ISG 0621 Miss Potter - chapter 5-7

[chiron]

Hi, guys:
I have to return my book first, so I do my duty in advance. But I'm not sure when will it be used, maybe you could prepare in light of these questions during your leisure hours. The 3 chapters is enough for us to discuss, so finally, I decide not to add one more chapter.

1. General Questions (everyone has to post his / her answers on-line)
a. Pls pick 5 phrases or vocabularies at most.
b. Pls pick 5 good sentences at most.

2. Specific Questions (we can cooperate to finish these questions on-line)
a. On page 62, why did Mrs. Warne say “It was the desperate act of mother who was beginning to forget what her son looked like” ?
b. On page 66, why was Mary terrified of simply being above stairs?
c. Why does Mrs. Potter treat Mr. Norman so cold especially when her daughter is still unmarried?
d. Why did Mr. Heelis laugh out as Beatrix said Jemima was surprised that the shed had so many feathers in it? (p. 86)

e. What does the sentence mean: “Mother’s taste, in books and I’m afraid in life,” said Norman, “runs to the, um, melodramatic.” (p. 64)
f. What does the sentence mean: I’m too old to be living off the generosity of my father. (p. 67)
g. What does the sentence mean: Her “menagerie of suitors,” she came to call them. (p. 68)
h. What does the sentence mean: There’s one of a bay hunter I rode in Norfolk, shown in the very silks I wore, that’s particularly eye-catching. (p. 69)
i. What does the sentence mean: It’s a pagan grove, and stories are our only defense. (p. 84)

3. Meeting Questions (you don’t have to answer them on the forum)
a. On page 58, Norma kept asking inkers to remix the correct color. Have you ever been asked to do the same thing again and again? When and where did it happen? How’s your feeling?
b. On page 68, Beatrix imagines her blind-date suitors as various animals. What kind of animal do you think you are? And why?
c. On page 76, Beatrix has wild though of her fortune. What will you do if you become millionaire one day?
d. On page 79, Beatrix said she was collecting Wonders, and one of her Wonders was the gnarly log. Have you ever noticed the imperfection around you and regarded it as a perfect Wonder?

[chiron]

1. General Questions (everyone has to post his / her answers on-line)
a. Pls pick 5 phrases or vocabularies at most.

1. forget-me-not (n) 勿忘我
2. out of sorts【口】情緒不好; 不舒服
ex: It puts me right out of sorts to be with them. (p. 63)
3. bring sb. round means to bring sb. back into the reality
ex: The laugh I enjoyed quite brought me round. (p. 65)
4. in tow【口】伴隨; 跟隨
ex: Beatrix’s mother dragged in tow their trembling laundress. (p. 66)
5. draw / take a bead on means to aim a gun at someone or something
ex: Once I was taking bead on a magpie. (p. 70)

b. Pls pick 5 good sentences at most.

1. Millie threw open the French doors at the back of the parlor. Sunlight flooded the room. (p. 63)
2. Millie took eating seriously, buttering the scones and making real use of several pots of jam. (p. 64)
3. A haze of pink flowers colored the hedges. (p. 75)
4. A cloud just passed across your face. (p. 76)
5. Wonders have a habit of going scarcely they’ve arrived. (p. 81)

[Sherry Liao]

1. take to + V-ing 開始從事; 喜歡; 沈溺於
ex: She had taken to making more and more decisions herself. (p. 59)

This one is not new (Please refer to the thread of 0510). Maybe you want to pick something else.

[chiron]

恭喜 J 大人考取博班, 成為 ISG ㄉ第一位博士, 真的很不容易喔!! 太棒了!!

[Just JJ]

恭喜 J 大人考取博班, 成為 ISG ㄉ第一位博士, 真的很不容易喔!! 太棒了!!

Thanks Chiron,
I can foresee the huge challenge. (PHD qualifying exam, Three papers at SCI). It might be tougher than I thought.
I will try my best to manage it one way or another. Thanks Chiron.

[Sherry Liao]

I've not finished my assignment yet, but I've got to leave now. The following are my answers to the questions I am through with. I will post the rest a few days later.

