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Контрольная работа № 9 (стилистическая)
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Вариант II
Task 1
Read the following text with a good dictionary. Prepare to answer questions after the text.
From The Wind in The Willows by Kenneth Graham
Breathless and transfixed the Mole stopped rowing as the liquid run of that glad piping broke on him like a wave, caught him up, and possessed him utterly. He saw the tears on his comrade's cheeks, and bowed his head and understood. For a space they hung there, brushed by the purple loose-strife that fringed the bank; then the clear imperious summons that marched hand-in-hand with the intoxicating melody imposed its will on Mole, and mechanically he bent to his oars again. And the light grew steadily stronger, but no birds sang as they were wont to do at the approach of dawn; and but for the heavenly music all was marvellously still.
On either side of them, as they glided onwards, the rich meadow-grass seemed that morning of a freshness and a greenness unsurpassable. Never had they noticed the roses so vivid, the willow-herb so riotous, the meadow-sweet so odorous and pervading. Then the murmur of the approaching weir began to hold the air, and they felt a consciousness that they were nearing the end, whatever it might be, that surely awaited their expedition.
A wide half-circle of foam and glinting lights and shining shoulders of green water, the great weir closed the backwater from bank to bank, troubled all the quiet surface with twirling eddies and floating foam-streaks, and deadened all other sounds with its solemn and soothing rumble. In midmost of the stream, embraced in the weir's shimmering arm-spread, a small island lay anchored, fringed close with willow and silver birch and alder. Reserved, shy, but full of significance, it hid whatever it might hold behind a veil, keeping it till the hour should come, and, with the hour, those who were called and chosen.
Slowly, but with no doubt or hesitation whatever, and in something of a solemn expectancy, the two animals passed through the broken tumultuous water and moored their boat at the flowery margin of the island. In silence they landed, and pushed through the blossom and scented herbage and undergrowth that led up to the level ground, till they stood on a little lawn of a marvellous green, set round with Nature's own orchard-trees -- crab-apple, wild cherry, and sloe.
`This is the place of my song-dream, the place the music played to me,' whispered the Rat, as if in a trance. `Here, in this holy place, here if anywhere, surely we shall find Him!'
Then suddenly the Mole felt a great Awe fall upon him, an awe that turned his muscles to water, bowed his head, and rooted his feet to the ground. It was no panic terror -- indeed he felt wonderfully at peace and happy -- but it was an awe that smote and held him and, without seeing, he knew it could only mean that some august Presence was very, very near. With difficulty he turned to look for his friend, and saw him at his side cowed, stricken, and trembling violently. And still there was utter silence in the populous bird-haunted branches around them; and still the light grew and grew.
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Perhaps he would never have dared to raise his eyes, but that, though the piping was now hushed, the call and the summons seemed still dominant and imperious. He might not refuse, were Death himself waiting to strike him instantly, once he had looked with mortal eye on things rightly kept hidden. Trembling he obeyed, and raised his humble head; and then, in that utter clearness of the imminent dawn, while Nature, flushed with fullness of incredible colour, seemed to hold her breath for the event, he looked in the very eyes of the Friend and Helper; saw the backward sweep of the curved horns, gleaming in the growing daylight; saw the stern, hooked nose between the kindly eyes that were looking down on them humourously, while the bearded mouth broke into a half-smile at the corners; saw the rippling muscles on the arm that lay across the broad chest, the long supple hand still holding the pan-pipes only just fallen away from the parted lips; saw the splendid curves of the shaggy limbs disposed in majestic ease on the sward; saw, last of all, nestling between his very hooves, sleeping soundly in entire peace and contentment, the little, round, podgy, childish form of the baby otter. All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.
Answer the following questions:
1) Is this text a narration? A description? A dialogue? Give your reasons.
2) Pick out epithets (look up what the term epithet means) that help the author to create a particular atmosphere. What would you call this atmosphere?
3) Find in the text epithets characterizing the mood and state of the main characters.
4) Explain what is meant by the phrases:
a) Nature's own orchard-trees -- crab-apple, wild cherry, and sloe
b) Nature, flushed with fullness of incredible colour, seemed to hold her breath for the event
5) Is the sentence below emotionally brightly coloured? What helps to create the emotional colouring?
All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.
