Lesson 12

The The

Everlasting Everlasting

WitnessWitness

The Main Idea of the TextThe Main Idea of the Text

Where there is war, there may be deathWhere there is war, there may be death. Whenever a

war breaks out, mothers may lose their sons or

daughters, and wives may lose their husbands and also

children may lose their fathers. And we should be aware

of such a fact that not every soldier is ready or willing to

go to a war, just Jerry in this story.

Jerry went to the Vietnam War unreadyunready and got lost six

months later, which meant a nightmarenightmare to his mother.

One day his mother accidentally found him on a

newsreelnewsreel about POW (Prisoner of War), which was cut

off by the government. In order to confirmconfirm it, she came

to Mexico, where her sister lived.

The young man with his back to the camera turned out

to be her son, Jerry, who got lost in action but is

still alive. The themetheme that the story has

revealed is that Jerry is an ever-lasting Jerry is an ever-lasting

witnesswitness.

He witnesses the crueltycruelty of war, which has not only

depriveddeprived many soldiers of their lives or putput them in in

deep sorrowdeep sorrow spiritually, but also brought great pain brought great pain

to their familiesto their families, especially their mothers. The story is

also in praise of the love of a motherlove of a mother and friendshipfriendship

between strangers.

FlashbacksFlashbacks are used twice in the story, one for what had

happened the day before, the other for the horrible

experience five months before. Flashback is often used in

short stories, which makes a story more compactcompact.

The detailed explanations of the The detailed explanations of the language points in the textlanguage points in the text

thousand and onethousand and one: a lot of, a great many, innumerable felicitousfelicitous: adj. formalformal well-chosen and suitable

a thousand and one felicitous birdsa thousand and one felicitous birds: a lot of birds singing merrily

dedicateddedicated: adj. devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose funniesfunnies: n. comic strips newsreelnewsreel: n. a short film and commentary over current

events get back on one’s feetget back on one’s feet: cheer up, put oneself together

My divorce cost me a fortune and it took three years to get back on my feetget back on my feet. 

After his wife's death it took him two years to get back on get back on his feethis feet.

healheal: v. to cure someone who is ill or make a wound heal

heal the wounds/divisionheal the wounds/division

(means to make people stop being angry with each other)

Time heals all woundsTime heals all wounds.

drivedrive herselfherself: drive her own car to the cinemas

keep the whole event within her controlkeep the whole event within her control: have all freedom and plenty of time to decide what to do, when to do it, and how long it should take.

Her husband (who was Jerry’s stepfather and therefore

involvedinvolved multifoldlymultifoldly in her suffering, not singlynot singly as a real father would been have)

This sentence means that Jerry’s stepfather not only Jerry’s stepfather not only

took care of Jerry but also his mother while a real took care of Jerry but also his mother while a real

father had the same worries as his real motherfather had the same worries as his real mother.

retroactiveretroactive: adj. formalformal a law or decision that is retroactive is effective from a particular date in the past

…this had not given him a retroactive father for this had not given him a retroactive father for

the twelve-thirteen-year-old times of crisisthe twelve-thirteen-year-old times of crisis…

this sentence means that for terry, a teenager, the for terry, a teenager, the

early teens are a critical period of time for the early teens are a critical period of time for the

growth. A stepfather didn’t give him helps he growth. A stepfather didn’t give him helps he

needed most in his difficult early teensneeded most in his difficult early teens.

Nightmares of looking for him over hills of Nightmares of looking for him over hills of

rubbled dyingrubbled dying…

this sentence means that she was covered with she was covered with

nightmares, where she was looking for her son nightmares, where she was looking for her son

amony dying soldiers lying in rubbles over one amony dying soldiers lying in rubbles over one

hill after anotherhill after another.

indolentindolent: adj. laze; disliking efforts or activity

Her husband was lost to herHer husband was lost to her.

--She was so absorbed in the newsreel that she nearly

forgot the presence of her husband.

pertinentpertinent (toto): adj. connected directly with sth. that

is being considered; relevantrelevant

No emotion was pertinentNo emotion was pertinent.

--when she watched those grand, shining new

weapons for death, she could not help but become

emotional, but she knew that it was not a time for her

to bring in any emotion.

She felt her blood prickingpricking along her templestemples and there

was pressure in her chestchest below the hollowhollow.

prickprick: v. to make a small hole in something,using a sharp

point

Here it means to get a sharp pain in the templeget a sharp pain in the temple.

when she looked as these pictures, she imagined that her

son might be treated like this, so she was so nervous on her

heart.

So strong a hope must play delaying gamesSo strong a hope must play delaying games.

She, Marian had a strong hope of seeing her son, but at

the same time she was afraid that it was possibly not Jerry.

So in her heart, she tried to put off that decisive moment

for fear of being disappointed. Then she felt as if the scene

was delayed in coming.

stoopstoop: v. bend one's back forward from the waist on down

That was hope and she had to feed itThat was hope and she had to feed it.

