Lesson 2 The Woods Were Tossing with Jewels

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Lesson 2 The Woods Were Tossing with Jewels

• I. Preparation
• 1. The Author
• A Childhood in the Florida Wilderness
• by Marie St. John, written for her son,
  Tom, and edited and illustrated by her
  daughter, Charlotte St. John Evans
•  

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2. Cultural background

• Palmetto, Florida

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Palmetto, Florida
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3. Outline (Organization and Development)

• Part 1 (para.1-12)
• 1) The purpose of taking a claim on an offshore
  island (para. 1) 5 ws
• 2) Family background (para. 2-4)
• 3) Unforgettable trip (para. 5-19)
• 4) Watson, w infamous outlaw (para.14-16)

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• Part 2 Life on a small island, Gopher Key
  (para.20-29)
• Part 3 Fathers courage beat the outlaw, Watson
  (para.30-36)
• Part 4 Conclusion The key to those wonderful
  times. (para.37)

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II. Discourse analysis

• 1. About the title
• The title of this article could be one of the
  followings
• 1) My Childhood in the Florida Wildness
• 2) My Father, a Man of enterprise
• 3) Life in the Florida Wildness
• 4) The Woods Were Tossing with Jewels
• Then why does the author chooses the last one?
• What does the author want to tell the readers?

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Para. 1 purpose of Fathers decision

• 1. What do you know about the father from the
  first paragraph?
• He grew up in a rural environment and his
  childhood experience helped him form his simple
  and natural lifestyle.

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2. stake a claim

• If you stake a claim, you say that something is
  yours or that you have a right to it.
• Also, stake out a claim Indicate something as
  one's own. This term, dating from the mid-1800s,
  originally meant "register a claim to land by
  marking it with stakes (posts)."

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• e.g.
• Now is the Time to Stake a Claim on the Used Saab
  SUV(??????????????.)
• I'm staking a claim to the drumstick.
• She staked out a claim for herself in the
  insurance business.

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3. ranchland
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Para. 2-4 Fathers adventurous life

• 1. carriage house - a small building for housing
  coaches and carriages and other vehicles

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• 2.academy a secondary or college-preparatory
  school, especially a private one
• But I the article it was a secondary school, from
  grade 9-12 at that time (19th century).

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• 3. A sheriff, in U.S. , is a person who is
  elected to make sure that the law is obeyed in a
  particular county.

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4. No mean job not a poor job

• mean adj.
• a. Low in quality or grade inferior.
• b. Low in value or amount paltry
• e.g.
• There is no mean jobs, but mean persons.
• She paid no mean amount for the new shoes.

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• 5. uninviting not pleasant or attractive
  disagreeable
• e.g.
• I found myself thrown among strange people
  everything here was grim and uninviting, with
  teachers continually shouting at me, and myself
  constantly feeling awkward and uncomfortable.

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• 6. panther The leopard, especially in its black
  unspotted form

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7. siren
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siren song siren call

• the enticing appeal of something alluring but
  potentially dangerous
• e.g.
• Deep in his life-processes Life itself sang the
  siren song of its own majesty, ever a-whisper and
  urgent, counseling him that he could achieve more
  than other men, win out where they failed, ride
  to success where they perished.
• Obviously Iraqi oil is a siren song to Bush and
  his followers.

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• 8. But these marks of wild country called to my
  father like legendary siren song
• The attractions of the Florida wilds are
  compared to the beautiful and seductive voice of
  women, but in this case following the lane of the
  siren song has a happy outcome.
• Unpleasant as the wild country was, my father was
  deeply attracted simply because of his qualities
  of enjoying the challenge.

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9. Covered wagon
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10. Gentle folks Persons of good family and
relatively high station.

• e.g.
• The handsome old man stood motionless, holding a
  cup of coffee, looking down from the height of
  his tall figure with friendly serenity at the
  gentlefolks, obviously understanding nothing of
  their conversation and not caring to understand
  it.

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11. Guavas ???
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12. in season in good time, or sufficiently
early for the purpose.

• e.g.
• If his meal is not ready in season, he takes his
  rifle, hides to the forest, shoots his own game,
  lights his fire, and cooks his meal.
• ?out of season not in a proper season or time
  untimely
• e.g.
• The fruit is very cheap as it is out of season.

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• 13. idyllic pleasing or picturesque in natural
  simplicity excellent and delightful in all
  respects
• e.g. I enjoy the idyllic campus life.

