaching India he spent hours discussing the problems of life and death with naked Hindu mystics, and later saw a man demonstrate Yoga self-command by impassively burning himself to death.22) He was the man of the hour, of the century. the hourthe present timeAlexander was considered to be

48、 the greatest hero23) With his handsome face, and his air of destiny, Alexander had the appearance (look) that showed he had the power to predetermine the course of events.24) There was an amazed silence of that time. Those at present were amazed at Diogenes remark, and there was an embarrassing sil

49、ence.25) They took it as a paradox. paradoxstatement etc. that seems to contradict itself or to conflict with common sense but which contains a truth (as “More haste, less speed.”) The elegant Greeks and the Macedonian officers did not take it literally. They thought he was posing a puzzle.26) He un

50、derstood Cynicism as other could not. This can be seen from the fact that later Alexander took one of Diogenes pupils with him to India as a philosophical interpreter.Questions for comprehension (on pages399-401) Text structure analysis Part One (para.1-10) Main idea: Description of Diogenes as a be

51、ggar, a philosopher and a missionary, his lifestyle and doctrine: Cynicism.Part Two (para.11-12) Main idea: Description of Alexander the Conqueror, who was the greatest man of the time.Part Three (para.13-17) Main idea: The dramatic encounter of the two, revealing that only these two men were the re

52、al free man in the world.Topic discussion 1) If the world were to follow Diogenes, what would be the results?2) Does Diogenes remind you of any ancient Chinese philosopher? Would you like to make a comparison between them?Writing skill: Exposition: Comparison and Contrast The method of comparison an

53、d contrast is often used. By comparing and contrasting we get a clear picture of things. Strictly speaking, a comparison points out the similarities between two or more persons or things of the same class, while a contrast, the differences between them. In practice, however, comparison and contrast

54、often appear together, because people generally compare two things that are similar in certain ways and different in others. In the text, the writer contrasts the character of Diogenes and Alexander in order to show their sharp differences.Word studyRefer to the notes in the textbook. Grammar Explai

55、n the rules about The Present Participle as Attributive Modifier and ModelsExercise check-upCheck the answers to the exercise.課文翻譯他躺在光溜溜的地上，赤著腳，胡子拉茬的，半裸著身子，模樣活像個乞丐或瘋子?？伤褪撬?，而不是別的什么人。大清早，他隨著初升的太陽睜開雙眼，搔了搔癢，便像狗一樣在路邊解手。他在公共噴泉邊抹了把臉，向路人討了一塊面包和幾顆橄欖，然后蹲在地上大嚼起來，又掬起幾捧泉水送入肚中。他沒工作在身，也無家可歸，是一個逍遙自在的人。街市上熙熙攘攘，到處是顧

56、客、商人、奴隸、異邦人，這時他也會在其中轉(zhuǎn)悠一二個鐘頭。人人都認識他，或者都聽說過他。他們會問他一些尖刻的問題，而他也尖刻地回答。有時他們丟給他一些食物，他很有節(jié)制地道一聲謝；有時他們惡作劇地扔給他卵石子，他破口大罵，毫不客氣地回敬。他們拿不準他是不是瘋了。他卻認定他們瘋了，只是他們的瘋各有各的不同；他們令他感到好笑。此刻他正走回家去。 他沒有房子，甚至連一個茅廬都沒有。他認為人們?yōu)樯钌焚M苦心，過于講究奢華。房子有什么用處？人不需要隱私；自然的行為并不可恥；我們做著同樣的事情，沒什么必要把它們隱藏起來。人實在不需要床榻和椅子等諸如此類的家具，動物睡在地上也過著健康的生活。既然大自然沒有給我們

57、穿上適當?shù)臇|西。那我們惟一需要的是一件御寒的衣服，某種躲避風雨的遮蔽。所以他擁有一張?zhí)鹤影滋炫谏?，晚上蓋在身上他睡在一個桶里，他的名字叫狄奧根尼。人們稱他為“狗”，把他的哲學(xué)叫做“犬儒哲學(xué)”。他一生大部分時光都在希臘的克林斯城邦度過，那是一個富裕、懶散、腐敗的城市，他挖苦嘲諷那里的人們，偶爾也把矛頭轉(zhuǎn)向他們當中的某個人。 他的住所不是木材做成的，而是泥土做的貯物桶。這是一個破桶，顯然是人們棄之不用的。住這樣的地方他并不是第一個，但他確實是第一個自愿這么做的人，這出乎眾人的想法。 狄奧根尼不是瘋子，他是一個哲學(xué)家，通過戲劇、詩歌和散文的創(chuàng)作來闡述他的學(xué)說；他向那些愿意傾聽的人傳道；他擁有一批崇拜他的門徒。他言傳身教地進行簡單明了的教學(xué)。所有的人都應(yīng)當自然地生活，他說，所謂自然的就是正常的而不可