动物庄园 Day 3 讲解

一、老少校的演讲（上）

When Major saw that they had all madethemselves comfortable and were waiting attentively, he cleared his throat and began:

"Comrades,you have heard already about the strange dream that I had last night. But Iwill come to the dream later. I have something else to say first.I do not think, comrades, that I shall be with you for many months longer, andbefore I die, I feel it my duty topasson to you such wisdom as I have acquired.

"Now, comrades, whatis the nature of this life of ours? Let usface it: our lives are miserable, laborious,and short. We are born, we are given just so much food aswill keep the breath in our bodies,and those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to the last atom of our strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has cometo an end we are slaughtered with hideous cruelty.

"But isthissimply part of the order ofnature? Is it because this land of ours is so poor thatit cannot afford a decent life tothose who dwell upon it? No,comrades, a thousand times no! Thissingle farm of ours would support a dozen horses, twenty cows, hundreds ofsheep—and all of them living in a comfort and a dignity that are now almost beyond ourimagining. Why then do we continue in this miserable condition?Because nearly the whole of the produce of our labour is stolen from us byhuman beings. There, comrades, is the answer to all our problems. It is summed up in a single word—Man.

"Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all the evils of this life ofours spring from the tyranny of human beings? Onlyget rid of Man, and the produce of our labour would be our own. Almost overnightwe could become rich and free. What then must we do? Why, work nightand day, body and soul, for the overthrow of the human race! That is my message to you, comrades: Rebellion!

内容解析

老少校向动物传道

影射马克思、恩格斯创立共产主义学说，并在各国宣传，在其影响下形成了最早的一批共产主义者。

rebellion

影射【世界革命】

世界革命指的是马克思主义中，以暴力革命推翻世界各国的资本主义的思想。马克思主义理论认为世界革命可以导致世界共产主义（world communism）及之后的无国籍共产主义（statelesscommunism）。

单词注释

attentively [əˈtentɪvlɪ]  adv. 注意地，聚精会神地

laborious [ləˈbɔːrɪəs] adj. 艰苦的

keep the breath 留存一丝气息

instant [ˈɪnst(ə)nt] n. 瞬间，片刻 adj. 立即的，紧急的

slaughter [ˈslɔːtə] v. 屠宰，屠杀

hideous [ˈhɪdɪəs] adj. 可怕的，丑恶的

decent [ˈdiːs(ə)nt] adj. 得体的，相当好的

dwell [dwel] v. 居住；存在于

dignity [ˈdɪgnɪtɪ] n. 尊严，高贵

overthrow [əʊvəˈθrəʊ] n. 推翻，倾覆，瓦解

rebellion [rɪˈbeljən] n. 叛乱，反抗

语法讲解

1. those of us who are capable of it are forced to work to thelast atomofour strength; and the very instant that our usefulness has come to an end weare slaughtered with hideous cruelty.

但是，只要我们还能动一下，我们便会被驱赶着去干活，直到用尽最后一丝力气，一旦我们被利用完，我们就会在难以置信的残忍下被宰杀。

句法：

1. 被动句型（those of us are forced to work; we areslaughtered）；

2. 物称而非人称做主语（ourusefulness has come to an end）；

3. 静态化语言（we all show appreciation of the teacher’s class）

可使文字书面化，是英文表达的特色。

词汇：

atom/'ætəm/ n. 原子; 一点儿，微量

an atom of 一点儿〔用于强调〕

e.g. I don't believe there's an atom of meaning in it.

我认为它里面一点意义都没有。

2. I do not think that I shall be with you for many monthslonger.

同志们，我想我和你们在一起呆不了多久了。

否定前置：主句中动词为think, believe, imagine, suppose, consider, expect,guess等和想法相关的词时，宾语从句中的否定词需要前置到主句中。

3. I feel it my duty to pass on to you such wisdom as I haveacquired.

我觉得有责任把我已经获得的智慧传授给你们。

宾语补足语：

可以直接用宾补的结构写成I feel it my duty，而不用宾语从句I feel it is my duty.

4. "Isitnotcrystalclear,then,comrades,thatalltheevilsofthislifeofoursspringfromthe tyrannyofhumanbeings?

“那么，同志们，我们这种生活的祸根来自暴虐的人类，这一点难道不是一清二楚的吗？

句法：

It is crystal clear that ... :极其明白、清楚如水晶。

词汇：

spring from: 从…而来，类似于stemfrom, result from。

tyranny /'tɪr(ə)nɪ/: n. 暴政，苛政

e.g. The people survived wars and escaped tyranny.

同义词: despotism, autocracy, dictatorship，totalitarianism

下文中出现的其他变体：

And,aboveall,noanimalmustevertyranniseover hisownkind.

而且，千万要注意，任何动物都不能欺压自己的同类。

Soon or late the day iscoming, tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown.

