首页
登录
职称英语
Everyone remembers the whitewashing scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Bu
Everyone remembers the whitewashing scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Bu
游客
2023-08-10
61
管理
问题
Everyone remembers the whitewashing scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. But how many recall the scene that precedes it? Having escaped from Aunt Polly, Tom is teaching himself to whistle when he spies a "newcomer" in his village—a newcomer with "a citified air". They quarrel and wrestle in the dirt. Tom wins the battle but returns home late and is thus commanded to whitewash the famous fence.
After this incident, the reader’s sympathies are meant to lie with Tom. But imagine how a boy like Tom Sawyer would be regarded today. As far as I can tell, that fight is not just "inappropriate behavior", to use current educational terminology (术语), but is also one of the many symptoms of "oppositional defiant disorder" (ODD), a condition that Tom manifests throughout the book. And Tom is not merely ODD: He clearly has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as well, judging by his inability to concentrate in school.
In fact, Tom manifests many disturbing behaviors. He blames his half-brother for his poor decisions, demonstrating an inability to take responsibility for bis actions. He provokes his peers, often using aggression. He deliberately ignores rules and demonstrates defiance toward adults. He is frequently dishonest, at one point even pretending to be dead. Worst of all, he skips school—behavior that might, in our time, lead him to be diagnosed with conduct disorder.
I am not being entirely sarcastic here: I have reread "Tom Sawyer" several times in recent years, precisely because Twain draws such fascinating portraits of children whose behavior is familiar, even if we now describe it differently. As a mother of boys, I find this weirdly reassuring: Although ADHD and ODD are often dismissed as recently "invented" disorders, they describe personality types and traits that have always existed. A certain kind of boy has always had trouble paying attention in school.
But if the behavior or actions of the children and the parents are familiar, the society surrounding them is not. Tom Sawyer turns out fine in the end. In 19th-century Missouri, there were still many opportunities for impulsive kids who were bored and fidgety (坐立不安的) in school: The very qualities that made him so tiresome—curiosity, hyperactivity, recklessness—are precisely the ones that get him the girl, win him the treasure and make him a hero.
Nothing like that is available to children who don’t fit in today. Instead of striking out into the wilderness, they get sent to psychologists and prescribed medication—if they are lucky enough to have parents who can afford that sort of thing. Every effort will be made to help them pay attention, listen to the teacher, stop picking fights in the playground. Nowadays, there aren’t any other options. [br] How did the author feel when she reread The Adventures of Tom Sawyer?
选项
A、The portrait of Tom was extremely ironical.
B、Schooling was fascinating but troublesome.
C、She was familiar with and interested in the life of Tom’s time.
D、She took strange comfort from Twain’s description.
答案
D
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://www.tihaiku.com/zcyy/2913081.html
相关试题推荐
[originaltext]Goodafternoon,everyone.Ican’ttellyouhowhonoredIamt
[originaltext]Goodafternoon,everyone.Ican’ttellyouhowhonoredIamt
[originaltext]Goodafternoon,everyone.Ican’ttellyouhowhonoredIamt
Who’sReallyAddictingYoutoTechnology?[A]"Nearlyeveryone
Who’sReallyAddictingYoutoTechnology?[A]"Nearlyeveryone
Who’sReallyAddictingYoutoTechnology?[A]"Nearlyeveryone
Who’sReallyAddictingYoutoTechnology?[A]"Nearlyeveryone
Who’sReallyAddictingYoutoTechnology?[A]"Nearlyeveryone
Who’sReallyAddictingYoutoTechnology?[A]"Nearlyeveryone
[originaltext]Moderator:Goodmorningeveryone,welcometoourseminar.Fir
随机试题
gift-giving此处讲的是送礼物的注意事项:“Gift-givingisapartofholidaytraditions.”,即送礼物是节日传
Anotherperson’senthusiasmwaswhatsetmemovingtowardthesuccessIhave
属于特殊地质地段的有()。A.软弱黄土地层 B.膨胀地层 C.岩溶
下列哪项车间的生产火灾危险性属丙类?()A.金属烧焊车间 B.塑料制品车间
半衰期是A.CssB.Tmax C.AUCD.t1/2 E.Cmax
A. B. C. D.
某企业2012年质量成本核算的部分结果如下:顾客调查费5万元,质量培训费5万元,
生产商品的劳动.作为人类劳动力在生理学意义上的耗费,是( ) A.具体劳动
对一个公司的收益性进行分析,主要考虑的指标包括()。 A.销售利润率B.投
口服铁剂治疗缺铁性贫血,正确的是A.从小量开始,以减少胃肠道反应 B.血象正常
最新回复
(
0
)