Lecture 7 Painting as a Pastime.Highlights.ppt

Unit7PaintingasaPastime,Abouttheauthor:SirWinstonLeonardSpencerChurchill(1874-1965),BritishpoliticianandprimeministeroftheUnitedKingdom(1940-1945,1951-1955),widelyregardedasthegreatestBritishleaderofthe20thcentury.ChurchilliscelebratedforhisleadershipduringWorldWarII(1939-1945).,Hiscourage,decisiveness,politicalexperience,andenormousvitalityenabledhimtoleadhiscountrythroughthewar,oneofthemostdesperatestrugglesinBritishhistory.WinstonChurchillspubliclifeextendedfromthereignofQueenVictoriainthelate19thcenturytotheColdWar.Duringthislongpoliticalcareer,ChurchillheldeveryimportantcabinetofficeintheBritishgovernment,exceptforeignminister.,ChurchillwasalsoknownforthemanybooksonBritishhistoryandpoliticshewrotethroughouthislifetime.HiscommandoftheEnglishlanguagenotonlymadehimagreatoratorbutearnedhimtheNobelPrizeforliteraturein1953.PaintingwasoneofChurchillsmanytalents,andtheRoyalAcademyofArtsinLondonfeaturedanexhibitofhisworksin1959.,SirWinstonChurchill,Para.1Spasm,asweknow,isasuddentighteningofamusclethatcausespain.Mayblumcontinuedhisdescent,themusclesinhiscalvescontractinginspasms.Ifyouaresuddenlygrippedbyastrongfeelingofanxietyandareunabletogetridofithoweverhardyoutry,youarehavingaspasmofworry,ieyourmindkeepsthinkingaboutsomethingandrefusestoforgetit.Ifyouarepressedforawordthatdescribesanextremeandunhealthyinterestinorworryaboutsomething,whichstopsyoufromthinkingaboutanythingelse,whatisthat?Obsession.,Thereisnopointtryingtopersuadethemindtochangethewayitbehavesoncethishappens.Themoredeterminedyouaretobreakfreefromtheobsession,themoreuselessyoureffortwillbe.,Toinsinuateheremeanstoslowlymoveapartofyourbodyorsomethingelseintoaparticularplace,ofteninaquietandcarefulway.Anditsconvulsivegraspreferstothemindsobsessionwiththeproblemsthatkeepworryingyou.Thiskindofobsessionislikeasuddenviolentpowerthatgoesbeyondyourcontrol.Heretheauthorissayingthatallwecandounderthecircumstancesistoletsomethingelsefinditsway,quietlyandspontaneously,totheobsessedmind.,ifitisreallyattendedbytheilluminationofanotherfieldofinterestNoticethatthisitrefersmoretotheexperienceofhavingthissomethingelseplacedinthemind.Soheretheauthormeansthatifthisexperienceisaccompaniedbytherewardofgainingtrueknowledgeofanotherfieldofinterest,then,gradually,andoftenquiteswiftly,theobsessedmindletsgoofitandyourlifebeginstoreturntonormal.,Noticethatilluminationandrecuperationarestylisticallyquiteformal,meaninganincreasedunderstandingandrecovery.Hererecuperationandrepairarevirtuallysynonymous,usedtogetherforemphasisandfortheeffectofalliteration.,Para.2Thissentencerepresentsamajorpointtheauthormakesonthebasisofwhathesaidabouttheeffectsananotherfieldofinterestmayhaveontheworriedmind.Notethecohesionachievedbytheconjunctiveadverbtherefore,whichliterallymeansforthat(reason).,Nowwhatisapublicman?Itmeansamaninpubliclife,ieapersonwhoholdspublicofficeorhasajobinthegovernment,orevenapersonwhoworksintheentertainmentworld.Whatdothesepeoplehaveincommon?Theymaybewell-knowntoalotofpeoplebecauseoftheirfrequentappearancesinpublic,butatthesametimetheymaycomeunderconstanthighpressurewhichisunknowntomany.,SohereChurchillissayingthat,becauseoftheirhigh-pressurejobsandthepositiveeffectsadifferentfieldofinterestmayhaveontheanxiousmind,themostimportantthingforapersonwhoworksinthegovernmentistospendtimedevelopingahobbyornewformsofinterest.,Noticetheveryformalexpressionapolicyofthefirstimportance,whichmeansthemostimportantprincipleorcourseofaction.,Butthisisnotsomethingthatyoucanpickupanddowellovernight,orsomethingyoucanachievewithoutpreviousplanningoronasuddenimpulse.,Noticetheplant-basedmetaphorshere:growthforacquisitionanddevelopment,seedsfornewformsofinterest,goodgroundfortherightconditionsortherightperson,tendedforcaredfor,(ieoncetheseedsstarttogrow,youshouldcareforthemscrupulously)andvivifyingfruitsfornewhobbiesyouhaveacquired.Andnoticealsotherelativeformalstyleofthewordsbusiness,undertaken,andalternative.,Soheretheauthorissayingthatittakestimetodevelopnewinterests.Andifthesenewhobbiesorformsofinterestareexpectedtobeavailablewhenneeded,thefollowingrequirementsmustbemet:therightthingtobechosenfortherightpersonintherightplace,andsufficienttimespenttakingcareofit.,Para.3ItseemsthatwhatChurchillhadtosayabouttheeffectofhobbiesononeslifeisthisarealhobbycapableofmakingyoufeelhappyandsafeistheresultofsomenaturalorinstinctivechoiceanditsseedsofitshouldhavesproutedwithinyouinyourearlyyears,andanydeliberateattemptatchoosinganewhobbyinyoulaterlifeoftenprovestobefutile.,Whatthisdeliberatepursuitofanewinterestbringsisnothingbutanextraamountofmentaleffort,iepouringoilontheflames.,Heretheauthormakesagoodpoint,revealingthesecretofstrainreliefasheseesityouhavegottolikewhatyoudo.Otherwise,yourhard-learnednewformsofinterestmayturnouttobeuseless.Noticethatwesayitisnousedoingsomething,thereisnopointdoingsomething,anditisuselesstodosomething.,HereChurchillisgeneralizingaboutthefateofmaninasomewhatdarklyhumorousway-somearemuchtoobusy,somearemuchtoosensitive,andsomearemuchtoofreetohaveanythingtoarousetheirinterest.Notice,however,intheaboveexpressionstodeathisusedtoemphasizethatafeelingoremotionisverystrong,asinIlovehertodeath.,Sinceanydeliberateattemptatrelievingstressisvirtuallymeaningless,theonlysalvationseemstolieinanefforttolovewhatyoudointhefirstplace.Verywell,butIhavereadthatthepercentageofpeoplereallylovingtheirjobsisagrim16,ieonly16%ofallpeopleintheworkforcetakerealpleasureinwhattheydo.ThismeansthatthemajorityofpeoplecannotescapethefateofbeingeithertoiledtodeathorworriedtodeathorboredtodeathasChurchillputsit.,Para.4Whatdoyouthinktheseunfortunatepeopleare,apartfromthosetoiledtodeath,worriedtodeathorboredtodeath?Judgingbytheirwayoflivingasdescribedhere,theymustbelongtotheleisuredclassestheydonthavetowork,theycandowhatevertheywant,theyactonimpulsewhenevertheyfeellikeit,andtheycanownalmostanyluxurytheymaythinkof.,ButtheyareneverthelessunfortunateasChurchillrightlypointsout,becauseforthemanythingtheypickupasanewpastimewillprovetobetemporaryorshort-lived,ietheysoonwillgetboredwithitastheyhavedonewiththeirprevioushobbies.,Inthefaceofincreasedboredomresultingfromlossofinterestafterinterest,thesepoorcreaturesarealwaysontherun,andtheonlyavailablemeanstofightboredomisbyhoppingdesperatelyfromonethingtoanother.,Forthosewhocanalwaysgettheirownways,developinganabilitytocontrolthemselvessomehowisperhapsthebestwaytogetthemoutofboredom.,Para.5Heretheauthorventuresaclassificationofwhathecallsrational,industrious,usefulhumanbeings,iepeoplewhoarecool-headedandsensible,hard-workingandthereforecontributingpositivelytosociety.,Tothefirstclassofpeople,theirjobishardbuttheireffortsarerewardedwithacomfortablelifeinwhichtheynotonlydonthavetoworryaboutfoodbutalsogettremendoussatisfactionfromeventheleastimpressiveortheleastexpensiveformsofentertainment,egaginandtonicoragameofdartsinapub.Noticethatthewordsustenanceisformal,meaningfoodanddrinkth