那一天迟早要到来，暴虐的人类终将消灭。

George Orwell借由老少校之口说出了反极权主义的思想，且待后文如何讽刺。

二、投票事件

At this moment there was a tremendous uproar. While Major was speaking fourlarge rats had crept out of theirholes and were sitting on their hindquarters, listening to him. The dogs had suddenly caught sight of them, and it was only by a swift dash for theirholes that the rats saved their lives. Major raised his trotter for silence.

"Comrades," he said, "here is a pointthat must be settled. The wild creatures, such as rats and rabbits—are they ourfriends or our enemies? Let us put it tothe vote. I propose this question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?"

The vote was taken at once, and it wasagreed by an overwhelming majority that rats were comrades. Therewere only four dissentients, thethree dogs and the cat, who was afterwards discovered to have voted on bothsides.

内容解析

 野生动物影射在政治上比较落后的群众。

这次投票事件影射的是“孟什维克派别”。

在1903年俄国社会民主工党第二次代表大会上，以马尔托夫为代表的机会主义者反对列宁的建党思想，反对把无产阶级专政原则列入党纲。在讨论党章时，反对建立有严格纪律和组织的马克思主义政党。在大会选举党中央机关成员时，他们只获少数选票，被称为孟什维克，与之对应的是布尔什维克，他们是多数得票党。

孟什维克

俄国早期工人运动中的资产阶级改良主义派别。马尔托夫反对列宁的观点，坚持第二国际为建党模式，主张把一切愿意入党的人全部吸收进来，并认为党员并不需要高度集中化组织化，只需“经常亲自协助党”就行了。

单词注释

uproar [ˈʌprɔː] n. 骚动，喧嚣

creep [kriːp] v. 匍匐，爬行（其过去式和过去分词为crept）

hindquarter [ˈhaɪndˌkwɔːtə] n. 后腿及臀部

swift [swɪft] adj. 快的，敏捷的

dash [dæʃ] n. 冲撞；破折号

trotter [ˈtrɒtə] n. 猪脚；快步跑的马

put it to the vote 投票表决

overwhelming [ˌəʊvəˈhwelmɪŋ] adj. 压倒性的；势不可挡的

dissentient [dɪˈsenʃɪənt] n. 不赞成的人

语法讲解

Thedogshadsuddenlycaughtsightofthem,anditwasonlybyaswiftdashfortheirholes thattheratssavedtheirlives.

突然间被狗瞧见，幸亏他们迅速窜回洞内，才免遭一死。

句法：

强调句: It is + 强调成分 + that ...

e.g. Itwas to a nearby hospital that Ann's husband rushed her last night.

昨晚Ann的丈夫立即送她去的就是那所附近的医院。

词汇：

catchsight of: 注意到（和see相比更强调“一下子看见”）。

三、老少校的演讲（下）

“Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy. Whatevergoes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend. And remember also that in fightingagainst Man, we must not come to resemble him. Even when you have conquered him, do not adopt his vices. No animal must ever live in a house, or sleep ina bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke tobacco,or touch money, or engage in trade. All the habits of Man areevil. And, above all, no animal must ever tyrannise over his own kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are all brothers. Noanimal must ever kill any other animal. All animals are equal.

内容解析

七诫（即The Seven Commandments，Chapter 2里会明确提出这个话题）

影射《共产党宣言》The Communist Manifesto

联系上文“动物生活是悲惨的，这些悲惨源于人类的统治”，可以知道这里也影射了《资本论》Das Kapital

单词注释

resemble [rɪˈzemb(ə)l] v. 类似，像

vice [vaɪs] n. 恶习，缺点

engage in从事于，参加

tyrannise [ˈtɪrənaɪz] v. 施行虐政，欺压

 

and it was a stirring tune, something between Clementine and La Cucaracha. The words ran:

那首歌曲调慷慨激昂，旋律有点介于“Clementine”和“La Cucuracha”之间。歌词是这样的：

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

英格兰兽，爱尔兰兽，

Beasts of every land and clime,

普天之下的兽，

Hearken to my joyful tidings

倾听我喜悦的佳音，

Of the golden future time.

倾听那金色的未来。

Soon or late the day is coming,

那一天迟早要到来，

Tyrant Man shall be o'erthrown,

暴虐的人类终将消灭，

And the fruitful fields of England

富饶的英格兰大地，

Shall be trod bybeasts alone.

将只留下我们的足迹。

Rings shall vanish from our noses,

我们的鼻中不再扣环，

And the harness from our back,

我们的背上不再配鞍，

Bit and spur shall rust forever,

蹶子、马刺会永远锈蚀

Cruel whips nomore shall crack.

不再有残酷的鞭子噼啪抽闪。

Riches more than mind can picture,

那难以想象的富裕生活，

Wheat and barley,oatsand hay,

小麦、大麦、燕麦和干草

Clover, beans, and mangel-wurzels

苜蓿、大豆还有甜菜，

Shall be ours upon that day.

那一天将全归我侪。

Bright will shine the fields of England,

阳光普照英格兰大地，

Purer shall its waters be,

水会更纯净，

Sweeter yet shall blow its breezes

风也更柔逸，

On the day that sets us free.