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Para. 5-19 the unforgettable trip

• 1. Im afraid days going to catch us, I
  explained, wondering what great disaster might
  befall us if it did
• As a little girl, I believed my fathers words,
  and was genuinely afraid of the possible disaster
  if we did not hurry up, the day would catch us
  and terrible things might happen.

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2. befall happen (to)

• e.g.
• She feared some evil might befall.
• He promised that no harm would befall her.

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• 3. Key up to make intense, excited, or nervous
• e.g.
• When my brother left the house he was all keyed
  up. The examination had been on his mind for
  weeks.

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• 4. Porch a structure attached to the exterior of
  a building often forming a covered entrance
• e.g. They liked to sit on the porch to talk
  about business matters .

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• 5. In this deep and roomy box were packed our
  camping equipment and food supplies
• Notice the word order. The normal order should
  be
• Our camping equipment and food supplies were
  packed in this deep and roomy box.

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6. cot a narrow bed made of canvas
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7. apiece adv. each

• If people have a particular thing apiece, they
  have that number each. (num. n. apiece)
• e.g.
• The teacher gave the boys a picture book apiece.
• These apples are sold at ten cents apiece.

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8. Dutch oven
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9. Little stores, all alone
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10. adjoin share a boundary lie next to

• e.g.
• Canada adjoins the U.S.
• No meals are served in these houses, but
  generally a public eating place adjoins them

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11. bay horse reddish brown horse

• Bay is a color of the hair coats of horses,
  characterized by a body color of dark red (known
  as blood bay) to deep brown, with black points
  (mane, tail, lower legs, and sometimes the muzzle
  and tip of the ears). Bay is a favorite color
  among ranchers and horse enthusiasts.

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Bay horse
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• 12. This third day out, and the days to come,
  found us in the unsettled wilds of Florida.
• The structure varies a little in this sentence,
  to avoid monotony. Otherwise it would start with
  we again.
• We were in the unsettled wilds of Florida, the
  third day out, and the days to come.

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13. Strike camp

• To strike camp to remove/lower all tents. The
  opposite of strike camp is pitch camp as is
  later found in Para. 11.

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• 14. What with and (what with ) (spoken) used
  when you are giving a number of reasons for a
  particular situation
• e.g.
• What with overwork and what with hunger, he
  became sick at last. (????????,??????,???????)

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15. as an added treat

• treat n. something fine and delicious,
  especially a food
• idioms
• my treat    ???
• treat someone like dirt    ?????????
• Dutch treat AA ? (An outing or date on which
  each person pays his or her own way. To go
  Dutch is to go on such a date.)

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• 16. cabbage palmetto a cabbage palm with
  fan-shaped leaves that is native to coastal
  southeastern United States

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Cabbage palmetto
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17.the heart of the cabbage palmetto

• Cut out the heart of the cabbage palmetto. Strip
  off the outer hard tough fronds to reach the
  actual white heart. This is the most tender part
  and should be cut into 1/2-inch strips or cubes.
  Cook slowly in very little water for 20-30
  minutes, adding two tablespoons of sugar and salt
  to taste. Stir frequently to prevent sticking.

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18. Outhouse an outdoor toilet

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• 19. Redbirds, tanagers,, leaving a child with
  the impression that the woods were tossing with
  jewels
• The author compares the birds to jewels because
  of their brightly colored plumage, and since the
  birds flew back and forth across the trail, the
  author felt as a little girl that the woods were
  tossing with jewels. As we read on, we will find
  other jewels.

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20. acquaint

• 1)To cause to come to know personally
• 2)To make familiar
• 3)To inform
• e.g.
• Let me acquaint you with my family.???????????
• I acquainted myself with the controls.????????
• Please acquaint us with your plans.?????????

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?Warning

• Acquainted has lost its passive sense, is now
  usually used as an adjective.
• e.g. ?????????
• ???? I acquainted him last year. ? I was
  acquainted with him last year. ????????,
  ???????????, ???? I got became acquainted
  with him last year. ? I made his acquaintance
  last year

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21. Seclude keep away from others ( isolate)

• e.g.
• He secluded himself in his study to write a book.
  
• I told my father all about it, and why I felt it
  was necessary that I should seclude myself, and
  my reason for not seeing my friends.

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• 22. from time to time he was halfheartedly
  sought for trials, though few crimes seemed to
  lead directly to his doors
• Occasionally the law officials would make some
  efforts without real earnest to investigate
  Watson and to bring him to court, but there
  seemed to be little concrete evidence to prove
  that he was responsible for certain illegal
  activities.

