1. Characters -- E.M. Forster has created unforgettable characters. Everyone stands out, being small or large. We cannot help but have a tenderness to them. Which one is your favorite character? Or the least favorite?
Lucy Honeychurch
Charlotte Bartlett
Mrs. Honeychurch
Miss Eleanor Lavish
The Miss Alans
George Emerson
Mr. Emerson
Mr. Beebe
Mr. Eager
Cecil Vyse
Freddy Honeychurch
2. Take the plunge -- In the first chapter, after dinner in the drawing room one of the little old ladies talked about 'plunge" she and her sisters had been taking. What does the the word "plunge" mean? Can you describe from your own experience what plunge you have taken?
挠挠 -- Let me try question number 2. I finished the 1st chapter when the questions came out. I did not really understand what plunge meant to be honest. I read Chapter 1 the second time, some paragraphs started to make me smile. I realized that I missed too much humor just skim through the book that is not quite easy. I still don't know exactly what plunge meant. The Chinese version of the questions helped me. It all make sense now.
I want to point out that the old lady did not talk to Mr. Beebe about the plunge. She talked to Mrs. Bartlett after Mr. Beebe left. Not trying to be picky but want to be sure it is easier for others to find the exact place of this word. So now the word meant "risk". I think it was considered risk to go to Italy for two reasons. 1. Leaving your hometown for a foreign place is considered risky by most people. 2. Italy was considered not as civilized and educated as England from the viewpoint of the people in the book.
For all of us, one thing in common is that we all took a plunge sometime in our life to move to the US. We all gave up something familiar and predicable for something uncertain at least at the time we moved to the US. Kudos to us all. We were brave!
-- The dictionary definition of "plunge" in this particular situation:
1. To fall or throw oneself into a place: We plunged into the icy mountain lake.
It also means:
2. To throw oneself earnestly or wholeheartedly into an activity or situation: plunged into the book
This is what you are doing now, Jie. This plunge will reward you with many smiles and genuine delights.
The plunge we all share in the sense of emigration goes even deeper than a simple trip we usually take. We have been brave, adaptable, persistent and triumphat! Yes, kowtow to us all!
3. Question mark "Why" -- How do you explain the transition in George from an everlasting "Why" to a Yes, Yes and Yes?
4. Views -- Can you identity some vintage points as "views" which are both literal and figurative? Please note the chapter or page number.
萤火虫： View on religion -- In Chapter 19 Lucy found Mr Emerson in Mr. Beebe's study seeking refuge from the movers and the rain. It is a quite heart wrenching scene, and It is where Lucy was rescued by old Emerson from sinking even deeper into the darkness.
Amid their conversations, Lucy turned her back, and began to look at Mr. Beebe's books. The following view describes the situation quite effectively:
"She looked at the books again--black, brown, and that acrid theological blue. They surrounded the visitors on every side; they were piled on the tables, they pressed against the very ceiling. To Lucy who could not see that Mr. Emerson was profoundly religious, and differed from Mr. Beebe chiefly by his acknowledgment of passion--it seemed dreadful that the old man should crawl into such a sanctum, when he was unhappy, and be dependent on the bounty of a clergyman.
This wall of books evokes a claustrophobic feeling of entrapment, within which not only the old man but Lucy as well found themselves. The dull colors of black and brown, the unpleasant smell of old and decaying books, pressed upon them from every corner. For Lucy who had been in a muddle this sanctum has lost its charm; and for old Emerson who had his belief rooted in human spirits and free thinking it was so pitiful to rely on the warmheartedness of Mr. Beebe.
One could argue that Mr. Beebe is a "good man" but wait till you see what Mr Beebe's reaction when he found out Lucy loved George.
It provides an angle to peep into E,M. Forster's frame of mind, on which I won't dwell too much.
5. Propriety -- What do you think of Mr Emerson's offer to switch rooms with Lucy and Charlotte? Do you think it proper? What would you do if you were in a similar situation? Point out some other occasions that would be deemed as not proper.
6. Prejudice -- Prejudice is like a disease, hard to cast way, whenever humans come to interact with each other. Can you point out where such incidents occur in the book? How in your option should we deal with our own prejudice or prejudice inflicted on us?
7. Relevance to us -- Considering the story's locale and distance in time, do you agree it still holds some charm to our modern readers? Why do we still read and enjoy it despite of our differences in cultural backgrounds?
8. Our views -- We have been seasoned travelers and will be embarking on yearly journey soon. Does this novel enlighten you in some way and make you see things in different light? Would you consciously make an effort to make the traveling more meaningful to you?
From here we open our discussion to any observation and comment you have about going places, travelling abroad. The trend and behavior you have noticed in nowadays China, etc.
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