The newsreel gave her hope that her son was still alive

and she should keep her hope and go to another cinema

to see the newsreel.

second runsecond run:  n. second show of the newsreel 二轮放映 drivedrive-inin: a kind of open-air cinemaopen-air cinema that is so designed

that people can sit in their cars and watch the film on a big

screen

play up toplay up to: to behave in a very polite or kind way to

someone because you want something from them 企图博得好感,讨好

Here it means to make use of something to gain make use of something to gain

anything for ourselvesanything for ourselves.

gringrin/smile/laugh from ear to earsmile/laugh from ear to ear:咧着嘴笑,满脸笑容

obstinateobstinate: adj. stubbornstubbornly persistent in wrongdoing

fortnightfortnight: n. a period of fourteen consecutive days, two

weeks

dallydally: v. old-fashionold-fashion waste time, or do something very slowly

categoricallycategorically: adv. In such a sure and certain way that

there is no doubt; unconditionallyunconditionally

categorically denycategorically deny/refuserefuse

stallstall: n. a boothbooth where articles are displayed for sale

run head against a wallrun head against a wall 碰得头破血流

bloatedbloated: adj. full of liquid, gass, food etc. so that you look or

feel much larger than normal, swollenswollen

putterputter (potterpotter BrE): v. to walk and move slowly and without hurrying

fumblefumble (forfor/withwith): v. to hold or try and move something with your hands carelessly or awkwardly

shuddershudder: v. to shake uncontrollably for a short time because you are frightened, or cold or because you think something is very unpleasant

enunicateenunicate: v. to pronounce words clearly and carefully whittlewhittle: v. to cut a piece of wood into a particular

shape by cutting off small pieces with a small knife chappedchapped:chapped lips and hands are sore, dry and sore, dry and

crackedcracked, especially as a result of cold weather or wind

The girl's hands were chappedchapped by the cold and her chappedchapped lips were bleeding.

那个女孩的手因寒冷而冻裂 ,她干裂的嘴唇流出血来。

wizenedwizened: a wizend person or fruit is small and thin

and has skin with a lot of lines and wrinkles

be riveted on/tobe riveted on/to: if your attention is riveted on sth., you

are so frightened or so interested that you keep

looking at it

Barns watched in terror, his eyes riveted onriveted on the huge tiger.

grimacegrimace [+withwith]: to twist your face in an ugly way because

you are feeling pain

His mother drowneddrowned in those vacant eyes: she fainted away

after having seen such blank and expressionless eyes.

caresscaress: n. a gently loving touch or kiss

同义词、近义词 burden, loadburden, load

这些名词均有“负担，负荷”之意。burden〓指沉重、令人不快的负担；指精神负担时常有不堪忍受的意味。load〓普通用词，含义广泛，指人、畜、车、船等负载的东西，指精神负担时，可与 burden换用，但无感情色彩。

dedicate, devotededicate, devote这两个动词均有“奉献”之意。 devotedevote 〓普通用词，指决心把全部身心、精力、时间等献给某一目标，某一个人或致力于某一事业。 dedicatededicate 〓正式用词，指献身于某一崇高事业或目的，也可指把著作题献给他人。

Translation ExercisesTranslation Exercises1. 他一边走一边看书，看得太入迷了，不觉一头撞上一

棵树。2. 他随意朝窗外望去，看到一位头戴高帽、手握拐杖得

人，神情慌张地走了过去。3. 受了惊吓，她很长时间一动不动地站在那里，眼睛直

盯盯地望着远处。4. 开始，她对我的话将信将疑。看到那些照片后，才消

除了怀疑。5. 她从来没有想到以前聪明可爱的儿子现在只会冲着她

傻笑。6. 你所说的与正在讨论的问题没有什么关系，就请您别

费口舌了。

1. 他一边走一边看书，看得太入迷了，不觉一头撞上一棵树。

He read while walking, so absorbed inabsorbed in the book

as to run head on intorun head on into a tree without knowingwithout knowing.

2. 他随意朝窗外望去，看到一位头戴高帽、手握拐杖得人，神情慌张地走了过去。

He looked causallycausally out of the window and saw a

man in top hat and canein top hat and cane passing by hurriedly.

3. 受了惊吓，她很长时间一动不动地站在那里，眼睛直盯盯地望着远处。

TerrifedTerrifed, she stood there motionlessmotionless for a long

time, with her eyes focused straight outfocused straight out.

4. 开始，她对我的话将信将疑。看到那些照片后，才消除了怀疑。She was uncertainuncertain aboutabout what I said at the

beginning and only after seeing those photoes

was her uncertainty beyond herher uncertainty beyond her.

5. 她从来没有想到以前聪明可爱的儿子现在只会冲着她傻笑。

It had never occurred to herIt had never occurred to her that her son who

used to be clever and lovely could only titter totitter to

her.

6. 你所说的与正在讨论的问题没有什么关系，就请您别费口舌了。What you’ve said is not pertinent topertinent to the issue

under discussion and please waste no more of waste no more of

your wordsyour words.