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23. susceptible

• If you are susceptible to someone or something,
  you are very likely to be influenced by them.
• e.g. young people are the most susceptible to
  advertisements.
• James was extremely susceptible to flattery.

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24. bayou a swampy arm or slow-moving outlet of
a lake (term used mainly in Mississippi and
Louisiana)

• Buffalo bayou in Huston

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25. invalid n. adj.

• An invalid is someone who needs to be cared for
  because they have illness or disability.
• Sick or disabled (adj.)
• e.g.
• I hate being treated as an invalid.
• The house is specially for invalid soldiers.

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26. intrigue ( fascinate)

• to arouse the interest or curiosity of

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• e.g.
• The news intrigued us all.
• He was intrigued with the novelty of the story.
• Warning
• He is intrigued with that woman. (????????)

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• 27. Not without trepidation
• The double negative not without conveys a
  weaker affirmative than would be conveyed by the
  positive preposition with by itself, that is
  papa was a little nervous when making
  arrangements with Watson.

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About double negatives

• Double negatives have two linguistic functions
  to intensify the tone or to soften the tone.
• e.g.
• You cant make something out of nothing.
• Whats done cannot be undone. (????????????)
• No law, no liberty. (???????)
• Not without reason, Jack quitted his job.

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• 28. The stranglehold Watson had over that our
  state was to suffer through its history
• The control Watson had over this part of Florida
  was much similar to the dishonest or illegal
  activities of the law-enforcing officials and
  governors which Florida witnessed in the
  twentieth century.

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• 29. There was the little shack, , and there was
  a murderer for our nearest and only neighbor,
  about thirty miles away
• Before the family built their own house, they
  lived in a shabby cabin by Gopher Key, close to
  the merciless Watson.

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Para.(20-29) Life on a small island

• 1. sheepshead (??)large (up to 20 lbs) food fish
  of the eastern coast of the United States and
  Mexico

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• 2. blind n. a hiding place sometimes used by
  hunters (especially duck hunters)
• e.g.
• The hunter waited patiently in the blind.
• The girl was shocked when she found a man behind
  the blind.

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• 3. and of the thousands of ducks that in a
  dozen or more to be smothered in sage
• This sentence can be reconstructed into the
  following one
• and he would bring in a dozen or more to be
  smothered in sage of the thousands of ducks that
  quacked us awake at dawn.
• Could find another preposition to replace of?

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4. quack

• When a duck quacks, it makes the noise that ducks
  typically make.
• e.g.
• There were ducks quacking on the lawn.
• N.B. a quack doctor
• quack remedies/cures

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• 5. King Richard in his gluttony never sat at a
  table more sumptuous than ours was three times a
  day
• We had abundant food on the island, and even the
  meals enjoyed by King Richard, who was famous for
  his love of food, could not possibly compare
  with ours. The narrator was very contented with
  the simplicity of life and grateful for the
  adequacy of food supplies on the island.

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6. a tunnel of mangroves

• A tunnel-like passage formed by the tangled
  masses of mangrove roots
• Enjoy the photos of tunnel-like mangroves given
  below

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7. dessert

• dessert the last course of a meal
• desert arid land (noun) to abandon (verb)
• e.g.
• If you live in a desert, it is a good idea to own
  a camel.
• Clyde deserted school and joined the circus.
• Jack deserted school and joined the circus.
• Chocolate ice cream is my favorite dessert.

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8. sometime

• Sometime at some time (ad.) former (a.)
• some time an unspecified amount of time (n.)
• e.g.
• I will get to it sometime.
• There are five sometime presidents of the United
  States still living.
• I would spend some time pondering your plan.

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• 9. The hard-packed shell was like pavement
• The shells were pressed firmly into the ground,
  resembling the hard surface of a road.
• packed pressed together firmly.
• Look at the huge sea shell, which is about 50kgs
  in weight.

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. 10. unrelenting relentless

• If you describe someones behavior as relenting,
  you mean they are continuing to do something in a
  very determined way, often without caring whether
  they hurt or embarrass other people.
• If you describe something as relenting, you mean
  that it continues without stopping.

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• e.g.
• It was forecast that the unrelenting ice storm
  had swept that area for over 10 hours.
• They were unrelenting in their support for the
  local community.

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• 11. Despite the unrelenting heat, we were happy
  to rain or shine
• Although it was very hot outside in the sun, we
  were happy to be dismissed from my mothers
  seasons indoors. We would have to read and write
  with her every day no matter what the weather was
  like.