6) Explain what image is created in the sentence below:
In midmost of the stream, embraced in the weir's shimmering arm-spread, a small island lay anchored, fringed close with willow and silver birch and alder.
Underline and enumerate all the formal elements that add to the emotional colouring of the image. Try to find correct names for those elements.
6) In the extract above some words are capitalized. Write them out and try to explain the value of capitalization in each case.
7) Can we hear characters’ voices in the extract? In what form are the thoughts and feelings of the characters presented to us? Give examples. Look up the terms direct speech, indirect speech, represented speech. Find examples of these types of speech in the extract.
8) Write out all instances of comparison from the extract (look up what creates a simile or comparison). Explain why in your opinion comparison was chosen by the narrator instead of direct nomination.
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9) Read the description from the extract. Who do you think is described? What leads are we given to understand it?
…saw the backward sweep of the curved horns, gleaming in the growing daylight; saw the stern, hooked nose between the kindly eyes that were looking down on them humourously, while the bearded mouth broke into a half-smile at the corners; saw the rippling muscles on the arm that lay across the broad chest, the long supple hand still holding the pan-pipes only just fallen away from the parted lips; saw the splendid curves of the shaggy limbs disposed in majestic ease on the sward; saw, last of all, nestling between his very hooves, sleeping soundly in entire peace and contentment, the little, round, podgy, childish form of the baby otter.
10) Why in the above extract the word saw is repeated several times? Is the repeated word located at the beginning or end of phrases? What is this device called? (Look up types of repetitions)
11) What helps the narrator to render a highly emotional state of the characters in the extract below?
Never had they noticed the roses so vivid, the willow-herb so riotous, the meadow-sweet so odorous and pervading.
12) Can you formulate the theme of the extract? (The theme of the text is its subject matter, something the text relates to everybody.)
13) Can you also derive the idea of the extract at hand? (The idea simply speaking answers the question why bother write or read such a text, what is important about this text, what thoughts seem to be implied by it. The idea will be seen differently by different readers as we tend to ascribe different value to the form of the text and its style.)
Task 2
Read the extract. Explain the meaning of the extended metaphor used by the narrator (taken form The Wind in the Willows Chapter IX WAYFARERS ALL).
Nature's Grand Hotel has its Season, like the others. As the guests one by one pack, pay, and depart, and the seats at the table-d'hote shrink pitifully at each succeeding meal; as suites of rooms are closed, carpets taken up, and waiters sent away; those boarders who are staying on, en pension, until the next year's full re-opening, cannot help being somewhat affected by all these flittings and farewells, this eager discussion of plans, routes, and fresh quarters, this daily shrinkage in the stream of comradeship. One gets unsettled, depressed, and inclined to be querulous. Why this craving for change? Why not stay on quietly here, like us, and be jolly? You don't know this hotel out of the season, and what fun we have among ourselves, we fellows who remain and see the whole interesting year out. All very true, no doubt the others always reply; we quite envy you -- and some other year perhaps -- but just now we have engagements -- and there's the bus at the door -- our time is up! So they depart, with a smile and a nod, and we miss them, and feel resentful.
a) Taken as a whole the extract presents an extended metaphor (look up the meaning of the notion). Why is the word Nature written with a capital N? Why is Nature called Grand Hotel? What are the similarities? What is implied by this reference?
b) Who are those guests referred to as en pension?
c) Who narrates the story? Why do you think the narrator uses such forms of address as one, you, we?
d) Who asks questions in the extract? Do they need answers?
e) Whose voices are heard in the extract? Why in your opinion this form of speech presentation was chosen? What is this mode of speech presentation called?
2) In the extract above what peculiarities of syntax are visible? Write them out, try to explain their value. Look up the terms they come under.
E.g. As the guests one by one pack, pay, and depart – enumeration of actions, used to produce an effect of dynamic swift motion
Составители:
Сергей Александрович Макаров
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Марина Владимировна Оборина
Методические указания и задания
для студентов IV курса ЗФО
английского отделения факультета ИЯ и МК
Ответственный за выпуск О.В. Ханский
Редактор д.филол.н., проф. Н.Ф. Крюкова
Корректор Е.Н. Игнатова
Цифровая печать О.И. Ханская
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Заказ № 15
Подписано в печать 30.06.2008
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факультета иностранных языков и международной
коммуникации
Тверского государственного университета
170000 г. Тверь, ул. Желябова, 33
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