Think carefully about the issue presented in the following excerpt and the assignment below.
There are two kinds of pretending. There is the bad kind, as when a person falsely promises to be your friend. But there is also a good kind, where the pretense eventually turns into the real thing. For example, when you are not feeling particularly friendly, the best thing you can do, very often, is to act in a friendly manner. In a few minutes, you may really be feeling friendlier.
Adapted from a book by C. S. Lewis
Assignment:
Can deceptionpretending that something is true when it is notsometimes have good results? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.
Deception is not necessarily lying and dishonest behaviors that are desinged for sheer personal gain and embeded with malicious motives. In fact, deception is justified in some apt situations.
In the Mahabharata, the greatest ancient war of India, the righteous Pandavas were at war with their evil cousins, the Kauravas. It seemed unlikely that good would win over evil this time; the Kauravas were employing unfair advantages to the maximum. They werent playing fair they had a much larger and stronger army than the Pandavas, possessed weapons of greater strength, and had ferocious demons and giants at their command. They were evil to the extent of slaying helpless soldiers during the battle rest-time at night. In short, if things continued as they were, the Pandavas would be doomed. Unless they played fire with fire, they would lose the war. Bheeshmapitama, the strongest and most skilled among the Kauravas warriors, posed the biggest threat to the Pandavas.
So they came up with a cunning strategy. They killed an elephant having the same name as Bheeshmapitamas son and then sent a messenger to inform him about his sons death. When he got the message, Bheeshmapitama grew suspicious since his son was a formidable warrior. The others assured him that the message was a ploy to weaken him emotionally; however, Bheeshmapitama had to be sure. So he turned to Yudhisthira, the eldest of the Pandava brothers, who always spoke the truth since he was the son of Dharma . Over the din of the battlefield, Yudhisthira replied Yes. Ashwathama, the elephant, is dead. But while enunciating the elephant, Yudhisthira deliberately lowered his volume a little so that he would not be heard. Bheeshmapitama was immediately stunned by the news of his sons death. Seizing the opportunity, the Pandavas felled him with a thousand arrows.
Had he not been slain, the Pandavas would have been defeated right in the early stages of the battle. They used subtle deception to avoid certain defeat at the hands of their malicious brethren. Clearly, deception was justified here.
美文阅读:青春物语
精选英语美文阅读:人生若只如初见
精选英语美文阅读:A Friend's Prayer 朋友的祈祷
精选英文情诗:请允许我成为你的夏季
精选英语散文欣赏:爱的限度就是无限度地去爱
精选英语美文阅读:十字路口的抉择
席慕容诗一首:青春 英汉对照
英文《小王子》温情语录
精选英语美文阅读:如何拥有幸福的婚姻
美文:爱的奇迹
啊,我讨厌英语 Gullia Oops Jaime Pas Langlais 这首歌是不是也唱出你的心声了
浪漫英文情书精选:To Be Close To You Again再次靠近你
浪漫英文情书精选:Let Dream Come True让美梦成真
2011年商务英语BEC初级口语词汇详解(29)
精选英语美文阅读:公务员的无助
精选英语散文欣赏:贫富之间
精美散文:27岁的人生
浪漫英文情书精选:The Best Surprise最好的惊喜
精美散文:我就是我
诗歌:永远向前(双语)
浪漫英文情书精选:True Love Of My Life我的真爱
幸福的秘诀:简单的生活很幸福
精选英语美文阅读:在你的镜头前,我总是很美
精选英语美文阅读:初吻 The First Kiss (双语)
精选英语美文阅读:无雨的梅雨天 (双语)
Love Your Life 热爱生活
双语散文: Optimism and Pessimistic
浪漫英文情书精选:The Warmth Of Your Love爱的温暖
双语美文欣赏:孤独人生
双语美文:在思考中成长
| 不限 |
| 英语教案 |
| 英语课件 |
| 英语试题 |
| 不限 |
| 不限 |
| 上册 |
| 下册 |
| 不限 |