那一天我们将自由解放。

For that day we all must labour,

为了那一天我们岂能等闲

Though we die before it break;

哪怕我们活不到那一天，

Cows and horses, geese and turkeys,

牛、马、鹅、鸡，

All must toil for freedom's sake.

为自由务须流血汗。

Beasts of England, beasts of Ireland,

英格兰兽、爱尔兰兽，

Beasts of every land and clime,

普天之下的兽，

Hearken well and spread mytidings

倾听我喜悦的佳音，

Of the golden future time.

倾听那金色的未来。

 

内容解析

²  老少校的演讲体现了语言和歌谣在群众中的力量，这些手段可用于宣传党派的政策

²  《Beasts of England》影射《国际歌》Internationale，原苏联国歌。

 

单词注释

stirring /'stɜːrɪŋ/ adj.激动人心的

La Cucaracha《拉•库卡拉查》，传统的墨西哥民歌，在墨西哥革命后风靡全球。

hearken [ˈhɑːk(ə)n] v. 倾听；留心

tidings [ˈtaɪdɪŋz] n. 消息，音信

tyrant [ˈtaɪr(ə)nt] n. 暴君

o’erthrown 即overthrown的简写，意为推翻，打倒。

trod [trɒd] v. 践踏（tread的过去式）

whip /wɪp/ n. 鞭子

barley [ˈbɑːlɪ] n. 大麦

breeze [briːz] n. 微风

toil [tɒɪl] v. 辛苦工作n. 辛苦

for freedom’s sake 为自由的缘故

四、动物受惊回窝

The singing of this song threw theanimals into the wildest excitement. They were so delighted with the song thatthey sang it right through five times insuccession, and might have continued singing it all night if they had notbeen interrupted.

Unfortunately, the uproar awoke Mr.Jones, who sprang out of bed, makingsure that there was a fox in the yard. He seized the gun which always stood ina corner of his bedroom, and let fly a charge of number 6 shot into the darkness. The pellets buried themselves in the wall of the barn and the meeting broke up hurriedly.

 

内容解析

影射事件 1848年革命

Revolutions of 1848，也称民族之春（Springof Nations）或人民之春（Springtime of the Peoples），是在1848年至1849年初欧洲各国（法国、德国、奥地利、匈牙利、意大利、丹麦、瓦拉几亚、波兰、波西米亚等）爆发的一系列武装革命。这一系列革命波及范围广，影响大，可以说是欧洲历史上最大规模的革命运动。第一场革命于1848年1月在意大利西西里爆发。随后的法国二月革命更是将革命浪潮波及到几乎全欧洲，但是这一系列革命大多都迅速以失败告终。尽管如此，1848年革命还是造成了各国君主与贵族体制动荡，并间接导致了德国统一及意大利统一运动。

单词注释

in succession 接连地，连续地

spring [sprɪŋ] v. 跳跃；弹起（其过去式为sprang）

let fly发射；攻击

pellet [ˈpelɪt] n. 小子弹（枪用）

break up 结束；打碎；分手

 

语法讲解

物称做主语的具体例子

 

The singing of this song threw the animals into the wildestexcitement.

唱着这支歌，动物们陷入了情不自禁的亢奋之中。

Unfortunately, the uproar awoke Mr. Jones, whosprang out of bed, making sure that there was a fox in the yard.

不巧，喧嚣声吵醒了琼斯先生，他自以为是院子中来了狐狸。

He seized the gun which always stood in a cornerof his bedroom, and let fly a charge of number 6 shot into the darkness. The pellets buried themselves in thewall of the barn and the meeting broke up hurriedly.

他便跳下床，操起那支总是放在卧室墙角的猎枪，用装在膛里的六号子弹对着黑暗处开了一枪。弹粒射进大谷仓的墙里，会议就此匆匆解散。

 

 

五、小测试

1. Whois not considered a friend?

A. Moses

B. Humans

C. The pigs

D. The cat

 

2. Whohas voted on both sides?

A. The sheep

B. The dogs and the cat

C. The cart horses

D. The cows

 

trueand false questions: 

3. Anything with two legs is a friend.

A. True

B. False

 

4. Rats are also friends.

A. True

B. False

 

5. Matching questions

1.        What isBeasts of Englandreferring to?(E)

2.        How are the animals treated?(D)

3.        What did the singing do?(A)

4.        Benjamin and his cynicism (B)

5.        What are the Seven Commandmentsreferring to? (C)

 

A.     It united them against a commonenemy

B.     God has given me this tail tokeep flies off, but I would sooner have had not tail and no tails.

C.    The Communist Manifesto

D.    Their lives are miserablelaborious & short; they are born, given just so much food as will keeptheir bodies; they are forced to work to the last atom of strength thenslaughtered

E.     The Internationale

六、Day 2 小测试答案（请在Day 2讲义中寻找）