And please be reminded that I am not joining you this coming Sunday. Let's meet next Sunday.

a. On page 62, why did Mrs. Warne say “It was the desperate act of mother who was beginning to forget what her son looked like” ?

Maybe Mrs. Warne wanted to take the opportunity to complain that Norman was seldom at home, or she was just too uptight to show her welcome to the guest.

b. On page 66, why was Mary terrified of simply being above stairs?

I think this sentence was added to describe that Mary was very frightened of the forbidding manner of Ms. Potter.

c. Why does Mrs. Potter treat Mr. Norman so cold especially when her daughter is still unmarried?

Norman is a co-owner of a publisher and therefore is a merchant, or a tradesman. Mrs. Potter does not like tradesmen.

e. What does the sentence mean: “Mother’s taste, in books and I’m afraid in life,” said Norman, “runs to the, um, melodramatic.” (p. 64)

I think it meant that literally. Mrs. Warne just mentioned that Norman read to her during the day, and Norman wanted to make Miss Potter have a better understanding of his mother's interest and character. Does it imply something else?

f. What does the sentence mean: I’m too old to be living off the generosity of my father. (p. 67)

I think she simply meant she was old enough and that she hoped to be economically independent.

g. What does the sentence mean: Her “menagerie of suitors,” she came to call them. (p. 68)

Miss Potter compared each suitor to a particular animal; all the suitors were therefore described as a variety of animals.

h. What does the sentence mean: There’s one of a bay hunter I rode in Norfolk, shown in the very silks I wore, that’s particularly eye-catching. (p. 69)

The guy wants to show off his interest and collection of horses and clothes.

[Kooper]

2. Specific Questions (we can cooperate to finish these questions on-line)
a. On page 62, why did Mrs. Warne say “It was the desperate act of mother who was beginning to forget what her son looked like” ?
b. On page 66, why was Mary terrified of simply being above stairs?
c. Why does Mrs. Potter treat Mr. Norman so cold especially when her daughter is still unmarried?
d. Why did Mr. Heelis laugh out as Beatrix said Jemima was surprised that the shed had so many feathers in it? (p. 86)
e. What does the sentence mean: “Mother’s taste, in books and I’m afraid in life,” said Norman, “runs to the, um, melodramatic.” (p. 64)
f. What does the sentence mean: I’m too old to be living off the generosity of my father. (p. 67)
g. What does the sentence mean: Her “menagerie of suitors,” she came to call them. (p. 68)
h. What does the sentence mean: There’s one of a bay hunter I rode in Norfolk, shown in the very silks I wore, that’s particularly eye-catching. (p. 69)
i. What does the sentence mean: It’s a pagan grove, and stories are our only defense. (p. 84)

a. Mrs. Warne disliked Miss Potter because she viewed Miss Potter as the one who'd taken her son away from her. Mrs. Warne said this on purpose to express her discontent with Miss Potter.
b. I guess whenever Mary was asked to go upstairs, she was supposed to be blamed for something wrong she had done.
c. In Mrs. Potter’s mind, a lowly businessman like Mr. Norman cannot match her daughter.
d. He had gotten the bjoke of the story.
e. Mr. Norman meant that his mother tended to exaggerate how little she had been taken care of by her offspring.
f. Miss Potter thought that she had been old enough to seek her financial independence.
g. In her imagination, her every suitor was turned into a type of animal which represents one of their funny features.
h. Ashton was bragging about a panting of him riding on a bay hunter.
i. Not sure what does a pagan grove mean.
Words
exasperated [adj]: extremely annoyed and upset (P.59)
Ex: He was becoming increasingly exasperated with the situation
Ex: "Why won't you answer me?" he asked in an exasperated voice.
beam [vi]: to have a big happy smile on your face (P.69)
Ex: "I'd love to come," she beamed (= said with a large smile)
chagrin [n]: Chagrin is a feeling of disappointment, upset, or annoyance because sth has not happened the way you hoped. (p.69)
Ex:My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my chagrin.
Ex: To his chagrin, only a small crowd turned out to watch him.
Expressions:
1. He groped for the right word. (P.86)
2. The image of Lydia, dressed uncomfortably in maid's uniform and cap, offering a tray of hot tarts to Ashton Clifford, remained burned in Beatrix's mind. (P.70)

[IVY]