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• Women on frontier often performed many different
  tasks. They were the cook, the spinster, the
  doctor, and if they had kids, the teacher, as
  shown by the authors mother.

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12. Para. 29 love of family

• This paragraph further shows the love and trust
  within the family. When the author wanted her
  baby sister so much, we can clearly feel her
  love and when the father placed the baby into
  her arms, we can clearly feel the trust. And the
  important thing is that these precious qualities
  had always been and will always be there in the
  family.

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• 13. bond a connection based on kinship or
  marriage or common interest
• e.g.
• I do admire the bond of affection between the
  sisters. (???????????)
• Our common tastes form a bond of union between
  us.(???????,????????)
• ?Ones word is (as good) as ones bond.(?????)

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• 14. My father and grandmother had delivered her
  without mishap
• My father and grandmother helped my mother to
  give birth to the baby without trouble.

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15. mishap bad luck an unfortunate accident

• e.g.
• He arrived without any mishap, and, having
  finished his business, set out on his return.
• Look at the picture. With a mishap, the lovely
  books were damaged by the tasty coffee.

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16. Let the matter drop to do or say nothing
more about something.

• e.g.
• Being at a low point in my life at that time, and
  not willing to fight the battle myself to get the
  book reprinted, I let the matter drop.
• Satisfied, the administrator let the matter drop.
  He didn't try to alert the female professor to
  her mistake.

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Part 3 Fathers courage (para.30-36)

• 1. and what with papas field to send to
  market
• This sentence can be reconstructed as follows
• and we soon had produce and what with papas
  field to send to market.

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• 2. produce farm products, especially fresh
  fruits and vegetables, considered as a group
• e.g.
• A FISHERMAN who lived on the produce of his nets,
  one day caught a single small Fish as the result
  of his day's labor.
• The superior quality of our agricultural produce
  was maintained through the increased supply of
  manure.

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3. arise, rise

• Rise is widely use to refer to upward action,
  while arise is nowadays used metaphorically.
• e.g.
• The question then arises as to what we are going
  to do once we get the equipment?
• The people were on the point of sinking under the
  heavy burden when a revolutionary leader arose
  among them.

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4. Let the matter drop to do or say nothing more
about something.

• e.g.
• Being at a low point in my life at that time, and
  not willing to fight the battle myself to get the
  book reprinted, I let the matter drop.
• Satisfied, the administrator let the matter drop.
  He didn't try to alert the female professor to
  her mistake.

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• 5. Settle/balance/square (an) accounts with
  someone punish and so get revenge
• e.g.
• I settled accounts with Jim for speaking rudely
  to me at the party. Jim???????????,??????.
  
  

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6. Sit tight to be patient and await the next
move

• If you sit tight, you remain in the same place or
  situation and do not take any action, usually
  because you are waiting for something to happen.
• e.g.
• About all we can do is to sit tight and wait for
  whatever may come.
• He had nothing to do but to sit tight and let her
  do the work.

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• 7. In the argument that followed the boys could
  see everything
• The normal word order of this sentence is
• The boys could see everything in the argument
  that followed.

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8. strident unpleasantly loud and harsh

• e.g.
• "Ma," she shouted suddenly, in her shrill,
  strident treble, "I see Martin coming'.

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9. break come into being or emerge

• e.g.
• Light broke over the horizon.
• Voices broke in the air.
• Hearing the praise, a naughty smile broke on the
  boys face.

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10. bead A small metal knob on the muzzle of a
firearm, such as a rifle, used for sighting.

• draw a bead on aim with a gun
• e.g.
• The hunter drew a bead on the rabbit.

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11. nonchalantcasual

• If you describe someone as nonchalant, you mean
  that they appear not worry or care about things
  and that they seem very calm.
• e.g.
• He appeared nonchalant in court even when the
  judge spoke to him.
• The girl was nonchalant about her role in the
  play.

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Part 4. Conclusion The key to those wonderful
times. (para.37)

• 1. Today I can see in my grandsons and
  great-grandson some
• The pattern of this sentence is see something
  in
• Today I can see some of those qualities of
  courage and caring that my father had in
  abundance.

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2. A brief summary

• In paragraph 12, the author compares the flying
  birds as jewels tossing with the woods. Reaching
  the end of the article, we can see those
  qualities of courage and caring are the jewels
  with which the woods were tossing.

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• If we ponder over the last sentence of the
  article we can see that to the author thinks that
  self-reliance, freedom, courage, hard, simple
  life and love of nature and love of family are
  the precious jewels, the American traditional
  values, which should cherished.

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• Thank you!