1. General Questions (everyone has to post his / her answers on-line)

a. Pls pick 5 phrases or vocabularies at most.
out of breath : breathing heavily because of physical exertion
contained : 泰然自若的;從容的

b. Pls pick 5 good sentences at most.
1) Sunlight flooded the room. (p63)
2) It was only for an instant, but it seemed for Beatrix to be an eternity

2. Specific Questions (we can cooperate to finish these questions on-line)

a. On page 62, why did Mrs. Warne say “It was the desperate act of mother who was beginning to forget what her son looked like” ?
Mrs. Warner implied that Norman was too busy at publishing work

b. On page 66, why was Mary terrified of simply being above stairs?
Mary was terrified of her host so that she would like to be downstair and work
rather than staying in the same room with them.

c. Why does Mrs. Potter treat Mr. Norman so cold especially when her daughter is still unmarried?

d. Why did Mr. Heelis laugh out as Beatrix said Jemima was surprised that the shed had so many feathers in it? (p. 86)


e. What does the sentence mean: “Mother’s taste, in books and I’m afraid in life,” said Norman, “runs to the, um, melodramatic.” (p. 64)
Mrs. Warne said if she had to depend on Millie for companionship, she should expire of loneliness. According to the context, Norman meant what her morther said was too exaggerated

f. What does the sentence mean: I’m too old to be living off the generosity of my father. (p. 67)
Beatrix wanted to be independent financially so that she didn't need to rely on her family.

g. What does the sentence mean: Her “menagerie of suitors,” she came to call them. (p. 68)
She had many experiences of blinding dates and showed no interests in those suitors at all.However, she imagined those guys as animals according to their behaviors and apperances.

h. What does the sentence mean: There’s one of a bay hunter I rode in Norfolk, shown in the very silks I wore, that’s particularly eye-catching. (p. 69)
He was describing one attractive horse he rode before with beautiful fur which liked the silks.

i. What does the sentence mean: It’s a pagan grove, and stories are our only defense. (p. 84)

[chiron]

恭喜 J 大人考取博班, 成為 ISG ㄉ第一位博士, 真的很不容易喔!! 太棒了!!

Thanks Chiron,
I can foresee the huge challenge. (PHD qualifying exam, Three papers at SCI). It might be tougher than I thought.
I will try my best to manage it one way or another. Thanks Chiron.

Three!! OMG, may you still live after 1 year. Take care!

[chiron]

2. Specific Questions (we can cooperate to finish these questions on-line)
a. On page 62, why did Mrs. Warne say “It was the desperate act of mother who was beginning to forget what her son looked like” ?
b. On page 66, why was Mary terrified of simply being above stairs?
c. Why does Mrs. Potter treat Mr. Norman so cold especially when her daughter is still unmarried?
d. Why did Mr. Heelis laugh out as Beatrix said Jemima was surprised that the shed had so many feathers in it? (p. 86)
e. What does the sentence mean: “Mother’s taste, in books and I’m afraid in life,” said Norman, “runs to the, um, melodramatic.” (p. 64)
f. What does the sentence mean: I’m too old to be living off the generosity of my father. (p. 67)
g. What does the sentence mean: Her “menagerie of suitors,” she came to call them. (p. 68)
h. What does the sentence mean: There’s one of a bay hunter I rode in Norfolk, shown in the very silks I wore, that’s particularly eye-catching. (p. 69)
i. What does the sentence mean: It’s a pagan grove, and stories are our only defense. (p. 84)

a. Mrs. Warne disliked Miss Potter because she viewed Miss Potter as the one who'd taken her son away from her. Mrs. Warne said this on purpose to express her discontent with Miss Potter.-->Actuallly, that's because Mary was a maid. In that time, a maid lived and spent most of her day downstairs. No wonder she felt super awkard upstairs.
b. I guess whenever Mary was asked to go upstairs, she was supposed to be blamed for something wrong she had done.
c. In Mrs. Potter’s mind, a lowly businessman like Mr. Norman cannot match her daughter.
d. He had gotten the bjoke of the story.-->Yes, but what's so funny about this joke??
e. Mr. Norman meant that his mother tended to exaggerate how little she had been taken care of by her offspring.
-->I guessed the original sentence should be, "My taste is in life, and that runs to the melodramatic." What do you say?
f. Miss Potter thought that she had been old enough to seek her financial independence.-->"live off" means to live on
g. In her imagination, her every suitor was turned into a type of animal which represents one of their funny features.
-->This sentence may be a bit hard to understand. Miss Potter entered her memory, where her suitors were locked in a menagerie, and she "called" her suitors (or memory) out of the menagerie.
h. Ashton was bragging about a panting of him riding on a bay hunter.-->In bay hunter, "bay" means reddish, and "hunter" means horse.
i. Not sure what does a pagan grove mean.

[Just JJ]

No excuse this week. I will put myself together again, and post my assignment in three days.

[janet12tw]

1.
a. willy-nilly: 不管願不願意地
menagerie: (動物園或馬戲團之）動物群
b. 1. (P68 , paragraph 7) Lady Clifford, bone-thin and high browed, watched as her snob of a son, Ashton, was handed Beatrix's sketchbook.

2. a. Because she misses her son so much she has to ask his son to bring Beatrix to see her then she can meet his son.

[janet12tw]

Hi, here are the rest of my answers:

2. Specific Questions (we can cooperate to finish these questions on-line)

b. On page 66, why was Mary terrified of simply being above stairs?
She is afraid of Mrs. Potter might give her a hard time for not being able to wash off the stain on Beatrix's dress.

c. Why does Mrs. Potter treat Mr. Norman so cold especially when her daughter is still unmarried?
Because Mr. Norman was born in a family that is in the trading business. And at that time, traders don't have a very high social status. So Mrs. Potter thinks Mr. Norman is not suitable for her daughter.

d. Why did Mr. Heelis laugh out as Beatrix said Jemima was surprised that the shed had so many feathers in it? (p. 86)
It is due to that Jemima doesn't know she was brought to the trap set by the fox.

e. What does the sentence mean: “Mother’s taste, in books and I’m afraid in life,” said Norman, “runs to the, um, melodramatic.” (p. 64)
As the youngest son in the family, Mr. Norman usually stays at home and reads to her mother. And he is making fun of her mother who has a different taste in book comparing to him.

f. What does the sentence mean: I’m too old to be living off the generosity of my father. (p. 67)
She thinks maybe someday she can make her own living by selling her book.

g. What does the sentence mean: Her “menagerie of suitors,” she came to call them. (p. 68)
She think of her wired suitors who are given different images of animals by her.

h. What does the sentence mean: There’s one of a bay hunter I rode in Norfolk, shown in the very silks I wore, that’s particularly eye-catching. (p. 69)
He is trying to show off the painting of a horse on his clothes which is ordered and paid by his grandfather.

i. What does the sentence mean: It’s a pagan grove, and stories are our only defense. (p. 84)

[Sherry Liao]

The rest of my part:

a. Pls pick 5 phrases or vocabularies at most.

game (adjective) (P.82): willing to do things that are new, risky or difficult
Ex.: It was a difficult challenge, but Roberta was game.
Ex.: She's game for anything.
at ease (P.85): relaxed
Ex.: He felt completely at ease.
Ex.: She soon put/set me at ease (= made me relaxed)

b. Pls pick 5 good sentences at most.

A wisp of breeze passed, carrying with it the distant sound of children laughing at the lake. (P.76)
Beatrix felt a wash of warmth flow through her body. (P.87)

d. Why did Mr. Heelis laugh out as Beatrix said Jemima was surprised that the shed had so many feathers in it? (p. 86)

The duck didn't realize that those feathers belonged to the victims, and she was going to be part of them.

i. What does the sentence mean: It’s a pagan grove, and stories are our only defense. (p. 84)

It's a wild guess. I think Fiona was afraid of the mysteries, and making stories of them helped her develop a sense of safety.

[Sherry Liao]

Did you find that there's something funny on page 75?
"Which means," Norman continued, "one hundred and sixty in a month, and – wait a minute, twelve times sixteen – one eighty-two: eighteen hundred and twenty in a year."

Twelve times sixteen is one ninety-two, right? So it had to be nineteen hundred and twenty in a year.

I am curious to know if the author did it intentionally or it's simply a lapse.